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The Grey Mist Murders
Who or what is the mysterious figure that emerges from the grey mist to strike down passengers on the final leg of a round-the-world voyage? Originally published in 1938.
- GenresMystery
153 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1938
41 people want to read
About the author
Constance Little
27 books9 followersJessie Constance Little (1899-1980) co-authored with her sister Gwenyth Little mysteries in the screwball-comedy fashion. The Little sisters are referred to as "queens of the wacky cozy." They were sometimes published as Conyth Little, a portmanteau of their names.
Their youngest sister Iris wrote under the pseudonym Robert James.
Constance Little married Lawrence Baker, a men's clothing designer for the Dubois Uniform Company in New York City.
Their youngest sister Iris wrote under the pseudonym Robert James.
Constance Little married Lawrence Baker, a men's clothing designer for the Dubois Uniform Company in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 19, 2021
TEDIOUS
This is the first of the Little sisters’ mysteries - published in 1938. And to be perfectly honest if I had not been told/ read elsewhere that the following books are better I’m not sure I would continue on with these two co-authors. But one does catch glimpses of - hopefully - what’s to come and I already have their next book - a Christmas mystery - so I will be reading at least one more.
Our heroine/narrator - Carla Bray - is on a Pacific cruise ship en route to San Francisco. Her fellow travelers include the usual cast of characters with a nosey matron, a family of four, a teacher and several eligible bachelors - for what’s sea travel without romance - among others. The hi-jinx begin with the murder of another young female passenger and Carla finds herself right in the middle of the “investigation”.
Being set in the late 1930s there are plenty of cocktails, cigarettes and some ballroom dancing. And being the 1930s women are delicate creatures - at least according to the authors. Poor Carly - again our narrating heroine - when not in hysterics, is either crying, paralyzed - or conversely - shivering with fear, suffering from headaches, trying to run and/or scream and then fainting - only to be continually rescued by one of the eligible bachelors mentioned above.
When Carly does have her wits about her she provides us with snarky descriptions of - and treats her fellow passengers in such a manner - that would make any thirteen year old proud. (Similarly “romance” as depicted here is straight out of junior high - whoops I’m dating myself - middle school.)
Case in adolescent point - “I went up to the boat deck and sat myself down in a prominent spot. I felt sure that someone would be along presently and at least I would be the center of attention for a while.”.
And that’s the major problem I had with this book - Carly is a very difficult character to spend much time with and the reader - since she is our first person narrator - unfortunately is stuck with her from start to finish. The above line in and of itself is actually funny and provides the reader with some valuable insight into Carly, but it’s overkill by the time we read it eighty seven pages into the story.
And last but least - the mystery solution and the culprit. No spoilers but simply put - preposterous.
This is the first of the Little sisters’ mysteries - published in 1938. And to be perfectly honest if I had not been told/ read elsewhere that the following books are better I’m not sure I would continue on with these two co-authors. But one does catch glimpses of - hopefully - what’s to come and I already have their next book - a Christmas mystery - so I will be reading at least one more.
Our heroine/narrator - Carla Bray - is on a Pacific cruise ship en route to San Francisco. Her fellow travelers include the usual cast of characters with a nosey matron, a family of four, a teacher and several eligible bachelors - for what’s sea travel without romance - among others. The hi-jinx begin with the murder of another young female passenger and Carla finds herself right in the middle of the “investigation”.
Being set in the late 1930s there are plenty of cocktails, cigarettes and some ballroom dancing. And being the 1930s women are delicate creatures - at least according to the authors. Poor Carly - again our narrating heroine - when not in hysterics, is either crying, paralyzed - or conversely - shivering with fear, suffering from headaches, trying to run and/or scream and then fainting - only to be continually rescued by one of the eligible bachelors mentioned above.
When Carly does have her wits about her she provides us with snarky descriptions of - and treats her fellow passengers in such a manner - that would make any thirteen year old proud. (Similarly “romance” as depicted here is straight out of junior high - whoops I’m dating myself - middle school.)
Case in adolescent point - “I went up to the boat deck and sat myself down in a prominent spot. I felt sure that someone would be along presently and at least I would be the center of attention for a while.”.
And that’s the major problem I had with this book - Carly is a very difficult character to spend much time with and the reader - since she is our first person narrator - unfortunately is stuck with her from start to finish. The above line in and of itself is actually funny and provides the reader with some valuable insight into Carly, but it’s overkill by the time we read it eighty seven pages into the story.
And last but least - the mystery solution and the culprit. No spoilers but simply put - preposterous.
January 12, 2019
What a fun and really fast read. Thank you Rue Morgue Press for reprinting this. A young woman embarks on a cruise, in high style and ends up finding a dead body! While she becomes a suspect, anyone with a lick of sense would see she is not the murderer... but who then. There seem to only be 14 people and of those about 10 could be suspects or future victims. Luckily a dashing man comes on board and helps with the detecting.
The authors had a great time with characters and dialogue and tend to pick interesting locations- and of course have a sense of humor that comes through! Lots of events in these stories so they are page-turners.
The authors had a great time with characters and dialogue and tend to pick interesting locations- and of course have a sense of humor that comes through! Lots of events in these stories so they are page-turners.
March 12, 2018
Very enjoyable. This was described as wacky (or, at least, as one in a series of wacky novels), but that's not remotely the correct word--the humor was that smart, dry, Jane Austen-ish kind of humor, and I don't think anyone would call her wacky, not in the slightest. Fortunately I was hoping for a good book, not a wacky book, so this delighted.
Yes, the leading lady screams and faints more often than we would nowadays--but she's aware of it, comments upon it, and it's a bit of a joke, so that's fine. For 1938 the sex implications are described fairly maturely. All the supporting characters are interesting and well-drawn, and on the whole it's the sort of book that literary snobs would actually find well-written (oftentimes I think mystery lovers, myself included, will forgive a lot in terms of writing if the actual mystery elements grab our attention).
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
Yes, the leading lady screams and faints more often than we would nowadays--but she's aware of it, comments upon it, and it's a bit of a joke, so that's fine. For 1938 the sex implications are described fairly maturely. All the supporting characters are interesting and well-drawn, and on the whole it's the sort of book that literary snobs would actually find well-written (oftentimes I think mystery lovers, myself included, will forgive a lot in terms of writing if the actual mystery elements grab our attention).
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
January 1, 2021
The Grey Mist Murders takes place on a cruise ship, and is told in first person by sassy, quick-witted Carla. Two young women are strangled, and one more (the narrator) nearly murdered as well.
This is the first mystery written by the Little sisters, and it lacks the sparkle of their later works. As with all their mysteries, this one is a light mystery with humor and a bit of romance, but in other parts it is dry, and there were times when it was a chore to read. The plot was interesting, but the conclusion not fully believable, and the amount of evidence the hero was able to piece together was far fetched as well.
This is not a good example of the talent of the Little sisters. If I had read it first, I would probably not have tried another one. I suggest that this one be skipped by all but the most dedicated of the Little fans, and then read it as an experience to see how much they grew over their career.
(I recommend the Black-Headed Pins, the Black Honeymoon or the Black Coat for first time Little readers.)
This is the first mystery written by the Little sisters, and it lacks the sparkle of their later works. As with all their mysteries, this one is a light mystery with humor and a bit of romance, but in other parts it is dry, and there were times when it was a chore to read. The plot was interesting, but the conclusion not fully believable, and the amount of evidence the hero was able to piece together was far fetched as well.
This is not a good example of the talent of the Little sisters. If I had read it first, I would probably not have tried another one. I suggest that this one be skipped by all but the most dedicated of the Little fans, and then read it as an experience to see how much they grew over their career.
(I recommend the Black-Headed Pins, the Black Honeymoon or the Black Coat for first time Little readers.)
January 22, 2019
The Little sisters first murder mystery, it doesn't quite have the shine and substance of their later efforts, but it was still an enjoyable, if a bit implausible, mystery. The heroine, Carla Bray, was a bit difficult to like, as she seemed extremely judgmental of others, and rather arrogant and self-centered. As with all the Little mysteries, there is romance and humor in the story, as well as an eccentric collection of fellow passengers on the cruise ship where the entire story is placed. All of the characters seemed type-cast so that the authors didn't need to spend a great deal of time fleshing them out. The 'grey mist' in the title was just silly, and the murderer improbable. Good thing I have read many other Little books, so I know they get better!
February 25, 2019
The Grey Mist Murders could be called a book noir. It has all the basic elements of a 1940's mystery...intrigue, suspense, several potential villains, and of course a bit of romance. I enjoy re-reading this light book every few years as a summer read.
December 9, 2024
The first Little sister’s book. Set on a cruise ship. Murders, ghosts? and romance. A fun solid mystery.
September 14, 2011
On her last leg of a round-the-world cruise, from Tahiti to San Francisco, narrator Carla Bray finds a body in the neighboring stateroom. The small complement of first class passengers are terrified, except for handsome Robert Arnold, who bordered in Tahiti, and who seems interested in all the women on board. Carla is attracted, especially since Robert seems willing to protect her from the strange grey apparition that is soon haunting the ship. Not only is Carla apparently the murderer's target, but the ship's purser, who is investigation, also regards her as most likely to have committed the crime.
September 18, 2016
This was the first of 21 books the Little sisters wrote in the mystery line. It was a "comic" mystery published in 1938, but I did not find it to be funny. I felt as trapped as the passengers on the ship taking them to San Francisco whilst numerous women were getting knocked off in a very improbable manner. The heroine was prone to screams, moans, teeth chattering, immobilization and other maladies while trapped on a boat with someone trying to kill her. I do have higher expectations due to reviews and will proceed to read another one or two to find a more successful book/plot.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews