Raspberry Jam

Fleming Stone #11

by Carolyn Wells

A locked-room mystery is solved by detective Fleming Stone. Sanford Embury refused to give his wife an allowance of spending cash or even a checking account. He pays all the bills and her store charge accounts. "Eunice found it intolerable to be cramped and pinched for small amounts of ready cash, when her husband was a rich man." "Eunice Embury was neither mean nor spiteful of disposition. She had a furious temper, but she tried hard to control it, and when it did break loose, the spasm was but of short duration and she was sorry for it afterward. Her husband declared he had tamed her, and that since her marriage, about two years ago, his wise, calm influence had curbed her tendency to fly into a rage and had made her far more equable and placid of disposition." Sanford is found dead in bed, alone, with the door of his second-story bedroom bolted shut from the inside. Was his wife a party to the murder, or perhaps did she commit the murder in a fit of rage? Who else had a motive? How does Sanford make all that money? How could the murderer do the deed if the room was locked from the inside? The clue that leads to the discovery of the murderer and the devious method used is - you guessed it - some raspberry jam. Carolyn Wells (June 18, 1862 - March 26, 1942) was an American author and poet. She wrote more than 170 books. During the first ten years of her career, she concentrated on poetry, humor, and children's books. According to her autobiography, The Rest of My Life (1937), around 1910 she heard one of Anna Katherine Green's mystery novels being read aloud and was immediately captivated by the unraveling of the puzzle. From that point onward, she devoted herself to the mystery genre. Among the most famous of her mystery novels were the Fleming Stone Detective Stories. Her poetry accompanies the work of some of the leading lights in illustration and cartooning, often in the form of Sunday magazine cover features that formed continuing narratives from week to week. Her first known illustrated newspaper work is a two part series titled Animal Alphabet, illustrated by William F. Marriner, which appeared in the Sunday comics section of the New York World. Many additional series ensued over the years, including the bizarre classic Adventures of Lovely Lilly (New York Herald, 1906-07). The last series she penned was Flossy Frills Helps Out (American Weekly, 1942), which appeared after her death.

Genres: Mystery, New York, Classics

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

Carolyn Wells was a prolific writer for over 40 years and was especially noted for her humor, and she was a frequent contributor of nonsense verse and whimsical pieces to such little magazines as Gelett Burgess' The Lark, the Chap Book, the Yellow Book, and the Philistine.

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Zain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jammed Up!

I didn’t know that this was the eleventh Fleming Stone book when I chose to read it. The book is very good.

The author uses a lot of interesting twists and turns to get you off track in figuring out who is the murderer.

A nice ending.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This classic mystery has elements of what all classic mysteries seem to have (a horrifying murder, innocent suspects, complicated relationships and a good detective) and more. This author adds an aunt who believes in the supernatural and a con/show man to the mix. This is a basic locked room conundrum where one person is murdered and the two suspects are innocent. The key is trying to figure out how a third suspect could have come in. The major clue (raspberry jam) comes surprisingly through what the aunt believes was a ghost! Well-written. I was pleasantly surprised to see the main woman in the story wasn't the sweet little damsel who did no wrong. She has a temper and is spoiled. (There were times I got impatient with her.) This adds a great little dimension to the story.

[Andrea]

Second attempt at this author, but still a not for me read. The portrayal of women isn't negative so much as of a type.

[Yibbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is an updated review. I've read it again, and it was just as fun the second time. It was a mystery, I guess the first might have been just a bit more fun. I remember the first time I read it I was in suspense the whole time not only over finding the murderer but whether it was really a who-done-it or a tale ghostly visitors.
This time I enjoyed Aunt Abby and Fibsy more and detested Eunice, Embury, and Mrs. Desternay even more. That Fibsy will grow on you. The incomparable Fleming Stone? I still don't have an opinion of him. He just wasn't there enough to either like or dislike.
Oh, do a bit of research about that solution. It's really interesting and will show you a bit more of how she plotted her stories.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little confused at first with this book because I thought all three of the main characters were pretty bad (OK, Aunt Abby wasn't so bad), particularly the spoiled brat of a wife. But then again, Wells does seem to simplify her characters into people I would never be friends with, let alone let in my house! She comes through with a good story, however.

This is pure melodrama with a classic cliffhanger followed by a dead body in a locked room. While I never got over disliking Eunice, the mystery was great, especially as detective Fleming Stone, with sidekick Fibsy, gets to the bottom of things, especially why the book's title is Raspberry Jam. Quite clever all in all.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Caroline Wells. I really felt and enjoyed the the feeling of watching an old American golden years production. If you bare this in mind you will really enjoy yourself, the descriptions, the language all add up to create a 'perfect day' feel, even if there is trouble in paradise just remember you have to look good! - if you're not a fan of the 'old' then I don't expect you to be reading this or if you are, your in for a slog which might explain the poor ratings by other readers.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very disappointing mystery. You have to read 40 percent of the book before a murder happens. The first 40 percent of the book is talking about telepathy and visions. Eunice and her husband also fight a lot of over money. I did not like Eunice, she was so shallow, also played the victim card much too often. Her fits of temper got annoying. Aunt Abby was different, she claimed that she was psychic and saw the dead man in her room, saying goodbye. Depends on your perspective, if you believed her or not. Most just thought she was an older lady, maybe a little crazy. I am picky about titles of books and if they fit the story. You almost have to finish the book to see where the title fits in. Raspberry jam on a sleeve was the final clue before the murderer confessed. This story does have an interesting tie to Shakespeare's play, Hamlet.

[Sathya Sekar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good thing about the book was its fast pace. Short dialogues, quick introductions- it almost felt as though you were watching a 2-hour movie in a fast-forward mode so that you could see the full thing in an hour

It's a good book for a snappy read but there is little satisfaction to be derived from it. It's a pretty silly mystery belonging to the locked-room genre. Every character in the book emerges cliched and very un-original. The end is very predictable and boring.

[Hope · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very light mystery that takes determination to keep reading since the dead body only shows up about 1/3 of the way through. The female suspect is "gorgeous when enraged" so spends a lot of time in angry hysterics which got old after a while. I liked Inspector Stone, though, and his sidekick, Fibsy.

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly entertaining and different kind of mystery. A quick read with vivid characters.

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

very quick and easy read

[Rajrupa Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed this vintage whodunnit with a supernatural twist :-)

[Ellen Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why did no one tell me about Fleming Stone and his adorable sidekick, Terrence McGuire? They are such a pair, and they work so well together. This is the 11th book featuring Fleming Stone, but it can definitely be read as a standalone. Nonetheless, I am planning on reading all the Fleming Stone books in order, starting with The Clue, since there are sixty-odd books in the series.

I did not like Eunice, the main female protagonist. I understand that she had a very hard time controlling her temper and that her queer husband did not make things better by acting like Petruchio from The Taming of the Shrew, but she acted like a spoiled child. Anyways, I guess the man who truly loved her finally did teach her to better control her anger, and all's well that ends well.

There was a moment when I almost suspected Mason Elliot, a dear man, of being the culprit, and I was duly horrified. However, things turned out differently, and the man I suspected right in the beginning, way before the murder occurred, was actually the guilty party. His open adoration of his friend's wife is what gave him away, even before he orchestrated the cruel act. What a coward he was though, to use poor Hanlon!

Some people did not enjoy this story because the murder does not occur until almost half-way into the story, but I actually appreciated having a backstory and getting to know the characters involved before one of them gets killed. The way he was killed was ingenious and quite coincidental.

You see, I was searching for a downloadable copy of Hamlet when I stumbled on this book. The title and the fact that it is a vintage-ish mystery caught my attention right away and I downloaded it too. Can you imagine my surprise when I read references made to the play of Hamlet? The murder victim was killed the way Hamlet Sr. was.

I haven't enjoyed a good murder mystery like this one for a while, so I was really keyed up and overjoyed to have found this whole new series. I look forward to reading more Fleming Stone stories.

[J. Rubino · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have been going through some of Wells' "Fleming Stone" mysteries (though Stone often makes a rather belated appearance,) and this is the biggest disappointment so far.
Temperamental and beautiful Eunice Embury is the wife of wealthy Sanford Embury who thinks of their relationship as a Katherine/Petruchio match and keeps his wife in line by refusing to give her any spending money at all. Though she has charge accounts at every store, she has to borrow a nickel for a newspaper (okay, it was written in 1920) and the escalating hostilities between the couple end when Sanford is found murdered in his locked bedroom. Of the five suspects, two have motive but no opportunity, two have opportunity but no motive, which leaves Eunice as the prime suspect. Enter private detective Fleming Stone, with his Irregular-like sidekick Fibsy to figure out the who and how.
The difficulty here - it's not at all difficult to peg the guilty party - is the fact that the main characters are just not likable. Both Sanford and Eunice are insufferable, the supporting cast is rather two-dimensional with the exception of Fibsy who is a lively and engaging character. And if the focus character, the damsel-in-distress Eunice, is irritating and off-putting, it's hard for a reader to feel much sympathy for her plight.
The novel, which shows signs of the original work's serialized format, may seem old-fashioned, but many works of detective fiction written between the late 1890s and early 1900s are very worthwhile reads.

[Anna Lancaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suggest that when you finish this book you try and explain how the crime was done to a friend. I have not laughed like that in a while. And I honestly cannot tell if the author intended it that way.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Emburys seem to have a happy marriage but when Stanford Embury is found dead, suspicion falls on his wife Eunice. As he was killed in a locked set of bedrooms with access only by his wife or Aunt Abby.
An enjoyable locked room mystery but Eunice was a truly awful character of a woman.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another new series for me. I will probably read more.

[Brenda H · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. Review to come

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something different. It's more of an interest to find why the jam was there caused of mystery.

[Andréa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the most unlikable, and unsympathetic, characters I've read in awhile.

[Ramanarayanan parasuraman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucid narration. Very logical. Kept me engrossed throughout .