The Seven Dials Mystery

              by Agatha Christie    


















































































































This is one of a short trilogy the first and second of which taking place of a famous country estate called Chimneys. They feature Superintendent Battle and a coterie of 'bright young things' ei. young English men and women in their twenties from the wealthier classes who work desultorily at their jobs in the city or at the Foreign office and who call all the friends by nicknames they picked up in their  youth like Socks or Pongo. These are usually headed by Bundle Brett who is the daughter of the earl who owns Chimneys.

The story takes place in the twenties and and the main action begins at a weekend house party during which someone is inevitable killed so that there is as always a large cast of suspects. Naturally the amateur detectives are sure they can out do the police.

The action is swift and the plot is not too deep, just cryptic as in should be in the era of spies, secret clubs as well as secret criminal organizations. This not the best of Christie but it is fun. In this case I did not feel that it could be a fair play mystery because the reader was really lead astray in some cases. Still, the characters are all likable and Christie pokes fun at this class of people, both the nouveau riche and the landed aristocracy.

Art series

 In A Deceptive Clarity by Aaron Elkins Dr. Chris Norgren a Renaissance art expert who is a curator for the San Francisco County Museum of Art is introduced. He is headed to Berlin  to help with an exhibition of art tracked down since WWII by the military including finds in caves and other art 'liberated' by the Nazis.
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Durer - Self portrait

The exhibition, 'The Plundered Past' includes twenty priceless works of art thought to have been lost forever. They have been returned to their previous owner Mr. Bolzano who has agreed  to allow them to be exhibited. Peter van Cortlandt one of Chris's bosses meets him in Berlin and suggests that there is possibly a forgery among the recovered works and before this can be confirmed is found dead in unusual circumstances.

 At about the same time Chris himself is attacked while interrupting a theft attempt of the paintings.

El Greco-Purification at the Temple

The painting in question is El Greco's Purification at the Temple

Norgren goes to to Florence to
meet with the Bolzanos who are providing the works of art for the exhibit.  He wants to  look over the paintings before they are shipped.

In this first book a question arises that comes up in the next two books.  What is art, more specifically if two paintings are displayed together, looking essentially identical, one being  "genuine', the real thing, and the other a forgery are they or are they not both art?  The answer is simple to Chris Norgren- the forgery is definitely not art. To Mr Bolzano both fit the requirement of beautiful artistic objects, one is just more valuable .

Ruben's Portrait

In The Glancing Light Norgren is now working a a Seattle Art Gallery in the same capacity as a curator of Renaissance and Baroque art. A very valuable Ruben's portrait is found mixed in with a shipment of "authentic reproductions. ' After Chris examines the painting and finds that it is the real thing, he is given a job following up the transaction to see how such a thing could have happened.

Bologna's Piazza Maggiore

This quest takes him to the beautiful city of Bologna, which happens to be a place he has visited before and looks forward to seeing it again.

The theme is interesting and once again the argument comes up about what is art.

Piazza Nattuno

For my part I would be happy to see any of these paintings, in the origin; or as a forgery.

Living in a small town far away from city museums the best I can do is study art books. I am sure I am not alone in this. I am glad there are experts to help solve these problems but they are outside my realm. Of course the way I get to see a bit deeper into the art world is by series such as these which bring me tremendous pleasure.  With Google images by my side at all times via my Ipad I get vicarious trips to exotic locations and beautiful museums.

You would think that paintings done by famous artists a couple of centuries ago would have all come to light by now.  Not so! people are still hoping that some old attics will yield a treasure.

Rembrandt portrait

 In Old Scores Chris Norgren is invited to France to authenticate a newly found Rembrandt. He is to go to Dijon where René Vachey is to exhibit the work of art along with a few other finds.  After the masterpiece is evaluated Chris will be given the portrait to take back to the Seattle Museum of Art.  There is only one catch - there is to be no scientific testing permitted.

Dijon

Naturally Chris smells a rat and one reason for that is René has been a rat in the past. Vachey is actually notorious for art scams in the past. In this case however the rat falls into his own trap and Vachey is murdered shortly after Chris gets the first view of the work of art. Chris himself is almost killed as he tries to untangle this mystery. This is another exciting adventure in the art world as well as in the streets of another beautiful city.


I really wish there were more books in this entrancing series.

Seventy-seven Clocks

by Christopher Fowler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an interesting story which chronicles the first case of the Peculiar Crimes Unit. It takes place in 1973.  Arthur Bryant and John May had been partners some time ago and they are now reunited as the PCU is given it's first quarters away from the Metropolitan Police as well as a small group of assistants who will comprise the unit. Before the paint dries on the walls they are knee deep in peculiar murders and the press as well as the Met are clamoring for answers. The Met seems to hope the unit will fail and the press is beginning to think them a foolish gesture.

The game is afoot when an apparent maniac dressed in Victorian clothes goes into a museum and defaces a painting of that era. Before he can be captured he blows up in a subway in an unusual manner. This is preceded by the bizarre murder of the family lawyer by a exotic snake bite. More deaths follow and Bryant and May are always one step behind. They are aided though by an intrepid young girl Jerry, who is intent on helping because she discovered two of the victims.

Bryant is an unusual mixture of  an old dog who can't learn new tricks and a almost genius recollection of the past. May, slightly younger is the more classic detective. It could be said that May looks to the future and Bryant doesn't want to lose the past and his mind seems to stay there.

The mystery is complex involving Victorian megalomaniacs as well and a gang of assassins some of who are reluctant. The plotting is intricate and intriguing, the pace is moderate and the story very enjoyable.

Landscape of Lies

 Peter Watson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is basically a story about a painting that is really a map to a treasure trove of medieval artifacts of great value. It was fun to read except for the plethora of esoteric facts which sometimes buried the plot,and the very annoying expression that was used on almost every page which included the word bloody inserted into a variety of exclamations. Fanbloodytastic, Isobloodybel and others  became tedious quickly. The cigar smoking subplot was also not a welcome addition.

 The best part of the story was the fact that the painting was included in the book so that the clues could be followed by the reader. There was also some gems of information about  the symbolism of certain objects in paintings which added depth to the book. The most important thing was that the plot and the characters as well as the treasure hunt seemed credible even after all the centuries had passed,

I  learned  quite a bit and refreshed my memory about a lot more so over all it was a positive experience.

The Savage Garden

 by Mark Mills
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Adam Strickland is a Cambridge scholar who has taken a slightly lazy approach to his studies. His professor suggests a trip to Italy to study a famous garden. The professor believes that this will pique Adam's interest.

Naturally, there is a secret in this garden, a cipher, and Adam also believes there is a secret to be discovered in the villa itself. His natural instinct or maybe nosiness in disguise soon leads him to some startling conclusions about both the recent and the centuries ago past.

I don't know if it could be called brashness or arrogance when he begins to delve into the personal lives of the occupants of the Villa Docci. He is definitely has no problems with blurting out his suspicions. As one person told him 'You have been here hardly a week! What business is it of yours?'


He certainly takes liberties as he toys with the rules of the house and the emotions of it's inhabitants.

Aside from that as he digs into the meaning of the statuary in the garden he has to use all his classical knowledge to piece together this enigma. The reader is educated as well as they are reminded of ancient myths and allegories. I am also tempted to read the book Adam was reading which was Dorothy Sayers' translation of Dante's epic poem The Inferno.

DeKok and the Dead Harlequin

by A.C. Baantjer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amsterdam Police Station

Inspector DeKok gets a note requesting an appointment at 8:00PM from an unknown man. DeKok  and his subordinate Vledder meet the  the man at the police station and he appears to be a well-to-do accountant. The purpose for the meeting was to establish an alibi. He plans on committing the perfect crime. He tells the police that there will be a murder at a local hotel.

 At this very time in a hotel not far away a man is killed by a weighted hockey stick.  He has been left in a posed position that looks like a puppet whose strings have been cut. DeKok  calls him the harlequin until he gets to know the victim better.  Under the body there is a note to the victim warning him as well that a murder is planned. In this way the accountant cannot be charged with failure to inform either the police or the victim of the crime to be committed.

Utrecht

As DeKok  continues his investigation it appears to lead to a gang  or group of men planning a major crime, but all the details don't mesh and the puzzle deepens.  The victim and the accountant both come from a nearby city, Utrecht and DeKok spends time there as he chases every clue. He says it is a very nice city but the canals can't match those in Amsterdam.

It is more an American thing to belong to a gang. As Vledder points out, in Nato exercises the Dutch army always gets the worst ratings, but on the other hand the Dutch soldier is always rated first in guerilla warfare.

Utrecht

DeKok is well regarded in his district. He gets respect from the solid citizens as well as the pimps and whores. They all knew he interpreted dozens of regulations elastically. He did not violate the law, rather he had a unique vision of the letter of the law. Using his skill and insight there is no doubt that justice will be done.  Sometimes justice is a little slow and more death will follow before DeKok  gets it right.

This is a wonderful series and I always look forward to the next book in line.

The Case of the Missing Servant

 A Vish Puri Mystery by Tarquin Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Vish Puri is one of the best PI in Dehli and most probably in all of the subcontinent of India. Or at least he thinks so. He is diligent, successful and discrete. One of his motto is " Confidence is my watch word."

A well known lawyer comes to Puri and tells him that he is being accused of murdering a maid that had left his employ a few months ago. He denies any guilt and indeed has an alibi. But this is India after all and he doesn't want to divulge it in order to protect his family. He is a family man even though he likes a little take out on the side.

Dehli

The very morning that Puri is beginning his investigation he takes his usual trip to the roof where he communes with his plants and he is almost killed by a sniper. Vish Puri becaomes a very busy man but his operatives with such nicknames as Facecream, Tubelight, Handbrake help him keep many irons in the fire.

Hall gives use a wonderful view of the panoply that is Dehli. His characters transmit the cadence of the language that is distinctly Indian and it is very easy for the reader to take a vicarious trip to this amazing country.

The Seventh Sinner

 by Elizabeth Peters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jaqueline Kirby is introduced in this novel and she is somewhat of a cipher. She is kept in the background and all the other characters are better drawn.

Santi Cosma e Damiano

This is one the first of Peters published books in the mystery genre and it was a little uneven. Kirby working in Rome meets a group of young students who hang to gather as a group and they refer to themselves as the seven sinners. They are all studying various subjects such as art, architecture and history. They meet after work for drinks and other activities. The least of the group is a messy, slightly crazy young man who gets tagged the seventh of the group. These young people would rather he found somewhere else to be but he hangs on until one day when the group is experiencing some catacombs he is murdered. He leaves a dying message in the sand by his now motionless hand. It is seven.

While there are others in the catacombs it is most likely that the murderer is one of the student group. The police are working at it and Jacqueline herself feels that what she must do is protect the one girl who actually saw the message. The girl seems awfully prone to near fatal accidents and Kirby recognizes these incidents for attempts on her life.


I  liked the location, the history and the interesting trips into catacombs, old churches as a search for a murderer spreads out .

Since the clue left at the murder site is a seven, we get to learn about seven saints, seven churches, seven hills of Rome and more.

None of the students seems to have reason to kill anyone, much less this particular person, as odd as he was. Kirby encourages the exploration of Roman artifacts and location because sooner or later the culprit will reveal himself.

The liberal use of google images really added to the enjoyment of the book. I was able to look up so many of the structures and locations that I had a mini trip of my own. As I was doing this I did get a yearning to see the areas for my self. Someday maybe.

WIcked Autumn

       G.M. Malliet
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Max Tudor left his life with MI6 behind because he wanted to connect with his more spiritual  side and he wanted to do some good in the world with a more lasting effect. He is very fortunate to have been able to return to his studies, become ordained, pass through his curate years and finally become a vicar in an idyllic English town the like of which is rapidly disappearing.

This little Eden has it's small problems one of which is a ' managing woman' who micromanaged every thing she cam in contact with, from the Women's Institute, the church fetes, and peoples little problems if she gets wind of them. The snake in the grass of this Eden puts a period to Mrs. B-S's existence at the village hall and Max  has the misfortune to find the body. This jolt of reality brings back his old instincts and he is a help to the police in their investigation.

I liked Max Tudor, the town and the story.

 There are many other novels in which there is a managing woman who manages to get themselves killed.  One that I read recently and enjoyed was Robert Barnard's A Little Local Murder. I just wish I could bring to mind some others  to share but sometimes I wonder if I should keep a list . All I know is that  bossy pushy people get killed. Let that be a lesson to all of us.

 by Conrad Allen

Lusitania

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The launch of a great new floating palace steamship was a very big deal in 1907. The Lusitania, the latest of these belonging to the famed Cunard lines is ready for it's maiden voyage across the North Atlantic and the ship is filled with passengers from all walks of life.

Lounge

While is it a symbol of peace and inter nation cooperation it was also built with wartime in mind. It could be converted to  an arms bearing vessel without difficulty.

The Germans have been building up their navy at this time and indeed it is a German ocean liner that holds the record for the fastest transatlantic passage.

It is the hope that the Lusitania will take this honor away so there is more than meets the eye in this September voyage. With more than 2000 people on board including passengers and crew it is not surprising that there is covert security on board. Watching the high society first-class  passengers is undercover detective George Dillman.

His skills are  just what is needed on this action packed voyage because there is a murder fore the first days have passed.

Smoking Room

I enjoyed this novel and it really gave me a craving for some ocean travel. I am checking out some cruises on line as soon as I can. Thank heaven for vicarious pleasures.