Ellen’s Comments (group member since Feb 05, 2016)

Ellen’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

Started this yesterday and I too find myself a bit ill at ease seeing everything from Routh's point of view.

I hope to start this soon.

This is a reread for me but I don't remember noting this when I read it the first time. Just finished a scene where they go on a visit to the artistic types mass of confusion, readings, music, smoke, cooking, etc. and I remembered there was a similar situation in the novel Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers with Lord Peter Wimsey.

I like the The Theft of the Iron Dogs: A Lancashire Mystery title much better than Murderer's Mistake much less bland. The murderer made several mistakes stealing the iron dogs being one of them. We don't learn until the end it probably wasn't the most important one but messing up the woodpile doesn't have the same ring to it.

It's really not right to edit out anything and not call it abridged and it's just a given for me that having different titles drive me nuts.

I plan to read the British Library paperback The Theft of the Iron Dogs: A Lancashire Mystery. It will be a reread although my previous read was on kindle Murderer's Mistake.

I nominate The Litmore Snatch by Henry Wade.

I think my local library must be falling down on the job. They did not have a single title in this challenge.

Definitely most of the women not portrayed in a positive way although I love the college president's wife Sieglinde.

I agree this was completely implausible but I still enjoyed reading it.

I agreed with other's opinions about the complicated plot. I also never really warmed to Knollis from beginning to end. Then it turned out in the end that practically everyone was guilty.

I am not to far in yet but so far I am not terribly fond of Knollis. Maybe his comments to colleagues is all in good fun but I don't think I would enjoy having him as a partner. I don't like his interactions with suspects much either. I am not so annoyed that I won't keep going.

I will be reading this on my Kindle.

Just picked it up at the library today.

Sandy wrote: "Frances wrote: "Agreed-I do enjoy ECR Lorac, don't know the others, and certainly know from things like Virago Press that many out-of-print authors are well worth the read, but I have learned to us..."

Yes I did follow along when the group was reading those with Francis Pettigrew. The titles with Inspector Mallett are good also.

Frances wrote: "Abigail wrote: "Basically the rare-book-business elements were all I enjoyed about this book. I found the writing clumsy, the characters mostly implausible, the plotting poor. By the time we got to..."

I certainly agree that in general books stay in print for a reason. However I have found at least 3 formerly out of print GA authors whose books I will be rereading. E.C.R. Lorac, Henry Wade and Cyril Hare. I don't think I will be rereading them but I did read all 35 of E.R. Punshon Bobby Owens mysteries.

I will get this from the library soon.

Even though I admired Wigan and how he stood up to his superiors I was annoyed with him for not being more concerned when Charlie disappeared.

I admired Sergeant Wigan but the book did not keep me on the edge of my seat.

Apparently Cyril Hares early death was instrumental in P.D. James getting her start. This came from an article from CrimeReads.

She had no illusions about making any money on it—she just wanted to get it down on paper. But then she had a lucky break. On a weekend in Kent, she met an actor who’d written books about the theatre, and he suggested she send the manuscript to his agent, Elaine Greene. The day Greene finished reading it, she happened to be sitting at dinner next to one of the directors of Faber & Faber, who was lamenting the recent death of one his crime-writing stalwarts, Cyril Hare. Well, Greene said, maybe I can help you. He read it, bought it, and James stayed with Faber & Faber for the rest of her career.