A Paean to McCarthyism: Neither Five Nor Three by Helen MacInnes

I had only a vague idea of what McCarthyism was. There was a Hollywood Blacklist and there was some sort of persecution of Dashiel Hammett because of what was feared to be his communist leaning. That's it. So reading Helen MacInnes Neither Five Nor Three was like getting an education. I never knew that there …

Forgotten Book:The Hand in the Dark by Arthur J.Rees (1920)

It is September 1918. Wartime restrictions on food and drink continue in Britain but the mood is one of hope and optimism. Victory is close at hand. Time perhaps to throw a party...Recently married couple, Violet and Phil Heredith, decide to host a party at their mansion in the country. The two had met while …

Forgotten Book: The Man Above Suspicion by James Mayo

Joanna Dunlop reaches London from Paris with her father. The two had gone to France as Joanna's father who is in the Ministry of Agriculture had a seminar to attend. The plane makes a hard landing and London's weather is gloomy. However, soon after checking into a hotel, Joanna is on her way to have …

Sherlock Holmes Revisited: Anthony Horowitz’ The House of Silk

sourceWhat is about Sherlock Holmes that people can't bear to see him die? His own creator pushed him down the Reichenbach Falls but then brought him back to life as the public clamour grew too strong to resist. Other writers have followed suit and have not allowed Holmes the comfort of bee-keeping but have rather …

‘Bodyline’: Once Again

 Cricket is a religion in India and cricket-lovers are not merely fans but rather fanatics. And thus it is but natural that when a serial based on a cricket-series was telecast way back in the late eighties, it should become immensely popular. Bodyline, the serial, was a dramatic (some would say over-dramatic) representation of the …

Forgotten Books: Natural Causes and According to the Evidence by Henry Cecil

"What man said what to you yesterday?" asked the judge, in a somewhat stern voice."It was all perfectly friendly, my Lord. I hope I haven't said anything I shouldn't."'What man said what to you yesterday?' repeated the judge."I was in the garden having a nap, my Lord, as a matter of fact,' said the colonel."I …

Forgotten Book: I’ll Say She Does! by Peter Cheyney

I had heard of Peter Cheyney but hadn't read him. Then a couple of weeks ago, I posted a list of forgotten books which had a book by Cheyney. I so fell in love with its cover that I decided to read Cheyney. (Both the list and the cover can be seen over here).Born in …

Forgotten Book: One of Us Must Die by Anna Clarke

After a tiring day at the hospital, Dr. Dorothy Laver reaches home only to find a note from her husband stating that he is taking his own life. Does Dr. Laver react hysterically? No. She merely goes searching for him and after having found him up in the bathroom with a few superficial cuts on …

Forgotten Book: Murder at the Pageant by Victor L. Whitechurch

Being a member of the clergy and a writer of mysteries might seem two very different callings but Victor Lorenzo Whitechurch (1868-1933) was both: attached to the Church of England as well as a prolific writer and member of the Detection Club. He is best known today for his stories featuring the Railway Detective Thorpe …

Two Vintage Mysteries: The Secret Agent, and The Town Cried Murder

On 15th February, 1894, two members of the Greenwich Observatory  were startled by a 'sharp and clear detonation, followed by a noise like a shell going through the air'. Looking out, they observed the door porter running across the courtyard. Following him, they saw the warden of the Greenwich Park and some school boys, crowding …