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Asey Mayo Cape Cod Mystery #8
The Crimson Patch
Ominous things are taking place in the town of Skaket. A young couple is confronted with the threat of violence by the locals. A nationally wanted kills may be loose on the Cape. America's favorite radio personality, Rosalie Ray, is found dead in her bed, done in with a whale lance. And this is only the beginning of what may be Asey Mayo's wildest adventure.
- GenresMystery
239 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1936
53 people want to read
About the author
Phoebe Atwood Taylor
43 books43 followersTaylor is an American mystery author. She is best known for her Asey Mayo series, based in Cape Cod. She additionally wrote and published under the pen names Alice Tilton and Freeman Dana.
Phoebe Atwood Taylor, born in 1909 in Boston, Massachusetts, was the first member of her family to have been born off Cape Cod in more than 300 years. Upon graduating from Manhattan's Barnard College, she moved to Weston, Massachusetts, to pen her first work, The Cape Cod Mystery (1931), which was published when she was 22. The book was written while Taylor was caring for her invalid aunt, Alice Tilton (the source of one of her two publishing pseudonyms, the other being Freeman Dana). Taylor was one of the first mystery writers to give a regional and rural rather than urban focus during the time known as the "golden age" of mystery writing (1918 - 1939). Gone with the Wind's author, Margaret Mitchell, was a great fan of the Asey Mayo series, and encouraged Taylor to pack the books with Cape Cod detail. In all, she authored 33 books. She died in 1976 at age 67.
- Bio by The Countryman Press
https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL685...
Phoebe Atwood Taylor, born in 1909 in Boston, Massachusetts, was the first member of her family to have been born off Cape Cod in more than 300 years. Upon graduating from Manhattan's Barnard College, she moved to Weston, Massachusetts, to pen her first work, The Cape Cod Mystery (1931), which was published when she was 22. The book was written while Taylor was caring for her invalid aunt, Alice Tilton (the source of one of her two publishing pseudonyms, the other being Freeman Dana). Taylor was one of the first mystery writers to give a regional and rural rather than urban focus during the time known as the "golden age" of mystery writing (1918 - 1939). Gone with the Wind's author, Margaret Mitchell, was a great fan of the Asey Mayo series, and encouraged Taylor to pack the books with Cape Cod detail. In all, she authored 33 books. She died in 1976 at age 67.
- Bio by The Countryman Press
https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL685...
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 21, 2019
Another very good Mayo, with less comedy and more intrigue. It has construction problems (you will know who the bus driver is long before Asey), but a solid story, good supporting cast, and a nasty AF murderer.
October 16, 2023
This is an OK Asey Mayo mystery.
The beginning is excellent. "Mr. Myles Witherall, strolling blithely down Sumer Street on his way to South Station, would have been considerably taken aback to learn that he would never reach it."
He is a retired old time Bostonian. He gets lured into taking the 1930s version of a gypsy bus. He gets a wild ride down to the Cape and eventually gets dumped off eight miles from his home by the seedy bus driver.
The story gets very complicated from there. His family is, for unknown reasons, being shunned by the townspeople in the small town. A famous radio personality who is visiting gets killed in bed by a whale lance. There is a manhunt going on for a wanted killer. The woman who controls the local town and her loser son are up to no good.
This book would have benefitted from one of the list of characters that used to be at the front of some of the 1930s mysteries. As Asey says at one of the plot twists, " I thought this business couldn't be more complicated. Once more I am wrong."
One problem with the tangled plot is that we don't get as much Asey Mayo, the "Cape Cod Sherlock", as usual. His scenes are usually the best stuff in these books. The ending takes a long time to unwind and is not very satisfying.
When you know the book was written in 1936.
"I think the whole thing is fishy. There is a n___ in the bus trip somewhere."
The beginning is excellent. "Mr. Myles Witherall, strolling blithely down Sumer Street on his way to South Station, would have been considerably taken aback to learn that he would never reach it."
He is a retired old time Bostonian. He gets lured into taking the 1930s version of a gypsy bus. He gets a wild ride down to the Cape and eventually gets dumped off eight miles from his home by the seedy bus driver.
The story gets very complicated from there. His family is, for unknown reasons, being shunned by the townspeople in the small town. A famous radio personality who is visiting gets killed in bed by a whale lance. There is a manhunt going on for a wanted killer. The woman who controls the local town and her loser son are up to no good.
This book would have benefitted from one of the list of characters that used to be at the front of some of the 1930s mysteries. As Asey says at one of the plot twists, " I thought this business couldn't be more complicated. Once more I am wrong."
One problem with the tangled plot is that we don't get as much Asey Mayo, the "Cape Cod Sherlock", as usual. His scenes are usually the best stuff in these books. The ending takes a long time to unwind and is not very satisfying.
When you know the book was written in 1936.
"I think the whole thing is fishy. There is a n___ in the bus trip somewhere."
December 25, 2023
Miles Witherall is a retired officer manager, living with his niece and her husband, Betsy and Steve Damon. They’ve bought the old Cole house in Skakat and renovated it. It still lacks phone and road access so boat is the main link. A neighbour is causing interference in getting the services. The Damons have noticed that the locals are anti-social and that there is a feeling of being watched with a feel of threat in the air.
Steve is a writer currently working on an autobiography of Rosalie Ray, the radio star. It’s not easy or enjoyable, but the money will be a big plus to their finances.
Things start happening when Miles takes a bus ride home instead of the train, from a day trip to Boston. He winds up stranded on the road when the driver claims the engine is dead and goes off to make a phone call. The driver never returns, but Miles is picked up by one of the locals.
When Miles gets home, he is greeted with the Damons being upset due to Rosalie has made an unannounced appearance with plans to spend a few days. Something Steve has no need of — a demanding diva under his roof. To make things worse, Rosalie is found dead in her bed the next morning.
Advice is given to get Asey Mayo involved before things get worse…which they do. Asey’s knowledge of the people and area and past life experiences make him the best man to be around.
Another book in the Asey Mayo series that was written in the 1930s. A fun cosy read with a cast of characters.
Steve is a writer currently working on an autobiography of Rosalie Ray, the radio star. It’s not easy or enjoyable, but the money will be a big plus to their finances.
Things start happening when Miles takes a bus ride home instead of the train, from a day trip to Boston. He winds up stranded on the road when the driver claims the engine is dead and goes off to make a phone call. The driver never returns, but Miles is picked up by one of the locals.
When Miles gets home, he is greeted with the Damons being upset due to Rosalie has made an unannounced appearance with plans to spend a few days. Something Steve has no need of — a demanding diva under his roof. To make things worse, Rosalie is found dead in her bed the next morning.
Advice is given to get Asey Mayo involved before things get worse…which they do. Asey’s knowledge of the people and area and past life experiences make him the best man to be around.
Another book in the Asey Mayo series that was written in the 1930s. A fun cosy read with a cast of characters.
January 28, 2021
Another entertaining edition in the Asey Mayo series. The usual format for the golden age mystery - a small group of folks in an isolated spot and a gruesome murder occurs. Nearly everyone present has a good motive, but all appear to have some form of alibi.
The difference comes in with the characterizations. Some are kind of stock, some are more layered than what meets the eye, including a couple of outright surprises. The setting in the small town set of 1930's Cape Cod is interesting. Asey Mayo is the super-sleuth, but he frequently owns up to his judgment errors along the way, so he's approachable.
This tale also has several action sequences, working at different levels. There's a boat chase - of sorts - in the fog, there's some gunplay, with surprising results, and a major league tantrum by one of the characters.
I'd start with one of the earlier stories and work up from there. Very enjoyable series.
The difference comes in with the characterizations. Some are kind of stock, some are more layered than what meets the eye, including a couple of outright surprises. The setting in the small town set of 1930's Cape Cod is interesting. Asey Mayo is the super-sleuth, but he frequently owns up to his judgment errors along the way, so he's approachable.
This tale also has several action sequences, working at different levels. There's a boat chase - of sorts - in the fog, there's some gunplay, with surprising results, and a major league tantrum by one of the characters.
I'd start with one of the earlier stories and work up from there. Very enjoyable series.
Read
June 18, 2023Picked up two really lovely editions of Cape Cod Mysteries at a little free library. Read this one a bit actually in Cape Cod, although the cape coddedness is sorta slight (fictional towns, or irregular communities from the 1930s?). The physical book absolutely fell apart in my hands, after surviving for 30+ years before coming into my possession; I have a way of ruining books.
Anyway, this was a really fun read, very dialogue heavy (a pg wodehousian thing?) so it's easy to picture it as a funny mystery picture of the era. I'm afraid I'm not too terribly knowledgeable of that movie genre so I'll have to resort to comparing it to a Howard Hawkes film, snappy dialogue and everything. If you want you can even have fun and set character actors for the parts, although I had trouble casting Asey Mayo. Eventually I stuck to Rex Harrison, although occasionally the periodly inappropriate James Cromwell snuck in.
Anyway, this was a really fun read, very dialogue heavy (a pg wodehousian thing?) so it's easy to picture it as a funny mystery picture of the era. I'm afraid I'm not too terribly knowledgeable of that movie genre so I'll have to resort to comparing it to a Howard Hawkes film, snappy dialogue and everything. If you want you can even have fun and set character actors for the parts, although I had trouble casting Asey Mayo. Eventually I stuck to Rex Harrison, although occasionally the periodly inappropriate James Cromwell snuck in.
August 25, 2018
Up till now I have enjoyed these Cape Cod mysteries. I have come to realize that a parade of contrived red herrings is Taylor's standard m.o., but the Cape Cod setting and colorful New England characters have been enough to hold my interest. One or two red herrings a chapter though?! That makes The Crimson Patch an insufferable read. You can skip this one.
May 17, 2021
Good entry in the Asey Mayo series. Set in the 1930s in the fictional town of Skaket, MA on Cape Cod. Asey is called in to solve the murder of a radio personality at the home of a son of a family friend. Nice subplot of a bus will keep you guessing. Asey is assisted by Angelica Sage, owner of a local antique store. Can be read seperately from the series but the methods of Asey will seem strange.
February 5, 2023
Another good story in this series. I am reading another book, nonfiction about the intersection of jazz and the criminal underworld in the first half of the 20th century, so it was interesting to have a fictional gangster as a main component of this depression era story.
April 10, 2025
A good and fun murder mystery.
August 20, 2015
A quirky folksy golden age of detection story. This is well into the series so Asey Mayo is called upon and is recognized by the people. Three family members and two others bought and moved into a nice house in a small town and have found themselves suddenly shunned by the town. Then to top it off, one of the household who is writing a memoir for a radio star finds the infuriating woman comes to visit and ends up murdered.
Mayo is brought in and has to sort through all sorts of people and their stories. There is much rushing about, dealing with local color and local politics. There is a great deal of humor in the story and the people make the situation sometimes a bit confusing to follow... but ultimately, I had an idea who the killer was. Though there were certainly other things going on as well. The copyright is 1936, but the story is certainly of a few years earlier since booze was being smuggled at the time.
Mayo is brought in and has to sort through all sorts of people and their stories. There is much rushing about, dealing with local color and local politics. There is a great deal of humor in the story and the people make the situation sometimes a bit confusing to follow... but ultimately, I had an idea who the killer was. Though there were certainly other things going on as well. The copyright is 1936, but the story is certainly of a few years earlier since booze was being smuggled at the time.
April 7, 2008
Flit gun used is way of spraying insecticide. Mayo/Mayhew
July 30, 2016
Loved this book!
Want to read
September 24, 2016AKA: Alice Tilton, Freeman Dana
November 2, 2012
Really glad I was able to find some Asey Mayo books that I haven't read yet on Better World Books.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews