In my previous 4 posts on the mystery genre I highlighted what I considered to be new mystery series for me. Today I'll talk about female authors from the 'Golden Age' of detective fiction. I've enjoyed books by all of these classic authors. It's probably not an all-inclusive listing but in various articles on the subject, the most agreed upon listing includes Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy L. Sayers and Josephine Tey. All are British authors except Marsh who was a New Zealander (although her main character worked in England for the most part). For the purposes of my post today I'll include one other author, that being American writer Elizabeth Daly. I'm sure others can add more female mystery writers to this small list. Please let me know.
1.
Agatha Christie
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| Agatha Christie |
So let's begin the discussion with Agatha Christie, probably the most famous mystery writer of all.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie was born in Torquay, Devon, England in 1890. She died at the age of 85 in 1976 in Oxfordshire, England. Over the years, I've enjoyed many of her novels. I remember reading The Murder on the Links and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, both Hercule Poirot mysteries, back in my high school days. For some reason, I left her works; maybe partly a combination of how the mysteries ended up being solved (who the heck was that milkman again?? and my developing interest in Science Fiction and comic books)
But even then, I remember going to watch Murder on the Orient Express while at university in Toronto. It was an event evening as I stood in this lineup at the movie theater on Bloor Street that wound its way around the building. (I don't know that the theater is even there any more. In later years, I also watched with somewhat less enjoyment movie versions of Death on the Nile and The Mirror Crack'd. Jo has heard this story and complaint many times but as I recall The Mirror Crack'd starring Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Novak is one of the few movies that I ever remember falling asleep at.
In the last 20 years or so, my exploration of Christie's works and my enjoyment of her talent has increased greatly. Jo and I love nothing more than to watch one of the adaptations of her works. We have debated our favorite Miss Marples; each has portrayed Marple in their own unique fashion but we both prefer Geraldine McEwan. She had such a twinkle in her eye and played the part in such a manner that she was so under-estimated by the police investigators.
Peter Ustinov and Albert Finney each portrayed Hercule Poirot excellently but David Suchet has made Poirot his own. Last year Bravo had a mini-series based on the Tommy and Tuppence books. Jo and I also enjoyed a recent dramatization of her famous Mousetrap by our local drama society.
All of these and other TV and movie versions have made me start to explore Christie's written work again. Since I've moved to the West Coast, I've been trying one or two of her books a year. I've been trying to get the initial books in the various series and also to try some of her standalones and other series. She wrote from 1920 - 1976 so I've got a few years of reading to enjoy. Since 2012 I've read 9 of her books. I'll highlight 3 below
a.
The Murder at the Vicarage (1930 / Miss Marple #1).
"A most enjoyable introduction to the Miss The series of mysteries. I particularly enjoyed how the story was presented, with the Vicar being the story teller. Miss Marple is almost in the shadows, as the Vicar wanders around town on his own or with the police inspector, chatting with people, hearing the ideas and thoughts. Miss Marple is a watcher, a wise lady, who observes and figures things out. The Vicar meets with her regularly, discussing ideas, clues and gaining her insight. I loved the story, loved trying to figure things out (for the most part, unsuccessfully) and I loved the main characters, the Vicar and his lovely young wife, Griselda and Miss Marple especially. The story was fun and a pleasure to read. I was even happy with the ending, more than satisfied as Miss Marple presented her findings and solution. Loved it! (5 stars)"
b.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926 / Hercule Poirot #3).
"Village
rumor hints that Mrs. Ferrars poisoned her husband, but no one is sure.
Then there's another victim in a chain of death. Unfortunately for the
killer, master sleuth Hercule Poirot takes over the investigation."
c.
Peril at End House (1932 / Hercule Poirot #6).
"
Hercule Poirot is
vacationing on the Cornish coast when he meets Nick Buckly. Nick is the
young and reckless mistress of End House, an imposing structure perched
on the rocky cliffs of St. Loo.
Poirot has taken a particular
interest in the young woman who has recently narrowly escaped a series
of life-threatening accidents. Something tells the Belgian sleuth that
these so-called accidents are more than just mere coincidences or a
spate of bad luck. It seems all too clear to him that someone is trying
to do away with poor Nick, but who? And, what is the motive? In his
quest for answers, Poirot must delve into the dark history of End House.
The deeper he gets into his investigation, the more certain he is that
the killer will soon strike again. And, this time, Nick may not escape
with her life."
2.
Ngaio Marsh
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| Ngaio Marsh |
As I've mentioned a few times in this past week of posts, I discovered Marsh (and I have to say probably the following authors I'll mention) in my exploration of ABC Books in downtown Courtenay. They had an excellent selection of mysteries that I started to go through.
Dame Ngaio Marsh was a New Zealand author who lived from 1895 - 1982. Over the course of her long life she wrote 34 novels featuring Inspector Roderick Alleyn. When Jo and I have visited England to see her relatives I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there had been a TV series starring Patrick Malahide as Chief Inspector Alleyn. There were two seasons of 9 episodes. I managed to enjoy three or four during our visits.
I've read 11 of the books so far and have enjoyed watching Alleyn's character being further developed. I'm glad I still have 23 to read. I have managed to purchase quite a few of them so far. I'll highlight 3 of the books for your interest.
a.
A Man Lay Dead (Alleyn #1 / 1934).
"
To amuse his house
guests (and Sir Hubert is famous for his amusing house parties) Sir
Hubert Handelsley devises a new form of the Murder Game.
But when
the lights go up there is a real corpse, with a real dagger in its back
- ans all seven suspects have had ample time to concoct amusing alibis."
b. Enter a Murderer (Alleyn #2 / 1935).
"The more Inspector Alleyn mysteries I read by Ngaio Marsh, the more I enjoy them. This is the second book in the series; I managed to find a copy on one of my locals. It involves a favourite setting of Marsh's, the theater. Alleyn is invited to see a play with his friend, Nigel Bathgate, budding news reporter, and while there, a murder is committed. A supposed prop gun is loaded with real bullets and the target is killed. The rest of the book deals with Alleyn and his team's investigation of the murder, or was it a suicide? I particularly liked this story because it had the feel of a police investigation and I like Marsh's writing style. Alleyn is an excellent character, he is interesting and he doesn't reveal all too quickly. His team of Fox and Bailey and others add to the feel of the story. And his use of Nigel as a recorder, foil and friend is also well-developed and presented. It's an excellent series and I highly recommend if you want to get into the classic writers of mysteries. Death in a White Tie is next in line for me. (4 stars)"
c. Overture to Death (Alleyn #9 / 1939).
"I do love the Roderick Alleyn mysteries. I've read the first 8 so far, with Overture to Death by Ngaio Marsh being the 8th one, plus a couple of others further down the line. They do seem to get better and better. The mysteries are always interesting. In this story, an unpopular woman is murdered in a most interesting way. Was she the target or another? Alleyn and his team, the steady, constant Inspector Fox and his friend, news reporter Nigel Bathgate, accompany Alleyn to Pen Cuckoo at the behest of the local authorities as they are busy trying to sort out a series of robberies. I love the investigation, the interviews with the various characters. I also like how Marsh develops the story, leading up the murder before even bringing Alleyn into the picture, about half way through the story. There is nice humour, there are lovely touches (I'm thinking of late in the story when Alleyn writes a letter to his beloved, Troy. The whole story is a joy to read and hard to put down. Excellent series and excellent story. (4 stars)"
3. Dorothy L. Sayers
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| Dorothy L. Sayers |
Dorothy L. Sayers was born in Oxford in 1893 and died in Essex in 1954. Over the course of her life she wrote 11 mysteries featuring her gentleman sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey. Several of the novels have been damatized in film and on TV. Jo and I recently watched a version of Busman's Honeymoon (AKA The Haunted Honeymoon) on TCM. It was made in 1940 and starred Robert Montgomery and Constance Cummings.
I have read 4 of the novels so far and enjoyed them all. I have most of the others on my book shelves. I'll highlight two of those I've read for you.
a. Whose Body? (Wimsey #1 / 1923).
"I was very pleasantly surprised by my introduction to the world of Lord Peter Wimsey. I was expecting a cozy-type mystery, but it was so much more than that. Peter Wimsey is a detective, works at it sort of in his spare time, although he has solved some important cases, from some of the comments made during this first of the Wimsey mysteries. But he is much more than that; he is an officer who fought in WWI and suffers from a sort of post - traumatic stress disorder, which crops up when he is physically and mentally tired from working cases. He has doubts about what he does, whether he should make this a past-time when there is the potential for affecting people's lives with his investigations. The story, itself, grew on me as I delved deeper into it. I liked many of the characters; his butler, ex-Sgt Bunter, his wonderful, common-sense mother and Scotland Yard inspector and friend, Parker. I enjoyed this very much and look forward to the next one, which is next on my list; Clouds of Witness. It's always a nice surprise when a book exceeds your expectations. (4 stars)"
b. Lord Peter Views the Body (Wimsey Short Stories / 1928).
"This book contains 12 mysteries featuring Dorothy Sayers' famous sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey and each was unique in its own right and all were interesting and entertaining. I've grown to like Lord Peter very much as I've begun to explore this series. Short stories can be so hit or miss. It all depends on how quickly the author can get into the story and grab your attention and then come to a satisfying resolution. Dorothy Sayers succeeded with this much to my satisfaction. Lord Peter is such a wonderful character and the stories helped develop his character even more. He loves a mystery, loves to snoop and explore diverse situations, and is intelligent at coming up with logical solutions. I loved each story and was very surprised by the last one, The Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba as it was quite different from all of the others. Excellent, entertaining read. (4 stars)"
4. Margery Allingham
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| Margery Allingham |
Margery Allingham was born in Ealing, London in 1904 and died in Colchester in 1966. A prolific writer she is best known for her Inspector Campion mysteries. From 1929 - 2017, she wrote 30 books in the Campion series, a mix of novels and short story collections. You'll note that some of the books were released after her death. A small number were completed by other authors.
For two seasons (1989 - 1990), Peter Davison portrayed Inspector Campion. I haven't seen this series but my try to find some of the episodes.
I have read 7 of Allingham's mysteries, one of which was a standalone, Black Plumes (1940). I'll highlight two of my favorites for the purposes of this BLog entry.
a. Mr. Campion; Criminologist (1937 / Short Stories).
"This is the 2nd collection of Allingham's short stories I've read this year and both were excellent. In this collection, every story features her favourite sleuth, Albert Campion, a gentleman who likes to get involved with interesting cases. Each story is presented as an entry in Campion's casebook and as you see with one of them, the casebook is written by the author, Margery Allingham, sort of presented as Campion's secretary. This book features 7 of Campion's cases and for the most part, they also include his friend, Scotland Yard inspector, Stanislaus Oates. I enjoyed how Allingham presented the cases, I liked her writing style and I like Campion, somewhat like Dorothy Sayer's, Peter Wimsey, a confident, wealthy gentleman, who likes mysteries. The stories show how quickly he grasps the facts and how he is able to solve each case, each of which was interesting and different. I've read a few of the Campion books now and find that I'm enjoying them more and more. (4 stars)"
b. Pearls Before Swine (1945 / Campion #12).
"Albert Campion returns
from three years’ work for the War Office in Europe to find that Lugg,
his manservant, has brought him an unusual gift from Edna, Dowager
Marchioness of Carados: the black silk nightdress-clad body of a dead
woman, an apparent suicide, found in her son's bed the night before his
wedding."
5. Josephine Tey
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| Josephine Tey |
Josephine Tey was born in Inverness, Scotland in 1896 and died in London in 1952. She wrote plays, standalone mysteries and a six book series featuring Inspector Grant. I have read 3 of the Inspector Grant novels so far. I'll highlight my two favorites.
a. To Love and Be Wise (1950 / Inspector Grant #4).
"To Love and Be Wise is the 4th book in the Inspector Grant mystery series by Josephine Tey. If you enjoy Agatha Christie or Ngaio Marsh or Dorothy Sayers, you'll also enjoy this classic writer of mysteries.
Inspector Grant is a Scotland Yard inspector who has been assigned to investigate a disappearance of an American. It turns out that Grant had previously met this American when he was attending a party with his actress acquaintance, Marta Hallard. The American, photographer Leslie Searle, meets Grant and through him another acquaintance of Grant. Searle is asked to spend a weekend with the at the families estate. After a time there, Searle disappears, is presumed possibly to have drowned or been murdered and Grant is assigned to investigate.
The rest of the story is taken up with Grant's investigation. It's quite a gentle story but it is thoughtful and well-written and keeps you engrossed. Grant is a likeable, appealing character to carry the story. His investigation is tidy and intuitive and the people with whom he interacts are also quirky and interesting. I especially liked his Sgt, Williams, as he is a nice foil for Grant and he admires Grant very much. I also liked Grant's 'girlfriend', actress Marta Hallard; lovely, intelligent, sensible and someone who Grant is able to bounce his thoughts off.
All in all, I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would. It was well-crafted, thoughtful and ended satisfyingly. (4 stars)"
b. A Shilling for Candles (1936 / Grant #2).
"Beneath the sea cliffs
of the south coast, suicides are a sad but common fact. Yet even the
hardened coastguard knows something is wrong when a beautiful young film
actress is found lying dead on the beach one morning. Inspector Grant
has to take a more professional attitude: death by suicide, however
common, has to have a motive - just like murder. (4 stars)"
6. Elizabeth Daly
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| Elizabeth Daly |
American writer Elizabeth Daly was born in New York City in 1878 and died in Long Island in 1967. Between 1940 and 1951 she wrote 16 novels featuring her gentleman sleuth Henry Gamadge. I have read three of the series so far. I'll highlight two for you.
a. Death and Letters (1950 / Gamadge #15).
"Death and Letters is the second Henry Gamadge mystery by Elizabeth Daly that I've read this year. I am enjoying getting into the books very much.
Gamadge is a writer and a man who likes to explore the world of letters and writing, hiring himself out to verify the authenticity of antique correspondence. In Death and Letters he receives correspondence from Mrs. Coldfield, who is being held incommunicado by her family. She manages to send a request for assistance hidden in a crossword puzzle. Gamadge acts quickly to remove her from her situation and then investigates a possible murder of her husband.
The tale involves correspondence between a matriarch of the family, Coldfield's husband's grandmother and a famous English poet. In his unique style, Gamadge works through the case, trying to ascertain who in the family or maybe a close friend might have been involved in murdering Mrs. Coldfield's husband and attempting to murder her as well, and, if so, why?
Like the other Daly stories I've read so far, it's a nice meandering story. Gamadge is an interesting character, wealthy enough to be able to finance his investigations and with many acquaintances that he can use for sources of information. His wife is a nice assistant to his work and the way Daly moves her stories along keeps you interested. I guess it could be called a cozy mystery, but it is also an intelligent and enjoyable mystery. I will continue to search for Daly's books. She wrote 16 between 1940 and 1951 and I've read only 3 so far. Lots of enjoyment ahead for me. (3.5 stars)"
b. Night Walk (1947 / Gamadge #12).
"This is the 2nd Henry Gamadge mystery I've read. Elizabeth Daly started the series in 1940 and wrote 16 books. Gamadge is a mysterious criminologist, he was involved in secret activities during WWII and has since been involved with old documents and papers, helping ascertain forgeries and such. He also finds himself involved solving mysteries and is somewhat similar to Margery Allingham's Albert Campion or Dorothy L. Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey.
Night Walk was Daly's 12th Gamadge mystery. Gamadge is asked by an acquaintance to assist in investigating a murder that took place in upper New York state at the small community of Frazer's Mills. His friend is in love with a local girl, the ward of the victim, and he fears that she might be a suspect. Gamadge assumes the role of patient at a local sanatorium, obtains the police support for his independent investigation and thusly the story starts.
It's a cozy style of story telling. Gamadge wanders about the local area, asking questions, quietly observing and ultimately coming up with a possible solution and final answer. It's all done in a genteel, interesting style. It's easy to fall into the locale, to like the people and enjoy Gamadge as a perceptive, low key investigator. The final solution might seem a bit pat, but it does not take away from the overall enjoyment of the story. (4 stars)"
Well, there you go. Some classic mysteries written by some of the greats. I hope you check these authors out.
1. Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews (New Series).
