Judy’s Comments (group member since Oct 01, 2015)

Judy’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

And the winner is... Murder in Blue by Clifford Witting, which will be our June group read.

Full results:

Murder in Blue 6 votes, 42.9%
This Delicate Murder: A Golden Age Mystery 4 votes, 28.6%
The Belfry Murder 2 votes, 14.3%
The Blind Side 2 votes, 14.3%

Just adding a link to the spoiler thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I was surprised to find that this isn't on Kindle, in the UK anyway, so I've ordered a paperback which should be with me soon. Looking forward to meeting Jonathan and Flavia again.

I don't think you're missing much, Rosina. I had to force myself to finish this one.

For anyone who wants a better Fen story, there's a previously unpublished novella, The Hours of Darkness (written in 1948), which I think is about 100 pages long, in the anthology Bodies from the Library 2: Forgotten Stories of Mystery and Suspense by the Queens of Crime and other Masters of Golden Age Detection. I really enjoyed it and Fen's wife actually makes a brief appearance in this one! I believe this story has now also now been published in a Crispin short story collection.

Hi Abigail, yes, I think he must have felt he had written too many of those themes by now. He makes the grumpy fictional composer someone who keeps writing for horror films, but it's clear that he's inspired by his own experience.

Thank you to Susan for setting up the threads. I'm rereading this after listening to the audible version a few years ago, and am enjoying it but I think I remember whodunnit, unfortunately. I'll see if I'm right, but my lips are sealed in this non-spoiler thread!

The spoiler thread is linked below:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I really enjoyed this and found it a very quick read - hard to put down! I find it hard to believe that Mrs Pargeter would want to stay at the Devereux hotel in the first place, but that's similar to Miss Marple and Poirot going to some unlikely locations.

Just adding a link to the spoiler thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Just adding the link for the spoiler thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Not the best in this series by a long chalk, I do agree, Jill. On the Carry On film theme, I noticed that one of the characters is a composer of film music who complains about being typecast and having to write music for too many of the same kind of film - so I'm guessing that is how Crispin felt about the Carry Ons by now. But yes, he definitely seems to have a low opinion of women in this one.

Here's a link to the spoiler thread for anyone who wants to comment there:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Thank you for opening up the threads, Susan. I didn't really like this much - the author was incredibly grumpy and harrumphing about modern times, a bit like Christie in some of her later books, but here the plot also isn't great. It's lovely to see Fen again though, and he is still recognisably the same character..

Thank you Susan :)

Thanks Susan! Maybe we could add the 1st one in July-August, or after one of those series ends?

Frances wrote: "Would there be any interest in a buddy read of the 6 Tommy and Tuppence novels by Christie +/- any of the short stories? .."

Thanks for the suggestion, Frances. I think we have only read the first book in the series in the group, The Secret Adversary - I just checked back and that was in February 2021, so a few years ago now. There are only 4 novels in the series and a collection of short stories. Would anyone be interested in reading these? I'd be happy to join in with them.

Sandy wrote: "A problem with audio books; they continue on even though you aren't listening. ..."

Ah yes, that happens to me too! Then it's a question of going back and trying to work out which was the last bit I heard when I was awake ;)

I've started The Luck Runs Out - I listened to it a few years ago, but am reading it as an ebook this time and so far am enjoying it more in this format. Looking forward to reading on in this series.

I've started A Nice Class of Corpse, the first in the Mrs Pargeter series by Simon Brett, one of our forthcoming buddy reads. I do enjoy his writing style and get the feeling this will be a fun series once I really get into it.

The vote for our June group read is now open - please cast your votes for the book you most want to read:
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

The poll is now open - please vote for the book you most want to read in June.
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

Not sure if this has already been mentioned, sorry, but this year's Bodies From the Library conference (tied in with the British Library Crime Classics reprints) is taking place at the British Library in London on June 1. I've just booked to go, apparently tickets are going fast. It looks really good, with speakers including Simon and Lucy Brett, Martin Edwards, Dolores Gordon-Smith, author of the Jack Haldean series, and more.
https://bodiesfromthelibrary.com/