The Mammoth Book of Roaring Twenties Whodunnits

by Mike Ashley

In Chicago and New York, in sleazy speakeasies and on Easy Street, to the strains of jazz and the beat of the Charleston, the twenties roared. The horrors of the Great War behind it, the decade went mad with abandon—and mad over the movies, radio, telephones, and the motorcar. But beneath the froth and the folly, the razzle and dazzle, lay a darker world, a hard and often violent world, for the twenties belonged as much to the gangster as they did to the flapper. The stories in this vastly entertaining collection of whodunnits crafted by talents like Amy Myers, Robert Randisi, Jon L. Breen, Edward D. Hoch, Marilyn Todd, and Mike Stotter reflect the allures—and the deadly dangers—of both those worlds.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Crime

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Michael Raymond Donald Ashley is the author and editor of over sixty books that in total have sold over a million copies worldwide. He lives in Chatham, Kent.

Reviews

[Tien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually a fan of short stories as I find that I'm usually left dissatisfied. However, this book was a whole load of fun! Maybe it was the setting - I mean, they don't call it the 'Roaring Twenties' for no reason. I also enjoy a good whodunnit (thanks to reading Christies in my childhood). I loved a few of the stories in this collection that prompted me to look up the authors. Majority of the stories were pretty good and some were just meh. I'm actually not familiar with 99% of the authors whose stories are collated in this book so it was a good venture. Although I am a little disappointed that of half a dozen authors I looked up to add to future TBR, I could only find 2. Yes, even with GR extensive catalogue, these authors were just not there.

If you're curious, the 2 I found and added to TBR were Marilyn Todd & Hulbert Footner

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those of us who have a definite idea what a whodunnit is, this collection is a mixed bag--of course most short story collections are, with stories of varying strengths. Ashley makes a big deal in the intro to "Putting Crime Over" by Hulbert Footner that he was surprised by how few short stories written in the 1920s (beyond the obvious ones by Sayers and Christie) were both good whodunnits and reflected the period well. So, new stories set in the period were commissioned (save for three originally from the 1920s). He claims to have excluded hard-boiled crime stories written in the 1920s as well. I find these statements odd when you consider that he didn't mind including stories with little or no mystery or "whodunnit" aspects or hard-boiled/gangster-themes that weren't written in the 1920s--exhibit A: "Kiss the Razor's Edge" by Mike Stotter; exhibit B: "He Couldn't Fly" by Michael Kurland; exhibit C: "A Pebble for Papa" by Collins & Clemens. I much prefer whodunnits in the style of Christie and Sayers and would have enjoyed this collection a lot more if he'd actually stuck to what he says his purpose was--or if he'd just not claimed that he was presenting us with whodunnits in the style of the 1920s.

Best of the bunch: "Thoroughly Modern Millinery," "The Day of Two Cars," "The Austin Murder Case," "The Man Who Scared the Bank," "The Problem of the Tin Goose," and "Without Fire" by Tom Holt, which is really the very best of the best. These all give a good flavor of the Roaring Twenties in addition to being good whodunnits. ★★★ for the entire collection.

"Timor Mortis" by Annette Meyers: Olivia "Oliver" Brown has inherited her aunt's townhouse as wells a private detective agency. She and her partner (employee?) Harry are on the hunt for a missing heiress. As far as I can tell, the whole point of this story is to name-drop as many 1920s personalities as possible to prove that this is set in the 1920s. The mystery isn't much (and no clues or investigation to speak of) and none of the characters are likeable or even interesting.

"Brave New World" by H.R.F. Keating: Murder at the cricket match. Wilfred Boultbee, who holds the purse strings to a large trust fund, is murdered. The beneficiary of the trust is of course among the crowd--as are others with a motive for murder. Keating does a great job capturing the flavor of England between the wars. Good story--though little in the way of investigation or clues.

"So Beautiful, So Dead" by Robert J. Randisi: Val O'Farrell is hired to protect a beauty contestant. Her monied "sponsor" fears someone will harm her. Someone does. I liked Val O'Farrell a lot. Solid short story--the culprit is perhaps a bit obvious.

"There would have been murder" by Ian Morson: A suspected communist plot gets mixed up in politics and football. But is the King's appearance at the new stadium really the target of the plot? Great characters--especially Sgt. Banks. Superintendent O'Nion is sort of a pain, but necessarily so. (And just as an aside--I kept reading his name as Onion.

"Someone" by Michael Collins: Dan Fortune's father is one of the few honest cops in the 1920s. Even the gangsters respect him...or so he thinks.

"Kiss the Razor's Edge" by Mike Stotter: Billy is a boxer who just wants to box. Doesn't care if he loses one here or there as long as it's not fixed. But Kruger, big man in London's East End gangland, has other ideas. No "whodunnit" here--just a grimy little story about gangs in 1920s London.

"Thoroughly Modern Millinery" by Marilyn Todd: Murder amongst the Bright Young Things of London. Outrageous French painter, Louis Boucard is killed just prior to his grand opening at the Westlake Gallery. Fun mystery. Captures the spirit of the Bright Young Things and has terrific sketches of character. It would be interesting to see a full-length mystery featuring Fizzy, Squiffy, Bubbles and the gang.

"The Day of Two Cars" by Gillian Linscott: Tadley Gate has had quite a run of excitement. First they got a petrol pump. Of course only one person had a motor car, but soon there'd be more (or so thought Davy Davitt, owner of the pump). Then the first phone box was installed. Of course, no one ever called anyone--no one in the rural village knew anyone with a phone number. But then...one day two cars show up on the same day and when they were gone there was a dead body left in the phone box. Very nice short story showing the changes coming to rural England. Interesting characters.

"The Hope of the World" by Mat Coward: A country house murder with a difference. What is one of the most capitalistic of capitalists doing at a house party dedicated to planning the socialist revolution? It doesn't really matter, for he won't be doing anything at all after his first night at the house. And then we must wonder what two undercover officials (one Special Branch and one Scotland Yard) are doing there as well...

"Bullets" by Peter Lovesey: Father Montgomery is doubtful when the police rule Patrick Flanagan's death a suicide. It isn't long before he discovers a puzzling motive for murder.

"He Couldn't Fly" by Michael Kurland: The bagman (money courier) for a gangster decides to sing for the grand jury in exchange for protection. But even a police guard can't prevent him from flying out the window when the boss man wants him dead. Typical gangster short story. Not my cup of tea.

"Putting Crime Over" by Hulbert Footner: Madame Storey and her secretary are robbed at gunpoint. But Madame Storey isn't at all put out--she just devises a plan to catch the crooks. One of the few stories in the book which were actually written in the 1920s. More of an adventure/caper story--but a hint of the whodunnit in the search for the big man behind the crime wave.

"Valentino's Valediction" by Amy Myers: Things get a little complicated when two British housewives, with a Valentino infatuation look for a Sheik closer to home. Interesting mystery twist--but doesn't really seem to me to be in the 1920s tradition.

"Skip" by Edward Marston (Keith Miles): Skip Halio, a bookie, who got his name from skipping town when the odds went against him, tries to skip town once too often and winds up a murder victim. Interesting twist at the end.

"The Broadcast Murder" by Grenville Robbins: A locked room radio murder mystery and the murder is broadcast live over the air. Tremayne, an announcer on the radio, appears to have been strangled while giving the news. He was alone in the recording studio, a locked room. When the manager bursts into the studio there's no one there--not even Mr. Tremayne, alive or dead. A clever mystery with a very surprising twist at the end.

"For the Benefit of Mr. Means" by Christine Matthews: The murder of the hostess of a star-studded birthday party forces Fatty Arbuckle (already disgraced by the accusations of rape and the death of an actress) and the titular Mr. Means (also a disgraced personage) to turn sleuth in an effort to find the killer before the cops arrive. Interesting set-up--but little in the way of actual detection. The truth comes out because everyone keeps making snide comments to each other.

"Without Fire" by Tim Holt: When murder strikes on a cross-Atlantic steamer from England to New York, the Captain, lacking a ship's detective, conscripts a failed barrister turned "play doctor" (a writer who fixes up poor lyrics for musicals) as amateur sleuth.

"The Austin Murder Case" by Jon L. Breen: A Philo Vance pastiche--Vance is on the spot for murder when his friend, District Attorney Markham, invites him to a masquerade party hosted by Jack Austin. Austin is an unpopular theatre actor on the verge of bursting into the talking picture world. But someone decides to prevent his journey west...permanently. A really well-done pastiche--it pairs a good mystery with just the right amount of self-aware, tongue-in-cheek humor.

"The Man Who Scared the Bank" by Archibald Pechey: When one of a bank's most trusted customers tries to scam them (and apparently most successfully), the bank's president turns to "The Adjusters" a group of people led by a very intelligent young woman who take on cases that the police can't help with.

"A Pebble for Papa" by Max Allan Collins & Matthew V. Clemens: A murder to prevent a gang war. Belongs in a book titled The Mammoth Book of Gangsters & Mobster," NOT a book of Whodunnits.

"Beyond the Call of Beauty" by Will Murray: P.I. Norris from the Weld Detective Agency is on the hunt for a missing co-ed. What he finds is a fortune-teller with a past after his search leads him through smoky jazz clubs. A tip of the hat to Dashiell Hammett.

"The Problem of the Tin Goose" by Edward D. Hoch: The pilot in a barnstorming, stunt-flying troupe is stabbed while alone in the the locked cockpit of one of the planes. Doc Sam Hawthorne solves the case.

"I'll Never Play Detective Again" by Cornell Woolrich: When roses destined for a bride-to-be kill her younger sister with a thorn prick, the best man sets out to discover who the intended victim was and who the killer is. The answers ensure that he'll never play amateur detective again. A somewhat dark take on the whodunnit.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

My mistake. I assumed this was a collection of whodunnits written DURING the Twenties. Wouldn't that be a tasty thing!

Instead, it's a collection of contemporary stories with the 1920s as a setting. I read four of them, and each made tremendous efforts to refer to fashion and artifacts and to use something approximating flapper jargon. It's all very boop-oop-a-doop, and not in a good way.

(And yes, I checked. Boopoopadoop didn't specifically come up til the early thirties. But these stories made me think of it, which only goes to show that historic genuineness isn't their strong point.)

[Steve Wales]

A fun anthology of mysteries set in the 1920s. My favourite was one of the few in the collection actually written in that decade: "Putting Crime Over" by Hulbert Footner in which Mme Rosika Storey and her secretary turn to crime to catch the mastermind behind the city's criminal gangs.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A selection of short stories told by authors set in the 1920's. They are all murder mysteries. Some were good others were kind of not so good.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mysteries with moxie!

[Lizabeth Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection is a mixture of extremes. From the gay frolics of the time to the nasty underbelly that also existed at the same time. 3.5 out of 5 overall.

“Timor Mortis” by Annette Meyers. Olivia Brown is trying to help find a missing heiress, only to witness the young woman’s murder. Unusual, but not quite the type of mystery that I expected. First, this is part of a series, yet Brown is more witness than amateur detective. The author also drops quite a few famous names into her tale, presumably to help set the time period and Greenwich Village stage. 3.5 out of 5

“Brave New Murder” by H. R. F. Keating. Wilfred Boultbee, the trustee in charge of a large amount of money, is murdered. Who among the hoi-polloi committed the act? And why? Really needed a longer format and a real investigation. Detective Inspector Thompson’s final focus on who he believed to be guilty was only partly based on evidence. 3.5 out of 5

“So Beautiful, So Dead” by Robert J. Randisi. A contestant from the new beauty pageant in New Jersey is found murdered. Georgia Taylor had been involved with much older, very married, extremely wealthy Vincent Balducci. Private detective Val O’Farrell, hired to protect Georgia, was determined to find the responsible party. Based on a true story, this is more the type of story I was expecting from this collection. Randisi gives us the type of private detective that will soon be developed in film noir mysteries, yet with a touch of class. The author also shows the conflicts caused by the modern age overtaking the old. 4 out of 5

“There would have been murder” by Ian Morson. A burned body without head or hands is found at a construction site. Newly promoted Superintendent James O’Nion must try to solve the case as well as appeasing his communist fearing boss. One of the biggest fears in Britain during the 1920s was a communist revolution. The same fears came to the United States a decade later. O’Nion is an idiot, but I really loved Sgt. John Banks. Quite a convoluted mystery, but the characterizations more than make up for it. 4 out of 5

“Someone” by Michael Collins. One-armed sleuth Dan Fortune’s childhood is explored through the highs and lows of his policeman father. A truly fascinating story of a honest cop who thought he was a friend to those not so honest. Perhaps he was, but Casey soon came to doubt everything. I’ve never read any of the Dan Fortune series, but based on this tale, I may have to try them. 4 out of 5

“Kiss the Razor’s Edge” by Mike Stotter. Kruger was the man in charge of all vice and crime in his part of Britain. From forcing a 16 year old boxer, Billy Griggs, to throw a match or cheating on his wife, Kruger did whatever he wanted. Gangs in the 1920s were essentially the same whether in Britain or the U.S., willing to do anything to hold their positions of power. Poor Billy never had a chance. 3.5 out of 5

“Thoroughly Modern Millinery” by Marilyn Todd. A group of Bright Young Things, most involved in the art world, are all possible suspects in the murder of obnoxious French painter Louis Boucord. Light and charming with a touch of darkness and a satisfying ending, as well as a smidgen of romance. I found Teddy’s hinted at background intriguing. I wouldn’t be opposed to reading more about this delightful group. 4 out of 5.

“The Day of Two Cars” by Gillian Linscott. The small rural town of Tadley Gate has two signs of the modern age: a gas pump and a telephone booth. Now they have found a dead body in the booth. A strange mystery with a constable who prefers to stay in Tadley Gate, so he must hide his intelligence; a young woman convinced she’s meant to live somewhere else; a blacksmith with a fascination with cars. Lovely characterization. 3.5 out of 5

“The Hope of the World” by Mat Coward. Lord Bognor and his socialist friends are trying to find just the right date to start the revolution. A murder may bring their true motives to light. Enjoyable houseparty mystery, filled with offbeat characters. A strange, but fun, mystery. 3.5 out of 5

“Bullets” by Peter Lovesey. A death first judged by Inspector Carew as suicide is later called murder by Father Montgomery. A puzzle based murder mystery. Very old style, just shy of the “dumb cop” trope. 3.5 out of 5

“He Couldn’t Fly” by Michael Kurland. Journalist Alexander Brass and Sammy the Toad Mittwick relate the story of a murder committed during the 1920s. Flat at first, filled with one-dimensional characters. Picks up slightly, but not to my taste. 3 out of 5

“Putting Crime Over” by Hulbert Footner. When Madame Roska Storey and her secretary are robbed, a plan is put in place to catch the robbers as well as their leader. A strange, yet interesting tale that was actually written in the 1920s. Very close to a caper crime. 3.5 out of 5

“Valentino’s Valediction” by Amy Myers. Domestic issues turn nasty and very deadly when Ruby becomes overly fatuated with Rudolf Valentino. Just the type of mystery you might have seen on Alfred Hitchcock: funny, quirky, and constantly twisting around. 4.5 out of 5

“Skip” by Edward Marston. The Dempsey ~ Tunney boxing match attracted all sorts, including gambling hustler Skip Hale. Another delightfully twisted tale worthy of Alfred Hitchcock. 4 out of 5

“The Broadcast Murder” by Grenville Robbins. When a murder is broadcast live over the radio, it involves reporter James Farren and his distant cousin, William Garland, a detective, to determine what happened. This is the second mystery that was actually written in 1928. The first radio broadcasts were 1920 in the U.S. and 1922 in England. Here we have a locked room mystery involving that relatively new process. Nicely set up with a tip-top solution. 4 out of 5

“For the Benefit of Mr. Means” by Christine Matthews. A Hollywood party turns deadly when the hostess is found dead by an already disgraced Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. Aided by an equally disgraced author and ex-FBI agent Gaston Means, as well as a who’s who of early Hollywood, he fights to find the guilty party before the police arrive. Talk about name-dropping, in addition to Roscoe and Means, we meet Dorothy Parker, Zelda Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, and Ramon Novarro. Still other notables were mentioned in passing. Honestly, the set-up was interesting, but the follow through suffered from too many characters crammed into too small a format. 3 out of 5

“Without Fire” by Tom Holt. A murder on a trans-Atlantic cruise pulls in our hapless hero to solve the crime. We never learn the hero’s name, but he is a former barrister (failed at that short-lived job), a decorated soldier (got lost and managed to kill the German squad he found himself in the middle of), and now helps struggling plays by rewriting the bad bits. Using his love of murder mysteries as well as knowledge of show business gossip, he actually does solve the crime. Loved this one, it gave me the air of a Thin Man mystery. 4.5 out of 5

“The Austen Murder Case” by Jon L. Breen. District Attorney Markham invites amateur detective Philo Vance and his friend and biographer S. S. van Dine to a masquerade party thrown by Jack Austin, an unpopular theater actor heading to film. Murder ensues. Breen took over the writing of Philo Vance mysteries after the original author, S. S. van Dine, passed away. The character always struck me was rather effete and didn’t appeal to me in the slightest. I will say that Breen does represent both Vance and van Dine (who wrote himself into his stories) quite accurately. 3 out of 5

“The Man Who Scared the Bank” by Archibald Pechey. If you need help beyond what the police can provide, you contact The Adjusters. Headed by the very young and beautiful Daphne Wrayne, she and her four partners have been asked to help a bank avoid bad publicity when they are scammed by one of their clients. Another story written in the 1920s, this one is a caper in the style of Leverage, Doc Savage or even The Persuaders. A delightful tale that will leave you wanting more. 3.5 out of 5

“A Pebble for Papa” by Max Allan Collins and Matthew V. Clemens. A mob head is adamant that drugs will never be part of his city, no matter what he has to do to keep them out. The heads of the various crime groups are divided on that, many realizing the money that could be made from dealing illegal drugs. An intriguing tale of the fine line of morality, even among those who are on the other side of the law. Many mobsters of that time period were vehemently against drugs, but bowed to pressure of the younger criminal base. Very realistic, nice twist at the end. 4 out of 5

“Beyond the Call of Beauty” by Will Murray. Private Detective Norris of the Weld Detective Agency has been hired to find a missing heiress. Very hardboiled in some aspects, yet with a hero that just wants to do his job. Cats, fortune tellers, smoky jazz clubs, lesbians and cross dressers, this tale has it all. 3.5 out of 5

“The Problem of the Tin Goose” by Edward D. Hoch. Barnstormers come to town, romancing a local female reporter. When the flying Romeo is murdered, it is up to Dr. Sam Hawthorne to find the killer as well as the method the crime was committed. A lovely little tale that unites a love of flying and murder. 3.5 out of 5

“I’ll Never Play Detective Again” by Cornell Woolrich. A young woman is murdered by the prick of a rose while attending her sister’s engagement party. Who was the intended victim? And could the spurned girlfriend have caused the poor girl’s death? It is up to the groom’s roommate and best man to solve the crime. A twisty tale that may have originally been written in the 1920s, but wasn’t published until the 1930s. A wonderfully written mystery. 4.5 out of 5

[Sue Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short stories

A great selection of short stories including some well known authors these books are a great way to discover.New writer's a great selection.

[Alison C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having spent months immersed in detective series set in the 1920s (but written now), I thought I’d cap off my mania with a re-read of The Mammoth Book of Roaring Twenties Whodunnits, from 2004. Most of the stories here are original to this anthology, a few are reprints from the 1930s to 1980s, and three are reprints of stories actually written and published in the 1920s. As with all anthologies, my favourite stories may not be yours; that said, I especially enjoyed “There Would Have Been Murder” by Ian Morson, involving a fledgling Communist party cell in England attempting to start a revolution; “Someone” by Michael Collins, about the uneasy pact between cops and mobsters in Prohibition-era NYC; Marilyn Todd’s “Thoroughly Modern Millinery,” where the heist revolves around the right hat; “The Hope of the World” by Mat Coward, another Communist Revolution story, this time set in a country house complete with aristocratic communists; Hulbert Footner’s “Putting Crime Over,” a novella published in 1926 and featuring a very clever woman; 1928’s “The Broadcast Murder” by Grenville Robbins, which uses then-new technology to great effect; “Without Fire” by Tom Holt, dealing with murder on an ocean liner; and Archibald Pechey’s 1928 story “The Man Who Scared the Bank,” which also features a very clever woman. This sounds like a lot of stories, but there are 23 in total, all of which have their merits. Quite a lot of fun; recommended, especially if you, like me, have during this Pandemic experienced a period of madness concerning the last, historic Roaring Twenties!

[Steph (loves water) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As others have said, it would've been nice to have an anthology of stories actually written in the 1920s, but apparently there weren't that many to choose from. That said, I really did enjoy the three stories that were actually from that time period. Now I'm on a mad search for Hurlburt Footner and Grenville Robbins. Thumbs up for Annette Meyers, I enjoyed her Oliver Brown books and was happy to discover another story.

I found some typos that really made me unhappy...I expected better from Mr. Ashley and his superb editorial skills. It's what's keeping me from giving a four star rating.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not what the cover promises. I found the stories quite dull and none of the sparkle I expect from the Roaring 20s.

[Patrick DiJusto · Rating 4 out of 5]

loads of fun. Not very deep. But then again, that's exactly what murder mysteries of the 1920s were like.

[Vikas Datta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very good stuff... Enjoyed it very much