Reading the Detectives discussion

I can hardly believe that it's already time to nominate books for our April group read!

You are welcome to nominate books by Golden Age authors, or titles which were written later but are set during the Golden Age. Happy nominating!

I'd like to nominate Appleby's End by Michael Innes

by The Detection Club

Is there any set rule in this group about the time period when the mystery was written? I’m absolutely thrilled to see that Michael Innes (possibly my favorite author, especially in his J.I.M. Stewart identity) is included.

If we can go that late in time, I’d nominate The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin. Available in paperback and on Kindle.

Abigail, there aren't any set rules - I think the Golden Age is quite a vague idea anyway timewise. Crispin's book was published in 1946 which is fine - great nomination.

Three great nominations already. I'd be very interested to read the Michael Innes book too, or the Detection Club one.

Abigail wrote: "Is there any set rule in this group about the time period when the mystery was written? I’m absolutely thrilled to see that Michael Innes (possibly my favorite author, especially in his J.I.M. Stew..."

The Moving Toyshop is one of my top 10 mysteries of all time. Great choice!

Edmund Crispin is just too funny!

Information Received

In his London townhouse, city magnate Sir Christopher Clarke is found lying murdered. At the other end of the house his safe hangs open and rifled, and earlier in the day he had visited his solicitors in order to make a drastic change in his will. Later it is discovered that there has been fraud connected with the dead man, and this is but one of the many complications with which Superintendent Mitchell is faced. Fortunately he has the assistance of young Constable Owen, a talented young Oxford graduate who, finding all other careers closed to him by the ‘economic blizzard’ of the early thirties, has joined the London Police force.

Information Received is the first of E.R. Punshon’s acclaimed Bobby Owen mysteries, first published in 1933 and the start of a series which eventually spanned thirty-five novels.

Have not read these, but am interested in trying some different Golden Age authors, as well as those I already love.

I've never heard of Punshon. Found that one of them, The Bittermeads Mystery, is available on Gutenberg, so will try it.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1888/1...

Though I must say that the writing of the first paragraphs seems amateurish. The content is fine, but I think his style is going to wear me out fairly quickly. But maybe it will grow on me.

As I said, I haven't tried this - but I think someone mentioned them a while back. The series ran to 35 books, so perhaps the author got less amateurish in time :)

Susan wrote: "As I said, I haven't tried this - but I think someone mentioned them a while back. The series ran to 35 books, so perhaps the author got less amateurish in time :)"

I'm more into it, and although the writing is still fairly crude, the story is grabbing me.

I'm a big Maigret fan. Recently I obtained one of the early books, #4, The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien by Georges Simenon. Relatively short. And Simenon is very readable.

I'm completely torn between all the suggestions so far, but as there has been a lot about Punshon in The Golden Age of Murder I think he might get my vote - though there's still time for more nominations between now and the 15th!

Any more nominations? I'll put the poll up for Monday.

The poll is now up! It will be open until February 27.

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/1...

Thanks, Judy! Another month with great nominations to choose from.

For those who don't recognise it in the poll, Information Received is the one by E.R. Punshon.

Thanks, HJ and Susan! If anyone doesn't recognise any of the book titles, if you click on the 'comments and details' link just below the poll you can see the book titles and the author names. I wish Goodreads showed all this right in the poll, though.

In early voting, Punshon is just one vote ahead of Crispin. ..

I have both for The Moving Toyshop but I was also quite tempted by The Floating Admiral, have seen a few of those books. The one I fancy reading is Six Against the Yard has anyone read that?

Not yet, Michelle, but I would like to read them all. The Anatomy of Murder looks interesting, with authors looking at real life crimes.

I have read as well as and and enjoyed all three!

They look different and clever so I'm tempted, but I'm not a huge fan of short stories which is what is putting me off a bit. You get into them and they end. I'm not enjoyed Poirot or Marple short stories despite loving their books.

But six against the yard has dropped to £2.99 on kindle UK so I might be tempted.

Six Against the Yard is a set of short stories, the other two are collaboration stories

Hilary wrote: "Six Against the Yard is a set of short stories, the other two are collaboration stories"

I've just ordered a paper copy of Six Against the yard, ordered in paper so I can pass onto my aunt afterwards.

We have a winner! It was a very close poll this month, but our April read will be The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin.

Full results were:

The Moving Toyshop (Gervase Fen, #3) 10 votes, 45.5%
Information Received 9 votes, 40.9%
Appleby's End (Sir John Appleby, #10) 2 votes, 9.1%
The Floating Admiral 1 vote, 4.5%
The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien (Maigret, #4) 0 votes, 0.0%

Looking forward to re-reading this one.

Pleased to read it!


Would an idea be to have another poll - say after six months worth of group monthly reads - comprised of those books which came second and/or had a large number of vote but didn't win? Then the close seconds get another chance of being read as a group. Members wouldn't need to nominate that month but could have a fresh vote for which of the 'also rans' they wanted to read that month.

Thanks for the suggestion, Michelle, it's something we'll bear in mind for the future.