What Dread Hand: A Collection of Short Stories

by Christianna Brand

Fifteen perfectly constructed tales of death both well-planned and chaoticMr. de Silva begins the day sipping his coffee, reading the Times , and trying to decide how to murder his wife. After two years of marriage, he’s simply fed up, and has decided to move on to someone younger, slimmer, and prettier. The trouble is, he wants to keep his wife’s money. Killing her is the neatest solution. So begins “The Rose,” a three-page masterpiece that was the first story Christianna Brand ever wrote for publication. Over the next half-century she would write dozens of novels and countless short stories, proving again and again her genius for crisp characterization, witty dialogue, and timely bits of violence. This collection holds some of her finest early work—tales of murders committed for money, jealousy, or simply for something to do. Though the crimes often go awry, there is nothing quite so charming as a vintage Brand homicide.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Anthologies

223 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Christianna Brand (December 17, 1907 - March 11, 1988) was a crime writer and children's author. Brand also wrote under the pseudonyms Mary Ann Ashe, Annabel Jones, Mary Roland, and China Thomson.

She was born Mary Christianna Milne in 1907 in Malaya and spent her early years in India. She had a number of different occupations, including model, dancer, shop assistant and governess.

Her first novel, Death in High Heels, was written while Brand was working as a salesgirl. In 1941, one of her best-loved characters, Inspector Cockrill of the Kent County Police, made his debut in the book Heads You Lose. The character would go on to appear in seven of her novels. Green for Danger is Brand’s most famous novel. The whodunit, set in a World War 2 hospital, was adapted for film by Eagle-Lion Films in 1946, starring Alastair Sim as the Inspector. She dropped the series in the late 1950s and concentrated on various genres as well as short stories. She was nominated three times for Edgar Awards: for the short stories "Poison in the Cup" (EQMM, Feb. 1969) and "Twist for Twist" (EQMM, May 1967) and for a nonfiction work about a Scottish murder case, Heaven Knows Who (1960). She is the author of the children's series Nurse Matilda, which Emma Thompson adapted to film as Nanny McPhee (2005).

Her Inspector Cockrill short stories and a previously unpublished Cockrill stage play were collected as The Spotted Cat and Other Mysteries from inspector Cockrill's Casebook, edited by Tony Medawar (2002).

Series:
* Nurse Matilda
* Inspector Charlesworth
* Inspector Chucky
* Inspector Cockrill

Reviews

[Nightwitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories range from mystery to horror (some with combinations of both). They are all clever and well-written, but knowing Brand's tendency for twist endings makes some of them a little too solvable - the short story format doesn't allow for enough red herrings.

[Pat · Rating 1 out of 5]

not my cup of tea

I think they’re supposed to be horror. But to me they were just silly. I gave up once. Then tried again. So I guess I’ll just give up personally. I wonder if her books are of this type also.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this collection of short stories by Brand. It was a great introduction to her work. I will definitely continue to seek out her other works. Highly, highly recommended.

[John Fetzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mix of short stories.that mostly involve the detective Cockrill, but sometimes only briefly or as a secondary character.

[Little Red Readinghood · Rating 4 out of 5]

well crafted short stories. Mysteries some with a touch of horror.