Indeed, he read very little except detective stories, which he devoured at a rate of one a day. Ronald Knox, The Motive
Mark Brand, aka “The Counselor”, was bored, so when he receives a request to reach out to his radio host for information regarding a recent death he is intrigued. The body of an unidentified man has been found in a burnt-out car, and while the coroner thinks it’s a simple case of suicide, the local …
Continue reading The Four Defences by J. J. Connington (1940)
He’d Rather Be Dead by George Bellairs (1945) Over the course of many years, The Mayor of Westcombe, Sir Gideon Ware, has systematically turned what was a quaint little harbor town into a popular resort. His means, which included bribes and intimidation, haven’t always met with enthusiastic approval, and have many people harboring ill-feeling towards …
Continue reading A Bundle of Reviews #11 Or He’d Rather Be A Lepidopterist
The Chacewater’s are holding a masked ball at their country home, Ravensthorpe. Family friend, and Chief Constable of the county, Sir Clinton Driffield’s concern that a thief could mingle undetected goes unheeded—except by Cecil Chacewater. Cecil and his friends arrange a practical joke. At a set time Ravensthorpe will be plunged into darkness and a …
Continue reading Mini Reviews – Tragedy at Ravensthorpe by J. J. Connington (1927)
Every evening Richard Viner read aloud to his aunt, Miss Bethia Penkridge, from detective novels which suited her taste for the sensational. Viner’s protests that events in detective stories never occur in real life is meet with several true life stories from Miss Penkridge, stories of crimes she has come across. Later, while on his …
Continue reading The Middle of Things by J. S. Fletcher (1922)
In the midst of prosecuting a case against a shady businessman, attorney Neville Shandon visits his twin brother Roger’s country estate at Whistlefield. Interestingly Roger has a past checkered with a few shady business deals himself. Both under pressure, for very different reasons, they are looking for someplace private where they can think about the …
Continue reading Murder in the Maze by J. J. Connington (1927)