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Dr. Westlake #8
Death's Old Sweet Song
12mo size hardcover
- GenresMystery
239 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1946
9 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Stagge
34 books2 followersPatrick Quentin, Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge were pen names under which Hugh Callingham Wheeler (19 March 1912 – 26 July 1987), Richard Wilson Webb (August 1901 – December 1966), Martha Mott Kelly (30 April 1906–2005) and Mary Louise White Aswell (3 June 1902 – 24 December 1984) wrote detective fiction. In some foreign countries their books have been published under the variant Quentin Patrick. Most of the stories were written by Webb and Wheeler in collaboration, or by Wheeler alone. Their most famous creation is the amateur sleuth Peter Duluth. In 1963, the story collection The Ordeal of Mrs. Snow was given a Special Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 9, 2018
Current review (2018) Death's Old Sweet Song by Jonathan Stagge, has been re-released by the Mysterious Press/ Open Road. This was the very first novel I ever found and read by Stagge (Hugh Wheeler and Richard Webb) back when my blog was very young and green (Green as the "Green Grow the Rushes-O" of the title's song) and my reviewing skills were meager indeed. When I
found a lovely dust-jacketed copy several years later, I intended to return to it and give it the attention it deserved...but, well, having this habit of buying books faster than I can read them makes the new TBR piles push the already read books further and further down the list. So, I'm excited that Kate's suggestion allowed me to finally revisit it.
The Stagge novel uses a familiar ploy of vintage mysteries--a song or rhyme being used as a framework for a murderer's dark entertainment. Christie, of course, used it--most famously in And Then There Were None with the less-politically correct version and then the rhymes that slowly eliminated Indians and soldiers, one by one. Stagge uses an old English ballad title "Green Grow the Rushes-O" whose pertinent lines run as follows:
Six for the Six Proud Walkers
Five for the Symbols At Your Door
And Four for the Gospel Makers
Three, Three The Rivals
Two, Two The Lily White Boys Clothed All In Green-o
One Is One and All Alone and Ever More shall Be-o
It all takes place a small town in the Massachusetts Berkshires where Dr. Westlake and his daughter Dawn have gone for a little vacation--"a nice quiet time." However, over the course of just a few days, that nice quiet time will turn into murder and mayhem with six murders rapidly following one another and all following along the lines of the song. The murders begin with the two lily white boys--twin terrors who may be naughty little boys, but who on earth murders children just for being naughty? It immediately becomes clear that it's more than someone who couldn't take the boys' behavior when other murder follow with victims who match the English ballad. Dr. Westlake and his friend Inspector Cobb have a great deal of work ahead of them to find the killer before he or she works their way through the rest of the song.
The Stagge novels which I've read are probably my favorite iteration of the various combinations of Wheeler/Webb and Martha Mott Kelley and Mary Louise White Aswell (under the pen names of Stagge, Patrick Quentin, and Q. Patrick). I find the characterizations to be more interesting and the small town atmosphere has given them a kinship with British village mysteries. And, as far as this particular novel goes, I always find it interesting when an author uses an old song or poem or nursery rhyme to set up a string of murders. The question, as always is, do we have a lunatic on our hands who just happened to go batty with this song in his head and now just "has" to go out and kill people to suit the song...or do we have a perfectly sane villain who is trying to make the police think he's mad while he bumps off the key victim in the midst of the red herrings? Generally speaking, it's usually the latter--but it's a good writer who can keep you guessing.
Stagge did a very good job at keeping me guessing right till the end the first time I read it. I had my theory but (looking back at my previous review) I still wasn't certain at page 182 of 239. Of course, on my reread I remembered the answer to that particular puzzle. BUT--and
reprint cover
here is where I make my special plea on behalf of this reprint--it had been long enough since I read this that I wasn't sure who did it. Stagge fooled me the first time round and almost pulled it off again. I was still waffling on who did it right until just before the final reveal. That's a pretty good feat when you consider that by the last chapter and half or so we were pretty short on possible suspects. That's as close as anyone has ever gotten to Christie's ability at confusing the issues. If it's been long enough on any except the "big" Christie mysteries (you know, the ones where it's unlikely that anyone would ever forget the solution...Orient Express, And Then There Were None, Ackroyd, etc), then Christie often can fool me all over again. She's that good--or my mind is just like a sieve, but I prefer to praise Christie. I figure anyone who comes within a mile of her ability at fooling this reader deserves an upgrade from three stars to four.
[First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
Previous review (2010)
Death's Old Sweet Song is a 1940s American Golden Age mystery. It's not bad...not exactly a "golden" Golden Age book, but typical. And, at least, it's not hard-boiled, even though there is quite a little murder-spree going on. At the moment, five victims and counting....
I always find it interesting when an author uses an old song or poem or nursery rhyme (or some such thing) to set up a string of murders. Agatha Christie used this method to good effect in several of her novels and short stories. The question, as always, is do we have a lunatic on our hands who just happened to go batty with this song in his head and now just "has" to go out and kill people to suit the song...or do we have a perfectly sane villain who is trying make the police think he's mad while he bumps off the key victim in the midst of the red herrings? Generally speaking, it's usually the latter--but it's a good writer who can keep you guessing till the end. I have my theory, but I'm still not certain at page 182 out of 239. Ol' Jonathan Stagge's doing a pretty good job so far.
*Later*
Finished up Death's Old Sweet Song last night. I wound up being correct on my theory, but Stagge kept me guessing (and guessing wrong) about the culprit right up to the end. A pretty good feat when you consider that with such a high body count he was running out of suspects.
found a lovely dust-jacketed copy several years later, I intended to return to it and give it the attention it deserved...but, well, having this habit of buying books faster than I can read them makes the new TBR piles push the already read books further and further down the list. So, I'm excited that Kate's suggestion allowed me to finally revisit it.
The Stagge novel uses a familiar ploy of vintage mysteries--a song or rhyme being used as a framework for a murderer's dark entertainment. Christie, of course, used it--most famously in And Then There Were None with the less-politically correct version and then the rhymes that slowly eliminated Indians and soldiers, one by one. Stagge uses an old English ballad title "Green Grow the Rushes-O" whose pertinent lines run as follows:
Six for the Six Proud Walkers
Five for the Symbols At Your Door
And Four for the Gospel Makers
Three, Three The Rivals
Two, Two The Lily White Boys Clothed All In Green-o
One Is One and All Alone and Ever More shall Be-o
It all takes place a small town in the Massachusetts Berkshires where Dr. Westlake and his daughter Dawn have gone for a little vacation--"a nice quiet time." However, over the course of just a few days, that nice quiet time will turn into murder and mayhem with six murders rapidly following one another and all following along the lines of the song. The murders begin with the two lily white boys--twin terrors who may be naughty little boys, but who on earth murders children just for being naughty? It immediately becomes clear that it's more than someone who couldn't take the boys' behavior when other murder follow with victims who match the English ballad. Dr. Westlake and his friend Inspector Cobb have a great deal of work ahead of them to find the killer before he or she works their way through the rest of the song.
The Stagge novels which I've read are probably my favorite iteration of the various combinations of Wheeler/Webb and Martha Mott Kelley and Mary Louise White Aswell (under the pen names of Stagge, Patrick Quentin, and Q. Patrick). I find the characterizations to be more interesting and the small town atmosphere has given them a kinship with British village mysteries. And, as far as this particular novel goes, I always find it interesting when an author uses an old song or poem or nursery rhyme to set up a string of murders. The question, as always is, do we have a lunatic on our hands who just happened to go batty with this song in his head and now just "has" to go out and kill people to suit the song...or do we have a perfectly sane villain who is trying to make the police think he's mad while he bumps off the key victim in the midst of the red herrings? Generally speaking, it's usually the latter--but it's a good writer who can keep you guessing.
Stagge did a very good job at keeping me guessing right till the end the first time I read it. I had my theory but (looking back at my previous review) I still wasn't certain at page 182 of 239. Of course, on my reread I remembered the answer to that particular puzzle. BUT--and
reprint cover
here is where I make my special plea on behalf of this reprint--it had been long enough since I read this that I wasn't sure who did it. Stagge fooled me the first time round and almost pulled it off again. I was still waffling on who did it right until just before the final reveal. That's a pretty good feat when you consider that by the last chapter and half or so we were pretty short on possible suspects. That's as close as anyone has ever gotten to Christie's ability at confusing the issues. If it's been long enough on any except the "big" Christie mysteries (you know, the ones where it's unlikely that anyone would ever forget the solution...Orient Express, And Then There Were None, Ackroyd, etc), then Christie often can fool me all over again. She's that good--or my mind is just like a sieve, but I prefer to praise Christie. I figure anyone who comes within a mile of her ability at fooling this reader deserves an upgrade from three stars to four.
[First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
Previous review (2010)
Death's Old Sweet Song is a 1940s American Golden Age mystery. It's not bad...not exactly a "golden" Golden Age book, but typical. And, at least, it's not hard-boiled, even though there is quite a little murder-spree going on. At the moment, five victims and counting....
I always find it interesting when an author uses an old song or poem or nursery rhyme (or some such thing) to set up a string of murders. Agatha Christie used this method to good effect in several of her novels and short stories. The question, as always, is do we have a lunatic on our hands who just happened to go batty with this song in his head and now just "has" to go out and kill people to suit the song...or do we have a perfectly sane villain who is trying make the police think he's mad while he bumps off the key victim in the midst of the red herrings? Generally speaking, it's usually the latter--but it's a good writer who can keep you guessing till the end. I have my theory, but I'm still not certain at page 182 out of 239. Ol' Jonathan Stagge's doing a pretty good job so far.
*Later*
Finished up Death's Old Sweet Song last night. I wound up being correct on my theory, but Stagge kept me guessing (and guessing wrong) about the culprit right up to the end. A pretty good feat when you consider that with such a high body count he was running out of suspects.
December 4, 2008
Not only is this a very compelling page-turner (if that's not redundant), it's also a fascinating glimpse into post-WWII fiction and society. But mainly, it's just a great, Agatha-Christy-esque story.
February 4, 2011
Started out a bit awkward for me, but once things got rolling it was hard to put down. The people/suspects are all human and have both their good and bad sides illuminated well so that you are kept guessing all the way through.
Want to read
May 2, 2019Synopsis: Dr. Westlake goes up against a serial killer who is following the words of the song, Green Grow the Rushes-O.
July 10, 2020
I know it’s a novel of its time, but the racism was painful. Just didn’t like it.
January 17, 2023
From the Collier Crime Club. Five stars for being a page turner. Note that it is from 1946 and there are some "ouch" moments when reading.
July 27, 2016
I loved this book! The pace and prose are both extremely calming with a decent plot.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews