Frances’s Comments (group member since Aug 21, 2017)

Frances’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

I'm way behind as I had trouble getting my hands on a copy of this-the wait from the library was surprisingly endless and then I came across a very cheap copy in the library 2nd hand shelves (Yay!). Glad I didn't spend too much on it as I agree with all the comments so far-feels very derivative and almost a caricature of Poirot and Hastings (who are already caricatures in many ways!).

Moving along to Peril at End House...

Interesting theory-perhaps we should use the non-spoiler threads in future to post all our wild theories as we go!

It worked-for a while I was convinced the Butler was Bryan Martin in disguise!

I had hoped we’d find out what happened with Geraldine-did the Duke marry her in the end, or not?

Jill wrote: "I am about to start The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry Seems a lot of mixed reviews for this, so we shall see. If nothing else I..."

I very much enjoyed this one, partly because I really enjoy reading about that time period. The beautiful cover was a bonus.

Whew, this one was pretty tough to follow-I think Mrs Christie outdid herself on plot twists and plots within plots.

I've read about half of this one but I'm not loving it, so have decided to move on to the Agatha Christie's I'm missing for the Poirot read. I can't put my finger on why I'm not enjoying this one, but at least part of it is because the whole Ruth storyline rings false-I don't think the assault would have been reported in the first place, and I don't feel that it would have been taken nearly as seriously as it was if the family had. It feels like a lot of modern mores being projected onto the historical setting. That being said, I do think it's an interesting setting and plot and if I didn't have such a big TBR pile and so little time I would certainly finish it.

I only read the first Bernie Gunther novel, found the level of violence (including sexual violence) too much and on further investigation was told that later books in the series were even more graphic, so decided not to read any more. I know that they are immensely popular and did really like the writing and characters and setting otherwise, but just couldn't face the graphic violence. I've felt the same way about a lot of crime authors (I think Kay Scarpetta/Patricia Cornwell was another) and this is why I much prefer the "golden age" mysteries.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: Haha! I'm like Valerie. Canada and the US are not "different" countries.

We may sound the same (at least to your northerners), but I think that politically and philosophically we are very different.

Just finished Bleeding Darkness, the fifth in the Stonechild and Rouleau series set in Kingston and Ottawa, Canada (my hometown). I really enjoy this series-police procedural mysteries without too much violence, and, at least in the first and last book, lots and lots of snow! Great characters that develop as the series progresses with interesting side histories.

I also really enjoyed this once I let go of my need for realism. I do wish that at some point Allingham had filled in all the gaps in our knowledge of Campion and his family and his espionage work.

I was all set to be annoyed by the early 30’s Campion becoming “involved” with the 17 year old Amanda but that was handled really well and appropriately. (Didn’t mean to get too political here but it is hard sometimes to read books from another time when so much that would trouble us now is just brushed off as normal)

I’m looking forward to watching their friendship develop in future books as she gets older.

I finally found my old copy of this-a battered penguin classic mystery as well-and I’m about half way through. Enjoying it very much, as I did when I first read MA too many years ago to mention, however do find the class distinctions (and the sneery tone often used for those that are not quite quite) a bit grating. Also enjoying meeting Amanda for the first time again. Will comment in the spoiler thread once I’ve finished.

You've missed A Christmas Visitor. Looks like a good list!

Annabel wrote: "Just finished another old Perry Mason paperback. The fact that I can often make no sense at all of the white-collar fraud plot in these books doesn't make me love them any the less. (And as I've sa..."

Have a wonderful trip! I took the sleeper up the west coast in August and loved it-which route are you taking?

I just finished Magpie Murders, which is a very clever mystery-within-a mystery with a peek into the writing/publishing world around the very popular English cozy-type series. I think it would particularly appeal to members of this group.

I read "The Mystery of the Spanish Chest" in a collection of short stories, set in a vaguely 60's era from the description of the slightly dirty-faced, baggy sweater and slim black trousers female fashions. Is that what everyone else thought? It also featured Miss Lemon, who is an interesting contrast to Hastings-while Hastings has the traditionally female sort of characteristics-lots of wildly improbable theories, wants to talk about the cases, rather hero-worships Poirot, Miss Lemon, by contrast, seems to have more traditionally masculine characteristics-very mathematical/logical, taciturn, not particularly interested in hashing out all the details, just wants to get back to her work and think about her perfect filing system.

It's also interesting how Christie hammers out the Femme Fatale character of Mrs Clayton-this was clearly something that Christie was not, and I suspect there would have been a certain envy of the sort of woman who is so wildly successful with men/who always seems to get her own way.

There is an interesting line in my version, particularly as we do our chronological read. In the opening paragraph Poirot is described as a small elderly man . If the Baronet was born in 1878 (again, in my version) and is also referred to as an elderly man, this would place the story sometime in the 30's or 40's, and would also suggest that Poirot was born well before the turn of the century. We'll see how he "ages" through the series.

Oh dear, sorry if I’ve given away any spoilers for reading the longer version later!

The version I read was divided into chapters and felt complete. I enjoyed the story and felt the mystery was well-done. The “crazy aristocrat” felt a bit cllched, but perhaps Christie was one of the first to use that trope. It’s also quite common to have people getting their couples wrong-in this case assuming the daughter was in love with the secretary when it was a cover for the agent. I guessed the adopted daughter was in fact an illegitimate daughter, but just assumed it was of the Baronet, not his brother. (Would the former have been to risqué for the when this was written?)

Looking forward to reading our second story soon.

I'd like to nominate A Christmas Visitor

...(Anne Perry) has given readers another gift-a yuletide offering full of holiday magic . . . and murder.
The Dreghorn family is gathering for an anticipated reunion in the Lake District of England. The blissful tranquility of the snowbound estate, however, is soon shattered by what appears to be an accidental death. The victim's distraught wife, Antonia, summons her godfather, distinguished mathematician and inventor Henry Rathbone-one of the most beloved characters from Perry's bestselling William Monk series. But questions about the tragic event turn into whispers of murder, sending shock waves among members of the Dreghorn clan, who haven't seen each other in ten years.

I have Dead Man's Mirror: A Short Story in my collection which I think is similar-that is what I will be reading.