Reading the Detectives discussion

Nominations please for our January 2021 group read!

Please nominate mystery/detective books written in/set in the GA period, or slightly earlier or later.

As usual, just one nomination per group member. Also, only one book by any individual writer can be nominated per month.

Anybody up for a spot of Rex Stout? I usually try to read or reread a couple of his Nero Wolfe books every year anyway so how about Not Quite Dead Enough, which contains a pair of short novellas, a form that arguably shows the writer at his best.

Thank you, Colin, a great nomination - I know we have quite a few Rex Stout fans in the group. I read this one a couple of years ago and would be happy to reread.

Rex Strout sounds great to me to begin the new year (a new to me author). I would like to nominate Dead Mrs. Stratton by Anthony Berkeley. The reviews on GR looked great and again a new to me author I would like to read.

I came across this information when looking it up.
Dead Mrs. Stratton – Anthony Berkeley. Also known as Jumping Jenny, this is a case for Roger Sheringham, surely the most fallible of great detectives. Berkeley’s wit and flair for the ironic and macabre are on full display in this characteristically ingenious story.

I thought that £6 for a Kindle copy of the Rex Stout was rather expensive, but Dead Mrs Stratton is available for £53.83 for a second hand paperback, the cheapest available. An as-new paperback is on offer at £917, a hardback at £94.

Oops! Sorry about that. Thanks, for letting me know. I'll look for something else. That's way too much.

That's a shame, Shaina, as it does sound like a good book! I found some cheaper copies (£9.20 for a secondhand paperback under the other title, Jumping Jenny) but still a bit pricey! I'm glad you mentioned it anyway - I will keep an eye open for it.

There are a few others by Berkeley that are on Kindle if you fancy nominating one of those?

Sure, Judy. Maybe you can choose a cheaper option available. I'll take any of his books which everyone can access. The Poisoned Chocolate case also seems interesting. I have it free with Kindle Unlimited but I'll let you pick any based on price if it doesn't work out for the others.

Thanks, Shaina. The Poisoned Chocolates Case is a classic and would make for a great discussion. But unfortunately I think I tried to nominate it before and it wasn't available in the US - looks to me as if that may still be the case though I can't be sure. Could an American member please check?

If not, another one which is available cheaply on Kindle is Trial and Error, which is also very famous. Looks to me as if this one is available in the US, but again can a US member confirm? Thank you. :)

In US, Amazon has Poisoned Chocolates on kindle for $4.

And, Trail and Error for $5

Thanks very much for checking that, Sandy, great news.

In that case, Shaina, I'll add The Poisoned Chocolates Case as your nomination.



A Roger Sheringham mystery and a well-known classic from the Golden Age of detective fiction. In 1920s London, six members of the Crime Circle set out to solve a murder that has baffled Scotland Yard.

Thank you, Judy. That would be great!

Thanks, Shaina. So, just to recap, our nominations so far:

Colin: Not Quite Dead Enough by Rex Stout

Shaina: The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley

I will nominate The Cheltenham Square Murder by John Bude

In the seeming tranquility of Regency Square in Cheltenham live the diverse inhabitants of its ten houses. One summer's evening, the square's rivalries and allegiances are disrupted by a sudden and unusual death - an arrow to the head, shot through an open window at no. 6. Unfortunately for the murderer, an invitation to visit had just been sent by the crime writer Aldous Barnet, staying with his sister at no. 8, to his friend Superintendent Meredith. Three days after his arrival, Meredith finds himself investigating the shocking murder two doors down. Six of the square's inhabitants are keen members of the Wellington Archery Club, but if Meredith and Long thought that the case was going to be easy to solve, they were wrong...The Cheltenham Square Murder is a classic example of how John Bude builds a drama within a very specific location. Here the Regency splendour of Cheltenham provides the perfect setting for a story in which appearances are certainly deceiving.

Good choices. If anyone in the group does plan to tackle Berkeley's Dead Mrs. Stratton / Jumping Jenny at some point, please let me know. My Hogarth Crime paperback has been with me for decades, and I have always been meaning to read it!

Jill wrote: "I will nominate The Cheltenham Square Murder by John Bude


Good pick, Jill. Bude is terrific and I keep hoping the British Library will return to him and gives us some more of his titles.

Yes, great choice, Jill - I have The Cheltenham Square Murder waiting on my Kindle, and would really like to read it soon.

Nominations so far:

Colin: Not Quite Dead Enough by Rex Stout

Shaina: The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley

Jill: The Cheltenham Square Murder by John Bude

I nominate The Dead Shall be Raised & Murder of a Quack by George Bellairs.

I wish more Anthony Berkeley mysteries were in print. Some great suggestion already, so I won't add to them this month.

Thank you for the nomination, Michaela - I know George Bellairs has a lot of fans.

Michaela wrote: "I nominate The Dead Shall be Raised & Murder of a Quack by George Bellairs. "

Oh, good choice- I read the first story last year, been meaning to get back to Murder of a Quack! All great choices so far, actually, and on my TBR list!

Nominations so far:

Colin: Not Quite Dead Enough by Rex Stout

Shaina: The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley

Jill: The Cheltenham Square Murder by John Bude

Michaela: The Dead Shall be Raised & Murder of a Quack by George Bellairs

Has the group read The Railway Detective by Edward Marston before? If not, I'm happy to nominate.

London 1851. With the opening of the Great Exhibition at hand, interest is mounting in the engineering triumphs of the railways, but not everyone feels like celebrating... In an audacious attack, the London to Birmingham mail train is robbed and derailed, causing many casualties. Planned with military precision, this crime proves a challenge to Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck who fights to untangle a web of murder, blackmail and destruction. As Colbeck closes in on the criminal masterminds, events take an unexpected turn when the beautiful Madeleine, daughter of the injured train driver, becomes a pawn in the criminals' game. With time running out, good and evil, new and old, battle against each other. But will the long arm of the law have speed on its side? The Railway Detective is an action-packed dip into murky 1850s London. Full of historical detail, unexpected twists and memorable characters, this is a mystery that will surprise you at every turn.

Tara wrote: "Has the group read The Railway Detective by Edward Marston before? If not, I'm happy to nominate.

London 1851. With the opening of the Great Exhibition at hand, intere..."

ooh great choice Tara

My nomination this time is for The Murdered Banker by Augusto De Angelis, the father of Italian crime novels. Recently re-published by Pushkin. Published in 1935, it deals with 1930s Milan.

Inspector de Vincenzi is called to a case where a body is found - in a friend's apartment. It is his friend's banker. It doesn't look good for the friend. Inspector is torn between his duty and his friend.

I love Pushkin crime novels, Jan.
The Railway Detective is also a great nomination.
So many good choices!

Thanks, Tara and Jan - two more very interesting nominations. I can confirm the group hasn't previously read The Railway Detective.

Nominations to date:

Colin: Not Quite Dead Enough by Rex Stout

Shaina: The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley

Jill: The Cheltenham Square Murder by John Bude

Michaela: The Dead Shall be Raised & Murder of a Quack by George Bellairs

Tara: The Railway Detective by Edward Marston

Jan: The Murdered Banker by Augusto De Angelis

The poll is now open! Please vote for the book you most want to read.

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

Thanks, Judy.

A fairly close poll at the moment. The Cheltenham Square Murder is currently in the lead, with The Poisoned Chocolates Case a couple of votes behind, closely followed by The Railway Detective.

If you haven't voted yet, please do!

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

Currently tied in fact! Both look good, but, yes, please do vote if you haven't done so.

Still neck and neck I see! Two very popular choices leading the vote this month.

Susan wrote: "Still neck and neck I see! Two very popular choices leading the vote this month."

Perhaps we could read both, or read one of them in February?

Or we could ignore them both and read the third place Ha ha. Guess which one I voted for !!

The two in the lead were my two favourite choices so I would be good with doing both!

I think we did that once before - carried the books over two months when they drew in the vote. Still, it might change yet.

It was close voting for most of the month, but in the end there was a clear winner, The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley, which will be our January group read.

As the second-placed book, The Cheltenham Square Murder by John Bude, was also very popular, we will read that one in February and not have a vote next month. They do both look like great choices, and thanks to all who nominated and voted!

The Poisoned Chocolates Case (Roger Sheringham Cases, #5) 14 votes, 40.0%
The Cheltenham Square Murder 10 votes, 28.6%
The Railway Detective (The Railway Detective, #1) 6 votes, 17.1%
Not Quite Dead Enough (Nero Wolfe, #10) 3 votes, 8.6%
The Dead Shall be Raised & Murder of a Quack (Chief Inspector Littlejohn #4-5) 1 vote, 2.9%
The Murdered Banker 1 vote, 2.9%

Great, thanks Judy! I´ve got The Cheltenham Murder at home, so looking ahead to this one!

A very strong showing for the top two, and well deserved as they are both quality books.

Thanks, Judy - I felt we couldn’t go wrong with any of them they are all on my TBR list now.

Excellent news, I have both of these and found it hard to choose between them so this is a great result for me!

Maybe I'll re-read Chocolates then.

I have updated our list of Current and Upcoming Reads.

Thank you, Susan :)