tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post1713968251101388641..comments2024-03-27T22:32:02.739+01:00Comments on Beneath the Stains of Time: A Winter WonderlandTomCathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-8716215558571506192016-10-26T13:48:42.833+02:002016-10-26T13:48:42.833+02:00Thanks for your recommendations! I actually have &...Thanks for your recommendations! I actually have "Death of Anton" lying around somewhere, so I'll probably read that soon. I'll be looking out for some of the other titles mentioned here as well, they do sound more interesting than this mess. ;)Christian_Henrikssonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13013383718388416698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-47209123774541912952016-10-20T08:52:47.873+02:002016-10-20T08:52:47.873+02:00I hope you'll enjoy Death in the Tunnel and th...I hope you'll enjoy <i>Death in the Tunnel</i> and the other one they reprinted, <i>The Secret of High Eldersham</i>, seems to be interesting as well. Perhaps not one of his best, but still pretty interesting. <br /><br />TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-55471993100714080862016-10-20T08:45:18.645+02:002016-10-20T08:45:18.645+02:00Farjeon's work is slowly emerging from obscuri...Farjeon's work is slowly emerging from obscurity as a subgenre all by its own, which is quite an accomplishment. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-77808704785621188602016-10-20T07:39:22.285+02:002016-10-20T07:39:22.285+02:00Yes, Curt's comments on Mavis Doriel Hay have ...Yes, Curt's comments on Mavis Doriel Hay have convinced me not to touch her books.<br /><br />I've quite liked the two John Bude titles I've read so far. Definitely second-rank stuff but fairly enjoyable.<br /><br />I'm looking forward to <em>Death in the Tunnel</em>. The other Burton I've read was also pretty strong on the how-dun-it angle.<br />dfordoomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-39783038028528239102016-10-20T07:33:52.450+02:002016-10-20T07:33:52.450+02:00The story is far too gentle to be a thriller and t...<em>The story is far too gentle to be a thriller and the explanation really disqualifies it from being a whodunit.</em><br /><br />The only Farjeon I've read is <em>At the Green Dragon</em> and that's the feeling I got from it - not quite a thriller and not quite a mystery. Quite fun though, in a lighthearted way.dfordoomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-21314468701612834772016-10-17T15:01:47.107+02:002016-10-17T15:01:47.107+02:00Luckily, I was not expecting a regular whodunit or...Luckily, I was not expecting a regular whodunit or thriller. So I was protected from disappointment on that front. <br /><br />British Library reprinted some good ones: Anthony Wynne's <i>Murder of a Lady</i>, a.k.a. <i>The Silver Scale Mystery</i>, was an obscure, but great, locked room mystery. <br /><br />Alan Melville's <i>Death of Anton</i> was a fun, quirky mystery and Miles Burton's <i>Death in the Tunnel</i> is great if you love how-dun-its.<br /><br />Reportedly, Freeman Wills Crofts' <i>The Hog's Back Mystery</i> is a solid effort and Christopher St. John Sprigg's <i>Death of an Airman</i> is supposedly a bone-fide classic. Both of them are on my TBR-pile for the near future. <br /><br />John Bude had a pleasant writing style, but his plots are pretty avarage. Same can be said about John Rowland's <i>Calamity in Kent</i>, which is a pleasantly written crime story, but not particular great. <br /><br />On the other hand, I can't recommend their reprints of Mavis Doriel Hay. <i>The Santa Klaus Murder</i> was my worst (and most boring) read of last year and Curt Evans has a very off-putting review of <i>Murder Underground</i>. So you've been warned about her! TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-56027058145345634242016-10-17T14:20:19.909+02:002016-10-17T14:20:19.909+02:00This book is the reason that I've approached t...This book is the reason that I've approached the whole British Library venture with lots of trepidation, because I was sorely disappointed. It's certainly not a GA mystery novel.<br /><br />I'd be happy to be told that the other British Library reprints are more traditional GA mysteries, because some of the reviews I've seen make them sound interesting, but this really was disappointing.Christian_Henrikssonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13013383718388416698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-77326389834555593602016-10-17T08:13:23.324+02:002016-10-17T08:13:23.324+02:00One of the explanations I read is that the book ap...One of the explanations I read is that the book appeared just before everyone started Christmas shopping. And the book looked like a great gift to people for that mystery consuming relative or friend of theirs, which is what pushed most of the copies over the counter. <br /><br />Personally, I like to believe the world is slowly rediscovering their undying love for Golden Age mysteries. :)TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-12113392228460435002016-10-17T06:36:20.628+02:002016-10-17T06:36:20.628+02:00Interesting that the very title that kickstarted t...Interesting that the very title that kickstarted the popularity surrounding the British Library Crime Classics series isn't quite a traditional Golden Age mystery... Will be trying this title out soon, perhaps nearer to Christmas itself? Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03389512470283015279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-74441922258301434202016-10-16T21:22:36.038+02:002016-10-16T21:22:36.038+02:00I hope you find it as enjoyable a story as I have....I hope you find it as enjoyable a story as I have. Just remember, the book does not fit the mold of either a traditional detective story or an old-fashioned thriller. But you get something special and fun in return. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-27983779237644004732016-10-16T15:27:55.337+02:002016-10-16T15:27:55.337+02:00I have been really keen to read this since the tim...I have been really keen to read this since the time it was republished. Your review has made me all the more keen. Thanks.neerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01986509319841061021noreply@blogger.com