Error of the Moon by Sara Woods

5 Days of Sara Woods — Day 4

Like The Third Encounter, Error of the Moon, the fourth book in Sara Woods’ 48-book Antony Maitland series, also melds together the espionage thriller and detective fiction genres. 

Dean Street Press Ltd. are republishing the first five books in this series on 2 December 2024! To celebrate, I’m posting a review of one book per day leading up to the big day. I’ve already posted reviews of the first three books, Bloody Instructions, Malice Domestic, and The Third Encounter. If you haven’t read those posts, you may want to read them first and then come back to this one. In the review for Bloody Instructions, I talk about the author and provide a more in-depth overview of the main series characters.

But to get you quickly caught up… Antony Maitland is junior barrister to his uncle, Sir Nicholas Harding, Queen’s Counsel of the Inner Temple, London. As well as working alongside his uncle, Antony, and his dependable wife, Jenny, live in a mostly self-contained apartment on the top two floors of Sir Nicholas’s house at Kempenfeldt Square. However, Sir Nicholas does not make an appearance in this one. We can assume he is out doing the circuit, or away on a case. If you have come to love Sir Nicholas’s dry humour and, at times, outright caustic remarks, do not fear. Sir Nicholas is back in full effect in book five!

Error of the Moon is the first book in this series that is set in Yorkshire, where both the author and Inspector Sykes, the series regular police inspector, hails from. By special request from George Ramsey, an old school acquaintance of Antony’s, Antony goes undercover at Carcroft Works of General Aircraft Limited. Carcroft is engaged in research for an anti-missile that they are calling the Full Moon Project, which has been termed classified by the government. When a leak of information is discovered, just about everyone in the company is a suspect. In a company of nearly six thousand employees spread across a number of departments, Antony does not know where to start. But with one employee dead under suspicious circumstances, and government secrets at risk of being sold to the highest bidder, Antony finds himself unable to decline the request despite being aware that Jenny would prefer him to not accept it.

“You wanted to go, Antony; I couldn't bear you to refuse because of me. At least,” she corrected herself, “you'd never have been happy if you'd turned them down.”

“How well you know me, love! And, of course, you also know why.” His tone was light; but to Jenny, who knew him so well, the undercurrent of bitterness was very evident.

“It’s a job that needs doing,” she said quietly. “And one that you can do.”

Antony meditated this for a moment, and then grinned at her.

“That’s really neat,” he approved. “Almost true and all the uncomfortable bits left out.” Jenny met his eyes steadily, but her face was flushed, and after a moment he held out a hand to her. (16-17)*

I love these moments between Antony and Jenny. Despite her concerns for her husband’s welfare, Jenny is as careful to not hold him back, as she is in avoiding asking about the injuries he sustained in the Second World War. It is their first hand experience with the dangers involved in Antony’s previous work in intelligence that makes their willingness to put it all on the line, again, and again, so very compelling. When the country’s safety is put into question, Antony will stop at nothing to protect it, with his personal safety dropping down in the hierarchy of importance. In this case, Jenny is also put in the line of fire, as she accompanies Antony on his trip to Yorkshire, adding verisimilitude to the story that Antony has been hired as Assistant Secretary. 

Carcroft is located on a lonely moor overlooking the fictional town of Mardingley, the closest city is Harrogate, about a half hour drive away. Sara Woods uses the stark setting to full effect. 

On a clear night the glare of the floodlights forms a pool in the surrounding darkness, but on this November afternoon the fog had come creeping: across the moor, through the high wire fence; with prying, inquisitive fingers that sought out every corner of the sheds and muffled sight and sound so that the plant stood isolated. (1)

The book opens on a foggy night in November on the Yorkshire moors, and when Antony and Jenny drive north to Mardingley it is on “a bleak Sunday in mid-December” (19) with Christmas fast approaching. And while one wouldn’t call this a Christmassy book by any stretch of the imagination, it is the perfect time of year to read this one if you happen to be looking for a book with just a whisper of Christmas about it. There is mention of Christmas presents, a not very cheerful staff party, and a Boxing Day outing that ends in… Well, you will just have to read the book to find out.

Despite the fact that Jenny is on the trip with Antony, there are fewer of the cosy domestic scenes that we come to love in the first three books. They are staying in rooms at Holly Royd, where meals are communal, and while they do have tea in their rooms, there are simply less opportunities to see the couple alone together. A number of employees of Carcroft live in the home too, which means the couple do not get a lot of time off from investigating. However, we do get to see Jenny at her most dependable, and most brave. She really is something.

There is a brief respite from all of the intrigue on Christmas Day, and I simply had to include this next passage as it provides so much insight into the type of person Jenny is, always willing to help with whatever is needed, even when it goes against what she would do herself if left to run things, and we get a glimmer of her sense of humour and good nature too.

Christmas at Holly Royd was uneventful, and if Jenny privately thought Mrs. Ambler’s preoccupation with food a little excessive, she cooperated willingly enough; though with a strong feeling she was taking part in provisioning an army. (77-78)

My one quibble with this one is the number of characters. There are many and I found it difficult to distinguish between them, despite the handy list of 34 employees in the Missile Division that Antony (and the reader) is provided with on page 54. These first five books in the series all have a number of characters, but this is the only book that I had any trouble with keeping everyone straight. Generally, Sara Woods does a good job in assisting her readers with floor plans (Bloody Instructions), a character list (Malice Domestic), or with a character list in the form of an employee list (in this one). I take comfort in Antony’s response when he is handed the employee list. ‘“There are too many people.” Antony waved the list in a distraught way to illustrate his point. “It would take a year to sort them out”’ (54). Well, quite. 

In Antony’s defence, it was thick with fog the night of the accident, so a lot of the alibis are unhelpful. And in my defence, Carcroft is almost exclusively staffed by men and a lot of this novel takes place at the works so it was difficult to distinguish between them, as it’s not like characters stay fixed in their departments. They move around, of course! My advice is to bookmark that employee list Sara Woods so thoughtfully provides so you can flick back to it when needed. Advice that I myself should have adopted! If I were to reread one of these five books in the immediate future, it would definitely be this one, so I could take better note of who is who. And, yes! I would absolutely indulge in a reread of this book, and the others in this series with great pleasure! 

Thank you to Dean Street Press Ltd. for kindly sending me a copy of Error of the Moon for review. As always, all opinions on the book are my own.

Tomorrow is day five and we will be discussing the fifth book in my new favourite series. I'm telling you, you won't want to miss this one! I hope to see you then,

*All page numbers are from the ebook and are not likely to correspond to the paperback edition.

The Third Encounter by Sara Woods

5 Days of Sara Woods — Day 3

Ooo! I know I keep saying this, but this one is my favourite in the series, for sure! Part espionage thriller, part detective fiction, The Third Encounter, is book three in Sara Woods’ 48-book Antony Maitland series. Dean Street Press Ltd. are republishing the first five books in this series on 2 December 2024! To celebrate, I’m posting a review of one book per day leading up to the big day. I’ve already posted reviews of the first two books, Bloody Instructions and Malice Domestic. If you haven’t read those posts, you may want to read them first and then come back to this one. In the review for Bloody Instructions, I talk about the author and provide a more in-depth overview of the main series characters.

Antony Maitland is junior barrister to his uncle, Sir Nicholas Harding, Queen’s Counsel of the Inner Temple, London. As well as working alongside his uncle, Antony, and his dependable wife, Jenny, live in a mostly self-contained apartment on the top two floors of Sir Nicholas’s house at Kempenfeldt Square. 

This one starts with an absolutely gripping prologue, which provides a snapshot from November 1943. In the first chapter we jump to present day, which is sometime in the late 1950s in London. Antony's old friend Dr. Henry Martin has been strangled and Antony and Sir Nicholas are defending, Gerry Maitland, Dr. Martin’s cousin and heir, on suspicion of murder. But Antony suspects someone from his past might have something to do with it. Antony goes to one of his former colleagues from his work during the war to put the feelers out, and finds himself working along with the Secret Intelligence Service. 

It was past nine-thirty when he turned into Kempenfeldt Square. The night was clear and frosty, but at that hour few people were about. Across the square a car door slammed, and a man set out to cross, skirting the dusty patch of garden in the centre. Then at the corner he paused, standing in the deeper shadow cast by the bare branches of the sycamore that grew there. Something about the tall figure standing there renewed Antony's feeling of disquiet. He told himself impatiently that it was foolish; in that light he could not see the stranger clearly, let alone make out whether he was, in fact, being watched. This was what came of letting memory run riot over the past. Now imagination had taken over, and here he was, peopling the square with his own private ghosts. (17)

It is scenes like the one above that make is apparent how frightened Antony is of this person from his past. Antony is not prone to flights of fancy and while he dismisses his concerns as coming from an overactive imagination, the reader is not so easily convinced. It’s no wonder then that Antony finds comfort in the house in Kempenfeldt Square and in coming home to the familiar scene of his uncle and wife by the study fire.

He saw as he went in (as he had seen so often before) Sir Nicholas, stretched out at ease before the blazing fire, raise a hand in languid greeting; and Jenny, curled up with a book on her lap and her back to the door, turn with a quick smile of welcome so that, as she moved, the lamplight tangled strands of gold in her brown hair. Because of the contrast with the place he had just left, the comfortable, familiar scene was for a moment vivid and unexpected, so that he looked at it blankly before he crossed the room and bent to kiss his wife. (10)

This one provides us with insight into Antony Maitland’s past, while still treating us to cosy domestic scenes like the one quoted above. We find out just what Antony was up to during the Second World War, how he sustained the injuries to his right arm and shoulder that still plague him, the effect his experiences had on his mental health, and why in the first two novels it seems like he is still fighting an invisible enemy. We also find out about the personal tragedy Jenny faced during this time. Honestly, if you aren’t attached to these characters by the end of this book, you must be some kind of monster!

“He said, ‘I’m afraid you may have to resign yourself to the fact that your husband is getting mixed up with that gang of thugs in Whitehall again.’” [Jenny's] anxiety faded as she saw his frown give way to laughter.

“And I’d rather know,” she added.

“Of course. But there's nothing . . . a watching brief, John said, and that’s fair enough.” Her gaze was steady and disconcerting, and he looked down again at the fire. “I couldn't refuse,” he said, after a moment, and there was something like desperation in his voice. (51-52)

It’s this desperation, this fear, that keeps Antony going through to the end of the book. He keeps agreeing to things he would rather not do, because he knows that if he ever wants to have peace of mind he must follow this thing through to the end. His wanting to run away, but instead running towards trouble is part of what makes this book so tense and the character of Antony so compelling.

The first two books in this series are set exclusively in London. In this one Antony has a brief visit to France and some of the key scenes from during the war take place in France too. Oh, and this one starts on a cold evening in January? The perfect book to send chills up your spine while you hunker down by a roaring fire with a hot cuppa at hand!

Thank you to Dean Street Press Ltd. for kindly sending me a copy of The Third Encounter for review. As always, all opinions on the book are my own.

Tomorrow we will be talking about book four, Error of the Moon. I hope to see you then!

*All page numbers are from the ebook and are not likely to correspond to the paperback edition.

Malice Domestic by Sara Woods

5 Days of Sara Woods — Day 2

“It sounds an interesting case, sir,” said Antony Maitland, hopefully. 

Sir Nicholas Harding regarded him in a considering way, and then remarked, “No doubt,” in no very encouraging tone. After a moment he added, rather more emphatically, “I will not take a case involving an insanity plea. As you very well know.” (1)*

So begins Malice Domestic, the second book in Sara Woods’ 48-book Antony Maitland series. Dean Street Press Ltd. are republishing the first five books in this series on 2 December 2024! To celebrate, I’m posting a review of one book per day leading up to the big day. Yesterday, I reviewed book one, Bloody Instructions. If you haven’t read that post, you may want to read that one first and then come back to this one. There, I talk about the author and provide a more in-depth overview of the main series characters.

Briefly, I will explain that Antony Maitland is junior barrister to his uncle, Sir Nicholas Harding, Queen’s Counsel of the Inner Temple, London. As well as working along side his uncle, Antony and his dependable wife, Jenny, live in a mostly self-contained apartment on the top two floors of Sir Nicholas house at Kempenfeldt Square. Antony was wounded in the Second World War, still carrying injures to his right arm and shoulder, which cause him pain and make it all but impossible for him to drive. Thankfully, Jenny is happy to act as chauffeur when need be.

As I mentioned in my review of Bloody Instructions, it appears there is a trend of Antony bringing interesting cases to his uncle, which his uncle is more than a little reluctant to accept. In this one, Paul Herron has been arrested for shooting his great uncle, William Cassell. Paul was caught with the smoking gun in his hands, literally. He was discovered in the bushes outside the study window through which William had been shot, holding the .22 riffle in question. Paul is described by his grandfather, Ambrose, as having been prone to sleepwalking and odd, as a child,—so unlike his twin brother Timothy—which is why Ambrose insists on a plea of insanity.

“Eighteen years ago Paul Herron’s father shot and killed his wife, his twin brother, and then himself.” The solicitor’s tone was matter-of-fact. Antony murmured, “Women and children first,” and his uncle exploded into violent speech.

“So this is your interesting case!” He turned an accusing glare on his nephew. “A case not only involving an insanity plea, but also two sets of twins (identical twins, in the best story-book tradition, I make no doubt!). And beyond all this—I am to involve myself in the investigation of a shooting eighteen years old!” (5)

I appreciate an author who isn’t afraid to point out the ridiculous in their stories, and Sara Woods does it to such great effect through Sir Nicholas, who is never afraid to speak his mind, especially when he is in conversation with his nephew, Antony. But you know what? The whole two sets of twins thing was handled really well, and it didn’t feel the least bit ridiculous once the story got going. Now, that I’m halfway through book four in this series at the time of writing this review, I would expect nothing less from Sara Woods.

Even when we have an additional two brothers who look very much alike, though they are not twins, I was still on board. William, the murdered man, and Ambrose, the grandfather of the accused look so similar that Ambrose is certain his grandson, Paul, intended to murder him. What Paul is reported by his brother to have said at the time seems to only confirm this.  “[Paul] turned and looked at Grandfather, and he looked as though he was dreaming; and he said very slowly, ‘I don't understand. I thought it was you!’” (18-19).

I have one last quotation that I want to share. It’s one of those domestic scenes that are what I believe make this series so special.

Jenny Maitland was at home; curled up on the sofa, and half asleep over a book. Antony stood in the doorway for a moment, watching her: her brown curls were ruffled, but touched with gold in the lamp-light; she looked relaxed and contented as a kitten before a fire. He was feeling tired, and discouraged (most illogically), and his shoulder was aching; but he was comforted, as always, merely by finding her there among all the familiar things in the big shabby room. (23)

After this, Antony leans in to kiss Jenny, but interrupts himself. His mind is elsewhere. But instead of being perturbed, Jenny asks him if it’s the case. It’s a small moment, but evidence of why this couple works so well together. The whole beleaguered wife has been done a lot in detective fiction, and I just think it’s such a treat to see a couple that works together as a team, instead of being in confrontation, which I think gets overused as a way of increasing the tension on all fronts, very often to the detriment of the characters.

I cannot express to you how much I am enjoying these books. Sara Woods is such a good storyteller. Her plots are engaging, her pacing is spot on, and her writing is strong. But, as I said in my review of Bloody Instructions, what I think sets these books apart from other detective fiction are the domestic scenes and the strong personal relationships, and that comes down to her well-drawn, fully-fleshed characters.

Bloody Instructions was set between June and July and in the opening of Malice Domestic the Michaelmas term is about to commence, which means it is late September or the beginning of October. So neither book is set in during Christmas, but these red and green book covers were simply asking to be dressed up for the holidays. But I did want to clarify, just in case anyone got the impression these were set during the holidays based on how I had dressed the photos. However, I do think the pair would make a very handsome Christmas gift!

Thank you to Dean Street Press Ltd. for kindly sending me a copy of Malice Domestic for review. As always, all opinions on the book are my own.

Standby, because my review of book three, The Third Encounter, is coming up tomorrow and—you’re not going to believe this—but I think it’s my favourite one yet. If you’re sensing a theme, you are not alone. This series starts strong and stays there. I hope to see you back here tomorrow!

*All page numbers are from the ebook and are not likely to correspond to the paperback edition.

Bloody Instructions by Sara Woods

5 Days of Sara Woods — Day 1

Wow! I actually said that out loud at two o’clock in the morning when I read the last page of Bloody Instructions by Sara Woods. This is the first book in her 48-book Antony Maitland series. I cannot tell you how excited I am that Dean Street Press Ltd. are republishing the first five books in this series on 2 December 2024! To celebrate, I’ll be posting a review of one book per day leading up to the big day. I think a lot of people are going to love these books. I’m so excited to tell you about them!

First off, let’s talk about the brilliant author. Sara Woods is the pen name of Eileen Mary Lana Hutton Bowen Judd. (Try saying that five times fast!) She was born in Bradford, Yorkshire in 1916, married in 1946, and after a dozen years spent farming in rural Yorkshire with her husband, the two moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1958. It is there she began writing mysteries, publishing her first book Bloody Instructions in 1962. She died in 1985 at 69 years old. Which means she wrote about two books a year for 23 years. And I had never heard of her!

As I read Curtis Evans’ wonderful introduction to Bloody Instructions, I felt a personal connection to Sara Woods. She was born in the same city as my mother. Although, 26 years earlier. She also emigrated to Canada, as my mother did. And it wasn’t until sitting down to write this review that I realised they emigrated the same year, in 1958. My mother and grandmother could have come over on the same boat, as Sara Woods. My grandmother would have been about the same age as Sara Woods. There is even the possibility that their paths crossed at some point while they were living in Bradford. I wish I could find that out! Regardless, there is something special about reading a book by a woman that comes from the same place and lived there at the same time as the grandmother I never met.

I could sit here and entertain ‘what ifs’ all day, when what I should be doing is telling you what I loved about Bloody Instructions and why I think Sara Woods is doing something special in this first Antony Maitland book.

When Antony Maitland, barrister-at-law, goes to a nearby firm of solicitors, Messrs. Ling, Curtis, Winter and Winter of Bread Court, just a five minute walk from the Inner Temple, to pick up a missing affidavit from a brief, he finds mild-mannered solicitor, James Winter, has been fatally stabbed in the back at his desk in his chambers. Who would want to murder Winter? And who would have the audacity to do it in the middle of a work day when the building is fully staffed?

There are a number of potential suspects, including Antony, but it is Shakespearean stage actor, Joseph Dowling, that the police see as having the most motive and the opportunity. Dowling’s wife was being represented by Winters in her divorce case. Known for being a bit of a loose canon at times, Dowling was not at his best when he was shouting at Winter not two hours before the solicitor was found dead. 

With some coercion from Antony, Sir Nicholas takes the case—this seems to be a theme in the books—and we get to see the two in action through the investigation in preparation for the trial and to the courtroom where Sir Nicholas shines.

Antony Maitland is tall, dark, and was wounded in the Second World War. He still carries injuries to his right arm and shoulder, and it’s clear that the war has left its mark on him mentally as well. 

“I’m sorry,” [Antony] said again.

“You needn't be. You've done your best, after all.”

Antony stiffened. Once before, in a moment of failure, he had been tossed those words for comfort; and then, as now, they had seemed the final insult, the ultimate condemnation. (168)*

He has the tendency to stutter when he is angry, and on occasion we get hints of his traumatic history. Although, having just finished book two I’m not sure if that is entirely from the war or from personal losses earlier in life. Although, I am happy to report that we find out in book three which occasion is being alluded to in the above quotation.

 Jenny, Anthony’s wife, has curly brown hair, is loyal, has a great sense of humour and in my opinion is very patient with both her husband and her husband’s uncle, Sir Nicholas Harding, Queen’s Counsel of the Inner Temple, London. 

The couple live in a mostly self-contained apartment on the top two floors of Sir Nicholas house at Kempenfeldt Square. This was intended to be a temporary set up during the war when the couple first got married, but none of them have felt the need to change it. Sir Nicholas is often upstairs for dinner, when his cook has the night off and has had the audacity to leave him something cold. And Antony often comes in late and seeing his uncle’s study light on, heads in there to find his uncle and his wife by the fire. This brings us to what I think makes this series special, the domestic details. They don’t take away from the plot, rather seeing these three characters together provides insight into their characters. We see Antony’s love and appreciation for his wife in the moments when he is observing her unnoticed. 

He looked at her more searchingly for a moment, trying to see her as a stranger might, her slim figure silhouetted against the red velvet hangings of the box, and her brown curls shining. Her eyes were probably her best feature: grey eyes, with a quality of steadfastness. For the rest... but what a soulless thing was a mere catalogue: she was Jenny, he reflected with a sudden surge of affection, and the most beautiful thing in the world. He smiled to himself, to think how she herself would have greeted such an extravagance. And Jenny looked round with an answering smile, as though she had known his thought, and the moment of detachment was gone. (60)

We see how Jenny acts as a buffer between Antony and Sir Nicholas when the two are rubbing each other the wrong way. And we see Sir Nicholas’s close working relationship with his nephew, as Antony is his uncle’s junior barrister, and how he is grooming his protégé for the law, while at the same time, he trusts Antony’s instincts even as he is giving him a hard time. 

“I shouldn’t have lost my temper,” [Antony] said, at last. “That just made matters worse.”

Sir Nicholas pushed back his plate, took a sip of claret, and held up his glass as though to observe the colour of the wine.

“I don't agree with you there,” he said. “The mistake you made was in behaving like a schoolboy when first Sykes talked to you!” 

Antony was drawing patterns on the tablecloth with his fork. He was beginning to see now, with distressing clarity, the implications of what had passed at Scotland Yard. It was obvious, too, that his uncle was perfectly alive to the situation; hence—in part—his anger. (74)

We can easily imagine how empty Sir Nicholas’s private life would be if he didn’t have Antony and Jenny living with him. This evening I finished the second book in this series and immediately started the third. I love these characters and I already know that I am going to be mourning their loss when I finish the last book Dean Street Press Ltd. has republished. I am very much hoping that these ones get the readership they deserve and the publisher is able to continue republishing Sara Woods’ books.

While this book falls under the category of traditional detective fiction, it is so much more than that. If a good whodunit was all Bloody Instructions had to offer, it would be a good enough book, but the thing that elevates this book to one I see myself returning to again are the interesting and compelling character dynamics. In my opinion, Sara Woods is a master of mystery and character. I applaud Dean Street Press Ltd. for exercising their good taste by bring this lost author’s incredible books back into print.

While this book starts in June and runs through to the third week of July, I could not help but dress up this beautiful red cover for Christmas. By accident or by design, the first two books in this series have red and green covers and I felt it would have been remiss of me to pass up such an opportunity.

Thank you to Dean Street Press Ltd. for kindly sending me a copy of Bloody Instructions for review. As always, all opinions on the book are my own.

My review of book two, Malice Domestic, will go up tomorrow. Hope to see you then!

*All page numbers are from the ebook and are not likely to correspond to the paperback edition.

A Surprise for Christmas edited by Martin Edwards

A Surprise for Christmas is a delightful collection of twelve festive mystery stories. The stories come from a wide range of years, and they are all very different from each other. This collection was like diving into a box of assorted chocolates, and finding all of my favourites. Absolute bliss!

“The Black Bag Left on the Doorstep” (1893) by Catharine Louisa Pirkis

When £30,000 worth of jewellery is stolen from Craigen Court on Christmas Eve, private detective Loveday Brooke suspects an inside job. Before leaving the thief wrote, ‘To be let unfurnished’, across the safe door in chalk. Could the robbery have anything to do with a black leather bag found abandoned on a doorstep? Loveday thinks so, despite her employer’s cuttingly sarcastic remarks at the suggestion! Of course, she goes undercover to suss out the culprit. My one quibble is that I would have liked to have seen the resolution play out instead of hearing it retold by Loveday to her superior. But, overall, it is a fun one!

“The Hole in the Wall” (1921) by G.K. Chesterton

This story starts with the introduction of two men, one an architect, the other an archaeologist. We know from the off that Chesterton is going to entertain us with his sense of humour.

Lord Bulmer, in his breezy way, thought it natural to introduce them. It must be confessed that he was hazy as well as breezy, and had no very clear connexion in his mind, beyond the sense that an architect and an archaeologist begin with the same series of letters. The world must remain in a reverent doubt as to whether he would, on the same principles, have presented a diplomatist to a dipsomaniac or a ratiocinator to a rat catcher.

As well as being humorous, this is a wonderfully plotted story, set during a Christmas masquerade party at a house with a legend of a ghostly presence that haunts the grounds. Divine!

“Death on the Air” (1937) Ngaio Marsh

This one begins, “On the 25th of December at 7.30 a.m. Mr. Septimus Tonks was found dead beside his wireless set”. 

This is another one with an English country manor setting. Just the thing to read on Christmas Day. It reminded me of another short story I read at some point with a similar premise, but I can’t think of which one it was, so the connection must have been slight. If you have read this one and it reminds you of another story, please let me know. I’d love to solve that little mystery!

“Persons or Things Unknown” (1938) by Carter Dickson

At a Christmas housewarming party, a host tells a story that dates back to 1660 about a neighbour who “saw a man hacked to death with thirteen stab-wounds in his body, from a hand that wasn’t there and a weapon that didn’t exist.” But assures his guests, it’s fine. He has not put any of them in the room it happened in for the night.

Of course, we all liked the house. It had the most modern of lighting and heating arrangements, though the plumbing sent ghostly noises and clanks far down into its interior whenever you turned on a tap. But the smell of the past was in it; and you could not get over the idea that somebody was following you about. 

I loved the interweaving of the historical with the present day in this one. A creepy, atmospheric story, perfect for people who appreciate a Christmas ghost story. 

“Dead Man’s Hand” (1953) by E.R. Punshon

A snowstorm, a bag of diamonds, and a finger shot clean off. From the start, we know Jeremy Wells, gardener, chauffeur, and man of all work has just killed his employer up at the big house. What we don’t know is if he will get away with it. It sure looks like luck is going to be on his side! This one is good to the last line.

“The Christmas Eve Ghost” (1948) by Ernest Dudley

This one has a film noir feel to it, at the start, with a beautiful woman in distress coming to a private detective for help on Christmas Eve. Sophie Forrest runs River View hotel, which is described as “dark and dismal in its own grounds, the mist from the river swirling about its gaunt grimness”. Her husband was found in the river two months ago. He had been shot. And now she and his business partner, have been seeing the ghostly apparition of a Burmese dancer, said to haunt the hotel every year at Christmas time.

“Dick Whittington’s Cat” (1950) by Victor Canning

There is perhaps no setting I enjoy more for a story than one set in the theatre. Especially when it’s a mystery! A couple go to a pantomime, a “cat” falls from their balcony, and the woman loses her diamond bracelet. In part, I did see where this one was going. But it was still a very enjoyable short, short story.

“A Surprise for Christmas” (1956) by Cyril Hare

What starts with a cosy domestic scene of a family having just enjoyed an early Christmas dinner including turkey and plum pudding, ends with a surprise. Spoiler alert. It is not a good surprise! This one is short, yet packs a serious punch.

“On Christmas Day in the Morning” (1950) by Margery Allingham

A postman is found in the middle of a country road, lying across his bicycle. Given his fractured skull, it looks like he’s been hit by a car. The police just happen to have the perfect suspects already in custody. Two drunks who crashed further up the road. The problem is, the timing is all wrong. This one is sad, and all too believable, but brilliantly told.

“Give Me a Ring” (1955) by Anthony Gilbert

If all the other stories in this collection were mediocre, on the merit of this story alone it would still be a must buy. Thankfully, all of the stories in this collection are good, but I think this one is something special.

At a little over 80 pages, it’s more of a novella than a short story, and I have to admit that because of its length I approached this one with less enthusiasm than it deserved. But once I started reading I didn’t give another thought to the page count. Except maybe to thank the author for having the foresight to give the story the space it deserves! If “Give Me a Ring” had “Christmas”, “festive”, or “holiday” in the title, I feel sure it’s the story this collection would have been named after.

Anthony Gilbert is a pseudonym of Lucy Malleson. She also wrote as J. Kilmeny Keith and Anne Meredith, under which she wrote Portrait of a Murderer, which has been republished in the British Library Crime Classics series. She wrote sixty-five novels and at least sixty short stories. “Give Me a Ring” first appeared on 11 November 1955 edition in the Illustrated London News. 

I’d like to take this moment to say how much I love that British Library Publishing includes the date and publication in which the short stories in their collections first appeared. I feel that having that information provides the reader with essential context for the stories themselves within the history of the crime story as a genre. I also love that Martin Edwards shares a short biography of the author before each story, including the author’s noteworthy titles. So helpful for adding to your TBR!

Back to “Give Me A Ring”…

It was Christmas Eve and nearly five of the clock, but an afternoon less like the traditional ideas of the season would be hard to imagine. True, a little snow had fallen in the early hours, but this was rapidly churned into slush by the relentless London traffic and about mid-day a haze of fog began to spread over the city.

While out buying odds and ends on Christmas Eve, Gillian Hinde is disoriented in the fog and finds herself drawn towards a lit shop window. A most unlikely shop to find the perfect gift for herself.

The object in question was a ring, a quite ordinary setting containing a blue stone that glowed and sparkled as if it had gathered up all the light the fog had sucked out of the streets and flung it back with an unbelievable radiance.

Gillian is drawn into a dark plot that puts her, and her worried fiancé, through the paces. By the end, I couldn’t help but feel the couple certainly deserved to have a happy Christmas!

“Father Christmas Come to Orbins” (1963) by Julian Symons

Nothing says, “Happy Christmas!” like a holiday heist! This one is sharp, funny, well-observed, and just plain fun. A little edgier than the others in the collection, but no less enjoyable.

“The Turn-Again Bell” (1959) by Barry Perowne

The setting for this one is an 11th-century village church with a square Norman tower, and a churchyard blanketed in deep snow. There is a legend surrounding the church that once in the incumbency of each Rector, they would hear one of the church bells chime a single stroke at Christmas. The Rector would feel compelled to check to see who had rung the bell and find no one there, and no one else would have heard the bell ring. That Christmas would be his last.

The Rector left the church and headed for home. There had been a new, light fall of snow, under which the criss-crossing tyre-ruts were frozen hard. The night was clear and cold, the stars were bright. Trudging along, hands deep in his coat pockets, his shadow slanting on the snow, he was about halfway to the crossroads, when he heard a bell in the church tower clang once, loud and clear.

This one was chilling, beautifully described, and a heartwarming way to end a stellar collection.

Best enjoyed with a mince tart and a hot cuppa, A Surprise for Christmas would make a great read for December. There are a few short, short stories like one the collection gets its title from and “The Turn-Again Bell”, which could be enjoyed in between wrapping gifts and checking on the Yorkshire pud. I would save my favourite, the lengthy, “Give Me a Ring”, for when you’re up late on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to appear.

This is a book I borrowed from my local library, but I enjoyed it so much that I’ve decided I must get my own copy in time for rereading it next holiday season.

Murder in Vienna by E.C.R. Lorac

Set in October, E.C.R. Lorac’s 1956 novel, Murder in Vienna, is the perfect atmospheric mystery to curl up with on a wet Sunday afternoon. 

Robert Macdonald heads to Vienna for a holiday to visit his old friend Dr. Franz Natzler, who he hasn’t seen in ten years. While he appreciates the relaxing atmosphere of flying on a Viscount airliner over land travel, he takes note of his fellow passengers. On a stopover in Zurich he becomes acquainted with a young woman, Elizabeth Le Vendre, who is to be the new secretary to retired diplomat Sir Walter Vanbrugh. Upon arrival the two part ways, Elizabeth to her new job and Macdonald to his holiday.

While Macdonald is familiar with Vienna, he hasn’t been back in twenty-five years, and Vienna has been altered by its recent history.* On the second day of his holiday, Macdonald plays the tourist, becoming reacquainted with the city.

In the afternoon Macdonald strolled over to Schönbrunn Palace, to renew his acquaintance with the gardens and fountains: it was another lovely sunny day and the warm coloured stones of the palace looked almost golden in the October sunlight. (“Maria Theresa yellow,” the Austrians called that subtle gold of the masonry.)

It was while he was standing by the garden front of the palace, looking up at the arches and colonnade of the Gloriette on the rising ground to the south that he saw Elizabeth Le Vendre again. She also was looking at the Gloriette, and as she turned and saw Macdonald her quick smile flashed out. (42)

The exchanges between Macdonald and Elizabeth are sweet and he treats her kindly. I appreciated the respect he shows her, despite her being no more than twenty-one and looking “young as a schoolgirl” (42).  Macdonald recognises that because of the position she has been hired for and being fluent in German, she must have studied Modern Languages at Oxford and had secretarial training. 

After enjoying a coffee on the sunny terrace against the old stables, Macdonald and Dr. Natzler drop Elizabeth off at the Vanbrugh mansion. The next time we meet her is in a thunderstorm in heavy rain near an old gun-site overlooking Vienna. 

It was there that they found Elizabeth Le Vendre: she was lying at the foot of the steps, as though she had fallen down them. In the beam of the torch, her fair hair shone a little, as the runnels of rain-water shone: she lay face down in a pool of water and her light woollen coat lay in sodden folds on the saturated ground. (62)

It is quickly determined that she isn’t dead, only unconscious, but she has a bump on her head and having spent up to two hours in the pouring rain, she is “deadly cold” (63).

Macdonald looks at the scene through the eyes of a detective, and immediately entertains the possibility that the seemingly accidental fall down stairs in a thunderstorm was actually an attempted murder. But who would want to kill Elizabeth Le Vendre, a woman who only just arrived in Vienna a couple of days ago?

And so, Macdonald dismisses the idea. He is on holiday, after all. That is until Walsingham, a writer who has been staying with the Vanbrugh’s, is found lying dead in the middle of a road with tire tracks over him. As luck, or lack of, would have it, it’s Sir Walter Vanbrugh’s nephew, Anthony, who discovers the body after nearly running over it in the storm.

Before long, a call is put through to London, the appropriate strings are pulled, and Macdonald is saying so long to his holiday. 

This book has so many things going on that at times I found it difficult to remember who is who, and who was supposed to be where and at what time. However, I suspect this may have been a fault of my own, as I did get distracted a few times while I was reading this book. Even so, it would only take me a moment to get my bearings and be on my way again. The timeline became perfectly clear at the end, and I was applauding E.C.R. Lorac’s ability to keep so many plates spinning at once without dropping a single one.

Readers who have come across Macdonald before in E.C.R. Lorac’s forty-five other novels featuring Superintendent Robert Macdonald of the C.I.D. will get a kick out of Elizabeth telling him, “You ought to be a detective!” (42). If you fall under the category of readers who have not read any of the other Macdonald novels, not to worry, I fall into this group and I can assure you that Murder in Vienna reads like a standalone. 

With a climax set to the backdrop of moonrise over the Gloriette (LINK), from start to finish, this book uses the history, landscape, and atmosphere of Vienna to great effect. I think this book would be best enjoyed with at least rudimentary knowledge of Vienna, its rough geography, and a few points of interest. However, a general familiarity with London would do. On occasion one of the characters will compare some aspect of the Viennese setting to London, providing the reader with a frame of reference for what they are meant to be seeing.

Regarding the area near the old gun-site where Elizabeth is found, Dr. Natzler’s son observes:

‘I often thought of this place when I used to go for a walk on Hampstead Heath when we were in London during the war. The distances in London are much bigger, of course, but Hampstead Heath gives a view over London as these hills do over Vienna.’ (61-62)

And on another occasion Macdonald compares the Tiergarten (zoo) in the gardens of the Schönbrunn Palace to Regent’s Park, London.

As he stood in the darkness Macdonald could hear some of the animals calling in their cages: nocturnal animals to whom the night brought their time of greatest awareness. It was a bit like being in Regent's Park at night, where the call of lions and the howl of wolves mingled with the rumble of the London traffic. Here, as in London, there was a glow in the sky, a glow which had replaced the afterglow of the sunset. In the eastern sky, the myriad lights of Vienna were reflected up to the misty clouds, and Macdonald knew that when his eyes grew accustomed to the gloom, he would be able to see the open arches of the Gloriette up there on the hill, opposite the garden front of the palace. (214-15)

Lorac only used this technique of comparing Vienna to London in times when the setting was of particular import. From the places I noted, the differences between the two cities are commented on, as well as the similarities, which I think respects the individuality of both cities.

In this novel, there is a juxtaposition between the familiar and the unfamiliar. In the beginning, Macdonald watches through the plane’s window as the English coast slips away. “He had often seen all this before, but never wearied of it.” (1) From up in the air all is tranquil on that September morning. I think it was a purposeful choice that once Macdonald is out and about, exploring Vienna, it is a new month, October. The transition starts even before the plane touches down. “He had seen Vienna and the Danube long ago, from the heights of the Leopoldsberg and the Wienerwald, but there was a sense of drama in seeing it thus from the air—the river, the city, the plain.” (28) Macdonald is getting a new perspective, and that theme continues throughout this novel. 

This book marked two firsts for me. If I’ve read a book set in Vienna before now, I’ve long forgotten it. This is also my first foray into Edith Caroline Rivett’s writing. I would be keen to read more of the books she wrote under either of her pseudonyms, E.C.R. Lorac or Carol Carnac.

Thank you to British Library Publishing for kindly sending me a copy of Murder in Vienna for review. As always, all opinions on the book are my own.

*If you have no knowledge of Vienna’s history around this time, Martin Edwards touches on it in his thoughtful introduction to the British Library Crime Classics edition. I usually read introductions after I’ve read the book for fear of plot spoilers, but Martin Edwards’ introduction only discusses the first quarter of the book. He is careful not to reveal any plot points you would not already know from reading the back cover.

War Among Ladies by Eleanor Scott

Expectation is a powerful thing. It alters your perspective, often imperceptibly. If reality does not match up with the figment you created, it can take some getting used to. Reality might even feel a tad disappointing, if only at first. That, I am afraid to say, was my experience reading Eleanor Scott’s 1928 novel, War Among Ladies. 

I had heard this book described as a school story told from the perspective of the teachers. And while this sums up the novel accurately, it misleads one into thinking this is going to be a bit of fun. Sure, it’s called War Among Ladies, but there are always feuds in school stories, with lots of fun to be had in between the tiffs, with field hockey or lacrosse practice, girl guides meets, midnight feasts, etc. I expected to find much of the same in this book, only with teachers having misunderstandings and disagreements on teaching methods and whatnot, but, overall, having a lovely time. Boy, was I wrong! Thankfully, once I managed my expectations, I started to appreciate this book for what it is, which is a novel that is a whole lot smarter than the one I had envisioned.

Besley High School for girls works on a graduation system, which means that the failure of a student in one subject makes for a fail overall. When even Miss Cullen’s best student fails the public examination, the other teachers are out for blood. Because it is not just the girls of this school that are judged harshly. The future of the teachers and the school itself, is at risk, if the girls fail their end of year exams.

"Oh, I don't expect it's as bad as you think, you know," she said with her nervous half-laugh. "May I keep this just for to-night, Nellie? I have a collection of papers, and I should like to copy this out to add to it." Nellie handed it over, quite willingly, but without enthusiasm. Miss Cullen recognised the difference from her usual manner and sighed.

"Well, cheer up, girls. I'm sure you've all done better than you think," she said as she turned away.

But it was a lie, and she knew it was; and the girls knew it too, and she knew that they did. For the paper was a modern one, and Miss Cullen taught by the methods of thirty years ago. The collection of papers was a myth, too; she wanted time, time to study those conundrums that demanded original thought and not the reproduction of textbooks. Not that it mattered now. Nothing could help her. She had failed, and she knew it; and she also knew that, for her, failure meant—the end. (42)

Things go downhill from here for Miss Cullen. Because there is nothing to be done. There is no retraining plan in place for teachers to update their methods, and there is no option for most of these women to do anything besides teaching. Certainly not for Miss Cullen, who is so close to retirement, but not close enough to retire early as that would mean losing everything she has put into her pension. Getting another placement is not an option for many of the other teachers either. For what school will hire them if their last job was at a school so notorious for its poor performance it had to be closed?

It would have been good if I had read the back cover copy of this one before reading the book. It would certainly have set me straight on my whole “fun school story” expectation. The last line on the back cover of the newly republished edition best describes this novel, “This is a quietly devastating novel about the realities of life for single working women in the 1920s and the systems that failed them”.

The devastation may be quiet, but it is all but relentless. It was the relentlessness of this book that made it a difficult read for me. I don’t intend that to be a criticism. Although, it does sound like one. What I mean is that it is hard to be in the mood to read about someone who has reached the end of the line and is out of options. You cannot really hold it against them when they are willing to do what they have to to ensure their own survival, but it does not exactly endear them to you either.

Miss Cullen’s colleagues go to the Head to request her dismissal and Miss Cullen feels as thought it is only a matter of time before she is asked to leave. So she writes a letter to the school inspector. 

She signed it with a distinct feeling of pleasure. It was, she told herself, true—true in every word. No one could deny what she had written. All she wanted was justice, impartial justice, and that she would never get, either from her colleagues or the Head... And she liked the tone of the letter, it seemed to her to be both independent and courteous, warm and yet restrained.

She felt a glow of triumph, almost of virtue, as she dropped that epistle, heavy with the fate of the school, into a pillar-box. (116)

It is difficult to feel that an injustice is really being done to Miss Cullen. Her students are doing abysmally in her subject. Still, I found myself feeling very sorry for her, as does one of her fellow teachers. Viola Kennedy, who is in her first year of teaching, approaches the start of school with all of the naive optimism that one would expect of someone who is eager to educate and inspire their students. However, before too long teaching, and all the profession entails, begins to wear on her. Her head is a sea of questions concerning things she has no control over.

Like most of her profession, Viola was fast losing her sense of humour and proportion. She felt that these questions filled the whole horizon, so that nothing else, no question of State or religion or personal relationship or anything whatever, was of the smallest importance in comparison. […] Suddenly she realised, for one sickening second, the tortures that a bad disciplinarian (Miss Cullen, for instance) must feel when she dreads, not for an instant, but for hours every day, the coming of a new day. ... How perfectly horrible. ... (153)

Viola Kennedy and Miss Cullen are in contrast to each other. For one, as Simon Thomas points out in the Afterword, Viola is never diminished to “Miss”. She retains her first name throughout the book. Viola, who is young and is just starting out in teaching, still has options. One of her fellow teachers recommends that she get out, before teaching has left its mark on her, and while she still has the option to marry, and, as we might imagine, before Viola's identity has been completely overshadowed by "Miss Kennedy" and she is Viola no longer. In comparison, we are lead to believe that Miss Cullen, even as a young woman, never had the option of marriage, or a life outside of teaching.

Still, this book is not without glimmers of light, and my favourites are those moments of optimism that Viola finds while in the natural world.

Viola felt that touch of excitement that the romantic young often know with the coming of misty evenings—that sense of adventure, of suspense almost, of a dream coming true, as if something were suddenly to be revealed....

She turned into the wet grass. How still it was in the hushed, dewy field, shrouded in the autumn mist. How remote it was from the lights and sounds of the town. How real, how true, it was in its chill aloof silence. She stood and listened to her own hushed breathing. Softly, like a magic bell, the church clock sounded. It was like the prelude to adventure. ... 

With a sigh she realised that that note of enchantment was no more than a call back to the world of duty. She walked on up to the school. (180)

Viola is able to find some respite in nature, and contemplate the possibilities of her future, because she is of the “romantic young” who still have adventures and dreams within their grasp. While at the end of this quotation, Viola is brought back to the “world of duty” by the church bell reminding her of the time, there is the suggestion that she could travel along the line of wherever those tantalising asterisks are headed, instead of answering the call to go back to school.

It is these glimpses of future possibilities for Viola that kept me reading, despite how much Miss Cullen’s narrowing future was causing me worry. 

I am so thankful I pushed through my discomfort! This book provided a perspective of what teaching was like for women in 1920s that I had not been exposed to before. The throughly researched Afterword provides a helpful explanation of the systems women would have been up against at this point in history.

Thank you to British Library Publishing for kindly sending me a copy of War Among Ladies for review. As always, all opinions on the book are my own.