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Teahouse Detective #2
The Case of Miss Elliott
In the title story, a young matron from a convalescent home is found dead in a quiet Maida Vale street. The Daily Telegraph ran an article headed ‘Murder or Suicide’ on the subject of the mysterious death. In ‘The Hocussing of Cigarette’ an earl’s racehorse is the victim of attempted poisoning. ‘Who Stole the Black Diamonds’ concerns a mystery that bewilders police and diplomats across Europe. All of the twelve detective stories in this volume are puzzled over by Orczy’s mysterious armchair detective, the ‘Old Man In The Corner’.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1905
77 people are currently reading
413 people want to read
About the author
Emmuska Orczy
857 books1,090 followersFull name: Emma ("Emmuska") Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orczi was a Hungarian-British novelist, best remembered as the author of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (1905). Baroness Orczy's sequels to the novel were less successful. She was also an artist, and her works were exhibited at the Royal Academy, London. Her first venture into fiction was with crime stories. Among her most popular characters was The Old Man in the Corner, who was featured in a series of twelve British movies from 1924, starring Rolf Leslie.
Baroness Emmuska Orczy was born in Tarnaörs, Hungary, as the only daughter of Baron Felix Orczy, a noted composer and conductor, and his wife Emma. Her father was a friend of such composers as Wagner, Liszt, and Gounod. Orczy moved with her parents from Budapest to Brussels and then to London, learning to speak English at the age of fifteen. She was educated in convent schools in Brussels and Paris. In London she studied at the West London School of Art. Orczy married in 1894 Montague Barstow, whom she had met while studying at the Heatherby School of Art. Together they started to produce book and magazine illustrations and published an edition of Hungarian folktales.
Orczy's first detective stories appeared in magazines. As a writer she became famous in 1903 with the stage version of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
Baroness Emmuska Orczy was born in Tarnaörs, Hungary, as the only daughter of Baron Felix Orczy, a noted composer and conductor, and his wife Emma. Her father was a friend of such composers as Wagner, Liszt, and Gounod. Orczy moved with her parents from Budapest to Brussels and then to London, learning to speak English at the age of fifteen. She was educated in convent schools in Brussels and Paris. In London she studied at the West London School of Art. Orczy married in 1894 Montague Barstow, whom she had met while studying at the Heatherby School of Art. Together they started to produce book and magazine illustrations and published an edition of Hungarian folktales.
Orczy's first detective stories appeared in magazines. As a writer she became famous in 1903 with the stage version of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
August 25, 2025
Murder With My Tea.
This is a story of the old man in the corner who drinks tea and solves mysteries. He knows what happens when any crime occurs. He knows the beginning and the ending. He also knows who done it.
Whenever he sees Miss Elliot, and she sees him, one or the other of the two have a mystery on their minds.
The Teahouse Detective is the name of the book. The old man in the corner is the tea house detective. He relishes telling Miss Elliot he can easily solve the unsolvable. He even demonstrates to her how much he has garnered from reading the papers about the mystery. And he puts the story together with those facts and conjectures.
I’m loving this book. I’m loving Teahouse Detective. Each story is a standalone story and they each have a unique twist at the end.
When the old man tells Miss Elliot a story, he begins with the question of a mystery. He begins with asking her about the answer that the world gets. Usually the answer is more questions. But the tea house detective has the answers to the story. And I think l like the way he handles the situation with his own words and points-of-view. I like how he is able to use his own perspective and perception to help him close the case of the mystery. Or lead Miss Elliot into solving it herself…
Five stars. 💫💫💫💫💫
This is a story of the old man in the corner who drinks tea and solves mysteries. He knows what happens when any crime occurs. He knows the beginning and the ending. He also knows who done it.
Whenever he sees Miss Elliot, and she sees him, one or the other of the two have a mystery on their minds.
The Teahouse Detective is the name of the book. The old man in the corner is the tea house detective. He relishes telling Miss Elliot he can easily solve the unsolvable. He even demonstrates to her how much he has garnered from reading the papers about the mystery. And he puts the story together with those facts and conjectures.
I’m loving this book. I’m loving Teahouse Detective. Each story is a standalone story and they each have a unique twist at the end.
When the old man tells Miss Elliot a story, he begins with the question of a mystery. He begins with asking her about the answer that the world gets. Usually the answer is more questions. But the tea house detective has the answers to the story. And I think l like the way he handles the situation with his own words and points-of-view. I like how he is able to use his own perspective and perception to help him close the case of the mystery. Or lead Miss Elliot into solving it herself…
Five stars. 💫💫💫💫💫
March 21, 2018
This collection of twelve short mysteries is a sort of follow-up to/continuation of The Old Man in the Corner, with the same man in the corner of the ABC shop, with his newspaper, his pictures, and his cheese cake. The lady reporter is even less conspicuous in this volume. Each short mystery is presented by the known facts and then given the man's deductive solution. I enjoyed each one and tried to see if I could guess the crime before reading the solution.
Squeaky clean except for the part about having some murders spoken of...no language.
Recommended for mystery lovers, Sherlock Holmes fans, and those who don't have a ton of reading time at a stretch.
Squeaky clean except for the part about having some murders spoken of...no language.
Recommended for mystery lovers, Sherlock Holmes fans, and those who don't have a ton of reading time at a stretch.
May 23, 2019
This collection of twelve short stories will give anyone a delightful few hours of reading. Orczy has created a group of stories that are sure to puzzle you. Whether it is a baffling disappearance, a fraud, a theft, or even a murder, we are invited to hear the case out and find the true solution.
These stories have a unique twist. Instead of the detective scrambling around after clues and vigorously chasing criminals, this hero just sits, usually in a corner of an ABC shop and logically works his way around to the truth. Of course, he needs someone to show his brilliance to, and the narrator knows just the right tricks to make him let us in on his solution.
The only thing I dislike about this whole series of stories is the lack of real resolution. Oh, we always learn the truth, but the perpetrators are always allowed to get away with it. After a few stories like that, I really want someone to receive some sort of justice. Other than that it is always fun to see if I can figure out the solution before ‘the old man’.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and Pushkin Press. No favorable review was required. It has been my pleasure to provide my honest opinions.
These stories have a unique twist. Instead of the detective scrambling around after clues and vigorously chasing criminals, this hero just sits, usually in a corner of an ABC shop and logically works his way around to the truth. Of course, he needs someone to show his brilliance to, and the narrator knows just the right tricks to make him let us in on his solution.
The only thing I dislike about this whole series of stories is the lack of real resolution. Oh, we always learn the truth, but the perpetrators are always allowed to get away with it. After a few stories like that, I really want someone to receive some sort of justice. Other than that it is always fun to see if I can figure out the solution before ‘the old man’.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and Pushkin Press. No favorable review was required. It has been my pleasure to provide my honest opinions.
August 24, 2019
Déjà vu all over again...
An old man sits in the corner of a teahouse, endlessly twisting pieces of string into elaborate knots and mulling over the great unsolved mysteries of the day. Opposite him is our narrator, an unnamed female journalist who, despite finding the old man intensely irritating, nevertheless can’t help being impressed by the ingenious solutions he comes up with.
This is a collection of twelve short stories featuring the amateur ‘tec who was always known as The Old Man in the Corner until a radio adaptation decided, for reasons unknown to me, to change his title to The Teahouse Detective, the name also used by this new edition from Pushkin Vertigo. The stories were originally published in various magazines and later collected into three volumes. Chronologically this is the second batch of stories, although it was the first collection to be published, in 1905.
Each story takes the same format: the journalist, puzzled over a case in the newspapers, visits the teahouse where the old man sits eating cheesecake and playing with his string. He reveals that he knows all about the case in question, and then relates all the known details before adding his own solution at the end. He is dismissive of the police and is not a pursuer of justice – he never passes his solution to the authorities. For him, it’s the intellectual satisfaction of solving the mystery which is important. For a reader used to following a detective around watching him gather evidence and interview suspects, I found this a rather odd format – it’s like getting the beginning and the end of a mystery but missing out all the fun bit in the middle. It works, and she writes well so that the stories are entertaining enough, but I didn’t find them nearly as satisfying as traditionally formatted mysteries.
After the first few stories, I also began to have feelings of déjà vu. I wondered if perhaps I’d read the collection before – I know I’ve read at least some of the Old Man stories in my teens. But then I realised it’s not the stories that are familiar – it’s the plot points and clues, and even character names in some of them. I suspect Baroness Orczy shared my life-long devotion to Sherlock Holmes, and some of the features of these stories have an eerie familiarity. We have a dog which doesn’t bark in the night; Mr Hosmer Angel appears with a different name and persona, but a similar plan; the King of Bohemia puts in an appearance. Occasionally it almost feels a little like homage – it surely can’t be coincidence that one of her villains is called Stapylton. The stories are different enough for me not to be hurling accusations of plagiarism, but I must say I found several of the problems remarkably easy to solve because they feature plot points from the Holmes stories too obviously.
Having forced me to make comparisons, of course this doesn’t work to Orczy’s advantage. Sherlock Holmes is a far superior creation in every way, as is Conan Doyle’s effortless writing style. These have none of the warmth and friendship of the Holmes/Watson relationship, and nowhere does Orczy achieve the layers of drama, tension, humour and even horror of the master. These are more like puzzles – like elaborate crossword clues where the only purpose is to find the solution. As I finished each story, the characters slipped smoothly from my mind, since I had never been made to care about any of them. The Old Man and the journalist too never come to life, since they don’t ever do anything – they are a framing device for telling a story, that’s all.
So overall I found this quite an enjoyable way to while away a few hours, but no more than that. I wonder if they’d be remembered at all were it not for Orczy’s much more famous creation, The Scarlet Pimpernel, keeping her name in the public eye. However, Martin Edwards tells us in his The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books that the collection enjoyed considerable popularity when it came out, and they’re certainly entertaining enough to make them worth reading. Mostly, though, they made me want to re-read some Holmes stories...
3½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Pushkin Vertigo.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
An old man sits in the corner of a teahouse, endlessly twisting pieces of string into elaborate knots and mulling over the great unsolved mysteries of the day. Opposite him is our narrator, an unnamed female journalist who, despite finding the old man intensely irritating, nevertheless can’t help being impressed by the ingenious solutions he comes up with.
This is a collection of twelve short stories featuring the amateur ‘tec who was always known as The Old Man in the Corner until a radio adaptation decided, for reasons unknown to me, to change his title to The Teahouse Detective, the name also used by this new edition from Pushkin Vertigo. The stories were originally published in various magazines and later collected into three volumes. Chronologically this is the second batch of stories, although it was the first collection to be published, in 1905.
Each story takes the same format: the journalist, puzzled over a case in the newspapers, visits the teahouse where the old man sits eating cheesecake and playing with his string. He reveals that he knows all about the case in question, and then relates all the known details before adding his own solution at the end. He is dismissive of the police and is not a pursuer of justice – he never passes his solution to the authorities. For him, it’s the intellectual satisfaction of solving the mystery which is important. For a reader used to following a detective around watching him gather evidence and interview suspects, I found this a rather odd format – it’s like getting the beginning and the end of a mystery but missing out all the fun bit in the middle. It works, and she writes well so that the stories are entertaining enough, but I didn’t find them nearly as satisfying as traditionally formatted mysteries.
After the first few stories, I also began to have feelings of déjà vu. I wondered if perhaps I’d read the collection before – I know I’ve read at least some of the Old Man stories in my teens. But then I realised it’s not the stories that are familiar – it’s the plot points and clues, and even character names in some of them. I suspect Baroness Orczy shared my life-long devotion to Sherlock Holmes, and some of the features of these stories have an eerie familiarity. We have a dog which doesn’t bark in the night; Mr Hosmer Angel appears with a different name and persona, but a similar plan; the King of Bohemia puts in an appearance. Occasionally it almost feels a little like homage – it surely can’t be coincidence that one of her villains is called Stapylton. The stories are different enough for me not to be hurling accusations of plagiarism, but I must say I found several of the problems remarkably easy to solve because they feature plot points from the Holmes stories too obviously.
Having forced me to make comparisons, of course this doesn’t work to Orczy’s advantage. Sherlock Holmes is a far superior creation in every way, as is Conan Doyle’s effortless writing style. These have none of the warmth and friendship of the Holmes/Watson relationship, and nowhere does Orczy achieve the layers of drama, tension, humour and even horror of the master. These are more like puzzles – like elaborate crossword clues where the only purpose is to find the solution. As I finished each story, the characters slipped smoothly from my mind, since I had never been made to care about any of them. The Old Man and the journalist too never come to life, since they don’t ever do anything – they are a framing device for telling a story, that’s all.
So overall I found this quite an enjoyable way to while away a few hours, but no more than that. I wonder if they’d be remembered at all were it not for Orczy’s much more famous creation, The Scarlet Pimpernel, keeping her name in the public eye. However, Martin Edwards tells us in his The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books that the collection enjoyed considerable popularity when it came out, and they’re certainly entertaining enough to make them worth reading. Mostly, though, they made me want to re-read some Holmes stories...
3½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Pushkin Vertigo.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
December 16, 2024
Setiap kejahatan memiliki pelakunya, dan setiap teka-teki ada solusinya. -p. 294
Sebuah kalimat pamungkas di akhir buku ini. Berisi 12 cerita pendek yang terdiri dari kasuspembunuhan, penipuan, orang hilang, pencurian, mutilasi, dan penyamaran.
Favoritku:
1) Siapa yang Mencuri Berlian Hitam?
2) Misteri Lisson Grove
Yang lainnya karena pattern-nya sama, jadi makin di akhir makin ketebak twist-nya.
Aku membaca versi terjemahan bahasa Indonesia dengan judul "Kasus Nona Elliott" dari penerbit Laksana. Nah, aku nggak tahu apakah aku kurang mindful bacanya atau gimana, tapi terjemahannya agak kurang smooth. Beberapa kali aku baca ulang karena aku kadang nggak paham maksudnya apa.
So, the rating: 3.5⭐️
Sebuah kalimat pamungkas di akhir buku ini. Berisi 12 cerita pendek yang terdiri dari kasus
Favoritku:
1) Siapa yang Mencuri Berlian Hitam?
2) Misteri Lisson Grove
Yang lainnya karena pattern-nya sama, jadi makin di akhir makin ketebak twist-nya.
Aku membaca versi terjemahan bahasa Indonesia dengan judul "Kasus Nona Elliott" dari penerbit Laksana. Nah, aku nggak tahu apakah aku kurang mindful bacanya atau gimana, tapi terjemahannya agak kurang smooth. Beberapa kali aku baca ulang karena aku kadang nggak paham maksudnya apa.
So, the rating: 3.5⭐️
May 11, 2021
Love the endless amount of stories within one book. I had fun mulling over and guessing who would be behind each mystery (despite the fact that I was only right once). While the way each mystery is posed is the same it’s still refreshing and honestly miss these type of books where you don’t have to worry about sequels and what not.
September 11, 2019
These are a collection of short stories. There is no question of the writing skills of the author and the fact that a large chunk of the narrative is timeless. The first volume has it being narrated to a woman called Polly Burton but considering that it ends with 'never saw him again', the listener in the second volume should have been someone else.Each short story is told by an old man in the corner who likes to pit his intelligence against crime in the country, by visiting the location, the inquest and so on. He carries around photographs as props to provide ambience to his tales. He fidgets with making knots in a rope to keep his thoughts straight. This is the common factor in all the stories as is the teashop in which the discussion occurs.
Each tale has interesting characters, some slightly familiar while others were quite unique. My problem with the collection is entirely personal. Each story was an indication of how a crime took place and how the Old man found a solution to it, but this solution only rests with him and the listener! The criminals are never brought to justice and the wronged never find out. In some pettier cases, it seems to be beside the point but for someone like me who likes a complete tale, it seemed more than unfair when it involved murder. I have liked reading classic crime mysteries because usually there is a complete arc whereas here it was only showmanship
I recommend this to people who like reading about small twisted cases set in the time before forensics and should be at ease with the format.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers (of the latest print) and as you can see my review is completely based on my own reading experience
Each tale has interesting characters, some slightly familiar while others were quite unique. My problem with the collection is entirely personal. Each story was an indication of how a crime took place and how the Old man found a solution to it, but this solution only rests with him and the listener! The criminals are never brought to justice and the wronged never find out. In some pettier cases, it seems to be beside the point but for someone like me who likes a complete tale, it seemed more than unfair when it involved murder. I have liked reading classic crime mysteries because usually there is a complete arc whereas here it was only showmanship
I recommend this to people who like reading about small twisted cases set in the time before forensics and should be at ease with the format.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers (of the latest print) and as you can see my review is completely based on my own reading experience
August 29, 2020
Ok for a short read, but not as interesting as I had hoped. A series of short stores. Not really my thing.
October 26, 2024
The Case of Miss Elliott 4/10
The Hocussing of Cigarette 5/10
The Tragedy in Dartmoor Terrace 5/10
Who Stole the Black Diamonds? 4/10
The Murder of Miss Pebmarsh 5/10
The Lisson Grove Mystery 5/10
The Tremarn Case 5/10
The Fate of the Artemis 4/10
The Disappearance of Count Collini 4/10
The Ayrsham Mystery 4/10
The Affair at the Novelty Theatre 5/10
The Tragedy of Barnsdale Manor 4/10
Overall 5/10
The Hocussing of Cigarette 5/10
The Tragedy in Dartmoor Terrace 5/10
Who Stole the Black Diamonds? 4/10
The Murder of Miss Pebmarsh 5/10
The Lisson Grove Mystery 5/10
The Tremarn Case 5/10
The Fate of the Artemis 4/10
The Disappearance of Count Collini 4/10
The Ayrsham Mystery 4/10
The Affair at the Novelty Theatre 5/10
The Tragedy of Barnsdale Manor 4/10
Overall 5/10
August 8, 2024
If you are into short detective stories this one's for you.
Want to read
April 5, 2025Read so far:
*The case of Miss Elliott --
The hocussing of Cigarette --
*The tragedy in Dartmoor Terrace --
*Who stole the Black diamonds? --
The murder of Miss Pebmarsh --
*The Lisson Grove mystery --
*The Tremarn case --
The fate of the Artemis --
The disappearance of Count Collini --
The Ayrsham mystery --
The affair at the Novelty Theatre --3
The tragedy of Barnsdale Manor --
***
The mystery of the pearl necklace --
The Tytherton case --
*The case of Miss Elliott --
The hocussing of Cigarette --
*The tragedy in Dartmoor Terrace --
*Who stole the Black diamonds? --
The murder of Miss Pebmarsh --
*The Lisson Grove mystery --
*The Tremarn case --
The fate of the Artemis --
The disappearance of Count Collini --
The Ayrsham mystery --
The affair at the Novelty Theatre --3
The tragedy of Barnsdale Manor --
***
The mystery of the pearl necklace --
The Tytherton case --
January 16, 2023
Mansplaining.
Read and enjoyed one of these stories in an anthology and decided to buy the three volume collection. The stories orginally appeared in magazines and were published in book-length collections between 1900 and 1905. All three are free or close, if you like a bargain.
Baroness Orczy was a European who settled in England and became a popular and prolific writer. She's best know for her stories about the Scarlet Pimpernel, but she also created the unique detective known as The Old Man in the Corner. He's an armchair detective, but a master at applying logic to any mystery.
The common thread in all twelve stories is that there was an obvious guilty party and the police were content to arrest that person. When the accused provides an iron-clad alibi, the case becomes what we call a cold case. In other words, an unsolved mystery that's likely to remain unsolved.
The Old Man sitting in the corner of the teahouse is shabby and generally quiet, but he can never resist baiting young lady journalist Polly Burton by explaining how the police over-looked obvious clues that would have led them to the correct solution. He must not be penniless because he travels to inquests of cases that interest him. He also packs away quite a bit of cheesecake and milk.
He has a poor opinion of the police, of the intelligence of the general public, of young lady journalists, and (really) of everyone but himself. Polly Burton refers to him as an"animated scarecrow" and a "frowsy old tomcat." Still, she finds his stories fascinating and bribes him with fresh string for tying his elaborate knots. Does she ever benefit professionally by the knowledge he passes on to her? We aren't told, which I find surprising. What journalist could resist following a hot lead?
The title story is sad because a dedicated young woman doctor is found dead. Evidence is given that she was angry about the systematic theft of money donated to support the hospital she's in charge of, but the treasurer and the director both deny that a problem exists. The treasurer is the obvious suspect, but he produces an alibi and no one is charged. This is the ONE case where the Old man expresses the wish that the truth will eventually be known.
"The Hocussing of Cigarette" is light-hearted in comparison. A race horse is poisoned and misses a big race, but fully recovers. Suspicion falls on the playboy son of the trainer who has stabled the horse prior to the race, but his friends testify that he was at a party all night. The Old Man seems content to allow the guilty party to escape justice in this one, especially since the person who suffered most is a real stinker.
"The Tragedy in Dartmoor Terrace" is one of three stories in which an unpleasant old lady is murdered. Baroness Orczy clearly disapproved of those who use money to control the lives of others. So did Mrs Yule's disinherited son or his desperate wife push the old witch down the stairs? Both have alibis. Fortunate for them, as is the fact that the will leaving them nothing has been destroyed.
"Who Stole the Black Diamonds?" concerns the theft of a valuable necklace of (what else?) rare black diamonds. Fingers are pointed at the American who wanted to buy the jewels from an impoverished royal, but he's able to clear himself. The solution is entertaining. Royal families may have intermarried too often, but not all of them are fools.
The title character in "The Murder of Miss Penmarsh" isn't rich, but she has letters in her possession that would be very embarrassing to a former actress now married to a nobleman. Her niece wanted those letters for blackmail and (naturally) her Ladyship wanted them, too. Both have alibis, of course. So who committed murder to get those letters?
"The Disappearance of Count Collini" features a young heiress, but she's not a dazzling beauty like most fictional rich girls. She's plain, unfashionable, and not too bright. With bad advice from a matchmaking friend, she drops the young man she was expected to marry in favor of a charming Italian count. As The Old Man says, the only person who can safely disappear is the one who never existed.
All the stories are good as mysteries and several provide interesting looks into social and political life at the time. "The Fate of the Artemis" concerns a British ship carrying arms to Russian, which is at war with Japan. The author assumes that Russian "nihilists" are trying to sabotage the shipment. Baroness Orczy was a staunch royalist and her stories reflect it.
In "The Tragedy of Barnsdale Manor" a death occurs because the hostess is addicted to the dangerous new game called bridge. Why bridge should encourage reckless gambling more than any other card game is the greatest mystery of all. The Baroness was known as a feminist, but she was traditional in many ways.
The Old Man may not be a snappy dresser or a great charmer, but his reasoning is solid and he never takes advantage by introducing information that wasn't available to the police and the general public. Polly Burton is smart and just contankerous enough to make a good sparring partner for him. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
Read and enjoyed one of these stories in an anthology and decided to buy the three volume collection. The stories orginally appeared in magazines and were published in book-length collections between 1900 and 1905. All three are free or close, if you like a bargain.
Baroness Orczy was a European who settled in England and became a popular and prolific writer. She's best know for her stories about the Scarlet Pimpernel, but she also created the unique detective known as The Old Man in the Corner. He's an armchair detective, but a master at applying logic to any mystery.
The common thread in all twelve stories is that there was an obvious guilty party and the police were content to arrest that person. When the accused provides an iron-clad alibi, the case becomes what we call a cold case. In other words, an unsolved mystery that's likely to remain unsolved.
The Old Man sitting in the corner of the teahouse is shabby and generally quiet, but he can never resist baiting young lady journalist Polly Burton by explaining how the police over-looked obvious clues that would have led them to the correct solution. He must not be penniless because he travels to inquests of cases that interest him. He also packs away quite a bit of cheesecake and milk.
He has a poor opinion of the police, of the intelligence of the general public, of young lady journalists, and (really) of everyone but himself. Polly Burton refers to him as an"animated scarecrow" and a "frowsy old tomcat." Still, she finds his stories fascinating and bribes him with fresh string for tying his elaborate knots. Does she ever benefit professionally by the knowledge he passes on to her? We aren't told, which I find surprising. What journalist could resist following a hot lead?
The title story is sad because a dedicated young woman doctor is found dead. Evidence is given that she was angry about the systematic theft of money donated to support the hospital she's in charge of, but the treasurer and the director both deny that a problem exists. The treasurer is the obvious suspect, but he produces an alibi and no one is charged. This is the ONE case where the Old man expresses the wish that the truth will eventually be known.
"The Hocussing of Cigarette" is light-hearted in comparison. A race horse is poisoned and misses a big race, but fully recovers. Suspicion falls on the playboy son of the trainer who has stabled the horse prior to the race, but his friends testify that he was at a party all night. The Old Man seems content to allow the guilty party to escape justice in this one, especially since the person who suffered most is a real stinker.
"The Tragedy in Dartmoor Terrace" is one of three stories in which an unpleasant old lady is murdered. Baroness Orczy clearly disapproved of those who use money to control the lives of others. So did Mrs Yule's disinherited son or his desperate wife push the old witch down the stairs? Both have alibis. Fortunate for them, as is the fact that the will leaving them nothing has been destroyed.
"Who Stole the Black Diamonds?" concerns the theft of a valuable necklace of (what else?) rare black diamonds. Fingers are pointed at the American who wanted to buy the jewels from an impoverished royal, but he's able to clear himself. The solution is entertaining. Royal families may have intermarried too often, but not all of them are fools.
The title character in "The Murder of Miss Penmarsh" isn't rich, but she has letters in her possession that would be very embarrassing to a former actress now married to a nobleman. Her niece wanted those letters for blackmail and (naturally) her Ladyship wanted them, too. Both have alibis, of course. So who committed murder to get those letters?
"The Disappearance of Count Collini" features a young heiress, but she's not a dazzling beauty like most fictional rich girls. She's plain, unfashionable, and not too bright. With bad advice from a matchmaking friend, she drops the young man she was expected to marry in favor of a charming Italian count. As The Old Man says, the only person who can safely disappear is the one who never existed.
All the stories are good as mysteries and several provide interesting looks into social and political life at the time. "The Fate of the Artemis" concerns a British ship carrying arms to Russian, which is at war with Japan. The author assumes that Russian "nihilists" are trying to sabotage the shipment. Baroness Orczy was a staunch royalist and her stories reflect it.
In "The Tragedy of Barnsdale Manor" a death occurs because the hostess is addicted to the dangerous new game called bridge. Why bridge should encourage reckless gambling more than any other card game is the greatest mystery of all. The Baroness was known as a feminist, but she was traditional in many ways.
The Old Man may not be a snappy dresser or a great charmer, but his reasoning is solid and he never takes advantage by introducing information that wasn't available to the police and the general public. Polly Burton is smart and just contankerous enough to make a good sparring partner for him. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
March 15, 2020
This collection of 12 short mysteries is a great way to spend a reading afternoon. You can read them all in one shot or read them individually whenever you have a bit of time to spare.
Each story in the collection takes the same format: Polly reads about a case in the newspaper that the police aren’t able to solve, and presents it to ‘The Teahouse Detective’ – an old man who sits in the cafe, eating cake and playing with a bit of string. The cases run the gamut of crime – a murder, a theft, a disappearance, and more. The Old Man usually already knows about the case, and tells Polly what the solution (as he believes) is.
The mysteries (and the solution) are well laid out and remind me of Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie (both of home wrote many short mystery stories). The solutions aren’t always obvious and it’s fun to try and work out the answer before the Old Man lays it out.
Normally, I would blaze my way through a collection like this, but there are two things that make this book a touch less enjoyable for me.
First, the Teahouse Detective himself. He can sometimes act like a petulant child – playing with his string and having to be coaxed to discuss the cases (Polly is quite patient!) I could forgive this behaviour (Sherlock Holmes isn’t the most sociable person) but it’s the ‘shrieking’ that annoys me. This old man shrieks A LOT. He’s in a small cafe – there’s no need to shriek.
The other thing that bothered me (and this might be just me) is that there’s no clear resolution to the crimes. The Teahouse Detective enjoys solving the cases to show off his intelligence, but he doesn’t care about assisting the police or seeing justice delivered. So, while he shows us the solution, we never know if anyone ever gets punished for their crimes. It’s a small thing, but it’s just not the way I like my mystery stories to end. It seems like everyone just gets away with their crimes. And that gets tiring after awhile.
Other than those two criticism (which other readers may easily overlook), Orczy is a strong writer and the mysteries are all really well done. There are unique twists in the crimes and they aren’t always so easy to solve. And this is a great collection of cozy mysteries in the classic, traditional style. If you’re a fan of Conan Doyle or Christie, then you will enjoy this collection.
Each story in the collection takes the same format: Polly reads about a case in the newspaper that the police aren’t able to solve, and presents it to ‘The Teahouse Detective’ – an old man who sits in the cafe, eating cake and playing with a bit of string. The cases run the gamut of crime – a murder, a theft, a disappearance, and more. The Old Man usually already knows about the case, and tells Polly what the solution (as he believes) is.
The mysteries (and the solution) are well laid out and remind me of Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie (both of home wrote many short mystery stories). The solutions aren’t always obvious and it’s fun to try and work out the answer before the Old Man lays it out.
Normally, I would blaze my way through a collection like this, but there are two things that make this book a touch less enjoyable for me.
First, the Teahouse Detective himself. He can sometimes act like a petulant child – playing with his string and having to be coaxed to discuss the cases (Polly is quite patient!) I could forgive this behaviour (Sherlock Holmes isn’t the most sociable person) but it’s the ‘shrieking’ that annoys me. This old man shrieks A LOT. He’s in a small cafe – there’s no need to shriek.
The other thing that bothered me (and this might be just me) is that there’s no clear resolution to the crimes. The Teahouse Detective enjoys solving the cases to show off his intelligence, but he doesn’t care about assisting the police or seeing justice delivered. So, while he shows us the solution, we never know if anyone ever gets punished for their crimes. It’s a small thing, but it’s just not the way I like my mystery stories to end. It seems like everyone just gets away with their crimes. And that gets tiring after awhile.
Other than those two criticism (which other readers may easily overlook), Orczy is a strong writer and the mysteries are all really well done. There are unique twists in the crimes and they aren’t always so easy to solve. And this is a great collection of cozy mysteries in the classic, traditional style. If you’re a fan of Conan Doyle or Christie, then you will enjoy this collection.
May 3, 2019
"And thus you see," he added, "there are no such things as mysteries. The police call them so, so do the public, but every crime has its perpetrator, and every puzzle its solution. My experience is that the simplest solution is invariably there right one."
So speaks the Teahouse Detective, referred to only as 'the man in the corner' throughout this intriguing book. The stories contained within were written by Baroness Emmuska Orczy at the beginning of the 1900s. Both characters remain anonymous throughout, which adds a layer of mystery that distinguishes it from Sherlock Holmes or similar detectives. A further contrast is that the man in the corner solves all of his mysteries from the comfort of his armchair in the corner of the room. It's this fact that makes the book ultimately a bit frustrating. Murders and thefts are 'solved' but the culprits presumably walk free with the man in the corner remaining in his chair and not informing the police who have failed to work out who committed the crime.
There's obviously still charm involved, as there is in most of these turn-of-the-century detective novels. Each story is standalone and it's fun to try and work out what happens. The man in the corner is wonderfully perceptive and notices everything. Is it as compelling as similar short adventures involving Sherlock Holmes? I'd argue no, but if you delight in such stories, there's plenty more enjoyment to be had here.
All the books I've reviewed so far have been pre-released books, so it is an odd experience to review an old book written by such an esteemed author that is simply being republished. If you find enjoyment in detective classics, this is a must read.
A copy of this book was provided for review by the publisher via NetGalley.
So speaks the Teahouse Detective, referred to only as 'the man in the corner' throughout this intriguing book. The stories contained within were written by Baroness Emmuska Orczy at the beginning of the 1900s. Both characters remain anonymous throughout, which adds a layer of mystery that distinguishes it from Sherlock Holmes or similar detectives. A further contrast is that the man in the corner solves all of his mysteries from the comfort of his armchair in the corner of the room. It's this fact that makes the book ultimately a bit frustrating. Murders and thefts are 'solved' but the culprits presumably walk free with the man in the corner remaining in his chair and not informing the police who have failed to work out who committed the crime.
There's obviously still charm involved, as there is in most of these turn-of-the-century detective novels. Each story is standalone and it's fun to try and work out what happens. The man in the corner is wonderfully perceptive and notices everything. Is it as compelling as similar short adventures involving Sherlock Holmes? I'd argue no, but if you delight in such stories, there's plenty more enjoyment to be had here.
All the books I've reviewed so far have been pre-released books, so it is an odd experience to review an old book written by such an esteemed author that is simply being republished. If you find enjoyment in detective classics, this is a must read.
A copy of this book was provided for review by the publisher via NetGalley.
May 3, 2019
Hmmm… A book that is a step back and a step forward at the same time. Fresh from disliking the first book in this series, I find this volume, which was published afterwards but written beforehand. This must have puzzled anyone reading the books in order of appearance way back when, for all talk of our tea rooms-addicted woman being married, and finding out what she found out at the end of last time, has disappeared. So I can only assume the books drifted from first person reportage from her point of view as seen here to the third person of the prequel just to get her married off. What we get this time then are several more 'mystery' stories, all by the same formula – the pre-credits sequence, the real drama of the crime, what our "scarecrow" saw in the inquest room with his permanent spot on the front row, and what it all means, ie whodunnit. I have to admit I didn't expect such variety, on the basis of reading elsewhere, for here you don't have to go far to find stories that DON'T rely on people playing dress-up for a change. (I was all for thinking the woman in the stables was her husband in drag.)
But the problems still persist – the woman does little (except feed his addiction with "beautiful" string here and there), while he tells us all the ins and outs of the crimes with none of the wit, style or fashion of Watson. His humdrum telling of everything – and yes, that's definitely more than everything needed at times – is what perhaps lets these stories down. That and huge plot holes – "how did he know where she lived?!" is an obvious response to one of the tales here. So why the second book written just regressed to be him-in-a costume, her-in-disguise, etc, I'll never know. This if anything was the better of a weak brace of collections, and I can't see me rushing for the third.
But the problems still persist – the woman does little (except feed his addiction with "beautiful" string here and there), while he tells us all the ins and outs of the crimes with none of the wit, style or fashion of Watson. His humdrum telling of everything – and yes, that's definitely more than everything needed at times – is what perhaps lets these stories down. That and huge plot holes – "how did he know where she lived?!" is an obvious response to one of the tales here. So why the second book written just regressed to be him-in-a costume, her-in-disguise, etc, I'll never know. This if anything was the better of a weak brace of collections, and I can't see me rushing for the third.
June 19, 2019
Baroness Emma Orczy was a Hungarian-born British novelist and playwright best known for "The Scarlet Pimpernel". Following the success of the Sherlock Holmes stories, she created her own mystery solver, an unnamed gentleman who frequents the ABC Teahouse. These are short stories that were published in local newspapers. The book at hand is a collection of these short stories first published in 1905 (it is "Volume 2").
In each one, a "lady journalist" discusses a recent crime with the "man in the corner", who has usually attended court cases, etc. ("always in the front row") and comes up with an explanation for the crime that has eluded everyone else. "Discusses" is perhaps inappropriate, as the man generally just narrates the whole incident and then puts forth his explanation of what happened. There is no action, it's all talk.
I have not read The Scarlet Pimpernel but I recognize that the Teahouse Detective stories are a product of early 1900s society and I can't fault it for that, even if some of the language and viewpoints feel a bit grating today. The stories hold up well, but after I read enough of them they started to feel formulaic. As originally serialized in a newspaper or magazine, with an episode a week (it looks as if each story was broken into three parts), they would be entertaining. In most (but not all) of the stories, the reader is given enough clues to come up with the "detective's" explanation if one is paying attention, but it's never determined if he is right.
The characters, such as they are, have little depth to them. The man sips tea and plays with string - the woman... just serves as someone for the man to talk at. The crime stories do have interesting characters and situations, but as I said above, one starts to see a common theme that takes some of the pleasure away.
In each one, a "lady journalist" discusses a recent crime with the "man in the corner", who has usually attended court cases, etc. ("always in the front row") and comes up with an explanation for the crime that has eluded everyone else. "Discusses" is perhaps inappropriate, as the man generally just narrates the whole incident and then puts forth his explanation of what happened. There is no action, it's all talk.
I have not read The Scarlet Pimpernel but I recognize that the Teahouse Detective stories are a product of early 1900s society and I can't fault it for that, even if some of the language and viewpoints feel a bit grating today. The stories hold up well, but after I read enough of them they started to feel formulaic. As originally serialized in a newspaper or magazine, with an episode a week (it looks as if each story was broken into three parts), they would be entertaining. In most (but not all) of the stories, the reader is given enough clues to come up with the "detective's" explanation if one is paying attention, but it's never determined if he is right.
The characters, such as they are, have little depth to them. The man sips tea and plays with string - the woman... just serves as someone for the man to talk at. The crime stories do have interesting characters and situations, but as I said above, one starts to see a common theme that takes some of the pleasure away.
July 6, 2019
My review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Case of Miss Elliott: The Teahouse Detective by Baroness Orczy is from the time of Sherlock Holmes, so very early in the detective genre.
This is a book of 12 short stories, each of them a murder mystery, with the person who is solving the case someone who finds out the answer for the case. The solver is a man, who is described as being the man in the corner throughout the book, and he is explaining the cases to a female journalist in a tea room. He isn't a policeman, or a private investigator hired for the case, but simply a man who is interested.
Each case has gone to court, and typically the wrong outcome has happened, but the man in the corner believes he knows the truth, and each story ends with him knowing the truth, and justice not having been carried out because he doesn't have proof that what he supposes really happened.
I did enjoy these stories, even if I did find the man in the corner a bit odd, but I enjoyed the mysteries, the settings, and the different way things came about.
Baroness Orczy also wrote the Scarlet Pimpernel, which is much better known both as a book, and as a tv series by the BBC, with Richard E Grant in! It's set in the time of the French Revolution, and the Scarlet Pimpernel is a swashbuckling aristocrat who is always popping over to France to save French royalists!
The Case of Miss Elliott: Teahouse Detective is to be published on 13th August 2019, and is available to buy on Amazon and on Waterstones. I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!
I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Pushkin Press (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!
The Case of Miss Elliott: The Teahouse Detective by Baroness Orczy is from the time of Sherlock Holmes, so very early in the detective genre.
This is a book of 12 short stories, each of them a murder mystery, with the person who is solving the case someone who finds out the answer for the case. The solver is a man, who is described as being the man in the corner throughout the book, and he is explaining the cases to a female journalist in a tea room. He isn't a policeman, or a private investigator hired for the case, but simply a man who is interested.
Each case has gone to court, and typically the wrong outcome has happened, but the man in the corner believes he knows the truth, and each story ends with him knowing the truth, and justice not having been carried out because he doesn't have proof that what he supposes really happened.
I did enjoy these stories, even if I did find the man in the corner a bit odd, but I enjoyed the mysteries, the settings, and the different way things came about.
Baroness Orczy also wrote the Scarlet Pimpernel, which is much better known both as a book, and as a tv series by the BBC, with Richard E Grant in! It's set in the time of the French Revolution, and the Scarlet Pimpernel is a swashbuckling aristocrat who is always popping over to France to save French royalists!
The Case of Miss Elliott: Teahouse Detective is to be published on 13th August 2019, and is available to buy on Amazon and on Waterstones. I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!
I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Pushkin Press (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!
May 4, 2021
Selle autorini jõudsin tänu Yukito Ayatsuji raamatule "The Decagon House Murders", kus kõigil tegelastel on varjunimi, mis on seotud krimikirjandusega. Tänu sellele kasvas mu to-read nimekiri päris palju, sest Agatha Christiega samal ajal tegutsenud kirjanikest ei tea ma eriti üldse mitte midagi. Millest on jubedalt kahju, sest võiks ju! Loodetavasti avaneb mul see aasta tänu krimikirjanduse väljakutsele tutvuda või paremini tutvuda kõigi kirjanikega, kes üheks mu lemmikraamatuks saanud teoses tegelasele oma nime on laenanud.
Paruness Orczy sündis 1865. aastal Ungaris. Kui ta oli 14, kolis ta oma perega Londonisse, kus ta õppis pikalt kunsti. Kirjutama hakkas ta alles pärast abiellumist, kuna neil polnud abikaasaga just palju raha. Tema esimesed kirjutised polnud eriti edukad, kuid tema detektiivilood leidsid omale üsna arvestatava lugejaskonna.
"The Case of Miss Elliott" on lühijutukogu, kus juhtumeid lahendab nimetu tugitoolidetektiiv. Raamatus on 12 lugu, kus detektiiv ja tema tuttav vestlevad erinevatest juhtumitest, millest on juttu olnud kas ajalehes, mis on pikalt olnud lahenduseta või mis teevad politsei nõutuks. Iga vestluse lõpus avaldab detektiiv juhtumi lahenduse. Raamatus on mõrvalugusid, juveelivarguseid, väljapressimisi ja isegi täiuslikke alibisid.
Mulle päris meeldis see raamat. Selline krimi istub mulle väga hästi. Lugesin seda õhtuti lugude kaupa isegi siis, kui üldse lugeda ei tahtnud. Vahel tundus see seetõttu igav ja piinarikas, aga igal juhul on mul hea meel, et ma ei andnud alla ja et ma andsin Orczyle võimaluse. Kindlasti võtan tulevikus ka mõne teise raamatu temalt käsile, kui tuju on veidi parem ja lugemissõbralikum.
Paruness Orczy sündis 1865. aastal Ungaris. Kui ta oli 14, kolis ta oma perega Londonisse, kus ta õppis pikalt kunsti. Kirjutama hakkas ta alles pärast abiellumist, kuna neil polnud abikaasaga just palju raha. Tema esimesed kirjutised polnud eriti edukad, kuid tema detektiivilood leidsid omale üsna arvestatava lugejaskonna.
"The Case of Miss Elliott" on lühijutukogu, kus juhtumeid lahendab nimetu tugitoolidetektiiv. Raamatus on 12 lugu, kus detektiiv ja tema tuttav vestlevad erinevatest juhtumitest, millest on juttu olnud kas ajalehes, mis on pikalt olnud lahenduseta või mis teevad politsei nõutuks. Iga vestluse lõpus avaldab detektiiv juhtumi lahenduse. Raamatus on mõrvalugusid, juveelivarguseid, väljapressimisi ja isegi täiuslikke alibisid.
Mulle päris meeldis see raamat. Selline krimi istub mulle väga hästi. Lugesin seda õhtuti lugude kaupa isegi siis, kui üldse lugeda ei tahtnud. Vahel tundus see seetõttu igav ja piinarikas, aga igal juhul on mul hea meel, et ma ei andnud alla ja et ma andsin Orczyle võimaluse. Kindlasti võtan tulevikus ka mõne teise raamatu temalt käsile, kui tuju on veidi parem ja lugemissõbralikum.
July 14, 2023
2.5 rounded up
Another round of short stories with the renowned Old Man in the Corner.
Several of these stories were really good but the other were just mediocre.
The character of the Old Man is the most interesting parts of these stories. He is the quintessential perfect amateur detective.
He always comes up with the correct solution while the police are in the dark.
The other side of these stories is Polly the journalist who listens to the solutions to the mysteries.
These stories are the cozy mysteries of there time. They are not baffling or amazingly plotted but like all cozies they are an enjoyable time.
Another round of short stories with the renowned Old Man in the Corner.
Several of these stories were really good but the other were just mediocre.
The character of the Old Man is the most interesting parts of these stories. He is the quintessential perfect amateur detective.
He always comes up with the correct solution while the police are in the dark.
The other side of these stories is Polly the journalist who listens to the solutions to the mysteries.
These stories are the cozy mysteries of there time. They are not baffling or amazingly plotted but like all cozies they are an enjoyable time.
March 22, 2023
Only four stars, because one of the solutions given is incorrect! ;-)
I'm sure Agatha Christie stole some of these plots, and I'm equally sure that Baroness Orczy stole some of them from Arthur Conan Doyle. (See if you can spot Hosmer Angel!)
On the whole, this is a very creditable collection. Both the writing and the plots are better than Christie.
I'm sure Agatha Christie stole some of these plots, and I'm equally sure that Baroness Orczy stole some of them from Arthur Conan Doyle. (See if you can spot Hosmer Angel!)
On the whole, this is a very creditable collection. Both the writing and the plots are better than Christie.
April 26, 2019
The first story was the best, the other not so much, but as I said before, it is my fault....
La prima storia é in assoluto la migliore, le altre insomma, non sono un granché, ma sicuramente come giá detto, é colpa mia....
THANKS EDELWEISS FOR THE PREVIEW!
La prima storia é in assoluto la migliore, le altre insomma, non sono un granché, ma sicuramente come giá detto, é colpa mia....
THANKS EDELWEISS FOR THE PREVIEW!
July 4, 2019
A collection of lovely and entertaining stories. They are well written and keeps you reading one after the other.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
June 6, 2021
It was the first published book in the series but I read it in second after the "Old Man in the Corner". It's the same structure as that book so it was the same kind of easy read / 19th century detective / whodunnit. I would recommend starting the series with "The old man in the corner though".
May 16, 2021
Meh.
(Genre Bingo Challenge - N 3. FREE)
(Genre Bingo Challenge - N 3. FREE)
May 25, 2021
I love cozy mysteries and this is very cozy, characters meet at a cozy coffee shop and discuss unsolved crimes. It is no Agatha Christie, but still good.
June 11, 2021
Great writing, fun stories, and lively characters. All ingredients needed to make this a winner!
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
August 12, 2021
Old fashioned, but very interesting!
March 26, 2023
Injoyed reading it I'll be looking out for the next book hopfuly I can find it
June 13, 2024
Fun short-story mysteries that still hold up pretty well almost 100 years after they were written.
August 28, 2024
This book is a series of short stories. As is often the case in a book of short stores, some of the stores are quite good and others are not quite so good.
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