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Kill Joy
Elisabeth Sanxay Holding was an American novelist and short story writer who primarily wrote detective novels in the hardboiled school of detective fiction. Raymond Chandler called her “the top suspense writer of them all.”
Maggie could see no reason for leaving the comfortable town house in the middle of night, and travelling over bumpy roads until morning.
Romantic Miss Dolly presumably knew what she was doing.
But when they reached their destination, Maggie was more certain than ever that the whole thing was a mistake.
A ramshackle dirty cottage by a lake with only two young men in it, of whom Maggie instantly disapproved.
No one else around—until the lawyer appeared. But then, he was only there so short a time. . . .
In "Kill Joy," also published as "Murder is a Kill-Joy," Elisabeth Holding demonstrates more than ever her talent for creating endearing heroines, who manage to involve themselves in sinister situations.
Maggie could see no reason for leaving the comfortable town house in the middle of night, and travelling over bumpy roads until morning.
Romantic Miss Dolly presumably knew what she was doing.
But when they reached their destination, Maggie was more certain than ever that the whole thing was a mistake.
A ramshackle dirty cottage by a lake with only two young men in it, of whom Maggie instantly disapproved.
No one else around—until the lawyer appeared. But then, he was only there so short a time. . . .
In "Kill Joy," also published as "Murder is a Kill-Joy," Elisabeth Holding demonstrates more than ever her talent for creating endearing heroines, who manage to involve themselves in sinister situations.
- GenresMystery
193 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 15, 2020
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
77 books34 followersElisabeth Sanxay Holding (1889-1955) was born and brought up in New York and educated at Miss Whitcombe's and other schools for young ladies. In 1913 she married George Holding, a British diplomat. They had two daughters and lived in various South American countries, and then in Bermuda, where her husband was a government official. Elisabeth Sanxay Holding wrote six romantic novels in the 1920s but, after the stock market crash, turned to the more profitable genre of detective novels: from 1929-54 she wrote eighteen, as well as numerous short stories for magazines. In 1949 Raymond Chandler chose her as 'the best character and suspense writer (for consistent but not large production)', picking The Blank Wall (1947) as one of his favourites among her books; it was filmed as The Reckless Moment in 1949 (by Max Ophuls) and as The Deep End (with Tilda Swinton) in 2001. After her husband's retirement the Holdings lived in New York City. Her series character was Lieutenant Levy. Holding also wrote numerous short stories for popular magazines of the day.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 8, 2020
1942 mystery, it is not Noir, but it is also not a cozy. Witty, and rather cynical.
Sanxay Holding likes to people her books with the rich/artsy types vs. down-to-earth Joe or Jill.
Here it is Maggie, a 19 year old Irish-American lass from Brooklyn. A maid in a NYC household, she wants to 'improve" herself, and gain life experience.
No one is so much "bad", but rather just as they are - hugely egotistical and drama queens.
You kind of see the deaths coming, but don't know until the end who the murderer is, or if there is even one!
Her characters are filled out nicely, and even when she presents you with some literary character cliche (the peasanty, manly artist) there is more to them than in most writer's characters.
Holding often sets her mysteries in the NE US (NYC and Long Island here). There is some mention the World War going on in plot, and also the troubled life of a displaced person.
Read as an ebook, part of an "Omnibus" that includes one other by her, a Thomas Dewey novel, and one by an author I have no idea about (Fletcher Flora????). Some typos in the dust-to-digital transfer of the text, but not too bad.
Enjoyable, although I prefer my mysteries to be "tougher". I have a few other titles by her in the ebook format, and will probably read a couple of them somewhere down the line.
Sanxay Holding likes to people her books with the rich/artsy types vs. down-to-earth Joe or Jill.
Here it is Maggie, a 19 year old Irish-American lass from Brooklyn. A maid in a NYC household, she wants to 'improve" herself, and gain life experience.
No one is so much "bad", but rather just as they are - hugely egotistical and drama queens.
You kind of see the deaths coming, but don't know until the end who the murderer is, or if there is even one!
Her characters are filled out nicely, and even when she presents you with some literary character cliche (the peasanty, manly artist) there is more to them than in most writer's characters.
Holding often sets her mysteries in the NE US (NYC and Long Island here). There is some mention the World War going on in plot, and also the troubled life of a displaced person.
Read as an ebook, part of an "Omnibus" that includes one other by her, a Thomas Dewey novel, and one by an author I have no idea about (Fletcher Flora????). Some typos in the dust-to-digital transfer of the text, but not too bad.
Enjoyable, although I prefer my mysteries to be "tougher". I have a few other titles by her in the ebook format, and will probably read a couple of them somewhere down the line.
Displaying 1 of 1 review