January 2022 Wrap-Up

Books Read:

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones (1985)  4/5 stars (my review here)

Bats in the Belfry: A London Mystery by E.C.R. Lorac (1937)  3/5 stars

Lorac's prose is excellent, and I completely enjoyed the build-up to the solution.  That, however, was a bit of a mess.  This is my second book by her (my review of Fell Murder is here), and though they both disappointed me somewhat, her writing is so engaging and entertaining that I wouldn't hesitate to read another.

Audiobooks:

The Watersplash by Patricia Wentworth  (1951)  3/5 stars

This light, formulaic mystery, despite relying on coincidences and being easy to solve, is an entertaining addition to the Miss Silver series. 

Traitor's Purse by Margery Allingham (1941)  4/5 stars  (my review here)

Coroner's Pidgin by Margery Allingham (1945)  4/5 stars  (my review here)

The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (1904)  4/5 stars

While some are more memorable than others, this is a solidly good set of entertaining stories, featuring Doyle's signature twistiness and ingenuity. 

Did Not Finish:

The Sad Variety by Nicholas Blake

When Golden Age mystery authors continue to write into the 1960s, they don't always do it well.  This is one example.  Nigel Strangeways simply does not mix convincingly with Soviet spies.

The Shadows of Men by Abir Mukherjee

I've been looking forward to this release since May 2021, but the 20% I read was disappointing. It's told jointly by Surendranath and Wyndham, instead of solely by the latter, and I didn't find the voices unique enough.  Worse, to my mind, is that Wyndham's gray morality -- the trait that made him interesting and kept the first four books gripping -- seems to be lacking.

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones

Fire and Hemlock
Diana Wynne Jones
1985
4/5 stars

At age nineteen, Polly suddenly discovers that she has two sets of memories, one false imposed on the true, and begins to puzzle it out, realizing that it has to do with her adult friend, Tom Lynn.  Polly first met him when she accidentally gate-crashed a funeral at the age of ten.  They stayed in touch through the years by letters and the books that Mr. Lynn sent.  As Polly remembers, the reader is given the story of the ten years between the initial meeting and the present.

This complex fantasy, taking place in 1980s England, brings in elements of the traditional "Thomas the Rhymer" and "Tam Lin" tales to tell the story of  Polly and Tom Lynn.  Unfortunately, if the reader is unfamiliar with those old stories, much of the nuances, and even some of the salient points, are missed.  Despite that, it's an engrossing novel, twisty and layered, and well-written with Jones' typical intelligence and imagination.  My only reason for not giving it a full five stars is that I felt Polly's younger self displayed an unbelievable perspicacity. None the less, I recommend it unhesitating, but advise the reader to become familiar with the aforementioned British legends before starting.   

 

Two Mysteries by Allingham

Traitor's Purse

Margery Allingham

1941

4/5 stars

In the early days of World War II, Campion wakes up in the hospital with no idea of who he is, but with a sense of impending doom having to do with the number fifteen.  For various reasons, he doesn't wish to let anyone know of his amnesia and so he struggles to discover what his mission is and how to stop the unknown disaster.

Allingham does a fantastic job of creating an atmosphere of anxiety and distress as Campion bungles relationships and situations, trying to find his mental footing.  The plot is a complex one, interesting and engrossing.  The climax happens in too short a time, in light of the slow build-up, but the scheme unearthed shows Allingham's strong imagination and skill.  Overall, I found this well-written wartime  mystery/adventure of home-front espionage to be well-worth reading, even a second time.

Coroner's Pidgin

(also published as Pearls Before Swine)

Margery Allingham 

1945

4/5 stars

Campion has been doing secret work during World War II, and returns to England for the first time in several years.  All he wants is a hot bath in his London flat before taking the train home to the country.  Unfortunately, while said bath is taking place, Lugg and an aristocrat decide to store a dead woman in Campion's bedroom.  This sets off a chain of events that involves Campion in a case of murder, theft, and treason -- and causes him to miss his train.

This engaging mystery has Allingham's signature intelligence, wit, and creativity.  The plot was twisty and surprising, the characters generally convincing, and the final line a delight.  The war-weariness of the enlisted men is well-portrayed, as is the general feeling of disillusion by all.     This was my second time reading this well-written and engrossing novel, and I certainly recommend it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection

(I'm a couple days late with this one) 

Tuesday's Top Ten Tuesday topic was "most recent additions to my book collection".  I was rather prudent in 2021, and these are all I can remember buying.

Books 1-5  These are a set of Penelope Fitzgerald's novels in matching editions: The Bookshop, Offshore, the Gate of Angels, the Golden Child, and the Blue Flower.  I read the Bookshop years ago, and remember liking it, so when I saw these at our local used bookstore, I grabbed them all.

Books 6-9  I've been a fan of George MacDonald, one of C.S. Lewis' inspirations, since high school and have a few really nice editions of his work.  I found the Wise Woman at our local used bookstore years ago, but this year I discovered it was part of a set.  I was thrilled to find a reasonably price, lightly used, complete set on ebay in November.  They are each a collection of fantasy short stories.

Book 10 I read Britten and Brulightly years ago, and it wowed me.  I was reminded of it during a discussion of graphic novels and, after recommending it to a friend, decided I needed to buy a copy and reread it myself.

(Bonus: Book 11) The Oaken Heart is written by one of my favorite Golden Age mystery writers, Margery Allingham, and is the true account of her experiences in her small East Anglian village during World War II.  I've not read it yet, but I'm quite looking forward to it.

Top Ten Tuesday is a long-running weekly blog prompt, currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.