My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - English Standalones Part 3

Clyde likes the snow...

We've had a dumping of snow over the past couple of days. I've done more shoveling since Sunday than I have all year. I know, I know.. no pity from back East, but it's still been a heap of it.

I'm working my way through my current reading list but don't have any update for you about them. Suffice it to say that I'm enjoying them all so far. What I will do is continue with Part 3 of my ongoing look a English Standalone mysteries.

My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - English Standalones Part 3

Cyril Hare

1. Cyril Hare (1900 - 1958). Alfred Alexander Gordon Clark was an English judge and crime writer who wrote under the pseudonym Cyril Hare. From 1937 - 1958 her wrote 9 novels. I have read two so far, both enjoyable, and have one more on my book shelf.

a. Tragedy at Law (1942). I read this in 2011.


"When an anonymous letter arrives for Mr Justice Barber, the High Court judge, warning of imminent revenge, he dismisses it as the work of a harmless lunatic.

But then a second letter appears, followed by a poisoned box of the judge's favourite chocolates, and he begins to fear for his life." (3 stars)

b. Death is no Sportsman (1938).


"A nice comfortable British mystery. Originally published in 1938, it features Scotland Yard Inspector Mallett, who coolly investigates, analyzes and solves the mystery of the murder of Sir Peter Packer. Many suspects, mainly centering around a fishing syndicate, a well-devised timeline and still a nice surprise (for me anyway) ending. Very enjoyable, easy to read, well-paced mystery. This is the second Cyril Hare mystery I've read and I've enjoyed both very much. (4 stars)"

c. Suicide Excepted (1939).

"Inspector Mallett's stay at the country house hotel of Pendlebury Old Hall has been a disappointment. Room, food and service have been a letdown and he eagerly anticipates the end of his holiday.

His last trial is to sit and listen as the hotel boor, whose family once owned the house, sits down at his table. The next day the man is dead and Mallett unwittingly finds himself investigating the suspicious 'suicide'."




(NB - I stand corrected somewhat. It appears that the above and some others of Hare's novels featured Inspector Mallett.) Not wanting to miss featuring Hare, I'll keep him in this section. The remaining Cyril Hare novels are -
-- Tenant for Death (1937)
-- With a Bare Bodkin (1946)
-- Where the Wind Blows (1949)
-- An English Murder (1951)
-- That Yew Tree's Shade (1954)
-- He Should Have Died Hereafter (1958)

Val McDermid

2. Val McDermid. I've highlighted McDermid previously in my UK mystery series sections. She is known for her Wire in the Blood series, Kate Brannigan, Karen Pirie, etc. She has also written 8 standalone mysteries. I've read one so far and have two others on my book shelf.

a. A Place of Execution (1999).












"Winter 1963: two children have disappeared in Manchester; the murderous careers of Myra Hindley and Ian Brady have begun. On a freezing day in December, another child goes missing: 13-year-old Alison Carter vanishes from the isolated Derbyshire hamlet of Scardale. For the young George Bennett it is the beginning of his most difficult and harrowing case: a murder with no body, an investigation with more dead ends and closed faces than he'd have found in the inner city; an outcome that reverberates down the years. Decades later he tells his story to journalist Catherine Heathcote, but just when her book is poised for publication, Bennett tries to pull the plug. He has new information that he will not divulge, and that threatens the very foundation of his existence. Catherine is forced to re-investigate the past, with results that turn the world upside down." (3 stars)

b. Killing the Shadows (2000).












"A killer is on the loose, blurring the line between fact and fiction. His prey - the writers of crime novels who have turned psychological profilers into the heroes of the nineties. But this killer is like no other. His blood-lust shatters all the conventional wisdom surrounding the motives and mechanics of how serial killers operate. And for one woman, the desperate hunt to uncover his identity becomes a matter of life and death.

Professor Fiona Cameron is an academic psychologist who uses computer technology to help police forces track serial offenders. She used to help the Met, but vowed never to work for them again when they went against her advice and subsequently botched an investigation. Still smarting from the experience, she's working a case in Toledo when her lover, thriller writer Kit Martin, tells her a fellow crime novelist has been murdered. It's not her case, but Fiona can't help taking an interest. When the killer strikes again Fiona finds herself caught in a race against time - not only to save a life but also to find redemption, both personal and professional."

c. The Grave Tattoo (2006).












"A 200-year-old secret is now a matter of life and death. And it could be worth a fortune...

It's summer in the Lake District and heavy rain over the fells has uncovered a bizarrely tattooed body. Could it be linked to the old rumor that Fletcher Christian, mutinous First Mate on the Bounty, had secretly returned to England?

Scholar Jane Gresham wants to find out. She believes that the Lakeland poet William Wordsworth, a friend of Christian's, may have sheltered the fugitive and turned his tale into an epic poem - which has since disappeared. But as she follows each lead, death is hard on her heals. The centuries-old mystery is putting lives at risk. And it isn't just the truth that is waiting to be discovered, but a bounty worth millions..."

McDermid's remaining standalone mysteries are -
-- The Writing on the Wall (short stories / 1997)
-- Stranded (short stories / 2005)
-- Cleanskin (2006)
--Trick of the Dark (2010)
-- The Vanishing Point (2012)

Julian Symons

3. Julian Symons (1912 - 1994). Julian Gustave Symons wrote crime fiction, poetry and also history, biography, etc. From 1944 - 1996, he wrote 25+ mystery novels and from 1061 - 2006, had 9 collections of short stories published. I've read one of his novels so far and have 3 others on my shelves.

a. The Blackheath Poisonings (1978).

"This is the first time I've read anything by Julian Symons and I enjoyed this first exposure. I found that The Blackheath Poisonings: A Victorian Murder Mystery was a bit of a slow developer, but it just got more interesting and more interesting as I got into it. Basically, the story revolves around a wealthy Victorian family who live in Blackheath; sharing two estates. They manage a toy factory and as the story progresses, one of them, Roger Vandervent, the manager of the business, dies. The circumstances are curious but, ultimately, the family doctor writes the death as due to a gastric problem. His son, Paul, suspects that his father might have been murdered. The disappearance of letters belonging to his aunt cause further suspicion and the police get involved in the investigation. With the occurrence of a second death, the investigation becomes more involved with the arrest of a suspect. The development of this story was excellently done and the characters are all interesting, even if they aren't necessarily all likable (I mention the 'Caterpillar' in this context). As I delved more and more into the story, I found the book difficult to put down and also found the ending a nice surprise and also nicely satisfying. Well worth reading. (4 stars)"

b. Bogue's Fortune (1956). Also published under The Paper Chase.


 "To research a new detective story, Charles Applegate takes a post in a progressive school of misfits, set deep in the English countryside. The game turns serious when a fellow teacher is murdered and a weird variety of criminals seem convinced that Charles has something they want."

c. The Players and the Game (1972).









"Count Dracula meets Bonnie Parker. What will they do together? The vampire you'd hate to love, sinister and debonair, sinks those eye teeth into Bonnie's succulent throat.' Is this the beginning of a sadistic relationship or simply an extract from a psychopath's diary? Either way it marks the beginning of a dangerous game that is destined to end in chilling terror and bloody murder."

d. Death's Darkest Face (1990).












"Decades after the fact, Geoffrey Elder calls on Julian Symons to clear the name of his father, accused not only of a playboy poet's murder but of having an affair with the man's lover. An ingenious mystery follows, weaving together flashbacks from the 1930s with Geoffrey's passionate desire to avenge his father."

You can find a list of Symon's mysteries at this link. 

So there you go. Hunker down and stay warm during this stupid winter and enjoy a good book.