The Agony Column

Biggers is, of course, famous as the creator of detective Charlie Chan. I have had an omnibus volume of those stories on my shelf for at least 20 years and never read it. Not out of any political correctness; I watched all the movies long ago when they used to show them in the middle of the night on WTBS or maybe it was WGN or WOR. Even the Roland Young ones.

In any case, I downloaded this a few days ago and it was short, so I plunged right in. It is a marvelous story. Taking place on the eve of World War I in London, it tells the story of an unusual courtship of a young man for a woman he sees at breakfast. Noticing she is also a fan of the personal ads (i.e., the agony column) in the Daily Mail, he places one himself to see if he can show more make her acquaintance. And from that, things take off into a whirlwind of mystery and suspense that is very well done indeed. This is one of those stories that is a pleasure from beginning to end. I won't give away any plot details; let me just say that Saki's comment that "romance at short notice" was one of his character's specialty.

Highly highly recommended. show less

The Agony Column is a perfect brew of mystery and romance of the very old-fashioned variety. Perhaps no one other than M.M. Kaye blended these two elements as well as Earl Derr Biggers. Forever remembered for his creation of Charlie Chan, the great detective from Hawaii, many of Biggers' other novels and novellas are just as enjoyable. Such is the case here, in this short but satisfying story.

Written in 1916, the Great War very much plays a part in this tale of love, murder and spies. When a young woman catches the eye and heart of a young American in London, his only chance may be a bit of impropriety called "The Daily."

The personal Geoffrey West writes catches the attention of the girl in question, and in spite of some misgivings, she show more agrees to read his personal correspondence. Her growing affection turns to dread and worry, however, as her heart is plunged deep into the plight of this young man desperately trying to prove his innocence after a murder occurs, and the possibility of it involving spies during wartime is broached.

There is excitement and peril of the old-fashioned variety as the tale is told by the young Geoffrey. He seeks the love of this young woman, knowing he may never get to meet her in person, unless he can clear himself. She, on the other hand, is frantic she will have to return by ship with her father, a Texas politician, before she discovers what has become of her young, romantic suitor.

Biggers throws in a startling surprise to keep readers on their toes. They too will hang on every word written in the Agony Column to discover the outcome. The ending of the mystery is both satisfying and quite romantic in an old-fashioned way.

Much different in style and tone than today's mysteries, "The Agony Column" has more in common with the early British films of Hitchcock than anything else. If you are fond of the romantic style of Biggers so evident in the first Charlie Chan novels, it's worth reading this mystery novella, which can be found on Kindle for Free, or a minimal amount. Too old-fashioned for some "modern" reading tastes, but a refreshing change of pace for those who prefer classic mystery and old-fashioned romance. show less

Not a complete waste of time, but the closest thing to it. I usually like EDB but this was empty air. A guy sees a girl he likes so he tells her a story about his involvement in a murder investigation. Then at the end he admits it's a pack of lies. He did it because he'd do anything to get her attention. Boy, what a prize. "I love you so much I'll lie to get you." Now there's a man you can trust. But she's so empty headed she probably deserves him. There's only one mystery in the story: somehow he manages to get hold of a baked potato while aboard ship. How? He whispers the solution to the girl's father, but we never learn how it was done. That is the only thing that interested me.

The author was most famous for writing the Charlie Chan mysteries. This wasn't a Chan mystery, but a mystery, nonetheless. The novella follows Geoffrey West, an American living in London, who becomes involved in a mystery and romance through the newspaper's "agony column" (personal advertisements) on the eve of WWI. Great story and invocation of time and place. 75 pages

This is not a Charlie Chan mystery. It is a romantic mystery, quite thrilling actually, set at the onset of WW I. And here I should add that while most definitions for the genre of historical fiction indicate that the time period needs to be, at least, before the writer was born. However, for the purposes of my challenge - historical is anytime before WW II.

The agony column was what we might call the 'personals' and through the use of the column our young man 1) communicates with the young woman he has fallen for after seeing her in a restaurant and 2) relates to her the story and solving of a murder. Excellent twist(s) at the end. I totally enjoyed this short novel.

What a wonderful story! Biggers, the creator of Charlie Chan, set this short novel in London just as The Great War is being declared. The protagonist uses the "agony column", a newspaper personal column, to communicate with a young woman he'd like to know better. This is a page turner with an amazing twist at the end. Highly recommended.

Set in the days preceding England's entry into WWI, the story is of a young woman on vacation in London, with her father, who is caught up in the personal ads know as the agony column. She befriends an American, through the agony column, who writes her several letters over the course of seven days. The content of the letters is the mystery that this American is caught up in, and as told by him, and the core of the book, and the reason to read this book.