Reading the Detectives discussion

Welcome to our buddy read of the penultinate Nigel Strangeways mystery The Sad Variety .
This is the fifteenth in the series, first published in 1964.

The government's security department have asked private detective Nigel Strangeways to keep a discreet eye on Professor Alfred Wagley, a research scientist who is spending the Christmas holidays in the South-West of England. But someone else is also very interested in the professor and his work, and when his young daughter is kidnapped, Nigel finds himself in a race to avert a tragedy.

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

Did anyone else enjoy all the 1960s slang and pop culture in this book, especially with the character of Cherry?

She really reminded me of someone in either an Agatha Christie or a Ngaio Marsh book (a character called Cressy?) - I think both authors enjoyed mocking 60s slang, fashions etc, as Blake does here.

Surprising that Cherry turns out to be quite so young, and also from such a sheltered background. I'm not sure if we find out what happens to her in the end?

Yes, poor Cherry. One of those women doomed in GA books to be married for money and misused - rather like the young daughter of our lawyer in the P D James book this month too. Let's hope she has enough time to grow up and realise her own worth before tying the knot with some unworthy fortune hunter! At least her father, was it, cared enough to send someone to watch her and see what was going on?

Yes, let's hope so! I was slightly surprised that Nigel isn't a bit more concerned about Cherry when he finds out she is only 16.

I think it was her father who sent the private detective after her - although the detective seems to be mainly interested in how much he can earn from the case.

I think we've learnt that Nigel is not the most sympathetic character to women, but perhaps that reflects on the author...

That's a fair comment about Nigel's attitude, and the author's too, possibly. It will be interesting to see if the attitudes are different in his non-Strangeways books.

Hello -- Yes, there is very much a 1960s tone here, especially if you compare this book to Blake's best mystery titles from the 1930s and early '40s.

I agree with all on the societal slang and attitudes of Cherry (and her unsavory company-keeping with drug peddlars), and there's also the giveaway that the author is still adhering to good-wins-over-evil genre expectations while trying to create a gritty "realism" by various methods.

This includes mixing in some profanity, allowing Petrov to be disgustingly explicit in his threats (I was a bit nonplussed after a line involving nipples and a knife), and the queasy moment when blackmailed homosexual Paul Cunningham is attracted to Lucy now that she resembles a boy.

So: not your parents' Nigel Strangeways story. But Blake/Day-Lewis likely felt he needed to be grittier as that was the way spy fiction, and mystery fiction in general, was heading. It just makes an odd pairing, raw details mixed with a pretty standard genre story (and one that echoes his The Whisper in the Gloom of 10 years earlier).

I posted a review of The Sad Variety on my site today, for those interested:

https://www.jasonhalf.com/blog/book-r...

Thanks for moderating the reading group and giving me a reason to revisit the title. Cheers -- J.

Jason wrote: "It just makes an odd pairing, raw details mixed with a pretty standard genre story (and one that echoes his The Whisper in the Gloom of 10 years earlier)...."

Oh yes, thank you for the reminder that Whisper in the Gloom is the other one with children as main characters and some similarities - I had meant to look back and check which novel this was.

I think Blake is very good at writing about children, but I must agree the mix of moods doesn't work well. I felt the jauntiness of the portrayal of Lucy didn't go with the grimness of much of the plot. And I feel as if Nigel himself doesn't really fit in all that well with this type of material either.

Thank you for posting the link to your review, Jason - excellent as always with plenty of food for thought.

My review is here - I didn't enjoy the book much, so it is rather negative, especially in the spoilers at the end.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'll just copy the bit which is really the main problem I have with the book:

The whole kidnap plot seems full of holes to me and the characterisation of Elena is particularly weak. I can't believe that such a devoted stepmother would risk Lucy's life to save Ivan. I also don't see why she would need to - as a wife , she could surely find easier ways to steal or copy her husband's work. (Also, why couldn't she trust the Professor to help her try to save Ivan?)

Judy wrote: "I felt the jauntiness of the portrayal of Lucy didn't go with the grimness of much of the plot. And I feel as if Nigel himself doesn't really fit in all that well with this type of material either...."

Both good points, Judy. It's odd to see a cerebral detective that we recognize from classically structured puzzle mysteries get tossed into a strange thriller/espionage hybrid. I think that's one of the reasons why The Smiler With the Knife (one of my favorite Blakes) works so well - Nigel is offstage and it is Georgia who gets to tackle the Buchan-esque adventures! Because the genre and tone are so different than the previous mysteries, the author needed to give the central role to someone who wouldn't seem out of place within the story.

Thanks for sharing your well-formed review!

And as for the questionable kidnapping plot, perhaps my suspension of disbelief has been hardened (calcified?) by so many mystery stories that prefer a vibrant scenario to genuine real-world logic. I always see story set-ups like this one as: let the author set the rules and, as long as it doesn't pull the reader completely out of the story, then we are generally good.

That said, Elena's dueling maternal motives are hard to believe, and I had an even larger struggle with Annie Stott's bizarre change of heart at the end, where she tries to help Lucy escape! I know it was quasi-justified by Annie realizing Petrov was not in control/to be trusted, but it seemed completely at odds with her cold, misanthropic character until that moment.

And what is even stranger about that reformation: it really isn't needed. The plot could have played through with Annie still entirely on the evil side of the ledger to the same conclusion. To me, that was an odd choice.

I agree with you, Jason, regarding suspension of disbelief, though I did have a problem thinking Elena would sacrifice one child for another.

Jason wrote: " I always see story set-ups like this one as: let the author set the rules and, as long as it doesn't pull the reader completely out of the story, then we are generally good....."

I agree in general, but with this one I think it did pull me out of the story - as you say, Elena's duelling maternal motives were difficult to believe.

I had less problem with Annie's change of heart, because I thought it was an interesting contrast to Paul's. To start with he was just being dragged into the plot, but his real callousness is revealed as the story develops. Whereas Annie seems to be completely cold and hard, but questions her ideas when she sees real people suffering.

Jason wrote: "I think that's one of the reasons why The Smiler With the Knife (one of my favorite Blakes) works so well - Nigel is offstage and it is Georgia who gets to tackle the Buchan-esque adventures!..."

That's a great point - I remember enjoying Georgia's character in that one, and I agree she fits this type of plot more than Nigel, who as you say is rather cerebral. Perhaps Clare could have played more of a role in this one.

I liked Georgia as a character and was saddened she was so easily shuffled out of the series with a throwaway line about her death.

I am intrigued by Cecil Day-Lewis and keep meaning to read his biography, as it may throw more light on his characters, many of whom, I believe were taken from people he knew.

At its best, this is a fantastic series, but I am always less fond of the GA forays into criminal gangs and espionage. It's why I think I struggle so much with Campion.

Great comments from all!

Susan, I think the Strangeways series is really well-written and highly enjoyable, and you can tell that the writer is in command of the language, even if Day-Lewis saw his detective books as mainly a means of income and not artistic accomplishments. (I find it impossible to believe that a writer or artist who has high standards would not work to make his or her genre writing as strong as possible -- I feel that's definitely the case here.)

Judy and Sandy, you are right about Elena's motivation. Lucy was introduced as a step-daughter, I believe, not a biological one? I think that's part of the "male" writer view to explain how she could have more maternal passion for child Ivan over Lucy, but it's still flawed emotional logic.

Judy, I like your contrast of character arcs between Paul and Annie very much, and can see how Annie's change makes her character more dimensional. I think I wasn't convinced about that motive/logic ascribed to her; it would have been easier for me if Annie the pragmatist saw the plan unraveling and came to hate the ineffectual Petrov for that, as well as realizing she could save herself if she became a last-minute guardian to Lucy. But that's me rewriting and adding my own Variety!

You are correct, Jason. Lucy was Elena's step-daughter and Ivan the son that she had left behind, believing he was dead. I felt sorry for Elena and thought she behaved bravely at the end.

Paul was an interesting character, although there was an unpleasant homophobic vibe around his behaviour. I would have preferred he'd been braver, but I fear that many GA books have these stereotypes. Christianna Brand is also guilty of this.

Thanks for confirming about Lucy's relationship, Susan. I like Judy's comment a lot about viewing Paul and Annie as two conspirators on two different trajectories, one who becomes weaker and one who finds more independence and strength.

Yes, I chalk up Paul's characterization in part as a product of the times, with the throughline being that he will never be "man" enough to act in an admirable (non-cowardly) way.

On a side note, I'm very happy to see that some readers are discussing the Bobby Owen books of E.R. Punshon. Years ago I collected most of them in Gollancz hardcover or ragtag paperbacks, and read more than a dozen over time. I may jump in on the next group reading and revisit the modest policeman on his adventures.

Jason, Death of A Beauty Queen is our next Bobby Owen read, scheduled for December. Jump in wherever you want; our insightful comments are always available and your additions are welcome.

Yes, it will be great if you can join in on Bobby Owen, Jason - and perhaps even show us some of your vintage book covers to go with your comments!

I would not normally do this but I have just copied my review here.

A very disappointing book by a very good writer. It reiterates my conviction that mystery writers should not try to write thrillers, especially ones involving spies. The plot involves the kidnapping of a scientist’s daughter to get his secret. But the plot is ludicrous. If the secret (of which few details are given) is not important, then who gives a damn? If it is, the security arrangements before and after the kidnapping are woeful. On top of it, the villains are super stereotypical. A sadistic Russian, an inefficient and pitiful homosexual and a credulous and naive true believer spinster. This book reiterates my feeling that with a few honourable exceptions, the English and American authors do not write Russian characters well.

Thank you for sharing your excellent review, Bicky. Must agree with your comments about the lack of security - Nigel on his own really isn't enough to guard this vital scientific invention, and staying at the guest house immediately creates all sorts of security problems.

I also agree that the villains were pretty stereotyped - this especially struck me with the evil Russian (I can't remember his name), who is over the top and not at all believable as a person. I can see that Paul and Annie are also quite stereotyped, as you say.

Yes, definitely stereotypical characters. As I mentioned before, it was almost a novel that I felt I shouldn't enjoy, but I loved it - got completely caught up in the story. I will be sad to come to the end and interested to hear everyone's favourite books in the series.

I agree with your criticisms, Bicky, although like Susan I felt the story kept my interest, despite credulity problems in the extreme. (But I'm also one who reads Ian Fleming and thinks, an exotic supervillain bent on world destruction living on an island who will force James Bond to battle a giant squid? I'll go along with that provided the story is entertaining and immediate enough.) But agreed on your problems with characters and premise!

Sandy wrote: "Jason, Death of A Beauty Queen is our next Bobby Owen read, scheduled for December. Jump in wherever you want; our insightful comments are always available and your additions are welcome..."

Thank you, Sandy and Judy! It will give me a great reason to reread these early Punshon titles.

Ironically, the dustjackets for the Punshons I have are nearly feature-free! I have the earliest as Penguin paperback reprints from the 1950s, which are the green bands with the title in black on the white section in the middle. And the Gollancz books, when I do have the dustjackets, are just a solid yellow with author name and title in big block font. No expense incurred to illustrate the Bobby Owen adventures. Rather unexciting, I'm afraid...

P.S., is there a way to attach an image to a discussion post? I'm not sure how to go about that if so.

Jason, you can't actually upload an image to a discussion post, but if you have it online somewhere you can include it in a post.

The last bit of this post explains how to do it:
https://help.goodreads.com/s/article/...

If the image is one that GR has already in their list of editions, choose that edition when adding the book.

Examples: from 1948 or from 1935.

As you said, not exciting but neither are the recent kindles.

Thank you, Judy and Sandy, for explaining the ways to add images to posts. I guess I wasn't aware that Goodreads offered multiple scans of dustjackets of a single title. That's helpful to know!

And yes, that is what my Punshon collection looks like. (As well as a number of aging hardcovers that don't have jackets.) The one exception is The Mystery of Mr. Jessop , published by Hillman-Curl and featuring a rooster in mid-caw and Bobby Owen on a motorcycle!

Thank you, Jason, that one is a great cover anyway! I do have a sentimental attachment to the green Penguins too, though I find their small print size hard to read these days.

Judy wrote: "I do have a sentimental attachment to the green Penguins too, though I find their small print size hard to read these days."

I agree with you, Judy! There's something comforting about the green-and-white Penguins, although you're right about the small print. If I have my choice between a physical book and an eBook version, I'll take the printed page.

But eBooks provide two invaluable benefits: you can adjust the font size for easy reading and, when it comes to rare Golden Age mysteries, you don't have to pay an outrageous first edition fortune for a long out-of-print story!

Those are definitely advantages for ebooks, I agree, Jason.

Just a reminder that we have the last Nigel Strangeways book, The Morning After Death, coming up as a buddy read around November 14. I'm looking forward to completing the series, but will miss Nigel!

Thanks for the reminder, Judy. My day job at a college keeps me so busy that time for pleasure reading becomes a great luxury these days. But I would like to take part in the upcoming Punshon title and The Morning After Death readings if I am able!

Thanks, Jason, I'm sure you are extremely busy! Hope you can join us for these, but, if not, the threads will still be open as and when you do have time to get to the books!