Reading the Detectives discussion

Welcome to our June/July 25 buddy read of Strange Ending Book 31 in the Bobby Owen series this was published in 1953.

"The poor devil's mouth was filled with feathers. An unconscious man with his mouth full of feathers wouldn't have had much chance of surviving, and this one didn't."

The press gleefully dubbed it the 'Banquet Murder'. The murdered man, Hugh Newton, had apparently been making a sumptuous feast for two in his flat, before his own goose was cooked.

Bobby Owen of the Yard is drawn to the cold case. Starting with the curious fact that the apartment building has experienced two break-ins since the murder, Bobby starts investigating the colourful, or faintly macabre, inhabitants. Elsewhere in London, Doreen Caine, cookery instructor, is excited that the case has been reopened. And further afield, a travel agency specializing in gastronomic tours comes under suspicion. It's a bouillabaise of a mystery, one of Punshon's finest, in which Bobby will discover whether retribution - if not revenge - is a dish best served cold.

Strange Ending is the thirty-first novel in the Bobby Owen Mystery series, originally published in 1953. This new edition features a bonus Bobby Owen short story, and an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

I really enjoyed the beginning, especially Olive and Ford showing up so quickly. I don't think I've read anything that involved 50s fine dining. I thought Jordan and the guy that worked for the Ministry were interesting suspects, but I thought the rest of them were a bit lacking. Other than that the mystery was okay.

I would be curious to know how long it would have taken readers when it came out to guess the ending. I didn't realize what Imra planned to do until after they let Ossy out of the coffin wardrobe.

There were several points that confused me but I'm not sure if I will try to resolve them. The woman who tricked Bobby originally said she was hoping / planning to marry the dead man, then she is involved with one of the suspects, Banner, that has been in hiding since the murder. Was Jordan involved in the smuggling or merely an innocent receiver of stolen goods? I assume Pyne wasn't involved but got caught up in the excitement. Why were all these people gathered together at the end? Why would Banner know Jordan if he, Banner, knew nothing about the smuggling? I realize smuggling was not Bobby's case and I think it got short shrift.

I assumed Irma was planning suicide but not 'suicide by abortion'.

Vanessa, I agree only Jordan and Pyne were interesting suspects.

I hope the Brits have come to terms with garlic!

I did like the book though my comments probably indicate otherwise. Good sidekick and lots of Olive.