Following on from yesterday’s post, I’ve offered to do Kate a favour and present a summary of the nominations for the Dream Reprint 2025 poll that will run next weekend at Cross Examining Crime. Just a brief paragraph explaining the book, the premise, and so on. So off we go…

The Case Of The Drowsy Mosquito by Erle Stanley Gardner – nominated by Kate at Cross Examining Crime

The twenty-sixth outing for Perry Mason, a tale of a lost gold mine, blackmail, torn-up wills and murder. According to Kate, one of the more complex Mason stories

Nine – And Death Makes Ten aka Murder In The Submarine Zone by Carter Dickson – nominated by Tom Parsons

Hopefully the British Library will take note of this nomination – the tale of a shipbound murder where the killer conveniently leaves a fingerprint except it doesn’t belong to anyone on board.

Mystery At Friar’s Pardon by Martin Porlock aka Philip MacDonald – nominated by Tom Mead

A tail of a house with a history of drownings – except the victims die locked inside rooms without a trace of water therein. An exceptionally rare title from the author of X v Rex.

Mail Train by Kenneth Austin Dobson – nominated by A Hot Cup Of Pleasure aka Neeru

A train mystery – everyone loves those – with the train heading from Dar-Es-Salaam to Mwanza, with a mixed selection of European potential victims. It’s hard to find info on Dobson – he wrote a couple of other books, but I don’t think they were mysteries.

Who Is Lewis Pinder? aka Man Out Of Nowhere By L P Davies – nominated by JetBlackDragonFly aka Eden Thompson

L P Davies as an author wrote about identity, states of mind and loss of control and this second novel deals with an emaciated, amnesiac man found wearing a brand new suit. Some of his books were science fiction but this is a straight mystery.

The Man Who Didn’t Exist by Geoffrey Homes – nominated by The Mystillery aka Rick Mills

A biblio-mystery of sorts – a jacket on the beach and a suicide note signed by a famous author. But the author hid behind a pseudonym, so a reporter tries to ascertain who the author actually was and if they are indeed dead.

Murder In The First Person by Shipley Adams – nominated by Murder At The Manse aka Adam Thomas

A meta-fictional murder mystery presented as a bundle of documents sent to the read to get to the bottom of things – one of only four books by the author and, given the number of such books these days, decades ahead of its time.

Blood On The Bosom Devine by Thomas Kyd aka Alfred Bennett Harbage – nominated by Happiness Is A Book aka Aubrey Hamilton

When the star of a burlesque show is shot by an arrow despite nobody being a position to shoot it, police sergeant Sam Phelan investigates. One of three books written under the Elizabethan pseudonym by Harbage.

Into Thin Air by Horatio Winslow and Leslie Quirk – nominated by, well, me

A miraculous thief, an impossible murder and a lecture on mysteries that predates Carr by six years. My post on this is here.

A Drink To Yesterday by Manning Coles – nominated by Chris Wallace

Tommy Hambledon searches for a German spy – set in the Great War, it draws on one of the co-authors experiences in the conflict.

Wilders Walk Away by Herbert Bream – nominated by TomCat

The Wilder family have a habit of walking away and disappearing into thin air, often in impossible circumstances. But when a grave is found, it seems that a murderer is pulling the strings. Brean’s first of seven books.

Reunion With Murder by Timothy Fuller – nominated by TomCat

Jupiter Jones (not the First Investigator) is about to be married but his best man is arrested for murder at a Harvard reunion. The third of five Harvard mysteries featuring Jones and (I think) the only one that appeared as a Green Penguin.

It’s Her Own Funeral by Carol Carnac – nominated by Rand Brittain

A bedbound woman refuses to leave her country manor, and various members of her family vie for her inheritance. When she dies, Inspector Rivers investigates.

Beginning With A Bash by Alice Tilton – nominated by Chris Wallace

The first of eight Leonidas Witherall mystery and a murder in a Boston bookshop starts a team of sleuths hunting for a killer when they are convinced the police have the wrong man. It has a strong vein of humour and is fast moving according to Wikipedia. Note that Chris actually nominated the entire series (presuming he read the whole series last year).

She Shall Have Murder by Delano Ames – nominated by John Perry

The first of twelve Dagobert & Jane Brown mysteries – again, the entire series was nominated – this has a death at a law firm that Dagobert and his girlfriend Jane are convinced isn’t an accident. Another humorous series, this book is a really strong start. Again, the whole series was nominated, but (assuming John read them all last year) I’ve picked the debut.

So you’ve got a few days to mull things over – head over to Cross Examining Crime at the weekend to vote for the one you most want to read.