Reading the Detectives discussion

I'm working through a "bingo" game using the chapter headings in Martin Edwards The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books.



Each number refers to a chapter in The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books. The images are a detail from the cover image of a book mentioned in the chapter, with the exception of Chapter 3. I couldn't resist an image of Hercule Poirot for a chapter called The Great Detectives!

1. A New Era Dawns: cover detail from The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
2. The Birth of the Golden Age:: cover detail from The Mystery of the Red House by A.A. Milne
3. The Great Detectives: Hercule Poirot as played by David Suchet
4. Play Up! Play Up! and Play the Game!: cover detail from The Hog's Back Mystery by Freeman Wills Croft
5. Miraculous Murders: cover detail from Miraculous Murders anthology, edited by Martin Edwards
6. Serpents in Eden: cover detail from Serpents in Eden anthology, edited by Martin Edwards
7. Murder at the Manor: cover detail from Murder at the Manor anthology, edited by Martin Edwards
8. Capital Crimes: cover detail from Capital Crimes anthology, edited by Martin Edwards
9. Resorting to Murder: cover detail from Resorting to Murder anthology, edited by Martin Edwards
10. Making Fun of Murder: cover detail from Ask A Policeman by The Detection Club
11. Education, Education, Education: cover detail from Death on the Cherwell by Mavis Doriel Hay
12. Playing Politics: cover detail from The End of Andrew Harrison by Freeman Wills Croft
13. Scientific Enquiries: cover detail from Death of an Airman by Christopher St. John Sprigg
14. The Long Arm of the Law: cover detail from The Long Arm of the Law anthology, edited by Martin Edwards
15. The Justice Game: cover detail from Verdict of Twelve by Raymond Postgate
16. Multiplying Murders: cover detail from The Z Murders by J. Jefferson Farjeon
17. The Psychology of Crime: cover detail from Payment Deferred by C.S. Forester
18. Inverted Mysteries: cover detail from Portrait of a Murderer by Anne Meredith
19. The Ironists: cover detail from Family Matters by Anthony Rolls
20. Fiction from Fact: cover detail from The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey
21. Singletons: cover detail from Darkness at Pemberley by T.H. White
22. Across the Atlantic: cover detail from Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
23. Cosmopolitan Crimes: cover detail from Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon
24. The Way Ahead: cover detail from The Beast Must Die by Nicholas Blake

This is an open ended project - no deadlines! I'll probably read a lot of the British Library Crime Classics as part of it!

What a great idea! And quite an attractive board. Do the books in each category come from the Edwards book?

Sandy wrote: "What a great idea! And quite an attractive board. Do the books in each category come from the Edwards book?"

Sandy, that's my plan!

Love your board, Moonlight Reader, and what a fun idea! I know you said your TBR had exploded as a result of reading this - it will be great to see which books you choose to read and what you think of them.

Wow, Moonlight Reader. What a great idea! Looking forward to following your progress and choices.

Thanks, everyone! I did have fun creating the card - I am generally in love with the covers that the publisher is putting on the British Library Crime Classics series, so I was able to crop out details from a number of them! For the other square, it was fun to check out all of the editions of a particular book and decide which details might make a good bingo square.

Great idea, Moonlight Reader :)

Have you decided what to start off with, Moonlight Reader?

I decided to start with Chapter 8 - Capital Crimes (mysteries set in London), and have read:

Murder in Piccadilly by Charles Kingston, which I rated at 2.5 stars. I enjoyed about 85% of the book, but didn't like the ending, which dragged down the entire experience for me.

Murder in the Museum by John Rowland, which I rated at 3.5 stars. This one has mixed reviews, but I ended up really enjoying it. It's a bit madcap and silly, but enjoyable for me.

Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie, which was the best of the three that I read, even though I would not rank it as a top Christie. One of the side-effects of reading "lost" golden age authors has been to highlight Christie's skill. I have yet to find a reissue that is even close to a middling Christie. This was a reread for me - I read all 40 of the Poirot mysteries back in 2015. I can reread Christie endlessly, though, because she is just that good.

my last planned read for this square is the Edwards edited anthology Capital Crimes: London Mysteries, which I plan to buy tomorrow (it's payday).

I won't necessarily read multiple books for each chapter, but I have a weakness for London mysteries, so it was easy to do here!

Next up is Chapter 5 - Miraculous Murders

I am a huge fan of "locked room" style mysteries. Prior to starting the project, I read the BLCC anthology titled Miraculous Mysteries: Locked-Room Murders and Impossible Crimes, which was quite good. With the noteworthy exception of one total clunker, all of the stories were fairly enjoyable!

For this square, I am participating in a buddy read over on a different social media site, and we are going to be reading Murder of a Lady by Anthony Wynne. I am starting this one today!

Moonlight Reader wrote: "I decided to start with Chapter 8 - Capital Crimes (mysteries set in London), and have read..."

You've done a great job on filling that square, Moonlight Reader - the only one of your choices I've read so far is Capital Crimes, which I really liked.

The highlight for me was the early short story version of The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley, with a different solution from the one in the novel! I also liked the creepy non-Holmes Conan Doyle story.

Judy wrote: "The highlight for me was the early short story version of The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley, with a different solution from the one in the novel! I also liked the creepy non-Holmes Conan Doyle story. "

The Poisoned Chocolates Case is on Radio 4 Extra this weekend.

Thanks for mentioning the radio version of The Poisoned Chocolates Case, Ruth - I will hope to listen while doing some housework.

Moonlight Reader wrote: " One of the side-effects of reading "lost" golden age authors has been to highlight Christie's skill. I have yet to find a reissue that is even close to a middling Christie."

That's interesting to hear, Moonlight Reader - I will gratefully pinch this idea for a new thread, asking which "lost" GA authors are the best finds. I have found some that I like, but others have been a struggle.

I'm just reading one who I had seen compared to Sayers and, as you say about Christie, this author (Christopher Bush) is nowhere near the Sayers standard, although this is his first book to be fair.

I noticed Peter Drax has recently been re-published, Judy, although I haven't read him.

Judy wrote: "Thanks for mentioning the radio version of The Poisoned Chocolates Case, Ruth - I will hope to listen while doing some housework."

I've got a bit hooked on Radio 4 Extra lately as I've been listening first thing in the morning as an alternative to the rather depressing news stories on Radio 4. They do quite a few crime dramas.

Ruth wrote: "The Poisoned Chocolates Case is on Radio 4 Extra this weekend."

I loved this - I thought I had it solved (the penultimate solution)... but then that final twist!

Thanks for the nudge, Ruth.

Roman Clodia wrote: "Ruth wrote: "The Poisoned Chocolates Case is on Radio 4 Extra this weekend."

I loved this - I thought I had it solved (the penultimate solution)... but then that final twist!

Thanks for the nudge..."

Ooh, thanks for the heads up Ruth!

Well ain't this fun! I think I'm gonna

1. get a copy of this book!
2. read my way throughs these 100 stories!

Just discovered that I have this book. And have had it, apparently, for 5 years. I ought to find it one day and get to it. I am "actively" reading a couple of his other anthologies.