William Fryer Harvey (1885–1937)

First sentence: When at two o'clock on a sultry July afternoon Athelstan Digby undertook to keep an eye on the contents of the old bookshop in Keldstone High Street, he deliberately forgot to mind his own business.

Premise/plot: This one is a vintage mystery from the 1930s. Athelstan Digby, one of our protagonists, is on holiday. He's temporarily minding a bookshop--while the owners are away for a day (possibly one day and one night). He has THREE people come in and all ask for the same show more book--The Life and Death of Mr. Badman by John Bunyan. He finds this strange, strange, super-strange. Events in the small village soon reflect this, Athelstan and his nephew, Jim, soon find themselves amateur detectives trying to solve multiple crimes--including murder.

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. It reminded me of all the reasons I love vintage mysteries, particularly British mysteries. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. I loved the bookish plot. I loved finding a new-to-me author. Definitely recommended. show less

A British mystery novel about rare books and murder in a small town between the wars. Is it a case of bibliophile competition to acquire a scarce classic, or is there some other reason that three visitors to the book shop inquire about the same item? In a country that loves cozy mysteries and book shops, one can easily imagine additional stories in such a setting, and indeed there are some. One in the same series of British Library Crime Classics is Death of a Bookseller, by Bernard J. show more Farmer, originally published in 1956. There are certainly some similarities between the books, but both are enjoyable.

Fryer's protagonist, Mr. Athelstan Digby, is a plain and proper, fastidious man who attends meetings of the British and Colonial Bible Society and is comfortable in the company of country vicars and booksellers. When one of the people inquiring after this book dies of a gunshot wound, Digby is not satisfied with the inquest's verdict of suicide, and being a resourceful person, begins making inquiries of his own.

The plot is satisfying, the writing not entirely so. The author introduces enough characters that one longs for a Dramatis Personae to aid in identifying them. He refers, untidily at times, to characters by first name, last name, occupation, or relationship, often on the same page. One person who is a possible suspect is described, when we first meet him, as of medium height, but later as rather tall. And I find it hard to believe the ease with which Digby and his companions suddenly become accomplished actors, making up stories to successfully get complete strangers to divulge crucial facts.

Despite these small reservations this has so far been an enjoyable read. I would not necessarily recommend it to everybody, but those who enjoy cozy mysteries should consider taking a look. show less

A classic traditional English horror tale from 1928 that bears the burden of time and was made into film in 1946 (not entirely consonant with the original story) with the inimitable Peter Lorre in the leading role.

The basic concept (a disembodied hand with a mind of its own) is, of course, more risible in the twenty-first century than it might have been in the late 1920s when spiritualism was still very real to many and Buddhist reincarnation might give some semblance of show more possibility.

Nevertheless, with a suspension of disbelief and the ability to throw oneself back a century to another era, it provides an atmospheric chill and is well written for what it is. show less

A very silly book that begins with an amateur messing up a crime scene. The usual being taken in by phony letters/telegrams. Utter nonsense. The best thing about it is the use of a split infinitive as a plot point.