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The Mysterious Mr Badman
Taking a break from his holiday visiting his nephew, Jim, Athelstan Digby agrees to look after the old bookshop of Keldstone so that his hosts, the Lavenders, can attend their cousin's funeral. On the first day of his tenure, three suspicious characters enquire after a copy of The Life and Times of Mr Badman by John Bunyan.
When a copy mysteriously arrives in a bundle of books brought in by a young scamp, and is subsequently stolen, Digby moves to investigate the significance of the book with his nephew, and the two are soon embroiled in a case in which the stakes have risen from antiquarian book-pinching to ruthless murder.
First published in a limited run in 1934, this exceedingly rare bibliomystery is long overdue its return.
When a copy mysteriously arrives in a bundle of books brought in by a young scamp, and is subsequently stolen, Digby moves to investigate the significance of the book with his nephew, and the two are soon embroiled in a case in which the stakes have risen from antiquarian book-pinching to ruthless murder.
First published in a limited run in 1934, this exceedingly rare bibliomystery is long overdue its return.
Audible Audio
First published January 1, 1934
About the author
W.F. Harvey
214 books32 followersWilliam Fryer Harvey was an English writer of short stories, most notably in the macabre and horror genres. Among his best-known stories are "August Heat" and "The Beast with Five Fingers", described by horror historian Les Daniels as "minor masterpieces".
Born into a wealthy Quaker family in Yorkshire, he attended the Quaker schools at Bootham in Yorkshire and at Leighton Park in Reading before going on to Balliol College, Oxford. He took a degree in medicine at Leeds. Ill health dogged him, however, and he devoted himself to personal projects such as his first book of short stories, Midnight House (1910).
In World War I he initially joined the Friends' Ambulance Unit, but later served as a surgeon-lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and received the Albert Medal for Lifesaving.[4] Lung damage received during the rescue leading to the award troubled him for the rest of his life, but he continued to write both short stories and his cheerful and good-natured memoir We Were Seven.
Harvey was a practicising Quaker.
Before the war he had shown interest in adult education, on the staff of the Working Men's College, Fircroft, Selly Oak, Birmingham. He returned to Fircroft in 1920, becoming Warden, but by 1925 ill-health forced his retirement. In 1928 he published a second collection of short stories, The Beast with Five Fingers, and in 1933 he published a third, Moods and Tenses. He lived in Switzerland with his wife for much of this time, but nostalgia for his home country caused his return to England. He moved to Letchworth in 1935 and died there in 1937 at the age of 52. After a funeral service at the local Friends Meeting House Harvey was buried in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin in Old Letchworth.
The release of the film The Beast with Five Fingers (1946), directed by Robert Florey and starring Peter Lorre, inspired by what was perhaps his most famous and praised short story, caused a resurgence of interest in Harvey's work. In 1951 a posthumous fourth collection of his stories, The Arm of Mrs Egan and Other Stories, appeared, including a set of twelve stories left in manuscript at the time of his death, headed "Twelve Strange Cases".
In 2009 Wordsworth Editions printed an omnibus volume of Harvey's stories, titled The Beast with Five Fingers, in its Tales of Mystery and the Supernatural series (ISBN 978-1-84022-179-4). The volume contains 45 stories and an introduction by David Stuart Davies.
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._F....]
Born into a wealthy Quaker family in Yorkshire, he attended the Quaker schools at Bootham in Yorkshire and at Leighton Park in Reading before going on to Balliol College, Oxford. He took a degree in medicine at Leeds. Ill health dogged him, however, and he devoted himself to personal projects such as his first book of short stories, Midnight House (1910).
In World War I he initially joined the Friends' Ambulance Unit, but later served as a surgeon-lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and received the Albert Medal for Lifesaving.[4] Lung damage received during the rescue leading to the award troubled him for the rest of his life, but he continued to write both short stories and his cheerful and good-natured memoir We Were Seven.
Harvey was a practicising Quaker.
Before the war he had shown interest in adult education, on the staff of the Working Men's College, Fircroft, Selly Oak, Birmingham. He returned to Fircroft in 1920, becoming Warden, but by 1925 ill-health forced his retirement. In 1928 he published a second collection of short stories, The Beast with Five Fingers, and in 1933 he published a third, Moods and Tenses. He lived in Switzerland with his wife for much of this time, but nostalgia for his home country caused his return to England. He moved to Letchworth in 1935 and died there in 1937 at the age of 52. After a funeral service at the local Friends Meeting House Harvey was buried in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin in Old Letchworth.
The release of the film The Beast with Five Fingers (1946), directed by Robert Florey and starring Peter Lorre, inspired by what was perhaps his most famous and praised short story, caused a resurgence of interest in Harvey's work. In 1951 a posthumous fourth collection of his stories, The Arm of Mrs Egan and Other Stories, appeared, including a set of twelve stories left in manuscript at the time of his death, headed "Twelve Strange Cases".
In 2009 Wordsworth Editions printed an omnibus volume of Harvey's stories, titled The Beast with Five Fingers, in its Tales of Mystery and the Supernatural series (ISBN 978-1-84022-179-4). The volume contains 45 stories and an introduction by David Stuart Davies.
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._F....]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
March 19, 2023
Blackmail and murder…
Athelstan Digby is holidaying in Keldstone, in Yorkshire, where his young nephew Jim is thinking of buying the local doctor’s practice. Digby is lodging with a couple who own the local bookshop and when they both want to attend a funeral one afternoon, Digby offers to look after the shop for them. During the course of the afternoon three different customers all come in looking for the same book – not the latest bestseller, but a rather obscure book by Bunyan called The Life and Death of Mr Badman. Digby can’t help since the shop doesn’t have a copy, but he’s intrigued. And he’s even more intrigued when a boy comes in later in the day with a bunch of books to sell, one of which just happens to be Mr Badman…
This is another rather quirky one from the British Library – they seem to be going through a little spate of really obscure one-off books at the moment. Billed as a bibliomystery, in fact the Bunyan book and the bookshop have very little to do with the plot once the initial set-up is done. The real mystery concerns a letter found inside the book, which alerts Digby to the idea that a high-ranking politician may be being blackmailed. Reluctant to involve the police, he and his nephew Jim, along with a girl whom Jim is in the process of falling for, set out to investigate, with the idea of putting a stop to the blackmail. But then a man is found dead – one of the men who’d been looking for the book – and while the police think it was suicide, Digby, with his knowledge of the letter, suspects it was murder.
I found I had a bit of an issue with the moral stance the author seems to take over the blackmail. I don’t want to go too deeply into it for fear of spoilers, but I felt that the victim of the blackmail didn’t deserve Digby’s efforts to keep his name free of scandal. We live in a less deferential society now, and the idea of covering up dodgy behaviour simply because the dodger happens to be a high-ranking politician is more jarring than perhaps it was back then. The result was that I rather hoped the “good guys” would fail in their cover-up, so wasn’t able to wholeheartedly cheer them on.
Otherwise, however, I found it quite an entertaining read. Both Digby and Jim are likeable characters and it was a good contrast to have one old and one young. Digby did the thinking while Jim took care of the action side. The girl, Diana, is a good character too, who plays an active part in the investigation. The plot is a kind of mix of mystery and thriller that rattles along at a steady pace, which helps to disguise the inconsistencies, plot-holes, coincidences and basic lack of credibility! I quickly decided the best way was to avoid analysing it too deeply and simply go with the flow, which was made easier by the general quality of the writing.
Not one that will go down as a classic of the genre, then, but an enjoyable enough way to fill a few hours. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Athelstan Digby is holidaying in Keldstone, in Yorkshire, where his young nephew Jim is thinking of buying the local doctor’s practice. Digby is lodging with a couple who own the local bookshop and when they both want to attend a funeral one afternoon, Digby offers to look after the shop for them. During the course of the afternoon three different customers all come in looking for the same book – not the latest bestseller, but a rather obscure book by Bunyan called The Life and Death of Mr Badman. Digby can’t help since the shop doesn’t have a copy, but he’s intrigued. And he’s even more intrigued when a boy comes in later in the day with a bunch of books to sell, one of which just happens to be Mr Badman…
This is another rather quirky one from the British Library – they seem to be going through a little spate of really obscure one-off books at the moment. Billed as a bibliomystery, in fact the Bunyan book and the bookshop have very little to do with the plot once the initial set-up is done. The real mystery concerns a letter found inside the book, which alerts Digby to the idea that a high-ranking politician may be being blackmailed. Reluctant to involve the police, he and his nephew Jim, along with a girl whom Jim is in the process of falling for, set out to investigate, with the idea of putting a stop to the blackmail. But then a man is found dead – one of the men who’d been looking for the book – and while the police think it was suicide, Digby, with his knowledge of the letter, suspects it was murder.
I found I had a bit of an issue with the moral stance the author seems to take over the blackmail. I don’t want to go too deeply into it for fear of spoilers, but I felt that the victim of the blackmail didn’t deserve Digby’s efforts to keep his name free of scandal. We live in a less deferential society now, and the idea of covering up dodgy behaviour simply because the dodger happens to be a high-ranking politician is more jarring than perhaps it was back then. The result was that I rather hoped the “good guys” would fail in their cover-up, so wasn’t able to wholeheartedly cheer them on.
Otherwise, however, I found it quite an entertaining read. Both Digby and Jim are likeable characters and it was a good contrast to have one old and one young. Digby did the thinking while Jim took care of the action side. The girl, Diana, is a good character too, who plays an active part in the investigation. The plot is a kind of mix of mystery and thriller that rattles along at a steady pace, which helps to disguise the inconsistencies, plot-holes, coincidences and basic lack of credibility! I quickly decided the best way was to avoid analysing it too deeply and simply go with the flow, which was made easier by the general quality of the writing.
Not one that will go down as a classic of the genre, then, but an enjoyable enough way to fill a few hours. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
October 9, 2023
Ein sehr schöner Klassiker, der sich gemächlich entwickelt, aber am Ende eine feine Spannung aufbaut. Das ungewöhnliche Ermittlertrio hatte Charme und machte Lust auf einen weiteren 'Harvey'. Wieder beweist sich, was für eine Fundgrube die Crime Classics-Reihe der British Library ist. Immer auch lesenswert sind die Einführungen von Herausgeber Martin Edwards.
June 19, 2023
Interesting premise, boring book.
At first I did give it the benefit of doubt and thought it was me and not the book, but by the end of it, I was pretty sure that it, in fact, was the book.
At first I did give it the benefit of doubt and thought it was me and not the book, but by the end of it, I was pretty sure that it, in fact, was the book.
June 3, 2021
Flojito, flojito, tan flojito que lo dejé cuando sólo me quedaban 60 páginas. Pero es que resultaba todo tan aburrido, tan lento y previsible que ni me apetecía seguir. Qué le vamos a hacer. No todos los misterios victorianos y eduardianos son tan misteriosos.
May 12, 2024
Gift card | I would have read a whole series of Mr Digby | In truth this was maybe not really four stars, but the last few classic cozies I've read have been disappointments, and I've had a terrible week, so to end it with a character as delightful as Digby was a real joy. No twists, no big reveals, and it takes a bit to get into its stride, but I liked it.
Note one instance of common-to-the-era bigotry toward Asians, unedited, and one use of the milder of the two "n" words, edited.
Note one instance of common-to-the-era bigotry toward Asians, unedited, and one use of the milder of the two "n" words, edited.
July 24, 2024
A by-the-numbers rural crime caper that is enlivened by some deft and witty writing. There is a particularly brilliant passage describing what the chief protagonist (for whom the author seems to nurture an eerily fierce affection) has in his pockets. Ignore the plot and enjoy the style.
February 6, 2024
3.5 stars. This is a fun little romp of a story, at the center of which is the rather eccentric Athelstan Digby, a blanket manufacturer. He is on holiday visiting his nephew, Jim Pickering, a physician who is considering buying a practice in rural Yorkshire. While there, Mr Digby stumbles into a very convoluted blackmail scheme that reaches to the highest levels of government, and unfortunately includes murder.
There are a lot of twists and turns to this story; the whodunit is a very obvious Chekov's Gun character, but why is rather elusive until the very end. I'm sure it would've packed a more mighty punch in the mid-1930s; these days, it is very academic and thus, not too impressive.
Mr Digby is quite a delightful character, very clever, and is apparently the main protagonist of a series of short stories published six years before this novel first appeared. I'd definitely read more about him.
There are a lot of twists and turns to this story; the whodunit is a very obvious Chekov's Gun character, but why is rather elusive until the very end. I'm sure it would've packed a more mighty punch in the mid-1930s; these days, it is very academic and thus, not too impressive.
Mr Digby is quite a delightful character, very clever, and is apparently the main protagonist of a series of short stories published six years before this novel first appeared. I'd definitely read more about him.
June 6, 2021
Me esperaba mucho más de la novela. Se deja leer y poco más.
Las novelas detectivescas ambientadas en Gran Bretaña me suelen gustar mucho, pero , esta se me hizo lenta y no te mantiene en vilo durante el desarrollo.
Las novelas detectivescas ambientadas en Gran Bretaña me suelen gustar mucho, pero , esta se me hizo lenta y no te mantiene en vilo durante el desarrollo.
February 1, 2022
No ha conseguido engancharme.
Lo tenía todo: trama, personajes, ambientación. Pero...
Una pena.
Lo tenía todo: trama, personajes, ambientación. Pero...
Una pena.
December 21, 2023
I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did, and I don't really know why.
The premise is very interesting: Athelstan Digby, a blanket maker on holiday visiting his nephew, is bored and therefore agrees to look after the bookstore for a day on the ground floor of his lodging. During that day, 3 different people all come in to the store looking for the same uncommon book. And later that day, a kid actually brings in that very book in a pile he got from a rich lady. When the book is subsequently stolen, Digby realizes there's something awry. And when one of the book searchers ends up dead, the Digby and his nephew have to figure out the secret before there's more killing.
Like I stated, it's an interesting idea, it's just that the story devolves into hide and seek with the book, and a bunch of Brits trying to blackmail / avoid being blackmailed, all while keeping to "fair play" rules. More of a story about manners and political liabilities then a bibliomystery.
The premise is very interesting: Athelstan Digby, a blanket maker on holiday visiting his nephew, is bored and therefore agrees to look after the bookstore for a day on the ground floor of his lodging. During that day, 3 different people all come in to the store looking for the same uncommon book. And later that day, a kid actually brings in that very book in a pile he got from a rich lady. When the book is subsequently stolen, Digby realizes there's something awry. And when one of the book searchers ends up dead, the Digby and his nephew have to figure out the secret before there's more killing.
Like I stated, it's an interesting idea, it's just that the story devolves into hide and seek with the book, and a bunch of Brits trying to blackmail / avoid being blackmailed, all while keeping to "fair play" rules. More of a story about manners and political liabilities then a bibliomystery.
May 9, 2021
3,5 estrellas
Reconozco que no soy objetiva con este libro, porque me encantan los "murders mysteries" británicos de corte clásico, que es justo lo que nos ofrece W.F. Harvey con este libro.
Escrita en 1934, pero ambientada en una época que no precisa, si bien parece que sea en los años 20, nos ofrece a unos personajes entrañables, especialmente el señor Digsby, y un "bibliomystery" en el que el quién lo hizo ocupa más o menos la primera mitad, para después pasar a ser una novela de "cómo paramos al malo" en la segunda.
Y si bien tiene algunas partes algo "fantasiosas", es tan entretenido y una lectura tan amable y confortable, que me ha dado justo lo que esperaba al leerlo.
Desde luego no lleva al nivel de los grandes clásicos del género, pero me ha parecido una lectura amena y entrañable.
Reconozco que no soy objetiva con este libro, porque me encantan los "murders mysteries" británicos de corte clásico, que es justo lo que nos ofrece W.F. Harvey con este libro.
Escrita en 1934, pero ambientada en una época que no precisa, si bien parece que sea en los años 20, nos ofrece a unos personajes entrañables, especialmente el señor Digsby, y un "bibliomystery" en el que el quién lo hizo ocupa más o menos la primera mitad, para después pasar a ser una novela de "cómo paramos al malo" en la segunda.
Y si bien tiene algunas partes algo "fantasiosas", es tan entretenido y una lectura tan amable y confortable, que me ha dado justo lo que esperaba al leerlo.
Desde luego no lleva al nivel de los grandes clásicos del género, pero me ha parecido una lectura amena y entrañable.
May 26, 2025
A forgotten example of the Golden Age of detective fiction, The Mysterious Mr Batman was republished by the British Library as a Crime Classic in 2022, with an introduction by Martin Edwards. A blanket manufacturer, Athelstan Digby, in Yorkshire for a walking holiday with his nephew, minds his landlord’s bookshop while he is at a funeral. During his stint he is astonished to be asked for an obscure book by John Bunyan, The Life and Death of Mr Badman, by three different people. The plot thickens when he discovers a copy of the book, and it is then stolen from him in the night. When two of his three enquirers die mysteriously in the next few days, he starts to investigate, with the help of his nephew and the daughter of a well known politician who may be being blackmailed. All very mysterious. Athelstan Digby is an endearing character, in the style of John Buchan’s Dickson McCunn of Huntingtower, and suffers assault and hardship bravely and stoically. A good read.
September 8, 2020
Non particolarmente riuscito. L'ambientazione di campagna prometteva bene, ma poi ci si perde in un'accozzaglia di fatti messi assieme un po' a caso.
Non c'è una vera e propria indagine sul "whodunit", dato che il colpevole si sa già a circa metà libro. Da lì in poi il giallo si trasforma in una rincorsa alla cattura dell'assassino.
Non c'è una vera e propria indagine sul "whodunit", dato che il colpevole si sa già a circa metà libro. Da lì in poi il giallo si trasforma in una rincorsa alla cattura dell'assassino.
November 30, 2022
This was a funny, intriguing and puzzling little book. It’s more about the mystery of a book and what it might contain rather than murder. It’s also got a lot of political ramifications and a sympathetic villain who maybe a little bit more hotheaded than outright evil. This is a genuine fun and brilliant read. Would urge anyone to read it.
March 1, 2025
I had a hard time getting into it at first but then i loved it. What a fun uncle/nephew mystery. The romance is very stupid, but i loved the light hearted mystery
November 15, 2022
I find it quite difficult to rate this little oddity of a detective novel by a writer better known for his macabre short stories. I found the style of writing congenial, simple and clear, while the slightly lighthearted and occasionally whimsical tone was underpinned by a much harder, very political edge and a strong moral sensibility.
It is much more complex and subtle than one would be led to believe from Martin Edwards' Introduction which, while good on the author's life and works, really has little to say about the book and its background.
One of the characters Sir Richard Mottram, is Home Secretary at the start of the story and is tipped for a move to the Foreign Office: these positions are crucial. His action in the first role lays him open to the blackmail which is fundamental to the plot and his influence in foreign policy has the potential to ruin the fortunes of another protagonist. Given that In the earlier part of his career he was involved in Irish affairs at the time of Eiri Amach na Casca and Cogadh na Saoirse, it is easy to guess at political motivations behind some of the criminal activities found in the plot.
The author's Quaker/pacifist beliefs are evident in the character of the amateur detective, Athelstan Digby, who opposes capital punishment and rearmament, the latter being very topical as the writing and publication of the novel coincided with the Geneva Disarmament Conference of 1932-34.
For me this adds interest to a plot which has a number of weaknesses. We know the mastermind behind the crimes from about the halfway point, and, while there are a few twists, it then becomes a battle of wits or rather a comedy of errors, until the case is resolved.
Overall there is a lot to be enjoyed here. The characters are well-realised, the humour is light but not fatuous, and the easy style propels the reader through some of the less believable parts of the plot.
3.75 stars.
It is much more complex and subtle than one would be led to believe from Martin Edwards' Introduction which, while good on the author's life and works, really has little to say about the book and its background.
One of the characters Sir Richard Mottram, is Home Secretary at the start of the story and is tipped for a move to the Foreign Office: these positions are crucial. His action in the first role lays him open to the blackmail which is fundamental to the plot and his influence in foreign policy has the potential to ruin the fortunes of another protagonist. Given that In the earlier part of his career he was involved in Irish affairs at the time of Eiri Amach na Casca and Cogadh na Saoirse, it is easy to guess at political motivations behind some of the criminal activities found in the plot.
The author's Quaker/pacifist beliefs are evident in the character of the amateur detective, Athelstan Digby, who opposes capital punishment and rearmament, the latter being very topical as the writing and publication of the novel coincided with the Geneva Disarmament Conference of 1932-34.
For me this adds interest to a plot which has a number of weaknesses. We know the mastermind behind the crimes from about the halfway point, and, while there are a few twists, it then becomes a battle of wits or rather a comedy of errors, until the case is resolved.
Overall there is a lot to be enjoyed here. The characters are well-realised, the humour is light but not fatuous, and the easy style propels the reader through some of the less believable parts of the plot.
3.75 stars.
August 18, 2024
This 1934 mystery novel has been recently re-issued in the British Library Classic Crime series. Harvey is better known for his horror stories, but he wrote a few mysteries.
This story has a clever premise. Athelstan Digby has come to Yorkshire to visit his nephew. He agrees to look after the bookstore on the ground floor of his lodgings while his hosts attend a funeral. During the afternoon, three different men visit the store and ask if he has a copy of John Bunyon's 1680 novel, "The Life and Death of Mr. Badman". He does not, and he finds it extremely odd that he would get three seemingly unrelated requests for this obscure volume.
A young boy then comes to the store and sells a copy of the book to Digby. That night the book is stolen from the store. The next day, one of the three men who asked for the book is found dead on the moors.
The rest of the novel is not as enjoyable. There is a fairly complicated plot involving blackmail. It becomes clear pretty quickly who the villain is. There are several thriller type episodes, including a kidnapping. The ending is not very satisfying.
There is also a faint aroma of anti-Catholicism. Digby, our hero, is a strong and firm Protestant. There are some very seedy Catholics.
I suspect the book was chosen for reprinting because there is a popular fancy for "biblio-mysteries" these days. The beginning scenes at the bookstore are well done, but it plays no real part in most of the novel.
This story has a clever premise. Athelstan Digby has come to Yorkshire to visit his nephew. He agrees to look after the bookstore on the ground floor of his lodgings while his hosts attend a funeral. During the afternoon, three different men visit the store and ask if he has a copy of John Bunyon's 1680 novel, "The Life and Death of Mr. Badman". He does not, and he finds it extremely odd that he would get three seemingly unrelated requests for this obscure volume.
A young boy then comes to the store and sells a copy of the book to Digby. That night the book is stolen from the store. The next day, one of the three men who asked for the book is found dead on the moors.
The rest of the novel is not as enjoyable. There is a fairly complicated plot involving blackmail. It becomes clear pretty quickly who the villain is. There are several thriller type episodes, including a kidnapping. The ending is not very satisfying.
There is also a faint aroma of anti-Catholicism. Digby, our hero, is a strong and firm Protestant. There are some very seedy Catholics.
I suspect the book was chosen for reprinting because there is a popular fancy for "biblio-mysteries" these days. The beginning scenes at the bookstore are well done, but it plays no real part in most of the novel.
March 3, 2023
Very happy this book has been reprinted, the title captured my attention and the story was much more heart-warming than I anticipated. Mr. Digby goes on a little vacation and ends up following a thread of a peculiar incident of three people looking for a particular book. Digby’s son, a doctor, and a young lady join forces in trying to figure out what is going on and discover there is quite a bit at stake.
A book that has thoughtful approach to story-telling. It has action and patience and I would have loved to have had another book with Mr. Digby! It’s a mystery that includes murder, and political intrigue. It also includes quite a bit human interest as well.
A book that has thoughtful approach to story-telling. It has action and patience and I would have loved to have had another book with Mr. Digby! It’s a mystery that includes murder, and political intrigue. It also includes quite a bit human interest as well.
February 18, 2023
I really enjoyed it, it’s perfect escapist reading. I especially liked the rather surprising choice for head amateur sleuth (they are a team of three), an elderly gentleman, wool merchant and an active member of the non-conformist wing of the Protestant church. There’s more political intrigue in it than bibliomystery, and it could do with more of action and speed.
November 12, 2022
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January 16, 2023Enjoyed this mystery - concerning a book, secrets & Yorkshire moors...
July 20, 2023
This is an interesting novel to pick apart.
It wants to live its life as both a whodunit, and a suspense novel. But never at the same time.
For the first part, it works as a fairly promising whodunit; what is more, the little cadre of amateur sleuths are, in the early part of the book, very adept at figuring out the small assortment of sinister and dangerous villains' aims, tricks, and next moves. Smart, plucky heroes...but perhaps a little too good at anticipating creepo behaviour, and detecting sinister icebergs from mere malicious, exposed tips. So, suspense is sort of held up by the good guys handling the bad guys just fine - overall, I mean.
Then, just as it becomes clear - I would say to both the reader and the detectives, at around the same time - that this could be one of the world's easiest murder mysteries to solve, the whodunit is solved relatively early, while suspense takes monumental leap forward, because suddenly the baddies win every point. Our likeable sleuth team - splitting up -are suddenly unable to foresee a darn thing when it comes to the machinations of the villains as they attempt final schemes to procure the book everyone wants, and unable to avoid walking into violent traps. Before, the goodies did everything right and the baddies couldn't steal second base it it was brought to them with a bow around it -and then, for the last section of the novel, no mystery but plenty of suspense, because the evil-doers are bursting with brilliant schemes and the heroes don't have a clue. This was the best part of the book, as far as I'm concerned; although, even the slickest bit of skullduggery the creep team pulls was figured out by me - or at least pondered as possibility - before the hornswoggled poker-abouter smacked his forehead and realized the trick. So, yeah - even when this book was at its most mysterious, and later on at its most suspenseful, I found it easy to spot what was around the corner. Very amusing at times, even so.
It wants to live its life as both a whodunit, and a suspense novel. But never at the same time.
For the first part, it works as a fairly promising whodunit; what is more, the little cadre of amateur sleuths are, in the early part of the book, very adept at figuring out the small assortment of sinister and dangerous villains' aims, tricks, and next moves. Smart, plucky heroes...but perhaps a little too good at anticipating creepo behaviour, and detecting sinister icebergs from mere malicious, exposed tips. So, suspense is sort of held up by the good guys handling the bad guys just fine - overall, I mean.
Then, just as it becomes clear - I would say to both the reader and the detectives, at around the same time - that this could be one of the world's easiest murder mysteries to solve, the whodunit is solved relatively early, while suspense takes monumental leap forward, because suddenly the baddies win every point. Our likeable sleuth team - splitting up -are suddenly unable to foresee a darn thing when it comes to the machinations of the villains as they attempt final schemes to procure the book everyone wants, and unable to avoid walking into violent traps. Before, the goodies did everything right and the baddies couldn't steal second base it it was brought to them with a bow around it -and then, for the last section of the novel, no mystery but plenty of suspense, because the evil-doers are bursting with brilliant schemes and the heroes don't have a clue. This was the best part of the book, as far as I'm concerned; although, even the slickest bit of skullduggery the creep team pulls was figured out by me - or at least pondered as possibility - before the hornswoggled poker-abouter smacked his forehead and realized the trick. So, yeah - even when this book was at its most mysterious, and later on at its most suspenseful, I found it easy to spot what was around the corner. Very amusing at times, even so.
December 25, 2023
Enjoyable and drolly English bookish mystery that begins with three different men asking our hero, a blanket salesman (Martin Edwards notes that this is, as far as he knows, which I think means "as far as anyone knows," the only mystery novel with a blanket salesman for a hero) filling in at the local booksellers', for a John Bunyan novel. Oddly structured narratively, in that we find out who did it about halfway through, but it's not what Edwards calls an "inverted mystery," in that it doesn't start with the commission of the crime. I thought maybe there'd be a climactic revelation that the guy who we've been led to think did it actually didn't (a la the virtuoso display of solutions in Berkeley's Poisoned Chocolates Case)...but no, he did. The very English names include Wilfrid Pickles, Robert Hughes-Jones, and Euphemia Upstart, perhaps a clue that Harvey is not taking this whole endeavor entirely seriously, as are little asides like this: "Mr. Digby was emphatically a man of peace. He advocated drastic reductions on naval and military expenditure. He was not ashamed of being called a little Englander, but he was no pacifist. The present occasion was pre-eminently one that called, if not for the knuckle-duster, at least for the iron hand in the velvet glove; and in the fender he noticed a serviceable-looking poker, that might well be adapted for his purpose." Not the greatest or cleverest mystery I've ever read, but a perfectly fine diversion.
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March 19, 2025Delightfully subtitled “a Yorkshire bibliomystery”, this is another great premise: the splendidly named Athelstan Digby, a humble blanket manufacturer, is on holiday visiting his nephew on the North York Moors. One day he agrees to mind his landlord’s shop, which happens to sell secondhand books, and receives three separate requests for John Bunyan’s The Life and Death of Mr. Badman—not in stock until the very end of the day, when a young lad sells him a parcel of secondhand books containing that very title. Soon after, one of the customers who’d inquired for the title is found shot dead on the moor, and Athelstan—plus his doctor nephew, Jim Pickering, and the delightful Diana Conyers, who Jim seems to have met during the first world war when she was a V.A.D.—determines to investigate. This is mostly a novel about politically motivated blackmail, and less a novel about books as murder-worthy objects in their own right, but the character interactions are marvelous. I would love to read more fiction featuring Athelstan Digby; sadly I don’t think Harvey wrote any more novels including him.
May 1, 2023
An enjoyable anachronistic fiction
This book is full of anachronisms which show the way we, of the 21st century might have often discarded the baby with the bathwater. I mean that in removing outmoded beliefs from the hard won philosophy of our 'enlightenment', we might just have forgotten the morals that were shaped in the centuries leading up to this one.
Often depending on almost miraculous deductions the stalwart protagonists solve the dilemmas and save the day. It is hardly an 'edge of the seat' story, but nevertheless it kept my interest and because I was able to skate over the bits that made me wince, I enjoyed it, and felt a better person for having known and agreed with these characters. On the other hand it is an unlikely set of events, the characters are from a different century, a different world that no longer exists and their actions are often questionable in the legal and moral sense. This is fiction in the truest sense of the word and one wonders, was this world ever really like this.
This book is full of anachronisms which show the way we, of the 21st century might have often discarded the baby with the bathwater. I mean that in removing outmoded beliefs from the hard won philosophy of our 'enlightenment', we might just have forgotten the morals that were shaped in the centuries leading up to this one.
Often depending on almost miraculous deductions the stalwart protagonists solve the dilemmas and save the day. It is hardly an 'edge of the seat' story, but nevertheless it kept my interest and because I was able to skate over the bits that made me wince, I enjoyed it, and felt a better person for having known and agreed with these characters. On the other hand it is an unlikely set of events, the characters are from a different century, a different world that no longer exists and their actions are often questionable in the legal and moral sense. This is fiction in the truest sense of the word and one wonders, was this world ever really like this.
November 6, 2023
Mr. Athelstan Digby is minding the bookshop for his landlord in the village of Keldstone one afternoon, when three different people come in looking for the same book which he hasn’t got on the shelves (namely Bunyan’s allegorical novel, “The Life and Death of Mr. Badman”). If that weren’t coincidence enough, that very title does show up, shortly before closing, brought in by a young man selling a stack of books his employer. Clearly there is some mystery here tied up with the book, but what? Middle aged Mr. Digby is joined in his investigations by his physician nephew Jim and the well-connected Diana Conyers.
This was a short and entertaining mystery/thriller set in the 1930s. It starts as a mystery but half way through becomes a thriller as the reader knows who they “bad guy” is and the plot becomes more a game of cat and mouse between Digby and the “other side”. While the politics and morals expressed in the novel might raise eyebrows now, I found that Mr. Digby was, in his way, a very upstanding man and true to his principles.
This was a short and entertaining mystery/thriller set in the 1930s. It starts as a mystery but half way through becomes a thriller as the reader knows who they “bad guy” is and the plot becomes more a game of cat and mouse between Digby and the “other side”. While the politics and morals expressed in the novel might raise eyebrows now, I found that Mr. Digby was, in his way, a very upstanding man and true to his principles.
December 26, 2023
First sentence: When at two o'clock on a sultry July afternoon Athelstan Digby undertook to keep an eye on the contents of the old bookshop in Keldstone High Street, he deliberately forgot to mind his own business.
Premise/plot: This one is a vintage mystery from the 1930s. Athelstan Digby, one of our protagonists, is on holiday. He's temporarily minding a bookshop--while the owners are away for a day (possibly one day and one night). He has THREE people come in and all ask for the same book--The Life and Death of Mr. Badman by John Bunyan. He finds this strange, strange, super-strange. Events in the small village soon reflect this, Athelstan and his nephew, Jim, soon find themselves amateur detectives trying to solve multiple crimes--including murder.
My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. It reminded me of all the reasons I love vintage mysteries, particularly British mysteries. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. I loved the bookish plot. I loved finding a new-to-me author. Definitely recommended.
Premise/plot: This one is a vintage mystery from the 1930s. Athelstan Digby, one of our protagonists, is on holiday. He's temporarily minding a bookshop--while the owners are away for a day (possibly one day and one night). He has THREE people come in and all ask for the same book--The Life and Death of Mr. Badman by John Bunyan. He finds this strange, strange, super-strange. Events in the small village soon reflect this, Athelstan and his nephew, Jim, soon find themselves amateur detectives trying to solve multiple crimes--including murder.
My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. It reminded me of all the reasons I love vintage mysteries, particularly British mysteries. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. I loved the bookish plot. I loved finding a new-to-me author. Definitely recommended.
March 12, 2024
What an irresistible main character! Mr. Athelstan Digby is a respectable middle-aged blanket manufacturer, a conservative and a pacifist, a loving uncle to his young nephew, Dr. Jim Pickering, and an undemanding lodger above the Lavenders' Bookstore. When the Lavenders have to go out for the day, Mr. Digby offers to mind the store for him. And to his surprise, no fewer than 3 people, 2 of them incurring his opprobrium, come and ask for a very specific book, "The Life and Death of Mr. Badman" -which does not arrive in the bookstore until a few hours later, brought in by an errand boy and originating from a clean-out at a local worthy's bookshelves. And in that book, a rather scandalous letter is found that could get the addressee, a successful politician, into major trouble. Mr. Digby smells blackmail! But even worse: the 2 disreputable characters who asked after the book are found soon found dead, and Mr. Digby, Dr. Pickering and young Diana begin to realize they are dealing with a very wily and slippery bunch of characters.
Very enjoyable!
Very enjoyable!
September 14, 2026
A strange start but an intriguing story with likeable and interesting characters.
There was a good mix of characters, an easily identifiable and unliked villain and a lot of humour. I liked both Digby and Jim, they were intelligent but also fallible, you find yourself being wowed at their deductions and ideas, but also shouting at their over confident and naive behaviour. My mind was suspicious of Diana, but she shows herself as a useful and necessary character. The supporting characters are great in their gossipy trustfulness and outright villainy.
One distracting point in the book was that after traumatic and violent experiences characters would make the time to grab a “quick” meal, drink or shower rather than rush to escape or warn the others.
The ending did start to get a bit too complex with too many threads going on, while feeling rushed, which is why I didn’t rate it as highly as I would have at the 75% mark.
There was a good mix of characters, an easily identifiable and unliked villain and a lot of humour. I liked both Digby and Jim, they were intelligent but also fallible, you find yourself being wowed at their deductions and ideas, but also shouting at their over confident and naive behaviour. My mind was suspicious of Diana, but she shows herself as a useful and necessary character. The supporting characters are great in their gossipy trustfulness and outright villainy.
One distracting point in the book was that after traumatic and violent experiences characters would make the time to grab a “quick” meal, drink or shower rather than rush to escape or warn the others.
The ending did start to get a bit too complex with too many threads going on, while feeling rushed, which is why I didn’t rate it as highly as I would have at the 75% mark.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2026
What this reminds me of more than anything is one of the Tintin books that are set around Marlinspike or generally the less exotic books in the series. It’s a crime story of a sort, but is more of a romping thriller, zipping around the country with incredibly likeable characters and a villain who is both far more interesting than most whilst also being a despicable rotter. Occasionally Mr Digby’s politics get a bit weird and muddled, but you can overlook those because for the most part this is a complete joy. The best thing about it is the romantic pairing are both completely believable and utterly lacking in cliche. They both know each other of old, have a lot of respect for each already and slowly that becomes something else. It’s a small thing, but it feels organic and that Harvey was particularly trying to ensure it wasn’t just a glib happy ending thrown at the book like you so often get in books of this era. Wonderful stuff
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