Twenty-nine Crime

Death of My Aunt by C. H. B. Kitchin

The corpse is Catherine Cartwright, left a rich woman by her first husband. “Like many rich people, she acted as if her wealth gave her not only infinite power but infinite wisdom.” The suspects, kindly listed and classified by the narrator, are family members wanting legacies, some urgently.

The narrator, the young stockbroker Malcolm Warren is a detached yet compassionate observer of his family’s foibles. The acute observations and witty descriptions of the characters are what make the book so enjoyable.

H. R. F. Keating’s introduction to the Hogarth Crime edition places the novel in its time, and provides a description of Kitchin, an eccentric, cultured man.

Death of My aunt is a sophisticated cosy from the Golden Age of crime fiction.

I love the snobbery of Death of My Aunt, the people like usness. The aunt's second husband says "yer", to distinguish him from the you-saying upper-middle class family members.

In other British books around the same time I've seen "gurl", which puzzled me for a while, and I always smile when I read something like "It's me," said ------- ungrammatically.

A far cry from Dashiell Hammet. Same year, different era.

I think this is going to be a fun thread, Pam, particularly with a Golden Age Crime expert on board! I'm taking the liberty of copying your useful post from the general thread to here:

pamelad said:
"1929 was a good year for crime novels.

The Crime at Black Dudley Margery Allingham

From the Haycraft-Queen List of Definitive Mystery Fiction, published in Murder Ink
Little Caesar W. R. Burnett
The Patient in Room 18 Mignon G. Eberhart
Detective Duff Unravels It Harvery J. O'Higgins (the first psychoanalyst detective)
The Roman Hat Mystery Ellery Queen
Murder by the Clock Rufus King
Clues of the Caribees T. S. Stribling

Touchstone problems

Adding more.
Mr Fortune Speaking H. C. Bailey
The Bishop Murder Case S. S. Van Dine
The Man in the Queue Josephine Tey
The Green Ribbon Edgar Wallace
The Box Office Murders Freeman Wills Crofts"

I'm sure there are more - deserves a list of its own, as soon as I get my act together.

I have to confess, I haven't read any of these (not even The Seven Dials Mystery), but plan to start with The Crime at Black Dudley over the holidays.

The Crime at Black Dudley is the first Albert Campion book by Margery Allingham. It's an enjoyable book, with some memorable scenes, but it's not as good as later Campions. Still, a good introduction to Campion, who is one of my favorite characters.

I don't think I've read any of the others yet, but I think I have the Eberhart here someplace. Then I can look for some of the others - yay! a quest!

Yay indeed! And thanks for the pointers, MaggieO, I'm about to give the few Allinghams I have to my better half for Christmas (and shall then snaffle The Crime at Black Dudley back for a quick read!)

More crime

The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett was apparently published in 1929, as well as the already mentioned Red Harvest.
The Hidden Hand by Carroll John Daly
The Black Camel by Earl Derr Biggers is one of the Charlie Chan series

Maggie, I'll be interested to hear about The Patient in Room 18 - whether, like Eberhart's fifties books, it's a had-I-but-known with a heroine you want to slap.

Carolyn, have you read the Allinghams you're giving to the better half? At least they won't be far away.

I neglected to say that there is an article written by Heinrich Mann in 1929 about the Detective Novel, which I have posted on the external website here. The translation of the article is very wooden (wasn't me!), and I'm not sure whether there's anything of enormous interest in it, but I, for one, found a number of interesting thoughts contained therein...

The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham
I actually read this back in January and utterly forgot to post my thoughts here *shamefaced*.

I confess to having written a rather unflattering review of the book on my 100 Books Challenge thread here, but as far as Project 1929 is concerned, a number of things struck me as being interesting and/or curious for the time…

As mentioned in my review, there were a couple of insights into the life of the Suffolk landed gentry and the young London professional classes in 1929, although I'm not entirely sure how generic these insights were. As this was Allingham's very first novel, it wasn't clear to me how much of the characterisation was clichéed, and how much emerged as a result of sharp observation. I was quite shocked at the lowly opinion of women that she displayed – they were entirely subservient to the men in the book (even the stupid men), were completely devoid of intelligence and bravery and, frankly, a nuisance when it came to getting out of a fix. Was Allingham truly this unemancipated?

I also mentioned the extreme anti-German rhetoric throughout the book, which was perhaps understandable, just a decade after the First World War, but still slightly shocking (after the humour of the first 741 jibes wore off…). Is this something that was reflected generally in the mainstream detective novels of the time?

And then there was the obsession with motor cars, a subject about which I know nothing. If there are any petrolheads among you, I'd be more than happy to detail some of the cars described in the novel, and you can tell us all about them!

Has anyone else read this?

Yes, citizenkelly, I've read The Crime at Black Dudley, though not recently. Campion is portrayed much better in later books. I don't remember much about the characterizations of women in particular; as I recall everybody is pretty shallow. I'll go have another look at the book.

Warm greetings, Pamela and Maggie (and citizenkelly)! I hope you are all well.

I've read six of the mysteries listed, which leaves a number of interesting things to try for the challenge.

An upcoming mystery book fair may just supply me with a few.

Meanwhile, to anyone who hasn't read them, I warmly recommend The Man in the Queue and The Dain Curse (a strange book, but I liked it). The Bishop Murder Case is not bad for light reading, given the absolute dismissiveness which has been Philo Vance's lot for so long a time.

The Roman Hat Mystery, an apparently far superior item in the same genre, is now calling me from a high shelf - 'read me', 'read me,' it pleads - but I am leaving in a few days, and cannot carry something so fragile. (It's a 1940 paperback edition.) What I will do is place it physically atop the TBR contenders, for my next light read, on returning home.

By, chance I'm reading a mystery from 1929--Corpse Guards Parade by Milward Kennedy. I also just picked up one of J.J. Connington's Sir Clifford Driffield mysteries (from the library, alas!) so I'll mention his 1929 offering in the series--Nemesis at Raynham Parva (Grim Vengeance in the U.S.) which A Catalogue of Crime commends for its "good picture of...gentry life in England between wars--at least as fiction has it" while bemoaning the white slave traffic (!!) ACOC also applauds The Coles' 1929 offering Poison in a Garden Suburb as "lively, humorous, and genuinely intelligent".

As to The Roman Hat Mystery, I recall that my Pocket Books edition had an important omission in the crime map.

Oh, no!

Oh yes! I remember reading The Dain Curse years ago, and greatly enjoying it. I had no idea it was written in 1929.

Pam, I've just ordered a copy of The Patient in Room 18, which I thought I had already. What I had turned out to be The Patient in Cabin C. Must be when you write so many books, it's hard to come up with good titles. And I mooched a copy of the Seven Dials Mystery. I'll report back when I've read them.

Eurydice, it's a pleasure to run into you on this thread! Did I ever thank you effusively for introducing me to Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin? They are wonderful (well, more so Archie than Nero!)

Harry_Vincent - I love that title, Corpse Guards Parade; is the book good?

And you, Maggie!

I think you did, but I'm delighted to hear the love continues! Archie is such a charmer (and Wolfe pleases me -as a foil, and in his very different, very persnickety way)...

Paola, always good to see another fan of The Dain Curse. ;)

I'd better copy the titles to look out for, and scoot along to finish getting ready for company in the morning.

Maggie and Eurydice, definitely heading off to the library tomorrow to order The Patient in Room 18 and The Roman Hat Mystery. Will have a look for the three titles you've mentioned too, Harry_Vincent. Could be lucky.

Might be time for another read of The Dain Curse too.

#14

I'm enjoying the book but, as with many British mysteries of the period, the detection is, so far, being carried out by a colourless Scotland Yard Inspector who's indistinguishable from all the other colourless Scotland Yard Inspectors. The puzzle is good though so I'd recommend it for people who lean more to plot on the plot-characterization spectrum.

1929 also saw the releases of Speedy Death and The Mystery of a Butcher's Shop, the first two titles in Gladys Mitchell's long-running Mrs. Bradley series--both of which should be easy-to-find as reprints.

Murder in the Moor by Thomas Kindon (no copies on LT, so no touchstone) was published in 1929. It appears in Barzun and Taylor's A Catalogue of Crime. The list is here.

Looking for an affordable copy but having no luck so far. No luck with inter-library loans either. It has been reprinted in a series, Fifty classics of crime fiction, 1900-1950.

Have ordered a copy of The Box Office Murders from Deep Discounts.

I had another look at Black Dudley, citizenkelly, and the women there--except for "the militant Mrs. Meade", the elderly servant--are pretty irritating (though the men aren't much to write home about, either). I guess I just consider those sorts of characterizations as a product of their times, and don't let them bother me. Allingham does create a much more interesting heroine in Amanda Fitton later on in The Fear Sign, aka Sweet Danger.

I'll be reading The Seven Dials Mystery soon, so I'll get a chance to compare Christie's women characters drawn at the same time.

This 1929 project is turning out to be quite interesting. I'm enjoying the new perspectives and comparisons that come from reading books published in the same year. Thank you, citizenkelly!

I've copied this here from my Club Read thread.

The Dain Curse

When Raymond Chandler said of Dashiell Hammett that he "gave murder back to the people who commit it for reasons, not just to provide a corpse", he cannot have been thinking of The Dain Curse.

The friends and associates of the morphine-fuddled Gabrielle Leggett are dying violently because, she thinks, she is cursed. The Continental Op believes that there is a more prosaic reason for the deaths. His investigations lead him from stolen diamonds via spiritualism and ritual sacrifice to a smugglers' cave.

The plot meanders around California, with new characters popping up at every stop. There's a lot going on and it's a gripping read.

By the second-last chapter it seems that Hammett just wants the story to end. He ties up all the loose ends, and there are plenty, into a blatantly artificial resolution.

4* Even a mediocre Hammett is pretty good.

Oh, I know - it's the over-the-top, bizarre quality that's oddly so appealing. At least when melded to his tough guy, realist trimmings...

Ok, I finished The Seven Dials Mystery, and I have to say there's a BIG difference between Christie's heroine Eileen "Bundle" Brent, as well as other women in the book, and the main female character (Meggie, I think) in Allingham's Crime at Black Dudley. Bundle Brent is a strong, intelligent, admirable, and apparently fearless character. A nice example of dialogue:

"I say, Bundle, I wish you wouldn't" (says Bill)
"Wouldn't what?"
"Get mixed up in these sorts of things."
"Why not?" said Bundle. "They're exciting."
"Oh, yes--exciting. But they may be damnably dangerous. Look at poor old Ronny."
"Yes," said Bundle. "If it hadn't been for your friend Ronny, I don't suppose I should ever have got what you call 'mixed up' in this thing. But I am. And it's no earthly use your bleating about it."
"I know you're the most frightful sport, Bundle, but--"
"Cut out the compliments. Let's make plans."

I haven't read Agatha Christie in many years, and I'd forgotten how enjoyable she is. This book centers around two mysterious deaths, a secret society called The Seven Dials, plans to steal military secrets, Bundle's determination to solve the mystery, and various romantic interests. Features a surprise ending that made me shake my head sadly because I didn't see it coming. This is a pleasant, quick read for our 1929 project. Like Black Dudley, it contains a certain amount of anti-German sentiment. It's also an interesting counterpoint to Black Dudley in terms of its characterizations of women. And, much as I love Campion, The Seven Dials is the better book.

With all due respect, I would not even dream of comparing Margery Allingham to Agatha Christie!!!!!
Sorry, but Dame Agatha wins big time.

For me, Dorothy L. Sayers beats both of them easily. Unfortunately, Lord Peter was on hiatus in 1929, between The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (1928) and Strong Poison (1930).

Pam, I've just finished The Patient in Room 18, by Mignon Eberhart. The protagonist, Nurse Sarah Keate, is not as annoying as other "had-I-but-known" characters, but I still want to smack her for occasionally withholding evidence. The detective, Lance O'Leary, is interesting. This is the first of a series of novels featuring Sarah Keate and O'Leary, and I have the second book already in my TBR stack. Keate is the first-person narrator, and she is sensible (usually) and intelligent. Clearly, she is a character that others respect and turn to when trouble arises.

In this case, the trouble begins with the death of a patient undergoing treatment with radium (an actual piece of radium is applied to the patient with a bandage -- I hadn't known that radium was once used in this way). The radium is worth a lot of money, and it is apparent that the theft of the radium is the motive for the crime. But there is more than one character with motive, and eventually there is more than one corpse, and Keate and O'Leary work together to piece together clues and solve the crimes.

Eberhart is good at creating a menacing, atmospheric setting (dark and stormy nights are one feature of this novel), which makes the book enjoyable to read despite the rather stereotypical characters. I'm not sure what The Patient in Room 18 adds to an understanding of life in 1929, though. The setting, details, and characters all seem right for 1929, but this book is more a typical suspenseful mystery of the time than a social commentary.

Maggie, I've ordered The Patient in Room 18 on an inter-library loan, so could be lucky. Not surprised that the patient with the attached radium died!

rbjhardy, I too was disappointed in Sayers' 1929 gap. Read the 1928 and the 1930 and take the average?

I've finally finished The Box Office Murders, by Freeman Wills Crofts, in which a trio of dastardly villains traps a series of young woman box office clerks into complicity in their crime. The book features Inspector French of Scotland Yard, who is an appealing, though not terribly complex detective (no one in the book is very complex). I liked it that he had no problem with a bit of breaking and entering when necessary, though, and he is certainly tenacious in his pursuit of justice.

The writing is good, but sort of along the lines of: today, Inspector French decides to try this; if that doesn't work, he plans to do something else; he gets other policemen to help; he gets angry when he thinks of the lost young victims and determines to avenge them; then the next day he tries another line of inquiry; etc, etc.

There are 3 kinds of women: the innocent young women who are drawn into the criminals' net; the scheming villainess; and Inspector French's wife, who is possibly the most attractive character, intelligent and quick-witted. Unfortunately, we don't see her very much in the book.

I found this interesting website, which offers some good analysis of Crofts' mysteries: http://mikegrost.com/crofts.htm

Apparently, The Box Office Murders can be difficult to find; I had to get it through interlibrary loan, and the copy I received, from a university library, was falling apart. I wouldn't call it a must-read. The mystery was suitably clever, but the writing wasn't exactly gripping. According to the website above, Crofts' earlier mystery The Cask is a better book (but it wasn't published in 1929, so I'll just add it to my TBR list!)

I've started The Death of My Aunt, which is so far more interesting.

Maggie, I've been having no luck with ILL requests, four rejected so far including The Box Office Murders, but The Roman Hat Mystery has just turned up. Glad you're enjoying Death of My Aunt.

I very much enjoyed Death of My Aunt! I like first person narrators to begin with, and the narrator of this book, Malcolm Warren--a young stockbroker who gets mixed up in the untimely death of his aunt--is amusing and observant. It's interesting that he departs from his family's negative view of his step-uncle (the guy who says "yer" instead of "your"), an amiable fellow who had been a garage owner before marrying into Malcolm's snobby family. I've already started reading Death of His Uncle, the third of Malcolm's adventures (I couldn't find a copy of the second novel). If you can find Death of my Aunt, it's worth reading.

I looked on The Book Depository for The Box Office Murders. They are out of stock with it but suggested trying Abe books - I haven't dealt with them. Maggie, Pam found Death of my Aunt (see #1). Liked your summation of Inspector French's modus operandi too.

ABE Books is essentially a clearinghouse for 100s of different used book sellers (some of the books are new too). The dealers are rated -- I will never buy from one that isn't rated 4 stars or above. Except in one or two cases, the book sellers have been reliable and prompt, but ABE will refund your money if there's a problem with the book seller and the book seller doesn't resolve it on their own. I believe it also owns a chunk of LT.

The Book Depository refers you to the UK version of ABE Books.

The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen

The victim is a sleazy lawyer who dies in the Roman Theatre during a performance of the play, Gunplay. He is in evening dress, but his top hat is missing. Wearing the proper clothing for the occasion is an important aspect of the plot. I found the discussions of sticks, suits and hats to be the most interesting parts of the book.

The mystery is a puzzle, with the facts being presented to the reader as a challenge. The characters are virtually irrelevant; if they had another dimension they would be flat. Richard Queen, the police inspector, laughs, chuckles and takes snuff. Ellery makes cryptic comments, collects first editions, plans elaborate dinners and solves the crime from a distance.

**Small spoilers
The murderer is minor character who makes very few appearances in the book and has no discernible motive until the denouement. This is CHEATING!
**
The incidental racism made my skin crawl; the servant, Djuna, is compared to a monkey not once, but repeatedly. The women are tarts or fools.

Worth reading as a picture of life in 1929, but as a mystery, third-rate.

#32: Thanks, Rebecca. You are, as ever, a font of info and wisdom.

Pam, that is the best line I've read in a while: if they had another dimension they would be flat
One to avoid. hehe

Pam, thanks for reading the Roman Hat Mystery for us; I can cross it off my BookMooch wishlist now. The racism sounds worse than usual for the time *cringe*.
I also love your observation "if they had another dimension they would be flat." :)

BTW, I'm well into Kitchin's Death of His Uncle, and I'm finding it even more engaging than Death of My Aunt. It was published in 1939, so it doesn't belong on this thread. I'll keep quiet about it now.

Thanks, Tui, but I think it's a sign of my advanced and hopeless addiction to buying books more than anything else.

The Patient in Room 18 has arrived at the library. Luck with ILL is turning.

ETA It came form Ipswich, a country town inland from Brisbane, Qld. Librarian says it's on holiday.

The Patient in Room 18 by Mignon G. Eberhart

The first book by America's Agatha Christie, published in 1929, stars the sharp-tongued Nurse Sarah Keate.

The board of St Anne's Hospital has just spent $65,000 on a gram of radium, the latest treatment fad. It has been strapped to the chest of the patient in Room 18. The patient dies and the radium disappears. Nurse Keate helps the detective, Lance O'Leary, solve the crime.

Not bad, but suspects are popping in and out of Room 18 as though they were in a French farce.
3*

This was a bit on the racist side as well. Corole, cousin of the head doctor, "does love clothes and finery. It is on account of her - dark blood." She traces her lineage to "a cannibalistic royal line" and "she likely has a streak of savagery.....the beat of tom-toms would stir her, for instance. She is apt to be rather indolent, too...."

Fortunately there are no tom-toms within hearing distance of St Anne's.