Reading the Detectives discussion

Nominations please for our October group read. Hallowe'en themes are welcome but not a must! We already have a book by E.C.R. Lorac, Shroud of Darkness coming up in October as our challenge read, so no Lorac nominations this time round please,

Please only nominate books written and published in the Golden Age period, or a little earlier or later - if in doubt whether a title is eligible, please ask.

As usual, just one nomination per group member, and only one book by any individual writer can be nominated per month.

If you aren't sure whether we have read something, the group bookshelves may help, or just ask! If it was at least 3 years ago that we read it, it is fine to renominate.

This book has just been published, at least in the US, so availably may be a problem. It is $3 on kindle in US.

Murder While You Work

Judy sat staring out of the railway carriage window. Of course there was a war on, but could any train that was trying at all really dawdle the way this one was doing? On the way to her new munitions work in the village of Pinlock, Judy Rest meets handsome, dynamic Nick Parsons, who turns out (after the two engage in some extremely careless talk) to be engaged in top secret work at the same factory. Nick warns her about suspicious goings-on at her new billet, wherein a suspicious death has recently occurred, but Judy is unphased. As she adapts to her work and learns to maintain the proper rhythm with her lathe ("The girls in this group say that 'White Christmas' just swings it nicely"), more deaths occur at home-with even a dog as victim!-and despite Nick's protection, Judy just might be next. First published in 1944 and Noel Streatfeild's only foray into the mystery genre, this novel features not only suspense and romance, but vivid scenes of wartime factory life, some potent psychology, and an array of wonderfully likeable (and loathable) characters. Murder While You Work is the ninth of twelve charming, page-turning romances published under the pseudonym "Susan Scarlett" by none other than beloved children's author and novelist Noel Streatfeild. Out of print for decades, they were rediscovered by Greyladies Books in the early 2010s, and Dean Street Press and Furrowed Middlebrow are delighted now to make all twelve available to a wider audience. "A writer who shows a rich experience in her writing and a charm" Nottingham Journal

I nominated this about a year ago so maybe I’ll try again: The Chuckling Fingers by Mabel Seeley (1941) because it sounds rather spooky.

“An urgent note from a friend spurs Ann Gay to visit her recently married cousin, Jacqueline Heaton. Upon her arrival at Fiddler’s Fingers, a remote, pine-grown estate on Lake Superior, Ann immediately senses her cousin’s fear—someone has been playing increasingly malicious tricks on the Heatons, a proud family of Minnesota lumber tycoons, and worse yet, they seem determined to frame Jacqueline.

Ann quickly resolves to take Jacqueline and her young daughter, Toby, away from the danger. But what began as seemingly trivial pranks—ruined clothes, a burnt bed, a smashed boat—escalates to direct attacks and ultimately murder.”

I will nominate The Six Queer Things by Christopher St. John Sprigg as people thought it fitted in with Halloween.

Desperate to escape living with her miserly uncle, Marjorie Easton eagerly accepts a job offer from the strange Michael Crispin despite knowing nothing of the employment except that it is well-paid and includes some kind of research. Much to her surprise, the “research” involves séances and requires Marjorie to develop her own psychic gifts to assist in communing with the dead. Soon she begins to suffer from terrible nightmares and seems on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but the real terror begins when Crispin dies under mysterious circumstances during one of the séances. Who is responsible? And what is the significance of the “six queer things” the police discover among his belongings after his death?

A Golden Age mystery with echoes of the occult, The Six Queer Things (1937) was Christopher St. John Sprigg’s seventh and final novel, published after his death in the Spanish Civil War. This first-ever reprint of his scarcest novel features a reproduction of the original jacket art.

Don´t know if it´s spooky enough when there are Seven Dead, but otherwise I´ll nominate this book by J. Jefferson Farjeon.

Ted Lyte, amateur thief, has chosen an isolated house by the coast for his first robbery. But Haven House is no ordinary country home. While hunting for silverware to steal, Ted stumbles upon a locked room containing seven dead bodies. Detective Inspector Kendall takes on the case with the help of passing yachtsman Thomas Hazeldean. The search for the house's absent owners brings Hazeldean across the Channel to Boulogne, where he finds more than one motive to stay and investigate.

Some great suggestions already. I liked Christopher St John Sprigg a lot, Jill.

I nominate 'The Nine Tailors' by Dorothy L. Sayers
When she was writing it, it was taking her longer than she expected and would be unable to meet her deadline with the publishers so she wrote 'Murder Must Advertise' at the same time to meet the deadline for a book.

Keith, The Nine Tailors was our May Challenge read this year. I think it is too soon to have the same book again. Would you like to nominate another Sayers title?

I had forgotten that. Why not 'Have His Carcase'' we read 'Gaudy Night' fairly recently I think.

That's fine. Have His Carcase it is.

I'll nominate Murder in the Madhouse by Jonathan Latimer. Published in 1935. Kindle in the US is currently $9. I must have got it when it was on sale.

Overworked detective in the madhouse/mental hospital on the Hudson River makes deluded deductions about doctors and claims he is Poe's detective, C. Auguste Dupin. He is a detective, but hard-drinking. Actually, he is undercover to investigate an inmate's theft. Then the bodies start falling.

Let me know if this isn't available elsewhere.

On kindle in the UK, Jan.

Thanks for all the nominations - it's going to be very hard for people to choose this month!

The poll is now open - please vote for your top choice.
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

Some great suggestions. I came across Sandy's nomination quite recently and it is definitely on my tbr list.

These are all great nominations! Looking forward to reading whatever is chosen!

Yes these are a really interesting set of choices.

We have a winner - Seven Dead by J. Jefferson Farjeon, which will be our October group read. Thanks to all who nominated and voted.

Full results:
Seven Dead 9 votes, 42.9%
The Six Queer Things 4 votes, 19.0%
Murder While You Work 3 votes, 14.3%
Have His Carcase (Lord Peter Wimsey, #8) 2 votes, 9.5%
Murder in the Madhouse (A Bill Crane Mystery Book 371) 2 votes, 9.5%
The Chuckling Fingers 1 vote, 4.8%

Oh, great! Didn´t think it would win. Looking ahead to the read! :)

I voted for Seven Dead because my library had a copy, and I'd never read Farjeon and thought I should try a new writer. Now, having finished, I regret my vote and wish I had voted for Sayers, whom I already know well but deserves a re-read, or The Chuckling Fingers, which my library also has.

I wonder why there are only a total of 21 votes altogether. How many are there on Goodreads?

Keith wrote: "I wonder why there are only a total of 21 votes altogether. How many are there on Goodreads?"

First, only members of "Reading the Detectives" can vote, not everyone on Goodreads. Second, while there are 1900 members of the group (the number is at the bottom of the home page), few are active. 20 - 25 votes is common. One election when your vote really does count.

Good point, Sandy. Any member can nominate a book or vote. Or suggest buddy reads.

I always look at the polls and keep an eye on how the voting is going but tend not to vote unless there's a title that I would either read or comment on if it won. It seems unfair to skew the vote otherwise. What do others think - should we all try and vote sometimes just to mix it up a bit?

You could say that every vote made 'skews' the result. I think everyone should vote which would be a fair result, If we all decided individually without considering what anyone else is doing, that's a much more democratic result. Otherwise, why have a vote at all?

I can’t see the point of voting if you have no intention of reading the book that is most wanted by the people who are going to read it and give an opinion on it once read. Although there may be very many members, I think you will find there is only a hard core of members who actually participate in the discussions having read the chosen book.

Hopefully, there will be one book in the vote members want to read and they can vote on that. However, all groups on Goodreads have more members than those who are active. We have enough active members that it works, which is good.

Ruth wrote: "I always look at the polls and keep an eye on how the voting is going but tend not to vote unless there's a title that I would either read or comment on if it won. It seems unfair to skew the vote ..."

I vote every time, if there’s even one book I want to read, but if a stinker wins, or one by an author I’ve tried a few times and really don’t like (like Farjeon), I just skip the read for the month.

Sandy wrote: "Keith wrote: "I wonder why there are only a total of 21 votes altogether. How many are there on Goodreads?"

First, only members of "Reading the Detectives" can vote, not everyone on Goodreads. Sec..."

Excellent point!

Ruth wrote: "I always look at the polls and keep an eye on how the voting is going but tend not to vote unless there's a title that I would either read or comment on if it won. It seems unfair to skew the vote ..."

Hadn’t thought about it that way, you’re right. I’d like to know what the consensus is - vote or not vote if we won’t be reading for whatever reason (overbooked, traveling, not interested, etc)

Even if I can’t read the book at the time, I know that the threads of the discussions are always there so I could pick up on them later. That is one of the beauties of this group

I vote for whatever ever book I want to read. If it’s a winner, fine . If it doesn’t win, I read the winner as there is a good chance it was on my list anyway. I don’t do rereads so will not vote for any we have read before.

That’s a good plan, pretty much what I do - except if it’s an author I’ve tried multiple times and just don’t like his or her writing, I skip it. I don’t mind rereading if I enjoyed first time - with my memory, anything pre-brain surgeries is kind of a new book, anyway! ;)

Keith wrote: "You could say that every vote made 'skews' the result. I think everyone should vote which would be a fair result, If we all decided individually without considering what anyone else is doing, that'..."

Good point.

Jill wrote: "I can’t see the point of voting if you have no intention of reading the book that is most wanted by the people who are going to read it and give an opinion on it once read. Although there may be ve..."

If I’m an early voter, I don’t know which will emerge most popular. If it’s something I don’t intend to read or can’t get, I keep my mouth shut- I’ve got nothing to contribute!

In another group I’m in, we ask people only to vote if they plan on reading and discussing if their book wins. Nothing worse than having a read when no one participates!

I usually vote ... if I know we're voting. Several times I see the announcement that voting is over and I didn't even know it had begun. Quite often I have a choice of several books. But occasionally I won't see one on the list I like. Possibly I didn't know we were even nominating. I do sometimes go a couple of days without checking things out.

I often put books that are nominated, in both groups I am in, in my TBR list, even if they don't win. Nominations are always useful, as they can help you discover books and authors you may not know. Voting for a book you are going to read, and hopefully, discuss, is obviously best, but I know there are some people who are quite shy and like to lurk and not post. They are also very welcome. People are welcome in whatever way they wish to enjoy the group, as long as they are not here to misuse the group, by posting spam. In which case, we will notice and remove it!

I'm enjoying being part of this group, everyone is friendly and interesting. I enjoy reading all the comments which encourages me to widen my reading - depending on what is available to me. I do have a fairly large library sitting in Calibre. which is a help and Kindle has a lot - but definitely not everything I look for.

I have, for example, Stan Barstow's 'A Kind of Loving' on my Kindle. It's available from Amazon but there are another two books which complete the whole story and which are not available as ebooks : 'The Watchers On The Shore' and 'The Right True End'. It is somewhat frustrating.

Yes, very annoying when some books are on kindle and others are not. Still, I do think that for those of us who like Golden Age detective fiction, kindle has resulted in so many authors and books being back in print, that we are extremely lucky. I remember traipsing up and down Charing Cross Road searching for long out of print books, which are now available for less then a pound at the click of a button. It is not perfect, but it is certainly far better than it was than when I first become a fan of the genre in the eighties.

Yes, most of my reading is GA but from time to time I take a break and have bash at something else, science fiction, history,, Sharon Penman can make history come to life can't she?

I haven't tried Sharon Penman; will have to add her to my TBR. Thanks.

I read Here Be Dragons and really liked it. I mean to read the other two books in that trilogy, but they are long books and it has been hard to fit them in so far.

Susan wrote: "Yes, very annoying when some books are on kindle and others are not. Still, I do think that for those of us who like Golden Age detective fiction, kindle has resulted in so many authors and books b..."

This is so true! I used to haunt my local large used bookstore for favorite usually British mystery and fiction authors, once in awhile hitting a rich vein of Christie, Sayers, EF Benson or Angela Thirkell!

But I always appreciate nominations here, I usually get new names I’d never heard of, that’s how I discovered my new favorite,Lorac. E C R.. I had never heard of her, but thankfully they are reissuing her many books in ebook and paperback formats. I have her favorited on Amazon, so they let me know whenever a new book is out - huzzah!

Keith wrote: "Yes, most of my reading is GA but from time to time I take a break and have bash at something else, science fiction, history,, Sharon Penman can make history come to life can't she?"

Oh, my, yes she can! I was able to pick up several beautiful used copies of her books at my used bookstore years ago - they are doorstops, though, aren’t they, Keith? I read The Sunne in Splendour last year, I still think about it. I could never keep the War of the Roses players straight in my mind, place names and people names all jostled together (you could be in York, or be York, as in Duke of…), but she made them feel like real people with often heartbreaking stories.

'When Christ and His Saints Slept' fleshes out the 12th century Anarchy, the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda (called Maud in the book to differentiate between her and Stephen's wife, Queen Matilda
Brother Cadfael is in the same period.

Keith wrote: "'When Christ and His Saints Slept' fleshes out the 12th century Anarchy, the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda (called Maud in the book to differentiate between her and Stephen..."

Yes, I’ve got that one - would be helpful to read, I find the references to the different factions in Cadfael confusing.

When I was at school (during the war) we studied English history from 1066 (William 1 to Elizabeth 1) and spent some time on the Anarchy so that era is pretty well familiar to me which is a help with Cadfael. His tales are around actual historical events. Really the whole of that period is confusing anyway but Shrewsbury was in Stephen's camp after he defeated and killed the castle's garrison.

Keith wrote: "'When Christ and His Saints Slept' fleshes out the 12th century Anarchy, the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda (called Maud in the book to differentiate between her and Stephen..."

I actually own that one (a pleasant surprise) and need help with the politics surrounding Cadfael. Now to find time for a big book!

Next Cadfael read we do, Keith can explain whatever hullabaloo Stephen & Mathilda are up to in the background!

It is generally referred to in the story anyway And although it was what I covered at school. I can't recall every little detail of what was happening, just major happenings like the killings at Shrewsbury, Matilda's escape in a snowstom. the battle at Lincoln when Stephen was captured and imprisoned in Bristol and his release when there was n exchange of prisoners. etc.!
However I'll do what I can, but remember, it was what I was taught in my early teens, a long time ago, I ain't no Spring Chicken guys.

Keith wrote: "It is generally referred to in the story anyway And although it was what I covered at school. I can't recall every little detail of what was happening, just major happenings like the killings at Sh..."

I have faith in you, you can help us get the gist! ;-)