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Prof. John Stubbs
Bodies in a Bookshop
Botanist Max Boyle visits "a curious little shop in a side-street off the Tottenham Court Road" in London and is delighted with the bibliophilic treasures he finds. He also stumbles across something less pleasant: in a back room, an unlit gas ring emits its noxious fumes, and two corpses lie sprawled on the floor.
At the time of the Second World War, Scottish-born poet, scholar, art critic and fantasy novelist Ruthven Campbell Todd (1914-1978) wrote a series of detective fiction for other literary projects and was quickly - but unjustly - forgotten as a mystery novelist. Today, his detective novels are almost impossible to find.
When a rare copy of Bodies in a Bookshop does turn up, it is a treat for all mystery lovers and those who love to rummage through musty old bookstores in search of the unexpected.
178 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1946
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
January 17, 2012
Normally you'd have to hold the murder weapon of your choice to my throat and threaten me with actual bodily harm in order to get me to read murder-mystery books. They're just not really my thing, perhaps because my imagination is capable of generating a venerable cornucopia of meaty gore chunks and bloody mayhem.
This can probably be directly attributed to the fact that a long time ago I used to work for the police and during the course of that work saw things so awful that they would make your toes curl so much that you'd need to apply nail varnish to the back of your ankles. Further to this you should also know that I like to watch CSI (Vegas and NY but never Miami - I would never get bored of punching Horatio Kane in the face) and laugh at the murders all the while singing along to the theme tune but substituting the words of the theme tune "who are you, who who?" with "Faaaaake science, Fake FAKE!!".
But, I was suckered in by the mere title of this book and didn't even stop to find out what it was about (admittedly the title itself is a pretty good descriptor) before signing up to receive this on bookcrossing.com.
Do I regret reading this? No, not really, it was a diverting way to pass a few hours. Is this book going to convert me to murder mysteries? Er, no definitely not. The whimsical story of a beer fuelled Professor of Botany, his belligerent student sidekick and their world weary friend the Chief Inspector Bishop as they set out to solve the murder to two gents found beaten and gassed in a bookshop's back room. So... whodunnit? Well it wasn't hard to figure out, in fact I had a pretty good idea by page 27 which was further confirmed by the HUUUUUMUNGOUS clue on page 51, another whopper on page 94 and then another on page 148. If you're a wannabe sleuth you'll either walk away from this feeling cheapened or like your some kind of freakin crime solving genius.
I would have given this book a two-star rating but I've up it to three-stars for the inclusions of these rather marvellous and utterly random similes:
"as bland and sleepy as a summer sea"
"as suave as buttered asparagus"
"as helpful as a pond full of stagnant water"
" as voiceless as a giraffe"
It's also almost worthy of an extra star for the inclusion of the sentence
"Charles Hume slid his blue balls towards him.." har de harharhar, God I am so childish sometimes!
This can probably be directly attributed to the fact that a long time ago I used to work for the police and during the course of that work saw things so awful that they would make your toes curl so much that you'd need to apply nail varnish to the back of your ankles. Further to this you should also know that I like to watch CSI (Vegas and NY but never Miami - I would never get bored of punching Horatio Kane in the face) and laugh at the murders all the while singing along to the theme tune but substituting the words of the theme tune "who are you, who who?" with "Faaaaake science, Fake FAKE!!".
But, I was suckered in by the mere title of this book and didn't even stop to find out what it was about (admittedly the title itself is a pretty good descriptor) before signing up to receive this on bookcrossing.com.
Do I regret reading this? No, not really, it was a diverting way to pass a few hours. Is this book going to convert me to murder mysteries? Er, no definitely not. The whimsical story of a beer fuelled Professor of Botany, his belligerent student sidekick and their world weary friend the Chief Inspector Bishop as they set out to solve the murder to two gents found beaten and gassed in a bookshop's back room. So... whodunnit? Well it wasn't hard to figure out, in fact I had a pretty good idea by page 27 which was further confirmed by the HUUUUUMUNGOUS clue on page 51, another whopper on page 94 and then another on page 148. If you're a wannabe sleuth you'll either walk away from this feeling cheapened or like your some kind of freakin crime solving genius.
I would have given this book a two-star rating but I've up it to three-stars for the inclusions of these rather marvellous and utterly random similes:
"as bland and sleepy as a summer sea"
"as suave as buttered asparagus"
"as helpful as a pond full of stagnant water"
" as voiceless as a giraffe"
It's also almost worthy of an extra star for the inclusion of the sentence
"Charles Hume slid his blue balls towards him.." har de harharhar, God I am so childish sometimes!
June 23, 2018
And now for a golden oldie. Never heard of the author or his detective series (this isn’t book one, but it reads as a standalone), but love, love bibliomysteries, so this one intrigued me. This is basically a standard premise of a genius eccentric detective (actually professor of botany with a knack for detecting) and his more conventionally normal and less gifted sidekick, who assist a not so talented inspector in solving crimes. In this case, double murder in (obviously) a bookshop. The novel is narrated (prototypically as the form demands) by the sidekick, a man who, much like the author and probably everyone reading this review, has an ardent passion for books. It is he in fact who stumbled upon a crime scene in the first chapter, thus getting inextricably involved in the case. The detecting professor speaks in a thick Scottish burr or burrs in a thick Scottish speak, drives like a maniac and is as observant as his more famous fictional counterparts, but he is personable enough to not merely solve crimes machine like, but to pause to consider all the aspects and interpret justice accordingly. The sidekick is tall, gaunt, exceedingly polite properly British gentleman whose book loving ways are sure to make him appealing to all the readers. The mystery component didn’t really wow here and I was able to figure out quite easily, but the novel itself has a considerable charm of the bygone era, it’s sort of droll and quippy and surprisingly humorous, so that was lovely. Just right for a quick light entertainment. Thanks Netgalley.
July 12, 2016
“The trouble with bookshops is that they are as bad as pubs.”
“You start with one and then you drift to another, and before you know where you are on a gigantic book-binge.”
People were smarter in the old days. And by old days, I mean the 1940s. And by people, I mean authors AND readers.
The author of Bodies in a Bookshop, R.T. Campbell, was actually Ruthven Campbell Todd — a poet, scholar art critic and fantasy novelist (in other words, a man of letters and a polymath). Not content to do everything else, apparently, he wrote a series of detective stories to try out the genre.
This particular murder mystery involves a cantankerous bookshop owner (who also sold pornography — keeping in mind that in the 40s, pornography was mostly prints and sketches, and questionable writings such as de Sade) and a blackmailer. They were found dead, both conked on the head and left to die of gas inhalation inside a room locked from the outside.
The ensuing investigation is led by two botanists, one of whom — eccentric to the point of absurdity — is an amateur criminologist, a terrible driver, a heavy drinker and a perpetual thorn (botany pun bonus points!) in the side of the Bishop, the Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard.
Their investigation leads them from the dustiest, cramped corners of bookshops across London to the well-appointed drawing rooms of the well to do.
It’s a fun, fast-paced mystery written by someone with a poet’s love of language, an art critic’s appreciation of the classics and a keen eye for details of life and conversational styles. And it’s written for an audience that appreciates highly literate, intellectual prose.
When interviewing husband and wife suspects, he’s attracted to the wife: “Mentally I’d been toying with the idea of playing King David and casting Henry for the role of Uriah. I saw that I would have no complacent Bathsheba…”
When interviewing a recalcitrant bookseller: “Mr. Charles Hume was about as voiceless as the giraffe. His vocal chords seem to be atrophied and he seemed to be afraid of stretching them in case they broke. If silence was golden Charles Hume was a millionaire.
When attempting to discuss the case with his eccentric friend and employer: “He seemed to be nursing some secret which was pleasing him and he was unwilling to let anyone else have a share of it. I bickered with him mildly about this. We always bicker at breakfast. It takes the sting out of the day.”
Droll and deadpan, rich and layered, it was a great find in exactly the kind of the musty bookstore where the murders took place.
“You start with one and then you drift to another, and before you know where you are on a gigantic book-binge.”
People were smarter in the old days. And by old days, I mean the 1940s. And by people, I mean authors AND readers.
The author of Bodies in a Bookshop, R.T. Campbell, was actually Ruthven Campbell Todd — a poet, scholar art critic and fantasy novelist (in other words, a man of letters and a polymath). Not content to do everything else, apparently, he wrote a series of detective stories to try out the genre.
This particular murder mystery involves a cantankerous bookshop owner (who also sold pornography — keeping in mind that in the 40s, pornography was mostly prints and sketches, and questionable writings such as de Sade) and a blackmailer. They were found dead, both conked on the head and left to die of gas inhalation inside a room locked from the outside.
The ensuing investigation is led by two botanists, one of whom — eccentric to the point of absurdity — is an amateur criminologist, a terrible driver, a heavy drinker and a perpetual thorn (botany pun bonus points!) in the side of the Bishop, the Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard.
Their investigation leads them from the dustiest, cramped corners of bookshops across London to the well-appointed drawing rooms of the well to do.
It’s a fun, fast-paced mystery written by someone with a poet’s love of language, an art critic’s appreciation of the classics and a keen eye for details of life and conversational styles. And it’s written for an audience that appreciates highly literate, intellectual prose.
When interviewing husband and wife suspects, he’s attracted to the wife: “Mentally I’d been toying with the idea of playing King David and casting Henry for the role of Uriah. I saw that I would have no complacent Bathsheba…”
When interviewing a recalcitrant bookseller: “Mr. Charles Hume was about as voiceless as the giraffe. His vocal chords seem to be atrophied and he seemed to be afraid of stretching them in case they broke. If silence was golden Charles Hume was a millionaire.
When attempting to discuss the case with his eccentric friend and employer: “He seemed to be nursing some secret which was pleasing him and he was unwilling to let anyone else have a share of it. I bickered with him mildly about this. We always bicker at breakfast. It takes the sting out of the day.”
Droll and deadpan, rich and layered, it was a great find in exactly the kind of the musty bookstore where the murders took place.
July 7, 2011
This week I'm going way back to one of the first vintage mysteries I discovered after Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh. Bodies in a Bookshop by R. T. Campbell. At the time, I'd never heard of R. T. Campbell and the Dover edition that the public library carried was new to me too. I'd never seen these slim reprints anywhere else. But how could I resist a mystery with a title like that? A mystery and a bookshop? I was sold even before I read the synopsis.
R. T. Campbell is another author who wrote detective novels at the time of WWII. Ruthven Cambell Todd was a Scottish-born poet, scholar, art critc, and fantasy novelist who turned his hand to a series of detective novels under the pen name R. T. Campbell. Unfortunately, he soon abandoned mystery writing for other literary projects and was quickly forgotten as a mystery novelist. At the time Dover came out with the reprint of Bodies in a Bookshop, his detective novels were nearly impossible to find.
And what a treat this reprint is. I was ecstatic to find a copy when rummaging through one of the local used bookshops. Not unlike the protagonist of our story. Botanist Max Boyle visits a "curious little shop in a side-street off the Tottenham Court Road" in London and is himself ecstatic with the bookish treasures he finds there. But then he finds something much more disturbing...two bodies in a back room filled with gas fumes. Boyle seeks help from "The Bishop," Chief Inspector Reginald F. Bishop of Scotland Yard. Bishop winds up asking for assistance from Professor John Stubbs, another botanist and amateur criminologist. The play between the professor, the protesting Boyle, and skeptical, world-weary Bishop is entertaining in itself. But the friction between them propels the trio to find the puzzle's solution.
This is a very witty mystery populated with entertaining characters and brisk dialogue. It also contains some of my all-time favorite quotes about bookshops and books. This one in particular:
The trouble with bookshops is that they are as bad as pubs. You start with one and then you drift to another, and before you know where you are you are on a gigantic book-binge.
If that isn't the truth. At least for me. I highly recommend that if you can get your hands on this mystery that you do so. A thoroughly enjoyable vintage mystery read.
R. T. Campbell is another author who wrote detective novels at the time of WWII. Ruthven Cambell Todd was a Scottish-born poet, scholar, art critc, and fantasy novelist who turned his hand to a series of detective novels under the pen name R. T. Campbell. Unfortunately, he soon abandoned mystery writing for other literary projects and was quickly forgotten as a mystery novelist. At the time Dover came out with the reprint of Bodies in a Bookshop, his detective novels were nearly impossible to find.
And what a treat this reprint is. I was ecstatic to find a copy when rummaging through one of the local used bookshops. Not unlike the protagonist of our story. Botanist Max Boyle visits a "curious little shop in a side-street off the Tottenham Court Road" in London and is himself ecstatic with the bookish treasures he finds there. But then he finds something much more disturbing...two bodies in a back room filled with gas fumes. Boyle seeks help from "The Bishop," Chief Inspector Reginald F. Bishop of Scotland Yard. Bishop winds up asking for assistance from Professor John Stubbs, another botanist and amateur criminologist. The play between the professor, the protesting Boyle, and skeptical, world-weary Bishop is entertaining in itself. But the friction between them propels the trio to find the puzzle's solution.
This is a very witty mystery populated with entertaining characters and brisk dialogue. It also contains some of my all-time favorite quotes about bookshops and books. This one in particular:
The trouble with bookshops is that they are as bad as pubs. You start with one and then you drift to another, and before you know where you are you are on a gigantic book-binge.
If that isn't the truth. At least for me. I highly recommend that if you can get your hands on this mystery that you do so. A thoroughly enjoyable vintage mystery read.
January 11, 2023
Good fun, Golden Age mystery. Professor John Stubbs, a Scotsman botany professor and amateur sleuth, is about the size and chugs beer like a loquacious, social Nero Wolfe, and he has a somewhat fraught relationship with Max, his assistant who narrates the story, though that's as far as that parallel goes.
In this novel, Max stumbles on, surprise, bodies in a bookshop, two men dying from a gas leak, and tries to save them. Once the police are called, it becomes clear there's been murder. One man is the shop owner, the other is his blackmailer. A host of suspects are uncovered, at least two without alibis, and the Professor, Max and the Chief Inspector -- an old chum of Stubbs -- set out to solve the mystery. Naturally, the Professor figures it out first.
I think the culprit is fairly easy to spot, though how the murder takes place is less apparent. What entertains is the eccentricity of the Professor and his relationship with both Max and the Chief Inspector, as well as the kind of light hearted jauntiness to the writing that one usually finds only in Golden Age mysteries.
On the whole, a pleasant way to while away an evening.
In this novel, Max stumbles on, surprise, bodies in a bookshop, two men dying from a gas leak, and tries to save them. Once the police are called, it becomes clear there's been murder. One man is the shop owner, the other is his blackmailer. A host of suspects are uncovered, at least two without alibis, and the Professor, Max and the Chief Inspector -- an old chum of Stubbs -- set out to solve the mystery. Naturally, the Professor figures it out first.
I think the culprit is fairly easy to spot, though how the murder takes place is less apparent. What entertains is the eccentricity of the Professor and his relationship with both Max and the Chief Inspector, as well as the kind of light hearted jauntiness to the writing that one usually finds only in Golden Age mysteries.
On the whole, a pleasant way to while away an evening.
June 26, 2018
In 1946 London, the Bodies in a Bookshop pile up while a would-be Sherlock Holmes tries to find the killer.
Allan Leslie is a bookseller. When he is found murdered in a locked room with another victim, thriller reader and amateur detective Professor Stubbs and his assistant Max Boyle are on the case. Mr. Leslie was into unsavory pursuits like porn and stolen property. Could his sidelines have been the motive for his death? Also, what was the connection between him and the other victim, Cecil Baird?
It is hard not to laugh at the frequent allusions to book buying being as addictive as alcoholism. The book was written in 1946 London and the atmosphere of relief from wartime fears is palpable. Everyone, even Chief Inspector Bishop, is constantly drinking. While the setting is evocative of an earlier time, the mystery itself was extremely easy to solve so only 3 stars from me.
Thanks to Dover Publications and NetGalley for a copy.
Allan Leslie is a bookseller. When he is found murdered in a locked room with another victim, thriller reader and amateur detective Professor Stubbs and his assistant Max Boyle are on the case. Mr. Leslie was into unsavory pursuits like porn and stolen property. Could his sidelines have been the motive for his death? Also, what was the connection between him and the other victim, Cecil Baird?
It is hard not to laugh at the frequent allusions to book buying being as addictive as alcoholism. The book was written in 1946 London and the atmosphere of relief from wartime fears is palpable. Everyone, even Chief Inspector Bishop, is constantly drinking. While the setting is evocative of an earlier time, the mystery itself was extremely easy to solve so only 3 stars from me.
Thanks to Dover Publications and NetGalley for a copy.
June 3, 2024
1 ⭐️ / Should of dnfed
I don’t know why I made myself finish this.
I don’t know why I made myself finish this.
May 8, 2024
Campbell's writing is original and stylish, many of his metaphors striking and fun. The plot and characters are fine, though very much of their time. However, the degree to which the privileged class is treated differently from the rest of us is particularly irritating. The murderer's motive is ludicrously weak.
February 6, 2017
This is my second book by R.T. Campbell (you can read my review of Unholy Dying here), and a gift from Joan @ Planet Joan! She's such a thoughtful person. After she read it she thought of me and mailed it right off. Thank you, Joan!
Once again the wonderful John Stubbs with all his eccentricities. The story is told by Max and he is very drool and serious compared to Stubbs flamboyant personality. As in the first book Stubbs car, a Bentley, is almost a character and his driving is outrageous. There is always little comments by Max when they jump in and take off to search out a clue...
"I'll drive ye down." he announced, "that'll blow the depression out o' yer head."
The Bishop shuddered, but apparently felt that he had nothing to live for anyhow and climbed in the Bentley. the journey passed without incident. We managed to negotiate Hyde Park Corner and finally found ourselves in the King's Road.
This mystery was extra special as it was set in a bookshop and a quite smart book theft ring was uncovered in the solving of the murders. Lots of talk about beautiful old copies of rare books...
I had never held a genuine Blake illuminated book in my hands before. It was certainly very beautiful. I could almost, for a moment, understand the temptation that would fall on a collector if the book was offered to him. It was such a beautiful piece of work that to have it in the house would be a continual pleasure.
A man after my own heart! Another grand romp and solid mystery.
Once again the wonderful John Stubbs with all his eccentricities. The story is told by Max and he is very drool and serious compared to Stubbs flamboyant personality. As in the first book Stubbs car, a Bentley, is almost a character and his driving is outrageous. There is always little comments by Max when they jump in and take off to search out a clue...
"I'll drive ye down." he announced, "that'll blow the depression out o' yer head."
The Bishop shuddered, but apparently felt that he had nothing to live for anyhow and climbed in the Bentley. the journey passed without incident. We managed to negotiate Hyde Park Corner and finally found ourselves in the King's Road.
This mystery was extra special as it was set in a bookshop and a quite smart book theft ring was uncovered in the solving of the murders. Lots of talk about beautiful old copies of rare books...
I had never held a genuine Blake illuminated book in my hands before. It was certainly very beautiful. I could almost, for a moment, understand the temptation that would fall on a collector if the book was offered to him. It was such a beautiful piece of work that to have it in the house would be a continual pleasure.
A man after my own heart! Another grand romp and solid mystery.
Read
December 4, 2025This is my favorite of the Prof. Stubbs mysteries. Max is one of the best "Watson" characters. Great characterization. Fun witty writing. Murder. What more do you want?
December 1, 2018
"At the time of the Second World War, Scottish-born poet, scholar, art critic and fantasy novelist Ruthven Campbell Todd (1914-1978) wrote a series of detective novels, using the pen name R. T. Campbell. Todd soon abandoned detective fiction for other literary projects and was quickly -- but unjustly -- forgotten as a mystery novelist. Today his detective novels are almost impossible to find.
"When a rare copy of Bodies in a Bookshop does turn up, it is a treat for all mystery lovers and those who love to rummage through musty old bookstores in search of the unexpected. Botanist Max Boyle visits 'a curious little shop in a side-street off the Tottenham Court Road' in London and is delighted with the bibliophilic treasures he finds. He also stumbles across something less pleasant: in a back room, an unlit gas ring emits its noxious fumes, and two corpses lie sprawled on the floor.
"Boyle call in 'The Bishop' -- Chief Inspector Reginald F. Bishop of Scotland Yard -- who in turn coaxes Professor John Stubbs, a rotund old Scottish botanist and amateur criminologist, to lend his assistance. The salty old professor, quaffing pint after pint of good British beer, his pipe emitting clouds of foul smoke; the protesting skeptical, world-weary Bishop soon delve beneath the tip of a sinister iceberg to discover skulduggery and dark deeds. Fueled as much by friction among themselves as by enthusiasm, the little crime-solving club threads a maze through London's book and print emporia, grappling with a puzzle that is likely to baffle even the most astute armchair detective.
"Bodies in a Bookshop is filled with amusing sallies of wit, quaint and pungent observations, droll characters and rambles among many a volume of forgotten lore. Crisp dialogue keep the plot moving at top speed. After forty years, Bodies in a Bookshop is as exuberantly readable as ever, a welcome and refreshing relief from so many of today's flat and colorless mystery puzzles."
~~back cover
This book wasn't much of a treat for me, and the only thing that moved at "top speed" was Stubbs driving his Bentley hell bent for leather, to the peril of passengers and pedestrians.
The plot was turgid, as was much of the writing. Actually, Max is John Stubbs nephew and they live together. The Bishop didn't call Stubbs in -- Stubbs insinuated himself in the middle of the muddle and completely ignored The Bishop's requests that he abstain from doing so. Stubbs is evidently the "droll character", since he races about pell mell interrogating the various other characters (none of whom I would classify as droll). A large percentage of the book was devoted to predictable interplay between Stubbs and Max, or Stubbs and The Bishop -- Stubbs always bellowing in unhappy Scots brogue that he was the one who would solve the case because he had a scientific mind (which was not very much in evidence) and that the other two could as well if only they would pay attention to the facts. 178 pages of not very entertaining mystery: reader beware.
"When a rare copy of Bodies in a Bookshop does turn up, it is a treat for all mystery lovers and those who love to rummage through musty old bookstores in search of the unexpected. Botanist Max Boyle visits 'a curious little shop in a side-street off the Tottenham Court Road' in London and is delighted with the bibliophilic treasures he finds. He also stumbles across something less pleasant: in a back room, an unlit gas ring emits its noxious fumes, and two corpses lie sprawled on the floor.
"Boyle call in 'The Bishop' -- Chief Inspector Reginald F. Bishop of Scotland Yard -- who in turn coaxes Professor John Stubbs, a rotund old Scottish botanist and amateur criminologist, to lend his assistance. The salty old professor, quaffing pint after pint of good British beer, his pipe emitting clouds of foul smoke; the protesting skeptical, world-weary Bishop soon delve beneath the tip of a sinister iceberg to discover skulduggery and dark deeds. Fueled as much by friction among themselves as by enthusiasm, the little crime-solving club threads a maze through London's book and print emporia, grappling with a puzzle that is likely to baffle even the most astute armchair detective.
"Bodies in a Bookshop is filled with amusing sallies of wit, quaint and pungent observations, droll characters and rambles among many a volume of forgotten lore. Crisp dialogue keep the plot moving at top speed. After forty years, Bodies in a Bookshop is as exuberantly readable as ever, a welcome and refreshing relief from so many of today's flat and colorless mystery puzzles."
~~back cover
This book wasn't much of a treat for me, and the only thing that moved at "top speed" was Stubbs driving his Bentley hell bent for leather, to the peril of passengers and pedestrians.
The plot was turgid, as was much of the writing. Actually, Max is John Stubbs nephew and they live together. The Bishop didn't call Stubbs in -- Stubbs insinuated himself in the middle of the muddle and completely ignored The Bishop's requests that he abstain from doing so. Stubbs is evidently the "droll character", since he races about pell mell interrogating the various other characters (none of whom I would classify as droll). A large percentage of the book was devoted to predictable interplay between Stubbs and Max, or Stubbs and The Bishop -- Stubbs always bellowing in unhappy Scots brogue that he was the one who would solve the case because he had a scientific mind (which was not very much in evidence) and that the other two could as well if only they would pay attention to the facts. 178 pages of not very entertaining mystery: reader beware.
August 1, 2019
This book is filled with bibliophile quotes. The writing is of a high quality; the author expects you to know some of the classics (don't worry if you don't know all the names, they aren't necessary to understand the story or figure out the mystery). The interaction between the detecting trio is amusing. Stubbs, a botanist, is the brilliant amateur detective who insists on involving himself in investigations to the chagrin of the Inspector. Boyle, of course, is the side-kick who never quite figures out the culprit himself but he is a good narrator.
In many ways, a standard mystery of the time period. The quality of the writing is superior to most. And there is some fun. Gone are the grim days of the war, and the relaxation of constant vigilance is felt by all. When else is there a better time to indulge in a detective novel or a visit to a used book store that leads you to another and another. Entertainment binges aren't a new thing. They have existed for decades before tv for those who love books, why not add this to it.
In many ways, a standard mystery of the time period. The quality of the writing is superior to most. And there is some fun. Gone are the grim days of the war, and the relaxation of constant vigilance is felt by all. When else is there a better time to indulge in a detective novel or a visit to a used book store that leads you to another and another. Entertainment binges aren't a new thing. They have existed for decades before tv for those who love books, why not add this to it.
September 29, 2021
I'm not much of a mystery buff but the cover blurb makes much of this one being much overlooked plus - bookshop. Unfortunately - meh.
First you have to overlook the fact that a botany professor is allowed to completely hijack a Scotland Yard murder investigation WITH their support - and of course shows everyone up by solving the case. I get it - Alan Bradley's Flavia requires suspension of disbelief since she's only 11-years-old and solves more murders in one year than most detectives in a lifetime but I'm more willing to believe that because NO ONE IS AIDING AND ABETTING HER TO DO IT! Anyway, the plot drips like molasses and includes so many "reminders" of where you are in a book that's only 178 pages and has less than 7 suspects. It's also not a terribly challenging crime to solve so it seems to take an extra long time for everyone else to get there.
I did like remembering what bookselling/buying was like pre-internet (the never-ending hunt, the long wait-lists for rare titles, the dusty corner shelf finds!) but it's not enough to justify this read.
First you have to overlook the fact that a botany professor is allowed to completely hijack a Scotland Yard murder investigation WITH their support - and of course shows everyone up by solving the case. I get it - Alan Bradley's Flavia requires suspension of disbelief since she's only 11-years-old and solves more murders in one year than most detectives in a lifetime but I'm more willing to believe that because NO ONE IS AIDING AND ABETTING HER TO DO IT! Anyway, the plot drips like molasses and includes so many "reminders" of where you are in a book that's only 178 pages and has less than 7 suspects. It's also not a terribly challenging crime to solve so it seems to take an extra long time for everyone else to get there.
I did like remembering what bookselling/buying was like pre-internet (the never-ending hunt, the long wait-lists for rare titles, the dusty corner shelf finds!) but it's not enough to justify this read.
November 24, 2020
Feels 100% like a sequel or part of a series, but nothing I found here seem to say that it is.
Decent enough story, and a quick read. And thankfully - and I hope this isn’t too spoiler-y for ya - not one of those bullshit-the-character-we-met-for-half-a-page-in-chapter-two-was-the-murderer type endings, and there’s no way we could have known it ahead of time. This was more like a Nero Wolfe story (and not just for the botanist piece and similarity in the characters) than an Agatha Christie, thank goodness.
But this did also feel like it had never been edited. Not typos, but there were a lot of paragraphs that felt jumbled. Like they’d been shuffled after writing but one of the old sentences got stuck on the end instead of moving to the beginning of the paragraph where the other ones discussing that topic were. I had to re-read a few pages before figuring out that’s what was going on.
Decent enough story, and a quick read. And thankfully - and I hope this isn’t too spoiler-y for ya - not one of those bullshit-the-character-we-met-for-half-a-page-in-chapter-two-was-the-murderer type endings, and there’s no way we could have known it ahead of time. This was more like a Nero Wolfe story (and not just for the botanist piece and similarity in the characters) than an Agatha Christie, thank goodness.
But this did also feel like it had never been edited. Not typos, but there were a lot of paragraphs that felt jumbled. Like they’d been shuffled after writing but one of the old sentences got stuck on the end instead of moving to the beginning of the paragraph where the other ones discussing that topic were. I had to re-read a few pages before figuring out that’s what was going on.
July 21, 2018
I received a copy of this book, free, through Goodread Giveaways.
How is it that I’ve never discovered these Professor John Stubbs mysteries before? Written under a pseudonym by prolific poet Ruthven Campbell Todd this is an interesting and funny and engaging classic detective story, taking place in 1940s London.
The mystery is presented through the eyes of Max Boyle, “abnormally tall and thin and ... a face that looks as though there had been some prenatal influence from one of the less handsome gargoyles on Notre Dame.” (p 30) He works for and lives in the house of John Stubbs, a botanist, who “enjoyed taking things to pieces. On the whole... he is rather better at taking them to pieces than ... at putting them together again.” (p 75)
First published in 1946. Great characters, clever mystery, lots of fun. I’m glad to have read it, and look to reading more of these.
How is it that I’ve never discovered these Professor John Stubbs mysteries before? Written under a pseudonym by prolific poet Ruthven Campbell Todd this is an interesting and funny and engaging classic detective story, taking place in 1940s London.
The mystery is presented through the eyes of Max Boyle, “abnormally tall and thin and ... a face that looks as though there had been some prenatal influence from one of the less handsome gargoyles on Notre Dame.” (p 30) He works for and lives in the house of John Stubbs, a botanist, who “enjoyed taking things to pieces. On the whole... he is rather better at taking them to pieces than ... at putting them together again.” (p 75)
First published in 1946. Great characters, clever mystery, lots of fun. I’m glad to have read it, and look to reading more of these.
August 31, 2021
Enjoyable read, the first chapter is so lovely! The mystery is somewhat locked room, but what is more interesting is to figure out the who and how. I had a fairly decent idea of who but didn't know the how.. Also, this mystery involves booksellers!
As to the writing, you have a Homes and Watson pair here, and an Inspector who is a smart man. The Professor is large (Nero Wolfe) a botanist, and in need of large amounts of beer, and drives like a maniac. The Watson is the professor's assistant who (like Archie) respects the professor but also finds his foibles a bit much. Even with these comparisons the characters are unique to themselves and while I see the shadows of other mystery characters- these two are fun in their own right.
You see all the information, this is fair play, can you figure out who did it?
As to the writing, you have a Homes and Watson pair here, and an Inspector who is a smart man. The Professor is large (Nero Wolfe) a botanist, and in need of large amounts of beer, and drives like a maniac. The Watson is the professor's assistant who (like Archie) respects the professor but also finds his foibles a bit much. Even with these comparisons the characters are unique to themselves and while I see the shadows of other mystery characters- these two are fun in their own right.
You see all the information, this is fair play, can you figure out who did it?
March 30, 2020
Another Golden Age of Mystery writers. I loved this book. If my followers on GR liked Booked to Die by John Dunning (and others), like novels with literary allusions and a sense of dry humor in them, they will enjoy this. Campbell is a pseudonym for Ruthven Campbell Todd, who was himself a scholar of William Blake and involved in several areas of the arts world.
One of my favorite quotes:
The trouble with bookshops is that they are as bad as pubs. You start with one and then you drift
to another, and before you know where you are you are on a gigantic book-binge.
Highly recommend. This is the second in the series with Professor John Stubb, a botanist. Am only reading the first one after the second, and it is a little dryer.
One of my favorite quotes:
The trouble with bookshops is that they are as bad as pubs. You start with one and then you drift
to another, and before you know where you are you are on a gigantic book-binge.
Highly recommend. This is the second in the series with Professor John Stubb, a botanist. Am only reading the first one after the second, and it is a little dryer.
June 27, 2023
It's all about the booksellers' world: rare works, first editions, signed editions; but there is a dark side too involving pornography and blackmail.
*Bodies in a Bookshop* is an entertaining mystery full of wit and loathsome suspects. The author is a man of letters and his deft allusions to history and literature make for a rich reading experience with some big laughs. At times he satirizes the detective genre and the writer's craft. One creepy suspect is straight out of Charles Dickens. His copycat Uriah Heep character kept me smiling.
I much respected the concluding chapter where our botanist/amateur criminologist explains inside and out how he got on the scent of the murderer and was able to put all the pieces together.
A+
*Bodies in a Bookshop* is an entertaining mystery full of wit and loathsome suspects. The author is a man of letters and his deft allusions to history and literature make for a rich reading experience with some big laughs. At times he satirizes the detective genre and the writer's craft. One creepy suspect is straight out of Charles Dickens. His copycat Uriah Heep character kept me smiling.
I much respected the concluding chapter where our botanist/amateur criminologist explains inside and out how he got on the scent of the murderer and was able to put all the pieces together.
A+
August 21, 2018
This is a delightful, fun romp that follows an unusual trio of crime busters. Max Boyle is proper, studious, and a dedicated bibliophile. His landlord and occasional employer, Professor John Stubbs, is a rotund man who loves his pipe, beer, and amateur sleuthing. Rounding out the trio is Chief Inspector Reginald Bishop of Scotland Yard. The adventures start when Boyle visits one of his favorite bookstores and finds two bodies in a back room.
Thus begins an engaging tale of rare books, illicit "art" drawings, blackmail, and more deaths.
This book was published in 1946 and reflects the London of that era.
Thus begins an engaging tale of rare books, illicit "art" drawings, blackmail, and more deaths.
This book was published in 1946 and reflects the London of that era.
June 2, 2022
An old fashioned, but ultimately ponderous, whodunit. The professor certainly seemed like a caricature of Carr's Dr. Fell and Henry Merrivale. I found the dialogue tedious and long descriptions of driving and inconsequential habits boring. The use of the spelling for the word "show" as "shew" brought me out of the tale each time it was used (which I guess I should be grateful for.) And comparing the police inspector to a Persian cat worked the first time, but by the third time, not so much. There was some little information about books and book collecting, but not enough to make it a fun read. It's main virtue is that it's relatively short.
January 14, 2019
Max Boyle just wants to find a book to read on his short break from acting as botany professor John Stubbs' assistant. Instead, he finds two dead bodies in the bookshop, killed, it would appear, by a faulty gas ring. Naturally Stubbs has to investigate, with the help of his Scotland Yard friend Superintendent Bishop, which means Boyle's holiday is postponed while he helps Stubbs act the great detective. Witty and academic, this book follows Bishop to the logical suspect, and Stubbs to the real perpetrator.
May 25, 2023
[Dover Publications, Inc.] (1984). SB. 178 Pages. Purchased from Richard Dalby’s Library.
An affordable reprint of the scarce, April 1946 First.
One of eight crime novels which were pseudonymously rattled out by Ruthven Todd between 1945 and 1946.
Implausible in various respects.
Quirkily written and entertaining, with nice comic touches.
Set in London’s rare book world.
I found Mr. Ellis Read to be most amusing; a Dickensian quality sketch. “Why, bless you sir… That’s my business…”
An affordable reprint of the scarce, April 1946 First.
One of eight crime novels which were pseudonymously rattled out by Ruthven Todd between 1945 and 1946.
Implausible in various respects.
Quirkily written and entertaining, with nice comic touches.
Set in London’s rare book world.
I found Mr. Ellis Read to be most amusing; a Dickensian quality sketch. “Why, bless you sir… That’s my business…”
June 22, 2019
If you enjoy poking around in musty used book stores and yearn for the days when people communicated by letter and telegram, this book is for you. I also like The antiquated use of “shewed” for “showed” as well as references to the Koh-i-noor diamond and other obscure facets (pun intended!) of British life. It is also a tip-top who-done-it to boot!
Read
July 18, 2020This book started off pretty good for me, but dried out. When it got to the the end where the murderer was identified, I realized that I didn't absorb the book when I was reading it. What clues did I miss earlier in the book?
I don't think I'm used to the writing style, which is why I only gave it 3 stars.
I don't think I'm used to the writing style, which is why I only gave it 3 stars.
July 17, 2018
Written in 1946, I found this book to be a good mystery but needed to remember when it was written. I enjoyed reading a hard-boiled mystery for a change. I received a copy from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
January 25, 2022
I enjoyed this old style murder mystery though it wasn't hard to guess the perpetrator. As it is a well travelled book, I'll take it to a meeting of like minded folk to see if I can get it safely on its way to another destination.
May 20, 2017
Dated & with fairly odd language. Characters are well drawn & mystery is pretty good, though I did figure it out.
June 23, 2018
Pleasant and enjoyable way to pass a few hours.
August 3, 2020
Good story, I could not put this down, It was written in the 40's i believe and they re pubished it. I am a huge book lover reader of books taking place in bookstores and this was a great murder.
Read
June 28, 2023Funny, but easy to guess. Bought in Northampton and donated to library
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