Another collection put together by Martin Edwards, this one pulling together so-called bibliomysteries, stories that are literary adjacent. So they feature bookstores or libraries, maybe play off of a book, perhaps an author dies. A lovely little collection.
A Lesson in Crime by GDH and M. Cole
A mystery author is riding a train when a man joins him in his compartment. The man then proceeds to let the author know all the ways in which his last book failed. Instead, the man exhorts the author that he should write simpler murders and then proceeds to demonstrate exactly how that might work.
Trent and the Ministering Angel by E. C. Bentley
The story opens with two men, Trent and Selby, sitting in their club talking about an unusual client that Selby has recently had. Usually the man, Landell, works with one of Selby's associates but the associate was laid up with a broken leg so Selby goes to visit Landell when the man's wife, a termagent who keeps her husband under her thumb, sends a letter. He is not sure why he goes but this story raises Trent's antennae and the two are off on a mystery to look for a secret will.
A Slice of Bad Luck by Nicholas Blake
Nigel Strangeways is the guest of honor at an Assassins dinner, a sendoff of the Detectives' Club. Everyone there is a mystery writer or related to crime somehow. An author who has only two novels under his belt, Herbert Dale, remarks that it would be a marvelous setting for a murder. Then the lights go out and a man is murdered.
The murderer seems to come out of nowhere but an interesting story.
The Strange Case of the Megatherium Thefts by S. C. Roberts
A Watson and Holmes story, again told from the viewpoint of Dr. Watson. Professor Wiskerton comes from the Megatherium where a number of books from the lending library have been lost from circulation.
Short story with an interesting finish.
Malice Domestic by Philip MacDonald
Carl Borden is a writer of middling fame whose marriage with his wife Annette has been on the rocks lately. And he is having stomach cramps. After his wife feeds him. But he is not the one who dies.
A lovely little short story with a twist.
A Savage Game by A. A. Milne
A wealthy man dies leaving his money to two people -- his niece who has taken care of him and his nephew (her brother) who is a test driver for racing cars. The three of them had been together the day he died along with a man who translates books. They each had some tea which caused two of them to fall asleep in front of the fire. When the scholar wakes up, the uncle is dead; stabbed through the heart.
The Clue in the Book by Julian Symons
Warnings for outdated language about disabilities.
Francis Quarles appeared in many short stories as a detective. In this book, an Quarles is visiting the family of Silas Brinn. He has had a stroke but is surviving thanks to the care of his daughter, Mary, and hsi indefatigable secretary, Sam Clemens.
After dinner, Silas is found dead by an apparent suicide but Quarles thinks things might not be so cut and dried.
The Manuscript by Gladys Mitchell
A girl is dead. It seems that she may have been killed by a man who has a habit of trying to rehabilitate criminals. Though, to be fair, he usually collects their stories to write about in his collection.
REALLY short.
A Man and His Mother-In-Law by Roy Vickers
Arthur Penfold is a businessman. He married once and, after six months, his wife left a note behind. He has married again but this time, his mother-in-law stands in the way of his happiness. It's just too bad he buys her a book that leads to his downfall.
Grey's Ghost by Michael Innes
"Grey's ghost is black." At a gathering, people are talking about different engimatic phrases that people have called at said on the telephone. This particular phrase sets up a story wherein Appleby is able to decipher it's meaning.
Dear Mr. Editor... by Christianna Brand
An epistolary short story that was hard to understand at first but with a fantastic twist.
Murder in Advance by Marjorie Bremmer
A popular playwright is killed. But the man seems to have no enemies and his plays are highly enjoyed. At least the ones that have been released so far.
A Question of Character by Victor Canning
A look at toxic masculinity in action: Geoffrey Gilroy isn't going to kill his wife because he's in love with another woman (though he is). No, he is going to kill her because she is better at everything than he is, including being an author. Lovely twist.
A Book of Honour by John Creasey
The first person narrator makes the acquaintance of a man named Baburao, a book seller. Baburao is an incredibly good salesman who works his way up from selling books on the street to owning many bookstores. His biggest sadness in life is that his oldest son, Krishna, seems to be on the path to evil. It is with the narrator's help that the boy is brought to justice.
We Know You're Busy Writing by Edmund Crispin
As the title suggests, there is folly in interrupting an author at work.
Chapter and Verse by Ngaio Marsh
A bookseller tries to contact Roderick Alleyn about a Bible that is related to his town. Troy is on hand to talk to the man and she is the one to let Roderick know that she thinks the man's death is not an accident.
Four stars
This book comes out September 6, 2022
ARC kindly provided by Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own
