Tara ’s Comments (group member since Jul 12, 2017)

Tara ’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

I enjoyed the shifting narrator--Sir Eustace certainly played the dolt very well. I wonder how Major Belcher felt about the character that was based on him, and if he recognized all of the negative elements of his own personality.
My favorite character was Suzanne Blair. I wish we had gotten more of her, and I hope she makes an appearance in later books.

Judy wrote: "I got the impression from the CrimeReads site that the 'American Agatha Christie' label is a reference to her popularity, as you say, Tara. From the one book I've read, I don't think their styles w..."

Not similar styles at all Judy, but well-crafted in their own right. I'm not sure why she faded in popularity. Her books are not plagued by jargon or anti-PC viewpoints such that modern readers would find the books to be jarring. I'm glad to see so many of them getting reprints, particularly as part of Otto Penzler's American Mystery Classics series.

I've enjoyed all of the Rinehart books I've read, although Circular Staircase was my least favorite. I don't quite get why she is labeled as the American Agatha Christie, unless it is meant as a reference to her popularity. She was the best-selling American author of her generation.

Colin wrote: "It feels like an age since I last read any Erle Stanley Gardner so I'm about to pay a visit to Perry Mason's world in The Case of the Drowning Duck "

I've never read any Perry Mason. Where is a good place to start?

Judy wrote: "Another great nomination, Tara - I would like to read more by Rinehart. Doesn't look to be on Kindle Unlimited in the UK, but there is a Kindle edition here for just over £2."

Oh darn--I thought I saw it on Kindle Unlimited in the UK, but perhaps it shows differently when viewing the UK site in the States. At least its a reasonable price anyway.

I'd like to nominate The Wall by Mary Roberts Rinehart. It looks to be available on Kindle Unlimited:

An unwelcome visitor arrives at a seaside home to find that death awaits her there

The house called Sunset has been Marcia’s summer home for her entire life. Both of her parents died there, and she and her brother spent their youth exploring its rambling hallways and seaside grounds. They love the old house, but Marcia’s sister-in-law has never taken to it. Juliette loathes the sea, and soon comes to loathe her husband, as well. After they divorce, Juliette pays a final visit to Sunset, demanding alimony. She is there for a few tense days before she disappears. It takes them a week to find her body.

The peace at Sunset has been shattered, and Marcia must work quickly to keep her beloved childhood home from being forever spoiled. Somewhere in the creaky old mansion, a murderer lurks. Will Marcia be accused of the crime? Or will she be the next victim?

After finishing my Boucher book (which I would definitely recommend), I'm about to start Murder in Stained Glass. I'm about a month behind in my reading, but one of the great things about Goodreads is that its never too late to catch up.

Roman Clodia wrote: "I understand the frustrations and have found some Phelps unwatchable (The ABC Murders), though I liked her The Pale Horse.

More broadly, though, literature is built on retelling established stori..."

I think it entirely depends on how and why they change the story. In the Suchet series they kept everything in the 30s (despite later novels being set in the 60s and 70s) but you don't really notice. They will also often remove or combine characters that makes the story flow better on film. The issues I have with the Phelps adaptations is that they seem more interested in injecting modern politics and preachiness over doing anything interesting with the content.

Sandy wrote: "Tara wrote: "Started my next read from the American Mystery Classic series, The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars by Anthony Boucher. Perhaps ironically, Sherlock do..."

It was mentioned in the introduction by Otto Penzler that she had appeared with her brother in an earlier mystery. He is referenced in passing in the book, but not in any particularly descriptive way. At this point its not clear whether she is a witness or a killer, although the fact she is a recurring character makes me think its more likely the former. Its an interesting cast of characters, and I like that the police aren't total buffoons, an unfortunate trope in many GA mysteries.

Started my next read from the American Mystery Classic series, The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars by Anthony Boucher. Perhaps ironically, Sherlock does not feature in this book, although it does center around a Hollywood film being made of one of his works. So far its proving to be hard to put down, which is always a great characteristic in a book.

Ellen wrote: "Judy wrote: "I have actually paid a brief visit to a bookshop today, for the first time since goodness knows when! It was a shop that mainly sells second-hand books, and I picked up a 1960s private..."

I'm so glad there are still mystery themed bookstores around. We used to have a few in NYC, but now there is just The Mysterious Bookshop.

Robin wrote: "Tara wrote: "Its very easy to view Rachel Argyle in a less than flattering light, given her almost manic acquisition of children, and then smothering parenting style. But I do think that at least s..."

Thanks Robin! This is certainly one of those books you think about after you've finished it, which you cannot say for most mysteries.

I haven't read The Man in the Brown Suit yet, but its on my nightstand, and I should be able to pick it up soon.

A little behind on my reading as I had to wait several weeks for my library audiobook to become available (and this is one of the few books of which I do not own a paperback version). I read this once before, but totally forgot everything about it, so it was like a brand-new read. As I worked my way through certain aspects of the story seemed familiar, but I was still surprised by the ending, which was a nice treat.
Christie often returns to the theme of the cloud of suspicion and guilt being life-altering and potentially toxic. It was easy enough for everyone to blame the black sheep of the family, and I think this is a huge factor in Dr. Calgary not realizing the negative ramifications of his actions. Most people would be overjoyed to have their son/brother's name cleared. How was he to know how Jacko was viewed by the family? I think that is the key piece to why it took so long for Calgary to come around to this fact--clearly it was antithetical to his own way of thinking.

Its very easy to view Rachel Argyle in a less than flattering light, given her almost manic acquisition of children, and then smothering parenting style. But I do think that at least some of the children's negative reactions to it were 1. teenagers being teenagers; rebellion is practically mandatory; 2. shockwaves from their traumatic early childhoods. Both Hester and Mickey come to realize that they didn't truly appreciate the mother they had, and lament the opportunity to alter that dynamic. I think Dr. Calgary will be good for Hester, encouraging her to grow and learn.
In terms of the narrative style switching away from Dr. Calgary mid-book: that seems to me a necessary plot device, as he was an outsider, and we never would have gotten the internal dialogues and feelings in an organic way otherwise. Since it was in so many respects a non-traditional mystery, I did not mind this.
I absolutely loved the ending. All throughout we are given to think that Jacko was really innocent, despite being a rather bad egg. To have it come full circle where he is indeed responsible is quite clever and satisfying. One of my favorite Christies for sure, despite my abiding love of Poirot.

Klowey wrote: "Tara wrote: "Gary wrote: "Better late than never, I am nearly finished reading/listening to my first book by Ms Marsh. I have a few from my days in the Mystery Guild book club. I think the first on..."

Christie is a tough bar to reach, but I really enjoyed the Marsh series. Her books are a bit uneven, with some really good ones, and some less so. Her best books center around art--either painting, or theater productions. I would also recommend reading in order, as there elements of the Inspector's life that are developed over time. My personals favorites are Clutch of Constables, False Scent, Photo Finish, Death in a White Tie, and an excellent swan song, Light Thickens.

Gary wrote: "Better late than never, I am nearly finished reading/listening to my first book by Ms Marsh. I have a few from my days in the Mystery Guild book club. I think the first one I picked up was Tied Up ..."

I love books with character lists. I wish more authors used them. Marsh does have them in many of her books, although apparently not in this one.

Judy wrote: "Our poll for our June group read is now open - please vote if you haven't already done so. Six great books to choose from!

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2......"

Sadly only one of the options available at my library, but all great choices!

Behind a month, but there was quite the backlog at my library for the audiobook of Ordeal by Innocence. Somehow I rated this 5 stars, yet I don't remember a thing about it! My review doesn't help me much either, although I get the sense it was the character development rather than the mystery that so impressed me. Let's see what round 2 brings.

Gary wrote: "Just started A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh"

Hope you enjoy Gary. Our group reads through her catalog was quite enjoyable.

Jan C wrote: "Tara wrote: "Surprised with a library book that I must have requested pre-covid that just became available. Less a book proper, but more of a compilation of food-related musings on various topics: ..."

My favorite is Salt, although I did enjoy Oyster and Cod as well. Milk was okay, but had a lot of interesting recipes. Sorry to hear about the gout, I suspect that limits quite a few food items.