Forgotten Book: Gossip to the Grave by John Burke

Luke stared up at her. “Running off to construct a dream lover? That’s the way. The only way. Build him yourself.”Jenny Clark is what we would call a Page-3 reporter in India, somebody who covers parties thrown by the frivolous rich, adds spice and gossip, and hints at scandals. When the novel opens, she is …

Two Recommendations: The Power of the Dog, and Death of My Aunt

One of the best parts of blogging is visiting the blogs of others and thus discovering new authors and books. This year was no different and there are many books that I have added to my wishlist. There were two books, however, that I simply could not resist and wanted to read them at once. …

Two Disappointing: Why Shoot a Butler?, & Endless Night

Losing one's way and ending up in a strange and (oft times) sinister situation is a plot technique often used by mystery writers. [See Death Knocks Three Times, and The Whispering House]    Georgette Heyer's Why Shoot a Butler? also begins with our hero Frank Amberley (a brilliant barrister as the blurb has it) helplessly lost …

Forgotten Books: The Arthur Abdel Simpson Novels by Eric Ambler

Eric Ambler (1909-1998) is a British writer known for his thrillers and spy novels. Last year I read him for the first time when I read his most famous book A Coffin for Dimitrios, a book that almost inevitably features in top mystery lists.In 1962, Ambler created the character of Arthur Abdel Simpson, a British-Egyptian, …