Modern Collins (15) : Fatal Fortune

Fatal fortune by Marian Babson is a fast moving if somewhat implausible adventure across central Europe. The plucky heroine has arrived from the US to rescue her young nephew who is in danger from a brutal gang. With the help of a reporter, they manage to keep one step ahead of the gang of ruffians. Meanwhile, the family patriarch approaches death...

The book has a number of surprises and keeps you gripped, more or less, though can be a bit silly at times.

Modern Collins (14) : Gothic Pursuit

Another of the Tim Simpson series of stories by John Malcolm mixing art and furniture history with amateur detective work. In this story the hunt for a rare piece of furniture designed by a well known 19th century architect leads to a number of murders.

A fun and easy read on the whole and a well structured story, though sometimes the art and design history can make your eyes glaze over a bit (and i like history!)

Modern Collins (13) : The Fenokee Project

The Fenokee Project by Roy Lewis takes place mainly in the frozen wastes of Canada and takes quite a while to get going. This is a slow moving tale of a cold (in more ways than one) case. 

A man tries to find out how his wife died eight years before. What may have seemed an accident seems to be mixed up with paid off witnesses and big business corruption.

It takes a while to warm up but when it does you are rewarded by a complicated but logical plot. 

Modern Collins (12) : Prime target

Prime target by Martin Russell is an intriguing tale of crime, psychology and terrorism. Pitt starts to get confused when people begin mistaking him for someone else. This continues and he starts to question his own sanity and reality. 

Finally, it is revealed that it is all a trick (a somewhat elaborate one to honest) and he is the captive of terrorists who want him to plant a bomb in Downing Street!

The story has many twists and turns though some are a bit obvious in the end, such as Karen. However, a dog saves the day and that always makes a good story even better.

Modern Collins (11) : Payoff

"Payoff" by Hartley Howard is an unsubtle tale of a hard boiled private investigator who sweats a lot and takes a lot of taxis. The story is fairly enjoyable, if not that unique. It never quite manages to reach top gear. There is a good mix of crime and spy drama.

The problem with the story though is the predictability. It isn't a bad read and will certainly pass the time of day but you probably won't want to ever read it again.

Golden Age (50) : Suddenly at his Residence

This novel by Christianna Brand is an Inspector Cockrill mystery (though i don't think i have read of this detective before). Set in the Second World War, this is a good family murder drama with the usual mixed cast of characters who range in various degrees of annoyance. This does make the dialogue a little hard going at times.

However, the story has a good twist and an action packed final act with the bombing of the murder scene. Unfortunately, the previous acts can sometimes drag.

Golden Age (49) : Murder of the Ninth Baronet

The Murder of the Ninth Baronet by J.S. Fletcher is an interesting series of cases handled by private investigators. The murder of a man, recently back in Britain after a long time overseas, appears wrapped up in a number of other crimes including other murders and the theft of diamonds. There is also the question as to whether or not he was the long-lost heir, the 9th baronet indeed, of a country estate.

An interesting read with some good red herrings. However, the story is somewhat marred by the eventual culprit being a bit left field and also uncovered rather suddenly. I enjoyed the story being based in the Midlands.

Golden Age (48) : Black Cabinet

"Black Cabinet" by Patricia Wentworth is the tale of a young heiress who uncovers the dark secret of her inheritance, details of which are locked up in a large piece of furniture. A brutal gang want to silence her (and get their hands on her inheritance of course)...

A fast moving adventure with continuous peril. An enjoyable read though the heroine was a bit wearisome at times and makes a few decisions which seem a bit odd, though help pad the story out a bit more. The energy of the story helps pull you through.

Golden Age (47) : Fire in the Thatch

This enjoyable novel by ECR Lorac slowly sets up the scene in a cosy rural setting in Devon at the end of the Second World War as a recently discharged Royal Navy man takes over a neglected cottage and aims to become a market gardener.

Then we jump straight into a police procedural after the crime has taken place. The investigation is nicely complicated and involves investigating into the secrets of the victim's past to establish a motive and hence identify the perpetrator. A good read.

Modern Collins (10) : A Wave of Fatalities

A Wave of Fatalities by Michael Delving is one of those frequent Modern Collins entries from the 1970s and 1980s which portrayed a professional in a field getting involved in a serious crime and becoming an amateur detective to help solve it.

Our hero in this case is an American antique dealer and his wife, visiting the UK looking for interesting antiques to buy. He comes across a very interesting medieval box of Jewish origin but, before he can close the deal, the owner is murdered and the box goes missing.

Although also a suspect in the case, our man helps the police investigate the case (although not officially). The theme of being an outsider and how others react to you is to the fore throughout this interesting story full of suspect and interesting characters.

Modern Collins (9) : A Necessary Dealing

A Necessary Dealing by Roy Lewis is part of the Eric Ward series of novels set in the world of finance and corporate business. A tale of corporate politics, takeovers and... murder, though this does not occur to quite late into the story.

The plot is good, fitting together very well though it is slow to get going (and heavy going though those more familiar with higher business concepts may find it easier) and sometimes can be a little dull. 

Ultimately, the story is intelligent and rewarding to those with patience.

Modern Collins (8) : Condition Purple

Collins Crime Club novels, especially in the latter decades of the series, often featured quirky and genteel amateurs but "Condition purple" by Peter Turnbull is a hard police procedural set in Glasgow. 

We follow a team of worn down detectives piecing together the evidence from the murder of a prostitute and uncovering a trail of vice, drugs, hopelessness and ultra violence.

This is a great read, a tasty bit of crime with a well thought out trail of evidence. Strong yet flawed characters add to the quality of the read.

Modern Collins (7) : The Other Devil's Name

"The Other Devil's Name" by Elizabeth Ferrers features that staple of English crime stories of the mid-20th century, the amateur detective. In this case it is retired botany professor Andrew. 

The action takes in a quiet English village in which there are a lot of deaths, plus blackmail and other dark secrets!

This isn't a fast moving book and is rather gentle in terms of tone and sleuthing. A steady pace is perhaps to be expected as most of the characters are retired! An enjoyable little story with some masterful story telling.

Modern Collins (6) : The Bishop's Pawn

The Bishop's Pawn by Ritchie Perry is a spy story despite it's inclusion in the Collins Crime Club series (though espionage can often involve a lot of criminal activities of course!) 

So, a spy drama and a good tough one too about a defecting cleric from the other side of the Iron Curtain being mixed up with wartime secrets of SS atrocities and missing gold.

The British agent Phillis is a good character, sardonic and hard living - and receiving a fair amount of the rough stuff from the enemy. This flawed character gives the story a good edge and makes it very readable, an excellent story.

Golden Age (45) : The Leavenworth Case

The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green is a late 19th century crime story set in New York. A popular story in it's time and said to be Stanley Baldwin's favourite story. 

The story revolves around the murder of a rich merchant (Leavenworth). Suspicion falls upon the two nieces and a mysterious man. An investigator and a lawyer tackle the case.

Quite why this story was so popular is the true mystery (sorry Mr Baldwin!) I found the story a bit slow and tedious though it is undeniably well written but by the time you find out who was the murderer you have largely lost interest. It also suffers from a bit of over the top melodrama like many Victorian novels.

Golden Age (44) : Death in White Pjyamas

Death in white pjyamas by John Bude mixes the world of murder with the even more treacherous world of the theatre! 

A group of actors are gathered at the estate of their rich backer to research before their next play. Crimes then begin to occur, first theft of money then finally the theatre set designer being found dead in a lake in her white pjyamas.

The story is a little slow to get going, and has a lot of characters who need to be established which doesn't help with the pacing early on but once it is up and running, and the police detective gets to work, it is a fine murder mystery.

Golden Age (43) : Foreign Bodies

Collections of Golden Age crime short stories are not that rare, but this one features stories by non-Anglosphere writers and, while a mixed bag, is overall pretty good indeed. 

Oddly enough the worst story here is by the most famous author. I found Anton Chekhov's story a bit impenetable.

Highlights of the collection include Koga Saburo's fun but bizarre story about a rotating spider lab which is probably the best story in the collection. 

Also involving spiders is a good story by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. Another highlight is Maria Elvira Bermudez's tale of murder and family secrets. A great and varied collection of stories.

Golden Age (42) : Called Back

In Called Back by Hugh Conway, a blind man witnesses (though not be sight of course) a terrible crime, a murder. Later on his blindness is cured and he falls in love with a mysterious woman. However, he knows that she was involved in the crime but not exactly how...

Although the book was apparently a success when released in the late 19th century, and was adapted into a stage play, i found this a troublesome and frequently annoying read. 

The story moves on at a pace though i found it rather melodramatic and the plot a bit too fanciful, though a common fault/feature (delete depending on your point of view) of the time.

Birmingham's Railways, release day!

Today is the official release date for my first book, on the railways of Birmingham and how they have changed over the last ten years. Although the book has been on sale online for a while now, hopefully soon i will be able to see it in the shops. Is this the end of my new career as an author, by no means. I am sure there will be more to come. 

The realisation of a dream

Being a "book" person (with over a thousand non-fiction books in my collection alone) all my life, i guess i have always fancied being an author since childhood. Of course i am an author of this and other blogs, but being the author of a "proper" dead tree book from a recognised publisher is another level.

Well in mid 2022 i was approached by Amberley to produce a railway book. The agreed subject turned out to be on the railways of Birmingham and how they have changed over the last ten years or so. The book is mostly pictorial though with captions i have written which are hopefully fairly informative. The book was completed last year and is finally due to be released next month. Today i received my complimentary copies and my longterm dream is now coming true.

To be honest it is quite a surreal experience holding a printed and bound book in my hands which i have written and includes my photography. Maybe i am a bit biased but i think it has come out really well. You can order the book here, or in all good bookshops of course.