Bright Young Things discussion

This thread is inspired by a conversation with Susan and Nigeyb over the latest poll, where a Dorothy L. Sayers book, Whose Body? has been nominated.

Just wondering which classic era detectives other members love or would recommend? My own favourites are Sayers and Margery Allingham, who both have rather romantic, witty detectives - Lord Peter Wimsey and Albert Campion respectively. I also like Ngaio Marsh, though her hero, Inspector Alleyn, is a bit more serious - her mysteries are still great fun to puzzle out.

So which Golden Age sleuths does anyone else like, including those who might be a bit less well-known?

Lord Peter Wimsey is my favourite. Just found some old books Sayers and Orwell so might revisit some of these.

This looks like a fun site....

http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~stb27/ga...

It includes some links, including the following, which is a more detailed site (and doesn't misspell Lord Peter Wimsey's name)
http://www.twbooks.co.uk/authors/gold...

I like a number of them. Possibly my favorite is Sayers. Also like Allingham and Marsh. I was introduced to Marsh in the '80s by a co-worker but at that time it just put me to sleep. I like her much better now. And I just love John Dickson Carr and his locked room mysteries.

A lot of the early writers (and usually lesser known) are available very cheap or free on kindle. This includes Berkeley, the Dr. Thorndyke stories which are referenced (as is Carr's Dr. Fell) in the Wimsey stories.

If you like Lord Peter Wimsey, you might also enjoy the Philo Vance series by S.S. Van Dine. Vance is the rich, effete American version of Lord Peter.

I've only read Agatha and Dorothy so will be looking for new ideas such as those we've already had. Thanks BYT.

Barbara, thanks so much for those two sites - what a fantastic list of British Golden Age detective writers in the second one! I'll hope to try some of them.

I did recently read The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin, which features an eccentric Oxford don detective, Gervase Fen - this wasn't really my thing to be honest, but my daughter loves Crispin and he makes her laugh out loud.

Jan, thanks for the recommendations - John Dickson Carr sounds great and good to know about the Kindle editions.

Jill, I knew William Powell played Philo Vance in some films, though I haven't seen any of them as yet - thanks for the recommendation, I will need to check them out!

Just found another good site:

http://www.worlds-best-detective-crim...

It includes a section about US Golden Age writers.

Lord Peter is my absolute favourite. I think Sayers' books have much more depth to them than others writers - it's about the mystery, but also the lives and relationships of the characters to an extent that you just don't get in Agatha Christie, for example.

Having said that, I also really enjoy Agatha Christie's Poirot stories.

Has anyone read any books by Gladys Mitchell? She's not an author I had heard of before, but apparently she was regarded as one of the 'big three' women writers of Golden Age fiction alongside Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers. Here's some of her books:

When Last I Died
The Saltmarsh Murders
A Speedy Death
The Mystery of a Butcher's Shop

So far I've just read the first one, A Speedy Death. But I have a number of the others. It was the ever popular "locked room" mystery. I did enjoy the tv series when it was on PBS with Diana Rigg as Mrs. Bradley. Their descriptions don't quite match up. Getting ready to go on The Mystery of a Butcher's Shop.

My two lesser known favourites are Christianna Brand and Nicholas Blake (a pen name for Cecil Day-Lewis). I also enjoy Josephine Tey, Cyril Hare and countless others. I prefer my Golden Age crime to be British.

In praise of Agatha Christie


Christie is consistently dismissed as merely a brilliant plotter of mysteries. But she’s so much more than that

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015...

Nigeyb wrote: "In praise of Agatha Christie


Christie is consistently dismissed as merely a brilliant plotter of mysteries. But she’s so much more than that

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015..."

Thanks for the link. Interesting. I've read many of her books, multiple times.

Some great links here. Detective fiction is my favourite genre and many of the books I read fall into the Golden Age period. I've just finished reading End of Chapter by Nicholas Blake which I really enjoyed.
I love the combination of the period settings and the puzzles to be solved in these types of detective books and often they are littered with literary references which adds to the fun.
I've just started reading The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards which looks very good and has had some excellent reviews.

I love Nicholas Blake, Ruth. The Golden Age of Murder is a great read - I hope you enjoy it.

Does anyone fancy doing a detective story for a hot read? I'm not taking part in either of the group reads this month as they aren't authors who appeal to me, so I'd be up for a bit of Golden Age detecting, if anyone else likes the idea. Maybe a Sayers or a Nicholas Blake?

I think Sayers has been suggested/nominated for next month. I do like Golden Age fiction, but I would love to read someone I haven't read before. Tempt me and I will join in, Judy :)

OK Susan, I'll put on my thinking cap - I have a feeling you have read everyone, though!!

I have 2 TBR that I haven't tried before:

Quick Curtain
The Studio Crime: A Golden Age Mystery

I will have to have a think about some others, but feel free to suggest more Judy (or let me know if either of those appeal). I have read neither of them.

Susan -the British Library have recently re-published a series of golden age detective stories that have been out of print. They are available in Waterstones and other shops. I love the old-fashioned covers and have ordered a few from the library.

A Scream in Soho by John G Brandon
Murder in Piccadilly: A British Library Crime Classic by Charles Kingston
Antidote to Venom: A British Crime Classic by Freeman Wills Crofts
Death on the Cherwell by Mavis Doriel Hay

Full set here: http://shop.bl.uk/mall/departmentpage...

Not sure if he counts as a BYT, but AA Milne also did a detective story, The Red House Mystery.

I was just looking at some of the books I noted down from Invisible Ink: How 100 Great Authors Disappeared and one very suitable title came up...

Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham.

After reading about her brother, Philip Allingham, in the excellent “Cheapjack”, I would like to sample some Margery Allingham and "Sweet Danger" looks like a goodie and, according to GoodReads, you've not read it yet Susan.

Some fulsome reviews on Amazon...
http://amzn.to/1IUNpl9

I have read The Red House Mystery, but not the others, Lori.
I've never been successful with attempts to read Margery Allingham. If we do read one, can we read the first Campion?

Judy is the ultimate member in charge by the way!

OK, leaving my computer for a while, so will check back later.

Margery Allingham is great - I'm a big fan. She should appeal to Sayers fans, as there are some similarities between them. 'Sweet Danger' is one of the best but it isn't the first in the series, so would that be a problem?

^ Wouldn't you prefer to read a writer you've not read before, or at the very least a book you've not read before, Judy?


Susan prefers to read books in a series in order.

According to Wikipedia Sweet Danger is fifth in the series...

Albert Campion series

The Crime at Black Dudley (1929) (US title: The Black Dudley Murder)
Mystery Mile (1930)
Look to the Lady (1931) (US title: The Gyrth Chalice Mystery)
Police at the Funeral (1931)
Sweet Danger (1933) (US title: Kingdom of Death/The Fear Sign)
Death of a Ghost (1934)
Flowers for the Judge (1936) (US title: Legacy in Blood)
Dancers in Mourning (1937) (US title: Who Killed Chloe?)
Mr. Campion: Criminologist (1937) (short stories)
The Case of the Late Pig (1937) (originally appeared in Mr Campion: Criminologist)
The Fashion in Shrouds (1938)
Mr. Campion and Others (1939) (short stories)
Traitor's Purse (1941) (US title: The Sabotage Murder Mystery)
Coroner's Pidgin (1945) (US title: Pearls Before Swine)
The Casebook of Mr Campion (1947) (short stories)
More Work for the Undertaker (1948)
The Tiger in the Smoke (1952)
The Beckoning Lady (1955) (US title: The Estate of the Beckoning Lady)
Hide My Eyes (1958) (US title: Tether's End/Ten Were Missing)
The China Governess (1963)
The Mind Readers (1965)
Cargo of Eagles (1968) (completed by Philip Youngman Carter)
Mr. Campion's Farthing (1969) (by Philip Youngman Carter)
Mr. Campion's Falcon (1970) (US title: Mr. Campion's Quarry) (by Philip Youngman Carter)
The Allingham Minibus (1973) (aka Mr. Campion's Lucky Day) (short stories)
The Return of Mr. Campion (1989) (short stories)
Mr Campion's Farewell (2014) (Begun by Philip Youngman Carter, completed by Mike Ripley)

Thinking about this a bit more... the first Campion book, The Crime at Black Dudley is very slight, and I suspect it might be forgotten if not for all the books which followed! Also, Campion is really a secondary character (although he runs away with the book even so). I see you have read that one in the past, Susan.

I'd be happy to revisit Black Dudley, though, or another suggestion could be to go to Mystery Mile, which is the first book with Campion as our central character.

No worries about who's in charge - it's nice that a few of us seem interested in joining in!

Thanks for the list, Nigeyb. As I love Allingham I don't mind that I've read them before. :) I'd be up for any of them!

Judy wrote: "Thinking about this a bit more... the first Campion book, The Crime at Black Dudley is very slight, and I suspect it might be forgotten if not for all the books which followed! "

You've put me right off The Crime at Black Dudley Judy and, if Susan's already read it, perhaps she would be amenable to considering your suggestion...

Judy wrote: "...another suggestion could be to go to Mystery Mile, which is the first book with Campion as our central character."

I'm up for that - it appears to be number two in the series so Susan could be OK with it as she's read the first one already - or indeed any other suggestions you, Susan or anyone else might have.

Amazon reviews for Mystery Mile,...
http://amzn.to/1NBDTH8

^ Not quite as favourably reviewed as Sweet Danger

Not sure how I've got sucked into this read however such are the mysteries of BYT.

Judy wrote: "No worries about who's in charge..."

You are so in charge Judy (as the young people would say).

I've read a couple of Allingham's and not liked them - one was supposed to be her best too... Not really that tempted.

How about Lori's suggestion of a re-release of a long out of print book. Something none of us have read?

Susan wrote: "How about Lori's suggestion of a re-release of a long out of print book. Something none of us have read? "

Fine by me. But Judy's in charge.

Fine by me too. Does either of those on your shelf look particularly tempting, Susan?

Actually, I'm now wondering if it would be better to do one in that series published slightly longer ago, as maybe libraries would be more likely to have it. Maybe one of those Lori mentioned?

This blog has some interesting and tempting reviews...


http://vintagepopfictions.blogspot.co...

The first review is of a Nero Wolfe book. Nero Wolfe was a detective created by Rex Stout...

While they are fine examples of golden age detective fiction the biggest attraction of the Nero Wolfe books is quite definitely Nero Wolfe himself - he is one of the most deliriously outrageous of all fictional detectives. He is so outrageous that he is in danger of self-parody but this is a danger that Stout manages to avoid.

The Red Box includes one element of which I’m extremely fond and that is found in quite a few golden age detective tales - a bizarre and outlandish murder method. There are actually three murders in the book and all three are somewhat outlandish but it’s the third that really delighted me. I’m certainly not going to spoil it but I will mention that it involves adhesive tape and as Wolfe points out it’s a remarkably economical murder method, involving an outlay of around fifteen cents.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero_Wolfe

Looks interesting. That said, and despite Susan's charming protestations to the contrary, I really am fumbling around in the dark here with no great insights to offer.

Any opinions on Nero Wolfe, or indeed any other books in this list?

http://vintagepopfictions.blogspot.co...

The Studio Crime apparently inspired the Detection Club, Judy and is the first in a series, so that would be my choice of the two I picked offhand. However, I haven't looked through Lori's suggestions. Off for the school run now, so interested to hear your thoughts later, Judy :)

Oh, and plenty of Rex Stout available for Kindle...


http://amzn.to/1dBYbnp

And the GoodReads page...

https://www.goodreads.com/series/5183...

And in chronological order for Susan...

http://www.nerowolfe.org/htm/corpus/c...

Lori wrote: "Susan -the British Library have recently re-published a series of golden age detective stories that have been out of print..."

Some great covers there Lori.

http://shop.bl.uk/mall/departmentpage...

And some fab titles. I am instantly drawn to books set in either London or Sussex, for example The Sussex Downs Murder, or Murder in Piccadilly: A British Library Crime Classic, or indeed A Scream in Soho, and there are others too.

Susan wrote: "The Studio Crime apparently inspired the Detection Club, Judy and is the first in a series, so that would be my choice of the two I picked offhand. However, I haven't looked through Lori's suggest..."


I like the sound of that one too, Susan.

I've just had a "look inside" The Studio Crime: A Golden Age Mystery at Amazon and, from a peek at the first couple of pages, it looks fantastic, witty and well-written.

More good news - it's available cheaply on Kindle in both the UK and the US (£2.99 and $4.14 respectively).

So I'd really like to do that one for a hot read if there is enough support.

However I do also want to read Nero Wolfe! Someone recommended him a little while back (I think it was Jan?) and he sounds great too, even more so after your researches, Nigeyb.

So I'm wondering... how about getting up a hot read of 'The Studio Crime', and, if enough people want to, maybe doing a Nero Wolfe book later?

Never read Nero Wolfe. Have downloaded the first (thank you, Nigeyb) and will happily read The Studio Crime as a hot read, Judy.

More info about The Studio Crime: A Golden Age Mystery.



Here is the start of a brief description pinched from what looks to be a great mysteries blog:

"The Studio Crime is set in London, where on a foggy night foul murder fells a malicious artist at his studio in St. John's Wood. Jerrold's amateur sleuth, John Christmas, happens to be on hand, at a friend's party at a flat on a lower floor; and he is soon investigating a baffling murder case..."

Here's a link to the blog:

http://thepassingtramp.blogspot.co.uk...

It has more interesting info about the book and the author, Ianthe Jerrold. It seems she was highly regarded at the time.

I'm intrigued to see that she was the great-granddaughter of Douglas William Jerrold, a 19th-century humorous author who was a close friend of Dickens.

Excellent - looks good.

^ Thanks Judy - well done on being both consultative and decisive. Good price. Great that it's set in London too. In a nutshell, it's all good.


The possibility of a Nero Wolfe book later is tantalising too.

Have you read any, Nigeyb? The first is Fer-de-Lance.

Thanks, Nigeyb, Susan, Lori and Ruth. I'll go ahead and organise the hot read. :)

Excellent, Judy and many thanks. Great idea.

Susan wrote: "Have you read any, Nigeyb?"


None Susan

Susan wrote: "The first is Fer-de-Lance."

Thanks. Hope to investigate one soon. Maybe with my BYT pals?

Judy wrote: "Thanks, Nigeyb, Susan, Lori and Ruth. I'll go ahead and organise the hot read. :)"

Great - thanks Judy. I'll hotfoot it off to Amazon now and download the kindle version.

The thread is now up!

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I've just downloaded the book too :)