Archives
Friday’s Forgotten Book: The Case of the Terrified Typist by Erle Stanley Gardner
With so many reviews of Perry Mason mysteries popping up, I went back to one of my favorite titles in the series by Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970). Not his best written nor his strongest characters, I loved The Case of the Terrified Typist (Morrow, 1956) for its...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: Death of a Bovver Boy by Leo Bruce
Rupert Croft-Cooke (1903-1979) began his long literary career early, publishing a volume of poetry at age 19. He wrote a number of biographies and screenplays and literary fiction under his name and used the name Leo Bruce for his crime fiction. In addition to...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: The Worm of Death by Nicholas Blake
I discovered my copy of The Worm of Death (Harper, 1961) by Nicholas Blake this week and of course had to re-read it. Nicholas Blake is the pseudonym of Cecil Day-Lewis (1904–1972), the UK Poet Laureate from 1968 until his death. While he was a distinguished...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: I Want to Go Home by Frances and Richard Lockridge
Crippen & Landru’s recent release of a collection of short fiction by Richard and Frances Lockridge reminded me that I had not looked at any of their books for awhile. Frances Davis Lockridge (1896-1963) and Richard Lockridge (1899-1982) were journalists known...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: Death of a Ghost by Margery Allingham
It has been a full couple of weeks and I have fallen back on some old favorites for my night reading. It is always a pleasure to visit Albert Campion and his 1930s milieu exquisitely rendered by Margery Allingham (1904-1966). Like the classic poem 221B written...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: Murder a la Mode by Eleanore Kelly Sellars
Eleanore Kelly Sellars (1903-1972) is another author who dabbled briefly in mysteries and then moved on to other pursuits. Her sole contribution to the genre is an energetic glimpse into life in an exclusive Fifth Avenue department store including all the work...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: Mrs. Pargeter’s Package by Simon Brett
Simon Brett has been a mainstay of English crime fiction for nearly 50 years. His first book was issued in 1975. Since then he published some 70 volumes and has written for radio and television. He received the Diamond Dagger Award from The Crime Writers’...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie
While nothing by Agatha Christie is truly forgotten, Cat Among the Pigeons (Collins, 1959) is one of her lesser known works. One of Hercule Poirot’s later adventures, the great man barely makes an entrance before the end. The mystery is not as well constructed as...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: Murder by Jury by Ruth Burr Sanborn
Ruth Burr Sanborn (1894-1942) was an industrious author during her short life, producing short stories, novels, and book reviews. Her papers are held in the Harvard Library archives, which offers the following biography: “Ruth Burr Sanborn, author, was born in...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: The Metropolitan Opera Murders by Helen Traubel
Helen Francesca Traubel (1899 – 1972) was an American opera and concert singer. A dramatic soprano, she was best known for her Wagnerian roles, especially those of Brünnhilde and Isolde. She began her career as a...
