tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post442811084057773665..comments2024-03-27T22:32:02.739+01:00Comments on Beneath the Stains of Time: The Locked Room Reader II: An OverviewTomCathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-61993119532919267902015-10-06T16:45:48.010+02:002015-10-06T16:45:48.010+02:00Tragedy at Law is pretty good, but it has long, sl...<i>Tragedy at Law</i> is pretty good, but it has long, slow build up to the murder, which happens in the final quarter of the book. However, there's a well motivated reason for this slow-burn. Some readers love it, others hate it. <br /><br /><i>Suicide Excepted</i> and <i>An English Murder</i> are my favorites from Hare, but still have to read a few of them, such as <i>Death is No Sportsman</i> and <i>When the Wind Blows</i>, which I always seem to be putting off. One word of warning: Hare's plots often revolve around an obscure piece of law or forgotten passages of history, but that's a minor quibble. <br /><br /><i>Swan Song</i> is a pretty good mystery and even has a locked room murder! I would further recommend <i>The Case of the Gilded Fly</i> and <i>The Moving Toyshop</i>, but nearly of Crispin's mysteries are good for one reason or another – with exception of <i>The Glimpses of the Moon</i>.<br /><br />It was the last one in the series and there was a gap of more than two decades between publication <i>The Glimpses of the Moon</i> and <i>The Long Divorce</i>, which painfully shows the drop in quality when read back-to-back. The latter should be seen as Gervase Fen's official last case. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-64353747740553782082015-10-06T13:03:28.866+02:002015-10-06T13:03:28.866+02:00I quite enjoyed 'Suddenly at His Residence'...I quite enjoyed 'Suddenly at His Residence' - it wasn't in the same league as 'Green for Danger' and 'Death of Jezebel', but I didn't think it was necessarily worse than 'Tour De Force' or 'Fog of Doubt'/ 'London Particular'. From my vague recollection it wasn't especially well-clued, but it was nevertheless an interesting country-manor mystery.<br /><br />What titles would you recommend for Edmund Crispin and Cyril Hare? I've only read 'Love Lies Bleeding', which I found hilarious at points - and I've 'Swan Song' and 'Tragedy at Law' sitting on the shelf awaiting reading... Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03389512470283015279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-71766828505005100772015-10-06T11:14:50.124+02:002015-10-06T11:14:50.124+02:00I'm glad you liked it!I'm glad you liked it! TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-63205014793543740992015-10-06T09:07:29.935+02:002015-10-06T09:07:29.935+02:00A terrific summary TC - lovely to be reminded of a...A terrific summary TC - lovely to be reminded of all that locked room ingenuity - marvellous!Sergio (Tipping My Fedora)https://bloodymurder.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-41642026099408140012015-10-06T08:22:14.625+02:002015-10-06T08:22:14.625+02:00Thanks Neer and, like I said to Mike, I hope there...Thanks Neer and, like I said to Mike, I hope there's something in my reviews and filler-posts to fatten your TBR-pile with. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-63443306834841598952015-10-06T08:20:58.030+02:002015-10-06T08:20:58.030+02:00Thanks Mike. I hope there was something worthwhile...Thanks Mike. I hope there was something worthwhile in them for your TBR pile.TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-40376489066605115382015-10-06T08:19:00.291+02:002015-10-06T08:19:00.291+02:00I had to cut a lot of stuff as well to keep the po...I had to cut a lot of stuff as well to keep the post readable, but guess I hit all of the important highlights. It never ceases to amaze me how many mystery readers are unaware of top-and middle tier writers like Brand, Crispin and Hare. So everything I can do to help fix that is a won battle. <br /><br />It's been too long since I read <i>Tour-de-Force</i>, but I guess you can argue it's a semi-impossible crime novel. <i>Suddenly at His Residence</i> is absolutely an impossible crime novel, but people seem to either love it or hate it. I'm of the former. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-70232837804567497562015-10-06T03:36:55.891+02:002015-10-06T03:36:55.891+02:00I agree with those who have commented above. This ...I agree with those who have commented above. This is certainly not a waste of space or time. This is an extremely interesting post. Now I'll be reading (or re-reading as the case might be) all the posts that you have high-lighted. I am already excited about the reading pleasure that awaits me. Thanks for the recommendations also. i have not read a majority of the authors that you have mentioned, so it is going to be fun, looking up for these books.<br /><br />Thanks a lot for this post. Looking forward to many such 'filler' posts in the futureneerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01986509319841061021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-86313238207748558072015-10-06T00:30:24.280+02:002015-10-06T00:30:24.280+02:00I agree with Jonathan, this post is worthwhile. So...I agree with Jonathan, this post is worthwhile. Somehow I managed to miss some of the reviews you mention, so thanks for giving me a chance to catch up. Perhaps I should do the same on my own blog once in a while.Mike Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17182471386130948540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-79489320674603751062015-10-05T23:23:39.694+02:002015-10-05T23:23:39.694+02:00Not a waste of time - it's good to take a step...Not a waste of time - it's good to take a step back and consolidate some of the best reads. In any case, I was reminded that few months ago I wanted to hunt around for some copies of Herbert Resnicow - but had yet to get down to it. :) <br /><br />I'm glad you started off your post with Christianna Brand, as I think her best novels stand in the same league as Christie's - but not enough people know about, or have read, 'Green for Danger' and 'Death of Jezebel'. I suppose 'Tour de Force' could qualify - somewhat loosely - as a locked-room murder? I quite enjoyed 'Crooked Wreath'/ 'Suddenly at His Residence' - which certainly qualifies as a locked-room murder. Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03389512470283015279noreply@blogger.com