Reading the Detectives discussion

Nominations please for our May 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 and only one book by any individual writer can be nominated per month.

Also, once again, please don't nominate John Bude as we are just starting our second group read running by him - however, don't worry, Bude fans, as he can be nominated again from next month onwards! :)

I will nominate Murder of a Lady by Anthony Wynne

Duchlan Castle is a gloomy, forbidding place in the Scottish Highlands. Late one night the body of Mary Gregor, sister of the laird of Duchlan, is found in the castle. She has been stabbed to death in her bedroom - but the room is locked from within and the windows are barred. The only tiny clue to the culprit is a silver fish's scale, left on the floor next to Mary's body.Inspector Dundas is dispatched to Duchlan to investigate the case. The Gregor family and their servants are quick - perhaps too quick - to explain that Mary was a kind and charitable woman. Dundas uncovers a more complex truth, and the cruel character of the dead woman continues to pervade the house after her death. Soon further deaths, equally impossible, occur, and the atmosphere grows ever darker. Superstitious locals believe that fish creatures from the nearby waters are responsible; but luckily for Inspector Dundas, the gifted amateur sleuth Eustace Hailey is on the scene, and unravels a more logical solution to this most fiendish of plots.

I will nominate The Mystery at Fig Tree Hall

THE MYSTERY AT FIG TREE HALL is the first book in the LILY GREEN mystery series of novels. The announcement of a murder mystery weekend at Fig Tree Hall in the village of Milford was not to be missed, but soon there is a real death. Was it murder and if so, who is responsible? THE MYSTERY OF FIG TREE HALL brings together Lily Green, a tenacious librarian, and up-and-coming policeman, Peter Beresford. Soon, all their sleuthing skills are needed as they explore Fig Tree Hall, built by eccentric professor, Thaddeus Ambrose, who mysteriously disappeared many years before. Is there a link between the two events and can thee mystery be solved in time?

I nominate Death of an Airman by Christopher St. John Sprigg.

Death of an Airman is an enjoyable and unorthodox whodunit from a writer whose short life was as remarkable as that of any of his fictional creations. When an aeroplane crashes, and its pilot is killed, Edwin Marriott, the Bishop of Cootamundra in Australia, is on hand. In England on leave, the Bishop has decided to learn how to fly, but he is not convinced that the pilot's death was accidental. In due course, naturally, he is proved right. The Bishop and Inspector Bray of Scotland Yard make an appealing pair of detectives, and ultimately a cunning criminal scheme is uncovered.

It has been a long time since we read an Edmund Crispin—anyone else game to try another? One of his shorter ones is The Long Divorce (published 1951), available on Kindle, in paperback, and in used copies.

Someone is sending poison-pen letters to the inhabitants of Cotten Abbas, someone intimately acquainted with the skeletons in the residents’ closets. The village is abuzz with questions: What was in the letter Beatrice Keats-Madderly burned? Did it have anything to do with her death a few hours later or with the possible murder of the young Swiss schoolteacher Peter Rubi?

Some great nominations already - thanks to all who have nominated so far.

I haven't read any of these and they all sound really good.

Susan wrote: "I will nominate The Mystery at Fig Tree Hall

THE MYSTERY AT FIG TREE HALL is the first book in the LILY GREEN mystery series of no..."

I don't recall seeing a book with such high Goodreads ratings and such glowing reviews. I would be up for this one!

I haven't read it before, Klowey, just came across it by chance. It does look good, I agree - but, as Judy says, excellent nominations as always.

Judy wrote: "Some great nominations already - thanks to all who have nominated so far.

I haven't read any of these and they all sound really good."

Same here.

Nominations so far:

Jill: Murder of a Lady by Anthony Wynne

Susan: The Mystery at Fig Tree Hall by Prudence Ambergast

Michaela: Death of an Airman by Christopher St. John Sprigg

Abigail: The Long Divorce by Edmund Crispin

I'm already completely spoilt for choice and want to read all of these.

I've been meaning to get back to Edmund Crispin, want to read more of the British Library titles and had never heard of The Mystery at Fig Tree Hall, but it looks very good from looking at the start of the story on Amazon.

I keep meaning to read all the Edmund Crispin books. I need to see how many there are - shame there are not more GA authors who wrote 12, so they could fit a challenge!

Crispin turns 100 in October this year. May be we can plan a read for then as well. I've also only read two of his so far and want to explore more

Could be a new buddy read author, later in the year, if we finish one of our ongoing series?

I will suggest him on the buddy read thread, Lady, and see whether anyone is keen.

Susan wrote: "I will suggest him on the buddy read thread, Lady, and see whether anyone is keen."

Sounds good, thanks:)

Well, I have 11 Crispin books, though a couple of them are short story collections as I recall. So nearly enough for a year! Not sure he’s popular enough in this group for a group challenge, though—not everyone shares my voracious appetite for donnish sleuths! Buddy read might be more his speed.

I like a donnish sleuth, Abigail! He is added as a buddy for October, to celebrate his birthday.

Great! I look forward to it.

Any more nominations before the poll goes up at the weekend?

The poll is now open - please cast your votes! As always, it is going to be a difficult choice.

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

The Mystery at Fig Tree Hall is currently in the lead, with a few days left to vote.

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

The results are in, and the winner is:

The Mystery at Fig Tree Hall by Prudence Ambergast, which will be our May group read.

Thanks to Susan for nominating the winner, and all who nominated.

Full results:

The Mystery at Fig Tree Hall 12 votes, 44.4%
Murder of a Lady (Dr. Hailey #12) 7 votes, 25.9%
Death of an Airman 6 votes, 22.2%
The Long Divorce (Gervase Fen, #8) 2 votes, 7.4%

Thanks, Judy. I will update the book list.

Thank you Susan!

I've borrowed it from Kindle Unlimited in anticipation.

I toyed with the idea of having (another) free trial period for KU, but decided to buy it, instead.

Thanks, Judy!