Vintage Mystery BINGO Reading Challenge Wrap Up

This is my wrap up post for the 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge.  Thanks for the Challenge, Bev!!


Golden Vintage Mystery BINGO

Well, I was hoping to fill the whole card, but didn't quite make it.  Two more books, and I would have done it.
I did make 4 vertical BINGOs (columns L,D, E and N)  and 4 Horizontal BINGOs (rows 2,4,5 and 6)


G    1  The Yellow Room
       2  Darling It's Death
       3                                  TBD
       4 Hercule Poirot's Christmas
       5  Murder is Served
       6  Lord Edgware Dies

O    1                                   TBD
       2  Case of the One Eyed Witness
       3  Some Buried Caesar
       4  Hasty Wedding
       5  Death Lights A Candle
       6  Case of the Curious Bride

L    1  The Case of the Glamorous Ghost
       2  Fer-de-Lance
       3  Death Takes A Bow
       4  The Thin Man
       5  Too Many Ghosts
       6  Murder on the Orient Express

D    1  Murder at the New York World's Fair
       2  The Case of the Substitute Face
       3  The Case of the Hesitant Hostess
       4  Always leave 'em Dying
       5  Case of the Drowning Duck
       6  Death in the Backseat

E    1  Cards on the Table
       2  Before Midnight
       3  Pietr the Latvian
       4  The Adventures of Ellery Queen
       5   Whose Body? 
       6   Mystery of the Cape Cod Players  (my free space)

N    1  The Case of the Grinning Gorilla
       2  The Cape Cod Mystery
       3  The Big Four
       4  Green For Danger  
       5  The Roman Hat Mystery
       6  The Case of the Mythical Monkeys


Silver Vintage Mystery BINGO

Didn't do as well as I'd hoped.  I did get one vertical BINGO under S, and three horizontal BINGOs, rows 1, 2 and 6.

 S  1    Whiskers and Smoke
      2    The Mummy Case
      3     No More Dying Then
      4     Walking Dead Man
      5     Witch Miss Seeton
      6      Never Cross a Vampire

I     1     Murder on a Mystery Tour
      2.    One Across, Two Down
      3.    The Widow's Club
      4      Murder in C Major
      5                          TBD
      6      The Thin Woman

L    1      The Shrunken Head
       2      In  the Heat of the Night
       3      Cast in Order of Disappearance
       4      The Howard Hughes Affair
       5                         TBD
       6      Passenger to Frankfurt

V    1      Catch a Falling Clown
       2      The Case of the Troubled Trustee
       3                           TBD
       4        Falling Star
       5                           TBD
       6        A Death in China

E     1        Some Lie and Some Die
       2         High Midnight
       3                           TBD
       4                           TBD
       5        Amateur Corpse
       6        Lord Mayor of Death  (my free space)

R     1        The Cat Who Could Read Backwards
        2        The Copenhagen Connection
        3         A Pint of Murder
        4                           TBD
        5         The Shape of Fear
        6          Rest You Merry 

Murder on the Mystery Tour by Marian Babson review

First published in 1985, this was also published as Weekend for Murder.

Reggie and Midge are the owners of a large home, Chortlesby Manor, who decide to open it as an English Country Inn to help raise money to keep it.  This isn't working as well as they had hoped, when an old friend of Midges from school calls.  Victoria runs mystery tours for American tourists, and would like to use their home as the scene of one of her "murders".  The money they would earn from this is essential to keeping the Manor.

After doing several of the mystery tours Reggie and Midge, along with a few permanent guests, have gotten used to the actors and the Americans and the mystery game.  This weekend mystery turns out much differently than they are used to, as this time there is a real murder.

The American tourists seem able to take this in stride and want to continue with the game.  This amount of competition seemed a little over the top to me, but I was willing to overlook it for the story.  But still...there was a murder!

In spite of this, it was a light and enjoyable mystery, and I'm looking for more books by Marian Babson.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Silver--I--Book published under more than one title.  This is a BINGO--row S.

Lord Edgeware Dies by Agatha Christie

First published in  1933, this is one of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot mysteries. 

An actress, Jane Wilkinson, wants Hercule Poirot to go to her husband, Lord Edgware, and convince him to grant her a divorce, as she wishes to remarry.  When Poirot meets with Lord Edgware, Edgware tells Poirot that he has already agreed to a divorce, and sent a letter to his wife to inform her of this.  When confronted by Poirot, Jane denies ever receiving such a letter.

That night, Lord Edgware is murdered.  The butler admitted Jane Wilkinson to the house after she announced who she was, her husband's secretary saw her from above entering her husband's study, and the next morning her husband's body is discovered.

However, it was reported in the press that the same night her husband was killed, she was attending a dinner party with twelve other people, who all deny she could have left and committed the murder.  The same night Lord Edgware died, another actress, a famous impressionist, also dies from a dose of Veronal.

This is a typical Poirot mystery, with red herrings dragged in,there are plot twists, and Hastings is there to help Poirot!  Enjoyed this quite a bit, one of my favorite Poirot stories.


This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO--Golden--G--Set in Entertainment World

Read It Again Sam 2014 Reading Challenge Wrap-up

Re-reading my favorites!
Deja Vu--Read 4 Books     moving up to
Feeling Nostalgic--Read 8 Books  moving up to
A Trip Down Memory Lane--Read 12 Books   moving up to
Living in the Past--Read 16 + books


1. Rest You Merry by Charlotte MacLeod (finished 1/09/2014)
2. A Pint of Murder by Alisa Craig (finished 1/17/2014)
3. Murder Goes Mumming by Alisa Craig (finished 1/19/2014)
4. Trouble in the Brasses by Alisa Craig (finished 1/26/2014)
5. The Wrong Rite by Alisa Craig (finished 1/28/2014)
6. The Chocolate Frog Frame-up by JoAnna Carl (finished 2/16/2014)
7. Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton  (finished 7/2014)
8. Aunt Dimity's Good Deed by Nancy Atherton  (finished 7/2014)
9. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (finished 10/2014)
10. The Wrecking Crew by Donald Hamilton (finished summer 2014)
11.  The Removers by Donald Hamilton  (finished summer 2014)
12.  The Silencers by Donald Hamilton  (finished summer 2014)
13.  The Menacers by Donald Hamilton  (finished summer 2014)
14.  Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie (finished Nov 2014)
15. Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout (finished Nov 2014)
16.  Before Midnight by Rex Stout (finished December 2014)
17.  The Case of the Curious Bride  (finished December 2014)

2014 Mt. TBR Reading Challenge Updated list of books read

This is a list of the books I've read in 2014 that are in my To Be Read Pile, and are being used in my Mt. TBR Reading Challenge.  This will be updated throughout the year.  Reviews of each book can be found by clicking on the book's title.
Pikes Peak--Read 12 Books  DONE  Moving up to
Mt. Blanc--Read 24 Books   DONE 

I managed to read 32 books from my Mt. TBR pile, which is more than I had challenged myself to do.  Of course, I've bought around 600 books in 2014, so I've added to my pile--but out of the books I've bought this year, I've read a bunch of them--over 100 I've written some sort of review about, and there are another 100 or 200 I've read, but not done a review.  Well, that's depressing.  I've probably added at least 200 books to my Mt. TBR pile. 

On the bright side though, I've discovered several authors new to me that I really like over the last year, which is part of why I've added so many books this year--that, and I found a couple book lots that were really cheap, with a lot of my favorite authors in them, and Amazon put a bunch on sale really cheap that I wanted.  And I can't turn down free Amazon kindle books when they are free mysteries, I might discover a new author I really like!

 

  1.  Mistletoe Murder by Leslie Meier (bought 12/24/2013) finished 1/2/2014
  2.  Still Life by Louise Penny (bought  12/24/2013) finished 1/3/2014
  3.  The Broadway Murders by Agata Stanford.  (bought 12/18//2013) finished  1/04/2014
  4.  Clammed Up by Barbara Ross. (bought 12/09/2013) finished 1/4/2014
  5.  The Howard Hughes Affair by Stuart Kaminsky (bought 11/23/2013) finished 1/6/2014
  6. The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters (bought 12/14/2013) finished 1/8/2014
  7. Death Takes A Bow by Frances and Richard Lockridge finished 1/16/2014
  8. Green For Danger by Christianna Brand  (bought 12/2/2013)finished 1/25/2014
  9. Ms. America and the Mayhem in Miami by Diana Dempsey (11/24/2013) finished 1/23/2014
10. A Dismal Thing to Do  by Alisa Craig (bought 11/26/2013) finished 1/22/2014
11. The Yellow Room by Mary Roberts Rinehart (bought 12/2/2013) finished 2/6/2014
12. Missing in Mudbug by Jana DeLeon (bought 12/28/2013) finished 2/7/2014
13. In The Heat Of The Night by John Ball (bought 12/05/2013) finished 2/10/2014
14. Never Cross A Vampire by Stuart Kaminsky (bought 11/24/2013) finished 2/09/2014
15.  High Midnight by Stuart Kaminsky (bought 12/02/2013) finished 2/11/2014
16. Murder in C Major by Sara Hoskinson Frommer (bought 12/18/2013) finished 2/14/2014
17. A Death in China  by Carl Hiaasen and Bill Montalbano (bought 11/28/2011) finished 2/16/2014)
18. I, Spy? by Kate Johnson (bought 08/22/2011) finished 2/16/2014
19. The Copenhagen Connection (bought a few years ago)  finished 2/23/2014
20. Fade to Black (bought 12/3/2013) finished 3/6/2014
21.  Catch A Falling Clown by Stuart Kaminsky (bought 12/2/2013)  finished 5/4/2014
22. The Case of the Substitute Face by Erle Stanley Gardner (bought 9/25/2013) finished7/15/2014
23. He Done Her Wrong by Stuart M. Kaminsky (bought 12/13/2013) finished 8/30/2014
24. The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen (bought 12//3/2013) finished 9/16/2014
23. Walking Dead Man by Hugh Pentecost (bought 12/2/2013) finished 9/13/2014
24.  Fer-de-lance by Rex Stout (bought 09/2011) finished 9/15/2014
25.  The Shape of Fear by Hugh Pentecost (bought 12/2013) finished 9/20/2014
26.  The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett ( bought in the 1990s) finished 11/20/2014
27.  Charlie M by Brian Freemantle (bought 6/6/2012) finished 07/2014
28.  Murderer's Row by Donald Hamilton--1962--(bought 09/29/2013) finished 08/2014
29.  The Ambushers by Donald Hamilton--1963--(bought 10/08/2013) finished 08/2014
30.  The Shadowers by Donald Hamilton--1964--(bought 12/14/2013) finished 09/2014
31.  The Big Four by Agatha Christie--(bought 7/28/2014)  finished 11/30/2014
32.  Darling It's Death by Richard Prather--(bought 2 or 3 years ago) finished 12/10/2014

Whiskers and Smoke by Marian Babson review

Whiskers and Smoke was published in 1984, as A Trail of Ashes.  This is one of Babson's stand alone mysteries, and is set in the U.S.   It is also one of her mysteries that feature cats with personality.

Rosemary Blake is a recent widow with two children, and all of them are having trouble coping with their grief.  When her daughter, Tessa breaks her arm, she is vulnerable when her sister, Celia, tries to talk Rosemary into doing a house exchange with Celia's friend and spend some time healing while visiting Celia, her husband, and son, Luke.

When Rosemary and her children arrive in Edgemarsh Lake, she feels something is going on with her sister and brother-in-law, but Celia doesn't seem to want Rosemary to know.   Rosemary is also having a little trouble adjusting to the cat that came with the house, Errol, as he is a Maine coon, much bigger and with a more distinct personality than the laid back Esmond they had left at hom.  There is also a next door neighbor, Noah, who thinks Errol is responsible for impregnating his pampered kitty, Pitti-sing.  This makes Noah a little hard to get along with.

Rosemary also ends up meeting and becoming friends with Pixie Toller, who is the Welcome Wagon lady.  Pixie tries to help Rosemary adjust to the new environment.  Rosemary also signs her kids up to a day camp nearby, and meets others who try to help her and the kids deal with things.

With all of the other things that are causing stress in her life, there is the undercurrent of stress that is being suffered by everyone in the area because of several random fires that have been started by someone, causing a lot of damage.  Everyone is on the lookout for the arsonist.

I enjoyed this book.  Looking forward to reading more of the Babson cat stories, I enjoyed the distinct personality that Errol displayed, and interested in seeing how Babson describes other kitty personalities.  I'm particularly looking for Paws for Alarm, as I've heard this book is the flip side of Whiskers and Smoke, and follows the people that took over Rosemary's home back in England.  Based on the letters Rosemary received from across the sea, I think it will be very interesting.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Silver--S--Book with color in Title.
This is a BINGO in the S column.

Witch Miss Seeton by Heron Carvic review

Published in 1971, this is the third in the Miss Seeton series.  The first five books (the best ones, in my opinion) were written by Heron Carvic.  After his death, the following three books were written by Hampton Charles (Roy Peter Martin), and the last fourteen books were written by Hamilton Crane (Sarah J. Mason).  The later ones that I've read are quite enjoyable, but this earlier book is so much better!

Miss Seeton is a retired art teacher, who moves to a small village after her retirement to live in the house her aunt had left her.  She seems a little naive, and is unaware of many nuances swirling around her.  However, her sub-conscious self is picking up all kinds of things, as Miss Seeton is a psychic, although she isn't aware of it herself.  Her psychic abilities are displayed in her drawings, which she always feels aren't quite right, and not very good.

This has been discovered by the police, and her abilities are put to good use.  She thinks they are paying her to do identikit sketches, but in reality, they use her sketches that show things as they are, and not as they are presented, to solve crimes.  I like this idea.

In this story, they use Miss Seeton to investigate some occult happenings that are occurring near her village. This causes some people to think she is a witch, and others to defend her.  As is usual, Miss Seeton manages to get herself in several dangerous positions, and then unconsciously manages to get out of danger, mostly without realizing she's ever been in danger.

My particular favorite part of this book was when Miss Seeton is asked to substitute in the local school.  She assumes it is an art class, but it ends up being a mathematics class, and....it has to be read for yourself, but it amused me.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO--Silver--Academic Mystery.

Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie review

This was published in 1970, and is a little different than many of her books.  There is no Poirot or Miss Marple, it is a stand alone book.

Sir Stafford Nye is a not very distinguished diplomat who is a little bored when he finds the plane he is in diverted to Frankfurt.  He is approached by another passenger, a woman, who tells him she is in massive danger because of the change in flight plans. 

She asks him to live dangerously, drink his drink that she is going to put a sleeping potion in, and allow her to take his cape and passport.  Because of his boredom, and his skewed sense of humor, he agrees.  Luckily for him, it was a sleeping potion, and not a poison.

When he meets the woman he helped at a dinner he attends, she is there under a different name.  Turns out she is a spy of sorts, who is attempting, along with some others, to thwart an evil group of Neo-Nazis who want to take over the world, starting by getting young people drug-addicted, and encouraging anarchy by everyone.  He is convinced to join the group, and becomes involved in a lot of spy type activity.

This was apparently Christie's attempt to jump on the James Bond type spy thriller band wagon, and while I don't think the book was totally awful, I also don't think it was particularly good.  It also seemed to push the idea that young people are lacking in morals, intelligence, and ambition and are basically violent given any opportunity. 

It seemed to have less mystery, and more propaganda, than is usual in her books. 

This is part of my Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Silver---L--Book that involves a mode of transportation.

Darling it's Death by Richard Prather review

First published in 1952, this is one of the Shell Scott series of mysteries.  I've really enjoyed most of the Shell Scott books that I've read, except for a couple of the later ones, and this is one that I enjoyed quite a bit.

Shell is in Acapulco, Mexico, on a job, but pretending to be on vacation, lounging around a pool when he is approached by a beautiful woman who wants his help.  She wants to leave her husband, but is afraid he'll kill her if she tries.

That's when Scott discovers that she is married to a mobster, and he is down in Acapulco with a bunch of his mobster friends.  Scott agrees to do his best to help her, but he also is intrigued as to why so many mobsters are gathering together.  Gloria, the client, says it has something to do with unions.

He wonders if it could have anything to do with the case he is on, as Scott is working for a union president, Joe, to recover evidence against him that is being used to blackmail him.

The story has the usual humor, and Scott gets himself into some odd spots while working on his case. The mystery is slightly slowed down by the author going on about his personal prejudices a little, but it was still interesting.

Looking forward to reading additional books in the series.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--G--Set somewhere other than the US or England.

This is also part of my 2014 Mt. TBR Reading Challenge.

The Case of the One Eyed Witness by Erle Stanley Gardner review

Published in 1950, this is one of the more polished Perry stories.  Perry isn't as aggressive as in some of the earlier stories, and I enjoy that more than the earlier ones.

In this story, Della Street, Perry's secretary, is having dinner with Perry when he gets a phone call form a woman, telling him she is sending him a package containing money.  They eat dinner, listen to the life story of their waitress, and wait for the money.  Then it arrives, and Perry starts to investigate, starting with a strange old man at his home. Later that evening, the house burns, and the old man dies.

During the course of the story there is blackmail, mistaken identities, and the usual court room scene where Perry does his best to cross examine the witnesses to solve the crime, and a lot of twists and turns before Perry discovers the truth.

I enjoyed the book, but the main reason for the blackmail wouldn't be a big deal in today's society, but the book was written and takes place just after World War II, and there were different attitudes at that time.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--O--book with number in title.

The Case of the Curious Bride by Erle Stanley Gardner review

Published in 1934, this is one of the early Perry Mason books.  As is other of the early novels, Perry is a bit less polished than he is in the later stories.  He is more willing to take chances and push the legality of the things he does, and seems a bit more aggressive than in the later books.

In this story, a woman comes to Perry to get some help for a "friend" of hers.  She needs to know how long a man needs to be missing before his wife can have him declared dead so she can marry again.  Perry tries to force the woman to admit that there is no friend, but is talking about herself.  She gets annoyed and leaves, but forgets her purse, which contains a gun.  Perry gets worried, and sets out to discover everything he and Paul Drake, his friendly private detective, can find out.

Turns out that the woman, Rhoda, was married to a man who made a habit of marrying naive young women and walking off with their money and not coming back.  Rhoda, a nurse, has just married one of her patients, the son of a wealthy man, when her first husband shows up to blackmail her.  Conveniently, he ends up murdered, with Rhoda the prime suspect.

Perry has to outwit the District Attorney to prove his client innocent, which, of course, he does in his usual flashy manner.

Enjoyed the book quite a bit.  Looking forward to reading more of the Mason books.


This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--O--Book with woman in title.

The Big Four by Agatha Christie review

Boy, I am so behind on writing my reviews!  I've read a ton of books over the last month, and haven't gotten very many of the reviews done yet.  I want to get them done by the end of the year, so I better hurry!

The Big Four was published in 1927.  While it is an Hercule Poirot novel, I really don't think it is one of the better ones.  When the story begins, Hastings is on his way to visit Poirot from South America where Hastings and his wife have been living, as a surprise.  When he arrives at Poirot's apartment, he finds that Poirot is just about to leave--he has been offered a great deal of money to investigate something in South America, and has decided to move there to be near Hastings, also as a surprise.

Before Poirot can leave, a man enters the apartment, and seems to be in a lot of distress.  He can't say more than Poirot's name and address, and when given paper he covers it with the number 4 many times.  When the Big Four is mentioned, the man starts talking about the Big Four who are 1) a Chinese mastermind named Li Chang Yen,  2)  Not named, but represented by $ and 2 stripes and a star, 3) a Frenchwoman, and 4) the destroyer.

Poirot and Hastings leave for a bit, and when they return the stranger is dead--murdered.  Poirot doesn't leave for South America, and they proceed to discover who the Big Four are, and to put them out of business.

While I usually like Poirot stories, this one just didn't seem to work for me.  I couldn't seem to get one thought out of my head--why play around with Poirot instead of just killing him?  Especially if they think he is the only one who could possibly figure everything out?

Basically, the story was okay, but not one of the better Poirot novels.  In fact, it is my least favorite of them all.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--N--Size in Title.

It is also part of my Mt.TBR reading challenge, as I've had this in my TBR pile since July 28, 2012.

Death in the Back Seat by Dorothy Cameron Disney review

First published in 1936, this is the first book I've read by Dorothy Cameron Disney.  She wrote 9 mysteries during her life, and this was the first.

The story had a lot of twists and turns, and seemed to be well-written.  It starts with a young couple leaving New York city for the country in Connecticut.  While there, they rent a small home from a wealthy local lady.

Before long, doing a favor for their landlady, they are involved in a murder.  The locals are all prepared to believe that somehow they are involved, as they are strangers to the area, and the victim was also from New York.

They proceed to investigate (not particularly well) and place themselves in danger several times before the criminal is finally discovered.

I have to say, I was a bit disappointed in this, as I started with such high expectations.  And for some reason, I had a lot of trouble retaining my interest in the story--I put it down multiple times over the last couple of weeks, forcing myself to continue.  Which is strange, as it has a fairly good plot, with a lot of twists, and there are other possible murders scattered about in the story, and seems to be well written.  It may have just been my mood, or the fact that I read it on the Kindle and it seemed to have more mistakes than I like--a little more editing would have been helpful--as I had to stop several times to figure out what I just read as some of the letters were changed--Jack became lack, for example, or seat became seal.

However, I didn't manage to figure out the entire solution, although I did have a suspicion or two about part of it.  That was a plus.  

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Golden--D--Read one book out of your comfort zone.

I am definitely not comfortable reading books with such poor editing, and had to force myself to finish it. 

Before Midnight by Rex Stout review

First published in 1955, this is one of the Nero Wolfe mysteries.  Wolfe is hired by an advertising firm after one of their employees is found murdered, and his wallet is stolen.  The wallet contained the answers to a competition which has been reduced to the 5 final contestants.  The advertising wants Wolfe to determine who stole the answers, and how to resolve the contest without getting a lot of bad publicity.

Wolfe has to deal with the 5 finalists, all of whom seem to annoy him, the advertising firm's executives, who also annoy him, and the police, who are annoying and officious.  Basically, a typical Nero Wolfe story.

Not one of my favorite stories, but still enjoyable.There are a lot of possible suspects, Wolfe does a lot of reading, and Archie tries to prod Wolfe into solving the mystery.  There are parts where it is a little slow moving, but it is still an enjoyable read.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery Bingo Challenge--Golden--E--Book with a time, day, month, etc. in title.
This is also a re-read for my Read It Again, Sam Challenge.

Death Lights A Candle by Phoebe Atwood Taylor review

This book, published in 1932, is one of the Asey Mayo series of Cape Cod mysteries.

Prudence Whitsby is visiting her friend Rowena near Cape Cod, when they are asked to chaperone a young lady at her Uncle's home.  When they get there, it is a house full of men and the young lady.  Then the power goes out.

There is a death during the power outage following a severe snow storm, which ends up being a murder.  Asey is called to solve the crime, and makes several startling discoveries.  There is another death, and Asey feels they are connected.

The book was a wonderful mystery, the characters are very interesting and the solution was unexpected.  This is the 3rd or 4th Phoebe Atwood Taylor book I've read, and I've enjoyed all of them, and am looking forward to finding more to read!


This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--O--Method of Murder in Title.

Mystery of the Cape Cod Players by Phoebe Atwood Taylor review

First published in 1933, this features Asey Mayo and is part of the Asey Mayo Cape Cod mystery series.

Vic Ballard has been recovering from illness, and her adopted son, George Ballord, has made plans for her to spend the summer just outside a small Cape Cod village.  While Vic is beginning to tire of George trying to run her life, she finally agrees to go, but insists on taking her maid Rose, and a young woman she has just met, the daughter of an old school chum, as her companion.

Shortly after arriving at her cabin, a group of traveling actors arrive, attempting to find the home they were supposed to perform at.  She impulsively invites them in, due to the weather.  The women stay in the house, while the men sleep in their cars.  However, in the morning, the body of one of them is found murdered.

I enjoyed this book, and the interactions between the characters.  It was very well written, and the mystery was really good.  I never suspected the actual murderer until very near the end of the book!



This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden "FREE SPACE" I'm substituting this book, by an author I've read before, for the E--Book that I have to borrow space.

Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout review

This Nero Wolfe book was first published in book form in 1939.  In this book, Nero is actually out of the brownstone he calls home and in a car traveling though a rural area when there is a minor accident.  On their way across a field to get help, they are confronted by a large bull--named Caesar.

Archie makes his way across the field to get help, while Nero manages to scramble up a large rock in the middle of the field, where he remains until rescued in a car by the niece of Thomas Pratt, owner of the nearby house.  Pratt is also the owner of a chain of restaurants, and plans to barbecue Caesar and serve him at his restaurants, which gets the local Guernsey League wound up, as Caesar is a prime bull, and they think he should be used to improve the bloodline of future cattle.

When the adult son of a neighbor is found dead in Caesar's field, it is first assumed Caesar had gored him to death, but it turns out to be murder.  Wolfe is asked to solve the murder, and manages to solve not only that murder, but another murder, and uncovers a  fraud that led to the murders.

This is also the book where Lily Rowan is first introduced and becomes Archie's friend.

I enjoyed this book, although not as much as others I've read in this series, although I'm not sure why.  Perhaps it is because Wolfe is in the country, and not in his accustomed place in his office.  Still, it is an interesting story, although a little dated, as the fraud couldn't have been perpetrated  in that way in today's world.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--O--involving food/cooks.        This is also part of my Read It Again Sam Challenge.

Murder is Served by Frances and Richard Lockridge review

Published in 1948, this story is set in New York, like most of the series.  John Leonard is teaching a class on Experimental Psychology at Dyckman University.  He has the students write term papers about one of the human emotions, and one student writes about hate.  The paper is so intense, Leonard is concerned.

Leonard approaches Gerry North, who has published a book Leonard has written, to ask North to mention it to North's policeman friend, William Weigand.  Leonard says the paper was written by Peggy Mott, who is the estranged wife of Tony Mott, a womanizer who has already got a new girlfriend, but isn't quite ready to let Peggy go.

Mott withdraws his backing from a play that was going to feature Peggy, and was written by Weldon Carey, who is also in Leonard's class.  Leonard has been watching Peggy and Weldon, and is sure they are falling in love.  With the hate that is described in the paper, Leonard is worried that Peggy might do something foolish.

When Mott is found dead in a restaurant he is a partner in, Leonard is afraid his worst fears have come true.  The Norths become involved in the murder investigation, with Gerry trying to keep Pam out of trouble, and Pam just trying to help Weigand out.

I enjoyed this story for the most part, although there were parts I thought were perhaps a little wordy.  Looking forward to finding and reading more Lockridge books.


This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--G--Academic Mystery.

Murder at the New York World's Fair by Phoebe Atwood Taylor review

This story was published in 1938, just in time for the 1939 World's Fair in New York!  It features Mrs. Boyston Tower, Daisy to her friends.  She is the widow of a former governor, and an independent woman, who, unfortunately, has spent the last year convalescing from pneumonia and a broken hip.

During the last year she has been under the care of her nephew, Egleston and his annoying wife, Elfrida, who seem to think Daisy is no longer capable of taking care of herself.  Daisy disagrees.  She decides to make an escape from her nephew's home, and go to the World's Fair in New York. She stows away in a laundry truck, and somehow manages to get herself on a private train, along with several other random people, where a dead body is discovered.

Somehow, Daisy finds herself trying not only to identify the body, but to solve the murder, all the while avoiding her nephew and his wife, and still find time to enjoy the Fair.

Loved this book!  It reminded me of the screw-ball type comedy mysteries of the 1930s and 1940s, with all kinds of unlikely but amusing happenings.  It was a little dated, of course, but funny and interesting.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--D--read a book by an author you've read before.

The Case of the Drowning Duck by Erle Stanley Gardner review

This is one of the early Perry Mason novels by Erle Stanley Gardner, first published in 1942.  This has an unusual setting for Perry Mason, as he and Della are taking a short vacation in the Palm Springs area.

While sitting in the hotel lobby, Mason is approached by wealthy John L.Witherspoon with a problem he hopes Mason can help him with.  His daughter has a boyfriend she wants to marry, and Witherspoon has had him investigated.  His daughter, Lois, and her boyfriend, Marvin, believe that Marvin was kidnapped from somewhere back East by the people he believed to be his parents, Sarah and Horace Adams, because on her deathbed, Sarah confesses to Marvin.

However, Witherspoon's investigation shows that Marvin was not kidnapped, but his father, Horace Adams, had been convicted of murdering his business partner.  Witherspoon is of the opinion that murdering people can be an inherited trait, and so doesn't want his daughter to marry the son of a murderer, and is determined to do whatever is necessary to stop that from happening.

While at the Witherspoon's home, Marvin had shown a trick where he causes a duck to drown (using a new invention--detergent!), although Marvin does not let the duck actually drown.  This seems to support the theory that he could have murderous genes.

Mason tries to discover if Adams was, in fact, the murderer, or merely the victim of a poor defense counsel.  During this investigation, another, current, murder is discovered, and it ends up with Witherspoon being a suspect.  As is usual, Mason figures out who had caused the death of not only the current victim, but also the previous victim.

An enjoyable read, although like many of the early Mason books, he seems more ready to bend, if not break, the laws to get to the truth.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--D--Mystery that involves water.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie review

Published in 1938, this is a great example of Poirot at work.  A wealthy man invites his family to his home for Christmas, and proceeds to stir things up by letting them think he is on the verge of changing his will.   He remains in his room while the rest of the family has a Christmas Eve dinner, when they hear furniture tipping over and then a horrible scream, and it appears to be coming from their father's room.

They all rush to the room, and find the door is locked.  After breaking the door down, they discover their father's body, with his throat slit, and blood all over.  There is no one else in the room, the windows are locked, and the door had been locked.  Luckily, a police inspector had been ringing the bell just as the incident happened, and he immediately took over.

Poirot is asked to help with the investigation, and solves the murder.  He discovers several secrets among the suspects, and at the end comes up with the perpetrator.  I didn't figure out who it was until quite a way into the book, and wasn't sure how it was done until the end.

Really enjoyed this story, but then I've been a Poirot fan since I was a teen.


This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--G--Locked Room.

It is also part of my 2014 Read It Again, Sam Challenge.

The Widows Club by Dorothy Cannell review

 This is the second in the Ellie Haskell mystery series.  Ben and Ellie are married, and Ben is opening a restaurant.   During the Grand Opening of the restaurant, a man dies after eating one of the items that Ellie has prepared.

Ellie is devastated, and is afraid the death is her fault, and it will cause the restaurant--Ben's restaurant--to fail.  She tries to figure out what could have happened, and then meets two sisters, who are also private investigators.  They ask her to help them in an investigation involving a local group, the Widows Club, which will also help her answer questions she has about the Grand Opening death.

I enjoyed this book for the most part, although at the beginning there were a couple of times I was confused.  I also was a little surprised by the behavior of a couple of different people--I thought it was a little unbelievable.  However, in the main, it was an entertaining read, and the plot was interesting.  Looking forward to reading other books in the series.

This book is part of my Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Silver--I--Having to do with food.

Cropped to Death by Christina Freeburn review

Cropped to Death by Christina Freeburn is the first in a series about scrap-booking.  The main character, Faith Hunter, is working in her West Virginia hometown at the store owned by her grandmothers, who are best friends.  Faith had previously left town, joined the service, and was now out of the service and looking for some peace and quiet, which she was sure she would get in the small town she had lived in while growing up.

Unfortunately, while at an event promoting the shop, a man is murdered, and he is the estranged husband of one of the shop's employees.  Trying to help, Faith involves herself in the investigation, much to the consternation of her grandmothers, her friend who wants to be her boyfriend, and the detective in charge of the case.

This was an enjoyable summer read, with interesting characters.  It wasn't too long, or too tricky, or hard to follow.  I've already purchased the next two books in the series, and plan to read them over the holidays.

The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett review

First published in 1934, it was the last novel Hammett published.  It was the basis of the movie, "The Thin Man", starring Myrna Loy and William Powell.  The movie is one of my favorites, and I put off reading the novel because I was afraid one or the other would suffer by comparison.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they are quite similar, with the movie using dialogue from the novel, and I pictured the scenes from the movie as I read.

The story is about Nick and Nora Charles, who are visiting New York at Christmas time to avoid having to deal with relatives if they stayed home in California.  Before their marriage, Nick had lived in New York and had been a private detective.  One of his old cases had concerned the Waynant family, and while in a bar waiting for his wife, Dorothy Waynant, the daughter of his former client, sees him and introduces herself.


Against his will, this draws him into the Waynant family drama.  Shortly thereafter, there is a murder involving the the family.   Between the police, the newspapers, the family and Nick's shady acquaintances, he is drawn into the investigation.

The book and novel aren't exactly the same, but the "feel" seems to be the same.  I'm glad I finally read this book.

I enjoyed the story, and will be looking for other novels by Dashiell Hammett.

This is part of my Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--L--Man in Title.
This is also part of my Mt. TBR Challenge--I've had this book for years!!

Reviews of three Southern Quilting Mysteries by Elizabeth Spann Craig

Quilt or Innocence by Elizabeth Craig is the first in the Southern Quilting Mystery series.  Beatrice Coleman has retired from her career as a folk art curator and moved to Dapple Hills, North Carolina, to be close to her daughter, Piper.  Just as she is getting settled in, she is dragged by a slightly strange woman to a barn next door.  The woman is Meadow Downey, wife of the local sheriff, and the Village Quilters Guild president, who decides that Beatrice is just the person they need in their guild.

One of the members of the guild is Posy, who owns a quilt shop in town.  She is afraid she will have to close the shop, because Judith, the owner of the building and also a quilter, wants to raise the rent quite a bit.  Judith is not a popular person in town, and this just adds to the people who don't like her.  When she is found dead, murdered, there are a lot of suspects, including Posy.  Beatrice becomes involved in trying to solve the murder, and finds herself in several uncomfortable situations.

Kooky characters, dogs, quilting and a murder.  What else could you ask for in a cozy mystery?  Really enjoyed learning about the characters, and liked the plot.

The second in the series is Knot What It Seams.  Meadow Downey, president of the Village Quilters, is worried about dwindling membership, and talks Beatrice into helping her to get Jo Paxton to join their group.  Jo is a quilt show judge, and wonderful quilter.  It's too bad she isn't a wonderful person.  She uses her job as a mail carrier to find out secrets about everyone, and causes trouble wherever she goes.

When her car crashes during a storm, it is first thought to be an accident, but then it is discovered that the brake lines were cut.  Beatrice once again gets involved in trying to solve the mystery.


Quilt Trip by Elizabeth Craig is the  third in the Southern Quilting Mystery series.  In this story, Beatrice accompanies Meadow, Posy, and Miss Sissy to a meeting being held at a Victorian mansion in the mountains owned by Muriel Starnes.  Muriel has requested several people representing various quilt guilds to come to her home because she wants to start a foundation to teach quilting to young people in the area.  Unfortunately, Beatrice discovers that the Village Quilters had not received an invitation to this meeting, but Meadow is sure it was merely an oversight, and wants the Village Quilters to run the foundation.

Even though they were unexpected, Muriel welcomes them to the meeting.  After the meeting, they find that the storm that had started as they arrived has turned the long, steep driveway into a sheet of ice, and it is impossible for anyone to leave.  Muriel lets everyone stay over, and but during the night Muriel dies.  Almost everyone is sure it was natural causes, except for Beatrice, who fears it is murder.

Beatrice is proved right, and she and the other Village Quilters try to solve the mystery while trapped in the mansion with the other quilters and Muriel's lawyer, one of whom is the murderer.

Looking forward to other books in this lighthearted series.

Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers review

Published in 1923, this is the first of Dorothy Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey books.  I actually liked this one better than Gaudy Night, for some reason.  I believe it seemed a little more whimsical to me.

Wimsey is a rather foppish young aristocrat, and when the book opens is on his way to an auction, to bid on some books he was interested in.  He discovers as he starts out that he's left his catalog with his notes inside, so returns home, where he is just in time to receive a phone call from his mother, which gets him involved a an odd murder investigation.

An architect, named Thipps, who had been hired to do work on Wimsey's mother's church, has just discovered a dead body in his London flat.  In fact, the body was discovered  in his bath, naked except for his pince-nez.

She asks Wimsey to help Thipps, which he agrees to do.  Wimsey discovers that Sir Reuben Levy, a financier, has disappeared from his bedroom shortly before the naked body had been found.  While it turns out the dead man wasn't Levy, Wimsey still feels there is some kind of connection.

This was an interesting story, although very dated.  I was a little surprised to find who the murderer was, and his reasons for what he did.


This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--E--set in England.

The Cat That Ate Danish Modern by Lilian Jackson Braun review

First published in 1967, this is the second of the "Cat Who..." series of mysteries.  Jim Qwilleran has been working the Art Beat for his newspaper, and is hoping to be moved to the Police Beat.  He is moved, but to a position as writer for a new magazine section featuring interior decorating.

His first assignment features George Tait and wife's home, featuring Tait's jade collection.  The day after the article comes out, the home is robbed and Mrs. Tait dies of a heart attack.  This bad luck is followed after the second article comes out, and the featured house is raided.

Meanwhile, Qwilleran goes to the Tait house to pick up a female Siamese that had formerly belonged to Mrs. Tait, and which Mr. Tait did not want.  While there, he makes a discovery that causes him a great deal of trouble.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I'm looking forward to the third book in the series!

Brief reviews of several books I've read

While I've joined several challenges this year, the following books don't fulfill any of their requirements, so I'm just going to hit the highlights so I can keep track of the books I've already read!

Dude on Arrival by J. S. Borthwick, published 1992.  This is a Christmas mystery, taking place at a dude ranch over the Christmas holidays.  Sarah Deane and her boyfriend, Dr. Alex McKenzie, are invited to join Sarah's Aunt Julia at the dude ranch she has been visiting since before Thanksgiving.  Living in Maine, with the snow and cold weather, makes Arizona sound warm and inviting.  Aunt Julia also mentions that they can help reveal who is pulling pranks around the ranch, and get them to stop.
Before the holidays are over, there is a murder, and the group get involved in crime.  I thought the book was okay, and if I was given another in the series I'd read it, but I don't think I'm going to be searching for any more.

Death of a Political Plant by Ann Ripley, published 1998.  This story is part of a Gardening Mystery series.  Louise Eldridge has a TV gardening show, and is a minor celebrity in the Washington, D.C., area.  She is wooed by politicians to endorse them, which she is trying to avoid.  She also is visited by an old friend from her college days, who is an investigative reporter looking for a place to hideout while writing an expose.  The story had some interesting information about gardening, and the plot was interesting, but for some reason, it just didn't really draw me in.  I had to force myself to finish it, because I just didn't seem to care who did what.

The Body in the Cornflakes by K.K. Beck, published 1992.  Ted is the manager of a grocery store, who has to deal with the odd members of the family that own the store, the employees of the store, and the customers.  He is trying to set up the store's Grand Re-Opening, and then a body shows up.  This is a fairly light read, interesting to a point, easy to follow.  I'd probably read more by the author, but wouldn't go out of my way to look for more books.

Falling Star by Patricia Moyes review

First published in 1964, this is one  of the earlier Inspector Henry Tibbett mysteries.  I hadn't read anything by Patricia Moyes before this.

In this story, an actor, Bob Meakin, is killed in a tragic accident when he trips and falls into the path of an oncoming train.  One of the directors of the film company, Anthony "Pudge" Croombe-Peters, an acquaintance of Henry Tibbett's, calls Tibbett to report the accident.  Tibbett points out that as a homicide detective, he isn't the person to be informed, but the local police should be.

After the accident, the film continues to be filmed with one of the other directors, Keith Pardoe, taking over the starring role.  During the filming, there is another death, this time a suicide of one of the employees, then another man is murdered.   The police investigate all of the deaths, and try to determine who had caused them.

Henry Tibbetts, in spite of all the evidence pointing to Croombe-Peters as the murderer, believes him to be innocent, and sets out to solve the crimes. The story is told by Croombe-Peters, and includes his fears, thoughts and feelings.  This makes for an interesting story.

I enjoyed this, and will be looking forward to reading more by Patricia Moyes.

This is one of my books for the  2014 Vintage BINGO Challenge--Silver--L--Professional Detective.
It is also one of my books for the Mt. TBR Reading Challenge.

The Thin Woman by Dorothy Cannell review

First published in 1984, this is the first in the Ellie Haskell series of mysteries.

The books starts with Ellie, overweight, single, and invited, along with the rest of her extended family, to visit eccentric great Uncle Merlin.  Not willing to be the object of her family's nasty comments about her weight, her single status, and anything else they can come up with, Ellie decides to rent a date from an escort service.  The owner of the service selects Ben to be her escort, and on the way she decides she really doesn't like him much, but it's only for a weekend.

Shortly thereafter, Uncle Merlin passes away, and his will leaves almost everything to Ellie and Ben, with a few conditions--she has to lose weight, and Ben has to write a non-smutty book and submit it for publication, and they have to live in Merlin's home.  If they don't meet these conditions in 6 months, the money goes to the rest of the family.

This, of course, causes a lot of resentment from the rest of the family, and they are eager to make sure Ellie and Ben aren't able to fulfill the conditions.  Someone slips a box of chocolates to Ellie, and Ben's almost completed novel is ruined.

Ben and Ellie, with the help of Dorcus, a woman they had hired to be their housekeeper, and Jonas, longtime gardener at the house, try to discover who is pulling these pranks on them.  And then the pranks turn more serious.  The rope in the dumb-waiter is cut, and when Ellie falls into it, it crashes to the ground.  Someone ends up missing, and an animal is drowned.

I found myself very sympathetic to Ben and Ellie, and was surprised at the perpetrator's identity.  Looking forward to more in the series.

Part of my Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Silver--I--Woman in Title.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie review

First published in 1934, this novel features Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's Belgium detective.  While in Istanbul, Poirot receives a telegram which causes him to make arrangements to take the Orient Express train to get back to London.  With the help of a friend, M. Bouc, he succeeds in getting a reservation on the oddly full train.

The first night he has to spend sharing a coach with another man, but is given his own room for the second night.  That night he is awoken by various activities on the train, including the fact that the train has been stopped by a snowdrift.

The next day, another of the passengers, Mr. Ratchett, is discovered dead, murdered by several stab wounds.  Poirot's friend, M. Bouc, is a director of the train company, requests Poirot's help in solving the murder.

When I was a teenager, I had read this book and didn't particularly enjoy it.  However, when reading it this time (decades later) I actually found that I liked the book.  I'm glad I took the time to re-read it, because apparently my tastes have changed a bit since then!

This is part of my Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--Mode of Transportation.
This is also part of my Read it Again, Sam Challenge.

Charlie M by Brian Freemantle

Charlie M by Brian Freemantle, published in 1979, is about a spy who is not appreciated by his bosses.  They involve him in dangerous situations, hoping he doesn't come out alive, but Charlie M is an old hand at intrigue, and manages to come though.

I didn't care very much for this book, although it was well-written and the plot was interesting.  I think the main character just didn't do it for me, I found him a little unsympathetic overall, although clever and a survivor.

I have another book by Freemantle, which isn't part of the Charlie M. series, and I'm going to try reading that and see if I like it better than this one.

This is part of my Mt. TBR Reading Challenge--purchased June, 2012, finished July, 2014.

Too Many Ghosts by Paul Gallico review

This was first published in the Saturday Evening Post as a serial in 1959, and then expanded into this book.  This is a light-hearted mystery.  Alexander Hero is the main character, and is a psychic researcher.

An old English country house, half of which has been turned into a Country Club with paying guests to pay for the upkeep, is being haunted.  There are several different manifestations,  which is the "too many ghosts" indicated in the title.  Hero is asked to investigate.

There are all of the expected characters in a vintage English country house mystery--the Lord and Lady and family, the distinguished neighbor, the middle class guest who is thrilled to be able to meet the Lord and Lady of the manor and have dinner with them, the American girl who is visiting the daughter of the family, and the annoying relative.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit, and will be looking for "The Hand of Mary Constable" which also features Alexander Hero.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--L--Country House Mystey

The Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor review

First published in 1931, this is the first in the Asey Mayo mystery series.  Phoebe Atwood Taylor was an American mystery author in the 1930s through the early 1950s, who wrote several different mystery series under various pen names.  In this series, Asey (nickname of Asa) is an old down-to-earth Cape Codder with a bright mind, a good sense of humor and a big dash of common sense.  He had been a sailor and traveled the world before settling down in Cape Cod to work as general assistant to Bill Porter, whose father started Porter Motors.

I enjoyed this book, with the characters being interesting and well developed.  It takes place in the 1930s, when it was written, and allows you to experience what it was like during that time-frame.
There were several suspects, and the mystery was nicely developed.

The mystery begins when Dale Sanborn was discovered murdered.  He was a best-selling novelist, but not a nice person.  The suspects include Bill Porter (Asey's boss), an old girlfriend, Sanborn's fiancee, and his long-lost brother among others.

This is an older cozy  mystery, with an emphasis on the locale and the characters.  Looking forward to reading more in the series.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Gold--N--Place in title.

The Secret Ingredient Murders by Nancy Pickard based on character created by Virginia Rich

Published in 2001, this is a continuation of  Virginia Rich's Genia Potter series.  I don't always like the books when new authors take over the writing of a series, but in this case it seems to work.

Genia is called to Rhode Island to help out with her great-nephew, Jason, and his twin sister, Janie.  Jason has been arrested for marijuana, and Genia's family needs her there.

While there Genia is enlisted by an old friend to help write a cookbook, along with her familiar responsibilities.  Her old friend, Stanley Parker, suggests she have a dinner party featuring some of their cookbook recipes, and even suggests the guests that should be included.

The night of the dinner, Stanley doesn't arrive on time.  In fact, he doesn't show up at all.  Then his body is discovered, and her nephew is a suspect because he worked in Stanley's greenhouse, and has already been in trouble with the law.  But there are other people who didn't get along with Stanley, and are also suspects.

The story was very interesting, and kept me reading.  I enjoyed the looking at the recipes that were included, although I wasn't tempted to make any of them.  They all looked like a little too much work just for two people, and I'm at the point in life where simple is better.

The Lord Mayor of Death by Marian Babson

This is one of Marian Babson's stand alone mysteries, published in 1977.  I've read several books by Babson, and have enjoyed them all, and this was no exception.

In this story, the London police are called on by a woman to find her missing 5 year old daughter, Kitty.  During the investigation, they find out about a possible plot by an Irishman to bomb the Lord Mayor's Show, a parade to start the Lord Mayor's year in office, which had been going on for centuries.  The story switches from the police search for the man who took Kitty, and the possible terrorist, to the attempts of the mother, a policewoman, and a friend of the mother's to find the little girl, and the thoughts of the Lord Mayor, who is aware that he may be the target of a terrorist.

The story kept up the pace, and drew you in.  It was a little dated because of the Irish involvement and the lack of current technology, but still was an exciting read.

I don't believe I've ever been disappointed in any of the books I've read by Marian Babson. Looking forward to reading more by her.

This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Silver--I'm using this book as my free space for E--A Book you have to borrow. 

2014 Color Coded Challenge Update

The challenge was to read books with various colors in the titles.
Here are the ones I've read:
Shades of Blue--High Midnight by Stuart Kaminsky
                          Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood
Shades of Red--Miz Scarlet and the Holiday Houseguests by Sarah M. Barton
Shades of Yellow--The Yellow Room by Mary Roberts
Shades of Green--Green for Danger by Christiana Brand
Shades of Brown--All Fudged Up by Nancy CoCo
Shades of Black--Fade to Black by Robert Goldsborough
Shades of White--Dead, White and Blue by Carolyn Hart
Any Other Color--Azalea Assault by Alyse Carlson
                              Death by Pink Flamingo by Elisabeth Crabtree
Suggests Color--Polka Dot Murder by Frances Crane
                           Dyed and Gone by Beth Yarnall


This is my completed list for the 2014 Color Coded Challenge.

Thanks so much to Bev for starting this challenge!

The Case of the Grinning Gorilla by Erle Stanley Gardner review

First published in 1952, this is another in the Perry Mason series of books.  This one is more or less from the middle of the series, so Perry isn't quite as abrasive as he was in the early ones.

I really loved the title of this book.  I've read several of the Perry Mason books and have enjoyed them, and when I saw this was on sale, I scooped it up last month--even though I've been trying to curtail my book purchases.

I've been trying to make my TBR pile smaller, and my goal was not to buy more books than I read from the pile.  So far this year I believe I've read 24 or 25 books from my TBR pile, but I've purchased....more than that in January alone.

But in my defense--they were cheap or free, or they were books in a series I love, or by an author I love, or sounded really good and were recommended by someone on the Cozy mystery group on Goodreads.   Actually, I blame Goodreads.com for introducing me to more books, authors and series that I really, really want to read!  And so I get them, and then when I read them, I want to read more.

Back to the book, The Case of the Grinning Gorilla.  Perry stops by an auction, and to help out he bids on a box of personal items of Helen Cadmus.  To his surprise, his $5 bid wins the box.  It turns out that Helen Cadmus was the secretary to Benjamin Addicks, an eccentric millionaire, and had committed suicide by jumping overboard from his yacht.  The box contains her diaries, and this stirs up interest in several different quarters.

Perry decides that he should find out what is in the diaries to make them so important, and discovers that the woman who wrote the diaries didn't seem the suicidal type.  He also finds out things about Addicks, including his personal zoo of gorillas and chimps, and his goal to hypnotize the animals.

Before long, Perry is involved in another interesting case that goes from theft to murder to being picked up by the police to confronting a grinning gorilla.   There is lots of excitement, and it keeps you interested and reading, even if the premise is a little strange.



This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--N--Book with animal in Title

The Adventures of Ellery Queen by Ellery Queen review

First published in 1934, this collection of short stories features Ellery Queen.  While the stories are short, they all have interesting mysteries that Ellery manages to solve handily.

I enjoyed this collection of stories more than the Roman Hat Mystery.  Ellery seemed less annoying and arrogant in these, and even had a sense of humor of sorts.  He also seemed younger and more like a regular young man, interested in women and willing to have a little fun.

He still managed to solve the crimes he came across, and I found the stories interesting to read.   The stories are a bit dated, but given that they were written 80 years ago, that is to be expected.

I've got a couple more Ellery Queen stories on my kindle, so I will probably read them.  I find the plots interesting, and I'm hoping Ellery develops into a less annoying main character, like he has in these stories.

Part of the Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Golden--E--Short Story Collection.

The Shape of Fear by Hugh Pentecost review

First published in 1963, this is the second in the series featuring Pierre Chambrun and the Beaumont Hotel in New York.

When old Mr. Cardew is found murdered in his room at the hotel, Chambrun, with his staff assisting, determines to bring the killer to justice.  There are plenty of suspects, including a famous race car driver who has been suspected of murder before, his ex-lover, her husband, and several others.

There are diplomats and spies, the police, former Nazis, and assorted other interesting characters.  The plot kept me guessing as to who had done it, and why.  The end was very satisfying. In a few words, a very enjoyable read, with everything I want in a book.

I really liked this book, it was fast paced and exciting.  Looking forward to reading more in this series.



This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Silver--R--Author with a Pseudonym.
It is also one of the books in my Mt. TBR reading challenge--bought December, 2013.

Fer-de-lance by Rex Stout review

This is the first of the Nero Wolfe mysteries.  It was first published in 1934, and was the basis for a film called "Meet Nero Wolfe" starring Edward Arnold as Wolfe, and Lionel Stander as Archie Goodwin.

I was delighted when I found this Nero Wolfe book I hadn't read before.  Unfortunately, I put it in my pile of books to be read as I was already reading a couple of other books, I got caught up in other things, and I forgot I had it.  While doing some sorting recently, I rediscovered it, and started reading it immediately!

The story begins with Fred Durkin asking Wolfe to talk with a friend, Marie Maffie. She is concerned that her brother, Carlo, a metalworker, has disappeared.  Wolfe takes the case, and sends Archie to get more information.

Investigating at Carlo's boarding house, Archie finds Anna Fiore, who had overheard a phone call Carlo had received just before he disappeared.  Wolfe talks to her and discovers that Carlo had clipped an article about the heart attack death of Peter Oliver Barstow from the paper, but won't tell Wolfe anything else.

Soon after, Carlo is found murdered in the country, and Wolfe suspects that the reason Carlo has clipped the article is that he knew something about the death--and that made the death murder.  Wolfe sets up a strategy to get Barstow's body exhumed and autopsied, and sets himself up for a big payday when he determines who the murderer is.

An interesting read, with many of the characters that feature in future books introduced here.  While reading it, though, I noticed that previous cases Wolfe and Archie had solved were mentioned, so it felt that I was reading one of the mysteries in the middle of the series, instead of the first one.

This is part of my Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--L--Book Made into Movie
It is also part of my Mt. TBR reading challenge--bought in Sept. 2011.

Dead, White and Blue by Carolyn Hart review

This was published in 2013, and is part of the Death on Demand series.  I really enjoy this series with Max and Annie Darling.

A woman disappears after a Fourth of July fireworks display, and no one except her stepdaughter seems to notice.  Shell, the younger, second wife of Wesley Hurst, was a trouble maker.  She made her husband, Wesley Hurst miserable, and had caused the break-up of his first marriage.  Shell has a married lover she is threatening.  She is also causing problems with her stepchildren.  And then she and her new green Porsche disappear.

Most of the people in Shell's life are glad she's gone, and assume she has just taken off without telling anyone just to make trouble.  But Shell's stepdaughter, Hayley, is worried, and asks Max Darling to discover just where Shell is.

While trying to determine where Shell and her car could be, Max discovers that one of the waiters at the club the evening that Shell disappeared has also ended up missing.  Max also determines that Shell has to still be on the island, as no one has seen her leave.

I enjoy this series a lot, and the relationship between Max and Annie.  I also find the other recurring characters, Emma Clyde, Henny Brawley and Max's mother, Laurel Darling Roethke, to be a wonderful addition to Max and Annie's sleuthing.  However, in this story, the three of them are off on a cruise--although they manage to stay in touch and help out from a distance!

I found the mystery to be compelling, and had trouble putting the book down once I started reading it! 



This is part of my Color Coded Challenge--7)--A book with white or any shade of white.

Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie review

First published in 1936, this is one of Christie's Hercule Poirot books.  I've loved the Agatha Christie stories from the first time I read one as a teenager.

I enjoyed Cards on  the Table quite a bit, especially as I thought I had already read it, but it turned out it was one I had never read.  I think when I saw the title I had confused it with another of the Christie stories which featured a game of cards, The King of Clubs, a short story in The Underdog and other Stories.

In this story, Mr. Shaitana, an acquaintance of Poirot's, invites him to a dinner party. Mrs. Ariadne Oliver, well-known author of detective novels, Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard, and Colonel Race, who's job is hush-hush are also invited, along with Major Despard, Mrs. Lorimer, Dr. Roberts, and Miss Anne Meredith.

While the guests are playing bridge in two different rooms, someone is murdered.  It turns out that Mr. Shaitana, a vain man who liked to display a Mephistophelian attitude to life, had collected four"sleuthes" for his dinner party. He also included four people he suspected to be "murderers". It appears that at least in one case, he was correct in his suspicions.

The four sleuths co-operate as they try to determine which of the four suspected murderers had done the deed.  The investigation discovers the deaths that the "murderers" had been involved in, which Shaitana believed to be murders.

I was involved in the mystery throughout the book, and was couldn't seem to decide which was the real murderer.  The ending was a surprise to me, and I enjoyed this book immensely.

This is part of my Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Golden--E--A book with a detective team.

The Case of the Mythical Monkeys by Erle Stanley Gardner review.

First published in 1959, this is one of the many Perry Mason mysteries written by Gardner.

Gladys Doyle is the secretary of Mauvis Meade, a best selling novelist and former girlfriend of an underworld gangster.  Meade instructs Doyle to take her place for an appointment Meade's made for an interview.  Doyle is told to spend the weekend, and not come back until Sunday afternoon.  On her way back, she takes a wrong turn and gets stuck.  She finds a cabin and an unwelcoming occupant, who finally allows her to spend the night.  In the morning Doyle discovers her host gone, and a dead body in the other bedroom--and her car is no longer stuck and is facing back towards the main road.

When she finally arrives at Meade's apartment, it is ransacked, and Mauvis Meade is nowhere to be found.  Doyle immediately heads for Perry Mason, and tells him what has happened.  Perry accepts her as a client, and starts to investigate.

The story was interesting and exciting, there was a little romance thrown in, and a typical Perry Mason courtroom scene.  I enjoyed this story quite a bit.  I'm looking forward to reading other books in this series.



This is part of my Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Golden--N--set in US.

The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen

This was first published in 1929.  It is the first of the Ellery Queen mysteries.

 A shady lawyer, Monte Field, is poisoned in the Roman Theater in New York City.  Inspector Richard Queen is called in, and invites his son, Ellery to assist.

There are a number of suspects, as Field is reputed to be a blackmailer. His body was found before the play ended, and a policeman was notified immediately.  He shut down the exits of the theater, and sent for reinforcements.

Before the theater patrons can leave, they are thoroughly searched.  It is then discovered that the victim's top hat is missing, which possibly contained incriminating documents.  The theater is searched, but the top hat remains missing.

There were a couple of things that seemed odd to me.  One was that the theater and the actors are intertwined with a wealthy family.  One of the actors is engaged to the wealthy family's daughter, and several of the other actors are friends of both the daughter and her brother.  Seemed odd that these relationships were accepted by the wealthy family.

And even though the daughter's purse is discovered with the victim, when she is asked to explain she says the victim followed her out during the intermission and propositioned her, and she must have dropped her purse.  Ellery accepts that, and eliminates her as a suspect just like that.

However, after quite a bit of investigating, there are still several possible suspects.  At the end, after a "Challenge to the Reader", Ellery identifies the murderer using a bit of logical deduction.

The book seemed to move a bit slowly, and Ellery seemed a little annoying to me. Inspector Queen seems to be overly impressed with Ellery, bringing him in to assist early on, without even attempting to solve the crime himself.  Ellery himself seems arrogant and smug.  On the upside, I'm sure it improved my vocabulary!

There were also a lot of comments that would not be allowed in this type of book today.  A person is described as monkey-like, another is discovered to have blood with a "black taint" and has a "strain of negroid blood in his veins".  There were a lot of these type of comments.

I had  heard of Ellery Queen for years, and have even read several Ellery Queen Magazines over the years, so I thought it was time to read the original.  I was a bit disappointed.  I'm going to read a couple more, hoping that Ellery becomes less annoying.


This is in my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO Challenge--Golden--N--Written by author with Pseudonym.
It is also part of my Mt. TBR Reading Challenge--bought December, 2013.

Always Leave 'Em Dying by Richard Prather review

This is one of the Shell Scott stories, first published in 1954.  It's the eighth in the series, and it's not as funny as some of the later ones.  I hadn't read this one before, although I've read several other Shell Scott mysteries.  It is still an interesting read, but not quite as enjoyable for me as the later, slightly more looney ones I've read.

In this book, Scott is hired by a woman to find her daughter, Felicity, who has disappeared overnight.  The mother doesn't impress Scott, but when checking out the daughter's room, he finds she looks like the innocent 16 year-old girl that she is.  When he checks her out with friends, he finds her to be the kind of girl no one says a bad word about.

While trying to find her, he is told that she is a "Trammelite", a follower of cult leader Arthur Trammel.  Scott has previously had a run-in with Trammel, and they didn't like each other, but he went out to the Trammelite church to see if anyone there, including Trammel, could shed any light on Felicity's disappearance.  This results in Trammel and Scott arguing, including a few threats.  Unfortunately, a reporter who is a supporter of Trammel is a witness, and the slanted against Scott article is featured in his paper.

While investigating, Scott discovers that a local Asylum is involved in illegal activities.  He also ends up labeled as a violent mental case by one of the doctors, and is locked up, restrained in a staight jacket, and doped up.  He manages to get out, but gets a lot of bad publicity.  And then Arthur Trammel dies, and Scott is accused of his murder.

I enjoyed the mystery of this, and like the way I can follow along with Scott as he makes his discoveries, and can see some of his thought processes.   There are some less than politically correct concepts in the stories, but they were written in a different time, and that is the way it was when the story was written.

I've been a Shell Scott fan since I was about 15, when I found my dad's stash of mysteries in the closet.  My mom wasn't sure these were books I should be reading at that age, but my dad said they weren't that bad--after he pulled out all of the Mickey Spillane books.  What was left was about  10 Shell Scott books, which I enjoyed immensely--this was in the mid-sixties and I suspect that most of the books were from the late 1950s and early sixties, and featured that weird humor that I really came to enjoy.

Over the years I've come across random Shell Scott mysteries, and bought them whenever I've found them.  I believe there are over 30 Shell Scott mysteries, and I've probably read 20, so I have a few more to look forward to as I find them.



Part of the Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Golden--D--book with Professional Detective.