9781913394936Europa Editions, 2024originally published as Zero no shoten, 1959translated by Louise Heal Kawai279 pp paperback I needed a short novel for late-night reading while family was here last week and Tokyo Express (apa Points and Lines) called out to me from my shelf, after which I found myself wanting to read more of Matsumoto's work.  I chose this one,& ..read more

 9780062196538Bourbon Street Books, 2012originally published 1936528 pppaperbackI read this book earlier this month but as usual, it's hectic around here leaving very little me time for posting my thoughts.  Gaudy Night arrives late in Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey mystery series, and because I'd forgotten what happens in nearly every book to this point, I've had to do a massive ..read more

 9798886010763Stark House Press, 2024217 pppaperback Released just recently, this two-books-in-one edition from Stark House features the work of a woman whose work may not be a household name among mystery readers, but deserves to be brought back into the light.  Elizabeth Fenwick (1916-1996), aka E.P. Fenwick, wrote her first novel just after high school.  It was ..read more

"The moral is, padre, that human nature remains the same, everywhere, and dark places exist in every mind." 9780712355308British Library, 2024originally published 1932292 pppaperbackAhhhhh.  My reading has once again returned me to the tranquil English village of the interwar years, one of my favorite settings for British crime fiction.  This book features another personal favorite ..read more

 9780571348107Faber, 2023originally published 1975249 pppaperbackI bought this novel to read over Christmas week, but as happens a lot around here, I had to put if off for a while, just finishing it this week.  Not a problem --  while the action in this story takes place during the Christmas season, The Long Shadow is a book that is good for reading any time of year.&nbsp ..read more

 97988860157Stark House Press, 2023270 pppaperback (read earlier)Lionel White (1905-1985) was a rather prolific author whose writing career lasted well over two decades.  He got his start as a police reporter and editor of a true crime magazine before moving into the realm of fiction, where his work eventually earned him the title of  "the king of the caper novel."   White wrote nearly forty ..read more

 9781948104241Kazabo Publishing, 2023originally published as Doppio delitto al Miramare, 2015178 pp paperbackI really enjoy reading translated fiction, no matter the genre.  My last couple of reads (outside of crime) came from Argentina and Mexico, and I'm always delighted when something new in translation comes along.   I'm not quite sure who specifically translated this book, Double Murder at ..read more

 Berkley Books, 1957originally published 1937217 ppmass market paperback(read earlier in October)It's truly a pity that the British Library Crime Classics series (as of right now)  doesn't include the final Bencolin mystery, because until they do, I'm sort of stuck with this cover, which was probably very cool in 1957 but doesn't hold a candle to the covers from the British Library.   This book ..read more

 9780712353632British Library, 2020256 pppaperback(read earlier)In this installment of the Bencolin series, Carr offers up a bit of detective fun that blends British lore, a bit of  Egyptian flair and an intriguing mystery from the past, all of which together make for a crafty whodunit.   Bencolin and Marle are in London to see a play, and there they are staying with one of Bencolin's old friends ..read more

 9780712353267British Library Crime Classics, 2020originally published 1931240 pppaperback(read in September)I read this book earlier, and I'm still making my way through the bag of finished books that need posting about.   I have three Bencolin books under my belt so far and I'm working on a fourth (The Lost Gallows)  right now.  I've been highly  entertained with the tinge of weirdness each ..read more