Thomas Godfrey (1) (1945–)

Thomas Godrey has edited and introduced a volume of "classic crime fiction of Britain's upper crust." English country house murders is the best of the genre with stories beginning with Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and ending with James Miles' Sherlock Holmes with all the usual suspects in between. Christie is represented by her detective, the mysterious Mr. Quin; Chesterton by Father Brown; Wodehouse by Wooster and Jeeves; Sayers by Lord Peter Wimsey; and many more. The main introduction by Godfrey is hilarious and gets the idea across. The house has to be huge and in the country. The crime needs to be murder but theft will do, especially of jewelry or paintings. For murder, poison or a bop on the head preferred although defenestration is not used enough (throwing a person out of a window). Servants must be present but the butler is best; however the butler shouldn't do it, unless he really isn't a butler. Characters need not be bel;evable, just identifiable. There is so much more in the introduction to be enjoyed. Each story has its own introduction in the grand style and is full of information on author and story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this set of short stories and can highly recommend them.… (meer)

It's a rare book that takes me 387 days to complete. I got it after Christmas last year, read the first story (an old favorite) and then put it aside in favor or other books until I broke out the yuletide books this year.

And I don't have the book with me, nor can I find the contents online, so this is somewhat worthless as a meaningful consideration.

So, with that carton of salt: some of the stories hold up very well, some do not hold up at all*, although the writers are an impeccable group. There is a strong emphasis on British Country House murders, which I find charming. Some of the Gahan Wilson cartoons make no sense because they are so poorly reproduced, others are clear and morbidly funny.

It's an uneven collection, but for whatever reason I like my holiday full of blood and mayhem (Die Hard is so a Christmas film, and one of the best!)

*I'm looking at you, Nero Wolfe. Gah!

Personal copy.… (meer)