tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post2037651463165590919..comments2024-03-27T22:32:02.739+01:00Comments on Beneath the Stains of Time: The Gypsy DetectiveTomCathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-72701480475173160712017-08-07T23:25:21.394+02:002017-08-07T23:25:21.394+02:00I know what story the Anon is talking about: "...I know what story the Anon is talking about: "Circus in the Sky" from 2000 anthology Scenes of the Crime. I know this because I have a collection of Breen's essays and he mentions the story. :P<br /><br />---The Dark OneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-66546167895259827542017-08-07T13:43:26.746+02:002017-08-07T13:43:26.746+02:00No, it's not "The Bad Samaritan" but...No, it's not "The Bad Samaritan" but an actual published short story that Hoch extends by solving the problems therein. Akin to "The Bad Samaritan" there is Hoch's non-series story that tells about a man killed in a locked room by a lion, based on a case Jon L. Breen's parody Sid Shoehorn solved in the spoof "The Problem of the Vanishing Town." I can't recall the Hoch title (I need to figure out a way to transport my reference library with me to work, where I do my computer stuff) but I do know it was an EQMM story from his last few years. Hopefully, the extension story will come to mind later. And, yes, I'd like to see more of Hoch's stories collected.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-23867591322894138072017-08-07T12:39:02.889+02:002017-08-07T12:39:02.889+02:00"...there was another story he treated the sa..."...<i>there was another story he treated the same way, but I can't recall what it is now.</i>"<br /><br />You're probably thinking of "The Bad Samaritan." The premise of the story, an entire circus vanishing under impossible circumstances, was based on a spoof article by Bill Pronzini. <br /><br />Pronzini had claimed he had discovered a lost novel by John Dickson Carr, <i>The Problem of the Black Road</i>, but Hoch was the first to recognize the hoax. But used the premise for a short story and used one of Pronzini's pseudonyms as the name for the narrator. <br /><br />I really hope that story gets collected one of these days. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-68984224385751625702017-08-07T10:41:00.002+02:002017-08-07T10:41:00.002+02:00"The Gypsy Paw" can also be classified a..."The Gypsy Paw" can also be classified as one of Hoch's efforts to provide a rational explanation to another mystery story, in this instance "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs. Hoch did this as well with "The Problem of the Yellow Wallpaper" which "continues "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and there was another story he treated the same way, but I can't recall what it is now. I, too, am not enamored with the Vlado stories, hated to see a "gypsy" in the title when I opened each new EQMM, but oh, how I wish he were still here to write some more...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-26081192942069732152017-08-06T08:37:38.054+02:002017-08-06T08:37:38.054+02:00You're probably right that "The Puzzle Ga...You're probably right that "The Puzzle Garden" is better than my scribbling suggests, but as I said, the murder of the Gypsy spoiled the effect of what was found in the hole. A murderer should not have entered the equation until that point. But, yes, not a bad story overall. <br /><br />Don't worry. I'll be throwing another one of Hoch's short story collection to the top of the pile. Just have to decide whether it will be a Ben Snow or Nick Velvet collection. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-90177117949499998672017-08-06T00:08:46.251+02:002017-08-06T00:08:46.251+02:00Blah blah how dare you blah. :P No, even I'm n...Blah blah how dare you blah. :P No, even I'm not that much of a fanboy. I did lament when I saw the title of the post though, since I knew what you had just reviewed.<br /><br />I don't really disagree with much, including what the best and worst of the collection was. I do recall enjoying it more than you and John did, but I did read it a while back (although I think I liked The Puzzle Garden more than you did). Maybe I was just impressed by the consistency of it all, I've been trying to focus more on how Hoch clues his stories and sets them up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-15075608559315351222017-08-04T21:46:30.084+02:002017-08-04T21:46:30.084+02:00Generally, the Michael Vlado stories fail to live ...Generally, the Michael Vlado stories fail to live up to Hoch's reputation and leaned a bit too much on the Gypsy detective gimmick. But yes, you should read "Punishment for a Gypsy" and "The Gypsy's Paw," if you're able to excavate the book from your collection. Those two do give you what one would expect from the King of the Short Detective Story. <br /><br />Well, at least the book cover looks really great! Arguably one of the best from C&L! TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-39565536992113755842017-08-04T19:44:12.878+02:002017-08-04T19:44:12.878+02:00I bought this book a few years ago and immediately...I bought this book a few years ago and immediately read the first story, was underwhelmed, and can't recall a thing about it even after reading your summary of it. Never went back to the collection. I like the Simon Ark, Nick Velvet and Dr. Hawthorne stories the best. Some of the Rand stories were good back in the 70s and 80s when I subscribed to EQMM. Haven't really ventured into his other work. I may go back to this and read those three stories that you say are the Collection's highlights...that is, if I can find it again! It's one of the many boxes I stowed away in the "warehouse room."J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.com