Appointment With Agatha discussion

Since we're so pressed for time, I'm not going to worry about picking a theme. If you have a GAM that you are interested in reading for August, just drop a nomination here.

I've been planning on reading To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey for the entire summer, so that's my nomination.

Christine PNW (formerly known as Moonlight Reader) wrote: "Since we're so pressed for time, I'm not going to worry about picking a theme. If you have a GAM that you are interested in reading for August, just drop a nomination here.

I've been planning on r..."

I've just finished it, so it's unlikely I'll reread it again in its entirety so soon, but I'll happily join the discussion ... which may or may not cause me to reread at least bits and pieces eventually.

Christine PNW (formerly known as Moonlight Reader) wrote: "Since we're so pressed for time, I'm not going to worry about picking a theme. If you have a GAM that you are interested in reading for August, just drop a nomination here.

I've been planning on r..."

Well, I am ALWAYS up for Tey. ;)

Edit: Sorry. @TA, your post hadn't shown up yet when I posted.

I'll happily go with ANY other book, that I haven't read, yet.

Other suggestions are welcome!

I was also thinking about something by Annie Haynes, who was published by The Bodley Head in the early twenties, along with Christie. Do any of those appeal and, more importantly, are they accessible to non-US readers? Haynes is one of the authors who has been picked up by Dean Street Press, so her books are cheap for kindle for me.

Christine PNW (formerly known as Moonlight Reader) wrote: "Other suggestions are welcome!

I was also thinking about something by Annie Haynes, who was published by The Bodley Head in the early twenties, along with Christie. Do any of thos..."

Oh, wow, I love the covers! I'm intrigued. I haven't heard of Annie Haynes before. Her books seem to be available in the UK.

Annie Haynes sounds good. Her books are $1.99 each on my ipad.

Amazon US has some Annie Haynes on kindle for .99 cents

BrokenTune wrote: "Oh, wow, I love the covers! I'm intrigued. I haven't heard of Annie Haynes before. Her books seem to be available in the UK."

Dean Street Press! They so often have absolutely fabulous covers.

And I'd be up for Annie Haynes as well

BrokenTune wrote: "Christine PNW (formerly known as Moonlight Reader) wrote: "Since we're so pressed for time, I'm not going to worry about picking a theme. If you have a GAM that you are interested in reading for Au..."

I'm up for Tey but I'm also happy with Annie Haynes. The books look great and I can get four for the price of a cup of coffee.

There is some interesting background material about Annie Haynes on several blogs that I read regularly:

The Passing Tramp did an overview of her detective fiction here and here. He has read most of them - if not all of them - and reviewed them on his blog. This blogger is the author of Masters of the "humdrum" Mystery: Cecil John Charles Street, Freeman Wills Crofts, Alfred Walter Stewart and the British Detective Novel, 1920-1961, Curtis Evans, has been working with Dean Street Press and also provides the introduction to the reprints.

I don't have a strong opinion on which book we should read, except I don't think we should read her last book, The Crystal Beads Murder because it was finished by another, unknown author. I definitely think we should read it at some point, because it would be fun to read it and some of the posts that Evans wrote about who might have finished it.

I think that all of them look interesting, but I'm leaning towards The Abbey Court Murder, which was published in 1923 by The Bodley Head, at the beginning of the golden age. According to what I've read, it was originally titled Lady Carew's Secret and is indebted to Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon for some of its flavor.

I can, however, certainly be persuaded to read a different one!

My library has NONE of Annie Haynes' books! I am shocked! But they are readily available online, so I can definitely get a copy.

Wanda wrote: "My library has NONE of Annie Haynes' books! I am shocked! But they are readily available online, so I can definitely get a copy."

Lol - I don't think you are really THAT shocked (my library also does not have them. But I can buy her entire backlist for $12.00, it seems).

Ha! My library has finally acquired Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers at my behest, so I'll be reading it during August too.

Wanda wrote: "Ha! My library has finally acquired Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers at my behest, so I'll be reading it during August too."

Fantastic. :D

I´m fine with both Tey and Annie Haynes :)

Wanda wrote: "My library has NONE of Annie Haynes' books! I am shocked! But they are readily available online, so I can definitely get a copy."

I wonder if we have the same library...mine has none either. LOL I was happy to find the cheapie kindle books, so I did get the lot of those.

Brenda wrote: " Wanda wrote: "My library has NONE of Annie Haynes' books! I am shocked! But they are readily available online, so I can definitely get a copy."

I wonder if we have the same library...mine has no..."

Even though Amazon & ebooks have created issues for many authors, the side effect of getting long lost vintage mysteries and fiction back into print has been absolutely wonderful for me. I probably read more "vintage" fiction than I do current or modern fiction. My second love is WWI, interwar & WWII fiction by neglected British women authors and my third love is old fashioned gothic romances, like Mary Stewart. Ten years ago all of these books would have been largely inaccessible, unless I found them in a used book store.

Christine, thank you for the welcome btw, and the group!

I know some women from another group that really like Mary Stewart as well. I've yet to read her, but I'm putting her on my list now for sure!

I also like the same time periods around the war years, and vintage/classic fiction, mystery, literature. I tend to stay away from contemporary fiction, as I find I'm usually dissapointed. Although I do read some historical fiction and a few mystery series that are recent, but usually set during the 20s-40s. I appreciate that I've recently found some great Goodreads groups (like this one) where people share the same interests, so I can find new to me books, or be remembered about others.

I am hoping the big book sale I go to is open in October (they were not last April) as I've found so many new to me authors like Mary Stewart I'd like to see if I can find some books there, as sometimes the kindles aren't always so thrifty. :)))

I’m not going to nominate, but will keep my fingers crossed for something new for me! The Josephine Tey sounds good - not one of hers I’ve read.

I'm fine with Annie Haynes or Tey, I've never read their books and I'm very intrigued!

I hadn't heard of Haynes till now and have only read one Tey. So I will be happy to read anything that's picked.

There seems to be quite a bit of interesting in Annie Haynes, so I did a quick poll to pick the book. She has been reprinted by Dean Street Press, and her books for kindle are very reasonably priced.

The choices:

The Abbey Court Murder: Published in 1923, this was the first Inspector Furnival mystery.

Plot summary & information:

“A crime of a peculiarly mysterious nature was perpetrated some time last night in a block of flats called Abbey Court.”

Lady Judith Carew acted furtively on the night of the Denboroughs’ party. Her secret assignation at 9:30pm was a meeting to which she took a loaded revolver. The Abbey Court apartment building would play host to violent death that very night, under cover of darkness. The killer’s identity remained a mystery, though Lady Carew had a most compelling motive – and her revolver was left in the dead man’s flat…

Enter the tenacious Inspector Furnival in the first of his golden age mysteries, first published in 1923. Though there are many clues, there are just as many red herrings and the case takes numerous Christie-esque twists before the murderer can be revealed. This new edition, the first printed in over 80 years, features an introduction from crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

The Bungalow Mystery: First published in 1923, this was her first published book.

Plot summary:

"He had his tea as usual; when I knocked at the door with the tray (he always had afternoon tea), I found him--like this."

Dr Roger Lavington is dreading his debut performance with the village amateur dramatic society. But real-world drama takes over when Lavington's neighbour, a reclusive artist, is found murdered in his own sitting room. Also found on the scene are a lady's glove, a diamond ring, and a mysterious young woman who begs Lavington for his protection. Her safety will depend on her ability to take a role in the forthcoming village play--but is Lavington sheltering a wronged woman or a clever murderess?

The Man with the Dark Beard: Published in 1928, this is the first of the Inspector Stoddart mysteries.

Plot summary and information: “Nobody would have murdered him,” Miss Lavinia cried. “Everybody liked John!”

“I’m afraid it is evident that someone did not.”

The note left beside Dr. John Basted's corpse simply read: ‘It was the man with the dark beard.’

Dr. Basted hadn't approved of his daughter Hilary's fiance. So when Hilary's father is found shot dead inside his own office, the door-key turned from the inside, the fiance Basil Wilton becomes a chief suspect for Scotland Yard. Yet how could the crime have been engineered?

Now an important lacquered box is missing; a former colleague of Basted's has suddenly shaved his beard; and the doctor’s ex-secretary has come mysteriously into money. Before Inspector Stoddart of the Yard can form conclusions, another murder takes place, again credited to the “Man with The Dark Beard”...

The Secret of Greylands: This is a 1924 stand-alone mystery.

Plot summary and information: “There’s no dirty trick he wouldn’t play—it’s my belief that he wouldn’t even stop at murder!”
Her husband unmasked as a scoundrel, Lady Cynthia Letchingham seeks refuge at her cousin Hannah’s north-country home Greylands. But on Cynthia’s arrival, she finds Hannah an invalid, having recently suffered a mysterious paralysis; the house is devoid of servants, and Hannah’s husband, charming and sinister by turns, keeps watch over everything and everyone. Only the presence of charming Sybil Hammond and a darkly handsome neighbour relieve the atmosphere for Cynthia - but then a dark red stain appears mysteriously on the sleeve of her coat…

What has really happened to Hannah, and the other entangled mysteries along the way, make The Secret of Greylands (1924) an absorbing golden age crime novel matching Wilkie Collins’ high Victorian gothic to the agility of early jazz age fiction. This new edition, the first in over eighty years, features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

“Not only a crime story of merit, but also a novel which will interest readers to whom mystery for its own sake has little appeal.” Nation

They all sound good!

Maybe a little more than some of our budgets allow right now but Thriftbooks has a variety of Haynes books with some pretty fantastic covers.

https://www.thriftbooks.com/browse/?b...

As I'm new to the group I'll go along with whatever is picked. I'm also new to this writer.

LoL. No votes so far? I seriously do not mind which book we pick either. They are all new to me. However, for the purpose of getting the poll going, I'm going to vote for:

The Bungalow Mystery

I voted too :). I choose The Secret of Greylands, because I like how gothic this story sounds.

I missed the part about the poll. LOL
I voted. I also chose The Secret of Greylands, for some reason I thought to start with a standalone. It does sound intriguing though!!

BrokenTune wrote: "LoL. No votes so far? I seriously do not mind which book we pick either. They are all new to me. However, for the purpose of getting the poll going, I'm going to vote for:

The Bungalow Mystery"

If you voted in the poll, it's not counting your vote. Here is the link: poll.

Christine PNW (formerly known as Moonlight Reader) wrote: "BrokenTune wrote: "LoL. No votes so far? I seriously do not mind which book we pick either. They are all new to me. However, for the purpose of getting the poll going, I'm going to vote for:

The B..."

Thanks. Did it record it now? If not, seriously, I'm good with any other book, too.

BrokenTune wrote: "Did it record it now?"

Yep, it's there!