I can recommend an Australia author called Kerry Greenwood. She is hugely sucessful with her 'Phryne Fisher' series set in Melbrourne in the 1920's. Very clever and witty, they are lovely lighthearted romps with twisty mysteries thrown in. They are my favourites aside from AC.

Has anyone read any of the Miss Silver books by Patricia Wentworth? They were recommended to me by the lady at Abbeys Bookshop in Sydney which specialises in crime fiction. I'd never heard of them, but she looks like she was certainly prolific.

BW Jill and Bundles, I've just finished 'Stong Poison' by Ms Sayers and I LOVED it.

I have and I really like Miss Silver. Obviously, she is compared with Miss Marple due to the fact that she is an elderly woman, but detection isn't something she gets caught up in due to finding herself involved in murders and mysterys. Miss Silver advertises herself as a detective and people bring their cases to her, more like Poirot. She had worked for many years as a governess and, again, like Miss Marple, knows a great deal about human nature.

They have a less cosy atmosphere than most of AC's work. But she writes really well and I find them a delight to read. Do give them a go if you can! She certainly was prolific! I love an author with a great big body of work to get myself lost in!! I wouldn't say they come up to the Christie standard but they are great fun.

Glad you loved Strong Poison! Going to give the other DLS novels a go?

Great idea for a topic, 3rdGirl!

And I'm glad you enjoyed, Strong Poison. I got halfway through it and decided not to read any more of it for a while. I like DLS's other Wimsey books but this one I just found boring. It took her longer than usual to relay things, imo.

Strong Poison is actually one of my favourites (my very favourite is Gaudy Night), because of the fascinating chemistry between Harriet Vane and Lord Peter. The only Sayers novel that I can truly say I disliked is Unnatural Death (Hey, the solution was obvious! I guessed it right away!), but even then, Sayers made the book a decent enough read.

Personally, I just finished John Dickson Carr's Till Death Do Us Part. It was so brilliant it made me want to kick myself. Plus, for sheer originality and ingenuity, there really are few books like it. The plot moves rapidly (Carr called the one "unforgiveable sin" in a mystery "being dull"), and the central conflict in the novel is that of a young lover who begins doubting his fiancee... I'm pretty confident AC fans would enjoy it. (But I recommend avoiding plot summaries; they can give so much away in order to sell copies...)

Till Death Do Us Part was the first John Dickson Carr book I read. And it was a great introduction to him and his writing. As i've said before, my only problem with him is the difficulty in actually getting ANY of this books. Mostly out of print, I guess. Still, it then allows me to spend ages poking around any second-hand bookshops I come across!

I would like to recommend Josephine Tey and her Alan Grant books. There aren't very many, but they are very interesting. The Daughter of Time is a wonderfully unique book. I know I should go into the plot, but it involves Grant (who is out of action laid up in hospital) trying to solve for himself a very well known (British) historical mystery.

I recently read An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson (a book published last year, I think) which uses Josephine Tey as a central figure in a murder mystery. I found it one of the best new book I had read in many a long year. She has just published a sequel (the name escapes me) which I am hoping a benevolent Santa will bring me.

Has anyone ever read any mystery books by Robin Paige? The name is actually a pseudonym name as the books are written by an American married couple. But I have read one of their books about a year ago called: Death at Daisy's Folly. Which is set in Victorian England. Their detectives in that book are Sir Charles Sheridan and his love interest Kate. They have a whole series of books w/ them in it as well.

I didn't like Unnatural Death either go-leafs. It was the first Sayers I read and it nearly put me off her! I shall read her Five Red Herrings next. I really like the characher of Parker and his friendship with Lord Peter. I find that now I've listened to a Lord Peter radio play on BBC7, I'm a bit better at imagining his voice and understanding the language they use a bit better as well, what?

MY Santa has been given a bit of a list as well Jill, I shall investigate the Carr, Paige and Upson books recommended.

I mentioned this book in another post somewhere, but I'll mention it again. I read A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch recently and really enjoyed it. I think he's written three books about Charles Lenox set in Victorian London and I loved the relationship between him and his childhood friend Lady Grey. It was nominated for an Agatha Award in 2007.

Unnatural Death does come over as very dry and lacks a little in the exciting plot line, but still a good read. I must admit, 3rdGirl, I struggled with Five Red Herrings when I first read it as it is so packed full of facts and figures. DLS wrote it around a real railway timetable and I thought it a bit bewildering at the first attempt. But I grew to love it (and it is set in Scotland which always gets me interestd!). Plus I missed Parker - my favourite, favourite DLS character - as he appears for such a small time. I've collected most of the Radio plays on audio tape but the are currently breaking on me if I play them, so I am trying to replace them, finances permitting.

Thanks for the tip about Charles Finch. I'll look out for his books.

I loved The Five Red Herrings, which I found rather similar to Five Little Pigs. The only flaw really is Sayers putting down on paper the Scottish pronunciation of words, where she could've easily just written how she normally does. Deciphering certain phrases got frustrating.

If I'm not mistaken, though, Have His Carcase had a plot that circled around real places and real times, while The Five Red Herrings has a fictional setting with a fictional time table. I get confused between the two in that regard.

No, it's the other way around. Five Red Herrings is set in Dumfries and Galloway and DLS used the existing time table to build her story (or should I say alibis) around. Have His Carcase used the fictional seaside resort of Wilvercombe and an imaginary tide timetable.

They are the next two DLS books on the list so I'll let you know how I go. So many books, so little time!

Bundle_

Has anyone ever read any mystery books by Robin Paige? The name is actually a pseudonym name as the books are written by an American married couple. But I have read one of their books about a year ago called: Death at Daisy's Folly. Which is set in Victorian England. Their detectives in that book are Sir Charles Sheridan and his love interest Kate. They have a whole series of books w/ them in it as well.

I've not heard of these ones at all Bundles, so I'll have a look out for them. I's quite mindboggling how many series there are out there.

Bundles if you like the 1920's flappers, I think you would LOVE the books from my first post. Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher is just fabulous. The first book Cocaine Blues is good fun. and I've read all of them. The Hon Phryne Fisher is bored and goes back to Melbourne from the UK seeking adventures. She's a champagne swilling, gun toting, extremely rich bon vivant sleuth. They are funny and very light hearted. My favourites are Murder in Montparnasse and Death by Water. http://www.phrynefisher.com/

Yes, I've already added Kerry Greenwood on my must read list, 3rdGirl. Thank you! And give Robin Page a try, they're not my favorite authors ever but they are good read every now and then.

I shall also read a John Dickinson Carr book too. Which one should I start w/ go leafs?

First one I read was Until Death Us Do Part. Really great introdution to such a great author.

I'd recommend a bunch, but his first book, It Walks by Night, is a nice introduction to his work. It features the satanic Bencolin as the detective, and it's rather ingenious. But it isn't even close to being one of Carr's best; the sequel, The Lost Gallows, is his first true masterpiece; I still recommend reading It Walks by Night before it though, as it makes the entire book that much more rich an experience.

Till Death Do Us Part is an ingenious book, but I'd hardly recommend it for starters. Dr. Fell is best introduced by reading Hag's Nook or The Mad Hatter Mystery, the first being rather Poesque, the second very Chestertonian.

Sir Henry Merrivale is Carr's other "main" detective, and he features in plenty of books. One of the most ingenious is The Peacock Feather Murders, as well as The Judas Window (which is a narrative tour-de-force).

The general recommendation is to read books in a "series" in as chronological an order as can be managed. I did this with the Bencolins and enjoyed them tremendously.

Carr also wrote plenty of historical mysteries, particularly during his later years an an author. I'm currently reading The Devil in Velvet and it is spectacular.

The rant is over; it's safe to come out.

Another one that popped into my head just now is one of Carr's finest masterpieces, The Burning Court. I highly, highly recommend it.

I've written all of those down and I'm off to the library shortly. It's always good to read a series in order I think. You don't miss out on anything.

Thank you, go leafs. I think I'll read The Burning Court first because if that's one of his best then I'd rather start off w/ a more exciting one for an author am I not familiar w/. It doesn't really bother me when I don't read books in chronological order.

To be honest, I have yet to read a Carr I dislike. Not one of his books commits that "unforgiveable sin" of being dull. Enjoy The Burning Court; unlike most of Carr's books during this period, it is set in America, in 1929. It is one of Carr's best books; the solution so shocked me, I read no other books for three weeks! I just spent that time rereading the ending and mulling over it.

However, I still highly recommend reading series in as chronological order as can be managed. This didn't bother me, either, until I did this with the Bencolins. I enjoyed them tremendously, as I watched them "evolve" more and more. Certainly, there's no NEED to read them in chronological order (although several of the H.M.s are best read in order; The Cavalier's Cup and Night at the Mocking Widow make major allusions to The Curse of the Bronze Lamp, and several murderers are named in another); the experience is just that much better if you do.

And by the way, The Burning Court is a very appropriate read for Hallowe'en. Anyone who has read it knows what I'm talking about.

The first detective stories I read were written by Christie, so they've always represented the true and ideal mystery books to me. The atmosphere in Dame Agatha's stories is not to be found in books of other authors.

Nevertheless, Sherlock Holmes -books are great - though Holmes appears quite supernaturally talented. Conan Doyle hardly gives you clues that any mortal human can use to figure out the murderer.

John Dickson Carr wrote fine stories with elaborate plots and "fair play" towards the reader. I like how he acknowledges that a detective book is a race between the author and the reader; the author hands out the sufficient clues and then attemps to end the story before the reader succeeds to deduce who did it. Especially in The Nine Wrong Answers Carr challenges the reader to a duel of intellect.

I'd recommend Carr for anyone who loves Christie's mysteries.

Enoch_Arden

Nevertheless, Sherlock Holmes -books are great - though Holmes appears quite supernaturally talented. Conan Doyle hardly gives you clues that any mortal human can use to figure out the murderer.

I heavily contest that notion. True, the murderer is quite often a character that has not been introduced, but Conan Doyle plays extremely fair with the clues. Sherlock Holmes gives them all to the reader, but in as maddening a way as possible (Such as the curious actions of the dog at night in Silver Blaze. What were these actions? That the dog did nothing.) This is simply a great device for presenting clues.

Enoch_Arden

John Dickson Carr wrote fine stories with elaborate plots and "fair play" towards the reader. I like how he acknowledges that a detective book is a race between the author and the reader; the author hands out the sufficient clues and then attemps to end the story before the reader succeeds to deduce who did it. Especially in The Nine Wrong Answers Carr challenges the reader to a duel of intellect.

Carr's essay The Grandest Game in the World gives a great insight on his opinions as to mysteries; the same can be said of that masterful chapter in The Hollow Man entitled "The Locked Room-Lecture". [I particularly enjoyed Carr's summing up of typical mysteries back in the 20s (and the hard-boiled story in the 30s), using hilarious names (naming his chess-puzzle detective Reginald du Kink and a police officer in the hard-boiled story Captain Hooligan of Homicide Division). He also hinged the solution on the colour of Dagmar Doubledick's tie, buried in the recesses of Chapter Six.]

{CONTINUED}

I have yet to read The Nine Wrong Answers, actually, but Carr did so love using his footnotes, to emphasize fair play all while misdirecting attention. An example of this is found in The Reader is Warned. He'd also enjoy adding in that "so-and-so" spoke the absolute truth in the narrative itself.

And of course, who can forget that wonderful moment when Dr. Fell cheerfully admits he is in a detective story?

I went to the library and every single Carr book was checked out! He must be good!

I cannot really contribute to any discussion about Sherlock Holmes as I really just don't enjoy them. I feel like a traitor to the crime genre by admitting that! 

3rdGirl

I cannot really contribute to any discussion about Sherlock Holmes as I really just don't enjoy them. I feel like a traitor to the crime genre by admitting that! 

You are not alone: I feel the same way...And I find the books too gory.

No one here is obliged to enjoy Sherlock Holmes, 3rdGirl and Bundle. I find Holmes mysteries entertainig, although not as good as Christie's and Carr's works.

It seems to me like Conan Doyle never seriously meant the reader to compete with Sherlock, but to merely marvel at his skills (which I truly have done!). The concept of the detective novel was new and undeveloped in the late 19th century so I don't blame Conan Doyle; on the contrary, he indeed earns my respect for the pioneering work in the field of crime mysteries.

Carr, as said, does let the reader to compete, but the problem is I'm too lazy to keep on browsing back the pages seeking for clues and checking who said what (quite a personal problem, I'm not blaming the author here either).

So... Now we come to one of the advantages of Christie's books: They're simply easy to read. You don't have to do a whole lot of checking, reasoning and speculating. As you make acquaintance of the characters, you can often guess who could absolutely not be the murderer and who possibly could. And I'm saying this after reading several dozens of her novels, of course it's a lot harder for a beginner. I don't mean to say that I always gueass the murderer before the last chapter, but when I do (in less than every other book I read) I sure feel like a master detective for a tiny moment. :)

I don't feel so bad about not caring for Holmes books now, Enoch :0). Thank you!

I've read a little bit about John Dickson Carr online and I have to say that he was really adamant about his craft. It seems like he never put out a book that he wouldn't be proud of. And even when he had a stroke he continued to write, which is truly admirable! It's evident that he enjoyed writing.

I also read a bit about one of his detectives Sir Henry Merrivale and he sounds like a very interesting character; I can tell he is clever even from not reading the books!

And I was reading a little bit about The Burning Court not from wikipedia as I know they give the solution away but I still ended up finding out who the culprit(s) is/are, so I'll have to read another one of his books instead. The Judas Window looked really good.

I DID issue a warning... The twist in The Burning Court is one of Carr's most ingenious. Having it spoiled without ever reading a Carr is quite disappointing. I stay away from summaries of all sorts when reading Carr; I want the plot to stay as much of a surprise as possible, and I don't want hints of any sort, even the misleading ones.

Sir Henry Merrivale starts out his series very intelligent, Usually, he partakes in some sort of antic in a book. Some of these moments are genuinely funny. But by his last two books, he becomes a buffoon. I was quite surprised he even got to the solution in The Cavalier's Cup- the book is filled with spiteful comments on the Labour Party, very poorly drawn out characters, and general silliness. But if you want to know what H.M. is like in full glory, look no further than Charles Laughton in Witness for the Prosecution, who is wonderfully Merrivalian.

Of the H.M.s, I highly recommend Night at the Mocking Widow, which is very much in the style of The Moving Finger, and has one of the most precious comic moments in the H.M. canon. The Judas Window is a wonderful tour-de-force, which takes place mostly in a courtoom. Sounds boring? Carr never makes it so. Another great H.M. novel is set during WWII: Nine and Death Makes Ten, and it is wonderful to say the very least.

[Continued]

Carr's other great detective is Dr. Gideon Fell. In Hag's Nook, his first outing, the tale is rather Poesque: chilling, creepy, disturbing, terrifying. In The Mad Hatter Mystery, Fell becomes cheerfully more comic in a Chestertonian tale. Subsequent books saw Carr test Fell between sombre tones and comic ones, from The Eight of Swords to Death-Watch. Fell got less comic and more sombre as time went on, though The Case of the Constant Suicides is one of Carr's best, while keeping with the comic touch. It perfectly intergrates an intriguing puzzle (why a sudden epidemic of suicides?) with humour, and takes place in Scotland during WWII.

I recommend reading series in as chronological an order as possible, as you get to see the evolution of the detectives, and you avoid reading the solutions to other works.

Great idea to share other authors.  Having read all of Mrs Christie's books  I have been searching for other authors of the same genre, such as Sayer & Marsh.   By far the most enjoyable I have found is Georgette Heyer.  Set during the same period as Christies early works, her 12 murder mystery novels are wonderful.  Witty and believeable characters and clever plots make them a highly enjoyable read.  I particulary recommend "Behold Here's Poison".  

AA Milne also wrote one murder mystery and it is a good read too.

I've got a few of the Georgette Heyer books too. Never read any of her 'romance' books but I really love her murder mysteries. Just a shame there aren't more!

And go leafs, my friend, I shall be thinking of you on your shopping expedition tomorrow! Enjoy!!

It is very good isn't it ADELE? I read it years ago, I also have a couple of Georgette Heyer books but haven't read them yet, I had more but had a clear out about 4 years ago but kept 2 which I intend to read soon

My invasion of the local bookstore was a smashing success. The opposition was crushed as I looted the store of nine books total. Of these, one will replace my copy of Till Death Do Us Part (due to my negligence, I dented my old copy), and eight are new titles to my bookshelf. Instead of The Problem of the Wire Cage, I sacked The Blind Barber, which I enjoyed more and which was in a fun Collier edition.

I was wondering if anyone would mention A.A. Milne's mystery. It was great, along with Gaston Leroux's The Mystery of the Yellow Room (which has a brilliant solution and fantastic writing- if your French is sharp enough, read it in the original language).

My French DEFINATELY wouldn't be good enough, I'm afraid so I would have to settle for the English translation! However, as I still need to get my mitts on a copy of The Mystery of the Yellow Room, the point is academic!! It will go on my Christmas wish-list along with A.A. Milne's The Red House Mystery. I still kick myself about the Milne book as I saw it in a bookshop not too long ago but didn't buy it. Stupid me.

Glad to hear the day has been a success, go leafs!! It sounds as if your shelves will be groaning under all the extra weight! I seem to remember you said once how tidy you were and how organised you kept your collections. If this is true and you feel a burning desire to rid yourself of some old favourites due to aquiring precious new volumes then send them on to me!! I never turn down charity!! And I am a very worthy cause!!

Enjoy your new books, my friend!

go_leafs_nation

My invasion of the local bookstore was a smashing success. The opposition was crushed as I looted the store of nine books total. Of these, one will replace my copy of Till Death Do Us Part (due to my negligence, I dented my old copy), and eight are new titles to my bookshelf. Instead of The Problem of the Wire Cage, I sacked The Blind Barber, which I enjoyed more and which was in a fun Collier edition.

Go Leafs you are too funny. You are like a little terrier who's just discovered the biggest brontosaurus bone in the bottom of the garden. So chuffed with yourself! Well done. There's NOTHING like a fantastic bookshop expedition is there?

Bundles, I've read The Winter Garden Mystery and it's a good romp indeed. I liked it very much and I liked Daisy as well. Very authentic and well paced, though I did guess the culprit which is so unlike me. I'm one of those people who read them for the characters and settings and don't really look for the clues. So thank you for that recommendation!

Welcome Adele, I'm intrigues about the AA Milne book. I shall look it up after I've finished on the forum.

I'm glad you enjoyed The Winter Garden Mystery 3rdGirl. I didn't guess the culprit I just suspected everyone :0), so I wasn't too surprised at who did it. But I did think that there was a lot of in-depth investigation that took place for such an uncomplex reason as to why to culprit(s) did it. But is was a fun read and I enjoyed it and will read more of her books again.

And happy reading, go leafs! I love going book shopping as well! It's like being a kid in a candy store!

I will enjoy my new books; I'm still getting through The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but once I get through that and The Murder of Sir Edmund Godfrey, I'm free to read what I wish!

Sorry I've been missing everyone, the baby was in hospital for a couple of days with pneumonia and I had mama duties. All well now and back to normal.

I'm currently reading Dorothy L Sayer's Five Red Herrings and I'm halfway through and thoroughly confused! The whole missing bicycles and train schedules thing has me so confused I can't keep a track of who's who. Am I right in thinking that this is not one of her better ones? And where is Harriet Vane?

Harriet Vane does not appear in Five Red Herrings. After her first appearance in Strong Poison, she skips 5RH, shows up again in Have His Carcase, vanishes again in Murder Must Advertise and The Nine Tailors, is the central character in Gaudy Night, and then shares the spotlight with Lord Peter in Busman's Honeymoon.

I agree, 5RH is one of the more difficult Sayers books to read because of the complexity of the alibis.  For a modern-day person who doesn't live in the area, it's almost impossible to crack the alibi.  Your only hope of solving the mystery is to focus on the psychological angle (Did you figure out what the missing clue was in the early chapters?  Figure that out and you're halfway to catching the killer.)

I am very glad to hear that your child is doing better.

Yes, this book is pretty confusing at times, but there is one glaringly simple and obvious clue (nothing to do with alibis) that points right to the killer. I'm proud to say I caught it right away.

It's certainly a book that needs to be followed carefully to ensure you pick up all the threads of the alibis. But, as go leafs and GKCfan both say, if you can guess the big clue near the beginning you are halfway there! I grew to enjoy this book rather than loved it straight away but I could immediately admire the amount of sheer hard work and effort that DLS must have put into creating it. Every detail is a true detail as she faithfully kept to the existing timetables. Much easier to invent your own and move your characters as you will but DLS obviously felt the real world was good enough for her and her creations! Imagine all those seriously obsessed Railway fanatics of the day pouring over her book, trying desperately hard to find a flaw!!

I've missed you 3rdGirl, and so sorry to hear why you have been absent. I do so hope you lovely little one is well again. Best wishes to you all.

Thanks everyone, we are all better and getting organised for the christmas crazies.

Well I'm still only halfway through 5RH, but hopefully will finish it over the weekend. I think I've missed the glaringly obvious clue because I am still a bit lost, but it's starting to straighten itself out and I'm enjoying it a lot more. Her (DLS's) mind is like a steel trap isn't it?

After this I'm onto Hercule Poirot's Christmas for the festive season! ;-)

I think that's a great description! Her ability to retain and arrange facts was amazing. I could do with a little more of that myself!

Glad all is well in the 3rdGirl household and all festive preparations are under way. Couldn't come and organise us, could you? I'm getting stressed already!

I've just managed to get hold of a Robin Paige book (Death On Dartmoor is the only one the library could find in the area) so I'm going to take it with me when I go away for a couple of days lets-escape-this-Christmas-mayhem break next week. So thanks for the recommendation, Bundle/Twink, I'll let you know what I think.

Absolutely no luck trying to find ANY Kerry Greenwood books, though. Possibly they aren't published here? And any search of Charles Finch has the same result. Rather frustrating. I'm sure I could find them on the internet to buy but thats not an option right now so I shall have to go without.

I'm glad that your little one is feeling better, 3rdGirl!

To J.A.: That's great that you found a Robin Paige book! And yes, please tell me what you thought of it. :-)

I'm plowing through it right now. Well, in between sight-seeing and Christmas shopping!! I'm on holiday......sitting in front of a glowing wood fire.....relaxing.......

I'm currently reading a true-crime reconstruction of the murder of George Harry Storrs by Jonathan Goodman. It's The Stabbing of George Harry Storrs, and it's a very good read so far. I know a lot about the case already, and to enjoy a book this much when I know precisely what's going to happen is an unpexpected treat. Goodman does a great job with everything; he doesn't reduce the characters to "Inspector Squiffy of the Yard" (stubborn, unsympathetic, unobservant) or "Mrs. So-and-So of the Hall". It's simply a very well-written, entertaining read.

I read that!  I got interested in the Storrs case after I saw it on an episode of "A Most Mysterious Murder!"  It's a very intriguing and unusual case.

Julian Fellowes did a smashing job with that series, particularaly with the Bravo case, which is of particular interest to AC fans since Agatha referred to it so much. But yes, the Storrs murder is extremely interesting (I agree with Fellowes' solution to the crime), and Goodman is doing an exceptional job bringing the case to life. He is currently describing how the police pieced together information to try a second suspect for the murder, and it's an unexpectedly vivid piece of writing. I really like Goodman so far, and have loaned two more books by him (The Killing of Julia Wallce, The Slaying of Joseph Bowne Elwell), both about cases I know next-to-nothing about.

I have read quite a bit about the Bravo case but I haven't actually heard of the Storrs murder. I am intrigued....

I will have to have see if I can get hold something written by Jonathan Goodman, seeing as you recommend him so highly, go leafs. But, knowing my library service, my chances are rather poor!

Slow progress on the Robin Paige book, I'm afraid.

Fun fact (I just found this out): Franklin D. Roosevelt died reading The Punch and Judy Murders by one Carter Dickson... He apparently left off at page 78, the beginning of a chapter titled 'Six Feet of Earth'.

Oh! I detest real life thriller novels, whether somewhat fictionalized or not.

BTW go leafs I've seen the promos on T.V. for Sherlock Holmes. The kick boxing w/ Holmes was so melodramatic. As far as I can tell Jude Law can't even save this -- apparently swash-buckling -- film.

It's not really a thriller; Goodman basically reconstructed the crime, the police's hunt for the murderer, and his theory as to the solution.

I've seen those trailers for the new Sherlock Holmes movie too. Instead of making me want to dash to my nearest Cinema on Boxing Day, they make me want to run in the opposite direction. I think I will be giving this film a miss and stick with the books and my beloved BBC/Clive Merrison Audiobooks. I know my limits and I think Guy Ritchie and his Sherlockian vision will be one step too far...

Sherlock Holmes is dead. Guy Ritchie murdered him. A shame, because the cast would've been perfect had they bothered making a detective movie instead of an action rampage. I simply refuse to hand in my $10 so a studio can profit off this kind of butchery.

Where's Adrian Conan Doyle with his lawsuits when you need him?

I should stick to the other Adaptations go_leafs btw, I am reading The Adventures of Shrerlock Holmes, my 1st Holmes Book and liking it alot.

Last few pages to go of Death On Dartmoor......

As soon as I heard Guy Ritchie was directing the Sherlock Holmes film, I was sure his take on this well-loved classic would be a little different to the accepted view. However, I was really trying to give him and the film the benefit of the doubt and try to suppress my desire to have things adapted in the way I would like them to be. BUT, even if I was extremely laid back and relaxed about the way Holmes was portrayed, I still think me and Mr Ritchie would be poles apart on the way he and any story featuring him should be. My money is staying in my pocket too, go leafs.

It's clear that the director is trying to put his own stamp on Holmes. It's all about him and not the author's work...

To JA: I know that the Robin Paige books are a little slow and not nearly as exciting as AC's work, but their an interesting read once in a blue moon.  I hope you don't dislike Death on Dartmoor too badly.

BTW I'm reading Georgette Heyer's novel Arabella (My classes are all over for the semester, Yea!) and I simply love it! It's such a charming book! I think you'd like it too. Whenever you get a chance: read it.

Certainly, film is film and books are books. But someone tossed some random fights together, stamped "Sherlock Holmes" on the label, and we get a mindless romp instead of a clever detective puzzle. They're putting FIGHTS onscreen, to quote their own words. Not other cases. FIGHTS.

And it's not like the Rathbone films didn't have changes. In Sherlock Holmes in Washington, Holmes is alive and well in what was then modern-day, combatting Nazis, who have allied themselves with Moriarty. That was far more truthful to the vein of Holmes than what we've seen of Ritchie's so far.

The Rathbone films of the 40's were my introduction to Sherlock Holmes. They were occasionally on TV when I first discovered the delights of black and white films on my little portable telly in my bedroom when I was in my early teens (I was a bit of a lonely girl, burying myself away from the world with my books and films. Can't say I've improved much with age!!) If I was that age now and was introduced to Holmes via this new film, I doubt I would go on to read the books or ever show much interest in the stories again. What a shame that would be.

Twink, I've finished Death On Dartmoor last evening. And far from disliking it, I rather enjoyed it! I was the one being slow, I didn't mean the pace of the book was slow at all. All this talk of Holmes is topical as Conan Doyle himself appears in the book, on Dartmoor, trying to write a new story about a large glowing dog. It was perfect holiday reading. It's always difficult reading a book from later in a series if you haven't read the rest, but knowledge of earlier books wasn't necessary as the story was complete in itself. I'd like to read others but my chances of finding any are very remote. However, thanks for the recommendation! I've now just started The Redemption Of Alexander Seaton by Shona MacLean, one I've been planning to read for quite a while, so I should be engrossed on the train home today,

I've moved on to The Killing of Julia Wallace. All I know of the case is that the husband was convicted, but seriously, with such a tragi-comedy of an investigation, it's a surprise the case even went to court!

I still can't get any Carr's out of the library Go Leafs, he's very popular!

I finished 5RH and loved it in the end. Very clever, and very obvoious once you realised the glaring clue there. She really does blind you with science though? HOW was I supposed to remember that clue with all of the other what-not about?

By the way, what books has everyone asked Santa to bring them?

I've asked for Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray ad I've only read his fairy tales for children and loved them. I've also asked for Ellis Peter's A Morbid Taste For Bones which is about a sleuth in the 1100's in England. Brother Cadfael lives in Shrewsbury Abbey and my British husband is from Shrewsbury so I'm really keen to read a series of books based on the history of a city that I know fairly well.

Happy Holidays to you all!

I've asked for SO many books and I very much doubt Santa will be THAT benevolent and bring me the lot! And I have trued to be such a good girl too!! Heading my list is The Secret Notebooks by John Curran (obviously), the new Nicola Upson and Jacqueline Winspear, anything by Catriona McPherson (anyone else out there a fan of her Dandy Gilver books?), Drood by Dan Simmons, umpteen John Dickson Carr books (no hope there!) and copious others....

I am hoping a few arrive tomorrow to add an extra smile to my day. I'm also hoping some lovely new audio books will also find their way into my stocking or under the tree. But the main thing for me is that I am lucky enough to be spending the day with those I love, hopefully sharing lots of fun, and remembering those who cannot be with us.

Merry Christmas to you all!

I've asked for a ton of books for Christmas; some authors include: John Dickson Carr (looks like he's on lots of people's list this year too, thanks to go leafs :0), P.G. Wodehouse, Georgette Heyer, Carola Dunn, Valerie Wolzien, Shakespear, and of course Agatha Christie. I've asked for a lot of British period movies/tv show dvds too! I'm so excited to see what I get!

Happy Christmas everyone!!!

I forgot to say, finished reading it a day or so ago and I would heartily recommend The Redemption Of Alexander Seaton by Shona MacLean. Intriging story, set in 17th century Scotland and beautifully, beautifully written. I think this is Ms. MacLeans first book and I shall avidly watch for more.

Too late to insist you all add this to your Christmas wish list as all the shops are shutting and/or Santa is too busy to listen. But I would urge you to run out and grab a copy as soon as (what passes for) normal life is resumed.

I have just finished reading The Plague House Murders and The Red Widow Murders  by John Dickson Carr writing as Carter Dickson.I simply devoured them as they are so good. I am going to order all the ones the library has in stock.

Great to see others starting to enjoy Carr also! Personally, I'm surprised at the praise the Holmes film has gotten, and since it's unfair to judge a movie without ever seeing the final product, I'm thinking of seeing it. Ebert gave it 3 stars, so maybe (just maybe) there's a glimmer of hope for dear old Holmes...

Phew! I'm glad to be home after the Christmas crazies (that would be my family members). I'm currently in the middle of a lovely book my best friend gave me called The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott and it's excellent. It's a brand new book out last month and is set in Paris in 1815 at the time Napoleon surrendered and the city was in great change. It's fascinating.

I read two of the Catriona McPherson 'Dandy Gilver' books Jill and they are great. Very atmospheric and set in Scotland which is a lovely change.

I don't know about this Sherlock Holmes movie either Go Leafs. It's had average reviews over here, so I'm a bit suspect. I shall await your verdict, but I think I'll wait for DVD. I shall instead go off to see Bright Star about John Keats which is being touted as the Australian film of the year. With Jane Campion (The Piano) directing it, I'm not surprised.

Bundles, I adore PG Wodehouse. Have you seen the Jeeves and Wooster TV adaptation with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry? It is absolutely hilarious and brilliantly done. It's almost 20 years old now, but well worth tracking down. If you love old-fashioned British comedy of manners, this is as funny as it gets. His languague is just sensational.

I also received AS Byatt's The Children's Book which sounds very interesting indeed.

Glad to see you got through Christmas in one piece and are enjoying the books you were given. I'm home and back to work and Christmas almost feels alike a distant memory already! All that fevered preperation and stress and all over in a flash. I had an emotional Christmas which has left me feeling rather fragile (not through drink as I'm a good girl and no longer imbibe) and a bit low. So I need some good conversation and debate to lift my mood and hopefully I'll get that here.

I well remember Jeeves and Wooster from when it originally aired. Can it really be nearly 20 years old? I shall have to stop pretending I'm 18 now - another depressing thought!! I would urge anyone to see it as it is TV heaven - sublime cast and beautifully written - and still amuses as much today as the first day it was aired. It is still shown frequently on ITV3 here so I get to see the odd episode now and again. I adore Stephen Fry and I love to see Hugh Laurie as I liked him best - before he became a massive star in House. Do, do watch it if you can, Bundle/Twink, It's delightful!!

Glad I'm not the only Dandy Gilver fan. 3rdGirl! I didn't get the latest one for Christmas so I may invest my own pennies in that direction soon. But Santa was VERY good to me indeed and I have plenty of other new books to keep me occupied for a while!!

Don't think I will be going to see the Keats film somehow 3rdgirl.When I was studying him for A Level English I had a big crush on him (I am female!) until my teacher told me that contempory sources described him as 5 feet tall with red hair and a cockney accent. His poems sound juvenile to me now, perhaps it is an age thing. In my youth I thought of Madame Bovary as a tragic heroine, now I think someone should have given her a good slap.

Puffinjill, I remember the Jeeves and Wooster series well and if someone had told me that in 20 years time I would fancy Hugh Laurie I would never have believed them. Now, thanks to House, I do.

Hi everyone! 

Glad to see you all got lots of presentes.

Here are some of the the things I got: Dead Man's Folly (just finished reading it), The Mysterious Mr. Quinn (a 1986 edition), Murder on the Links, The Regatta Mystery, The Grand Sophy (by Georgette Heyer). As for some of the movies I got that tevlesion series Lost in Austen, and the 2008 version of Sense and Sensibility, and a JJ Feild movie :-) etc...

I've saved the best for last I got John Dickison Carr's The Man Who Could Not Shudder (the 1990 edition). What did you think of this book, Go leafs and Jill?

And I haven't seen the Jeeves and Wooster episodes but I want to so much! Thank you both for reminding me of it!

To Jill: I hope you feel better! Sending you lots of *Hugs*!

Bless you! I could do with a hug right now!!

I haven't read that JDC but I'm sure we know a man who has (over to you, go leafs!). My JDC collection is pitiful and I intend to add to it in the New Year. Thank God for the internet!

WHAT?!? You've NEVER seen Jeeves and Wooster? You need to put that right as soon as possible, young lady, or your education will be sorely lacking. I'm sure the DVD boxed sets are quite cheap to buy on the internet so treat yourself and enjoy! (As for you ampman, fancying Hugh laurie...well, I'm not sure about that but I will forever retain a soft spot in my heart for ANYONE involved in Blackadder! His Prince Regent in 3 is one of the funniest thing EVER!)

Enjoy all those wonderful presents! 

I shall watch it and am more determined than ever to see Jeeves and Wooster now!

Sherlock Holmes over here is getting a lot of good buzz, which surprised me. And Robert Downey Jr. is actually nominated for a Golden Globe for his role as Holmes!

I wouldn't mind seeing The Young Victoria w/ Emily Blunt. And on a different note I wouldn't mind seeing Avatar either, just to see all the graphics.

I am a Jeeves and Wooster fan, I have all 4 Series on Video and get the Quarterly PGW Newsletter.

Well we are all agreed on Jeeves and Wooster anyhow! If ever I'm having a bad day I put on the episode with the minstrels and I just laugh my head off. ;-)

I'm not a huge fan of poetry at all AMP, however I've seen the shorts for Bright Star and I'm extremely keen to see it. I'm glad they've not cast him as a six foot, ginger cockney though! He looks little and divine. My husband doesn't want to take me as he knows I'll cry in it! He's so English, he gets dreadfully embarrassed when I cry at the movies. Hee hee.

I'd like to see Young Victoria, and even though Avatar is supposed to be amazing, I just am not a big Sci-Fi fan, so I'll wait for it on DVD.

I did see Where the Wild Things Are with my nephews and just loved it, as they did as well. I could not imagine that a 26 page children's book could be made into a 2 hour film. But it's fantastic (if you like that sort of thing).

Bundles, I think you will need a new bookshelf to go with all of your new titles!

Tommy, where can I subscribe to the PGW newsletter?

Jill, you can have a big hug from me and and sticky smooch from baby Tess! I'm back at work next week after my 12 months maternity leave, so a little less reading time for me in 2010. I shall have to make them all count.

I also forgot to tell everyone that I got The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency Movie and TV series on DVD from Santa as well. We watched the movie length first episode last night and it is delightful. How I wish I could travel to Botswana. It is amazingly cast. Perfect, in fact. I've never seen characters in a book so well cast ever before.

Well, all my previous words on the Sherlock Holmes movie must now be solemnly eaten and washed down with a cup of tea. More on this soon...

When I was ranting and raving about how terrible Sherlock Holmes would turn out, I said that I was holding Guy Ritchie entirely responsible for the fiasco. Now that I’ve seen the film, I must give credit to Ritchie above all for making the film. Instead of making an action rampage as the trailer suggests (to lure in the Illiterati, I suppose), this is a very clever detective film. You must realize that Holmes was something a superhero for London when stories about him were first published. Instead of fighting crime with web-slinging or high-tech gadgetry, his weapon was his mind, ie his keen deductive prowess. This film injects something of a modern-day superhero into him. But contrary to my initial reaction, Holmes is not killed in this movie. He survives the treatment, and emerges gloriously to solve the heinous crime he’s faced with. This Holmes is not precisely the Holmes I imagine, but he’s still Holmes, and Robert Downey Jr. is glorious when he plays him. My problem lies with Dr. Watson, who becomes a compulsive gambler to suit this film. Another error the filmmakers made was with Watson’s fiancée, Mary Morstan, who supposedly never met Holmes before, forgetting one of the four Holmes novels, The Sign of Four, where she comes to Holmes for help, thus meeting and eventually marrying Watson. However, as I’m not a fanatic Baker Street Irregular, I let this pass without attaching much thought to it. Jude Law plays the Watson he’s required to play to perfection—again, not exactly the Watson I have in mind, but one that works for this film and is played perfectly to suit this purpose.

Rachel McAdams fans may also rest in peace—she is an ideal Irene Adler. The flirting and making out wouldn’t have happened in Doyle’s stories, but it’s irresistible for any director to throw in, and doesn’t stick out. It works with everything else, and to be honest, it’s enjoyable.

So yes, the characters emerge slightly different from the ones you read about in the book, but honestly, I didn’t care. This is a very dark treatment of the Holmes material, in the style of The Dark Knight or Batman Begins. I didn’t hear anyone call foul over those films, so Sherlock Holmes shouldn’t be an exception. The increasing panic and chaos that spreads through London is reminiscent of the slowly growing chaos that becomes more and more bone-chilling in The Dark Knight. Whoever wrote the screenplay gets top marks from me. They caught me on one of my very favourite elements in a mystery: the rational explanation of seemingly supernatural events. Holmes was rarely faced with such puzzles in the Doyle canon (the best example maybe being The Sussex Vampire), and I often wished he’d had other puzzles like it. This film granted my wish, and I sat there spellbound, thoroughly entertained and enjoying myself.

My one complaint is the vagueness of the hints: obvious symptoms of [x] that aren’t actually shown until you get to the flashback, gestures of Holmes that go without any explanation until they’re brought up in the solution (easily taken for eccentricities). But let’s pass that aside—the hints are given to the viewer, but are not lingered upon. A few things could’ve been better clued (although one crime was ingeniously and subtly clued), but overall, I’m not complaining.

The acting was strong, and I was particularly impressed by the choice for Professor Moriarty, Holmes’ archnemesis (of Reichenbach Falls fame). This perfectly sets up sequels, and apparently, one is already in the works. All I can say is “hoorah”!

I’ve been a huge supporter of Hans Zimmer ever since hearing his beautiful score accompanying Gladiator. Sherlock Holmes proves my case that Zimmer is one of Hollywood’s current musical geniuses. This score is fantastic, simply put. The final scenes in particular are excellently scored, as Holmes explains everything and a climatic scene ensues.

As for Ritchie’s direction, I’m heavily impressed. He doesn’t make the mistake directors make nowadays in action scenes, by jump cutting and criss-crossing so much that you have no idea what’s going on and where everyone is in relation to each other and the setting (like the dogfight in Quantum of Solace). It’s easily followed, and produces a few memorable shots and action sequences.

There’s a lot in Sherlock Holmes to warrant further viewings, and I simply loved the film. It’s flown near the top of my favourite movies list. I’ll certainly be waiting for the DVD when it comes out! I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this film. Holmes is still Holmes, living in his messy Baker Street quarters with Watson (who is still Watson). Actually, this film does a grand job capturing Holmes’ foul mood in one scene when he isn’t faced with more cases for a while. To sum up: this is a grand film, a pleasant surprise. Just don’t expect the Baker Street Irregulars to come flocking to see it.

Afterthought: The only worry I have is that people will now love Holmes for all the wrong reasons. Oh well. You can't win them all.

3rdGirl

Bundles, I think you will need a new bookshelf to go with all of your new titles!

I have so many books that I can open up a library! As I'm sure you all can relate.

3rdGirl

I'm not a huge fan of poetry at all AMP

That is so interesting that you mentioned that, 3rdGirl! Just the other day I mentioned to my Mom that I don't care for poems and she agreed w/ me! I said that I found them too personal it's like reading someone's heart and soul, and while I can apperciate that, I don't like trying to decipher the poet's emotions and often unnecessarily, overly complex wording.

Glad that you enjoyed Sherlock Holmes, go leafs. And thank you for relaying your opinions about the movie -- w/o spoiling any surprises -- as it has made want to go and see it.

Oh, go leafs, NOW what do I do?!? Your reveiw is making me want to swallow my pride and get along to the nearest town with a Cinema showing Sherlock Holmes, but as I'm stuck in work until the middle of next week I shall have a little time to give the matter more thought. Thanks for posting up your views though. It's good to hear from someone who has actually read the original work and can make a considered comparison. Could I wait until the DVD....not sure.....oh dear, I'm so **** at decisions...

Am hoping to see Bright Star and I am COMPLETELY desperate to see Me And Orson Welles. Could have gone to see it when I was away in Plymouth before Christmas but my partner and his brother wanted to see Avatar (must be a boy thing) so I caved in and went. MMmmmmm, worth seeing if you fancy Jurassic Park in fluorescent colours but not my cup of tea, thank you very much.

Happy New Year everyone!

To Go leafs: I'm anxious to know what you thought of Carr's The Man Who Could Not Shudder? I'm asking because I received the book for Christmas. I'm reading another book at present, though.

That is a book I own, but haven't read yet. Since I'm reading Carr's H.M. novels in chronological order now, I won't be getting to it for quite some time.

I've read The Man Who Could Not Shudder and liked it, although I never came close to guessing  the central conceit upon which the entire solution to themystery hinges.  Once should be careful, though: the solution to The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is mentioned towards the end.

I have read four  Ian Rankin books and loved them. They are all set in modern Edinburgh with John Rebus. I highly recommend Strip Jack. Good Hanging (Short Story Collection) and The Flood and Watchmen. They were amazing as they showed the not so bonny side of Scotland.

And I would second you on that one, TheButlerDidIT. I discovered Ian Rankin and Inspector Rebus just over two years ago. I saw a documentary in which Ian Rankin was musing over the problem of how to end his series, went out the next day and bought Knots and Crosses and then rapidly read the rest, one after another. Brilliantly written and set in my favourite place - Edinburgh! I'm not a fan of realistic, gritty crime novels (getting old, I guess,  and like a comfortable, nostalgic feeling to most of my reading) but I can't recommend these books highly enough. One of my happiest moments was buying a signed copy of Open Doors (not a Rebus novel but the first one he wrote after he finished the series) in Blackwells bookshop on my last day of my holiday in Edinburgh just before Christmas in 2008. I hugged it all the way home and treasure it still!! And I have to complete set of Rebus Audio books. I think I'm a fan....

Lucky you! I can imagine how beautiful it is up there right now. Rankins' books are so good that even the critics have had to stop being so sniffy about the whole crime genre. I think they were reluctant to admire his books as those who 'think' they know all about books and what to read mostly consider books written about these subjects to be less worthy than most. Not true at all, and Rankins' Inspector Rebus books have helped to raise the perception.A good book is a good book, regardless of subject matter. More power to his elbow!!

M.C. Beaton - is a fantastic author, though you cannot compare her to A.C.!

Try reading any of the Agatha Rasin series, youll love it!  Dorothy l. Sayers is also very good, again cant compare to A.C. ( I love Peter Whimsy.)

I have to disagree. I hated the M.C. Beaton I read, which was Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House. Agatha is one of the worst detectives ever. She's obnoxious, a "smart-aleck", keeps swearing, had a twisted love life, and isn't convincing in the least. It had a nice surprise ending, but wasn't worth what you had to get through before that.

I've not read any MC Beaton's but I love Ms Dorothy Sayers and Lord Peter Wimsey.

I was very excited to find in my second hand bookshop The Red House Mystery by A A Milne (of Winnie the Pooh fame) yesterday and will hopefully get time to read it this weekend! I think it may be the only crime book he ever wrote? I could be wrong on that point though.

No, I think you are right, 3rdGirl, it was the only crime book he wrote. I've been lucky, too, as I was given it for Christmas by my sister. I'm going to save it until I have more time to myself and can curl up and enjoy it.

I haven't read any Agatha Raisin books either. The shelves of my local library are groaning under the weight of the copies they have, but something about them (not sure what) has never appealled to me. Strange, as I'm normally willing to give most murder/mystery books a go.

I hope you're all still persevering with Dorothy L Sayers! I can recommend Unnatural Death, also Murder must Advertise (written when Sayers worked for an advertising agency, so the characters are ordinary working men and women rather than High Society), and of course The Nine Tailors. It seems that Sayers was less interested in the question of "who dunnit?" than "how was it done?". For example, at the beginning of Unnatural Death Wimsey is confident that he has detected a murderess, but this gripping story explores how the victim was killed without leaving a trace, and what the motive was.

Another author I have enjoyed is Margery Allingham, although her books mainly fall into two categories - rural, idyllic Suffolk in the 20's/30's, or gritty post-war London, and perhaps have not aged as well as Christie's books. Try Sweet Danger, Look to the Lady, and The Tiger in the Smoke. Allingham also has the distinction, in her book Police at the Funeral, of a murderer who uses such an original method of operation that not even Agatha Christie had thought of it (though it's IMO not one of Allingham's better written books)

Thanks for the reports on the new Holmes film. Don't like "action" so I'll save my pennies!

You're certainly in the minority with Unnatural Death, which most consider not-so-great. I figured the entire thing out, motive, method and all, only 40 or so pages in. (The method is very very easily figured out.) Although it is still readable, it is a pretty stale, predictable read, without many surprises, precisely because Sayers relied on the sole mystery of 'how was it done', and isn't too successful in concealing it. The best part is basically Lord Peter. Now, Gaudy Night... that gets my vote as Sayers' best acheivement (along with The Nine Tailors).

Snap, Nofret, another Margery Allingham fan here!!

I've heard good things about Rex Stout, but I haven't yet read any of his books.

I may be getting The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes soon!!!

I'm a big fan of Dorothy L. Sayers and Rex Stout.  Unfortunately, only a fraction of Stout's books are in print.  The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes  is interesting.  I don't think it's as well written as the original– they borrow heavily from the original stories, but the ones co-written by John Dickson Carr are much better.

Has anyone read Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks? If so, there is finally going to be a movie about it.

I read Birdsong last year and despite it being mainly a book about war, I really enjoyed it.

Here's a list of things you could enjoy:

Ellery Queen

Detective Conan by Aoyama Gosho. (published in the UK as Case Closed, it's a manga and anime.)

G.K Chesterton

Zenigata Heiji (I forgot who wrote this)

Akechi Kogoro (I also forgot the author's name, He's like the Japanese Sherlock Holmes.)

Tortoiseshell Holmes (films about a mystery-solving cat.  She's owned by a bad detective and her strange behaviour helps him solve the case.)

Philip Marlowe

Sam Spade

There is probably countless others out there you would like. Oh, and at the end of all the Detective Conan books the author recommends other mystery writers.

A Christie fan might not really enjoy the Philip Marlowe novels by Raymond Chandler. Chandler's books have a dark, gritty view of the world, and the plots are pretty dull to put it mildly. However, I've only read two Chandlers (a while ago, I might add). I gave up on him when he forgot to mention who killed the chauffer in The Big Sleep. When I think of Chandler, I can't help but think of John Dickson Carr's essay, The Grandest Game in the World, particularly this bit:

"Come, now!" the author seems to be saying. "I'm really a straight novelist, you know, indulging in this funny little medium of the detective story becayse nowadays it's become respectable. It's true I haven't got much of a mystery, or any very clear idea of how to handle it; but if I give you strong characterizations and much talk-in-a-mist, you won't mind that."

I guess it depends on taste...

I found out that Tortoiseshell Holmes was originally a novel by Akegawa Jiro~

Akechi Kogoro was written by Edogawa Rampo

And Zenigata Heiji is written by Nomura Kodo.

I'm about to embark on Have His Carcase by Ms Sayers. I think Harriett returns in this one. Well, I hope she does anyway!!

She does– Have His Carcase is Harriet's second appearance.  Her next is in Gaudy Night, then Busman's Honeymoon and then two short stories, then the Jill Paton Walsh-completed Thrones, Dominations.

If I were you, 3rdGirl (and I wish someone had given me this advice before I wasted my time reading it), I wouldn't bother with Thrones, Dominions and stick to the DLS originals. I was terribly disappointed by it and felt it read as if it was written by someone who had no knowledge of any of Miss Sayers works. There is another by Ms Paton-Walsh too - Presumption Of Death - but I've not read it. I'd be interested in hearing what others have thought of her 'sequels'.

I read two of them, Tooth and Nail (?) and Knots and Crosses. They were really great~

Yeah Knots and Crosses is the best of the first three. Tooth and Nail is the third one with Hide and Seek being the second and I can highly recommend it.

It's strange Conan that we both have so much in common! Ian Rankin, Agatha Christie. Funny if you were a Bond fan too!

I've read them all, TheButlerDidIt. Amazing writer, Mr Ian Rankin, in my very humble opinion. I would strongly recommend his work to anyone. My personal favourite is The Falls, but Knots And Crosses is up there with the best.

Puffinjill I have read the first ten Rebus books but I have read Watchmen which is a stand-alone novel. I was suprised how much I enjoyed them all!

I've just discovered Lesley Cookman's Steeple Martin novels. They're good village whodunnits with likeable characters and good plot twists. If you're surfing Amazon they are well worth a try as I haven't seen them in the shops much in th UK.

I don't recall seeing that authour in bookshops near me. I will do a search on WhSmith and Ebay.

WhSmith-http://www.whsmith.co.uk/CatalogAndSearch/SearchWithinCategory.aspx?gq=lesley+cookman&cat=%5cBooks&ipp=25

Ebay-http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1313&_nkw=lesley+cookman&_sacat=See-All-Categories

Might try them Aurora! Thank You!

Just finished Have his Carcase and loved it! The bit about the coded letters was a bit too detailed for me, however I loved the Harriett/Lord Peter dynamic and am looking forward to the next installment.

Just started Ellis Peters' A Morbid Taste for Bones last night and am hooked! It's a departure for me to get out of the 1920's/1930's genre and this is set in Shrewsbury in the 12th Century. Very interstesing and entertaining.

There's a Rebus book called "Fleshmarket Close", right? Has anyone ever seen that place? It's so creepy >_<

I live in Edinburgh and yes it is very creepy! Also Mary King's Close is very creepy also!

Oh, lucky you TheButlerDid It!!! My favourite place!!!! I'm hopefully coming back to Edinburgh just before Christmas for a holiday if all goes to plan. And I always bring a couple of my Rankin books with me to read again.

Yeah I read an Ian Rankin where there was a murder in the fringe festival which was weird because I was a few streets away from the real fringe festival!

I have discovered a true mystery-writing gem in Christianna Brand. Her specialty was the closed circle of suspects, and she pulled it off brilliantly like no one else! Her clueing is superb, and her characterisation is razor-sharp, as all of her characters are intensely likeable.

I'm currently reading Green for Danger, where a patient dies under mysterious circumstances on an operating table. It seems like a pure, unforeseeable accident; after all, substituting the gases that were used as anesthetic was absolutely impossible. But when a nurse hysterically declares she knows who the murderer is and has proof, she too meets her maker...

Sounds good!

I have been recommended Rankin by many people TBDI and I know that Puffinjill likes them too.

The Brother Cadfael book I read was fantastic. However I'm just starting Wilkie Collin's The Woman in White which has been in the bedside pile for ages, so I'm looking forward to that.

I loved Edinburgh as well when I travelled there a few years ago. I actually got sunburned on my face it was so lovely as sunny! And coming from a lady that lives at Bondi Beach that's saying something!

I forgot to say previously that I read the AA Milne Red House Mystery, and I actually guessed the culprit, which is highly unusual for me, but it was fun.

At long last, I finished reading Carr's H.M. canon in order, and I must say I've gained new appreciation and inisghts for the books.

So now, I finally get to read John Sladek's Black Aura, which sounds very intriguing to say the least. Here is a summary from a friend on a Golden Age Mysteries forum:

"Its one of my favorite impossible crime stories and can match (IMO) with some of Carr's best. The story centers on a group of spiritualists living with their medium. Thackerey Phin, an American enthusiast of classic mysteries living in London, attempts to debunk them, but soon things start to happen in the house that should only happen between the pages of a John Dickson Carr novel, including a seemingly impossible disappearance from a locked lavatory and the impalement of a man on a fence after apparently levitating in mid-air! Both impossibilities have a satisfying solution and even though I solved them before Phin did, I wasn't left with a vague feeling of disappointment like with Brean's Wilders Walks Away and Talbot's Rim of the Pit (not that these books are bad, on the contrary, but they didn't really deliver in the end, which left me little bit dissapointed). And Thackerey Phin is a very likeable character and I think every detective geek will recognize something of themselves in him. I had daydreams like him. ;-)"

go_leafs_nation

of my favorite impossible crime stories and can match (IMO) with some of Carr's best. The story centers on a group of spiritualists living with their medium. Thackerey Phin, an American enthusiast of classic mysteries living in London, attempts to debunk them, but soon things start to happen in the house that should only happen between the pages of a John Dickson Carr novel, including a seemingly impossible disappearance from a locked lavatory and the impalement of a man on a fence after apparently levitating in mid-air! Both impossibilities have a satisfying solution and even though I solved them before Phin did, I wasn't left with a vague feeling of disappointment like with Brean's Wilders Walks Away and Talbot's Rim of the Pit (not that these books are bad, on the contrary, but they didn't really deliver in the end, which left me little bit dissapointed). And Thackerey Phin is a very likeable character and I think every detective geek will recognize something of themselves in him. I had daydreams like him. ;-)"

Goodness...that's quite eventful isn't it?? I've finally read a Patricia Wentworth Miss Silver book Lonesome Road, and I can see very much why people compare her to Ms Christie and the character of Miss Silver to Miss Marple. She even knites things for people's babies! I can't put my finger on why, but it was quite a forgettable mystery. In fact, the details of the plot and characters completely escape me and I only read it a week ago. It was a bit...vanilla...for want of a better word. I don't think I'd raed another to be honest.

I've read Black Aura, and I must agree with my friend's summary- it's ingenious and highly satisfying, and Phin is a wonderful detective!

All this time later, I finally get started on Rex Stout (after encounters with Ellery Queen, Edmund Crispin, and others, which have been wonderful). The book I am currently reading is Champagne for One, which actually has a marvelous plot idea, similar (yet very different so far) to Three Act Tragedy. The characters are wonderful, and their dialogue is simply out of this world. It is wonderfully fun to read.

Fans of John Dickson Carr will probably love Edmund Crispin. I read two of his books, and although the second, Holy Disorders, does not live up to the liveliness and brilliance of its opening, both are very good reads. Crispin can be very funny, and he makes no bones about it- he's written a mystery, take it or leave it, and he won't pretend otherwise. His detective, Gervase Fen, once calls himself "the only literary critic turned detective in all of fiction".

Ellery Queen is a mixed bag. You either like him or hate him. (I say him, but it is in reality two people writing under the pseudonym.) The first books feature a smarmy, Philo Vance-ish Ellery Queen (who needs a kick in the pance), but Queen doesn't take too long to grow up. The best puzzles I've read so far are Cat of Many Tails and The Greek Coffin Mystery (which contains such a pedantic and arrogant Queen, that it can turn some people off).

Then, there's a marvelous discovery I made of Robert van Gulik, whose books are still in print. He wrote a series of books that take place in Ancient China, in the style of Chinese detective novels, centering around Judge Dee. He marvelously recreates the historical setting with a pen, and includes illustrations that are interesting for their reproduction of the Chinese style. My only quibbles are as to the puzzle's fairness now and then, but really, when considered as a whole, his books are wonderful (yet you rarely hear of him).

I believe that it was GKCfan who mentioned, far earlier in this topic, that he was a big fan of Rex Stout. Well, I managed to finish Champagne for One today, and although it was an excellent and fun read, I did end up having problems with its solution, as most of the proof turns out to be either lucky guesses or assumptions/inferences, confirmed pages before the killer is unmasked. For a story that had an out-of-this-world radiance as you read along, you expect it all to be better hinted at.

I enjoyed reading this book very much (which you might be able to infer by the fact that I read most of it in one day). Nero Wolfe's many eccentricities (his love for orchids, his enjoyment and appreciation of food, etc.) won me over quickly. The food described sounded delicious! Archie Goodwin makes for a very fun narrator, and his dialogue was simply out of this world.

So yes, Stout's plotting of clues and such could've been better, but he is quite fun to read nonetheless.

I'm starting to read the works of Ngaio Marsh. I have read her first three novels and they may not be like Christie but the characters are believable, interesting, and unique. Her murder methods are unusual or at least the way how it is done. I plan to read later the works of John Dickson Carr. I read a few stories by him and they intrigued me because of the impossible crime situations and the element of supernatural doings. I don't know a lot about the works of G.K Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Margery Allingham. Could anyone tell me some things about their work or writing style in other words what makes them great mystery writers to read about.

G. K. Chesterton was just brilliant. His writing is very eloquent, and it is full of paradoxes, which Chesterton simply loved. His famous detective is Father Brown, a Roman Catholic priest who goes about solving crimes, but not because of the dropped cigarette or the scrap of torn clothing- he is a student of human nature. Chesterton wrote other brilliant stories that do not feature Brown: the ones I've read are The Club of Queer Trades and Four Faultless Felons, Both are excellent, and the second in particular is brilliant when it comes to paradoxes.

And, of course, The Man Who Was Thursday is a brilliant novel, but its final scenes can sure confuse you, especially the first time you read it- I know I was puzzled!

I know several people have mentioned they have read the works of Dorothy L. Sayers. She is considered as one of the original queens of crime. I only have read a few short stories by her among them The Fountain Plays, Blood Sacrifice, Suspicion, and The Man Who Knew How. These stories I highly recommend because of the surprise twist endings. However, Blood Sacrifice might be a bit confusing to some. I really have not read anything about Lord Peter Wimsey. I was wondering if anybody can tell me things about him and what is it about Sayers' detective that I should read her novels. Now I really don't know anything about Margery Allingham and I would appreciate it if anyone who has read her can tell me anything special about her writing style, her detective, or anything unique about her mysteries. 

I have not read much of Allingham, but she is said to be very much in the "cosy mystery" vein.  She is often compared to Christie, although I much prefer Christie Allingham isn't bad at all.  Her short story "Death on the Air" is often anthologized.  It's very different from the similarly titled Christie novel.  Although I haven't read it, the solution to Police at the Funeral is considered a classic.

As you've guessed from my name, I love G.K. Chesterton.  You can find out more about him and find links to some of his work at chesterton.org.

And yes, I did recommend Rex Stout earlier.  My favorite part of Stout's mysteries is the Wolfe/Goodwin interplay.  The odd thing about Stout's novels is that they often spend the entire middle third of the book going nowhere, with all the leads coming up dead ends, and the plot doesn't advance until the final act.  The best all-around Wolfe mysteries (The Doorbell Rang, Prisoner's Base, Over My Dead Body, The Silent Speaker, and the Arnold Zeck Trilogy) all have compelling plotlines throughout the books.

I haven't yet red Allingham myself, personally, so I can't really comment.

I noticed that with Champagne for One, GKCfan, as Wolfe sent his crew out to do (sometimes) unspecified jobs which would clinch proof for deductions Wolfe had already made. I certainly agree that the interplay between Wolfe and Goodwin was one of the most entertaining portions of the entire book. (I liked CFO enough to see the A&E adaptation of it, and it was just brilliant- one of the best I've seen in a while. It really captures the tragedy of the murder very well.) Do you recommend any other Stouts?

The A&E adaptations are superb- I highly recommend all of them, and the books they adapt are among the best– they have to be, because you can't make a TV movie about the detectives just spinning their wheels.  Unfortunately, I haven't read about a third of the Wolfe books because they're out of print.  However, the books I mention in my earlier post, the A&E adapted books, Before Midnight, and The League of Frightened Men are all quite good, plus the short novelettes are much more tightly constructed (they're usually published in collections of three or four– titles with those numbers in them contain short stories).  Also, you can find some Nero Wolfe radio mysteries on the Internet.  The Sidney Greenstreet-as-Wolfe radio series from the 1940's are not so hot because the plots are all original and rather generic, although Greenstreet makes a great Wolfe.  The 1982 series by the Canadian Broadcasting Company starring Mavor Moore as Wolfe and Don Francks as Archie (13 1-hour episodes based on the original stories) are outstanding.

My opinion of the A&E series is really high so far after but an episode, so I'm really looking forward to more! That's one reason why I chose to read Too Many Clients next, since it's one of the Season 2 episodes. It's quite enjoyable so far- Stout's dialogue is simply outstanding, and the improvised reason Goodwin comes up with at the phone when Cramer's in the office (with the fictional Gerson going crazy when he's found his bonds) made me laugh right out loud. Looks like I've become a fan!

I will, of course, be sure to keep an eye out for the CBC radio series.

Well, I finished Too Many Clients, and anyone looking for a solidly-constructed mystery with a complex plot will find it a nightmare. The culprit makes as much sense as anyone else based on the evidence, and the clue the reader is given is so small, it is akin to hinging the guilt of Dagmar Doubledick on the colour of his tie (green!) when he meets the detectives in the park in Chapter Six.

That being said, I surprisingly didn't care much. Had anyone but Stout written it, I'd be outraged. But his characters are so delightfully enjoyable, his dialogue sparkles so brilliantly and it feels so fresh (and the descriptions of food he gives are so enjoyable), that I find myself highly enjoying it nonetheless.

I also discovered an 'endorsement' of Stout by Agatha Christie herself, while glancing through a biography of Stout by John McAleer. I love stumbling across quotes like that, authors commenting positively on their fellow authors' works. It suggests a circle of crime in which everyone is mutually respected and admired. It's a very pleasant suggestion to think about.

I agree– I haven't read Too Many Clients but I've seen the A&E version.  What makes even the weakest Wolfe mysteries work are the facts that the characters play so well off each other, and the dialogue is so much fun.

I agree. Now, I moved on to reading Too Many Cooks, and it is an absolute delight so far. As someone who is very fond of food, the many delicious-sounding descriptions of dishes (that sausage sounds heavenly!) make the whole thing even more enjoyable. We've just been told about the episode with Laszio and the arsenic in the kitchen, so the mysterious set-up isn't bad at all. Let's see if the book can carry through like this for the whole nine yards.

Can anyone give me some info as to the writing style of Dorothy L. Sayers and what makes her work interesting to read.

Sayers was one of the original crusaders of crime. She had really strong opinions on what mystery authors could be approved of and so forth, and I guess it's for that reason that her style and books are among the most criticized of its kind. I disagree with such criticisms. To sum up her books briefly, they are rather fun (for me at least), especially if you're open to them. If you're expecting riveting psychological dramas that enforce that people are dull as death and deathly dull, you will not get that. Lord Peter Wimsey can be rather amusing and comic. Sometimes, like in Gaudy Night (my favourite by her), Sayers could really get terrifying. Why? You'll have to read it yourself and judge. Her weakest book is Unnatural Death, in which the villain's identity is practically known from page one, but it asks the question "how was it done?", and the answer is obvious. It makes for an enjoyable romp nonetheless. (Strong Poison also has a villain who is just about known from the start, but it is a much stronger and more enjoyable read.)

GKCfan, I believe I will join your ranks as a Stout fan from now on. I've finished Too Many Cooks, and I consider it a masterpiece. It's the best Stout I've read so far, and I have great admiration for it, particularly in scenes where Stout masterfully handles the issue of racism. You may be interested in this topic from a Golden Age Mysteries forum, of which I am a proud member, where I updated my fellow members on my progress and thoughts as I read the book:

http://www.jdcarr.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6812

I'm so glad you're enjoying Rex Stout's books.  I will check out the forum when I have some time.  If you're interested in saucisse minuit, check out The Nero Wolfe Cookbook.  I think I found a link to the Nero Wolfe saucisse minuit recipe:

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/saucisse-minuit-404274

I'm not sure what the secret ingredient is, though...

I agree that there are some plot problems with Unnatural Death, but they are offset by the introduction of the character Miss Climpson, who I enjoy, especially in Strong Poison.

Thanks for finding it, GKCfan! I won't be able to make it, but at least I will not go insane wondering about it for now. Perhaps it is the cold stuffing that is the secret?

Yes, you're perfectly right- Miss Climpson redeems a lot in Unnatural Death.

I have just finished reading Ngaio Marsh's Death in Ecstasy. It was an intriguing combination of murder, drugs, and spiritualism It had a very disturbing and bizarre background at some unorthodox cult. The novel talked alot on sodium cyanide and it was interesting to that it mentioned the book on how to make it. The characters are different and unique. Has plenty of different motives for murder. The ending was a surprise. I sort of suspected who the killer was but then I dismiss that person because I could not think what motive that person had for the crime. Nevertheless, a good one to read and I like the detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn

I don't know if anyone has mentioned Martha Grimes yet but I recently reads Old Fox Deceiv'd and although it was slow to start of with which was probably my fault I really Like Richard Jury and Melrose Plant and will read another by her.

go_leafs_nation, if you ever read The Nero Wolfe Cookbook, you'll be curious to try most of the recipes, but you'll soon realize that they take superhuman skill at cooking and a well-padded bank account.  The creators of that cookbook take most of the dishes mentioned in the books.  The one I really ought to try sometime is scrambled eggs from The Mother Hunt.  They're supposed to be the tastiest, fluffiest eggs you can ever make... and they take forty-five minutes to prepare.  Minimum.  

I'll be sure to set aside two years to learn how to cook sometime. I'd probably drive myself insane with the smell of the eggs alone!

I have just finished Ngaio Marsh's Vintage Murder. I really had fun reading this one. It is another novel to take place in the world of the theatre but this is the first novel that is set in New Zealand. Marsh gives some great depictions of life in New Zealand, history of Maori culture and background on the tribe and gives a colorful idea of the New Zealand countryside with its green hills, mountains, scented flowers, chriping birds, etc. The characters are unique and believable. Plenty of suspects, clues, and motives. The murder method was totally different and bizarre and brutal. Roderick Alleyn's character becomes more in-depth and personal. The identity of the killer surprised me when it came to the climax. It does not feature a gathering of suspects like Christie does but Marsh is able to make it tense and suspenseful as you discover the name of the murderer. A great read and lots of colorful characterzations and settings combined with mystery, suspense, humor, and wit all in one. I highly recommend this one

I find that after reading Christie, Sherlock Holmes, some stories by Carr, Sayers and starting on Marsh. I like the British mysteries I have read so far. I like the background of WWII England, the fabulous country house, traveling to Europe or the mysterious Orient or Egypt. I plan to read Stout, Gardner, Chandler, Cain, Hammett, Queen, etc just to see what the American mysteries are like and compare and contrast as well as say that I have read some whodunits by American writers. On the whole I just love mysteries

Today, I took part in my annual bookstore invasions, and walked away with 24 books by Rex Stout (bringing my grand total up to 30) and one by Edmund Crispin. And Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday, which I saw for a dollar. Despite exams, life is currently wonderful.

I took a bunch of your Stout suggestions, GKCfan, and followed some of my own impulses as well (I liked the sound of Death of a Dude, for instance, and I simply couldn't resist The Golden Spiders, which I remembered was the pilot for the A&E series). I'm very happy with the results. If you'd like, I can post the complete list of today's acquisitions on here later- my biology exam is peeking around the corner, though, so I'd best get to it!

Apart from mysteries, I'm kind of set on getting a copy of "Moderato Cantabile" by Marguerite Duras. But that's only because she was mentioned in the song "Stay"... I'm also interested in checking out Novalis, "Hamlet", and I was thinking about "Bonjour Tristesse", before I read the description of it on the internet... I'm kind of letting music influence my reading. Which isn't good.

Hello Heisei. I don't think music influencing your books would do any harm. Seems like a good idea actually.

Call me an anglophile, but im not big on American writers. Last American author I read was, against my will, Ray Bradbury, who I cant stand. Im becoming more and more of a Dickens fan. The Old Curiosity Shop was amazing! One of my favorite books ever. Right now im reading Bleak House, Grapes of Wrath by Stienbeck, and Peril at End House. Im a big C.S. Lewis fan.

I have read four biographies of the Beatles in the past 4 months. Really good stuff. Interesting stories many humerous and some plain weird.

At last, some time for me to breathe. Anyway, here's the list of the Stouts I acquired yesterday:

A Right to Die ; And Be a Villain ; The Second Confession ; In the Best Families ; Three Doors to Death ;Prisoner's Base ; Fer-de-Lance ; Black Orchids ; The Mother Hunt ; Three Witnesses ; And Four to Go ; The Golden Spiders ; Death of a Doxy ; Death of a Dude ; The Red Box ; The Rubber Band ; The Silent Speaker ; Might as Well Be Dead ; If Death Ever Slept ; Three At Wolfe's Door ; Gambit ; Please Pass the Guilt ; A Family Affair

Save "A Family Affair" for last- it's the final book in the series, and to read it earlier would permanently alter your views on one recurring character.

I've heard it's the Curtain of Stout, so I'm fairly certain I will leave it till last. It's part of an omnibus I got with 7 books in it. Either way, I think I'll try proceeding in as chronological an order as I can manage from now on, starting with Fer-de-Lance. I'll probably also grab Three for the Chair tomorrow. There's a bunch of books that I got mainly so that once I read them I can watch the A&E adaptation without feeling guilty.

You're right: A Family Affair = Curtain, although the solutions are different.  Reading chronologically is a great idea, especially for the Arnold Zeck trilogy  (And Be a Villain ; The Second Confession ; In the Best Families), which should be  in order.  

I'll have to start with The Doorbell Rang, though, because it's on an Interlibrary Loan with no renewals allowed. Plus, it's come highly recommended, and I'm told the A&E adaptation is one of the series' finest episodes.

I find that after reading Christie other writers like Sayers and Allingham do not compare with Christie's ability to focus on psychological suspense, plots that keep you in their grip until the end and create a great mystery that does not always center on British characters. It seems to me Sayers and Allingham tend to focus on humor and wit and not enough on suspense and convincing characters. I like stories that have a good amount of suspense. When I started reading the first five Ngaio Marsh novels they do have wit and humor but they have suspense, interesting settings, and unusual and yet unique solutions. I plan to read the the rest of Marsh's novels because she sets them from the 1930's to the 1970's just like Christie does. They are able to depict not only a changing world but a changing England no longer high-society and wit but now on to serious and unplesant changes in time

Well, Sayers died in '57, so she very well couldn't have set her novels in the 70s. If you're looking for suspense, you can't do much finer than her Gaudy Night. It involves practical jokes at a university that become darker and darker... It is also one of only two Sayers I did not solve- the puzzle is very well-concealed. Lord Peter, surprisingly, is largely absent, and the book nearly centers around Harriet Vane.

You may also like Christianna Brand, particularly Green for Danger, which has marvelous characters, some really good suspense, a great puzzle, and all a WWII setting.

I'd also recommend John Sladek's Black Aura and Ellery Queen's Cat of Many Tails. John Dickson Carr's The Burning Court is one of the finest mysteries ever written, with several fantastic impossible occurences, a haunting supernatural atmosphere, and a thundering good solution, set in America (a surprise for Carr, who often set his books in England). Warning: look up no more about it. Its ending is infamous, which is why it is so easily spoiled. Wikipedia indulges in that tomfoolery as well.

I understand what you mean. What I like about the Christie denouements are that they are usually surprising especially when Poirot gathers the suspects and goes on until he reveals the killer's identity. I don't know if the denouements for Sayers' or Allingham' work are like Christie's. I would be interested to know.

No, they aren't. I can't say that either Sayers or Allingham kept to one main plot device to unmask the villian of the piece as AC tends to do in many of her works. Both Sayers and Allingham wrote fewer novels than AC by far and these tended to be less 'formulaic' in their final pages.

This isn't meant as a criticism of AC or her way of writing AT ALL, it is meant as an acknowledgment of the fact that she found an effective way for Poirot to reveal the villian to her reading public that gripped thier imagination. It managed to keep the audience guessing right to the end and helped to keep the suspense high. Her readers are taken back over all the facts and evidence once more and given a last chance to make up their minds before the big reveal happens, so we can all feel as if we are taking part too. It works so very well, so why not use it time and time again?

I quite agree with you. Do you think Sayers and Allingham add too much humor in their books. I've heard the Allingham mysteries are adventures and so much mysteries that require the reader to figure out the puzzle. Also do you consider the Father Brown stories as great stuff to read.

No, I don't think either of them have too much humour in their books at all. In fact, I don't think they include as much as Christie does in many of her books, The early Margery Allinghams's are lighter in tone and a little more frivolous (Sweet Danger, for example) but her later works are much more thoughtful and brilliantly observed (The Tiger In The Smoke and Hide My Eyes, to name but two). Sayers created some wonderful characters and could certainly write sparkling dialogue between them that, at times, was very amusing, but there is always an underlying darker tone to her work, possibly a hangover from the age in which they were written. Both of these writers could introduce humour into any situation (as AC and even 'real' life does) but the humour was never the real point. As for the Father Brown stories, I'm not the one to ask as I've not read may of them yet. Something I need to correct before much longer.

Finally managed to get hold of a Rex Stout via my Library service after reading so much discussion about him on this forum. I started it yesterday morning and actually finished it last night! A great read and I shall see if I can find any more but I'm a little doubtful that the Library will be of any more help. Unfortunately the only one they could supply me with was the last in the Arnold Zeck trilogy, Even In The Best Families, as I gather from other posts this isn't the ideal place to start but it was better than not starting at all!!

Talking of the Christianna Brand novel Green For Danger, I seem to remember watching a great film black and white of this title a few years ago. I think it must be an adaptation of it, although not having read it I'm not 100% sure. It starred Alistair Simm and was a wonderful, atmospheric film. Must see if I can track down a copy of it.

The film is a wonderful adaptation- reasonably faithful, and at the same time, Sim did an excellent job as Inspector Cockrill, giving the character plenty of fun eccentricities. It's actually a very funny movie, although one or two scenes are certainly intense. Top-notch entertainment.

Great description, go leafs! What a little gem it is! I must get hold of a copy (id it's on DVD) and I must, MUST keep my eyes peeled for a copy of the original story. By the way, I've been busy trying to track down my beloved green and white Penguins and have been very lucky recently as it's the 75th anniversary of Penguin books and I've managed to find quite a few, including some by John Dickson Carr ,H. C. Bailey, Freeman Wills Crofts and, of course, Agatha Christie. I think I can now call it a collection and not just a handful of books!!

I love reading the Sherlock Holmes adventures. As I read the stories I get a picture of what London looked liked in the Victorian Era. The gas-lit streets, the hansom cabs along cobblestone streets, Big Ben striking midnight as Holmes and Watson pursue a villian. I like Holmes because he is a very eccentric fictional character like Poirot and his fastidious demeanor and habits. What interest me about Holmes was that he had a very cold and unemotional behavior towards women and other people with an exception of Watson of course. Yet he is a genius when solving a case. My favorite stories are one others have probably claim were their favorites. Ones like The Speckled Band, The Red-Headed League, The Copper Beeches and The Hound of the Baskervilles. I also like the Final Problem, The Empty House, The Six Napoleons, The Engineer's Thumb, The Crooked Man, etc. My favorite Holmes on film is of course Basil Rathbone. I listen to the radio show he did in the 1940s with Nigel Bruce as Watson. I feel British mysteries are quite exciting, intriguing, and fun despite those who say the British writers of whodunits were dull.

Has anyone read any Barbara Cleverly book? I've just found out about her, so I'm wondering if is it worth reading or not? Can someone please compare it to Agatha Christie's books. Thank you!

Yes, I've read all of her Joe Sandilands series and they are an enjoyable read. Different style completely to AC so hard to compare but worth a look.

I have read and loved the Phryne Fisher mysteries!

.

Dorothy L Sayers! In some ways I consider she's superior to Agatha Christie, who IMO was a terrible snob (I put that down to the fact that she was in reality an American to all intents and purposes.) DLS is no kind of a snob!

I made a posting - two of them in this thread - where have they gone? This site is extremely user-unfriendly.

cameronjhw

I quite agree with you. Do you think Sayers and Allingham add too much humor in their books. I've heard the Allingham mysteries are adventures and so much mysteries that require the reader to figure out the puzzle. Also do you consider the Father Brown stories as great stuff to read.

I don't know Allingham, but Sayers' humour is quite subtle and gorgeous! I've read some Father Brown and would like to find more...

I've just finished the sixth Ngaio Marsh novel Artists in Crime. It was a good book to read. You learn a lot about artists and the varying degrees of the artistic temperment among the principal suspects. This book introduces Roderick Alleyn to Agatha Troy a painter he met onboard a ship who wil lappear in later novels. There is a playful chemistry between these two sometimes they are friendly to each other other times they conceal their emotions. The murder method in this one was bizarre--a nude model is stabbed while in a unusual pose. Plenty of clues, motives, a second shocking crime, and a solution that will surprise some unless you pick up on the clues and the killer. This novel also features drug addiction and a surprising view on free sex among artists and models during 1930s London. On to the next Marsh novel.

I have finished the seventh Ngaio Marsh novel today and this one is one of her best Death in a White Tie. It is set in London during the season of debutantes, balls, parties, teas, concerts and dances. In this novel it is also the season of blackmail and murder. Someone has been blackmailing certain members of high society and with the help of an wealthy peer his friend Roderick Alleyn think they know who it is but murder intervenes when Alleyn's friend is asphyxiated in the back of a taxi and now Alleyn has to figure out who the killer as well as the blackmailer. The dialogue is good, the characters fun and believable and it takes you back to a period of high-class, glamour and eloquence mixed together with the sordid trappings of scandals, secrrets, shifty deeds, and a cunning and fiendish mind who hides among the wealthy. The solution is clever and the ending will leave you excited and amazed as you realize the clues were there the whole time. Great read I personally recomend it