Envious Casca (1941) Georgette Heyer (Inspector Hemingway #2) Joseph Herriard has decided to force Christmas upon his brother, their family, and acquaintances. Nathaniel, regarding him with a contemptuous eye, said that a real English Christmas meant, in his experience, a series of quarrels between inimical persons bound to one another only by the accident of […]
No Wind of Blame (1939) Georgette Heyer (Inspector Hemingway #1) She was a large woman, who had enjoyed, in youth, the advantages of golden hair and a pink-and-white complexion. Time had committed some ravages with both these adjuncts, but a lavish use of peroxide and the productions of a famous beauty specialist really worked wonders. […]
Blitz, Audiobook (2022) Daniel O’Malley narrated by Moira Quirk (Checquy Files #3) And then there were no more shots, only the unmistakable sound of someone having run out of bullets. Responsible for supernatural security throughout the British Empire, the executives of the Checquy were all horrendously busy and had been even before the nation entered […]
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories (1985) Agatha Christie The Thirteen Problems (1932) 1. The Tuesday Night Club (1927) 2. The Idol House of Astarte (1928) 3. Ingots of Gold (1928) 4. The Bloodstained Pavement (1928) 5. Motive v. Opportunity (1928) 6. The Thumbmark of St. Peter (1928) 7. The Blue Geranium (1929) 8. The […]
The Moving Finger (1942) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) ‘I can see you are a very clever young man—but not quite enough confidence in yourself. You ought to have!’ Joanna gave a loud hoot. ‘For goodness’ sake don’t encourage him to feel like that. He thinks quite enough of himself as it is.’ ‘Be quiet, Joanna,’ […]
The Body in the Library (1942) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) Mrs Bantry reflected a minute and then applied an urgent conjugal elbow to her sleeping spouse. ‘Arthur, Arthur, wake up.’ Colonel Bantry grunted, muttered, and rolled over on his side. ‘Wake up, Arthur. Did you hear what she said?’ ‘Very likely,’ said Colonel Bantry indistinctly. […]
Bodies from the Library: Lost Tales of Mystery and Suspense from the Golden Age of Detection (2018) ‘Before Insulin’ by J.J. Connington (1936) ‘The Inverness Cape’ by Leo Bruce (1952) ‘Dark Waters’ by Freeman Wills Crofts (1953) ‘Linckes’ Great Case’ by Georgette Heyer (1923) ‘Calling James Braithwaite’ by Nicholas Blake (1940) ‘The Elusive Bullet’ by […]
Blitz, Audio Book (2022) Daniel O’Malley narrated by Moira Quirk (The Rook Files) “Our physicists are terrifically excited by the implications, but then, they’re in a state of almost constant excitement here. We’ve had to schedule enforced naps for all the scientists on Kirrin Island to keep them from working until they keel over.” Responsible […]
N or M? (1941) Agatha Christie (Tommy & Tuppence) It’s 1940 and both Tommy & Tuppence feel useless. “Well, come on, out with it. Nothing doing?” “Nothing doing. They don’t want me in any capacity. I tell you, Tuppence, it’s pretty thick when a man of forty-six is made to feel like a doddering grandfather. […]
Towards Zero (1944) Agatha Christie (Superintendent Battle) This one I remembered bits and pieces of. “It may be just by being somewhere— not doing anything— just by being at a certain place at a certain time— oh, I can’t say what I mean, but you might just— just walk along a street some day and […]
Murder is Easy (1939) Agatha Christie (Superintendent Battle) Luke Fitzwilliam has retired and is headed back to England from the Mayang Straits, wondering what he’s doing to do with himself. An odd exchange about murder with an old woman on a train had been easily dismissed. what was I saying? Oh, yes, somebody said that […]
Fortune Favors the Dead (2020) Stephen Spotswood (Pentecost and Parker) Set in New York in 1945. Will Parker ran away to join the circus, to escape her abusive father. But an event one night in 1942 in NYC changes everything, and she ends up working for Lillian Pentecost, a private investigator. “I trust you to […]
Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders (2019) Tessa Arlen (A Woman of WWII Mystery) Set in England 1942 Poppy Redfern trained to become ARP (Air Raid Precautions) Warden for the the village of Little Buffenden. She likes being able to help out and do her part for the war–especially now the Americans have entered the […]
No Wind of Blame (1939) Georgette Heyer (Inspector Hemingway) Ermyntrude Carter married Wally Carter, but has come to regret doing so, as Wally isn’t a great human. Yet Ermyntrude and her daughter Vicki Fanshawe, and Wally and his ward (and cousin) Mary Cliffe lived together on the money Ermyntrude inherited from her fist husband. Although […]
Eight Tiny Flames (2018) Crista McHugh Set in Belgium in 1944. Lt. Ruth Mencher is a nurse in the 64th Evacuation unit. Like many of the other nurses in the unit, she’s had a bit of a crush on Capt. Joseph Klein. Unlike the other nurses, she has a plan to see if she can […]