E.C.R. Lorac is one of the pseudonyms used by the prolific British crime author Edith Caroline Rivett (1894-1958) who until more recently had largely been forgotten. I’ve read a couple of her books and I've liked this one the best so far. It's the thirteenth book out of forty-six written by Lorac that feature Chief … Continue reading Bats in the Belfry by E.C.R. Lorac (1937)
Detective
Death at the Bar by Ngaio Marsh (1940)
A darts night at the Plume of Feathers, an old-fashioned pub at a small village in Devonshire, turns into a crime scene. Lawyer Luke Watchman, his cousin, Sebastian Parish who is a handsome and celebrated actor, and their friend, Norman Cubitt, a distinguished artist, are visiting the village after a year’s absence and are staying … Continue reading Death at the Bar by Ngaio Marsh (1940)
1940 Book Club
Every six months Simon and Karen ask people to read books published in the same year and put reviews online wherever you put reviews (blog, GoodReads, Instagram, etc.). Any sort of book from anywhere in the world is welcomed – the only rule is that it was first published in 1940. I'll be reading Death at the … Continue reading 1940 Book Club
January Blether
My Glasgow Granny would often say 'Stop yer bletherin,' if we were babbling on about something, but I'm using the word here in the more positive sense of 'a lengthy chat between friends.' 🙂 This is a look back at the month that's been that will include books (of course!) but also other topics of … Continue reading January Blether
The Cornish Coast Murder by John Bude (1935)
The Vicar, who was fond of bodily comfort, sighed with the profoundest satisfaction. Behind him a big log fire crackled in the open hearth. A reading-lamp cast an orange circle over the seat of his favourite chair and gleamed, diluted, on the multicoloured book-backs which lined most of the room. In the centre of the … Continue reading The Cornish Coast Murder by John Bude (1935)
The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie (1929)
A practical joke takes a deadly turn with the death of a healthy young Foreign Office worker while he was a house guest at historic ‘Chimneys,’ an English country estate. At first his death seems to have been an accidental overdose or suicide but his friends who are also staying at Chimneys aren’t convinced. Their … Continue reading The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie (1929)
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (1930)
I kept coming across the description ‘hard-boiled’ applied to a certain type of detective/crime novel, but although I sort of understood the description, I couldn’t think of anything I’d read that would fit the category. And then I saw The Maltese Falcon in a secondhand book shop and as I’m happy to try just about … Continue reading The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (1930)
Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie (1936)
Murder in Mesopotamia is another book that came out of Christie's first-hand experience of working on archaeological sites with her husband. The setting of this book is the excavation a large Assyrian city about a day and a half’s journey from Baghdad. The book is narrated by Miss Amy Leatheran, a thirty-two year old nurse … Continue reading Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie (1936)
It’s Friday
Week 4 of Ambleside Online Year 12 - some of what we covered: biology, Middle East & mapwork, current events, and common place book. The Lord God Made The All is our Natural History read aloud this year. I also read Ourselves by Charlotte Mason aloud and we discuss it. This week we read about … Continue reading It’s Friday
Trent’s Last Case by E.C. Bentley (1913)
E.C. Bentley wrote Trent’s Last Case as a reaction against the artificial type of detective stories popular in the early 1900’s which portrayed detectives as almost superhuman. He believed it was possible to have a detective who was recognisable as a human being with human emotions and not someone who was a perfect reasoning machine, … Continue reading Trent’s Last Case by E.C. Bentley (1913)
journey & destination 