The Dinner Club

by H.C. (Sapper) McNeile

A fascinating collection of tales, including stories related by members of a select club consisting of an actor, a barrister, a doctor, a soldier, a writer and an 'ordinary man'. Each member of this club is obliged to entertain his fellows to dinner from time to time, after which he relates a story connected with his profession or trade - the only penalty is a donation to a worthy charity should he fail to keep his audience awake. Readers of these excellent stories may rest assured that there is no such danger.

152 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1923

Reviews

[Simon Mcleish · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Sapper", the pseudonym used by H C McNeile, was best known for his early twentieth century thrillers, most notably those which featured his hero Bulldog Drummond. But this is a much gentler book of short stories, the first six having a framing device where each person at a dinner party tell a story - this device was barely used for the first six tales, and disappeared completely for the remainder of the stories. Given the date of the book, and the upper class nature of the storytellers, it is unsurprising that it contains references which are likely to cause offence, in a rich white man's world of "hunting and shooting on the Irrawaddy", but apart from this admittedly large caveat, this is both readable and less formulaic than Bulldog Drummond.

[Neer · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engrossing collection of stories by an author I had not read earlier. First read of the year 2018.

*

First Line: On a certain day in the year of grace 1920, there came into being a special and very select club.

Source: Faded Page

[Katherine Spivey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love these short stories.

[Mark Rabideau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a excellent collection of short stories. The Librivox version is also excellently performed by Kirsten Wever

[Odessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Dinner Club" by Sapper is a delightful collection of mysterious tales, each with its own self-contained resolution at the end of every chapter. What's fascinating is how the characters and plots in different chapters initially seem interconnected, creating a web of intrigue. However, as you delve deeper, you realize that each chapter stands alone, offering a fresh and captivating mystery. The blend of mystery and romance throughout the tales adds an extra layer of allure, making this book a must-read for fans of both genres. Sapper's storytelling prowess shines through, creating an engaging and enjoyable reading experience.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of 12 short stories only the first 6 of which use the framing device of stories told by a group of friends at a dinner club. The device is underdeveloped anyway and the stories are what matters, that said the proper Dinner club stories are generally consistently better than the others only the last The Man Who Could Not Get Drunk being up to the earlier stories standard.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

read SOMETIME in 2008