Just a quick post – I’m off on holiday for a week so the blog’s going to be snoozing for a short while. In the meantime, here’s something to keep you busy…
I’m closing in on my millennial review. Gallows Court was review number 967 so we’re looking at about three months to go until the big one zero zero zero. Obviously, I’ve got grand plans… actually, no I haven’t. Can’t think of anything, so I’m going to hand it over to you, dear readers.
I’m after a classic mystery, old or new, that I haven’t reviewed so far on the blog – do check the search box on the right hand side – that I really should have reviewed by now. Maybe it’s a Christie that I’ve overlooked, maybe it’s an author who I haven’t tried… up to you. Do try and pick something that’s easy to get hold of though…
Just leave your suggestions in the comments below. Many, many thanks…
In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel 
It would be great if the 1000th post could keep to the spirit of the blog, and review a contemporary novel that seeks to be a classic mystery operating within the fair-play, puzzle-oriented Golden Age tradition.
Perhaps Anthony Horowitz’s upcoming “Sentence is Death” is an obvious candidate – but Sophie Hannah’s “Mystery of Three Quarters” has just been released *dodges bullets 😅*, and Robert Galbraith’s “Lethal White” will be released soon. Robert Thorogood’s fourth Paradise novel qualifies too, but will only come out at the end of the year.
Of these, I daresay the regular reader of the blog would be most curious about Horowitz or Thorogood?
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Perhaps discuss a shortlist of the mystery stories you would take to a desert island or a summary of the most outstanding books you have read/reviewed. But, whatever you decide, I am sure your blog followers will read your post with pleasure and interest.
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A Ngaio Marsh? No that would be too cruel lol Some more sensible suggestions: Alice Tilton or June Wright (for GAD authors), Ian Sansom’s 1930s mystery series, Boris Akunin or Hans Olav Lahlum (for modern authors who write historical mysteries). My final suggestion is Martin’s The Golden Age of Murder – rather a fitting subject for a 1000th review. Totted up how many reviews I have done and suffice to say I have a while to go yet before I reach 1000!
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The Golden Age of Crime nearly ended up in my holiday reading bag – definitely a good idea, as are the rest… I think I feel a poll coming in if I get a few more suggestions…
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I searched but cannot find that you have reviewed anything by V.C, Clinton-Baddeley. You might give him a try.
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Any particular titles? And how obtainable are they?
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The Maltese Falcon
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I expect this good advice above to go unheeded, so there are a couple other obvious candidates.
A collection of Father Brown stories, either the first one or a best of.
The Greene or Bishop Murder Case, Van Dine
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Series
Dr. R. V. Davie
Death’s Bright Dart (1967)
My Foe Outstretch’d Beneath the Tree (1967)
Only a Matter of Time (1969)
No Case for the Police (1970)
To Study a Long Silence (1972)
V. C, Clinton-Baddeley
I don’t know how available they are. I read them years ago and probably still have them tucked away somewhere.
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I have two suggestions. First would be for Carr’s The Devil in Velvet, which I believe you haven’t reviewed (though I may have missed it in my search). I admit that I’m stumping for it partly because it’s a historical mystery, and it was your reviews of historicals that first drew me to your blog several years ago. And though it may not be one of Carr’s strongest works, I think it’s still quite good and wonderfully evokes the atmosphere of the period.
My second suggestion would be for one of the Paul Doherty novels that you haven’t read. At one point he was almost the bread and butter of your site (or perhaps that’s just my own interest in historical mysteries biasing me), so it seems fitting for him to be present for number 1000!
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My suggestion is Crooked House by Agatha Christie. One of the most epic iconic mysteries of all time and Christie’s personal favorite.
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Reginald Hill – On Beulah Height
(or Dialogues of the Dead; The Wood Beyond; Pictures of Perfection; Recalled to Life)
Michael Innes – Stop Press or Lament for a Maker
Gladys Mitchell – The Devil at Saxon Wall or Come Away, Death
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I’m probably going to do a poll of some sort, and Beulah Height is definitely going on the list. Maybe Innes as well… But probably not Mitchell
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I’d suggest “Who Goes Hang?” by Stanley Hyland – a neglected classic, in my view, and not too hard to get hold of.
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A few copies around but a bit pricier than I’d pay for an unknown (to me) author. I’ll keep an eye out though.
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I must recommend Maria Lang, the best swedish mystery-writer, and at her best I do think she’s almost as good as Christie. And I do love Christie. I discovered your blog only today, but I find our thoughts on the Christie-books and Death in paradise-books very similar, so I honestly think you would love Maria Lang. The only problem is I don’t know how many of her books are translated to english (how is your swedish?).
Anyhow, just wanted to say I love the blog so far. And give a recommendation. Best wishes from Sweden! /Lena
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Welcome to the blog, Lena. I’ll look into Lang – fingers crossed. Thanks for the tip.
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Hide My Eyes- Marjery Allingham
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Sorry for typo-Margery of course.
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Is that a mystery or a thriller? She tends to vary in style.
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It is not a whodunit. The killer is identified early in the novel. It is mostly a thriller.
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Difficult to define. Chilling and thrilling study of a psychopath.
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Other suggestions for 1000th
Death at the Carnival-George Bellairs
The Long Divorce- Edmund Crispin
Miss Pym Disposes- Josephine Tey
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Obviously my day for mistakes- for “Death” read “Corpse”!
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Clifford Witting — sadly underappreciated, utterly forgotten and unread. Why Dean Street Press or the British Library haven’t reprinted any of his books eludes me. I have eight of his books and I’m willing to send you any of them. I’d recommend SUBJECT-MURDER, CATT OUT OF BAG, MURDER IN BLUE or DEATH ON TIME to start with. The easiest Wittin book to find, I think, is MEASURE FOR MURDER but as much as Jaques Barzun praises it in Catalog of Crime it’s not at all Witting’s best, IMO. Based on your love of Flynn and Rhode and others like them from the Golden Age you would be very much enjoy Witting. He is witty, smart, an excellent plotter and one of the best at fair play clueing. Only Curt Evans and I have written about Clifford Witting (Curt with one post, I have four) and he deserves much more exposure.
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Dead On Time ordered – thanks for the heads-up. The other relatively obtainable title over here is There Was A Crooked Man and one copy of A Bullet For Rhino. It’s looking like I’ll be doing a series of reviews counting down (up?) to Review 1000 of authors who I should have read by now and this one will certainly be part of this. Thanks again.
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The easiest book to obtain seems to be There Was A Crooked Man.
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There is an entry on Clifford Witting in John M.Reilly’s Twentieth Century Crime And Mystery Writers. Unfortunately it contains a spoiler for the book Measure For Murder. Kate in her review of this book mentions a surprise at the end of Part 1 (half-way through) which is revealed in Reilly’s book !
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“A Funeral in Eden” by Paul McGuire from the “golden” 30s. Here’s what Kirkus said at the time:
“A good ‘un. Superior writing marks this tale of two murders on a South Sea island inhabited by natives and a handful of white people escaping from their pasts. Exotic background not overdone, interesting characters, amateur sleuthing, true stories of refugees finally divulged. Publishers planning triy display and daily and Sunday advertising. Their policy of few mystery writers and good ones is sustained by this newcomer.” One worth seeking out for the setting, the writing, and the puzzle.
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I’ll bear him in mind, but he doesn’t seem that easy to get hold of over here. I’ll hunt around though…
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I don’t think you have reviewed anything by Patrick Quentin (and other pseudonyms) yet.
I can recommend Death and the Maiden, by Q Patrick.
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You are quite correct and I’ve already taken steps to correct this one, although not the title you recommend. There seems to be something of a revival of interest in PQ so it seemed churlish to omit him/them
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I’d suggest Elizabeth Daly’s “The Book of the Dead” – easy to get hold of, I believe, and one of my all-time favorite mysteries – I want to avoid spoiler territory, so let’s just say she’s learned misdirection from Christie and Carr…
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I’ll make a note but I have reviewed one Daly title, so she’s disqualified…
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Grim Pickings by Jennifer Rowe.
It gets great reviews on some other mystery blogs. Rowe is from Oz. I just ordered a copy from a Canadian chain, so it can be had.
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And I just realized you have never reviewed Colin Watson. Any of the Flaxborough novels. Coffin, Scarcely Used is the first.
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Yes, he’s on the shortlist. Thanks.
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From the original posting I did not realise you were looking for an AUTHOR you had not reviewed.
May I suggest Elizabeth Ferrars?
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No, that idea evolved through the comments and suggestions. I’ll bear Ferrars in mind, but I’ve got quite a list to pick from already
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That PD, such a tease.
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I’ve ordered a Ferrars title – let’s see if I can squeeze it in…
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Know anything about Elizabeth Ironside? I ask because I have two titles in the wonderful Felony & Mayhem editions that I picked up for a quarter each. (I am seeking a canary for that particular coal mine …)
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No idea – the Goodreads ratings seem distinctly average…
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Very late to the party here, and I have missed the run up to the thousand, but perhaps fro the future you might consider Robert Van Gulik’s Judge Dee mysteries. A good start might be The Chinese Maze Murders. A fascinating setting, and as I recall pretty good mystery stories as well.
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Hello Puzzle Doctor,how about Sharon Bolton’s new novel The Craftsman; it’s meant to her best one yet.
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I will get round to it eventually…
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