Reading the Detectives discussion

Hard to believe, but it's time to nominate for our January 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.

Just one nomination per group member, please. Looking forward to more great suggestions!

Suddenly, I have lots of books that I have come across which I would love to nominate, but I am going to go with:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles



"Beware! Peril to the detective who says: “It is so small – it does not matter…” Everything matters.’

After the Great War, life can never be the same again. Wounds need healing, and the horror of violent death banished into memory.

Captain Arthur Hastings is invited to the rolling country estate of Styles to recuperate from injuries sustained at the Front. It is the last place he expects to encounter murder. Fortunately he knows a former detective, a Belgian refugee, who has grown bored of retirement …

This is the first Poirot mystery and could be good company to our first Miss Marple novel? You decide...

Hmm I was wondering about finishing the Sayers off by having The Documents in the Case - just to round things off as it were!

Great suggestion, Hilary :)

Well, I'll go with third time's a charm, and try Fer de Lance one more time. It's come in second twice, so let's give it one more chance to win!

Fer-de-Lance

Everyman wrote: "Well, I'll go with third time's a charm, and try Fer de Lance one more time. It's come in second twice, so let's give it one more chance to win!

Fer-de-Lance"

I'll second the nomination. It's still waiting on my iPod.

Hilary wrote: "Hmm I was wondering about finishing the Sayers off by having The Documents in the Case - just to round things off as it were!"

This book says written by Dorothy L. Sayers and Robert Eustace. who is Robert Eustace?

I will confess I have no idea! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...

Documents in the Case was her only crime novel not to feature Lord Peter Wimsey and is an epistolary novel. Sounds good, I would like to read it.

It was co-written - I read one link which said it was a pseudonym, which shows you need to be careful of believing what you see on the internet!

Thanks for the Wikipedia link which gives a bit of info about him, Hilary.

There's some info in the DLS biography I read recently about how he helped Sayers with her research but I don't remember if he actually wrote much of the book. I'm also not sure if I've read this one - if so it was a long time ago!

Susan wrote: "It was co-written - I read one link which said it was a pseudonym, which shows you need to be careful of believing what you see on the internet! .."

Well, I'd misremembered and thought he was a non-fiction author, but seems in fact he mainly collaborated on mysteries! I'd also like to read this one.

I read it years ago. Didn't really care for it that much. I worked in a law office and it seemed to remind me too much of work.

If I recall, much of it was letters but I think some of it had to do with court documents.

But I may not be remembering properly - it was 30+ years ago.

I haven't read it, but it sounds interesting. It would be good to compare a LP mystery with one without him. I must admit to a fondness for epistolary novels though :)

Interesting about the mention of Robert Eustace. I hadn't heard of him until this year, when I listened to on Librivox. I'd read Mrs. Meade's books for girls before, but didn't know she wrote any mystery. All of her mystery/thrillers were cowritten with Eustace, apparently.

Anyway, it was interesting, but also downright creepy. Talk about a memorable villainess...

Hannah, I don't think I've read any Mrs. L.T. Meade, but she certainly sounds interesting from her Goodreads biography.

I had heard of A World of Girls: The Story of a School but didn't know she was the author - it sounds like the sort of book I would have loved as a kid, when I was a big fan of the Chalet School books etc. Indeed I'm quite tempted now :)

Does anyone have any more nominations for January? I'd like to put the poll up on Sunday.

Judy wrote: "Does anyone have any more nominations for January? I'd like to put the poll up on Sunday."

No, I want to read one of the books already nominated. :)

Susan wrote: "Suddenly, I have lots of books that I have come across which I would love to nominate, but I am going to go with:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

[bookcover:The Mysterious Affair at ..."

Mysterious Affair is available on Kindle (US) for $1.99 until 11/30.

Sadly not on the UK site, Jan, but thanks for posting. There is a nice, dramatised audio version if anyone subscribes to audible?

If anyone is able to download the episode from whatever TV system you use (it is available on Sky On Demand for example), or wants to get the DVD, Styles is Episode 1 Series 3.

Jan C wrote: "Susan wrote: "Suddenly, I have lots of books that I have come across which I would love to nominate, but I am going to go with:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles
..."

This is one of the very few Christie books that is in the public domain. You can get a free ebook edition from several sites; here is the link to the Project Gutenberg edition:

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/863

Thanks, Leslie! It's not in the public domain in the UK - here it will be in copyright for another 30 years. I wonder if public domain rules will eventually be harmonised in different countries?

Thanks also to Susan for mentioning the audiobook, and the TV adaptation. I'm quite tempted to start watching the Poirot and Miss Marple adaptations, since I haven't seen very many of them.

I like the Joan Hickson Miss Marple's. They are also on Sky and are quite faithful to the books, as I recall.

Susan wrote: "I like the Joan Hickson Miss Marple's. They are also on Sky and are quite faithful to the books, as I recall."

For me she is the best Miss Marple by far! I do enjoy the Margaret Rutherford movies but they are quite different from the books...

Oh yes, very different. She was a sort of female Peter Ustinov...

The poll is now up - just 3 choices this time, but they are all great ones!

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

Yes, they certainly are. I will happily read any of these.

I've read them all, although I don't think recently.

I have read the Poirot, not the DLS's. Not so keen on Fer-de-Lance, but I'll give it another try if it wins.

I'm not sure if I have a copy of the DLS book, I know I have paperback copies of all but one of the Wimsey books plus another book of short stories featuring LP. I recall reading the book as the blurb sounds familiar.
Not really interested in reading either of the others though :(

Never mind, Jay-me, maybe you can join in with the Miss Marple challenge or, failing that, suggest a buddy read which does interest you?

Very close in early voting - this could be another tight race! I've read Fer de Lance but not the other two. I'd be happy to discuss any of the three!

Yes, very close vote again. Three good options, as you say, Judy.

Still tied - if you haven't voted already, then I urge you to do so and break the deadlock :)

if it is a dead heat do we read both?

Hilary, good question - it hasn't happened so far in this group! Not sure if we would read both or have a run-off, but will let you know if it is looking like a tie towards the end of voting...

Hmmm, it looks like there is a winner. I think of struggling again with Nero Wolfe with a sinking heart, but I will try...

I wasn't keen on Fer-de-lance first time round either, but have since totally fallen under Wolfe and Archie's spell from reading other
books in the series, so I may now enjoy it more!

Sorry if I'm being dim, but are you saying that it is the winner?

It's now well in the lead but voting hasn't closed yet...

Susan wrote: "Hmmm, it looks like there is a winner. I think of struggling again with Nero Wolfe with a sinking heart, but I will try..."

Oh, dear. The idea of Nero Wolfe sinking a heart is heartwrenching. I'm reading through several of his books as my current bedtime reading (they're almost all, if not all, out on Kindle now and my library has them for free loan), and enjoying myself immensely. The only problem is that it's hard to stick to the limited amount of time I have agreed with my wife that is all I will take before turning out the light.

Everyman wrote: "Susan wrote: "Hmmm, it looks like there is a winner. I think of struggling again with Nero Wolfe with a sinking heart, but I will try..."

Oh, dear. The idea of Nero Wolfe sinking a heart is heartw..."

Each time you have nominated it I have voted for it, but changed my vote when there was no chance of it winning, but I have so looked forward to an excuse for starting this new series!

I have read it previously, for another group, so technically I guess I don't need to re-read. I will be able to join in the discussion if it wins. It's a popular choice as it has nearly won several times.

I'll vote for the Nero Wolfe mystery Fer-de-lance . I've been attempting to read this book multiple times but I just never got into it like the other NW books but if this book is chosen for the discussion next year, I'll probably stick to it and read the whole book through this time.

It's probably been about 10 years since I last read it.

I was sure I'd read it with BYT's, Jan. A group I've sadly lost touch with through just being so busy and having too many books to read.

We read a later book, possibly The Red Box. I didn't read it yet because I was just starting The Rubber Band, the book that comes before it.

Oh, I know I read the first one, perhaps with the intention of reading on - as I don't like reading books out of order. However, I stopped at book one and don't think I will get beyond that.

Well, I think this one might be the second book.

Jan C wrote: "Well, I think this one might be the second book."
This is the first Nero Wolfe book.

I'm about a third of the way through the re-read (re-re-re....read), and am a bit surprised to find that Stout did such a good job of initial character creation and development that it reads almost like it was number 20 or so in the series. One or two very minor differences I'll get into when the spoiler thread is open, but unlike many series where the author is inconsistent over 20 or 30 books, Stout doesn't seem to be.

I do think it's a touch of genius to be able to create characters that can stand up to so being in so many books over so many years and still remain interesting and fresh.

Everyman wrote: "Jan C wrote: "Well, I think this one might be the second book."
This is the first Nero Wolfe book.

I'm about a third of the way through the re-read (re-re-re....read), and am a bit surprised to f..."

I think I had the edition that first and second books. Just as I have the edition that combines the third and fourth books. The Rubber Band/The Red Box 2-in-1.