The Measure of Malice: Scientific Detection Stories

by Martin Edwards (Editor)

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder

The detective's role is simple: to catch the culprit. Yet behind each casual observation lies a learned mind, trained on finding the key to the mystery. Crimes, whatever their form, are often best solved through deliberations of logic—preferably amid complicated gadgetry and a pile of hefty scientific volumes.

The detectives in this collection are masters of scientific deduction, whether they are identifying the perpetrator from a single scrap of fabric, or picking out the poison from a sinister line-up. Containing stories by R. Austin Freeman, J. J. Connington and the master of logical reasoning, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Measure of Malice collects tales of rational thinking to prove the power of the human brain over villainous deeds.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Crime, Anthologies, Classics, British Literature

336 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2019

About the author

Martin Edwards has been described by Richard Osman as ‘a true master of British crime writing.’ He has published twenty-three novels, which include the eight Lake District Mysteries, one of which was shortlisted for the Theakston’s Prize for best crime novel of the year and four books featuring Rachel Savernake, including the Dagger-nominated Gallows Court and Blackstone Fell, while Gallows Court and Sepulchre Street were shortlisted for the eDunnit award for best crime novel of the year. He is also the author of two multi-award-winning histories of crime fiction, The Life of Crime and The Golden Age of Murder. He has received three Daggers from the Crime Writers’ Association and two Edgars from the Mystery Writers of America and has also been nominated three times for Gold Daggers. In addition to the CWA Diamond Dagger (the highest honour in UK crime writing) he has received four other lifetime achievement awards: for his fiction, short fiction, non-fiction, and scholarship. He is consultant to the British Library’s Crime Classics, a former Chair of the CWA, and since 2015 has been President of the Detection Club.

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Editor Martin Edwards has done it again: His latest anthology — this time focusing on Golden Age short stories featuring what was at the time the latest in forensic innovation — contains quite a few gems.

While it’s hard to pick a favorite, I have to settle on “The New Cement” by Freeman Wills Crofts — even though I have to eat crow to admit it. I had read a short story of Croft’s before in a previous Edwards anthology, and then tried Mystery in the Channel, which I found lackluster. I will have to give Croft, who I’ve been avoiding like the plague, another chance!

R. Austin Freeman’s Dr. John Thorndyke is always a treat, and so he is here in “The Content’s of a Mare’s Nest.” J.J. Connington’s “After Death the Doctor,” John Rhode’s “The Purple Line” and Edmund Crispin’s “Blood Sport” were also wonderful. H.C. Bailey’s “The Broken Toad” would have convinced me that I needed to track down more books featuring surgeon and Home Office consultant Reggie Fortune; however, luckily, I’ve already devoured Call Mr. Fortune.

Of course, some of the short stories are better than others. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Boscombe Valley Mystery is serviceable, but not up to Conan Doyle’s usual standard. The rest, while not in the top tier, were still worth a read, although Ernest Dudley’s cantankerous Dr. Morelle in “The Case of the Chemist in the Cupboard” pretty grating. What a self-involved bully Dr. Morelle is! Still, another great anthology to enjoy.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, British Library and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the better of these BL Crime Classics anthologies as all the stories have some genuine detecting of puzzles in them. All the same, it's clear why many of these authors have faded over time as they do what they do without any distinguishing marks. A fun and easy read, ideal for commuting.

[Calzean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable selection of short stories from the Golden Age of English crime writers all featuring some type of scientific tool to solve or conduct the crime. A mixture of the well known and less known writers.
I found it interesting that a lot of the authors had pen names, the characters all stopped for lunch or dinner, everyone had servants, women were very much the weaker sex and being murdered by dry ice was a shattering experience.
Dr Morelle was a highlight for me with his cringe worthy snobbish sexist language accompanied by poor Miss Frayle who seemed to be seething with ability but not permitted to shine. Two great characters for a social study.

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an anthology of stories with an element of science used to detect the crimes. As with all collections, some are better than others, predictably, my favourite here was 'In the Teeth of the Evidence' by D. L. Sayers and I plan to read her novels soon. I can see why some of these authors have disappeared into obscurity, but it's nice to be given the chance to sample them and see whether to try and track down more of their works.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest opinion*

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd read about half of these before, but the biggest issue is that one story was horrifically sexist. "Miss Frayle" who's a total ninny? Really? Even for the early 20th century, that's bad.

[HollyLovesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a pleasure to tread back into these stories of traditional British Crime Classics, like Sherlock Holmes and my favorite was by Dorothy L. Sayers. These are your more traditional "who done it" sort of stories, some were more entertaining and better written or more engaging than others. As with most collections, each story speaks to different people so the collection as a whole may suffer a bit because the stories are varying strengths in writing or tone.
Overall, I would recommend this as an good read and a nudge to pick up some of these authors works again.
#TheMeasureofMaliceScientificDetectionStories #Netgalley #BritishLibraryCrimeClassic #MartinEdwards #PoisonedPenPress

[Anjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rarely (if ever) review the individual stories in a collection of short stories but given the fact that my varying reactions to the several I encountered in this book, I had to split it up to give a more accurate picture of the book itself. It is a collection of stories where the detectives use 'scientific methods' to come to their conclusions. In some cases, the thought process is not as apparent as in some others.

The Boscombe Valley Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle [1891]

I have read this one before, and it was never one of the more intriguing ones (to my mind). It is a case of a man being found dead just after he has a quarrel with his son. Within a span of a few minutes, multiple things happen. Sherlock Holmes and Watson visit the place, and Sherlock analyzes the facts. It is a very swift analysis in comparison with some other narrations, and once you know or remember the solution, it does not hold the same thrill. (3 stars)
The Horror of the Studley Grange - L.T.Meade & Clifford Halifax [1894]
Elizabeth Thomasina Meade Smith and Edgar Beaumont are the names of the authors. It had an engaging narrative style, but the plot was very clear from the very beginning with the usage of certain words repeatedly. Dr Halifax is called to visit a woman's husband who she says will not see anyone for some strange thing plaguing him while the situation does not turn out to be that clear. I did not dislike the story only because of how the sequence of events rolled out. (3 Stars)
The Tragedy of a Third Smoker by C.J.Cutcliffe Hyne [1989]
The title is slightly misleading, but the overall story was surprising. The analysis that brings the story to light was also unexpected. A man is found dead in a compartment with a head wound, and the only other man (or was he?) in the compartment was seen leaving in a daze. The legal team required to build the case actually ends up confirming his role in the events that occurred. It was surprisingly simple and straightforward. Not all short stories end up this way. (4 stars)
The Man Who Disappeared by L.T.Meade & Robert Eustace [1901]
There is a Spanish woman with an English Step-daughter who wants a house for rent with precise specifications. This is handed to her when a new player is brought into the scene with information that might prove valuable. This was also pretty straightforward, but the resolution was not as satisfactory because it seemed too out of the blue. This, of course, is a very personal reaction to the solution. (2 stars)
The Cyprian Bees by Anthony Wayne [1924]
Dr Hailey is brought a bee a story to go with it, this leads to a set of conclusions which in turn leads to action being taken. That is the format of the narrative, and it involved a lot more questioning than the previous stories. The plot was not surprising, but the steady method of analysis had me reading it to the end. (3 stars)
The English Filter by C.E.Bechhofer Roberts[1926]
This story with the lead character who is named ABC Hawkes and is informed about scientific research that might interest him. What he finds instead is a sort of character study and the struggle to maintain power by an old man. I found the resolution and the idea behind it intriguing. If the concept genuinely existed, it would have made the world of mystery fiction more complicated. I did not guess the direction the story might take, and it had me curious till the very end. (3 Stars)
The Contents of a Mare's next by R.Austin Freeman [1927]
Half-way into the book, I started liking the author's narrative styles more, they seemed more along the lines of the stories I am used to typically enjoying. This was also an entertaining story. It is shown from the perspective of an Insurance man and a claim for a death. This then follows the chain of events following a death, certificates and such. I got my guess partially wrong, but the writing and the story itself was worth the read. (4 stars)
After Death the Doctor by J.J.Connington [1934]
Alfred Walter Stewart is the author's real name, and this story was about the death of a man at his table. There is a specific cast of possible suspects and innumerous reasons that people did not like the dead man. This cast is painstakingly examined, but the final revelation happens due to a chance occurrence which took away some of the zeal for me.  (3 stars)
The Broken Toad by H.C.Bailey [1935]
This started in a very different manner than the story actually went. It begins as a chance remark at a party and the story behind the comment is mentioned. The ending surprised me entirely because I was starting to settle into a know-it-all position about the resolution, and things did not turn out the way I thought they would! A policeman is found dead, and the circumstances are very odd. By a lucky chance, the oddity is further tracked and analyzed. (4 stars)


In the Teeth of Evidence by Dorothy L.Sayers [1939]
This particular story was the best of the lot for me. I have a feeling I should do my best to lookup more of the author's works because I have only read one so far. This has Sir Peter Wimsey going to a dentist's appointment and then tagging along to help identify a burnt body. Although I guessed the way the story was going to go, the short format not leaving much to speculation but it was still a lot of fun. (5stars)

11. The Case of the Chemist in the Cupboard by Ernest Dudley [1943]

Authors name: Vivian Ernest Coltman-Allen

This was an odd story, and a little abrupt but the characters introduced to us in the telling of it were fun. We have a grumpy boss with exacting standards who is scaring his assistant into submission when she finds a body and then loses it shortly after. The cracking of the case was not as startling because of the lack of numbers of people introduced to us, but the narration itself was the highlight. (4 Stars)

12. The Purple Line by John Rhode[1950]

This felt like a very swift story. There is a surprise discovery of a woman in a water butt, and the suspect is the husband, but he has a solid alibi. The tale then picks up from there and here too an odd random incident precipitates the revelation, but it was still entertaining (4stars)

13. Blood Sport by Edmund Crispin [1954]

Author's name: Robert Bruce Montgomery.

Although I did not measure the stories, I think this was the shortest of the lot. I was done before I knew it and knowing I had missed something I had to read it twice to see where that twist lay. When I did spot it, I found it highly entertaining, even though we are speaking of murder and murderers. (4stars)

14. The New Cement by Freeman Wills Croft [1955]

This final story was pretty straightforward. It jumps right into sabotage and then from there it is all about tracing the origins of the plot. (3 Stars)

Total Approx: 4 Stars

Sometimes it was the story, occasionally the writing and very few times it was the mystery plot itself that caught my attention. I am glad I gave it a shot, but for most of these authors, I think I might prefer their longer stories.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The clue’s in the clue...

Another collection of vintage crime from the winning partnership of Martin Edwards and the British Library, this one contains fourteen stories sharing the theme of scientific detectives or clues. There’s a lot of imagination on display as the authors seek to find unique problems to put before their detectives – everything from Sherlock Holmes and his expert knowledge of cigar ash, to laryngoscopes, anaphylactic shock, new-fangled “contact glasses” and a different twist on identifying corpses from dental records. There’s a mix of well-known authors, authors who are becoming better known again thanks to the work of Edwards and the BL, and a couple I’ve not come across before.

And as always, there’s a considerable variation in quality. In total, I gave just 3 of the stories 5 stars, but another 6 rated as 4 stars. There were a couple I really felt weren’t up to a standard to make them worthy of inclusion, and all the others came in around the 3 star mark. So not one of my favourite collections overall, but still with plenty to enjoy. The early collections in the BL Crime Classics series tended to have the settings as the theme – London, country houses, people on holiday, etc – while the more recent ones have focused on the type of mystery. It’s purely subjective, but I preferred the earlier themes – the settings allowed for a mix of motives and methods, whereas the later ones being centred on particular sub-genres of the sub-genre make the variety narrower, and often have the focus on alibis or clues rather than on the interactions of the characters. So it all depends on reader preference, as usual, and I suspect people who like this kind of story would rate some of the stories higher than I have.

Here’s a taste of a few that I enjoyed most:

The Boscombe Valley Mystery by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – it seems to be becoming a tradition that these anthologies kick off with a Holmes story and this is a good one. A man is murdered and his son is suspected, but Holmes quickly discovers there may have been a third person on the scene. It all hinges on footprints, cigar ash, and the dying victim’s last words... “a rat”!

The Horror of Studley Grange by LT Meade and Clifford Halifax – Lady Studley asks Dr Halifax to come to the Grange because she’s worried about her husband’s health. But Dr Halifax is equally worried about Lady Studley who seems to be very ill. This turns into a decent horror story, complete with ghostly apparitions, but in a scientific mystery it won’t surprise you to know the horror is of human origin. The whodunit is a bit obvious, but the detection of the how and why aspects is fun and it’s very well told.

In the Teeth of the Evidence by Dorothy L Sayers – I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion that I vastly prefer Sayers in short story mode than in her novels, probably because she gets to the point more quickly and so there’s less time for Lord Peter Wimsey to become annoying. This one is a fun story that begins when Lord Peter is visiting his dentist, who has been asked to identify a burned corpse from his dental records. Of course, Lord Peter tags along which is just as well, since he spots something the experts have missed! It’s played for laughs with a lot of humour around the horrors of dentistry and in the description of the victim’s awful wife. Very enjoyable and of course well written.

Blood Sport by Edmund Crispin – this is very short but good fun nevertheless. A woman is shot and the local lord is suspected, since apparently he was getting up to hanky-panky with the victim, who was no better than she should be. But the detective spots a discrepancy around the cleaning of a gun which sends him off in a different direction. Reminded me that I really must read more Crispin.

As always it includes an informative general introduction from Martin Edwards, plus mini-biographies of each of the authors. So if scientific clues and detectives are your thing, then there’s plenty in this to enjoy.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.

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[Puzzle Doctor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best BL collection to date.

[EuroHackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Any short story collection is inevitably going to be a mixed bag, but I thought this one was fairly consistently good. A collection of stories, published between 1891 and 1955, which focus on forensic or otherwise systematic scientific detection. There is a good mix of well known (Holmes, Wimsey) and obscure (Reggie Fortune, Doctor Morelle) detectives. Most of the stories feature a series character, but there are some standalones. I ultimately rounded down because the collection felt like it lost steam as it went on, the last two stories particularly underwhelming.

My favorites:
"The Horror of Studley Grange" by L.T. Meade & Clifford Halifax (1894)
"The Contents of a Mare's Nest" by R. Austin Freeman (1927)
"In the Teeth of Evidence" by Dorothy L. Sayers (1939)

[Tonstant Weader · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Measure of Malice is a fun anthology of classic mystery short stories from the Golden Age of Mystery. Martin Edwards has produced several editions for Poisoned Pen Press harvesting stories from authors who have been lost to the passage of time. This anthology focuses on stories with an element of science.

While Edwards includes a few of the most well-known authors like Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy Sayers. His primary focus, though, is on those who have been lost to time such as Robert Eustace, L. T. Meade, and H. C. Bailey.

Some of them are very clever such as “The Cyprian Bees” by Anthony Wynne and “The Broken Toad” by H. C. Bailey. “The Case of the Chemis in the Cupboard” on the other hand irritated me with the way the detective treated the woman who worked for him. “The New Cement” by Freeman Willis Crofts is pure genius.



I love mysteries and I love short stories. When they come together, in a package like The Measure of Malice I am thrilled. I think Edwards does an excellent job of finding a good mix of the famous and the forgotten and the various kinds of mysteries. I appreciate that Edwards did not define science to narrowly. This is is not CSI: The Golden Age. This is why I always look forward to his anthologies.

I received an e-galley of The Measure of Malice from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Measure of Malice at Poisoned Pen Press
Martin Edwards author site

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...

[Yibbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first saw this book, I knew that I would probably love it, just because it showcased my favorite aspect of early detective stories, the scientific detective. After all, wasn’t that the premise behind the early great detectives such as Holmes and Thorndyke? They were the experts who could test, measure, and analyze the truth out of the smallest baffling clue left by every criminal. This collection showcased those talents perfectly. I would recommend it to anyone who likes vintage mysteries.
It begins with a masterpiece of observation and analysis by Doyle and then follows up with a little tale of horror and level-headed skepticism by L. T. Meade. The following stories are equally puzzling. In some manner, they all rely on the detective’s knowledge of the cutting edge science of their day. Today, some of the science reads more like science fiction, but most of it is easily recognizable as the precursor of modern scientific methods. I enjoyed the glimpses of the early days of forensic.
There were very few ‘mild’ curse words.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press. No favorable review was required. It was my pleasure to provide my honest opinion.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sharpened pickax, a full water butt (barrel), a marline-spike, an obscure poison are all used (or maybe not used) for murder with A Measure of Malice in this new collection of British golden and silver-aged mysteries.

Fourteen more intriguing, but unfortunately forgotten, tales from famous (Arthur Conan Doyle) and not authors. The theme of these tales is unusual weapons and unique ways to prove the detectives’ suppositions All lean heavily on the new science of the day.

It’s amazing how casual we have become about science in 2020. DNA tests are cheap and available on almost any daytime talk or judge show. Fingerprints are accepted worldwide as evidence of guilt. But it wasn’t always that way. Return to the time when detectives had to use their brain to solve puzzles created by clever murders. The tales within A Measure of Malice recall the slower simpler times of the mid-1900s. Many of these stories are interesting more for their view of an unimaginable past than as a mystery to be solved by an armchair detective. As long as you are fine with that, you will enjoy reading these lost tales. They are perfect for a short break from work. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Mystica · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of short stories in the detective genre in the style of Sherlock Holmes.

The opening one is actually a Sherlock Holmes wonderful story and sets the tone and elegance of writing which is so characteristic for all the writers.

Apart from the style of writing which is calm and collected and not frenzied in the least despite the goriness of the actual murders, there is a great deal of intelligent detective skills utilized throughout and a measure of scientific deduction which adds to the interest.

Another great publication under the Classic Crime category.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy the British Library of Crime Classics short story collections, but this one--though the individual stories are entertaining--perhaps not so much. The stated theme is "Scientific Detection Stories," and some of the stories have little of the scientific in them save perhaps a fairly conventional discussion of ballistics, or a location (in a chemical laboratory in "The Case of the Chemist in the Cupboard"). Still, there's no need to let a line on the cover of the book ruin one's pleasure in some fine, and little known, short stories by marquee authors and those long forgotten.

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Verity W · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of murder mystery short stories all with some sort of scientific twist to them. There are some authors here I haven’t come across before along with some familiar names if you’ve read other BLCC titles and then two really big names in Conan Doyle and Dorothy L Sayers. Not being a Sherlock Holmes expert I can’t tell you if the story here is one of the better known ones, but I can say that the Sayers is a Wimsey that I have read before in one of the Wimsey short story collections, which probably isn’t a surprise, although it is a good one (even if I think bits of it clash with part of the first Paton Walsh continuation, but that’s a really nerdy point). All in all a good and varied selection.

[Phil Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of detection short stories from the 1890s to 1950s on the theme of science. Some are better than others - but overall a good set, inlcuding some writers I've never read before.

[Imogen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories I liked (7/14):

The Boscombe Valley Mystery - Arthur Conan Doyle

The Horror of Studley Grange - L T Meade and Clifford Halifax

The Tragedy of a Third Smoker - C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne

The Man Who Disappeared - L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace*

The Cyprian Bees - Anthony Wynne

The Contents of a Mare’s Nest - R. Austin Freeman

The Case of the Chemist in the Cupboard - Ernest Dudley

*Except the ending

[Shoshana · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like mysteries and crime stories and have not read any of the British Library Crime Classics you are missing out. Someone brilliant thought of reissuing gems from the past which had fallen into obscurity, and getting Martin Edwards to edit them. I have a read a ton of these, both the novels and the collections of short stories, and have thoroughly enjoyed them.

“The Measure of Malice” is one of the short story anthologies. There is always a theme to the collection, and in this case it is science. It was very interesting to see how and what writers from the past thought about scientific advances of their periods. I especially liked the stories by Dorothy L Sayers, (yay! Lord Peter Wimsey), Ernest Dudley, Edmund Crispin, and Freeman Wills Crofts. If the names of these authors, and the others in the book are not familiar, you have a wealth of interesting writers to discover. These were all big names in their time, and so worth rediscovering in the twenty-first century.

New writers are always coming along, so it is no surprise that when people pass away or retire from writing that they can fall into obscurity. But for those of us who love mysteries and crime stories it would be a true pity for these wonderful novels and stories to be lost forever. The British Library Crime Classics in the UK, and Poisoned Pen Press in the US have done mystery readers a real favor, and I, for one, thank them.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions are my own.

[Liz V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories from the Golden Age of Mystery, mostly by now forgotten authors. Each story is prefaced by a thumbnail sketch of the author, a surprising number of whom were doctors. Several have been characterized as "humdrum" and, for the most part, deservedly, although short stories don't afford an author much scope. Still, I found it interesting to read some of the less well known authors from that period.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A not bad selection of crime stories with a scientific twist. Not particularly special but not awful either. My favourite was "The Broken Toad" by HC Bailey.

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Boscombe Valley Mystery: Homes and Watson look into the death of a man whose son is accused of his murder. Review: typical Holmes story, included here due to his use of scientific means of looking at scene-of-the-crime footprints (remembering the tippy-toe prints inThe Hound of the Baskervilles.) ***

The Horror of Studley Grange: A woman enlists the aid of a doctor to help determine how ill her husband is since he is stressed by ghostly visits. Review: atmospherically set in an old house, but the solution is sort of lame and the motive behind the goings-on is plainly stupid and unbelievable. **

The Tragedy of a Third Smoker: A QC recounts how he was able to acquit a client accused of killing someone who was sure to be convicted. Review: OK story but some of the references were pretty obscure (like carpenter's bass, meaning a satchel. Although even the Internet doesn't mention this, but lists songs by The Carpenters featuring bass sections.) ***

The Man Who Disappeared: A lawyer recounts the tale of his friend who discovered gold in Brazil and was in danger from people he trusted who were after the map to the gold. Review: waaaay too long and drawn out and really silly. *

The Cyprian Bees: A doctor helps the police unravel a possible murder by bee sting. Review: another preposterous plot; it's certainly a different method of murder, but the helpful doctor had to be psychic to come up with his conclusions. *

The English Filter: A scientist visiting Rome gets involved in a locked room murder of a fellow scientist. Review: despite so many things in this story being completely bonkers, it's a fun romp. Although Martin Edwards' intro mentions the original story had a scene of the crime map, it is not included. The solution to the crime is appropriately impossible to believe and I think in a novel-length story, the referring to the main character as A.B.C. would become tiresome. ***

The Contents of a Mare's Nest: Dr Thorndyke is faced with the problem of determining if a death was natural even those the corpse had been cremated. Review: although it certainly fits into the theme of this collection, it was a little too scientific-methody for my taste; but the solution is clever. ***

After Death The Doctor: A miserly man is found dead and suspects include his nephews, his maid, his gardener, etc. Review: OK story, but the remarkable coincidence that allows the police to discover the killer is a stretch. ***

The Broken Toad: a doctor helps the police investigate the death of a beat-constable, leading to possibly unsolved murders on the policeman's beat. Review: nicely written except it was often hard to follow who was speaking; and why the doctor became so involved in the investigation was a mystery as well. ***

In the Teeth of the Evidence: Peter Wimsey and his dentist solve a case involving identified dentures. Review: a little too much dentistry, even if the whole plot revolves around it. A bit confusing how so many dentists are involved, but a fun story. ****

The Case of the Chemist in the Cupboard: An assistant to a man conducting an experiment discovers a body when she goes to buy acid needed by her boss. Review: as I read Martin Edwards' introduction, I thought I might have discovered a new Golden Age author since it was noted he wrote fourteen books featuring the doctor at the center of this story. But I won't be doing that since I found the character of Dr. Morelle a total jerk in the way he treats his female assistant, and probably others as well. Why the author chose to make his character so unlikable is the real mystery. Plus, I caught on to the telling clue about the killer immediately, which I hardly ever do. *

The Purple Line: an apparent suicide may not be. Review: ok story with a solution that I found confusing and not that plausible. Plus, I didn't know what a water-butt was before. **

Blood Sport: police investigate when a woman is shot through the head; but ballistics confuse the issue. Review: ok tale with a surprise. ****

The New Cement: Sgt French visits a sculptor and feels his friend is in danger. Review: ok story that's a bit of a stretch to believe. ***

This volume benefits from the introductions written by Martin Edwards. Some of the inclusions are ok, and I found the shorter ones more enjoyable.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The solving of murder in fiction has always had its challenges, and this book demonstrates one way of meeting it, with scientific method. This book of fourteen short stories edited by Martin Edwards is from the wonderful British Library Crime Classics series, and is a representative sample of various authors writing during a “Golden Age” of detective writing. Featuring well known authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy L. Sayers as well as stories by Ernest Dudley and J.J. Connington, all the murders are worked out by scientific method. As may be expected, those writers who favour detectives with medical or other training bring in their expertise. Happily each expert who spots an obscure poison or unusual clue has time to explain why they are significant and how they managed to work out who was the guilty party. An interesting introduction by Edwards shows how the need for variation in murder method occupied the minds of various writers, as admitted by Sayers, and two writers co authored these stories while Sayers herself drew on the scientific knowledge of a doctor, Robert Eustace, for an entire novel. In addition to the informative introduction there is also a short biography of each author putting the story in the context of their career and its original publication. I was pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this book.

Sherlock Holmes is the expert on methodical investigation, but in his story he has to call on various skills to find the truth. Lady Studley summons the assistance of an eminent doctor when her husband exhibits strange symptoms in a story which also contains elements of gothic horror. The very existence of bodies exercise some detectives when only tiny hints of the truth remain. Bees terrify and confuse with some reason in another story. Doctors and scientists are drawn into the search for the truth, even when they lack social skills. One extremely clever scientist seems to have an undue influence over his assistant, but she nevertheless manages to have some rather good ideas. There are elements of fluke as investigators spot a tiny detail of the murder scene and make discoveries on which to base their investigation. An ancient game proves significant, as specialist knowledge is not limited to chemicals. A cake recipe provides a clue in one case. Some professionals are happier to throw themselves into an investigation than others, as a murdered body can throw those who usually work with the living. Chemicals and their lie at the heart of many stories, and sometimes an investigator has to move fast in order to save lives.

This is a book which maintains interest as each story has to introduce characters and context, show a crime or a potential problem, and resolve it all within a limited space. This is especially so in the case of Edmund Crispin’s “Blood Sport” which draws on a particular little known scientific observation and thus identifies the culprit inside four pages. Some stories are more based on characters and the methodical examination of motive and then finding the means, however obscure, whereas others are based on the discovery of an anomaly. These short stories are all little gems, carefully chosen and happily made available once more, all based on the vital scientific detection of experts.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

2020 anthology edited by Martin Edwards. Short stories marked by the growth of forensic sciences between 1891 and 1955. These British short stories, while of a generally high quality, were products of their era and as such some are less readable than others based on vocabulary and current viability of the science in the story.

The detectives in this collection are masters of scientific deduction employing principles of chemistry, the latest technological innovations and an irresistible logical brilliance in their pursuit of justice.
01. Arthur Conan Doyle - The Boscombe Valley Mystery (1891) - Sherlock Holmes investigates the case of a young man accused of murdering his father.
02. L.T.Meade and Clifford Halifax - The Horror of Studley Grange (1894) - Dr. Halifax investigates a nightly apparition threatening to drive Sir Henry Studley mad.
03. C.J. Cutliffe Hyne - The Tragedy of a Third Smoker (1898) - A struggle in a railway car leaves one occupant dazed and the other dead of a head injury. An open and shut case except that the dazed man won't plead guilty and the QC decides to investigate.
04. L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace - The Man Who Disappeared (1901) - A man enters a mansion against police advice. When they enter with a warrant, three hours later, he is nowhere to be found.
05. Anthony Wynne - The Cyprian Bees (1924) - Doctor takes the clues of a woman dead of a bee-sting and a box containing 4 bees, and Holmes-like deduces that it was murder and the characteristics of the killer.
06. C.E. Bechkofer Roberts - The English Filter (1926) - Scientist solves a murder using optography (already widely questioned) and kottabos - an ancient Sicilian game.
07. R. Austin Freeman - The Contents of a Mare's Nest (1927) - Dr. Thorndyke investigates a possible case of insurance fraud, but the body's been cremated.
08. J.J. Connington - After Death the Doctor (1934) - A chance discovery at his doctor's office, allows Inspector Dronfield to cast doubt on an intricate alibi.
09. H.C. Bailey - The Broken Toad (1934) - Reggie Fortune looks into the poisoning death of a constable. A complex chain of clues bring him to a surprising conclusion.
10. Dorothy L. Sayers - In the Teeth of the Evidence (1939) - Lord Peter Wimsey accompanies his dentist to the identification of a burn victim and gets involved in the forensic investigation.
11. Ernest Dudley - The Case of the Chemist in the Cupboard (1943) - Arrogant Dr. Morelle looks into a missing chemist after his assistant, Miss Frayle, has had a fright.
12. John Rhode - The Purple Line (1950) - Inspector Purley is not satisfied that a woman drowned herself in a rain barrel.
13.Edmund Crispin - Brood Sport (1954) - DI Bumbleby investigates the murder of a pregnant woman with her former employer's gun.
14. Freeman Wills Crofts - The New Cement (1955) - Sup't French visits an old friend, a sculptor, and is suspicious of a new modeling material he received in the mail.

[Leila Mota · Rating 2 out of 5]

Até agora esse foi o livro de que menos gostei da série de histórias de detetive da era de ouro britânica editada pela British Library. Começou bem com uma história de Arthur Conan Doyle, sempre um clássico. Alguns autores já são conhecidos de outros livros da coleção, outros não, e um que não apreciei é L. T. Meade (na verdade, um pseudônimo adotado por Elizabeth Thomasina Meade Smith, o que lamento, pela própria personalidade da autora, uma feminista nascida em 1844!).
As histórias não fizeram muito sentido para mim. Talvez porque como o próprio editor declarou, o aspecto científico não tenha envelhecido bem em alguns casos. Talvez em todos. Esse é um aspecto que sempre me chama a atenção, mas em outros livros essa questão tenha se equilibrado pela engenhosidade do investigador. Sabemos que em histórias de quase um século atrás não é possível contar com todo o suporte técnico de que se dispõe hoje, mas também sempre me pareceu que o foco das histórias do gênero era a esperteza do detetive, com a qual rarissimamente posso competir. Mas nessa coletânea, o foco é exatamente a "ciência", e por se tratar de histórias curtas, ele é realmente ressaltado.
Daí que às vezes sequer consigo entender o mecanismo do recurso "científico" utilizado, de tão obscuro. E às vezes é realmente absurdo, como a proposição de que a retina "fotografa" a última imagem visualizada e que poderia ser possível extraí-la.
Em outros casos me incomodou a postura. Já sabemos que quando se lê um texto de séculos passados a chance é grande de se deparar com todo tipo de posturas e preconceitos que nos deixam desconfortáveis hoje. Por exemplo: antissemitismo, racismo, machismo, e outros (infelizmente, achávamos que esses comportamentos tinham ficado no passado, mas não é o caso). Mesmo assim, me incomoda profundamente ver um personagem descrito como "negro repulsivo", ou com o bullying de um pretensioso cientista para com sua assistente. Decência deveria ser atemporal. Sei que não é, mas pelo menos posso apontar sua ausência.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Measure of Malice edited by Martin Edwards is one of the more enjoyable short story collections that I’ve read. It contains 14 stories in which scientific/technological methods are used in the detection of crime. There is an excellent introduction by Martin Edwards with information about the authors, five of whom were doctors, two were engineers and one was an academic chemist.

As always with short story collections some stories are better than others. I’m highlighting a few of the better ones here:

The Boscombe Valley Mystery by A Conan Doyle was originally published in the Strand Magazine in October 1891, and is the first short story to feature Inspector Lestrade. It’s a solid story, solved by Sherlock Holmes by inspecting and analysing the footprints and signs at the scene of the crime.

The Horror of Studley Grange by L T Meade and Clifford Halifax (1894), from Stories for the Diary of a Doctor, originally published in the Strand Magazine. I enjoyed this one although it was pretty easy to predict. Ostensibly a ghost story, the solution involves the use of a laryngoscope.

After Death the Doctor by J J Connington, a Scottish professor of chemistry. This one was first published in 1934, involving a contemporary scientific gadget. The doctor in question is Doctor Shefford who together with Sergeant Longridge, investigate the murder of old Barnaby Leadburn, found dead with his throat cut.

The next two are the ones I enjoyed the most:

The Broken Toad by H C Bailey, first published in 1934, featuring the surgeon and Home Office Consultant, Reggie Fortune as he considers the death of a police constable from poisoning. I enjoyed all the detailed complications and Bailey’s literary mannered style of storytelling.

In the Teeth of the Evidence by Dorothy L Sayers, first published in 1939, about forensic dentistry, which starts as Lord Peter Wimsey is sitting in his dentist’s chair. The police had just visited the surgery, wanting to see his predecessor’s records to identify the victim of a burnt out garage. An upper right incisor crown and the filling in a molar provided the clues to his death. Gory if you actually visualise what is involved!

[Charles Sheard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection is less successful than the other short-story collections in the British Library Crime Classics series, because the central theme tying them together (science) has progressed so greatly since the time these stories were written. In some cases, the so-called science was never well-grounded or accepted at all, and in other cases it has become such an every-day part of modern life (e.g., contact lenses) that it no longer holds the novelty, or "wow" factor that it might have had at the time. Add to that the fundamental problems I have with short story crime fiction (the lack of time to properly layer the narrative elements, let alone develop characters), and many of these stories turn on a simple gimmick that is less than satisfactory. The three I enjoyed the most were Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Boscombe Valley Mystery", R. Austin Freeman's "The Contents of a Mare's Nest", and H.C. Bailey's "The Broken Toad".

[Debra Davidson-Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting group of short stories linked by the use of science with the work of detection. Beyond some Agatha Christie, this isn't my usual area of interest so all the stories were new to me and I found most of them held my interest although I felt the standard of writing was a little patchy - some were really good and others less so. I think that might be because as early C20th pieces some of them have aged better than others. The lovely sense of period adds an extra element of interest on top of what are occasionally slightly underwhelming plotlines and the collection offers a great deal of variety in tone and period ranging from the 1920s to the 1950s.
Without going through each story, The Boscombe Valley Mystery was my favourite, although all of them, being fairly bite-size, were well worth reading and work well as a commuter read or a short read before bed.
It's worth three and a half stars but as I can't award that I've opted for 3.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Poisoned Pen Press has published a number of excellent mystery anthologies, of which this is one.  This collection includes stories about cases that were investigated and solved using science and technology, as it existed when each story was written. 


A knowledgeable introduction is followed by stories from writers who are both well and lesser known.  Some of the authors represented are Conan Doyle, Dorothy L Sayers and Freeman Wills Crofts.  There are fourteen stories in all.


If you find that you sometimes have trouble concentrating on a novel, this book provides a nice alternative with its stories.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.