Ruth’s Comments (group member since Oct 06, 2015)

Ruth’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

Susan wrote: "I totally agree about re-reading. With Dorothy L. Sayers though, I have read the first few and not the last, so I am looking forward to finally reading all her Wimsey novels."

I have read quite a few of them but not in order and I'm not convinced that I have actually read them all! I'll be interested to see how the characters develop, particularly Lord Peter.

Susan wrote: "The first two Lord Peter Wimsey books are currently 99p in the Amazon UK Christmas Kindle sale. If you want to join in with the challenge (and I hope you do!) then this is a great time to download ..."

Thanks Susan.

Judy wrote: "The Murder at Sissingham Hall by Clara Benson -
However I gather there is quite a mystery over the author, who it is claimed wrote a whole stack of novels in the 1920s without publishing them - but now her family is said to be publishing them after her death in the 1960s. The whole thing seems rather odd, but I'm quite enjoying the book so far, anyway.
"

Does it read like a novel genuinely written in the 1920s or do you think it's a stunt by someone writing them now?!

It's a while since I've read any Agatha Christie although I've seen all the recent TV adaptations and I'm looking forward to seeing And Then There Were None later this week.

I've just started listening to the audiobook of The Moving Finger narrated by Richard E Grant, and what strikes me immediately is the straightforward way she lays out the background for the story to unfold. The setting is described with all the main characters introduced. You know their backgrounds, how they dress and what they look like. It makes a refreshing change from having to go back and remind myself of details in the first few chapters, to be able to move straight on with the story.

Judy wrote: "I've just looked up and discovered that public libraries were already around in the UK from the mid-19th century onwards, although they only became a legal requirement in all areas from the 1960s.
..."

And there's a battle currently going on over that legal requirement - http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015...

Judy wrote: "I've just looked up and discovered that public libraries were already around in the UK from the mid-19th century onwards, although they only became a legal requirement in all areas from the 1960s.
..."

What a great bit of research Judy. That article about Boots Lending Library is fascinating. I've seen books with a Boots label on and a hole in the top of the spine, but I didn't know it was for the membership card - what a lovely piece of ephemera that would be!

Now that information has made such a difference to our understanding of reading habits at that time. And the reasons for the decline of the Boots libraries put things into context and make you realise that knowing the whole picture is so important in the understanding of social history.

We're so lucky to have all these reissues aren't we! At the time they were written I suppose they would only have been available in hardback as Penguin didn't start until 1935 and they only produced about 250 fiction titles between 1935 and 1940.

Were lending libraries available for the general population then? If not, reading detective fiction must have been an expensive business so did class and social standing come into the equation with people's reading habits?

Judy wrote: "Ruth, I left a comment on your review, but will also say here that I really enjoyed the humour too and I think you are spot on about all those little details - but agree it gets a bit bogged down i..."

Thanks Judy.

I started to make a more general comment here about the re-issues that are being produced now but I think it would be better in a more general thread rather than hijacking this one any further so I'll go and find a more appropriate place and continue it there.

Judy wrote: "I enjoyed Death on the Cherwell a lot, again because the setting was so good, but I wish I'd read Murder Underground first, since I discovered too late t..."

I've finished Death on the Cherwell now, Judy. I really enjoyed the humorous incidents - the book of poetry, Sally driving the posh car (the make of which escapes me at the moment!), and Gwyneth and her hat. And I also liked the college setting and the period details.

It had some of the elements I love about vintage crime novels which include conversations, descriptions of dress and also little incidents which show how everyday life was in the period.

But I really stalled in the sections where they were establishing alibis and working out which paths people took at what time etc. I had no clear picture at the end of all the discussions about who was where and when! I often find this happens for me in the 'police procedural' sections of a crime novel and the detailed workings out often leave me cold.

I've managed to pick up a copy of Murder Underground so I'll see how that compares.

I've just finished Silent Nights edited by Martin Edwards who also wrote The Golden Age of Murder

He had a 10 minute spot at the end of yesterday's edition of Open Book on Radio 4 talking about re-issues of Golden Age Detective fiction including the one you're reading at the moment Judy - Murder for Christmas - how are you getting on with that one now? I must say Martin Edwards sounded very nice :-)

Here's my review of Silent Nights (short and sweet!)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Susan wrote: "Possibly she trying to give herself an alibi by being noticed, Ruth..."

Oooh - but was it her, or a doppleganger that she met while she was on a business trip to Amsterdam

..you see a lady in a lovely red coat and immediately start thinking 'Lovely coat, but very distinctive - what if she's borrowed it from her flatmate who is in danger from a mysterious stranger.....'

Do you think there's any hope for me?

Roisin wrote: "Unsure Judy, but wiki says the following but I guess you already worked that out,

Klaus
For other uses, see Klaus (disambiguation).
Klaus is a German given name and surname. It originated as a sho..."

Well this group is friendly, entertaining - and educational too! It just never occurred to me before that Santa Claus was a derivation of Saint Nicholas.

That's a bit embarrassing as I love finding out about the origins of words and phrases.

☆ Ｃａｒｏｌ ☆ wrote: "I'm a massive GH fan - I moderate her group on GR. Death in the Stocks is a personal favourite."

I've never read any of her historical fiction, Carol, how does it compare for you to her detective fiction?

Gina wrote: "I like Heyer's mysteries. My one complaint about them is that they all seem to have the same stock characters. But they make for fun light reads."

I've read and enjoyed them in the past and wouldn't mind re-reading a few. I think, like a lot of fairly formulaic detective story writers, her crime novels are light and fun as you say but best not to read too many in quick succession especially as I found that, certainly with some of her books, once you know who the murderer is in one book you can almost apply the same 'logic' to work out who dunnit in the next one you read.

I didn't realise that she actually has two different detective characters so that aspect would be interesting to look at.

Susan wrote: "Does anyone feel this book has a Christmassy feel? I know it is set over the holidays, but I felt this could have been set over any country house weekend equally as well- although obviously without the Santa Klaus tie in! ..."

I often find that with crime novels set at Christmas - I think it's a way for the author to have a good reason to gather family and friends together, preferably in a secluded country house with the threat of snow. But not really ever much detail about the Christmas festivities.

Does Mavis Doriel Hay put any of her characters in all three of her books? I'm listening to Death on the Cherwell at the moment and I've just reached the part where one of the main characters' sister comes to stay, who seems to have been involved in Murder Underground.

Judy wrote: "Ruth, I've just finished 'Death on the Cherwell' and enjoyed it - the Oxford atmosphere is well done and there's a lot of fun dialogue. Must confess I managed to unravel part of the mystery, which ..."

That's the one I decided on. I'm always torn between wanting to work out who the murderer is before the end, and not knowing til the denouement. On the one hand you get a glow of satisfaction from having worked it out, but knowing can sometimes make the story start to seem a bit tedious if they keep just going over the scenario.

I think the best thing is to be able to narrow it down to 2 or 3 suspects to keep the suspense going.

Susan wrote: "I think some people just don't 'get' Golden Age detective fiction, Ruth. They want realism and forensics and don't realise that so many of these books were written after WWI, when people wanted esc..."

Yes that's just what occurred to me Susan. Were they somehow expecting a new book!

At the moment I'm trying to decide between two audiobooks on Audible Death on the Cherwell or The Hog's Back Mystery: A British Library Crime Classic. I was browsing around reading some of the reviews and started to look at one of Mavis Doriel Hay's other books Murder Underground and one of the bad reviews actually made me want to read the book! All the points the reviewer made against the book were things that I thought I might rather enjoy - has that ever happened to you?