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The Crime of Miss Oyster Brown and Other Stories
A collection of eighteen crime stories, first edition hardcover with unclipped dust jacket, in very good condition. Jacket is slightly scuffed, and page block and page edges are tanned. Pages are otherwise clear and unmarked throughout. LW
274 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
79 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Peter Lovesey
295 books643 followersPeter Harmer Lovesey, also known by his pen name Peter Lear, was a British writer of historical and contemporary detective novels and short stories. His best-known series characters are Sergeant Cribb, a Victorian-era police detective based in London, and Peter Diamond, a modern-day police detective in Bath. He was also one of the world's leading track and field statisticians.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
September 29, 2012
This is another excellent collection of crime short stories. The title story is an absolute classic and kept me guessing until almost the end. There are both chilling and amusing stories in this collection but all deal with crime whether ancient or modern. I particularly liked the two stories with a supernatural element – ‘The Haunted Crescent’ and ‘Supper with Miss Shivers’.
All the stories in this collection are well plotted and well written. There are lessons to be learned in most of them about assuming you know what is happening when you do not have all the relevant information. I have never been that interested in crime short stories but Peter Lovesey’s writing is rapidly convincing me that short stories can be as well worth reading as novels.
All the stories in this collection are well plotted and well written. There are lessons to be learned in most of them about assuming you know what is happening when you do not have all the relevant information. I have never been that interested in crime short stories but Peter Lovesey’s writing is rapidly convincing me that short stories can be as well worth reading as novels.
July 20, 2019
Can a book by Peter Lovesey be anything but enjoyable?
October 2, 2020
Audible’s version of British author Peter Lovesey’s murder and mysterious tales read by some of Audible’s well known voices. I have not read any other of this author’s works before listening to this free sample of his short stories. His style grips the listener who keeps trying to guess the endings. Like many of Ruth Rendell’s tales, these are nothing like reading Ms. Marple stories.
December 26, 2022
These eighteen stories truly showcase the genius that is Peter Lovesey. All of them were tense, crisp, jarring, and occasionally highly enjoyable reads.
My favourites were~
1. The Crime of Miss Oyster Brown;
2. Being of Sound Mind;
3. The Haunted Crescent;
4. A Case of Butterflies;
5. The Lady in the Trunk;
6. Pass the Parcel;
7. You May See a Strangler;
8. The Curious Computer;
9. Supper with Miss Shivers.
This book is undoubtedly a jewel to be cherished by all lovers of mystery.
Highly recommended.
My favourites were~
1. The Crime of Miss Oyster Brown;
2. Being of Sound Mind;
3. The Haunted Crescent;
4. A Case of Butterflies;
5. The Lady in the Trunk;
6. Pass the Parcel;
7. You May See a Strangler;
8. The Curious Computer;
9. Supper with Miss Shivers.
This book is undoubtedly a jewel to be cherished by all lovers of mystery.
Highly recommended.
June 29, 2025
This review contains very light spoilers.
If you've read even one of my previous reviews of Peter Lovesey's work, you probably know what's coming. Or maybe you don't. After all, this is a set of short stories, rather than a full-length Peter Diamond mystery. Perhaps Mr. Lovesey's tremendous creativity and skill might fail to materialize in this shorter format?
Absolutely not.
If anything, his incredible imagination is even more on vibrant display across the span of these 18 brilliant stories (and his wonderfully personal introduction). The variety of plots, characters, and settings really showcase his talent. There's a story told in the 2nd person ("Youdunnit"), one that is an exchange of several letters ("The Pomeranian Poisoning"), a clever Sherlock Holmes adventure ("The Curious Computer"), and one that is a sustained monologue told by a single character ("Curl Up and Dye"). There's a hilarious story in which the all-knowing detective is convinced he has all the answers but is absolutely mistaken. I love the premise of that one because the detectives in stories like this are far more often infallible than they are completely wrong like this one. There are swindles (both successful and foiled), as well as mistakes that lead to murder and murders that lead to mistakes. And each story has a surprising twist that makes you want to reread it immediately. Through each tale, you are treated to Peter's incredible clarity of prose, as well as his sharp sense of humor. Here's a wonderful example about a libidinous suspect who is also a professional boxer (from "The Lady in the Trunk"): "Leftie's real name turned out to be Hooker, which was doubly appropriate for a boxer and fisherman, not to say gigolo." Ironically, my favorite of the bunch is probably "Ginger's Waterloo," which was actually not entirely his story at all but rather a collaboration with his son. The viewpoint of the narrator in that story is incredibly funny and very relatable, making the story particularly humorous and memorable.
A couple of personal asides: the concluding story is one that I'd read in another set of short stories. As a Christmas story, it showed up in The Usual Santas, and, in fact, it was the final exclamation point in that set of stories, as well. Didn't hurt my feelings to read it again. It's terrific. In addition, the very first Lovesey story I ever read was in an anthology called The Perfect Murder that I picked up 16 years ago. It featured a poisonous jellyfish in a hot tub, and I was delighted and amused to discover that this very concept was originally proposed by Peter in one of the stories in this set. It was certainly fun to revisit the plot twist that originally made me a Lovesey fan all those years ago.
One note about the Kindle version I read: there are numerous formatting errors in it that in some cases do actually confuse the manner in which the story was meant to be told. Paragraphs do not start where they should, which leads to characters appearing to say things that they did not. There are also a slew of misspellings, most of which are mere annoyances but some of which change the sense of the sentences in which they appear. And various pages which are meant to be left- and right-justified are sometimes just the latter, which is a very unusual way for a story to be presented and kind of slowed me down in places. I don't know if the printed version is the same, but a note at the very end of the book suggests at least some of the printed copies are rendered in superb condition, so I might suggest trying to find one of those instead of the Kindle version that I labored through.
In summary, I really enjoyed this wonderful set of outstanding stories. There's something for everyone in this superb collection, and each story is a gift in its own right from the incredibly talented Peter Lovesey. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.
If you've read even one of my previous reviews of Peter Lovesey's work, you probably know what's coming. Or maybe you don't. After all, this is a set of short stories, rather than a full-length Peter Diamond mystery. Perhaps Mr. Lovesey's tremendous creativity and skill might fail to materialize in this shorter format?
Absolutely not.
If anything, his incredible imagination is even more on vibrant display across the span of these 18 brilliant stories (and his wonderfully personal introduction). The variety of plots, characters, and settings really showcase his talent. There's a story told in the 2nd person ("Youdunnit"), one that is an exchange of several letters ("The Pomeranian Poisoning"), a clever Sherlock Holmes adventure ("The Curious Computer"), and one that is a sustained monologue told by a single character ("Curl Up and Dye"). There's a hilarious story in which the all-knowing detective is convinced he has all the answers but is absolutely mistaken. I love the premise of that one because the detectives in stories like this are far more often infallible than they are completely wrong like this one. There are swindles (both successful and foiled), as well as mistakes that lead to murder and murders that lead to mistakes. And each story has a surprising twist that makes you want to reread it immediately. Through each tale, you are treated to Peter's incredible clarity of prose, as well as his sharp sense of humor. Here's a wonderful example about a libidinous suspect who is also a professional boxer (from "The Lady in the Trunk"): "Leftie's real name turned out to be Hooker, which was doubly appropriate for a boxer and fisherman, not to say gigolo." Ironically, my favorite of the bunch is probably "Ginger's Waterloo," which was actually not entirely his story at all but rather a collaboration with his son. The viewpoint of the narrator in that story is incredibly funny and very relatable, making the story particularly humorous and memorable.
A couple of personal asides: the concluding story is one that I'd read in another set of short stories. As a Christmas story, it showed up in The Usual Santas, and, in fact, it was the final exclamation point in that set of stories, as well. Didn't hurt my feelings to read it again. It's terrific. In addition, the very first Lovesey story I ever read was in an anthology called The Perfect Murder that I picked up 16 years ago. It featured a poisonous jellyfish in a hot tub, and I was delighted and amused to discover that this very concept was originally proposed by Peter in one of the stories in this set. It was certainly fun to revisit the plot twist that originally made me a Lovesey fan all those years ago.
One note about the Kindle version I read: there are numerous formatting errors in it that in some cases do actually confuse the manner in which the story was meant to be told. Paragraphs do not start where they should, which leads to characters appearing to say things that they did not. There are also a slew of misspellings, most of which are mere annoyances but some of which change the sense of the sentences in which they appear. And various pages which are meant to be left- and right-justified are sometimes just the latter, which is a very unusual way for a story to be presented and kind of slowed me down in places. I don't know if the printed version is the same, but a note at the very end of the book suggests at least some of the printed copies are rendered in superb condition, so I might suggest trying to find one of those instead of the Kindle version that I labored through.
In summary, I really enjoyed this wonderful set of outstanding stories. There's something for everyone in this superb collection, and each story is a gift in its own right from the incredibly talented Peter Lovesey. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.
January 4, 2022
Traditional Christmas short stories
I loved these. They transported me back to my adolescence, when I used to read short stories around the holidays, ghostly ones, thrillers. Lovesy is a master of this ilk. Any of them could have been used for an Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode. I started listening to this on Audible first and then ended with the Kindle version. One small comment about the Kindle, the typesetting was odd, uneven. But it didn’t detract from the actual story, just made it seem like a galley print instead of a book.
I loved these. They transported me back to my adolescence, when I used to read short stories around the holidays, ghostly ones, thrillers. Lovesy is a master of this ilk. Any of them could have been used for an Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode. I started listening to this on Audible first and then ended with the Kindle version. One small comment about the Kindle, the typesetting was odd, uneven. But it didn’t detract from the actual story, just made it seem like a galley print instead of a book.
May 13, 2020
I have said before how much I dislike rating a book of collected stories. This book is one example way. They range from 1 to 4. So I have been fair as the lower was only one story and rate it on the remainder. Still worth a read as the author is Usually of a high standard.
November 29, 2021
Outside of Cabot Cove in the US (home of "Murder She Wrote"), where do most murders happen? Great Britain, of course. Places like Cambridge (Morse), Buckinghamshire (Midsomer Murders) and London (too many to count) must be frightfully scary, with people dropping like flies each week.
This collection of 18 mysteries were not all murder mysteries, but told with a British accent by multiple narrators, you never knew when someone was going to get hit with a candlestick in the conservatory. A diverting collection of mysteries with a twist at the end.
This collection of 18 mysteries were not all murder mysteries, but told with a British accent by multiple narrators, you never knew when someone was going to get hit with a candlestick in the conservatory. A diverting collection of mysteries with a twist at the end.
February 1, 2021
I find mystery short stories, even by a single author, are often a mixed bag, but Lovesey is a good writer and I enjoyed most of these. A variety of good narrators for the audiobook.
May 5, 2022
A delightful little collection of short crime/mysteries.
November 9, 2020
Fun listen of short murder mystery stories.
April 29, 2020
I loved most stories!
A some are just OK, but they are few and far between.
A some are just OK, but they are few and far between.
September 20, 2021
I expected a classic Agatha Christie-style murder mystery, but I was really pleasantly surprised - it was so quirky! I really enjoyed listening to this story (it is free on audible plus!), it was narrated so well but written in such a lovely style that was comedic but also very mysterious I was so curious about what was happening. It didn’t feel at all rushed like some other short stories I had recently read. This short story gets 5 stars from me, I loved the style and didn’t expect the ending!
Along with ‘The Crime of Miss Oyster Brown’, there are many other crime/mystery short stories in this same collection. They are all completely unrelated and so different in the way they are written, some are honestly so unexpected and I love not knowing what the next one will be like.
The only reason I haven’t given this 5 stars is that I skipped some of the short stories because I really didn’t love some of the voice acting on the audiobook, or the style of a few of the stories. The brilliant thing is that each one is so very different that it feels as if it is a composite of multiple authors, so it really doesn’t matter if you don’t like one or two.
How dyslexia-friendly is it?
The stories really are short, and I think they are really easy to follow. The writing styles vary a lot and so it is nice that you can skip some if you don’t get on with them.
Along with ‘The Crime of Miss Oyster Brown’, there are many other crime/mystery short stories in this same collection. They are all completely unrelated and so different in the way they are written, some are honestly so unexpected and I love not knowing what the next one will be like.
The only reason I haven’t given this 5 stars is that I skipped some of the short stories because I really didn’t love some of the voice acting on the audiobook, or the style of a few of the stories. The brilliant thing is that each one is so very different that it feels as if it is a composite of multiple authors, so it really doesn’t matter if you don’t like one or two.
How dyslexia-friendly is it?
The stories really are short, and I think they are really easy to follow. The writing styles vary a lot and so it is nice that you can skip some if you don’t get on with them.
April 30, 2022
Not One Boring Page!
The only bad thing about "The Crime of Miss Oyster Brown and Other Stories" is that the book has to end.
A fine and diverse collection of short stories with endings that remain with the reader for a while. An excellent selection for the mystery lover who would prefer a tale in a sitting or two as opposed to a few hundred pages. Peter Lovesey has a special talent for bringing the reader into the written page where they are actually a fly on the wall to all the tales as they are happening.
The only bad thing about "The Crime of Miss Oyster Brown and Other Stories" is that the book has to end.
A fine and diverse collection of short stories with endings that remain with the reader for a while. An excellent selection for the mystery lover who would prefer a tale in a sitting or two as opposed to a few hundred pages. Peter Lovesey has a special talent for bringing the reader into the written page where they are actually a fly on the wall to all the tales as they are happening.
February 12, 2021
I don't tend to read books that are a collection of short stories but I took a chance on this one. I am so glad that I did! I was drawn into each story! I could never guess the ending of each story. It was a fun read and I highly recommend it!! I am now reading another novel by Peter Lovesey just because I was so impressed with this read.
July 26, 2021
I listened to this audiobook over the course of a few days when I had terrible headaches as a way to distract myself, and for that, I am grateful. Ultimately, it just was not for me.
Three of the 18 stories stood out ("A case of butterflies," The lady in the trunk," and "The haunted crescent"), so perhaps just check those out instead.
Three of the 18 stories stood out ("A case of butterflies," The lady in the trunk," and "The haunted crescent"), so perhaps just check those out instead.
February 24, 2021
Great short stories
Mysteries and ghostly stories. I liked the haunted crescent best,because it combined a mystery with a story of a haunting in Bath, England. All the stories have twists. Enjoy
Mysteries and ghostly stories. I liked the haunted crescent best,because it combined a mystery with a story of a haunting in Bath, England. All the stories have twists. Enjoy
May 4, 2021
How fun to find a book of short mysteries to listen to. There is a big variety of stories. Some I would rate 3 and some 5! There are a couple that will stay with me for a while.. especially the Christmas one.. Pass The Parcel.
September 1, 2021
fun set of short mysteries, some murders, some not, but each fun to listen to (did the audio book) and the narrators did a great job of each. Some were more predictable than others, but some had surprising endings. Loved it!
November 3, 2022
2 A great collection of short stories. Some suburban shenanigans and crafty killings. Very clever with a lot of humour. There are a couple that will remain with me eg the sisters brown and the bear and the honey pot. Definitely recommended the normal crew.
December 8, 2022
Short stories often make good listening before bed - then I don't get so hooked into it as to be up half the night.
The majority of stories were well done. In limited space Lovesey creates unique characters and sufficient twists.
The majority of stories were well done. In limited space Lovesey creates unique characters and sufficient twists.
May 11, 2025
Good selection of short mysteries, with enough variety in content to remain amusing until the end. Some of the stories were quite easy to predict, but they were all well done in terms of a of plotting.
May 6, 2020
Entertaining and often witty, I enjoyed this collection a lot.
April 12, 2021
Fun simple twisty mystery stories.
April 12, 2021
Beautifully written mysteries with clever characters and unpredictable plots. I soaked up these stories on a nine hour car ride.....very entertaining!
May 27, 2021
Sweet mysteries with a touch of horror. The eponymous story is funny and somewhat reminiscent of Arsenic and Old Lace. The closing story is sentimental in a good way.
December 6, 2021
A collection of witty, tricky short mystery stories. Very entertaining!
December 30, 2021
Great find! Delightful batch of twisty crime stories. I've read a few Lovesey novels and enjoyed them, but the short stories are even better.
September 20, 2022
Some great short stories
September 26, 2022
Some really great short stories! I am surprised This author‘s works have never crossed my path before.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews