Archives
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...
Perfect Opportunity by Steven Havill
I was fortunate enough to be approved to see an advance review copy of the 26th title in the Posadas County mystery series. Perfect Opportunity by Steven F. Havill will be released by Severn House on 5 March 2024. This is the first in the series to be issued by...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: The Prime Minister’s Pencil by Cecil Waye
Cecil John Charles Street (1884-1964) was an impressively productive author of Golden Age crime fiction. As John Rhode, he created a series of about 70 books with Dr. Lancelot Priestley, published between 1925 and 1961. He also wrote short stories, stand-alone...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: Keep It Quiet by Richard Hull
Richard Hull was the pseudonym of Richard Henry Sampson (1896-1973), a British accountant who became a crime novelist, publishing 16 books beginning in 1934. During World War II he revived his accounting skills and became an auditor for the Admiralty. His first...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: The McCone Files & McCone and Friends by Marcia Muller
This week Happiness Is a Book is observing the 30th year of Crippen & Landru, a well-known small press that specializes in single author collections of short crime fiction. Founded in 1994 by Edgar nominee Doug Greene, C&L continues today with Jeff Marks in...
