Appointment With Agatha discussion

Book info: Holidays offer us the luxury of getting away from it all. So, in a different way, do detective stories. This collection of vintage mysteries combines both those pleasures. From a golf course at the English seaside to a pension in Paris, and from a Swiss mountain resort to the cliffs of Normandy, this new selection shows the enjoyable and unexpected ways in which crime writers have used summer holidays as a theme.

These fourteen stories range widely across the golden age of British crime fiction. Stellar names from the past are well represented Arthur Conan Doyle and G. K. Chesterton, for instance with classic stories that have won acclaim over the decades. The collection also uncovers a wide range of hidden gems: Anthony Berkeley whose brilliance with plot had even Agatha Christie in raptures is represented by a story so (undeservedly) obscure that even the British Library does not own a copy. The stories by Phyllis Bentley and Helen Simpson are almost equally rare, despite the success which both writers achieved, while those by H. C. Bailey, Leo Bruce and the little-known Gerald Findler have seldom been reprinted.

I am waiting for my library hold to come in for this one.

My library just e-mailed that they were able to get this for me so I will be reading this one after I read The Sittaford Mystery.

I'm going to buy this one - I've been collecting the BLCC short story anthologies in paperback because I enjoy dipping in and out of them!

Christine PNW wrote: "I'm going to buy this one - I've been collecting the BLCC short story anthologies in paperback because I enjoy dipping in and out of them!"

Same. This was one of the first anthologies I bought -- and I didn't regret it!

I’ve also fallen in love with these BLCC collections. I wish I’d “met” Martin Edwards before I retired: I enjoyed using thematically linked short stories to teach the effect of literary elements. Resorting to Murder would be ideal to emphasize setting.

Christine PNW wrote: "I'm going to buy this one - I've been collecting the BLCC short story anthologies in paperback because I enjoy dipping in and out of them!"

This group introduced me to and got me hooked on the BLCC books and now I buy them as well. Good thing books are my only addiction!

Mary wrote: "This group introduced me to and got me hooked on the BLCC books and now I buy them as well. Good thing books are my only addiction!."

Pretty much same! You've heard that expression "you can never be too rich or too thin?" Pah, I say "You can never have too many books or be too well-read."

Christine PNW wrote: "You've heard that expression "you can never be too rich or too thin?" Pah, I say "You can never have too many books or be too well-read.""

So very true!

I've read the first two stories so far and have enjoyed both-the first is a Sherlock Homes story and the second by the creator of Raffles.

I don't think my library hold will come in in time, so I have ordered the book. Will keep an eye out for the postie in the next few days.

Mine arrived yesterday & I read the Holmes story last night. I'm sure I've read it before, and never really clocked the "Holmes on vacation" element of it. Of course, I dispute that Holmes really takes vacations, so I'm not sure how solidly thematic it is.

It's an odd story, although enjoyable.

Christine PNW wrote: "It's an odd story, although enjoyable."

I just got my book and read the first story today and I agree it is a bit odd and I liked it.

Jessica wrote: "Christine PNW wrote: "It's an odd story, although enjoyable."

I just got my book and read the first story today and I agree it is a bit odd and I liked it."

It's not one of my favorite Holmes stories, but that has a lot to do with the Jeremy Brett adaptation, which makes it more than clear just how horrible are the effects of the drug used, and which I therefore find hard to watch.

(According to producer Michael Cox, this screenplay was that particular writer's entree into the series. It was also one of the episodes -- Silver Blaze was the other one -- why they didn't have enough money left to give The Hound of the Baskervilles the TLC they felt it would have deserved ...)

Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) wrote: "Jessica wrote: "Christine PNW wrote: "It's an odd story, although enjoyable."

I just got my book and read the first story today and I agree it is a bit odd and I liked it."

It's not one of my fav..."

Is it a "real" drug, or did Conan Doyle make it up? If you know...

My copy is still in the post. Which ACD story are we talking about? The Adventure of the Devil's Foot?

BrokenTune wrote: "My copy is still in the post. Which ACD story are we talking about? The Adventure of the Devil's Foot?"

Yes, that's the one!

BrokenTune wrote: "My copy is still in the post. Which ACD story are we talking about? The Adventure of the Devil's Foot?"

Yes.

Christine PNW wrote: "Is it a "real" drug, or did Conan Doyle make it up? If you know..."

I see you looked it up in the interim ... and found the same source as I did: https://nyamcenterforhistory.org/2015...
(Answer: not real, but based on ACD's own med school experiments with a plant producing similar symptoms.)

I've read a number of these anthologies and I think this is now my favourite. There are perfect little gems, especially the last story in the collection.

Rosemarie wrote: "I've read a number of these anthologies and I think this is now my favourite. There are perfect little gems, especially the last story in the collection."

I'm so glad you liked it! It's one of my favorites among the BLCC anthologies, too. And, yes, the last story is positively devious. :D

My book arrived, finally! So, I will be getting to this one over the next week. I'm looking forward to it as everyone in this thread seems to be enjoying it.

BrokenTune wrote: "My book arrived, finally! So, I will be getting to this one over the next week. I'm looking forward to it as everyone in this thread seems to be enjoying it."

Fingers crossed, so will you!

I need to pick it back up again. I got to the Chesterton story and ran into a roadblock because I don't like Father Brown. Maybe I'll just skip it and circle back at the end. Or not.

Christine PNW wrote: "I need to pick it back up again. I got to the Chesterton story and ran into a roadblock because I don't like Father Brown. Maybe I'll just skip it and circle back at the end. Or not."

Sounds like a plan. There are quite a number of stories in this book that I liked distinctly better than the one by Chesterton.

I think the Chesterton story is the weakest one in the book.

Rosemarie wrote: "I think the Chesterton story is the weakest one in the book."

I'm convinced. Moving on...

Rosemarie wrote: "I think the Chesterton story is the weakest one in the book."

Lol. I wouldn't go quite so far (there's at least one story I like even less), but yeah. It's definitely a contender -- in the negative sense.

In each of the BLCC anthologies I’ve started, then skipped the Chesterton stories. Not sure why I never warm up to his style.
His excessive alliteration in “The Finger of Stone” keeps me focused on ‘how’ rather than ‘what’ he’s saying: too distracting for me!
“His name was Gabriel Gale; a long, loose, rather listless man with yellow hair; but a man not easy for any patron to patronize.”

I've read other Chesterton stories that I liked a lot more. It was a disappointment for me. Maybe that's why it stands out, in a negative way.

I just started this today. Loved the Holmes story and immediately recognized it.

Haven´t managed to read it yet, so may not finish this month.

Just finished and I found this book to be a fun summertime read. The 14 stories were a mixed bag, but I appreciated being introduced to some authors I didn't know about before.

The ones I liked the most were Where is Mr. Manetot?" and The Vanishing of Mrs. Fraser. Both of them were missing persons stories.

My review.

Mary wrote: "Just finished and I found this book to be a fun summertime read. The 14 stories were a mixed bag, but I appreciated being introduced to some authors I didn't know about before.

The ones I liked the most were Where is Mr. Manetot?" and The Vanishing of Mrs. Fraser."

The construction of Where is Mr. Manetot is based on quite a clever bit of initial manipulation; I liked that about it.

Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) wrote: "The construction of Where is Mr. Manetot is based on quite a clever bit of initial manipulation; I liked that about it."

Yes! I also had an "oh no!" moment when the ending sunk in.