From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

Death in the Dentist's Chair

Molly Thynne

Start date: October 1, 2018

Finish date: October 31, 2018

Discussion: Group reads

Why we're reading this: Winner of the poll for our October group read.
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Group reads

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What Members Thought

Oct 10, 2018 Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ rated it it was ok

Shelves: mystery-murder-crime-20th-century

2.5★

Last year I read The Crime at Noah's Ark & I really thought that in Molly Thynne, I had found a new-to-me Golden Age mystery writer to devour.

After this effort, Lady Molly's slide into obscurity seems more understandable.

After a great beginning, I struggled to stay focused. & so did the book. Thynne has a great gift for dialogue, but the story rambled. My attention wandered & I'm still a little confused by it all! I think it would have made a better short story.

Beautiful cover. Shame about t ...more

32 likes · Like · see review

Sep 15, 2018 Susan rated it liked it

First published in 1932, this is the second mystery to feature Dr Constantine. He is described as somewhat elderly and a lover of chess and other such puzzles. These include murder and he was first involved in helping to solve a mystery with Detective Inspector Arkwright in, “The Crime at the Noah’s Ark.”

In this, second book, Dr Constantine is taking a trip to his dentist, Mr Humphrey Davenport. The novel starts off very well, with an assortment of nervous patients in the waiting room. However, ...more

15 likes · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2017 Leslie rated it liked it

Shelves: kindle, mysteries

3.5 stars

Not a mystery which the reader can solve before the detective but a fun set of characters and an unusual setting for the (first) murder, in a dentist's chair! ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2018 ShanDizzy rated it really liked it

Well-written mystery

An interesting setting for a murder - at a dentist's office. It wasn't an overdose of poision which killed but something more gruesome. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 07, 2019 Jan C rated it liked it

Shelves: gr-group-read, mystery, 2019

Another interesting mystery featuring Dr. Constantine, chess aficionado and friend/associate of Inspector (?) Arkwright.

I'm glad I read both this and Cornell Woolrich's story of a similar title after I was through with my last round of dental visits.

A woman is killed in the Dentist's chair while the dentist is in the lab fixing her dentures. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Sep 28, 2018 Jill rated it really liked it

A pretty complicated plot, that I found enjoyable . The author certainly set a a good sense of place at the beginning , in the description of the dentist's waiting room. Dr. Constantine shone as is expected of him, with Detective Arkright taking second place. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 13, 2020 Jenn Estepp rated it liked it

Shelves: sleuths-and-gumshoes, kindling, pandemic-and-aftermath

I'm honestly not sure why I'm binging on Thynne, as for almost every one of them, I've found myself wishing they were slightly better than they are. Like, great premise, so-so execution. Although I do think this one is stronger and less meandering. But it could be that I'm swayed by what I thought was a really good ending. There's one more, which is of course previewed at the end of this one, and I'm already thinking it's the best of the lot, although there's still time for it to disappoint me . ...more

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