Golden Age of Detective Fiction

Parker Pyne is traveling through Greece incognito and finally trying to take a vacation after his trip on the Nile, which was spoiled by a case. His holiday is short-lived when Mrs. Peters engages him to get her son back from some devilishly clever kidnappers. They want money- a lot of money- or her priceless diamond necklace- and Mrs. Peters better choose her payment soon before her son is brutally murdered. Parker Pyne believes he can figure out a peaceful solution.

The Review

The Oracle at Delphi” is probably my favorite Parker Pyne story that I’ve read so far. The characters are well drawn, and there’s a lot of humor in Mrs. Peters’s finding the ancient ruins that her son has dedicated his life to so tedious. Her bored and fussy demeanor is not just pitch-perfect, but also highly entertaining, and just when she becomes tiresome, the mystery begins.

The kidnapping of Willard Peters is done off the page, and we are left with a bereft and scared Mrs. Peters. Despite Parker Pyne saying that he wanted a true vacation without cases, one of his flyers ends up in Mrs. Peters’s hand. He suggests a clever solution to tricking the thieves, which, while a bit boilerplate if you’ve read a lot of Golden Age mysteries, still manages to impress. But that’s only the first trick played in the story. In a stunning sleight of hand, Parker Pyne saves the day.

The final twist is one I didn’t see coming, but it’s a real treat. It’s a cracking puzzle and ending to a fun little mystery with Parker Pyne remaining as enigmatic as ever.