Death is a Good Living - 1966 BBC TV serial - review

Death is a Good Living is an extremely obscure BBC crime serial in four parts, dating from 1966. It was co-written by Brian Degas and Tudor Gates, both of whom were established screenwriters, and is said to be based on a novel by Philip Jones, but I can't trace the book at all. There seems to be no mention of it on the internet. I stumbled across the serial on YouTube, on the excellent 'Classic British Telly' subscription and I was drawn to it by the fact that the cast was led by the late, great Leonard Rossiter.

I'm a long-time fan of Rossiter. He was superb in Rising Damp and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin; in both these comedy series he brought a melancholy edge to the character he played, and the same is true here. He plays a man called Lynch and he is - remarkably - a hit man. Yep, Leonard Rossiter as a gun for hire. An unexpected piece of casting to say the least but it works - just about.

The story isn't brilliant but it's ok. An exiled foreign political figure called Ramon travels to London, knowing that his enemies want him dead. The British security services set out to protect him and Jack May (known to me from Adam Adamant Lives!) is in charge of their efforts. In a playful bit of writing, he is given the name Major T. Gates (like the co-writer).  

Rossiter is sick of his work as an assassin, working under cover for a tour company whose boss asks him to do 'one last job', mentoring a new recruit, a killer from Finland, who it must be said is pretty useless at his job. His acting isn't great, either. Rossiter is a bachelor who lives with his elderly mother and promises to take her off to a new life in...Bournemouth once his last mission is complete.

Needless to say, things don't go to plan. This is quite a cheaply made show, and quite talky at times, but there are enough plot twists to hold the attention and I felt the last episode was the best. It's definitely not a classic, and not - for instance - in the same league as a Francis Durbridge serial, the standard which the writers were probably aiming for.  A curiosity, and not Rossiter's finest hour by any means, but worth watching.

Forgotten Book - Words for Murder Perhaps

Words for Murder Perhaps is a quirky title for a quirky novel which was first published in 1971 but probably seemed rather old-fashioned even then. The author, Edward Candy was actually female - she was a doctor called Barbara Neville (1925-93). There are quite a few oddities about the book, including the fact that the dust jacket of the Victor Gollancz first edition refers to the protagonist as Robert Gregory; it's a bit disconcerting to read the story and discover that he's actually called Gregory Roberts. 

The jacket info also proclaims this as Candy's second detective novel, appearing long after Which Doctor? (which I haven't read, but which Francis Iles and Edmund Crispin both praised highly), despite the fact that Candy's detective, Superintendent Burnivel, also makes an appearance in another book published before this one, Bones of Contention. Candy also wrote several non-criminous novels.  

There are some interesting ingredients in this book, which has an unusual version of the academic setting - an Extra-Mural department in a minor university - and which is also, to some extent, a bibliomystery. Roberts is taking a course on detective fiction, and there is some intriguing discussion of detective stories, with mention of Sayers, Michael Gilbert, Michael Innes, and Wilkie Collins among others. I enjoyed these aspects of the story, although they were not especially well integrated into the storyline.

After a rather slow scene-setting start, things warm up a bit when Roberts is contacted by his ex-wife Audrey, whose second husband (who was a friend of Roberts' prior to cuckolding him and leaving him in a suicidal state) has gone missing. Audrey has received a strange literary message which implies that the missing man is dead. As the story develops - in fits and starts - the theme of an apparent murder accompanied by a literary clue concerning an elegy recurs. I really like this concept.. I just don't think Candy made the best use of it.

Above all, it's odd that a book that explicitly discusses fair play in detective fiction should be so clumsily structured. It's not a fair play novel, and a sub-plot involving a painting seemed to me to be rather tacked on to the main story, while the developing relationship between Roberts and an attractive widowed student didn't strike me as convincing. These weaknesses are a pity, because Candy could write quite stylishly, making me really want to love this book. But telling a coherent story was, on this evidence, not such a strong point. And that may explain why, after this novel, she never returned to the detective novel.   

Miss Winter and the Booksellers' Association

It's all go at the moment and I've been delighted by some more great reviews for Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife. Here's what Geoffrey Wansell had to say in the Daily Mail: ‘Engaging mystery…Packed with clever clues…Written with the award-winning Edwards’ usual wry elegance, it is a delight from the first page to last.’ 

And Erin Britton of Crime Fiction Lover gave a long and wonderful review which concluded that the book is 'a celebration of crime fiction. It’s a novel that understands and appreciates the joy of a mystery – of suspects and secrets, of red herrings and hidden truths. It’s also a reminder that the genre is still capable of innovation. By mixing tradition with modern insight, Edwards presents a puzzle that’s as thoughtful as it is fun.'

All very encouraging as I headed for the Booksellers' Association's annual conference in Hinckley this weekend. It was lovely to meet some delightful booksellers, and I particularly enjoyed chatting to James of Curious Cat bookshop in Frodsham. James is the mastermind behind the Cheshire Crime Writing Festival, which launches next February.

Bloomsbury (of which Head of Zeus is part) sponsored a breakfast for booksellers which featured four very different authors, including me, talking about their new books. This was great fun - not only meeting some fellow writers, but also more booksellers from around the country. And I was truly heartened by their enthusiastic reaction to Miss Winter. 

Murder Squad

For the past 25 years, Murder Squad has been a brilliant part of the lives of Ann Cleeves, Margaret Murphy, Cath Staincliffe and me. For over a decade Chris Simms and Kate Ellis have been part of the group and before them, John Baker, Chaz Brenchley and the late Stuart Pawson were founder members. The above photo of the original group was taken by Zoe Sharp in 2006 and the below photo of the current group four years ago. We've had a great time this year, celebrating a quarter-century of collaboration and fun, a time during which there have been many highlights, certainly too many to cram into a single blog post.

The real challenge that we faced was simply, where do we go from here? The Squad has done so much over the years - anthologies (yielding Dagger-winning stories), a website, a newsletter (long before such things became commonplace), a CD, a TV appearance, and innumerable events. Because we live in different parts of the north of England, it has become increasingly difficult for all six of us to get together in the same place at the same time. We managed it for our big celebration at Stockport's Guild Hall this year, and it was wonderful. But the last time we'd done so was a very long time ago, to celebrate our 21st anniversary with a launch of our last anthology, in Whitley Bay, and before then at a lovely weekend at the Word in South Shields before the pandemic. Diaries being what they are, it did look as though it might be a long time before all six of us could get together again.

To cut a long story short, as we said in our latest newsletter, we came unanimously to the view that, as a collective, it made sense to quit while we're ahead, while continuing to work collaboratively whenever the opportunity arises. We've achieved what we set out to do and much more besides. In practical terms, it has to be emphasised that the only difference this decision makes is that we'll retire our website and the group newsletter (though I am now sending out a newsletter each month via Substack and encourage new subscribers!) For instance, the latest CWA anthology, Then There Were More, contains stories by most of us, and we'll continue to get together in smaller groups in future as in the past few years.

The above photo was taken at Ann's house in Huddersfield at the time we were discussing the TV programme; some filming also took place that evening, as well as on location. It's poignant to see Stuart and Ann's late husband Tim in the picture - it brings back so many happy memories. Murder Squad has been a massive success, and particular credit goes to Margaret Murphy, whose brainchild it was. I've loved every minute of my involvement with my friends in the Squad - and I'm looking forward to our continuing to give each other mutual support whenever the opportunity arises. As I'm sure it often will.

And finally, let me sign off this blog post with a favourite photo. For one event in CrimeFest, John Baker became unavailable (yes, even twenty years ago, diaries were a challenge). So Cath created a puppet of John to take his place on the panel! 

 

Forgotten Book - Dead Men at the Folly

Dead Men at the Folly (not to be confused with Agatha Christie's Dead Man's Folly) dates from 1932. My copy is the US edition, emblazoned with the legend 'A Dr Priestley Mystery', even though the crusty old professor doesn't play much of a part until the story until the closing scenes. The majority of the detective work is conducted by Superintendent Hanslet of the Yard, ably assisted by a capable local cop called Inspector Richings. One entertaining feature of the story is the way the cops defer to Priestley, following his instructions to the letter once he stirs himself to take an interest in the mystery.

The story opens shortly before Christmas. A chap on a motorbike gets lost in rural south west England and finds himself close to a slightly sinister tower, which turns out to be known as Tilling's Folly. What is definitely very sinister is that he also stumbles across a dead body close to the tower.

There is some confusion about the identity of the deceased, which isn't cleared up for some time. Without giving too much away, two men in the story bear a very strong resemblance to each other. Now I thought this was a pointer to a particular kind of plot twist, but it proved not to be, although that strong resemblance does play an important part in the storyline. Hanslet soon thinks he's solved the case without needed to rely on Dr Priestley. But, surprise, surprise, he is mistaken.

This is a solid and readable story, but I felt that it suffered somewhat because of a lack of suspects. I had a pretty good idea of whodunit from about halfway through the book. Overall, I'd say this isn't one of Rhode's best books (although some Rhode fans rate it very highly), and it's definitely not as lively as the Christie with the similar title, but it's still a sound mystery, in which he draws on his personal experience in engineering for one particular murder method. Worth a read? On balance, I'd say yes. 

The Man in Black - Hammer's limited collector's edition Blu-Ray

Amongst all last week's excitement of publishing Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife, a couple of anthologies, and the new ebook edition of The Arsenic Labyrinth, I made brief mention on this blog of another project I've been involved with. For me it's a first, and it reflects my interest in films, an enthusiasm with which readers of this blog will be very familiar.

I was approached about a year ago, quite out of the blue, by Hammer Films - a legendary name in the movie business, and one I never expected to have any association with. They told me that they were planning to bring out a collector's edition of one of Hammer's early films, The Man in Black. This one has been unavailable for a long time, but they made it possible for me to watch it by way of background.

The reason for their approach was that, although the film screenplay was not written by John Dickson Carr, it was inspired by a radio series of the same name with which he was very closely involved. For this edition of the film, Hammer wanted to supply a lavish range of bonus extras. And one of them was to be a discussion about the work of John Dickson Carr.

I was due to go to London to take part in the Lansdowne Club Literary Festival, with an event scheduled for me to be in conversation with Andrew Taylor. So it made sense for the bonus extra to be filmed during the Festival and for it to take the form of another conversation between the two of us. It's always great to work with Andrew, and the whole experience was most enjoyable. And I'm delighted with the Blu-Ray. The accompanying booklet, for instance, is very impressive as well as informative. Although nothing is settled, there is at least a chance that I'll do another of these features at some future date, and I must say that the prospect does appeal to me. We'll see. In the meantime, I'm glad to be a bonus extra!   

Perfect Strangers - BBC iPlayer review

I missed Perfect Strangers when it first aired on BBC back in 2001 and I'd never heard of it until I read that it is now to be found on BBC iPlayer. The premise, about a family reunion, sounded interesting, and I was also attracted by the fact that the writer was Stephen Poliakoff, who is truly gifted, and the cast was terrific - Michael Gambon, Lindsey Duncan, Muriel Pavlow, Matthew Macfadyen, Claire Skinner, Toby Stephens, Timothy Spall, Anton Lesser....wow.

So I was hopeful about it when I sat down to watch. What I didn't really except was a drama that I found truly outstanding and also strikingly original and unpredictable (I had one theory about what was going to be revealed about the family which proved way off beam). There are touches of humour as well as pathos, and Poliakoff's understanding of human nature is to the fore in his subtly nuanced screenplay. Even some of the minor characters (such as Poppy, who is obsessed with table plans) are memorable. A special word for the reliable Lesser, who is terrific as an enthusiastic genealogist.

The story begins with a glitzy reunion of the Symon family at a fancy London hotel. Gambon and his wife (Jill Baker) and son Daniel (Macfadyen) are poor relations who, for some mysterious reason, have been out of touch with their relations for twenty years. But secrets slowly start to emerge from the darkness where they have been long buried.

This is a story about the long shadows cast by past events. It's not a crime story, but there is a significant 'detective' element. Daniel is drawn to his pretty but enigmatic cousin (Skinner) and is befriended by Duncan, whose relationship with Skinner is mysteriously strained. Hidden truths of all kinds slowly emerge. It is a subtle story, marvellously told, and amounts to a masterclass in screenwriting, immeasurably superior to most present day fare. Very highly recommended.  

Launching Miss Winter into the world

Last Thursday was memorable for me, as it saw the publication of Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife. A journey that began two years ago, with my taking a phone call from my agent, while on a yacht cruise in the Adriatic, when he told me that Head of Zeus would like me to write a stand-alone puzzle mystery set at Christmas, finally reached Serenity Booksellers in Romiley, Cheshire, where the launch party took place. 

A specially wonderful aspect of the occasion was that those present included people from many different areas of my life - my two oldest friends, a former client, fellow crime writers, a collaborator on a TV project, a sci-fi writer who has written a story for a forthcoming charity anthology of mine, friends from my village, and so on. 

Kerry from Serenity interviewed me, and it was great fun. I was, of course, delighted to see so many copies of the book flying off the shelves, but what mattered most was the social buzz. At the start of my career, I had lunch with my then publisher, Tony Mott of Transworld, who advised me that launches are for authors rather than selling books and I've no doubt he was right. I certainly haven't had a launch for all my novels, far from it, but this felt like a special occasion and it was great to celebrate. Grateful thanks to Kerry and Chris of Serenity for making it all possible.

I have a wide variety of events coming up to continue the celebrations and I've also been gratified by more good reviews. For instance:

‘Only a writer with Martin Edwards’s knowledge of and feeling for British crime fiction in all its breadth and depth could have pulled off Miss Winter In The Library With A Knife, such is its subtlety and ambition. Not that you need to be a student of the genre to find it highly enjoyable; it’s just that if you are, you’ll get an extra layer to your cake.

Otherwise, simply dig in to a feast of cunning clues and misdirections, as a group of life’s losers are invited to play a Christmas murder game with a prize that could put their lives back on track. Naturally, when the snow sets in they are isolated from the world and at the mercy of a killer who isn’t just playing, in this classic whodunnit with a contemporary setting.’

Mat Coward, Morning Star,

‘A real masterpiece from a very experienced and knowledgeable crime writer…This immersive novel is totally perfect for fans of crime, puzzles, and escape rooms!...It is cleverly structured…to keep readers engaged and truly feeling like a detective.’

Booksellers Circle

‘While there is something experimental about this, Martin has done an excellent job of not forgetting exactly what sort of book he excels at – namely a murder mystery… I’ve seen the book described as multi-layered and believe me, there are more than two layers here…a Christmas cracker of a read. At the end of the day, despite the bells and whistles, this is still a very strong mystery novel and, I think, one of the cleverest I’ve read for a while.’

In Search of the Classic Mystery blog

Onward and upward!

Forgotten Book - Safe Secret

Harry Carmichael was one of the pen-names of Leopold Ognall (1908-79) a prolific writer of crime novels in the post-war era. He wrote pacy stories that didn't outstay their welcome, and was for years a fixture in the prestigious Collins Crime Club list. One of his novels, Or Be He Dead, was shortlisted for an early Crossed Red Herring Award (forerunner of the CWA Gold Dagger) but he wrote too fast for most of his books to make a major impact. However, he was a reliable purveyor of fast, entertaining reads. The late Catherine Aird was a fan of his books and, kind as ever, she gave me a number of them.

Safe Secret, which dates from 1964, is one that I acquired because I came across an inscribed American edition, and there aren't many signed Carmichaels to be found - I suspect many of his books were destined for the library market. I'd say it's probably the best of his books that I've read so far, a clever and gripping story about a robbery that doesn't go to plan. The first chapter recounts the attempts of a 'man who called himself Graham' to establish a fake identity in a hotel. This is tantalising, and a possible explanation emerges in the next chapter, when a cashier called Richard Thornton goes missing along with a great deal of cash. From that point, things get progressively more complicated.

This is a novel featuring the insurance investigator Peter Piper and the hard-drinking journalist John Quinn. Their banter can be a bit tiresome, but there isn't too much of it, and they play off against each other (and a relatively tolerant cop called Hoyle) in an interesting way. Essentially, this is a novel of amateur detection, but handled in an unusual and satisfactory way.

There is a relatively small cast of characters, and one frustration is that two of the key people in the story remain more or less unknowable to the reader. But the story bowls along with twist after twist and the murders that are committed (one of them is, for plot reasons only reported to us belatedly, which perhaps diminishes its impact) add to the convolutions of the storyline. I've not read any other reviews of this book, but I thought it was a good one.

It's all happening...

To say that this is a landmark week in my long career as a crime writer is no exaggeration. On Thursday evening - publication day! - I'm launching my latest novel, Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife, at Serenity Books in Romiley. At the time of writing there are still a few tickets left, so if you'd like to come along, please book here.

I'm truly delighted to say that there have been two more lovely reviews in advance of publication. Jeremy Black of The Critic describes the novel as 'excellent...first-rate and lots of humour...'  And there's a great review here from Jim Noy of The Invisible Event. For good measure, Jim has also released a podcast in which he and I chat for an hour about the novel, and also other crime writing topics.

But there's more. This week also sees publication of As if By Magic, my latest anthology for the British Library's Crime Classics, glowingly reviewed by Jeremy Black in the same column. This book includes my favourite classic detection short story, 'The House in Goblin Wood' by Carter Dickson.

And then there is more. In fact, And Then There Were More is the title of my latest anthology edited on behalf of the Crime Writers' Association, again published in a gorgeous edition by Flame Tree Press. This book collects some of the most enjoyable crime stories to have appeared in CWA anthologies in years gone by.

As if that wasn't enough, today sees the release of a Blu-Ray collector's edition of The Man in Black from Hammer Films. And amongst many other things, it includes as a bonus extra a film of a conversation between Andrew Taylor and me in which we discuss John Dickson Carr. We recorded this at the Lansdowne Literary Festival in January, and hugely enjoyable it was too. Not that I ever imagined I'd feature in any kind of Hammer film...

The Guest - BBC TV review

The Guest is a four-part BBC TV thriller and the laws of modern television mean that Matthew Barry's script might have worked better if it had been a two-part or three-part thriller. The cost of living isn't the only kind of inflation around these days. And the critics haven't been altogether kind ('hogwash', 'bonkers', 'unhinged' and 'codswallop' are among the phrases to be found in the national newspaper reviews: a bit harsh, I'd say). For this is not a show that's totally devoid of merit (or indeed pace). I kept watching to the end, something I find myself less inclined to do these days when a TV serial rambles on, as so many do (Suspicion, which I abandoned quite early on, is a recent example of a show that appeared to be very promising, but failed to hold my attention).

The set-up is pleasing enough. Gabrielle Creevy (who is very good in the role) plays Ria, a working class young woman who is shacked up with her deadbeat boyfriend and very short of money. Fran, played by the glamorous Eve Myles, is an extremely rich woman who offers her a job as a cleaner. Soon the two women become close, and though we do get quite a lot of tediously predictable stuff about the class divide, the relationship is intriguing.

The story is set around Cardiff, and Fran invites Ria to be a guest in her second home, which is to be found in a remote coastal spot so appealing that I really wanted to go there myself and do a bit of sight-seeing. There is a death at the end of the first episode, while a murder that is committed subsequently gives rise to many of the plot holes in the script that have irritated reviewers.

Despite its shortcomings, though, I quite liked The Guest and didn't feel I'd wasted my time watching it. The reason is that Creevy and Miles are very different but compelling actors and they do their best to camouflage the weaknesses in the storyline. By and large, I'd say they succeed. 

 

Forgotten Book - Be Shot for Sixpence

I have a vivid memory of reading Michael Gilbert's Be Shot for Sixpence (1956) for the first time. It was on a 'snow day', one of only two or three during the whole of my schooldays, when the snow in Northwich was too heavy to get to school. Because my parents were out at work themselves, I spent most of the day with friends, a brother and sister whose parents ran a corner shop across the road. But I was left to my own devices for some of the time, so I read Gilbert's book. I liked it, and one or two bits have stuck in my memory, but overall I didn't think it was as good as some Gilberts I'd read previously. Having now acquired a signed copy, I thought it was time to read it again and see what my revised verdict might be.

I don't think I realised at the tender age of thirteen or so that the 'Michael' who appears on page one was actually a jokey version of Michael Gilbert himself. But the narrator is his cousin, a chap called Philip, whose surname is never revealed (makes a change from those detectives whose first name is a closely guarded secret). Philip is courageous, and seems to have some links with the Intelligence Service, but he's also impulsive and abrasive and has a way with women which wouldn't go down too well nowadays. To be honest, I didn't find him quite as admirable as I think Gilbert intended him to be.

Philip comes across an enigmatic ad. in The Times from an old school friend called Colin, who has disappeared in mysterious circumstances, and soon finds himself - against advice and, arguably, common sense - travelling to Europe to try to track Colin down. He finds himself involved in central European politics, with curious goings-on behind the Iron Curtain.

There's a lot to enjoy in this book, as usual with Gilbert's smoothly told stories. Given that the book seems to have been written before the Hungarian Uprising of 1956, it also seems quite prescient. There are some good action scenes, although as is not unusual with Gilbert's thrillers, the climax to the story is somewhat muted. More than half a century after I first read this book, I still like it - but with reservations.

A Signing Marathon, BBC History and Shedunnit podcasts, and a LoveReading review

Last week I had the fascinating experience of signing in excess of one thousand special copies of Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife - by far the biggest signing I've ever undertaken in one go. These books are destined for independent UK bookshops and the production values are terrific, with great endpapers and lovely sprayed edges. The marathon signing took place at the huge hi-tech Hachette warehouse in Didcot, an extraordinary enterprise which handles a couple of million books a week.

There is a noticeboard bearing photos of authors who have done signings there - including three members of the Detection Club, I saw - as well as a 'leader board' recording the speediest authors when it comes to signing. I didn't aim for speed because I wanted the signatures to be nicer than a mere scrawl. And the signing was the perfect opportunity for me to use a very special pen for the first time.

This is the Conway Stewart Detection Club pen - a limited edition, mine is #1, and was a lovely birthday present from Mrs Edwards - and it bears the names of all the Presidents of the Club as well as the founder members. So it was quite an occasion and I really enjoyed the whole experience.

I've done a podcast about crime fiction with BBC History and you can listen to it via these links:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/history-extra-podcast/id256580326?i=1000724036418

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2X0aergy9rnj7YGskVT0DW?si=b4096367fe054a21

HistoryExtra website (subscription needed): https://www.historyextra.com/membership/crime-fiction-history-podcast-martin-edwards/  

I've also done a podcast about Cluefinders for Shedunnit, the great show hosted by Caroline Crampton, and you can listen to it here: https://www.shedunnitshow.com/thecluefinder/

I'm looking forward to next week's launch of the book and in the meantime I'm delighted that the novel has just received a 'Star Review' from LoveReading. This is what they have to say:

'So, so wonderfully entertaining! Over the Christmas period, six members of staff from the Midwinter Trust, host and challenge six people linked to the literary crime world, to solve the murder of a fictional crime writer. Award-winning author Martin Edwards has oh-so successfully turned his masterly hand to his first festive mystery. Step right if you are an avid armchair sleuth, as you really can catch the clues here and try to solve them as you read. From the rules of the game, to the invitation, a player’s journal, letters, news articles, and maps, there is a whole host of information, as well as the novel itself to tune into and become absorbed by. I stuck by the strategy tip within the first few pages, and crowed with delight whenever my hunches played out, I will admit to missing certain clues too! This is effectively a locked room mystery, as the Midwinter Trust hamlet is snowed in, and the sense of place is immense. The characters stamp themselves onto the page, I got to know all twelve of them quickly, and didn’t have to stop to check who was who as I was reading. The plot itself is fabulously twisty, and I loved how it evolved as I read. The inclusion of the Cluefinder at the end of the novel was most sporting! This will make a super gift for a crime-fiction lover, and joins our LoveReading Star Books. Vivid and compelling, Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife is an absolute blast of a Christmas mystery, highly recommended.' 

Back from Bordeaux

I've had a hectic few days since getting back from a lovely river cruise around the wine region of Bordeaux (which is where I took this photo - a sight that really appealed to me!) Amongst other things, I just about managed to send out my August newsletter by the skin of my teeth before August became September! If you'd like to sign up, you can do so here: https://substack.com/@martinedwardsbooks/  And rest assured, it is completely free.

I'd been working hard on my new book (the sixth Rachel Savernake novel) as well as one or two other projects before we flew off to France, so the week-long break came at just the right time. We didn't travel too far in terms of miles, but the trip certainly felt restorative - before the holiday was over, I was getting more ideas for stories as well as for the work-in-progress. I also read three enjoyable books, which earn a mention in the newsletter.

This was the second time this year that I've been to Bordeaux, and it's a city that grows on me with each visit. We went to a couple of museums as well as a very good botanical garden and the cathedral. And the stops along the route each had distinct charm. There were, of course, wine tastings, and so much good food on board that I shall need to ease off the eating for another week or two to get back in trim. But it was worth it.

I really liked St Emilion, a gorgeous town, but other less renowned places like Cadillac, Libourne, Bourg, and Blaye all had something to recommend them. Out travel companions were Kate Ellis and her husband Roger. And the four of us won a quiz: here's a photo of us with our winnings!

  

Forgotten Book - The Hanging Woman

The Hanging Woman, first published in 1931, is a relatively elusive John Rhode title, and I'm lucky to have tracked down and acquired the Detection Club's own signed copy (the US edition, the cover of which is shown above). And this obscurity is unfortunate, because I found it was one of the most engrossing Rhodes that I've encountered. This is partly because Dr Priestley plays a more active and significant role in the story than is often the case, especially in Rhode's later books. It's also partly because there is some interesting discussion of the importance of scientific experiment, a subject on which Priestley holds characteristically strong views.

The story begins in an interesting way, with an inquest into the death, in a plane crash, of a Belgian pilot who worked for a scientist called Dr Partington. It seems like a clear case of accident, albeit an inexplicable one, but shortly afterwards a woman is found dead in a deserted country house not far away and it emerges that there was some kind of connection between her and the pilot.

The woman was found hanging in circumstances similar to those in which, ten years earlier, a servant girl killed herself in the house. It seems that history may have repeated itself, and that the deceased took her own life, but Hanslet of the Yard becomes involved with the case, and he soon forms a theory of his own. With almost charming naivete, he is keen to run it past Dr Priestley, who - as usual - is not convinced.

John Rhode rarely offers a wide choice of murder suspects in his books. With him, the focus is often on the 'how', at least as much as on the 'who'. Here, though, despite the paucity of suspects, I felt he juggled the different possibilities more effectively than in some of Dr Priestley's other cases. There is a bit of stuff about alibis and train times that is a bit routine, but overall I'd say this is a superior example of John Rhode's writing. 

Reflections on Murder: Selected Short Stories of Nedra Tyre

As I've mentioned several times before, Stark House Press are an American small press who, like Crippen & Landru and several others, do sterling work in reissuing more or less forgotten mysteries. Today I want to mention a Stark House Press book that was first published as recently as 2024 and which collects some work by a writer I've long admired, Nedra Tyre.

Reflections on Murder: Selected Short Stories of Nedra Tyre, is edited and introduced by Bill Kelly. His introduction is helpful and informative, setting the sixteen stories - written between 1955 and 1978 - in context, especially with regard to the author's years spent working in social services. Her understanding of the impulses that drive ordinary people to commit crime came, at least in part, from time she'd spent talking to such people and trying to help them.

I first came across the name of Nedra Tyre many years ago in the pages of that excellent magazine Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and I recall being greatly impressed by 'A Nice Place to Stay', which is included here. But until now I've only been able to find a handful of her stories. There is further good news, however, in that Stark House Press have reissued some of her novels and I hope to review Hall of Death on this blog before too long. 

It's obvious from several of these stories, including the title story, that Nedra Tyre was an enthusiastic reader of detective fiction. She was quite skilled at plotting, but time and again in reading these stories, what lingers in the memory is the characterisation. She was working at much the same time as better-known writers such as Charlotte Armstrong (and, in Britain, Celia Fremlin) but she too deserves to be read and this collection is most welcome.

 

Forgotten Book - Dream of Fair Woman

I've discussed several books by Charlotte Armstrong on this blog over the past eight years or so. Armstrong (1905-69) was an Edgar-winning suspense novelist whose books often had strongly visual ingredients, making them popular sources for film and TV adaptation. My favourite of her books is Mischief, which is relatively straightforward, but genuinely gripping.

Armstrong had a number of other strengths as a writer. She didn't repeat herself - all the books of hers that I've read are very different from each other, and they often have intriguing ideas at their heart. And she had the knack of using her stories to make interesting social points. She took risks as a writer, and I find that admirable. Unfortunately, if perhaps inevitably, those risks didn't always come off.   

Dream of Fair Woman is, I think, a case in point. The book was originally published in 1966, towards the end of her career, although the copy I read was (like some of her other books) published in the interesting paperback reprint line Keyhole Crime, which flourished for a while in the early 1980s without ever really establishing a distinct identity, perhaps because the choice of authors and titles was so curiously random. 

The story begins with an intriguing premise. A mysterious but very attractive young woman rents a room with Peg Cuneen, but she is clearly unwell and soon finishes up in hospital in a coma. Who is she? This is the question that confronts Peg's son Matt and young Betty Prentiss. Betty fancies Matt, but he pays her less attention than she deserves, being fascinated by the woman in the coma who never speaks. Eventually it becomes clear that Armstrong has some interesting points to make about the role of women in society, including the way that women may be taken for granted by men. 

The trouble is that the plot - which involves identical sisters - is fairly barmy, and I began to lose interest early on. I got the impression that Armstrong had a good central idea for a book, but found it difficult to structure the material satisfactorily. And that meant that I cared about the characters much less than I should have done.    

Reversal of Fortune - 1990 film review

When Claus von Bulow died six years ago, the BBC report about his passing carried the headline: 'Socialite cleared of trying to murder his wife dies aged 92'. Well, 92 is a good innings in terms of longevity, but that isn't the greatest of epitaphs. The term 'socialite' (a common description of von Bulow) seems to me to be freighted with negative implications, and there's no doubt that his trial is what almost everyone, including me, remembers about him.

Only now, though, have I caught up with the film about the von Bulow case, Reversal of Fortune, which dates from 1990. Jeremy Irons won an Oscar for his performance as von Bulow, while Glenn Close played his wife Sunny. Sunny's real name was Martha, and in the light of what happened, the name Sunny seems tragically inapt. She was another socialite, immensely wealthy, but deeply unhappy and apparently fuelled by drink and drugs. The rich are different, for sure, but sometimes not in a good way.

The film is based on shocking events, and it's really a stranger-than-fiction story. Sunny was found at home in a diabetic coma in December 1980. A year earlier, she'd been revived after falling into another coma. At first it seemed like a domestic tragedy, sad but relatively straightforward. However, suspicions were aroused about her husband Claus, who was, to say the least, a strange individual. He was found guilty of attempted murder and hired the lawyer and academic Alan Dershowitz for the (ultimately successful) appeal. The film is based on Dershowitz's book; he is played - very well, I think - by Ron Silver.

I found the way that Dershowitz and his team were portrayed to be slightly comical; they kept announcing to each other great breakthroughs that would surely have been fairly obvious in reality. The process certainly bore no resemblance to the work of any legal team I've ever encountered, but then again, I've never had any involvement with the American criminal justice system - thankfully. 

I've always found the story of what happened to Sunny von Bulow to be both sad and extraordinary. She remained in a vegetative state for almost 28 years, which seems unimaginably terrible and that's the main reason I haven't watched the film before now. I've no idea what the precise truth about the incidents that led to her death was, of course. But for all the brilliance of Jeremy Irons' portrayal of the man, I'm glad I never met Claus von Bulow. 

Strange Darling - 2023 film review

I'm not absolutely sure what to make of Strange Darling - a 2023 film that has received excellent reviews - although I do think the title is quite appropriate. To some extent, this is because it's a film which uses non-linear chronology, and I'm tempted to take another look at to see if I missed something the first time around (although, given that I anticipated the key plot twist, perhaps I didn't...)

The story is told in six chapters, plus an epilogue, and we are presented with the material in this order: chapters 3, 5, 1, 4, 2, 6 (and then the epilogue). It's a pretty good way of telling a story if you get it right, and arguably the writer-director JT Mollner does get it right. The only member of the cast I'd seen in anything previously was Barbara Hershey, who plays an ageing hippie very convincingly. However, the acting throughout is of a high standard.

This is especially true of Willa Fitzgerald, who is compelling in a role that is extremely challenging. She plays 'the Lady', a sexy but mysterious and perhaps deeply troubled young woman, while Kyle Gallner is quite menacing as a character known as 'the Demon'. I'm surprised to have read that film executives thought about replacing Fitzgerald and having the story told in a conventional, linear way, because if they'd done so, they would have sacrificed the film's strongest ingredients.

So there is plenty to admire in Strange Darling. Yet there were moments of graphic violence that didn't appeal to me one bit, and I felt that the ingenious structure masked a certain lack of subtlety in the writing. On the whole, though, I think this is a good film, even if it has been over-praised. And Willa Fitzgerald is excellent, an actor of real potential.

  

Forgotten Book - Invisible Green

John Sladek's brief but brilliant career as a writer of locked room mysteries came to an end with Invisible Green (1977). in which his Great Detective, an American living in London called Thackeray Phin, made a triumphant return after his successes in Black Aura. Apparently Sladek didn't make enough money for writing more books of this kind to be worthwhile - a real shame.

With this book, he moved publisher from Jonathan Cape, who published Black Aura, to Victor Gollancz. The front cover of the first edition bore a typical Gollancz summary: 'A real, classical detective story that might have been written in the ingenious days of the last century, or of the first quarter of this, with an amateur detective from the same mould, but a puzzle to tax the most up-to-date minds'. And this is all perfectly true.

The book begins with a Prologue set in August 1939 and featuring a group of mystery fans with the pleasing name of the Seven Unravellers. We then move forward to the present with one member of the group, Dorothea Pharaoh, planning to organise a reunion of the seven keen puzzle-solvers. When she is confronted by a troubling problem, she calls on Phin - with whom she has been playing postal chess - to help.

There are some genuinely funny moments in this story, as well as some neat mysteries to fathom. We never learn much about Phin (where does his money come from? I kept wondering) but the story moves at a brisk pace and intrigues from start to finish, and although I did figure out the culprit in good time, some aspects of the solution eluded me. Very good light entertainment and a book that deserves to be back in print.

  

A Most Wanted Man - 2014 film

A Most Wanted Man is a film from 2014 based on a novel published by John le Carre eight years earlier. I haven't read the book, but apparently it is at least in part a critique of the American policy of 'extraordinary rendition'. This aspect of the story is present in the film but somewhat downplayed, and in fact it is overall quite a low-key movie, although one that has won quite a few admirers as well as one or two less favourable reactions.

The stand-out element of the film is undoubtedly the central performance, by Philip Seymour Hoffman, in what turned out, sadly, to be his last major role before his untimely death aged 46. Hoffman plays Gunther Bachman, who runs a covert German intelligence unit, and I think that - even though he wasn't the obvious person to cast as a German spy - he is convincing, because of the humanity his nuanced performance brings to the role.

The story is about Issa Karpov, a refugee from Chechnya, who arrives illegally in Germany and is helped by an idealistic immigration lawyer, well played by Rachel McAdams. Bachman is leading an investigation into a Muslim philanthropist who is suspected of channelling money to a terrorist organisation and when it turns out that Karpov is entitled to a vast amount of money held in a German bank, Hoffman persuades the banker Tommy Brue (William Dafoe, who is always good to watch) to help him snare the bad guy. But of course, in the grubby world of espionage, especially as presented by le Carre, we can always expect there to be luckless casualties of double-dealing.

I watched this film shortly after watching The Bourne Identity for the second time, and it certainly lacks the excitement of many a more straightforward thriller. It takes an age for the story to click into gear, and I feel that the script - although certainly competent - could have been pacier. However, the later stages of the film are gripping, and in any event it's worth watching for Hoffman alone.

A book event in Wigtown and touring south west Scotland

Last year I spent a few days at the cottage of my old school friend Stephen in Monreith, which is in the Machars, a peninsula in Dumfries and Galloway and I'm just back from another trip there. One of several highlights was an evening spent in conversation with Ruth Anderson of Well Read Books in Wigtown, a sell-out event in the book town's delightful community pub, The Wigtown Ploughman. Given that pubs everywhere seem to be under threat, this kind of enterprising venture is one that I hope will become more common.

Ruth's bookshop is fun to explore, and I picked up a few titles during my trip to Wigtown, even though I tried to exercise restraint (not easy when it comes to acquiring books). I also discovered that Wigtown has a rather charming harbour area, a relic of the past before the river Cree silted up. Thanks to Stephen's hospitality I also enjoyed travelling around in the area and visiting Newton Stewart as well as the beautiful Glenwhan Gardens, villages like the Isle of Whithorn (really, a peninsula on the tip of a bigger peninsula, the Machars) and the Rhins, another peninsula which ends in the southernmost point in Scotland. I got the glimmerings of an idea for a short story set in the area - probably to be called 'The Scares', after splendidly named local rocks. The main challenge will be finding time to write it...

At the Mull of Galloway, there is a lighthouse which featured in that dark but compelling film The Vanishing, which I wrote about on this blog three years ago (in the film, the lighthouse is on an island). We were lucky with the weather and there are some delightful off-the-beaten-track places. On the way home, I enjoyed looking round Threave Gardens and the Threave Nature Reserve. A great little trip. But now it's back to writing the novel...