Reading the Detectives discussion
Group reads
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Nominations for June 2018 group read - Winner!
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Can I nominate A Case of Blackmail in Belgravia by Clara Benson
It's 1929, and Ticky Maltravers is the toast of London high society, adored by everyone—or so it seems, until somebody poisons him over dinner. Now it turns out that numerous people with secrets to hide had every reason to wish him dead. But which of them murdered him? For Freddy Pilkington-Soames, newspaper reporter and man-about-town, the question hits a little too close to home, thanks to an unfortunate drunken encounter with Ticky's corpse which he'd much rather the police didn't find out about—and thanks also to his exasperating mother Cynthia's seeming determination to get herself arrested by tampering with the evidence. But a pretty girl with big blue eyes is demanding his help in solving the mystery, so what can he do but agree? Now all he has to do is hide the wrong clues, find the right ones, and unmask the murderer before the police discover what's really been going on. That ought to be easy enough. If only people didn't keep getting killed... (less)
I would like to nominate The Polo Ground Mystery by Robin Forsythe Mr Sutton Armadale, the financier, was shot dead on the private polo ground of his palatial home. Before expiring in his gamekeeper’s arms, he muttered the one word “murder”.
Among the suspects are Armadale’s second wife; a drunken, loud-mouthed stranger in the neighbourhood; and an irresistibly attractive ballerina. The amiable and eccentric Algernon Vereker finds the case as befuddling as a crack on the head from a polo mallet. Two witnesses were certain they heard two shots fired, yet only one spent cartridge case was found on the ground by the dead man’s body. What is the “Sutton Stakes” connection… and is a “Bombay Head” part of the solution?
Jill wrote: "I would like to nominate The Polo Ground Mystery by Robin Forsythe Mr Sutton Armadale, the financier, was shot dead on the private polo ground of his palatial ho..."
We read the first Robin Forsythe (Missing or Murdered) a few months ago, and I haven't quite forgiven him for the bandaged wrist! The opposite of Chekov's gun - if a bandage is a telling clue, it really must be mentioned earlier than at the denouement.
But for 99p I am prepared to give this one a go ...
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It was first published in 1907 and there are various cheap editions on Amazon - it's also free from Project Gutenberg.
Here is part of the Goodreads blurb:
The clever and thrilling debut of literature’s first forensic detective
In all of London, there are few who know more about science than Dr. John Thorndyke, and fewer still who know more about crime. A “medical jurispractitioner” equally at home in the lab or the courtroom, he has made his name confronting the deadliest criminals in England with irrefutable proof of their guilt. In the case of the red thumb mark, however, Thorndyke must set his singular mind to saving an innocent man.
I'm not sure if this fits in your time frame but I would like to nominate The Necropolis Railway, the first in the Jim Stringer series.
Judy wrote: "I'd like to nominate the first Dr Thorndyke mystery by R. Austin Freeman, The Red Thumb Mark. I've been meaning to read this for ages
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One of my favorite series.
I don't know if it's ever been read by this Group, but I would like to nominate A Quiet Life in the Country by T E Kinsey, set in England in 1908 but a very Golden Age mystery.
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One Way by S.J. MordenONE WAY opens at the dawn of a new era – one in which we’re ready to colonise Mars. But the contract to build the first ever Martian base has been won by the lowest bidder, so they need to cut a lot of corners. The first thing to go is the automatic construction… the next thing they’ll have to deal with is the eight astronauts they’ll sent up to build it, when there aren’t supposed to be any at all.
Frank – father, architect, murderer – is recruited for the mission with the promise of a better life, along with seven of his most notorious fellow inmates. As his crew sets to work, the accidents mount up, and Frank begins to suspect they might not be accidents at all. As the list of suspects grows shorter, it’s up to Frank to uncover the terrible truth before it’s too late.
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Full results:
A Quiet Life in the Country (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1) 27 votes, 34.2%
A Case of Blackmail in Belgravia (A Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventure Book 1) 17 votes, 21.5%
The Necropolis Railway (Jim Stringer, #1) 15 votes, 19.0%
The Red Thumb Mark 12 votes, 15.2%
The Polo Ground Mystery 8 votes, 10.1%
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Reading the Detectives
Books mentioned in this topic
A Quiet Life in the Country (other topics)A Quiet Life in the Country (other topics)
One Way (other topics)
A Quiet Life in the Country (other topics)
The Necropolis Railway (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
T.E. Kinsey (other topics)S.J. Morden (other topics)
R. Austin Freeman (other topics)
R. Austin Freeman (other topics)
Robin Forsythe (other topics)
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You are invited to nominate books which were written in the Golden Age or which were written later but are set in the era. Just one nomination per group member, please.