Wrap-Up: Vintage Mystery Challenge 2021

The Vintage Mystery challenge hosted @ My Reader’s Block is one of my favourite reading challenges. For 2021, I signed up for both the golden and the silver age and am happy that I could finish both successfully. Unfortunately because of a lack of time I could neither review all the books nor link them up.

I’d soon be signing-up for the 2022 edition of the challenge.

Here are some of the books read:

Categories: Golden Age

1. Colorful Crime: A book with a color or reference to color in the title
2. Murder by the Numbers: A book with a number or quantity in the title
3. Amateur Night: A book with a detective who is not a P.I.; Police Officer; or other official investigator (Nurse Keate, Father Brown, Miss Marple, etc.)
4. Leave It to the Professionals: A book featuring cops, private eyes, secret service, professional spies, etc.: Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh
5. Jolly Old England: A mystery set in the United Kingdom: Death at the Wedding by Anne Hocking
6. Yankee Doodle Dandy: A mystery set in the United States: Voice Out of Darkness by Ursula Curtiss
7. World Traveler: A mystery set in any country except the U.S. or U.K. Murder in Bermuda by Willoughby Sharp
8. Dangerous Beasts: A book with an animal in the title: The Crimson Cat by Francis Grierson
9. A Calendar of Crime: A mystery with a date/holiday/year/month/etc. in the title
10. Wicked Women: A book with a woman in the title–either by name (Mrs. McGinty’s Dead) or by reference (The Case of the Vagabound Virgin): Miss Jessica’s Stick by Aylmer Hunter
11. Malicious Men: A book with a man in the title–either by name (Maigret & the Yellow Dog) or by reference (The Case of the Haunted Husband): The Hunted Man by Walter S. Masterman
12. Murderous Methods: A book with a means of death in the title (The Noose, 5 Bullets, Deadly Nightshade, etc.)
13. Staging the Crime: A mystery set in the entertainment world (theatre, musical event, pageant, Hollywood, etc)
14. Scene of the Crime: A book with the location of the crime in the title (The Body in the Library, Murder at the Vicarage, etc): The Sark Street Chapel Murder by Thomas Cobb
15. Cops & Robbers: A book that features a theft rather than murder
16. Locked Rooms: A locked-room mystery
17. Impossible Crimes: Any other impossible crime (locks not necessary): The Seventh Guest by Gaston Boca
18. Country House Criminals: A standard (or not-so-standard) Golden Age-style country house murder
19. Murder on the High Seas: A mystery involving water: Judy of Bunter’s Buildings by E. Phillips Oppenheim
20. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: A book with a mode of transportation in the title
21. Murder is Academic: A mystery involving a scholar, teacher, librarian, etc. OR set at a school, university, library, etc.
22. Things That Go Bump in the Night: A book with something spooky, creepy, gothic in the title: The Old Manor by Cecil Freeman Gregg
23. Repeat Offenders: A mystery featuring your favorite series detective or by your favorite author or reread an old favorite : The Dark Frontier by Eric Ambler
24. The Butler Did It…Or Not: A mystery where the butler is the victim, the sleuth…(gasp) the criminal…or is just downright memorable for whatever reason.
25. A Mystery by Any Other Name: Any book that has been published under more than one title (Murder Is Easy–aka Easy to Kill [Christie]; Fog of Doubt–aka London Particular [Christianna Brand], etc.)
26. Dynamic Duos: A mystery featuring a detective team (Holmes & Watson; Pam & Jerry North; Nero Wolfe & Archie Goodwin, or a little-known team that you introduce to us):
27. Size Matters: A book with a size or measurement in the title (Death Has a Small Voice; The Big Four; The Weight of the Evidence; etc.): The Majestic Mystery by Denis Mackail
28. Psychic Phenomena: A mystery featuring a seance, medium, hypnotism, or other psychic or “supernatural” characters/events: The Poisoners by George R. Preedy
29. Book to Movie: A book that has appeared on screen (feature film or TV)
30. The Old Bailey: A courtroom drama mystery OR a mystery featuring a judge, lawyer, barrister, district attorney
31. Serial Killers: Books that were originally published in serial format (from the pulp era) OR a book that includes three or more deaths–all committed by the same person. The Album by Mary Roberts Rinehart (fits both the categories)
32. Killed in Translation: A work that originally appeared in another language and has been made available in English–original publication date determines Gold or Silver Age–OR if your native language is not English, then a work that originally appeared in English which you read in your native language.
33. Blondes in Danger: A variation on “Colorful Crime.” A book that features a blonde in the title (The Blonde Died First; The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde) or another shade of hair color (The Case of the Substitute Brunette)
34. International Detectives: A variation on “World Traveler”–but instead of the crime being set in another country, the detective is not from the U.S. or U.K.
35. Somebody Else’s Crime: Read a book that someone else has already read for the challenge.
36. Genuine Fakes: Read a book by an author who wrote under a pseudonym: A Puzzle for Fools by Quentin Patrick
37. Hobbies Can Be Murder: A mystery that involves a hobby in some way: stamp, coin, book collecting, etc; knitting; birdwatching; hunting; etc.
38. Snatch & Grab: Read the first book you pick up off your shelf or TBR stack/s
39. I’ve Got You Covered: Pick a book to read based on the cover
40. Get Out of Jail Free: One per customer. You tell me what special category the book fits and it counts–the only thing I won’t accept is “It’s a vintage mystery!” The genre/time period is a given. An Afternoon to Kill by Shelley Smith (Begins in my own country, India)

Categories: Silver Age

1. Colorful Crime: A book with a color or reference to color in the title
2. Murder by the Numbers: A book with a number or quantity in the title
3. Amateur Night: A book with a detective who is not a P.I.; Police Officer; or other official investigator (Nurse Keate, Father Brown, Miss Marple, etc.)
4. Leave It to the Professionals: A book featuring cops, private eyes, secret service, professional spies, etc: The Mask of Memory by Victor Canning
5. Jolly Old England: A mystery set in the United Kingdom: The Long Shadow by Celia Fremlin (1975)
6. Yankee Doodle Dandy: A mystery set in the United States: Letter of Intent by Ursula Curtiss
7. World Traveler: A mystery set in any country except the U.S. or U.K: Another Death in Venice by Reginald Hill (1976)
8. Dangerous Beasts: A book with an animal in the title
9. A Calendar of Crime: A mystery with a date/holiday/year/month/etc. in the title
10. Wicked Women: A book with a woman in the title–either by name (Mrs. McGinty’s Dead) or by reference (The Case of the Vagabound Virgin)
11. Malicious Men: A book with a man in the title–either by name (Maigret & the Yellow Dog) or by reference (The Case of the Haunted Husband): How Awful about Allan by Henry Farrell (1963)
12. Murderous Methods: A book with a means of death in the title (The Noose, 5 Bullets, Deadly Nightshade, etc.)
13. Staging the Crime: A mystery set in the entertainment world (theatre, musical event, pageant, Hollywood, etc)
14. Scene of the Crime: A book with the location of the crime in the title (The Body in the Library, Murder at the Vicarage, etc)
15. Cops & Robbers: A book that features a theft rather than murder
16. Locked Rooms: A locked-room mystery
17. Impossible Crimes: Any other impossible crime (locks not

necessary)

18. Country House Criminals: A standard (or not-so-standard) Golden Age-style country house murder
19. Murder on the High Seas: A mystery involving water
20. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: A book with a mode of transportation in the title
21. Murder is Academic: A mystery involving a scholar, teacher, librarian, etc. OR set at a school, university, library, etc.
22. Things That Go Bump in the Night: A book with something spooky, creepy, gothic in the title (The Skeleton in the Clock; Haunted Lady; The Bat; etc)
23. Repeat Offenders: A mystery featuring your favorite series detective or by your favorite author or reread an old favorite
24. The Butler Did It…Or Not: A mystery where the butler is the victim, the sleuth…(gasp) the criminal…or is just downright memorable for whatever reason.
25. A Mystery by Any Other Name: Any book that has been published under more than one title (Murder Is Easy–aka Easy to Kill [Christie]; Fog of Doubt–aka London Particular [Christianna Brand], etc.)
26. Dynamic Duos: A mystery featuring a detective team: A Clubbable Woman by Reginald Hill (Dalziel and Pascoe)
27. Size Matters: A book with a size or measurement in the title (Death Has a Small Voice; The Big Four; The Weight of the Evidence; etc.)
28. Psychic Phenomena: A mystery featuring a seance, medium, hypnotism, or other psychic or “supernatural” characters/events: Vendetta by Harry Carmichael
29. Book to Movie: A book that has appeared on screen (feature film or TV)
30. The Old Bailey: A courtroom drama mystery OR a mystery featuring a judge, lawyer, barrister, district attorney: Search for the Slipper by Henry Cecil
31. Serial Killers: Books that were originally published in serial format (from the pulp era) OR a book that includes three or more deaths–all committed by the same person.
32. Killed in Translation: A work that originally appeared in another language and has been made available in English–original publication date determines Gold or Silver Age–OR if your native language is not English, then a work that originally appeared in English which you read in your native language.
33. Blondes in Danger: A variation on “Colorful Crime.” A book that features a blonde in the title (The Blonde Died First; The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde) or another shade of hair color (The Case of the Substitute Brunette)
34. International Detectives: A variation on “World Traveler”–but instead of the crime being set in another country, the detective is not from the U.S. or U.K.
35. Somebody Else’s Crime: Read a book that someone else has already read for the challenge.
36. Genuine Fakes: Read a book by an author who wrote under a pseudonym (Josephine Tey [Elizabeth Mackintosh]; Nicholas Blake [Cecil Day Lewis]; etc.) Death Trap by Harry Carmichael (Leopold Horace Ognall)
37. Hobbies Can Be Murder: A mystery that involves a hobby in some way: stamp, coin, book collecting, etc; knitting; birdwatching; hunting; etc.
38. Snatch & Grab: Read the first book you pick up off your shelf or TBR stack/s
39. I’ve Got You Covered: Pick a book to read based on the cover
40. Get Out of Jail Free: One per customer. You tell me what special category the book fits and it counts–the only thing I won’t accept is “It’s a vintage mystery!” The genre/time period is a given.