#JustTheFacts2019Silver

dexter96: 1. The 8 Mansion Murders (８の殺人 8 no Satsujin) by Takemaru Abiko (1989) (Mystery Bingo O/R – Outside USA or UK, Just the Facts – Outside USA or UK) – decent “quasi” locked-room puzzles (the second one – more so). Somewhat funny at times (slapstick variety humour), at times - just silly. Characterisation – bare minimum. Could be placed anytime and anyplace but presumably set in Japan (inferring from the characters’ names) – in this respect, reminiscent of Paul Halter’s works. Among the LRI offerings from the Asian continent - ranked below The Decagon House Murders and especially The Moai Island Puzzle, on par with Death in the House of Rain. 6/10 (an extra point for the locked-room lecture)

dexter96: 2. Ten Plus One by Ed McBain (1963) (Mystery Bingo O/R – Number in Title, Just the Facts – Number in Title) – speaking of numbers, this seventeenth instalment of the 87th Precinct series slightly resembles the first (Cop Hater). The basic premises are similar and quite intriguing – a couple of successful middle-aged men (a businessman and a lawyer) are inexplicably shot to death in different parts of the city out of the clear blue April sky with a .308 calibre rifle. Detectives Steve Carella and Meyer Meyer fear that a “sniper” is on the loose in the city. When a third victim - a fortyish prostitute shot in the same manner appears, thus breaking the pattern, they begin to suspect that not only the “sniper” really exists but that something is loose in his head. The following investigation is interesting though marred with a lot of coincidences and interspersed with some side stories which arguably might have been omitted (unless to show the general cussedness of life). However, this time -maybe for the first time in the series, we are spared the Meyer Meyer’s life-defining story. The finale somewhat lacks tension. Though not exceptional, one of the solid entries in the series. 6/10

dexter96: 3. Appleby at Allington (apa Death by Water) by Michael Innes (1968) (Mystery Bingo Original – Set in England, Mystery Bingo Revised – Set in US/UK, Just the Facts – Death on Wheels) – the 22nd John Appleby’s case is a country house mystery extraordinaire. Several deaths (by misadventure or cunningly plotted murders) involving water, electricity and means of transportation. A cast of somewhat whacky and somewhat tenuous characters. Sporadic literary flurries out of this world straining the perception and a humbling experience for the non-native English speaker (me being one). The later books in the series seem to go easier in this respect but lack in general grandiosity of plot and language (cf. Lament for a Maker or Hamlet, Revenge!). Enjoy responsibly! 7/10

dexter96: 4. Nobody’s Perfect by Douglas Clark (1969) (Mystery Bingo O/R – Detective Team, Just the Facts – Death by Poison) – the first outing of DCI George Masters and DI Bill Green (assisted by DS Brand and DS Hill) and by no means it’s perfect. Neither are the relations between the leading detective duo. The case at hand concerns the death of a high – power executive officer of a large pharmaceutical company. The cause of death is the intake of barbiturates (phenobarbitone) in conjunction with alcohol. A suicide being dismissed early in the case, with plethora of employees nursing hidden grudges and ubiquitous drug pandemonium, the detectives face a daunting task. A solid, unspectacular, no frills attached police procedural. A bit dry for my taste and arguably not completely fair. 6/10 (the detective team dynamics promise interesting developments)

dexter96: 5. The Gold Frame by Herbert Resnicow (1984) (Mystery Bingo Original – Features Food, Mystery Bingo Revised – Eat, Drink and Be Merry, Just the Facts – Death by Knife/Dagger) – the most intriguing setup of the first three Gold’s novels so far – this time Alexander Gold is hired (betted against) to prove a certain newly found Vermeer to be fake or not and incidentally to find the murderer of an unloved highly omnipotent museum executive. The murder itself veers to the impossible but falls short (IMHO) – the victims is found stabbed by his own oyster knife while enjoying his solitary oyster and champagne lunch in a secluded room out of the reach of the hoi polloi. The solution features some previously unmet by me methods of obfuscation though the culprit is quite guessable. 7/10 (an honourable mention of Norma’s unwholesome delights, i.e. cardiac arrest inducing recipes)

dexter96: 6. Dream of Fair Woman by Charlotte Armstrong (1966) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – Woman in Title, Just the Facts – Inverted Mystery, Reading Bingo – By a Female Author) – a young girl in somewhat dire straits appears in Peggy Cuneen’s boarding house, falls asleep and inexplicably refuses to wake up. The girl is moved to a nearby hospital but her identity remains a mystery. When the news about the strange circumstances surrounding the girl appears in the local papers she is finally identified but unfortunately as more than one person. Is she the tenth richest girl in the world seeking some privacy or conversely, a struggling actress seeking some publicity? Or maybe someone entirely different. Matt Cuneen, Peggy’s son, strangely infatuated by the girl and sensing that the her life might be in danger, assisted by Betty Prentiss, who knew Matt since childhood and recently found she was in love with him, sets out to investigate with the determination to get the things straight. Just before the halfway mark the book goes through a “fatal inversion” and veers from a straightforward (arguably superb so far) mystery into the familiar for the author suspense territory (the theme of the evil scheming plausible hypocrite(s) and the hectic and precipitate actions of all concerned leading to multiple unforeseen complications and finally to a usually satisfying resolution where the bad get their deserved and the boy gets the girl). Still it is one of the author’s better ones (far less of the annoying headstrongness emphatically denying the possible guilt of the, erm… guilty parties) 7/10

dexter96: 7. Deadheads by Reginald Hill (1983) – (Mystery Bingo Revised – Made into Movie/TV Show, Just the Facts – Unusual Murder Method) – the life path of Patrick Aldermann is strewn with deadheads, i.e. people around him most conveniently die so that he can enjoy his hobby (rose gardening) unperturbedly in his beautiful ancestral house (Rosemont) following in the footsteps of his great-uncle. That is until his boss “Dandy” Dick Elgood (a sexagenarian playboy) starts to fear for his own life and duly notifies the police about the suspicious deaths of a couple of company’s employees. The burden of proof of accidental death or murder is gently bestowed upon the unfortunate shoulders of DI Peter Pascoe (having a share of his own troubles with a series of house break-ins) by his immediate superior – Detective Superintendent Andrew Dalziel (as irrepressible as ever). The situation becomes even more complicated when Pascoe’s wife Ellie (taking care of a Rose of her own) strikes an unexpected friendship with Patrick Aldermann’s sexy wife – Florence. This time there is more suspense than mystery - the diversity of the Dalziel & Pascoe novels is amazing but they never fail to entertain. 7/10 (a suspenseful police procedural with a dash of humour and a shower scene more terrifying than Hitchcock’s.)

dexter96: 8. Little Victims (apa School for Murder) by Robert Barnard (1983) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – An Academic Mystery, Just the Facts – Set at School) – the Burleigh School is nothing like a public school (well, there are boarders). In fact, it is the last harbour for a bunch of outcasts of the British educational system masquerading as teachers. The penny-pinching headmaster and his god-awful “hatchet” wife do not help things. When Hilary Frome, the headmaster’s favourite and head boy designate (otherwise universally detested), is poisoned (amazingly not by the concoctions of Mrs. Garfitt, the school cook), the schools quickly heads to its ruin. Inspector Michael Pumfrey investigates the case and in the end gives everyone his rightful due. 6/10 (a decent mystery, plethora of sarcasm and black humour)

dexter96: 9. The Nightmare Man (apa Child of Vodyanoi) by David Wiltshire (1978) - (Mystery Bingo O/R – Out of Comfort Zone, Just the Facts – During a Weather Event, Reading Bingo – Heard About Online) – on the Scottish island of Inverdee the local dentist (being also an ex-paratrooper) is striking a few balls on the links. While looking for a stray one off the fairway he finds the horribly mutilated body of a woman. The investigation into her death soon reveals some bizarre details bringing forward the idea of a killer from out of this world. A call for assistance is made to the police force in Glasgow but the island is struck by a gale and blizzard of unseen proportions making any communication with the mainland impossible. Meanwhile the death toll grows and the startling discoveries continue… More effective as a spine chilling and unsettling horror novel with certain cinematographic qualities than as a straight forward mystery (the mini-series based on the novel might be worth seeing). 5/10

dexter96: 10. Ax by Ed McBain (1964) - (Mystery Bingo O/R – Method of Murder in Title, Just the Facts – Means of Murder in Title) – an octogenarian janitor is bashed to death with the eponymous tool in the basement of the slum building he supervises. Who is hiding such smouldering hatred? Have the dead man’s clandestine activities drawn the grudge of the mob? Is a madman on the loose? Gripping till the potboilerish resolution. 5/10

dexter96: 11. He Who Hesitates by Ed McBain (1965) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – Man in Title, Just the Facts – Death by Strangulation) – the unsettling story (seen through his eyes) of Roger Broome, a man who has to make a few decisions along the way. So does the reader. An interesting look from a third person perspective at some of the inspectors of the 87th precinct. A short emotionally involving novel with a thought – provoking finale. 6/10 (though I can appreciate how variegated the series is, I am not a great fan of the noir aspects in the mystery genre altogether)

dexter96: 12. Case Closed by June Thomson (1977) – (Mystery Bingo Original – Involves Water, Just the Facts – Outdoor Location) – what do a couple of London crooks following DI Jack Finch (or sometimes Rudd) everywhere have to do with the four-year cold case of a young Essex girl found strangled by a lonely country road. A fine police procedural in the vein of Freeman Wills Crofts, i.e. fine until the one final uninspired clue. 7/10 (the rising curve of the series continues)

dexter96: 13. A Family Affair (apa Picture of Guilt) by Michael Innes (1969) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – Features a Crime Other Than Murder, Just the Facts – Comic/Humorous Book) - Sir John Appleby already retired to the Long Dream (Manor) investigates a series of art hoaxes (aka practical jokes) cum thefts spanning an interval of more than fifteen years. The investigation is really a family affair partially involving his youngest son Bobby (an undergraduate at Oxford at the time) and his wife Judith. The novel is more successful in the humorous portrayal of some of the protagonists and events (a la The Moving Toyshop) than as a straight mystery (again a la The Moving Toyshop) 6/10 (a middling Innes with an arbitrary culprit)

dexter96: 14. Death After Evensong by Douglas Clark (1969) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – In the Medical Field/Features a Doctor or a Nurse, Just the Facts – Vicar/Religious Figure) - the death of a universally (as it turned out) disliked parson brings Master’s four - men team to the dour jerkwater village of Rooksby-le-Soken in East Anglia. The victim is apparently shot to death but no trace of the bullet is found at the crime scene. The investigation (centred on incessant parleys held in the local pub) quickly produces a fair number of suspects (practically everyone related to the parson) with more or less plausible motives. The denouement brings along a couple of surprises (though they might be run-of-the-mill) but leaves an aftertaste of arbitrariness and insufficient clueing. 6/10 (the force grew stronger with the second instalment of the series but there is still je ne sais quoi missing) Note: Contains spoilers about Nobody's Perfect

dexter96: 15. Deadly Pattern by Douglas Clark (1970) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – A Professional Detective, Just the Facts – Professional Is Main Sleuth) – this one is a schizophrenic one – a bit of a page turner with a meh aftertaste. Immediately after the events described in Death After Evensong Master’s team is thrown straight into action without any respite. Five middle-aged (more or less happily) married women go missing, four of them turn up dead on the beaches of the Lincolnshire upstart town of Finstoft. DCI Master, already enjoying the status of a kind of celebrity, veni (in the February rain to the pub of the only decent town hotel), vidi (the mass murderer inside out), vici (by detecting the deadly pattern pointing like an arrow in one direction). In other words, a matter of simple crosses - cross the town, came across the murderer, cross the pattern, hey bingo. 5/10 (bizarrely straightforward serial killer yarn - fortunately, the usual modern frills of the stream-of-skewed-(sub)consciousness variety are absent) Note: Contains spoilers about the first two books in the series

dexter96: The Religious Body by Catherine Aird (1966) – (Mystery Bingo Revised – Involves Clergy or Religion, Just the Facts – Timing of Crime Is Crucial) – the convent of St. Anselm is the rather unconventional setup in the first case of Aird’s so-called Calleshire Chronicles. By convention the victim is one of the nuns - Sister Anne who is found with her head crushed at the foot of the stairs leading to the convent’s cellar. An accident is soon ruled out and when the effigy of a nun wearing a habit stolen from the convent and the deceased’s missing glasses is saved at the last possible moment from being burned at a Guy Fawkes bonfire at the nearby Agricultural College the things start to heat up for Detective Inspector C. D. Sloan of the Berebury CID. Pestered by his logic and math wielding superintendent and assisted (out of necessity) by Detective Constable Crosby he has to disentangle the clew of long-winding religious and secular strands i.e. clues. 7/10 (a competent affair if not very spectacular)

dexter96: 17. Henrietta Who? by Catherine Aird (1968) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – An Author with a Pseudonym, Just the Facts – Person’s Name in Title, Reading Bingo – Second Book in a Series) – on a lonely road near the jerkwater village of Larking lies the dead body of Mrs. Jenkins. This particular bend is notorious among the locals so everything points to a hit and run accident. However, things are not what they appear to be. Firstly, an accident is ruled out when the PM shows that Mrs. Jenkins is run over twice by the same car. Secondly, the said Mrs. Jenkins appears not to be Mrs. Jenkins at all. And last but not least, she has never given birth to a child. Taking into consideration her soon to be 21-year old daughter Henrietta, that makes the things slightly peculiar. The second book in the Inspector Sloan’s series is a highly readable mystery with maybe a little bit far-fetched and underclued resolution (and not a very surprising at that – alas, the cast is not overly large). 8/10 (a question of identities – Henrietta loses one but Sloan and Crosby seem to be in the process of acquiring ones)

dexter96: 18. The Sunken Sailor (apa Down Among the Dead Men) by Patricia Moyes (1961) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – Involves Mode of Transportation, Just the Facts – Death by Drowning) – the second Tibbetts’ holiday, this time among the sailing (don’t dare mention yachting) community at Berrybridge Haven on the Suffolk coast near Ipswich, stirs out of the frothy North Sea waters a case of murder and a treasure trove. The book follows the pattern of the first in the series – the carabinieri are replaced by the Ipswich CID, expansive sailing lore supplants the skiing trivia, the tidal timetables are even more confusing than the simple up and down movement of the chairlift. And the same minor quibbles – a fairly obvious culprit (and this time the “how” part of the crime does not makes amends) and still obscure (but much more successful) clueing. And again a fairly dramatic finale. 7/10 (a notch below the excellent debut)

dexter96: 19. Murder on Martha’s Vineyard by Kelley Roos (1981) – (Mystery Bingo Original – A Place in the Title, Just the Facts – On an Island) – what begins as a promising classic-style mystery soon deteriorates into a cliché-ridden made-for-TV-movie grade thriller and never recovers. 5/10 (an unengaging read far below par compared to the early efforts of the duo)

dexter96: 20. The Gold Curse by Herbert Resnicow (1986) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – Set in the Entertainment World, Just the Facts – During a Performance of Any Kind) – opera is a cut-throat business, i.e. art (even more so than ballet). A hateful prima donna is stabbed on stage in the concluding act of an exclusive charity performance of Rigoletto. Alexander Gold, an art "lover" extraordinaire, is available among the audience to set the stage for a final showdown between the murderer and the exquisite gun-toting (only out of necessity) bigmouth of a wife of his and, by the way, somehow manages to collect (rather reluctantly) another tidy sum in his ever enlarging bank account. 7/10 (an unconvincing resolution – it just might work in practice)

dexter96: 21. Court of Foxes by Christianna Brand (1969) – (Mystery Bingo Revised – A Historical Mystery, Just the Facts – Set pre-1880) – it checks all the boxes of a regency romance though set a touch earlier (during the reign of George III prior to the renovation of Newgate, i.e. pre-1770). Alternatively, this is a rather sleazy gang caper of the High Toby with hard (highway)men in costumes, con games, a prison escape, a couple of hussies and a vixen. 5/10 (tribulations and titillations galore and is it just me or Gilda gets the genetics all wrong in the end)

dexter96: 22. The Gold Gamble by Herbert Resnicow (1988) – (Mystery Bingo Original – Set in the USA, Just the Facts – Watson Narrator) – following in the footsteps of ballet and opera the art of musical also goes through the Gold treatment. A revival of a 50’s Broadway hit play Guys and Dolls is the specimen in question. Alexander Gold navigates successfully the usual undercurrents of sex, money and professional ambition running through spatially and temporally intermingling strata of dedicated cast and staff. The stakes are running high, the tension and effort threaten to prove too much for that one weak heart of (Alexander) Gold, and Norma is as overbearing and overprotective as ever. The culmination is another (almost) misfiring trap for an elusive “cold cream” murderer and this time Norma shoots not to kill. 7/10 (last of the series but not least)

dexter96: 23. The Shadow Before by L. P. Davies (1970) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – A Time in the Title, Just the Facts – Set in a Capital City) – what starts as a usual for the author case of amnesia and false memories turns into a case of premonition and a robbery caper. Having gone through a neurosurgery Lester Dunn, a London pharmacist, has a clear future but it is not a bright one. Can a man escape from his destiny? Or at least change the unpleasant bits? If something can go wrong it will, won’t it? Or maybe the nightmare never ends before the fat man breathes once again? 6/10 (a bit humdrum run-of-the-mill L. P.)

dexter96: 24. Death at the Chase by Michael Innes (1970) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – A Country House Mystery, Just the Facts – At a Country House) – typically for Innes this is an atypical country house mystery. The country house is available (the Chase) but it is empty, i.e. only the old miser lives there (and a “supercharged” servant might be prowling in the garden). The miser is old but is not superannuated and (congenitally) might spring a surprise (issue) or two at any moment. All guests are uninvited. The relatives are traditionally poor and gathered around the house. From time to time they hopped into the house which is locked but accessible. The house is sprawling and dilapidated. A madcap madhouse with a fabulous cellar. And along come Bobby Appleby (a budding anti-novelist) and Finn (a buddy). Oh, and then there is La resistance, perennially unforgiving. 6/10 (an anti-country house affair with thrills attached)

dexter96: 25. A Most Contagious Game by Catherine Aird (1967) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – A Borrowed Book, Just the Facts – A Title with a Literary Allusion) – a noncontagious village mystery, i.e. mysteries. The past one – behind the walls, the present one – behind the scenes. Interesting historical fact, indifferent investigation. Title from a quote by George Meredith (“Modern Love”. Hiding the Skeleton). 5/10 (no surprises)

dexter96: 26. Choice Cuts (… Et mon tout est un home) by Boileau - Narcejac (1965) – (Mystery Bingo Original – A Translated Work, Just the Facts – Includes Letters, Diary Extracts or Similar Items) – the case of the constant suicides à la française. The parts of a guillotined criminal are “grafted” to seven unsuspecting victims of car accidents. Initially the experiment seems to be successful and then inexplicably the things start to go very wrong. A fantastic fantastical mystery. 9/10 (science gone mad)

dexter96: 27. A Long Way to Shiloh (apa The Menorah Men) by Lionel Davidson (1966) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – Published Under More Than One Title, Just the Facts – Won an Award) – the hunt of an English professor (this time not Indiana Jones but certain Caspar Laing) in the holy lands for the elusive Menorah. And it is certainly a long one and dragging at times. Otherwise, a well-researched book but the excitements unfortunately are not of the cerebral variety. 5/10 (a more sophisticated “Da Vinci Code” with Dead Sea scrolls)

dexter96: 28. Presumed Innocent (transl. Невинен до доказване на противното) by Scott Turow (1987) – (Mystery Bingo Original – Made into a Movie, Just the Facts – Death by Blunt Instrument, Reading Bingo – Made into a Movie) – Despite having already seen the movie with Harrison Ford (thus the final twist spoilt) and reading a „lost in translation” version, the book does not fail to entertain. Still it is a very solid legal thriller offering a lot of insight into the behind-the-scene mechanisms and politics of the “…and justice for all” system. Much more background and character development (especially concerning Rozat “Rusty” Sabich) than in the film adaptation. 8/10 (though starting to show their age the late 80s – early 90s thrillers still rule but funny how the DNA analysis would make the things even harder for Rusty today)

dexter96: 29. The Fly on the Wall by Tony Hillerman (1971) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – An Animal in the Title, Just the Facts – A Journalist/Writer) – murder at the capitol (well not that Capitol). Politics, construction business, corruption, murder(s) – no surprises here. Well-researched and veracious novel (inclusive of that trip to Santa Fe). A strong lead in John Cotton, an ex- criminal reporter, currently earning his bread as a political columnist. A moral dilemma and maybe a moral in the end. 8/10 (a “fly-by” read)

dexter96: 30. Parrish for the Defense (apa Doctor on Trial) by Hillary Waugh (1974) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – A Book with a Lawyer/Courtroom/Judge, Just the Fact – A Lawyer/Barrister/Judge) – a perversion of a Perry Mason’s story (a perverted versions of Della Street and Paul Drake included). The result is of course perversion of justice. Not a single character with redeemable qualities. A bitter, bitter read. 5/10 (I much prefer Waugh’s 50s and 60s straightforward police procedurals)

dexter96: 31. An Awkward Lie by Michael Innes (1971) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – A Book with an Amateur Detective, Just the Facts – Death by Shooting) – Bobby Appleby steals the show as John Appleby remains firmly in the background. What starts as an intriguing classical mystery progressively deteriorates into an implausible spy story and then into a young adult (rather infantile) thriller. The language conversely elevates itself from straightforward readability to “lamentable” glossary-wielding literariness. 5/10 (occasionally amusing but as if runs out of steam in the end)

dexter96: 32. The Long Shadow by Celia Fremlin (1975) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – A Book with a Size in the Title, Just the Facts – Read by a Fellow Challenger - crossexaminingcrime.wordpress.com) – another family (plus assorted nuisances) gathering takes somewhat spooky (if not sinister) turn. A strong British answer to the Charlotte Armstrong’s style of suspense with a less annoyingly silly main heroine and more adequately concealed menace. 8/10 (an untraditional mystery with question marks not only about who but also about what, when and if at all)

dexter96: 33. The Trouble in Hunter Ward by Josephine Bell (1976) – (Mystery Bingo Revised – Published in Your Birth Year, Just the Facts – In a Hospital/Nursing Home) – a straggling medical mystery with political overtones. A terminally ill former matron receives a lethal injection in a strike-ridden hospital ward. A plethora of somewhat forgettable characters (patients, medical and lay staff) come and go, a couple of detectives do some sleuthing and eventually a rather uninspired resolution is reached. 5/10 (why the 70s always seem to have been a rather dismal time)

dexter96: 34. … and Presumed Dead by Lucille Fletcher (1963) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – Read by a Fellow Challenger, Just the Facts – During a Vacation/Trip) – in essence, a modern more biting twist of a HBIK novel. Following the footsteps of her mother-in-law in a desperate search for her missing husband (a bomber pilot who disappeared in 1943 when on a mission over Germany), a young American finds herself at a posh resort hotel in the Swiss Alps. Cue a horde of quaint characters (including a debonair Frenchman who just might be what he claims to be), the remote ruins of a mysterious Gothic castle and thoroughly menacing and unsettling atmosphere (plenty of fog and gloom) – a fine mixture for a sleepless night. 9/10 (suspenseful throughout)

dexter96: 35. Out of the Blackout by Robert Barnard (1964) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – A Colour in the Title, Just the Facts – A Colour in the Title) – a touching story about a London boy evacuee from the Blitz in rural West Country and his on and off search through the years for the truth about his real identity and a family which he might not want to know at all. A really interesting overview of the roots of fascism and racial intolerance in the English society. 8/10 (the last chapter appears supernumerary even as a kind of epilogue)

dexter96: 36. Murder and Magic by Randall Garrett (1979) (1964 – 1973) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – A Short Story Collection, Just the Facts – At Least Two Deaths with Different Means) – Lord Darcy investigates a slew of murders among the aristocracy in Medieval England (i.e. an alternative reality mid-20th century British Empire). Apparently, Richard the Lionheart recovered from his crossbow wound in 1199 and the Angevin Empire (Empire Plantagenêt) continued its existence expanding to North and South America. There were no bourgeois revolutions and capitalism never replaced feudalism. The development of sciences was stunted and thus no electricity or motor vehicles were ever discovered. Fortunately, when there is no science available, there is magic. Even forensic one. More than decent mysteries in historical rather than fantastical setting 7/10 (Ah, and the Poles, plumbers and all, are still the subversive elements)

dexter96: 37. The Complete Steel (apa The Stately Home Murder) by Catherine Aird (1969) – (Mystery Bingo Revised – TBR First Lines, Just the Facts – A Librarian/Bookshop Owner/Publisher) – the body of the stately home resident librarian and archivist is found dead in an exhibition armour (second on the right) by a Sunday touring party. As the running joke continues, Sergeant Gleven is not available being on a training course elsewhere and DI Sloan is once again saddled with the irrepressible DC Crosby in this traditional country house affair with a few modern and one classical twists (though, as far as I can remember, really this is my first mystery in which…). 8/10 (amusing details of the modern life in an erstwhile manor, facetious dialogues, a fairly clever and fairly clued mystery, Aird just gets better with every entry in the series)

dexter96: 38. Doll (transl. Кукла) by Ed McBain (1965) – (Mystery Bingo Original – An Author I Have Read Before, Just the Facts – Crime Involves Fire/Arson, Reading Bingo – A Book with an One-Word Title) – a tentative re-read - I thought I had read all McBain’s novels translated into Bulgarian (and owned) but nothing rang familiar about that one. A superb beginning and fairly standard (or standard fair) end. Slightly unconvincing that everything hangs together just by the means of a single delayed action (not that it cannot actually happen in reality). Otherwise, a beautiful breezy read with a few tear-jerking moments. 7/10 (Bert Kling might be finally turning a point in his life, we’ll see)

dexter96: 39. Out of the Dark (apa Child’s Play) by Ursula Curtiss (1964) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – A Book with a Spooky Title, Just the Facts – A Book Made into TV/Movie/Play) – a child’s play (a phone prank) inadvertently brings out of the dark a monster (a latent killer). The domestic mayhem caused by the un-babysat precocious little angels grows wilder and wilder as does the manic anxiety of the once and future murderer. And his frantic perambulations are coming closer and still closer to the oblivious Mannering’s household… 7/10 (a peach of a comedy of terror rightfully turned into a horror B-movie (no, not that child’s play one) in 1965 named I Saw What You Did (no, not that one either)

dexter96: 40. Enemy and Brother by Dorothy Salisbury Davis (1967) – (Mystery Bingo Revised – An Author Whose First or Last Name Begins with the Same Letter as Yours, Just the Facts – Out of Your Comfort Zone) – a book of two halves. A hotchpotch-mumbo-jumbo-spy-thriller-cum-travelogue beginning and a more streamlined and eventually redeeming second part in which something actually happens (though the thrills might be somewhat cheapish). The setting is Western Greece (the Epirus region on the Ionian Sea close to the Albanian border) during the Cold War and in the aftermath of the Greek Civil War in the late 40s. The protagonist, an American academic following in the Lord Byron’s footsteps tries to find some truths about his painful past connected with the assassination of his compatriot journalist and finds unexpected camaraderie and assistance in the face of a former enemy, a tragically blinded Greek communist, completing his life-in-turmoil wisdom and native compassion with Shakespearian references. 5/10 (in a book apparently inspired by a real life events the mindless atrocities of war always come jarring on one’s nerves especially when so close to home)

dexter96: 41. Too Many Magicians by Randall Garrett (1966) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – A Locked Room Mystery, Just the Facts – In a Locked Room) – a locked room mystery set in an alternative reality world where magic has replaced forensics (and natural sciences as a whole). The locked room mystery is reminiscent of one of Carr’s classics (though a dash of magic makes it a bit more plausible and believable) and getting results with magic is even slower than with forensics (but as much as incomprehensible). 7/10 (an OK locked room mystery but not the outstanding one some lists make it be)

dexter96: 42. Cast, in Order of Disappearance by Simon Brett (1975) – (Mystery Bingo O/R – By an Author You Have Never Read Before, Just the Facts – An Actor/Actress) - a charming middle-aged (beginning to show) soused (occasionally) Stanislavski’s system (not exclusively) actor parentally (purely) assists a much younger female colleague in an ill-defined investigation cum legal conundrum amongst omnipresent 70s petrol crisis. 7/10 (clever and refreshing if at times a bit too much)

dexter96: 43. Murder at the Super Bowl by Herbert Resnicow (with Fran Tarkenton) (1986) – (Just the Facts – Written by More Than One Person) – a vegie gymnast in the land of the blood-thirsty giants. Marcus Aurelius Burr, an insolent newbie sports journalist (and a budding investigating reporter by vocation) discovers by (mis)chance the dead body of the head coach of the underdog team at the Super Bowl and blackmails his way into the following investigation having been blackmailed to take part into it at the same time. Cue (lots of) tough talk by tough guys about how tough the game is indeed and what a dastardly bastard the victim was in fact. Oh, and even more talk about (illegal) betting and the betting the victim did. 5/10 (an indifferent mystery with slightly incomprehensible for the average European layman terminology – special teams only)

dexter96: 44. So Much Blood by Simon Brett (1976) – (Just the Facts – At a Theatre/Circus/Another Place of Performance, Reading Bingo – A Funny Book) – there are some DUDS on the fringe (of the Edinburgh Festival). . . and the greatest of these is Charles Paris. When one (member) of the D.U.D.S. (Derby University Dramatic Society) is ill-befallen (a broken leg) Charles Paris is called upon at the last moment to fill in (bed & cabbage secured, fifty percent of the box office) with his one-man show So Much Comic So Much Blood based on the humoristic verses of the English poet Thomas Hood. Another accident (was it?) with an inadvertently deadly prop happens during a rather peculiar stage rehearsal of “Mary, Queen of Sots” and then a real “mixed-media satire of disintegration” ensues featuring old flames and new infatuations, avant-gardists and radicals, recurring supporting cast and budding new stars and starlets, a surfeit of red herrings and an occasional (monster) salmon - so much comic, so much blood, so much fun. 8/10 (murder and mayhem with a dash of alcohol infused, i.e. rather soaked witticisms, i.e. wisecracking)

dexter96: 45. Not I, Said the Vixen by Bill S. Ballinger (1965) – (Just the Facts – An Animal in the Title) – a rather appetizingly sounding mixture of one part Fredric Brown’s lush-on-the-wagon first person narration and one part Perry Mason’s court-room drama told in third person. Unfortunately, less successful on both counts. 6/10 (noirishly fatal in his passion/her fashion)

dexter96: 46. Upon Some Midnights Clear by K. C. Constantine (1985) – (Just the Facts – During a Recognized Holiday) – the inimitable Yuletide rants (parent advisory – explicit content) of Chief Mario Balzic about everything and all – politics (local), discrimination (racial), corruption (local), war and peace (Nam and aftermath), crime (local), wine (Italian), journalism (local), etc. And there is an attempted murder and a petty scam. More light-hearted than previous entries in the Rocksburg saga – well, it’s Christmas after all. 8/10 (profusely exuding strangely fascinating local charm)

dexter96: 47. Death on the Agenda by Patricia Moyes (1962) – (Just the Facts – A Character Has a Job Similar to Yours) – well, I’ve been a participant in conferences (not on that level) on similar topics, similar (not on that level) temptations being present, occupational hazards such as those (luckily) absent. Professional experience (apparently) spoiled that one for me – the culprit was obvious, the aide-de-camp anticipated, the method – trite and tested. 6/10 (still it is a funnily titillating read or maybe just a fun read)

dexter96: 48. The Counterfeiter from the Blackbird* (Фалшификаторът от черния кос) by Haim Oliver (1969) – (Just the Facts – An Author from Your Country) - counterfeit US dollars are flooding the resorts near the city of Varna on the Black Sea coast. The forgery is of very high quality and there is only one man in Bulgaria capable of doing it – the mythical “Lord” – an ex concentration camp POW, an ex-con and an ex-expat. So, cutting his holiday short, the young (26-year old) and somewhat naïve but always optimistic (junior) inspector Nicolai Karlov, is soon on his first one-man (though benevolently assisted by his beautiful girlfriend Ellie - a last year English philology student) assignment to Varna. Following the Lord’s hot trail, they find themselves (much to their delight) mixed up with the crew of an international production shooting a B-rated western in a nearby village. However, the things take a grimmer turn when the Lord is found knifed to death on a deserted beach. 6/10 (a rather naïve and cozy militia procedural with an unexpected culprit but objectivity cannot be a factor in cases as close to home as this one) (*n/a in English, made into a miniseries in 1983)

dexter96: 49. Death of an Old Girl by Elizabeth Lemarchand (1967) - (Just the Facts – During a Special Event) – the debut case of Chief Detective-Inspector Pollard and Sergeant Toye of New Scotland Yard (though the sergeant remains almost exclusively lurking in the background). The annual Festival of the Old Meldonian Society creates more complications than usual when one of the old girls (an infamous busybody) is found dead in the school’s studio behind a puppet-theatre. (Un)fortunately, most of the 60-odd guests and staff are ruled out as suspects almost immediately and the reader is private to information and events not known to the investigating team in the beginning thus further eliminating the number of potential culprits. So, that leaves only one plausible murderer and then it is all plain sailing - when there is will a motive and opportunity for murder can always be found and fitted (timetables and map duly provided). Pollard and Toye are somewhat slower to the conclusion having much to do in order to establish the facts already known to the reader. Perfect as a plot for a Midsomer Murders episode where most of the tell-tale information (so readily presented in black and white) would be disguised (obscured) by the camera (obscura - obviously) and left discernable only for the most observant among viewers. 6/10 (a competently written but flawed traditional mystery)

dexter96: 50. Rough Cider by Peter Lovesey (1986) – (Just the Facts – Set During the WWI or WWII) – offers insight into the pre-war technologies of preparing cider (yuk!). Otherwise, a murder involving a boy evacuee and some American G.I.s stationed in an UK military base in the later days of WWII has deadly repercussions in modern days when the daughter of one of the soldiers (the one convicted for the crime) seeks the truth and maybe justice with the (reluctant) assistance of the chief witness for the prosecution (then) and a rather miserable university lecturer (now). Being cosy till the sudden bloody end. 7/10 (now and forever - confirmed beer drinker, I swear)

dexter96: 51. Murder in Waiting by Mignon G. Eberhart (1973) – (Just the Facts - Because Simon Says So/At the Bottom of Your TBR Pile, Reading Bingo – A Book at the Bottom of Your TBR Pile) – and deservedly so – the Bold and the Beautiful treatment of the HBIK mystery genre complete with a naïve ingénue, character reversals and preposterous motives. 5/10 (had I but known, alas…)

dexter96: 52. Bertie and the Tinman by Peter Lovesey (1987) – (Just the Facts – Set in Victorian Era) – the entertaining shenanigans of certain Albert Edward (an amateur sleuth and incidentally the Prince of Wales) in the aftermath of the death of the greatest jockey of all time. 7/10 (if not royally at least Prince-of-Wales amusing)

dexter96: 53. The Night Hunters by Jack Bickham (as John Miles) (1973) – (Just the Facts – Made a “Best of” List – Barzun and Taylor's Classics of Crime) – this one reads much like a plot for a B horror movie set in the hinter/hunterlands of Oklahoma. A young female genealogist vs. the enmity of the local hicks. Enters a troubled librarian with a special skill set who just might be on her side. Breath-taking blood-curdling and somewhat intelligence–insulting finale. 7/10 (features one of a kind regionally flavoured conspiratorial denouement which sure-fire causes a chuckle or two)

dexter96: 54. The Affacombe Affair by Elizabeth Lemarchand (1968) – (Just the Facts – Set in a Small Village) – in the second entry of the series Chief Inspector Pollard cannily uncovers the uncanny motive lying behind the brutal murder of the nurse of the Affacombe Priory School (her “busy” body appositely found at the bottom of a precipice locally known as Monk’s Leap). 7/10 (a sedately compelling read)

dexter96: 55. In the Last Analysis by Amanda Cross (1964) – (Just the Facts – In the Medical Field) – this mystery featuring a death on a shrink’s couch is not a shrinking violet at all. The amiable duo of unlikely partners in crime solving - Kate Fansler (a middle-aged English professor) and Jerry (a frozen food truck driver and soon to be her nephew-in-law) breezes through this yarn in a manner strangely reminiscent in style and substance of William DeAndrea’s Matt Cobb series – cosy yet not too much, discussing serious matters and not too serious way. Literary yet highly readable 8/10 (features yet another out-of-the-trodden-path criminal motive)

dexter96: 56. The Mysterious Commission by Michael Innes (1974) – (Just the Facts – An Artist/Photographer) – insufficiently outré to redeem the plot fall into inconsequence. 5/10 (to my dilettante eye in this one Honeybath is a peculiarly ageless if not timeless artist)

dexter96: 57. Here Lies... by Doris Miles Disney (1963) – (Just the Facts – Author’s First/Last Name Begins with the Same Letter as Yours) – unexpectedly engaging mystery with deep roots sprawling from 6 feet underground to the not so recent past. 7/10 (a plus is the daring if painful for some choice of a culprit)

dexter96: 58. The Fourth of Forever by Bill S. Ballinger (1963) – (Just the Facts – Time/Date in Title) – a predictable femme fatale tale fizzling out as a travelogue to the islands of Greece. 5/10 (sombre ends have sombre beginnings)

dexter96: 59. When I Grow Rich by Joan Fleming (1962) – (Just the Facts – An Author Not from Your Country) – an unclassifiable mysterious tale about an unfamiliar place (Istanbul) in times which seem so far away. 5/10 (unrepentantly weird)

dexter96: 60. In the Shadow of King’s by Nora Kelly (1984) – (Just the Facts – An Academic) – a stodgy minutiae strewn travelogue to the academic world of past and present Cambridge interspersed with somewhat subdued mystery investigation. 5/10 (a bit snoozy)