Resorting to Murder: Holiday Mysteries

Insightful introductions by Martin Edwards guide readers through this collection of fourteen short stories written by some of the most popular crime fiction writers in England's golden age of mysteries (1910-1953). The theme of detectives on holiday provides the framework of the collection, and the stories take place in many vacation spots throughout the United Kingdom, France and Switzerland.

Of the fourteen authors, I was familiar with only three: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Arnold Bennett, and G.K. Chesterton.

One thing I remembered as I read each story was that, during this time, crime fiction was in its purest form. If something did not advance the story, the writer did not include it. If you're a fan of more contemporary crime fiction show more in which in-depth characterization and the story's setting usually take on very important roles, this collection may not be for you. But if you're interested in reading the work of other crime fiction authors besides Agatha Christie who were popular and have fallen into (sometimes undeserved) obscurity, Resorting to Murder is right up your alley.

Of all the stories in this book, I enjoyed the ones by the two women most: "A Posteriori" by Helen Simpson, and "Where Is Mr. Manetot?" by Phyllis Bentley, due to their plots and for Helen Simpson's sense of humor. I also enjoyed the feeling of slipping back into the past to read the popular fiction of the day.

I applaud the British Library Crime Classics series and its US publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for bringing these writers and their works back to the reading public. show less

The juxtapositions of holiday towns and trips with murders and disappearances was unique and the book kicks off with a Sherlock Holmes mystery so, really, how could it go wrong?! Edwards did a great job digging up some rare finds to pair with the better known authors. Out of 14 stories, I really enjoyed 11 of them and plan to search out some other works from a few of the lesser-knowns.

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I didn't like this as much as [b:Capital Crimes: London Mysteries: A British Library Crime Classic|25238476|Capital Crimes London Mysteries A British Library Crime Classic|Martin Edwards|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427583888s/25238476.jpg|44957318] in the same series because I didn't really find any of the stories exceptional (except for the Sherlock Holmes story The Devil's Foot which opens the collection, but that feels kind of cheating) and some dragged quite a bit but I still enjoyed this trawl through the short stories of the Golden Age. Again the very short intros to each story are interesting and appreciated.

For ones I'll mention for having some particularly interesting feature:-
Murder! by Arnold Bennett: The story is told show more from the murderer's perspective and it's not amazing but the ending has a really nice twist The police believe it's a murder but the amateur detective comes in and "proves" it was actually a suicide, remarking on the police's stupidity, allowing the murderer to get away with it

"Dr Austin Bond, having for the nth time satisfactorily demonstrated in his own unique, rapid way that police officer were a set of numskulls, bade the superintendent a most courteous good-evening, nodded amicably to the detective-sergeant, and left in triumph"
A Posteriori by Helen Simpson: A part humorous take on the sensibilities of middle class women of the period travelling abroad and unravelled by their own self-importance. Also the title is a ridiculous pun Not really a mystery but I liked it.
Cousin Once Removed by Michael Gilbert: A very short one but well written and the ending is a very satisfying take on "crime doesn't pay"
The Vanishing of Mrs Fraser by Basil Thomson: Not especially stand out but notable because it follows the storyline of what's now an urban legend the vanishing from a hotel room where the staff say she was never there one. Contains some fun playing around with the amateur detective/police relationship stuff.

Of the ones I didn't like much I'll note that the Chesterton tale is very typical of him - a heavy handed "atheists are bad!! science means nothing without faith" type thing. It's about as well executed as such a thing can be but it made me roll my eyes a bit. A Mystery of the Sand Hills wasn't bad but very strong on the "long explicit descriptions of deductions" type thing. It was hard to follow and drew me out of the story a lot. The rest were generally enjoyable although not particularly exciting. You'll probably like it if you're into golden age mystery stuff. show less

Very pleasant diversions; best consumed as one would deserts: one at a time, after some more nourishing fodder.

A delightful collection of fourteen vacation-themed classic crime stories by British authors. Not every author in the collection will be familiar, but there are useful author introductions before each story. "A Posteriori" by Helen Simpson is my favorite of the collection, as are stories by G.K. Chesterton and Phyllis Bentley. Well worth a read for classic mystery fans and for those who want a sampler of some fine British authors.

Note: this review is based on an ARC received from the publisher

Another thoroughly enjoyable series of 14 British Library Crime Classics. All short stories with some sort of crime involved and set in a whole selection of diverse places. As it says in the title there is an element of holiday mystery in each story. All from the 'golden age of British crime fiction' which seems to be before WW2. As ever Martin Edwards writes an intro and brief biographical details on each writer

These mysteries are set in popular European vacation spots in the early 1900s. Editor Edwards chose 14 lesser known stories by British crime writers tied loosely together by amateur detectives as the main character. The wide range of plots, criminals and settings may have readers using the short introductions to decide which stories to read first. Arthur Conan Doyle and G. K. Chesterton are two of the most well known authors included in this anthology.