Golden Age of Detective Fiction

Although I hadn’t planned to buy many books this month because there are several titles that I wanted to read from my public library, it’s been closed most of the month due to roof repairs. I decided to buy books from my favorite authors on sale for Kindle, and I think I picked several winners.

Purchases

Death Framed in Silver and Water Weed by Alice Campbell was bought because of the ripping good time I had with her previous romantic mystery, Keep Away From Water!; with its slow-burn romance, ingenious method of killing, and explosive ending, I had to pick up some more of Campbells mysteries. I also love these Dean Street Press reprints; they have an invaluable introduction detailing Campbell’s life and literary standing. Even though she was extremely popular during her lifetime and exceedingly wealthy from the sale of her books, after her death, her works fell into obscurity, I think these books are exceptional, and I hope to review them on my blog so others can fall in love with Alice Campbell’s books.

The Murders in Praed Street features something rare in golden age detective fiction: a serial killer. Against the parade of country house murders, locked room puzzles, and never-ending jewel thefts, I think The Murders in Praed Street will be a unique read. It seems exceptionally modern, with a discussion of the killer’s evolving signature and small hunting ground. I think it will be a good entry into the Dr. Priestley series, with whom I have not dabbled. This 2024 release from Spitfire Publishers continues their mission of releasing forgotten or hard-to-get books from the golden age of detective fiction and putting them into the hands of readers.

After finishing The Plague Court Murders by John Dickson Carr, I have revised my lukewarm reception of his works to utter anticipation. The Plague Court Murders blew my mind, and when I saw Fire, Burn! on sale, I thought I had to have it. Fire, Burn! is a time travel historical mystery set at the beginning of Scotland Yard, which sounds fascinating to me. Coupled with the detective having to solve a cold case with limited technology and forensic ability, Fire, Burn! sounds so exciting and reminds me of many unsolved crimes committed against young women today that have yet to be solved. This book is reminiscent of many true crime programs we have on TV today and would be very popular amongst readers.

I am reluctant to review Margery Allingham’s books on this blog because I find Albert Campion insufferable. I’ve muddled through The Tiger in the Smoke, and while I found The Crime at Black Dudley entertaining, I am loathe to revisit another Campion caper anytime soon. However, Black Plumes is a Campion-free book; instead, Frances Ivory, pretending to be engaged to a young painter named Robert, is embroiled in a murder mystery when Robert is found dead in a cupboard. That sounds delightful enough, and I’m curious to read this stand-alone mystery by Allingham.

I have been waiting so long for this British Library Crime Classic to go on sale! I am a big fan of Christianna Brand’s short stories for my #20booksofsummer23. I am a fan of Bran’s maximalist approach to storytelling. I find Inspector Cockrill’s approach to investigating crime a unique come-on approach that differs significantly from his contemporaries. Death of Jezebel features a mystery at a mock jousting ring (huzzah!), but all of the medieval fun and games come to a halt when the leading lady of the acting troupe is thrown from her tower and dies, Inspector Cockrill must find a killer hiding in plain sight. The golden age mystery genre is heavily littered with stage productions gone amok, but I have yet to hear of one set at a Medieval Times-esqe show, so I think it will be a lot of fun, and since it’s a British Crime Classic, it’s sure to be a winner.

The Long Arm of the Law: Classic Police Stories was bought chiefly because when I think about police procedurals or stories where police are the main protagonist, I usually think of longer, more detail-heavy books. Almost no short stories come to my mind, so I am curious about what tales Martin Edwards has collected. These short story collections are an excellent resource for finding new authors, even if some stories hit more than others.

Anthony Berkeley is one of my favorite authors from the Golden Age period, and I have reviewed several of his Roger Sheringham books. Including The Silk Stocking Murders, The Murder in the Basement, and The Poisoned Chocolates Case, I wonder what the book will be like. Mr. Priestley (not to be confused with John Rhode’s Dr. Priestley) is mistaken by a young woman as a burglar-for-hire and takes up her strange case. It sounds very intriguing, and knowing Berkeley’s other works, there are some genre-bending twists and turns to be revealed in its pages. Reviews of this book are decidedly bimodal, and I wonder if I will love or hate Mr. Priestley’s Problem.

Details about Death at Dyke’s Corner are rather scanty on Amazon or Goodreads, and reviews are short and vague. Chief Inspector Robert MacDonald returns for his nineteenth case in this 1940 publication. I don’t know what it’s about and bought it off of the strength of my previous well-reviewed books by E.C.R. Lorac, such as Fell Murder, Post After Post-Mortem, These Names Make Clues, and the mystery Crossed Skis under her other pseudonym Carol Carnac. I’m planning on reading and reviewing Lorac’s book The Theft of the Iron Dogs in March of 2024

Ellery Queen books are perennially on sale for Kindle, and Losers, Weepers sounds like an absolute blast. Jim Morgan, drowning in debt, buys a briefcase and goes to a bar to have a drink; when he leaves the bar, the briefcase has $100,000 of stolen money. Written by Richard Deming under the Ellery Queen pseudonym, this sounds like any other hardboiled Deming novel, which is sure to be a classic.

I bought these two Rachel Murdock Mysteries after finishing The Alarm of the Black Cat by Dolores Hitchens, and a review of the book will also be coming in March. Curiously enough, the cat in the mystery is marmalade colored, and no black cat is mentioned even though its image adorns the series’ covers. Maybe the answer to this mystery will be revealed in a later book. In any case, I liked The Alarm of the Black Cat well enough to add these two books to the series.

Library Loot

My library “haul” is rather pathetic, given the roof above repairs that led to it being closed. In William Ard’s The Perfect Frame, you’ll find buxom dames, seedy crimes, and a private dick named Timothy Dane risking his life to make a buck. My review of The Perfect Frame can be found here.

I also reviewed The 2013 book, The Murder at Sissingham Hall by Clara Benson, a golden age-style mystery that fell flat for me. You can read my review here.

What books came into your life this month? If you’ve read anything I added to my collection, leave your (non-spoiler) thoughts in the comments.