Evidence of Things Seen (Henry Gamadge Book 6)

Henry Gamadge #6

by Elizabeth Daly

In the sticky summer of 1943, a secluded cottage in the Berkshires sounds just the ticket to the newly married Clara Gamadge. The resident ghost, a slender woman in a sunbonnet who died just one year ago in the cottage Clara is now renting, merely adds to the local color. It’s all nothing more than a spooky game, until the woman’s sister is strangled while Clara sits in a chair by her bed. The only clue: Clara’s panicked memory of a woman in a sunbonnet standing at the door. Happily, Henry Gamadge arrives in time to calm his wife and solve the mystery (though not without some stellar help from Clara!).

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Cozy, Golden Age Mystery, American, Mystery Thriller

218 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1943

About the author

Elizabeth Daly (1878-1967) was born in New York City and educated at Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania and Columbia University. She was a reader in English at Bryn Mawr and tutored in English and French. She was awarded an Edgar in 1960. Her series character is Henry Gamadge, an antiquarian book dealer.

Daly works in the footsteps of Jane Austen, offering an extraordinarily clear picture of society in her time through the interactions of a few characters. In that tradition, if you knew a person's family history, general type, and a few personal quirks, you could be said to know everything worth knowing about that person. Today the emphasis is on baring the darkest depths of psycho- and socio-pathology; contemporary readers raised on this style may find Ms. Daly both elitist and somewhat facile. But fans of classic movies and whodunits know that a focus on polished surfaces brings with it the possibility of hidden secrets and things unsaid; for those who disdain the obvious confessional style of today, the Gamadge books have much to recommend them.

Elizabeth Daly now seems sadly forgotten by many which a shame as all her books are superbly crafted and plotted, indeed she counted none other than Agatha Christie as one of her fans. She published sixteen books all of which featured her main series character Henry Gamadge. He is a bibliophile and expert on rare books and manuscripts which makes her books particularly appealing to fans of the bibliomystery. There was some disparity between UK and US releases some being published out of sequence, the bibliography shown follows the US editions which are the true firsts. Murder Listens In and Shroud for a Lady are re-titled reissues of earlier books.

Reviews

[Yibbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, that was good.
Join newly married Clara and Henry Gamage on their summer holiday. They have found a delightful cottage near friends and set in the back woods of Connecticut. But Henry’s arrival in this pastoral setting is marred. Sinister forces have conspired to cast Clara as either a homicidal lunatic or a cold-blooded killer. He might even have to catch a ghost to prove Clara sane before it’s all over.
Elizabeth Daly played her characters so well, laid her clues so artfully, and misdirected me so completely that I was wrong until the villain admitted guilt. I must admit that I liked precisely who she wanted me to and despised exactly who she wanted me to at all times. She uses rumor so skillfully that even when a character’s actions have been nothing more than admirable, I still despised or suspected them. She is really very good. I do believe I have found a new favorite mystery author.
On another note, because of when it was written, you get interesting glimpses of life under rationing, government secrets, and shortages. They are presented mater of factually, necessarily, or even a little glamorously. She isn’t pushing any particular political or patriotic message, but it naturally comes across in her presentation of the times.
There was one curse word. Otherwise, it was a clean book.

[Deb Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second reading of Evidence of Things Seen, the sixth book in the Henry Gamadge series, was every bit as enjoyable as my first read. Ms. Daly was a good storyteller, creating interesting and diverse characters. Mystery plotting is superb.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evidence of Things Seen is the fifth in the Henry Gamadge mystery series by Elizabeth Daly. It is set in 1942 and Henry is off doing unspecified war work. (In various books it is mentioned that he worked in the US and in Europe for Counter-Intelligence. Whenever he is asked what he did, he says he flew around.) His wife Clara and their maid Maggie have gone to an isolated cottage in the Berkshires for a little vacation and to make the place welcome for Henry's return. Another couple is scheduled to join them--but there is a delay due to sickness. The place is rather remote and just a little bit creepy--and it doesn't help that Maggie and Clara keep seeing a mysterious woman in a purple dress and a sunbonnet that obscures her face. She always appears at sunset and following her appearance they find the formerly latched attic door open.

The clothes belonged to Eva Hickson who had died the year before of "gastric trouble." It is rumored that her sister Alvira may have murdered her for her money. And it does seem strange that Alvira, now the landlady to the cottage and owner of a small farmstead, refuses to set foot in the cottage despite Clara's warm invitations. When Alvira's horse shies and overturns her cart directly in front of the cottage, breaking her ankle in the process, she is brought fainting into the very room where her sister died. Clara and another local couple promise to sit up with her--so she won't have to be alone in the "death room"--but even their presence can't prevent another tragedy when the lady in purple appears once more.

For Alvira is strangled right before Clara's eyes and the local police are forced to believe that 1) Clara is hysterical/crazy and making up ghost stories, 2) Clara fainted even though she swears she didn't and anything might have happened, or 3) Clara killed Alvira herself. Henry shows up just in time to lay the ghost to rest and to prove that there is a flesh-and-blood killer....who isn't Clara.


I've always loved these mysteries with the quiet, unassuming, genteel Henry Gamadge. They are charming slices of life during another period and Daly writes a pretty mean murder plot. She offers up one twist after another....and even though the plot device is one I've encountered before, she still managed to pull the wool over my eyes. I settled on first one suspect and then finally another--and still managed to be wrong. I do appreciate it when the author can fool me. One small point that keeps this one at three and a half stars (although I'll round up on Goodreads) is that periodically I felt out of step in the conversations. It was like I was only hearing one half of what was said or that there were all kinds of unspoken, "between the lines" things going on that I wasn't quite getting. I don't think it affected the mystery plot necessarily--it just made me feel a little off. Otherwise, a highly enjoyable outing with the Gamadges.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[Tina Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I recently subscribed to this monthly books and tea subscription box and each month I receive a random Penguin classic. This is the first one that I received. I joined the group because all the pictures on the site were of books that I'd actually heard of. But so far the two I've received are totally random things I didn't know existed. But this book turned out to be a great little gem.

The premise of this short little mystery sounded absolutely amazing. And today it's been pouring and I didn't have anything to do. So what better way to spend the day than curled up with a great little mystery. And this one definitely didn't disappoint. It was a well written story with a really fantastic mystery. It was set up like a ghost story which is honestly what initially drew me in. I'm always here for ghost stories. But ghost stories that are actually murders committed by real people is even better.

I also didn't know that this is actually part of a series? Or, well, "series" as mystery writers do. I didn't know there were other Henry Gamadge mysteries. And now that I do, I'm definitely going to see if I can dig up some of the others. Because I really, really love Henry. He turns up halfway through this book to find his new wife tied up in a homicide-- and as the main "suspect" to boot-- and sorts the whole thing out. I didn't even realize he was a detective? This story focused so little on Henry's background that I thought the whole thing was an isolated incident.

But I am so fantastically glad that this is a series and there are more mysteries to be had. Because I dearly want to spend more time in this world. This was a fun little book to read curled up next to the window, watching it rain. It was a Saturday well spent.

So this book ended up being a great find. I'm really happy with my first month in this books and tea club. I can't wait to read next month's book and see what little gem it might turn out to be. All in all, I'm very happy with the life decisions I have made here and you can't go wrong with books and tea. (Yes, I was even drinking the tea while reading this book. It was great.)

If you're looking for a good mystery, I definitely recommend this one. I wouldn't have found it on my own but I'm very, very glad to have read it.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second Elizabath Daly mystery, and quite good. Henry Gamadge, the detective, is annoyingly free of faults, but sidesteps being an arrogant know-it-all with his convincing love and concern for friends and family. His desperate quest to solve a murder his wife might be convicted of gives the story an emotional hub most mysteries lack.

The mystery is an appealing "impossible" crime that the reader has a very fair opportunity to solve (also unlike most mysteries).

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Click on the link to read my full review:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early Bird Book Deal | Note that there is confusion in the ordering of the series. This is book 6, it takes place July 1942, while Nothing Can Rescue Me, book 5, takes place in February 1942. The books are labeled correctly on their covers, but not in the digital listings. |More Columbo-style than whodunit, but enjoyable read | Just like Henry, I knew who the killer was immediately after the murder was committed, because there's a bit of misdirection that other writers of the time used occasionally. From there to the end it was just waiting to see the proof and the motive, and honestly the further into the series I go, the more it annoys me when the killer's motive is brand-new information provided at the post-climax wrap-up. I'm not sure if it's more or less irritating that she tends to make the killer so obvious so early, so you spend most of the book knowing who but not why.

[Adam Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Elizabeth Daly book and I loved it! Did she see a ghost or was it someone in disguise? What happened to the murdered woman’s money?

A really compelling little tale of possibly ghostly goings on, murder and a detective in a rush to prove his wife’s innocence. A good plot and strong characters- Detective Gamidge arrived late and was a bit faultless, but necessary to draw the plot together.

I’ll definitely be reading more of Daly’s work!

[Red Risa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clara's in trouble

Ghosts, missing money, a strange death and more! BTW..if you see highlights, the letter alluded to is Paul's letter to the Romans.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clara Gamadge is delighted when friends find her a country cottage where her busy husband Henry can retreat from War work. But when Gamadge returns from his latest overseas assignment, he is disturbed to find a telegram from Clara telling him not to be alarmed when he reads the papers. A murder has occurred in their cherished retreat, and Clara is likely to be the prime suspect--unless Gamadge can quickly discover the true author of the crime. To complicate matters, it has been made to appear that the murderer might be the victim's sister… except for her being long dead.
Elizabeth Daly introduces her usual compact array of suspects, and lets readers try to decipher the direction of Gamadge's mind as he traces the threads of the crime to their source. There are heirs desperate for an inheritance; the Hunters, friends who were also on the premises the night of the crime; and Gil Craye, the scion of a local family who is hosting an odd array of war refugees. As usual, Gamadge plays his cards very close to the vest. The fun is in the final unveiling.
I'm enjoying Daly's old-style murder mysteries layered with modern psychology. And Gamadge is an enjoyable protagonist, although I do wish we were invited into his head a bit more. He remains a cipher compared to the characters around him.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another satisfying adventure in the lives of Henry & Clara Gamadge. This time gothic, with an apparition that mysteriously appears and disappears, and closer and closer each time! The story starts with Clara and her maid alone in an isolated rental cabin in the countryside, with Henry called away indefinitely due to the war, and other guests not scheduled to arrive for a couple weeks. Although Clara holds onto the grounding in the empirical that her years with Henry have given her, her convictions are tested as sightings and incidents escalate until Clara witnesses a murder committed by the ghost. Henry has to eventually arrive, because these are his mysteries, and when he does he gets right down to figuring out what's actually going on.

When you're reading a novel from the 1940s, you should expect depictions of class, race, and gender relations that do not sit well with modern sensibilities. Those expectations are certainly met in this book, where the servants are superstitions, the poor have terrible taste, and "Eli the Indian" is mysterious and perhaps suspicious. But imagine yourself a wealthy upper-class resident of New York 80 years ago, and this goes down as smooth as a glass of fine wine. Delightful!

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sixth in this series, a good story. Clara Gamadge and husband Henry have rented a cottage in the Berkshires in Connecticut - which humorously, by today’s lights, is depicted as the rural back of beyond, which it may well have been in in the early 1940’s - but Henry’s wartime duties are in Washington DC, so Clara and the maid Maggie go on ahead. No sooner are they there than both of them report seeing a ghost, the same one, repeatedly. Additional odd occurences make the secluded location less than comfortable and Henry is quickly on his way to investigate; before he gets there, murder is done and Clara is a suspect!
While the plot is complex, it’s readily followed and the story carries us along quickly. As a bonus, the twist at the peak of the denouement is quite a surprise (at least to me), and we are left wishing there were more story to go. Happily, Elizabeth Daly wrote any number of these and I shall endeavor to find more of them!

[Chazzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry and Clara Gamadge have taken a cottage in the country area of the Berkshires for summer. Henry spends a good part of his time in the city on war work, so Clara is on her own.

A woman wearing an old sunbonnet starts appearing on the property. Rumour is she is Eve Hickson, who died just a year ago. Eva is the sister of Alvira, and further rumours are that Alvira may have poisoned her. When Alvira is injured in an accident in front of the cottage, and has to spend the night, she is killed and the suspect killer is the figure in the sunbonnet. How can a ghost be the killer? If it isn’t the ghost, then who is it and what is the reason?

Gamadge manages time off to spend time at the cottage investigating. There is a good number of possible suspects to sift through. One by one, Gamadge weeds them out.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry Gamadge is an enigmatic character, not unlike Hercule Poirot. He has an uncanny intelligence, and has assisted the police in his capacity as a printing and handwriting expert, but he frequently works on cases brought to him by friends and acquaintances, and his reputation always seems to convince even police from venues outside of New York City that he can be trusted. His upbringing seems to have been the elite, moneyed kind that smacks of the British upper crust, with frequent references to a person's "type," often when talking about someone of the "lower classes."

[Molly Fiddler · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/ 5 stars

Πληροφορίες για την έκδοση: ΒΙΠΕΡ, 1973
Ελληνικός τίτλος: Κίνητρο για φόνο, μετάφραση Κύρας Σίνου
Fun fact: Στο οπισθόφυλλο γράφει "200 σελίδες - 150 δραχμές".

Η ιστορία είχε φόνο(υς), κουτσομπολιά, κληρονομιές, ένα φάντασμα που δεν ήταν, και ένα αγροτόσπιτο με την πιο παράξενη διαρρύθμιση. Επίσης, έναν σερίφη κι έναν εισαγγελέα, που δεν κατάφερα να καταλάβω ποιος είναι ποιος. Ήταν ότι έπρεπε για απόγευμα με καφέ.

[Virginia B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Connecticut countryside in the 1940’s, rich summer visitors from the city. Elizebeth Daly takes good advantage of the contrast back then between natives and visitors and makes this a creepyish mystery with lots of red herrings which Henry Gamage, back from some war-related mission figures out right away, but unravels it so that every detail becomes quite clear in the end. He’s driven to it by his love for his wife. A very good story.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been introduced many years ago to Henry Gamadge by my aunt, who liked
Nero Wolfe and Agatha Christie, I hunted up a couple more Elizabeth Dalys recently and enjoyed them as period pieces: very white-shoe murder mysteries. I've never seen The Thin Man movies, but gather these would fit right in. This one I'd say merits 3.5 stars but that rounds to a four. I liked better the earlier one in which Henry meets his future wife.

[Steven desJardins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ended up reading this one out of order by accident, and it ended up being more satisfying than the following two. The mystery of the apparition (specifically, why such an elaborate ruse) is unconvincing, but the murderer's motives are plausible and the rest of the scheme makes sense. Plus, this book deals with regular working-class people as much as the very rich, which makes the world feel more real and important than most of the Gamadge books.

[MaryJo Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cleverly done! I figured out the murder was committed before it was revealed, or at least was highly suspicious. But it took awhile, due to the smoke screens.

Henry Gamadge's lovely young wife is set up to take the fall unless she decides to lie. She doesn't.

This was a very good read for mystery lovers of days gone by, in one of the few good old fashioned mystery series with a back drop here in the United States rather than Britain.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
This entry in the Henry Gamadge series was interesting in that his wife Clara was the main character for the first section while Henry is away doing some secret war work. Despite the fact that I figured out the murderer fairly quickly, I couldn't figure out the motive and Daly did a good job of making me doubt my conclusion with several red herrings.

[Heatherinblack · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was obvious when he said it

I saw it a split second before he said it. The set-up did seem odd, but I had no idea what it would really be. Vague enough? Wasn’t thrilled by Clara being “the little lady”. He actually patted her on the head once. “I am fine with you here” was just said too many times. Of course, those were the times.

[H is for Hydraulics · Rating 2 out of 5]

Motive hard to parse, too many characters we only get to know in passing, the real creepiness of what's happening loses steam quickly and is not really played up (unlike Arrow Pointing Nowhere), Gamadge never even touches a book :( let the man be a book expert!

[Cindy Ladensack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this one was really good—creepy and mysterious, with nice pacing and interesting characters. I still think the descriptions of places are one of Daly’s weaknesses—I just couldn’t picture the house and its surroundings; I needed a drawing or floor plans and also a map.

[John R. Goyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite Gamadge books so far. Characters good as usual and an excellent mystery with a nice false resolution I really enjoyed. Interestingly, this book gives little concrete background information on Gamadge.

[Lisa T. Ungerer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The suspense keeps building

Clara and Maggie are in a cottage in the woods. What can go wrong? Lots of suspense, only slightly relieved when Gamage shows up. I never guessed the villain. Highly recommended.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent book, quick read, Surprise ending! Loved it.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a clever mystery! I was led to suspect so many people. The twist at the end caught me completely by surprise.

[Chad D · Rating 3 out of 5]

A warm three stars. Wouldn't read it again, not sorry I read it.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very strong entry, with some nice creepiness. Enjoyed all around.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these classic mysteries. I recommend Elizabeth Daly's Henry Gamadge series to mystery lovers.