The other day, on my review of Brian Flynn’s as-yet-unrepublished Where There Was Smoke, where it would rank alongside the republished books? And, come to think of it, what were the best of the thirty-five books that Dean Street Press reprinted.
I did think hard about a top ten, but found it impossible to decide on. Too many books that I really enjoyed and quite a bit of disparity between them in terms of style. So I thought I’d take a look at my top ten (of the reprints) that are top of my list to re-read.
Now do bear in mind that there are plenty of great books that aren’t on this list, simply because I’ve already read them two or three times. My memory isn’t that good that I don’t need to re-read some books for the introductions, and some of them I’ve already succumbed to the desire to re-read them. So there’s no The Mystery Of The Peacock’s Eye, no The Murders Near Mapleton and no Tread Softly here. So what do we have?
So, in order of publication:
Book 7: The Creeping Jenny Mystery – almost chose Invisible Death instead, but I wanted a title with Bathurst’s short-lived sidekick Peter Daventry, he of the wildly changing personality. Here, in his last (iirc) appearance, Daventry has to take the lead in the hunt for Creeping Jenny, a master cat-burglar, because for some reason, Bathurst refuses to show up. Definitely needs a second read, just to focus on how Flynn pulls (or tries to pull) something off, but it’s a very satisfying read. Not much Bathurst though, so I know some people aren’t fans because of that.
Book 8: Murder En Route – one of Flynn’s forays into the impossible crime genre with a man strangled when alone on top of a double decker bus. Not the most subtle method of committing the crime, and an odd choice of narrator in the vicar given he’s not there for half the time, so only half of it is in the first person, but it’s an exciting read and an original set-up.
Book 9: The Orange Axe – a group of men draw lots to see who will commit a murder at a masked ball, so not even they know who the killer is. Well, one of them does, obviously. Again, a unique set-up and while it could do with a map and it does rely, not for the first or last time on this list, on an element that you have to suspend disbelief a tad for, it has an exciting climax and a clever plot.
While I think many books have surprised me with the end of the book, very few Golden Age mysteries have a shock halfway through. The Padded Door is one such book, with a genuinely surprising twist in the mystery. While it does contain one of Flynn’s early Holmesian plot devices, it’s a very clever multi-layered mystery. I’ve only read it once, and it’s probably top of my list for a re-read.
A full-on tribute to Conan Doyle, and The Hound Of The Baskervilles and The Speckled Band in particularly, with some diversions via the Marquis De Sade, this is a dark mystery – a phantom hunting horn plagues the Kenriston family, acting as a herald of murder. Sayers didn’t like it too much, but I’m not a fan of Sayers particularly. Loved this book.
Now I have read this one twice, but it’s so rare to find a murder with a unique motive. On top of that, there’s a murder in plain sight during a play. One of the reasons to read this again is to try and spot the one mention of the title in the story – it is there, but I’ve a paperback version, not an ebook, so I’ve got to read it properly. And it’s a delight.
Book 24: The Case Of The Faithful Heart
The Hillier family are being targeted by a murderer, but who is laying flowers on the victims’ graves? Another complex mystery with a strong emotional core at the heart of it. Lots going on for the reader to try and put together and a sign of Bathurst’s maturity as he’s reluctant to annoy the police by investigating the crime. He does though, obviously…
Book 26: Such Bright Disguises
I’d like to take another run at this one now that I know it takes an age before Bathurst shows up. It’s an inverted mystery with a sting in the tail – not my favourite genre, but having initially read this not knowing the style, it’d be nice to read it again knowing what to expect.
Flynn’s only stab at involving the war in this book that came out in 1942, as a competition is held to recruit the brightest and best to fight the Nazi menace. Or is there another reason behind the events? I had to read this one quickly to get the introduction done, so the details never stuck in my memory, but there’s a lot of cleverness here, and Flynn’s war details are interesting.
Yes, this is the one that Barzun and Taylor described as “savourless and straight tripe”. It’s a thriller, not a mystery, with the macguffin being something that has dated in an interesting way. The reason I want to take a look at it again, is similar to Such Bright Disguises – knowing that it’s not a whodunit made me look at Where There Was Smoke in a different way, so it’d be nice to re-read this one with a knowledge of what to expect.
Things To (Hopefully) Come:
Well, why not give a mention of the unpublished 18 Bathurst novels? Here are ten more that, should you see a copy, you should try and check out.
The title comes from Omar Khayyam, with Bathurst persuaded to investigate a suicide by the dead man’s girlfriend. But when only a bath-plug indicates any foul play…
Who would possibly want to murder a pair of female pensioners? And which one was the victim?
A genuine serial killer book, more concerned about the hunt for the killer and Bathurst’s frustrations as every lead turns to dust…
Why would an innocent man not want to help someone clear his name? Did Henry Vaughan kill his fiancée or not? And in either case, does he want to be found guilty?
Book 45: The Doll’s Done Dancing
A deceptively clever mystery (and a weird title) concerning the death of a theatre critic. Lots going on, with some good detection and a sub-plot or two. One of the last Flynn titles that I read and it was a case of saving one of the best for almost last.
Book 47: The Mirador Collection
Mainly because I enjoyed it when I read it, but can’t remember anything about it. Plus I own the only copy that I’ve ever seen reference to on the internet. A good mystery with a nice twist at the end.
One of many later books where a relative of Helen Repton, Bathurst’s friend, gets into trouble and recruits Bathurst to help. A nice macguffin and a good reveal at the end.
Book 51: The Wife Who Disappeared
Maybe this one is a bit obvious, and possibly now I think about it, has something in common with an earlier title, but for a late entry in the series, it’s a well-told, entertaining traditional mystery.
In a cosy country village, someone is charmingly killing people and carving weird words into their forehead. An early read that I can’t remember anything much about at all, so definitely going on the list.
Book 53: The Saints Are Sinister
One of the stronger “last books by an author”, it has its faults, but another intriguing set-up – why is someone breaking into the houses of the same couple each time they move? – and while it’s more of a caper like Conspiracy At Angel and Where There Was Smoke, I’d like to take another look.
So, ten to read now (and then the other twenty-five with the possible exceptions of… no, one doesn’t poop in one’s own backyard, and ten to scour the second-hand bookshops for (although you’d be damn lucky to find anything). That should keep you busy…
In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel 
I really enjoyed Black Edged, even though it’s another that isn’t a whodunnit. I’ve only read a couple of dozen (all DSP reprints, I discovered him thanks to you) so I’ve got a few to go even of the ones that are currently available. I also remember really liking Murder En Route. Peacock’s Eye was my first and will always hold a place in my heart for that reason.
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Oh, Peacock’s Eye was the one that started the avalanche. That and Tread Softly will always top any actual top ten for me
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That was close to being on the list but I wanted to keep it to ten. There are only a very small handful that I doubt I’ll go back to – maybe five, maximum.
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