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The Moving Toyshop (Gervase Fen, #3)

Edmund Crispin

Start date: May 14, 2022

Finish date: June 6, 2022

Discussion: Buddy reads

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Buddy reads

* Starting/joining in with buddy reads
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What Members Thought

Jul 31, 2013 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is the third Gervase Fen mystery, following on from The Case of the Gilded Fly and Holy Orders, and is generally considered the best of the series. This is very much a light hearted, Golden Age mystery, with liberal literary quotes and references to the author - at one point Fen is making up possible book titles for 'Crispin' for example. It is set in 1938, but was written in 1945 and contains a magical and unreal storyline which does require a certain amount of 'joining in' with the sense ...more

35 likes · Like · see review

Jan 12, 2018 ShanDizzy rated it liked it · review of another edition

"I'm going on holiday and I need money," [said Cadogan]
...
"Perhaps you'd like to stay with me for a few days at Caxton's Folly?" [said Mr. Spode]
"Can you give me adventure, excitement, lovely women?"
"These picaresque fancies, " said Mr. Spode. "Of course, there's my wife..." He would not have been wholly unwilling to sacrifice his wife to the regeneration of an eminent poet, or, for the matter of that, to anyone for any reason. Elsie could be very trying at times.

And so begins this story, with C ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 07, 2015 Damaskcat rated it it was amazing

I believe this is generally accounted one of the best of Edmund Crispin's Gervase Fen stories and it is certainly very clever. Richard Cadogan goes to Oxford for a short holiday. He is a well known poet and the reader gets an idea of his character from the opening scene in which he has an acrimonious discussion with his publisher about the size of the advance on his next book.

Cadogan goes to Oxford by train and for various reasons finds himself in a toyshop in the middle of the night and in comp ...more

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Oct 21, 2016 Ellen rated it liked it

The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin.

This book may have been popular during the 1940's-50's when slapstick was the rage. It did not suit my taste in mysteries. It started off with a man on a mission who meanders into a toy store and although no one is there continues all the way upstairs and stumbles over a murdered woman.

The race is on as the police, then notified, cannot only find the body of this murdered woman...they cannot find any toy store. In its place is a grocery store. It boggles the ...more

1 like · Like · see review