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Golden Age Whodunits
Fifteen puzzling tales from the masters of the mystery genre Depending on who you ask, the term “whodunit” was first coined sometime around 1930, but the literary form predates that name by several decades. Still, it was in the years between the two World Wars―the so-called “Golden Age” of mystery fiction―that the style flourished. Short mysteries were published far and wide by a variety of authors, not just those primarily associated with the genre. They appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker, and other high-end periodicals that still exist today. These tales were, in short, among the most popular diversions in literature and were of the highest caliber.
In this volume, Edgar Award–winning anthologist Otto Penzler collects some of the finest American whodunits of the era, including household names and welcome rediscoveries. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ellery Queen, and Mary Roberts Rinehart are all included, as are Ring Lardner, Melville Davisson Post, and Helen Reilly. The result is a cross section of the whodunit tale in the years that made it a staple in mystery fiction.
In this volume, Edgar Award–winning anthologist Otto Penzler collects some of the finest American whodunits of the era, including household names and welcome rediscoveries. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ellery Queen, and Mary Roberts Rinehart are all included, as are Ring Lardner, Melville Davisson Post, and Helen Reilly. The result is a cross section of the whodunit tale in the years that made it a staple in mystery fiction.
408 pages, Paperback
First published July 2, 2024
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130 people want to read
About the author
Otto Penzler
374 books536 followersOtto Penzler is an editor of mystery fiction in the United States, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, where he lives.
Otto Penzler founded The Mysteriour Press in 1975 and was the publisher of The Armchair Detective, the Edgar-winning quarterly journal devoted to the study of mystery and suspense fiction, for seventeen years.
Penzler has won two Edgar Awards, for The Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection in 1977, and The Lineup in 2010. The Mystery Writers of America awarded him the prestigious Ellery Queen Award in 1994, and the Raven--the group's highest non-writing award--in 2003.
Otto Penzler founded The Mysteriour Press in 1975 and was the publisher of The Armchair Detective, the Edgar-winning quarterly journal devoted to the study of mystery and suspense fiction, for seventeen years.
Penzler has won two Edgar Awards, for The Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection in 1977, and The Lineup in 2010. The Mystery Writers of America awarded him the prestigious Ellery Queen Award in 1994, and the Raven--the group's highest non-writing award--in 2003.
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February 5, 2025
Crime Writers of the Golden Age
A review of the American Mystery Classics eBook (July 2, 2024) published simultaneously with the hardcover/paperback, collecting short stories originally published from 1925 to 1949.
[3.53 average rating of the 15 stories, rounded down to a GR 3]
I enjoyed the variety of stories here which were from quite a range of writers, several of whom were previously unknown to me. I was especially impressed with #13 The Lipstick by Mary Roberts Rinehart. #10 Man Bites Dog by Ellery Queen was the only letdown, but that was more due to my lack of interest in baseball.
The following provide story synopses only and do not reveal endings, so I have not spoiler blocked them. The links to the authors will provide short biographies for most of them.
1. The Amateur of Crime (1927) *** by Stephen Vincent Benét (1898-1943) was originally published in the April 1927 issue of The American Magazine. He is famous for The Devil and Daniel Webster (1936). A summer house party on Long Island becomes a scene for murder. Guest and amateur sleuth Mr. Scarlet solves the locked room murder of a Ruritanian Prince. The uncovering of the murderer was a bit ridiculous though.
2. Black Murder (1943) **** by Anthony Boucher, a pseudonym of William Anthony Parker White (1911-1968) was originally published in the September 1943 issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Detective Lieutenant Donald MacDonald is called out on a suspected poisoning of a submarine scientist which turns into murder. He calls on ex-policeman Nick Noble to help solve the crime.
3. Crisis, 1999 (1949) **** by Fredric Brown (1906-1972) was originally published in the August 1949 issue of EQMM. Super sleuth Bela Joad is called in by the Chicago Police to find out how local criminals are beating lie detectors. A lot of the fun here was the author’s speculations of future technology, including 3 x 4 inch “newspapers” and doors that turned transparent when you wanted to see who was behind them.
4. The Flowering Face (1934) *** by Mignon G. Eberhart (1899-1996), was originally published in the May 1934 issue of The Delineator. Mystery writer and part-time sleuth Susan Dare is called on by a friend to accompany them on an excursion into the mountains where suddenly a death occurs. Was it an accident or murder? Dare makes the deduction.
5. The Dance (1926) *** by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), was originally published in the June 1926 issue of The Red Book Magazine. The unnamed narrator reminisces about the time she lived in a small town in a U.S. Southern State where a murder occurred during a country club dinner and dance. This was Fitzgerald’s only mystery story.
6. The Episode of the Tangible Illusion **** (1935) by C. Daly King (1895-1963), first published in the February 1935 issue of Mystery. Ghost & haunting debunker Trevis Tarrant along with his Japanese manservant Katoh, is called in on a case where a woman hears ghostly footsteps following her and sees disturbing visions at night. The culprit was rather obvious, although the exact methods did require a bit of investigation.
7. Haircut *** (1925) by Ring Lardner (1885-1933), was originally published in the March 28, 1925 issue of Liberty Magazine. A barber tells a story of a scoundrel and jokester who eventually provokes people enough that the story ends in murder. Told in a very downhome folksy type of voice, apparently typical of Lardner.
8. Fingerprints Don’t Lie *** (1947) by Stuart Palmer (1905-1968), was originally published in the November 1947 issue of EQMM. Librarian and amateur sleuth Hildegarde Withers drops into Las Vegas on her way to Los Angeles, as a favour for the police back in New York City. She discovers a murder with a too obvious suspect, but the fingerprints don’t lie.
9. The Witness in the Metal Box (1929) **** by Melville Davisson Post (1869-1930), was originally published in the November 1929 issue of The American Magazine. This is a courtroom showdown over a disputed will, with a daughter’s lawyer seeking to disprove a claim by an uncle. Her lawyer has a metal box in front of him, but it is actually a MacGuffin.
10. Man Bites Dog (1939) ** by Ellery Queen (pseudonym), was originally published in the June 1939 issue of Blue Book. Ellery Queen attends a baseball World Series Game 7 when a murder via a poisoned hot dog occurs right in front of him. He solves the crime while trying to watch the game. Pretty tedious if you don’t care for baseball.
11. The Clue of the Tattooed Man (1946) **** by Clayton Rawson (1906-1971), was originally published in the December 1946 issue of EQMM. Magician and amateur detective The Great Merlini solves a murder while still travelling in a police car to the scene of the crime. Very short 5 page story, and fast-paced with the deductions.
12. The Phonograph Murder (1947) **** by Helen Reilly (1891-1962), was originally published in the January 25, 1947 issue of Collier’s. We follow the meticulous planning of a murder which looks like it will be the perfect crime. But will the culprit be able to keep up the pretence until the end? This was Reilly’s only short story.
13. The Lipstick (1942) ***** by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876-1958), was originally published in the July 1942 issue of Cosmopolitan. Amateur sleuth Louise Baring persists in investigating her friend’s apparent suicide, insisting that it was a murder. Her major clue is the victim’s missing lipstick holder. This was a terrific story by a writer whom I’ve never read previously.
14. Too Many Sleuths (1927) **** by Vincent Starrett (1886-1974), was originally published in the October 1927 issue of Real Detective Tales and Mystery Stories. Amateur sleuth and bibliophile G. Washington Troxell is consulted by police reporter Frederick Dellabough when a robbery murder occurs. There is a confusion of suspects and various leads until the inevitable conclusion is arrived at. This felt a bit over-padded but was still entertaining.
15. A Passage to Benares (1926) *** by Thomas Sigismund Stribling (1881-1965), was originally published in the February 20, 1926 issue of Adventure. Amateur sleuth and psychologist Dr. Poggioli is on a sabbatical year and is travelling the Caribbean. While in Port of Spain, Trinidad looking to immerse himself in local culture, he sleeps one night in a Hindu temple and becomes a suspect in a murder. Very bizarre twist ending!
Trivia and Links
This edition of Golden Age Whodunits is part of the Otto Penzler American Mystery Classics series (2018-ongoing). There is a related Goodreads Listopia here with 84 books listed as of early February 2025. There are currently 81 titles listed at the Mysterious Bookshop. The official website for the series at Penzler Publishers seems to show only the most recent and upcoming titles.
A review of the American Mystery Classics eBook (July 2, 2024) published simultaneously with the hardcover/paperback, collecting short stories originally published from 1925 to 1949.
[3.53 average rating of the 15 stories, rounded down to a GR 3]
I enjoyed the variety of stories here which were from quite a range of writers, several of whom were previously unknown to me. I was especially impressed with #13 The Lipstick by Mary Roberts Rinehart. #10 Man Bites Dog by Ellery Queen was the only letdown, but that was more due to my lack of interest in baseball.
The following provide story synopses only and do not reveal endings, so I have not spoiler blocked them. The links to the authors will provide short biographies for most of them.
1. The Amateur of Crime (1927) *** by Stephen Vincent Benét (1898-1943) was originally published in the April 1927 issue of The American Magazine. He is famous for The Devil and Daniel Webster (1936). A summer house party on Long Island becomes a scene for murder. Guest and amateur sleuth Mr. Scarlet solves the locked room murder of a Ruritanian Prince. The uncovering of the murderer was a bit ridiculous though.
2. Black Murder (1943) **** by Anthony Boucher, a pseudonym of William Anthony Parker White (1911-1968) was originally published in the September 1943 issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Detective Lieutenant Donald MacDonald is called out on a suspected poisoning of a submarine scientist which turns into murder. He calls on ex-policeman Nick Noble to help solve the crime.
3. Crisis, 1999 (1949) **** by Fredric Brown (1906-1972) was originally published in the August 1949 issue of EQMM. Super sleuth Bela Joad is called in by the Chicago Police to find out how local criminals are beating lie detectors. A lot of the fun here was the author’s speculations of future technology, including 3 x 4 inch “newspapers” and doors that turned transparent when you wanted to see who was behind them.
4. The Flowering Face (1934) *** by Mignon G. Eberhart (1899-1996), was originally published in the May 1934 issue of The Delineator. Mystery writer and part-time sleuth Susan Dare is called on by a friend to accompany them on an excursion into the mountains where suddenly a death occurs. Was it an accident or murder? Dare makes the deduction.
5. The Dance (1926) *** by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), was originally published in the June 1926 issue of The Red Book Magazine. The unnamed narrator reminisces about the time she lived in a small town in a U.S. Southern State where a murder occurred during a country club dinner and dance. This was Fitzgerald’s only mystery story.
6. The Episode of the Tangible Illusion **** (1935) by C. Daly King (1895-1963), first published in the February 1935 issue of Mystery. Ghost & haunting debunker Trevis Tarrant along with his Japanese manservant Katoh, is called in on a case where a woman hears ghostly footsteps following her and sees disturbing visions at night. The culprit was rather obvious, although the exact methods did require a bit of investigation.
7. Haircut *** (1925) by Ring Lardner (1885-1933), was originally published in the March 28, 1925 issue of Liberty Magazine. A barber tells a story of a scoundrel and jokester who eventually provokes people enough that the story ends in murder. Told in a very downhome folksy type of voice, apparently typical of Lardner.
8. Fingerprints Don’t Lie *** (1947) by Stuart Palmer (1905-1968), was originally published in the November 1947 issue of EQMM. Librarian and amateur sleuth Hildegarde Withers drops into Las Vegas on her way to Los Angeles, as a favour for the police back in New York City. She discovers a murder with a too obvious suspect, but the fingerprints don’t lie.
9. The Witness in the Metal Box (1929) **** by Melville Davisson Post (1869-1930), was originally published in the November 1929 issue of The American Magazine. This is a courtroom showdown over a disputed will, with a daughter’s lawyer seeking to disprove a claim by an uncle. Her lawyer has a metal box in front of him, but it is actually a MacGuffin.
10. Man Bites Dog (1939) ** by Ellery Queen (pseudonym), was originally published in the June 1939 issue of Blue Book. Ellery Queen attends a baseball World Series Game 7 when a murder via a poisoned hot dog occurs right in front of him. He solves the crime while trying to watch the game. Pretty tedious if you don’t care for baseball.
11. The Clue of the Tattooed Man (1946) **** by Clayton Rawson (1906-1971), was originally published in the December 1946 issue of EQMM. Magician and amateur detective The Great Merlini solves a murder while still travelling in a police car to the scene of the crime. Very short 5 page story, and fast-paced with the deductions.
12. The Phonograph Murder (1947) **** by Helen Reilly (1891-1962), was originally published in the January 25, 1947 issue of Collier’s. We follow the meticulous planning of a murder which looks like it will be the perfect crime. But will the culprit be able to keep up the pretence until the end? This was Reilly’s only short story.
13. The Lipstick (1942) ***** by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876-1958), was originally published in the July 1942 issue of Cosmopolitan. Amateur sleuth Louise Baring persists in investigating her friend’s apparent suicide, insisting that it was a murder. Her major clue is the victim’s missing lipstick holder. This was a terrific story by a writer whom I’ve never read previously.
14. Too Many Sleuths (1927) **** by Vincent Starrett (1886-1974), was originally published in the October 1927 issue of Real Detective Tales and Mystery Stories. Amateur sleuth and bibliophile G. Washington Troxell is consulted by police reporter Frederick Dellabough when a robbery murder occurs. There is a confusion of suspects and various leads until the inevitable conclusion is arrived at. This felt a bit over-padded but was still entertaining.
15. A Passage to Benares (1926) *** by Thomas Sigismund Stribling (1881-1965), was originally published in the February 20, 1926 issue of Adventure. Amateur sleuth and psychologist Dr. Poggioli is on a sabbatical year and is travelling the Caribbean. While in Port of Spain, Trinidad looking to immerse himself in local culture, he sleeps one night in a Hindu temple and becomes a suspect in a murder. Very bizarre twist ending!
Trivia and Links
This edition of Golden Age Whodunits is part of the Otto Penzler American Mystery Classics series (2018-ongoing). There is a related Goodreads Listopia here with 84 books listed as of early February 2025. There are currently 81 titles listed at the Mysterious Bookshop. The official website for the series at Penzler Publishers seems to show only the most recent and upcoming titles.
September 21, 2024
Another interesting collection of golden age short stories. The reason I love to read these collections is that you may find a new wonderful writer to read- or just read a wonderful story of the time that a writer you’re familiar with decided to try something new.
The first story in the book landed a bit flat for me though it was certainly not an author I had read before. The following were all much more interesting. My top interesting ones-
Fredric Brown’s Crisis, 1999. A point in the future for the writer, where he combines his interests in the sci-fi genre and a twist on solving crime; F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Dance - nice see a writer of generally straight novels - work on a mystery and his only one; C.Daly King’s The Episode of the Tangible Illusion- a good one of the Mr. Tarrant’s stories; Rinehart’s The Lipstick- she has a great way of writing both a mystery- and to speak about society’s control over women; And my absolute fave- T.S. Stribling’s A Passage to Benates- wow. Very contemporary indeed. It blends east and west ideas perfectly.
Would say this is a successful collection that has a lot of variety; and in general, a good layout of the stories.
The first story in the book landed a bit flat for me though it was certainly not an author I had read before. The following were all much more interesting. My top interesting ones-
Fredric Brown’s Crisis, 1999. A point in the future for the writer, where he combines his interests in the sci-fi genre and a twist on solving crime; F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Dance - nice see a writer of generally straight novels - work on a mystery and his only one; C.Daly King’s The Episode of the Tangible Illusion- a good one of the Mr. Tarrant’s stories; Rinehart’s The Lipstick- she has a great way of writing both a mystery- and to speak about society’s control over women; And my absolute fave- T.S. Stribling’s A Passage to Benates- wow. Very contemporary indeed. It blends east and west ideas perfectly.
Would say this is a successful collection that has a lot of variety; and in general, a good layout of the stories.
August 8, 2024
One of the stronger collections of short stories to be released by the American Mystery Classics line. If you are familiar with this line and the authors whose work has been re-released through it, the author list will come as no surprise. All of the perennial Penzler favorites are here: Mary Roberts Rhinehart, Vincent Starrett, Anthony Boucher, Stuart Palmer, etc. Penzler continues to include literary authors who slum it in genre fiction from time to time; here it is F Scott Fitzgerald with purportedly the only mystery short story he ever wrote, sans an adolescent effort. Interestingly enough, the story "The Dance" was originally published in a collection that was a mixture of both F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald's stories; considering this, I have my doubts that this story, about a murder at a country club dance in a small southern town (narrated by the female lead) was attributed to the right author in that pairing. Personally, I wish Penzler would stop including non-genre writers in these collections, but this is his imprint and his prerogative. I'm not buying these books so ultimately, it's no skin off my nose.
These stories are arranged in alphabetical order by author last name. I don't recall the other collections being ordered this way - or if they were, it wasn't as obvious? IDK. Just a note of interest.
My favorite stories were:
[+] "The Episode of the Tangible Illusion" by C Daly King (1935), starring series character Trevis Tarrant
[+] "Haircut" by Ring Lardner (1925)
The last story, "A Passage to Benares" by TS Stribling (1926) is very strange, bordering on fantastical, and certainly leaves a strong impression as the back cover closes. I'm still trying to decide if this is a good thing or not. Considering the back of the hardcover edition contains this pull-quote from the Kirkus review: Guaranteed to make Americans prouder of their country than any episode in its recent political history (WTAF, Kirkus?!) I'm left rather deeply nonplussed by the back end of this book altogether.
These stories are arranged in alphabetical order by author last name. I don't recall the other collections being ordered this way - or if they were, it wasn't as obvious? IDK. Just a note of interest.
My favorite stories were:
[+] "The Episode of the Tangible Illusion" by C Daly King (1935), starring series character Trevis Tarrant
[+] "Haircut" by Ring Lardner (1925)
The last story, "A Passage to Benares" by TS Stribling (1926) is very strange, bordering on fantastical, and certainly leaves a strong impression as the back cover closes. I'm still trying to decide if this is a good thing or not. Considering the back of the hardcover edition contains this pull-quote from the Kirkus review: Guaranteed to make Americans prouder of their country than any episode in its recent political history (WTAF, Kirkus?!) I'm left rather deeply nonplussed by the back end of this book altogether.
August 5, 2025
An excellent anthology of Golden Age mysteries, with some unlikely entries by authors more famous for non-mystery stories. Not a raspberry in the bunch. I've read a bunch of these anthologies, and this is my favorite thus far. Here is a breakdown of each story:
The Amateur of Crime (Stephen Vincent Benet)***: What a wild story this was! A take on the fancy dinner party turned to murder, with all the usual suspects. Throw in the intrigue of foreign diplomats and a locked room mystery, and you've got a story. Entertaining, albeit a bit farfetched.
Black Murder (Anthony Boucher)***1/2: Another familiar trope here--a scientist on the cusp of a monumental discovery that could change the the course of the war ends up dead. Was he murdered to steal state secrets, or was it something more personal? You'll have to read to find out! This one featured a rather unusual amateur detective, I'm not sure if Boucher included him in other stories, but I would be curious to read more of his backstory.
Crisis, 1999 (Frederic Brown)****: A futuristic scifi mystery, written before 1999, although now it exists in our rearview. I'm also a fan of vintage science fiction, so I especially enjoyed this spin on a mystery. Another unconventional amateur detective, this one going deep, deep undercover in order to root out the truth. I think this easily could have worked as a novel with more details about his escapades that are just glossed over. Quite good.
The Flowering Face (Mignon G. Eberhart)***: Beautifully written, with evocative language and vivid characters. I found the conclusion to be obvious though, so not truly satisfying from the sleuthing perspective. I think it would have been stronger with less direct clues provided.
The Dance (F. Scott Fitzgerald)***: I believe the only mystery written by Fitzgerald in his adulthood (apparently he wrote a mystery at the tender age of 13), this reads like other stories of his, with a murder thrown in for good measure. As with the previous story, its strength lies in the author's ability to string beautiful sentences together, rather than by concocting a head-scratcher of a mystery. Still, worth a read for its rarity.
The Episode of the Tangible Illusion (C. Daly King)****: A mystery with a supernatural twist, this would have worked as a longer story, with some of the suspense elements teased out more. King was very successful at creating spooky, creepy vibes. I did guess the ending, but that did not detract from my enjoyment.
Haircut(Ring Lardner)***: A rather slow, meandering story, told conversationally in flashback. The style was certainly unique, although I found the murder victim to be a grotesque human being, and therefore deserving of what was coming to him.
Fingerprints Don't Lie/b> (Stuart Palmer)***1/2: A mystery featuring Palmer favorite, Miss Hildegarde Withers, spinster teacher cum amateur sleuth. I don't think this story showcases her in her best form, but it worked for me as I was already familiar with her. As for the solution, well the title says it all.
The Witness in the Metal Box (Melville Davisson Post)***1/2: Essentially a courtroom drama more than a mystery, again the strength here is in the writing more than the specifics of the case itself. Very vivid and well-written.
Man Bites Dog (Ellery Queen)*****: I've read a handful of Ellery Queen, and I think this might be my favorite so far. We've got a death at a baseball game, and Queen is more interested in the score than what happened in the bleachers. Highly entertaining and a standout in this collection.
The Clue of the Tattooed Man (Clayton Rawson)**: Running only 2-3 pages, this is a short short story. Not much runway to build up suspects or red herrings, the ending seemed obvious, but it wasn't bad either.
The Phonograph Murder (Helen Reilly)*****: Another of my favorites from this collection, we are treated to a howdunit, following the killer as he plans and executes what he thinks is the perfect crime. It's hard not to root for the killer as you are in their minds and viewing everything from their perspective, and turn the page to discover if they will ultimately get caught.
The Lipstick (Mary Roberts Rinehart)***1/2: With a bit of an annoying, plucky young heroine, and an unsympathetic victim, I was less concerned with catching the potential killer, but it was still a good, well-written story.
Too Many Sleuths (Vincent Starrett)****: Not really a bibliomystery in terms of the plot, this does star a rotund bookseller as the amateur detective helping to solve the case. For some reason this reminded me of a silent film, which increased my enjoyment of the story. A solid entry.
A Passage to Benares (T.S. Stribling)*****: The perfect way to cap off this anthology, we are treated to a story of a self-described half-Italian, half-American psychology professor who gets entangled in a murder in a Hindu temple in Trinidad. Definitely a story that will stick with you long after you've finished it. I'm certainly inclined to root out other stories by this author featuring this character.
The Amateur of Crime (Stephen Vincent Benet)***: What a wild story this was! A take on the fancy dinner party turned to murder, with all the usual suspects. Throw in the intrigue of foreign diplomats and a locked room mystery, and you've got a story. Entertaining, albeit a bit farfetched.
Black Murder (Anthony Boucher)***1/2: Another familiar trope here--a scientist on the cusp of a monumental discovery that could change the the course of the war ends up dead. Was he murdered to steal state secrets, or was it something more personal? You'll have to read to find out! This one featured a rather unusual amateur detective, I'm not sure if Boucher included him in other stories, but I would be curious to read more of his backstory.
Crisis, 1999 (Frederic Brown)****: A futuristic scifi mystery, written before 1999, although now it exists in our rearview. I'm also a fan of vintage science fiction, so I especially enjoyed this spin on a mystery. Another unconventional amateur detective, this one going deep, deep undercover in order to root out the truth. I think this easily could have worked as a novel with more details about his escapades that are just glossed over. Quite good.
The Flowering Face (Mignon G. Eberhart)***: Beautifully written, with evocative language and vivid characters. I found the conclusion to be obvious though, so not truly satisfying from the sleuthing perspective. I think it would have been stronger with less direct clues provided.
The Dance (F. Scott Fitzgerald)***: I believe the only mystery written by Fitzgerald in his adulthood (apparently he wrote a mystery at the tender age of 13), this reads like other stories of his, with a murder thrown in for good measure. As with the previous story, its strength lies in the author's ability to string beautiful sentences together, rather than by concocting a head-scratcher of a mystery. Still, worth a read for its rarity.
The Episode of the Tangible Illusion (C. Daly King)****: A mystery with a supernatural twist, this would have worked as a longer story, with some of the suspense elements teased out more. King was very successful at creating spooky, creepy vibes. I did guess the ending, but that did not detract from my enjoyment.
Haircut(Ring Lardner)***: A rather slow, meandering story, told conversationally in flashback. The style was certainly unique, although I found the murder victim to be a grotesque human being, and therefore deserving of what was coming to him.
Fingerprints Don't Lie/b> (Stuart Palmer)***1/2: A mystery featuring Palmer favorite, Miss Hildegarde Withers, spinster teacher cum amateur sleuth. I don't think this story showcases her in her best form, but it worked for me as I was already familiar with her. As for the solution, well the title says it all.
The Witness in the Metal Box (Melville Davisson Post)***1/2: Essentially a courtroom drama more than a mystery, again the strength here is in the writing more than the specifics of the case itself. Very vivid and well-written.
Man Bites Dog (Ellery Queen)*****: I've read a handful of Ellery Queen, and I think this might be my favorite so far. We've got a death at a baseball game, and Queen is more interested in the score than what happened in the bleachers. Highly entertaining and a standout in this collection.
The Clue of the Tattooed Man (Clayton Rawson)**: Running only 2-3 pages, this is a short short story. Not much runway to build up suspects or red herrings, the ending seemed obvious, but it wasn't bad either.
The Phonograph Murder (Helen Reilly)*****: Another of my favorites from this collection, we are treated to a howdunit, following the killer as he plans and executes what he thinks is the perfect crime. It's hard not to root for the killer as you are in their minds and viewing everything from their perspective, and turn the page to discover if they will ultimately get caught.
The Lipstick (Mary Roberts Rinehart)***1/2: With a bit of an annoying, plucky young heroine, and an unsympathetic victim, I was less concerned with catching the potential killer, but it was still a good, well-written story.
Too Many Sleuths (Vincent Starrett)****: Not really a bibliomystery in terms of the plot, this does star a rotund bookseller as the amateur detective helping to solve the case. For some reason this reminded me of a silent film, which increased my enjoyment of the story. A solid entry.
A Passage to Benares (T.S. Stribling)*****: The perfect way to cap off this anthology, we are treated to a story of a self-described half-Italian, half-American psychology professor who gets entangled in a murder in a Hindu temple in Trinidad. Definitely a story that will stick with you long after you've finished it. I'm certainly inclined to root out other stories by this author featuring this character.
February 23, 2025
I actually found the notes from the editor about the authors of the stories more interesting than many of the stories themselves. I appreciate that the stories weren’t altered to adhere to current societal norms, but the rampant sexism and racism in so many of the tales was repellent, to say the least. Golden age, my ass.
September 17, 2024
This is a very loose collection of short stories that are related by the year they were written which the author defines as the period between the two World Wars. I would say they ranged from 2 stars to 4 stars, hence the overall average 3 star rating. I decided to write a few sentences about the ones I really liked, will avoid spoilers.
The Flowering Face by Mignon G. Eberhart has a really cool spooky setting near a valley at the end of a twisty road as a fog descends. A man dies at nightfall and it would be presumed an accident if it weren't for the presence of a friend who happens to be a mystery writer.
I will remember The Dance by F. Scott Fitzgerald mostly because of the name of the author. I didn't know he wrote mysteries and that was fun to learn.
The Episode of the Tangible Illusion by C. Daly King is a true haunted house mystery. It was clever and spooky.
Man Bites Dog by Ellery Queen was entirely set at a baseball game. I don't like baseball so I scanned a lot of the details about baseball but it was well written enough that I had a sense of the excitement of the game combined with the urgency of the murder to be solved and it made for a good story.
The Lipstick by Mary Roberts Rinehart was probably my favorite in this book. The author relies heavily on dialogue and quick actions from the amateur sleuth and the result is a fast paced story that is really easy to read. I will be looking for more by this author.
The Flowering Face by Mignon G. Eberhart has a really cool spooky setting near a valley at the end of a twisty road as a fog descends. A man dies at nightfall and it would be presumed an accident if it weren't for the presence of a friend who happens to be a mystery writer.
I will remember The Dance by F. Scott Fitzgerald mostly because of the name of the author. I didn't know he wrote mysteries and that was fun to learn.
The Episode of the Tangible Illusion by C. Daly King is a true haunted house mystery. It was clever and spooky.
Man Bites Dog by Ellery Queen was entirely set at a baseball game. I don't like baseball so I scanned a lot of the details about baseball but it was well written enough that I had a sense of the excitement of the game combined with the urgency of the murder to be solved and it made for a good story.
The Lipstick by Mary Roberts Rinehart was probably my favorite in this book. The author relies heavily on dialogue and quick actions from the amateur sleuth and the result is a fast paced story that is really easy to read. I will be looking for more by this author.
September 13, 2024
This anthology is a murderers' row of great little puzzles.
November 6, 2025
As a collection, this book was fine. None of them were bad, although I wasn't particularly blown away by any one story either. I was drawn to this collection because each story was identified as a short story whodunit, my favorite kind of story. And while some of them fit that category quite well, others are a bit more of a stretch. None of the authors were known to me by name, and it was interesting to read stories that were featured around the same time as my favorite author, Agatha Christie. It's certainly given me some pause as to other authors to potentially explore further.
However, while I was reading the introduction, a certain statement gave me pause:
I was thrown by the vehemence of this statement. Is it really absurd to consider the effect of offensive language and how me might avoid it? Is it really a disservice to these dead authors that we judge them by today's standards? Aren't we judging them inherently by forming opinions about the quality of the writing, the pacing of the story, the development of the characters? It is true that I would not expect writing to reflect modern perspectives on these concepts, much like I wouldn't expect these authors to write about modern technology. But I think there's a distinction between artistic integrity and accessibility.
My favorite book of all time is And Then There Were None. This book has had two previous titles, both of which had racial slurs and offensive language. I have read the updated version of this story with this offensive language removed, and I'm very glad that I have. These words add nothing to the story, and while they may be a sign of the time, they are a distraction and off-putting to the average reader. I would not have enjoyed this book nearly as much with the offensive language left in, and I would have had trouble recommending this book to others. There's also the possibility that this book could have been simply removed from shelves because of these words, and I would have missed out on, in my opinion, the best murder mystery story ever written and my all-time favorite book. So I can't in all honesty advocate that editing out or updating of offensive language for the modern reader is inherently absurd or impossible. I won't be a purist just for the sake of maintaining original wording that perpetuates offensive language just because that's how it was at the time. Updates should be made, especially in cases where the language doesn't impact the story overall. Think about how much better the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's would be if we could wipe Mickey Rooney dressed as a Japanese stereotype from the film!
Now, my caveat is that we shouldn't be so heavy-handed with regards to editing or removing offensive language. I would argue that the language contained within Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be maintained, not (only) because it was a sign of the time, but because the concept of race, racism, and life in the south are all themes and inherent to the story itself. The offensive language serves a purpose to highlight the everyday horrors and reveal truths to the audience. The distinction is in understanding which language is serving a purpose, and which is just offensive.
I think this is such a sticking point for me because it is well known that, historically, mystery and crime fiction have a habit of identifying the "other" as the guilty party. Whether someone of a different race or nationality, a different religion, or even a different sexual orientation (when such concepts were mentioned), the person who doesn't seem to "fit the mold" was typically the culprit of the crime. Xenophobia is certainly a harder concept to edit out of historical writings, so if that is consistently combined with outdated and offensive language, then stereotypes continue to be perpetuated.
A few of the stories contained within this collection had the occasional word that would not be considered "appropriate" in this modern day. Nothing seemed beyond the realm of possibility to be edited in some way. And it's true that many of the stories had none of this language at all. That being said, I'm glad there was a warning. But I think there's a difference between telling people it's here so they can check their triggers and decide whether to read or not, and another thing to imply that this kind of language must be maintained so as not to be a disservice to the authors.
I don't regret picking up this collection, and enjoyed some of the little mini mysteries more than others. I think this philosophical point rubbed me the wrong way and it's important to me that I address it, especially for other potential readers interested in picking it up.
However, while I was reading the introduction, a certain statement gave me pause:
Another significant difference between today's crime fiction and the stories of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s is the changing language that has evolved into a more sensitive pattern of usage. There may be a great disparity between the attitudes of people nearly a century ago and there are commensurate differences in words in the context of gender, race, and ethnicity. Occasionally, casual use of words before WWII may be offensive to the modern reader but these have not been edited out or rewritten. It is a disservice to the authors who worked in one era to be judged in a different one and absurd to bring today's tastes and preferences to the language of fiction written before most of us were born.
I was thrown by the vehemence of this statement. Is it really absurd to consider the effect of offensive language and how me might avoid it? Is it really a disservice to these dead authors that we judge them by today's standards? Aren't we judging them inherently by forming opinions about the quality of the writing, the pacing of the story, the development of the characters? It is true that I would not expect writing to reflect modern perspectives on these concepts, much like I wouldn't expect these authors to write about modern technology. But I think there's a distinction between artistic integrity and accessibility.
My favorite book of all time is And Then There Were None. This book has had two previous titles, both of which had racial slurs and offensive language. I have read the updated version of this story with this offensive language removed, and I'm very glad that I have. These words add nothing to the story, and while they may be a sign of the time, they are a distraction and off-putting to the average reader. I would not have enjoyed this book nearly as much with the offensive language left in, and I would have had trouble recommending this book to others. There's also the possibility that this book could have been simply removed from shelves because of these words, and I would have missed out on, in my opinion, the best murder mystery story ever written and my all-time favorite book. So I can't in all honesty advocate that editing out or updating of offensive language for the modern reader is inherently absurd or impossible. I won't be a purist just for the sake of maintaining original wording that perpetuates offensive language just because that's how it was at the time. Updates should be made, especially in cases where the language doesn't impact the story overall. Think about how much better the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's would be if we could wipe Mickey Rooney dressed as a Japanese stereotype from the film!
Now, my caveat is that we shouldn't be so heavy-handed with regards to editing or removing offensive language. I would argue that the language contained within Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be maintained, not (only) because it was a sign of the time, but because the concept of race, racism, and life in the south are all themes and inherent to the story itself. The offensive language serves a purpose to highlight the everyday horrors and reveal truths to the audience. The distinction is in understanding which language is serving a purpose, and which is just offensive.
I think this is such a sticking point for me because it is well known that, historically, mystery and crime fiction have a habit of identifying the "other" as the guilty party. Whether someone of a different race or nationality, a different religion, or even a different sexual orientation (when such concepts were mentioned), the person who doesn't seem to "fit the mold" was typically the culprit of the crime. Xenophobia is certainly a harder concept to edit out of historical writings, so if that is consistently combined with outdated and offensive language, then stereotypes continue to be perpetuated.
A few of the stories contained within this collection had the occasional word that would not be considered "appropriate" in this modern day. Nothing seemed beyond the realm of possibility to be edited in some way. And it's true that many of the stories had none of this language at all. That being said, I'm glad there was a warning. But I think there's a difference between telling people it's here so they can check their triggers and decide whether to read or not, and another thing to imply that this kind of language must be maintained so as not to be a disservice to the authors.
I don't regret picking up this collection, and enjoyed some of the little mini mysteries more than others. I think this philosophical point rubbed me the wrong way and it's important to me that I address it, especially for other potential readers interested in picking it up.
August 1, 2024
As in all anthologies a mix bag of the excellent and not so excellent. But overall some real gems and thought provoking contributions.
July 18, 2024
Kinda ehhh for me--a lot of these felt like historical curiosities, examples of how it was done then, and not that great as actual mystery stories. The previous collections in this line have followed a theme; this one just seems to be "mystery stories people wrote between the mid-20s and late 40s."
So we get a very minor F. Scott Fitzgerald piece (Penzler's short bio claims he got his start as a mystery writer, which I suppose is true in the strictest sense, in that he published a piece of juvenilia in his school literary magazine that apparently was some sort of mystery, though obviously the way Gatsby ends owes more than a little to the clever reversals of period genre fiction) and Ring Lardner's great "Haircut," which I hadn't read in at least 20 years and of which I nonetheless immediately remembered the essential beats. And then, despite Penzler's note that Golden-Age mysteries generally showcased a fair-play contract with the reader, the first story, from Stephen Vincent Benet, breaks all of those rules and tosses in a whole bunch of contrivances. I love Clayton Rawson, and his entry here gives you a wonderfully, knowingly absurd setup...which his magician protagonist literally solves in the car on the way to the crime. The end. Helen Reilly's procedural has the murderer break almost at once while being interviewed, and Mignon G. Eberhart's story also involves a number of more or less invisible clues. Vincent Starrett's is, um, relentlessly misogynistic, and also very clunkily plotted (the reporter investigating the story constantly drops everything to scurry back to the Gideon Fell-/Nero Wolfe-like monstrously immobile, but brilliant bookshop owner to run more clues by him); I'm now 0 for 3 on Starrett, or I guess 1 for 4, since his entry in the bibliomystery volume was very good. The closing story is the most intellectually/philosophically interesting (and drops in a bunch of Leopold and Loeb jokes [kind of?] as exemplars of the limitless evil of which Americans in particular are capable; which makes some sense in a story published in 1926, I suppose), though it's screamingly racist, so no.
The two best entries, to my taste, were Ellery Queen's 1939 World Series game 7 story (he had Yankees/Giants, when it was Yankees/Reds, though writing a story in spring 1939 picking the Yankees in the series that fall was not going out on a limb), where we find out Ellery is a vociferous Giants fan--and this one IS, as in Queen's work, entirely fair in its doling-out of clues. Although the ending is more than a little anticlimactic, Mary Roberts Rinehart's entry features her usual spunky modern woman, with a tart tongue and a sense of her own value. I need to go back and read the earlier Rinehart books AMC has republished. We often approach old-time bestsellers with what E.P. Thompson famously termed "the enormous condescension of posterity," so reading this is a good reminder that while her work is dated in any number of ways, it's still got a liveliness and zing that a lot of these others don't.
On balance, though, this felt to me like a bit of literary history rather than a collection of classics.
So we get a very minor F. Scott Fitzgerald piece (Penzler's short bio claims he got his start as a mystery writer, which I suppose is true in the strictest sense, in that he published a piece of juvenilia in his school literary magazine that apparently was some sort of mystery, though obviously the way Gatsby ends owes more than a little to the clever reversals of period genre fiction) and Ring Lardner's great "Haircut," which I hadn't read in at least 20 years and of which I nonetheless immediately remembered the essential beats. And then, despite Penzler's note that Golden-Age mysteries generally showcased a fair-play contract with the reader, the first story, from Stephen Vincent Benet, breaks all of those rules and tosses in a whole bunch of contrivances. I love Clayton Rawson, and his entry here gives you a wonderfully, knowingly absurd setup...which his magician protagonist literally solves in the car on the way to the crime. The end. Helen Reilly's procedural has the murderer break almost at once while being interviewed, and Mignon G. Eberhart's story also involves a number of more or less invisible clues. Vincent Starrett's is, um, relentlessly misogynistic, and also very clunkily plotted (the reporter investigating the story constantly drops everything to scurry back to the Gideon Fell-/Nero Wolfe-like monstrously immobile, but brilliant bookshop owner to run more clues by him); I'm now 0 for 3 on Starrett, or I guess 1 for 4, since his entry in the bibliomystery volume was very good. The closing story is the most intellectually/philosophically interesting (and drops in a bunch of Leopold and Loeb jokes [kind of?] as exemplars of the limitless evil of which Americans in particular are capable; which makes some sense in a story published in 1926, I suppose), though it's screamingly racist, so no.
The two best entries, to my taste, were Ellery Queen's 1939 World Series game 7 story (he had Yankees/Giants, when it was Yankees/Reds, though writing a story in spring 1939 picking the Yankees in the series that fall was not going out on a limb), where we find out Ellery is a vociferous Giants fan--and this one IS, as in Queen's work, entirely fair in its doling-out of clues. Although the ending is more than a little anticlimactic, Mary Roberts Rinehart's entry features her usual spunky modern woman, with a tart tongue and a sense of her own value. I need to go back and read the earlier Rinehart books AMC has republished. We often approach old-time bestsellers with what E.P. Thompson famously termed "the enormous condescension of posterity," so reading this is a good reminder that while her work is dated in any number of ways, it's still got a liveliness and zing that a lot of these others don't.
On balance, though, this felt to me like a bit of literary history rather than a collection of classics.
February 17, 2025
This is a first-rate collection. It is issued as part of the American Mystery Classics series. Otto Penzler, the major domo of the series, has selected fifteen stories published from the 1020s to the 1940s.
It is a good blend of well-known crime writers like Ellery Queen, Fredrick Brown and Mary Roberts Rinehart, reliable professionals like Fredrich Brown, Anthony Boucher and Stuart Palmer and famous authors who are not known as crime writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ring Lardner and Stephen Vincent Benet.
The percentage of first-rate stories is very high. The highlights include;
"Crisis 1999" is a 1949 Fredrick Brown story set in 1999. It is not great at predicating the future, but it has a very clever thought-provoking twist ending.
"Fingerprints Don't Lie is a 1947 Stuart Palmer story set in Las Vegas which, at that point, was a place for getting divorced and gambling. It was so small they only have two ambulances. A very well constructed murder story.
"The Lipstick" is a 1942 Mary Roberts Rinehart story. I am not a fan of hers, but this is a well-constructed and suspenseful "did she fall or was she pushed?" story.
"The Witness in the Metal Box" is a 1929 Melville Davisson Post story. It is basically one courtroom scene. Post builds it up well to a good payoff.
"Haircut" is Ring Lardner's 1925 masterpiece. I have read it several times before. It is the best explanation I have read for the most recent presidential election results.
There are no clinkers in this collection.
It is a good blend of well-known crime writers like Ellery Queen, Fredrick Brown and Mary Roberts Rinehart, reliable professionals like Fredrich Brown, Anthony Boucher and Stuart Palmer and famous authors who are not known as crime writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ring Lardner and Stephen Vincent Benet.
The percentage of first-rate stories is very high. The highlights include;
"Crisis 1999" is a 1949 Fredrick Brown story set in 1999. It is not great at predicating the future, but it has a very clever thought-provoking twist ending.
"Fingerprints Don't Lie is a 1947 Stuart Palmer story set in Las Vegas which, at that point, was a place for getting divorced and gambling. It was so small they only have two ambulances. A very well constructed murder story.
"The Lipstick" is a 1942 Mary Roberts Rinehart story. I am not a fan of hers, but this is a well-constructed and suspenseful "did she fall or was she pushed?" story.
"The Witness in the Metal Box" is a 1929 Melville Davisson Post story. It is basically one courtroom scene. Post builds it up well to a good payoff.
"Haircut" is Ring Lardner's 1925 masterpiece. I have read it several times before. It is the best explanation I have read for the most recent presidential election results.
There are no clinkers in this collection.
July 14, 2025
It's an interesting anthology of "whodunit" short stories edited by Otto Penzler. As with any such collection, it's a mixture of good and bad writings. In this case it's mostly good ones, but that's according to my taste. For example, I am not a fan of Ellery Queen's work and his short story in this book confirmed my view. On the other hand I enjoyed several others like C. Daly King, Stuart Palmer and Mary Roberts Rinehart enough to want to read more of their work.
There's an introduction of each author provided by the editor which is informative for readers not familiar with the writer. I am glad that the stories were not edited to delete some now politically incorrect comments.
There's an introduction of each author provided by the editor which is informative for readers not familiar with the writer. I am glad that the stories were not edited to delete some now politically incorrect comments.
November 23, 2024
Like most anthologies, this one was a little uneven. I’m a fan of Golden Age mysteries, but many of these were pretty transparent and simple — but there were some tricky and clever ones too. I think I liked The Haircut the best — it was disturbing, to be sure, but the storytelling gimmick worked well. The Rinehart was fun and the Queen was a little less intriguing than I expected — though I appreciated the baseball setting. And I know, different times have different ideas of social appropriateness, but the last one had so many eye-raisers that it really took away from the story for me.
March 24, 2025
These were interesting short story selections in the 'whodunnit' mystery genre. I really appreciated the introduction to each story that gave a bit of background on the writer, their importance to the genre at this time, and the reasoning why the story was selected. There were some well-known authors (like F. S. Fitzgerald) and many whom I had never heard of (although not surprising, as I'm not well-read in the genre).
Content warning: None of the stories themselves have been altered from the originals, so there is outdated, racist, and sexist language scattered throughout.
Content warning: None of the stories themselves have been altered from the originals, so there is outdated, racist, and sexist language scattered throughout.
April 13, 2025
This was a pretty solid anthology of classic mystery tales. I liked some more than others (I know I should expect bigotry in older books and I am pretty seasoned golden age mystery reader but it still catches me off guard sometimes), but I have a few more authors I want to check out now.
April 21, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up. These anthologies, especially those containing older stories, can certainly be hot and miss. This was a pretty good collection. I discovered a couple of new authors, which is always a goal with these.
June 23, 2024
Reviewing short stories is always difficult - do I go story by story? review the entire book, even with inconsistent writing?
What I'll say here is that if you're a fan of the Golden Age mysteries, or if you're interested in reading some as an introduction, this is a good volume. There are several authors I've never thought of before (F. Scott Fitzgerald? Stephen Vincent Benet?) and authors that are of course part of that era (Mary Roberts Rinehart and Ellery Queen), but also - warning! - attitudes and phrasing that are definitely of their time. That may disturb modern sensibilities, which may take readers away from what, at heart, are good, short mysteries.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
What I'll say here is that if you're a fan of the Golden Age mysteries, or if you're interested in reading some as an introduction, this is a good volume. There are several authors I've never thought of before (F. Scott Fitzgerald? Stephen Vincent Benet?) and authors that are of course part of that era (Mary Roberts Rinehart and Ellery Queen), but also - warning! - attitudes and phrasing that are definitely of their time. That may disturb modern sensibilities, which may take readers away from what, at heart, are good, short mysteries.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
April 2, 2025
Enjoyed reading it for the background on classic mystery authors, but the topics definitely haven't aged well.
April 9, 2025
A great collection of some marvellous detective stories. I enjoyed them all, and there are some gems in here.
October 17, 2025
A disappointing collection that unfortunately reinforces my lack of excitement for American GAD.
May 1, 2025
I wish I had remembered to write this review closer to and give my review on each short story. Alas!
I very much enjoyed this book. Some of the short stories were…lacking… in my opinion. However, I also realize that I will never find a collection where I would like every story.
I loved the variety of authors it presented. I have added a few to my want to read list.
Overall wonderful collection that I absolutely recommend!
I very much enjoyed this book. Some of the short stories were…lacking… in my opinion. However, I also realize that I will never find a collection where I would like every story.
I loved the variety of authors it presented. I have added a few to my want to read list.
Overall wonderful collection that I absolutely recommend!
September 19, 2024
This was an interesting deep dive into the archives of the mystery short story as it existed between WWI and WWII. There are three popular mainstream authors represented and a half dozen more whose names will be familiar to any well-read mystery fan, but the really interesting part is all these people who enjoyed great success at the time but whom I'd never heard of.
Some stories were better than others and it seemed to me the better ones were generally at the front of the book instead of the back. A nice collection, all things considered.
Some stories were better than others and it seemed to me the better ones were generally at the front of the book instead of the back. A nice collection, all things considered.
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