Classic crime novels

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, March 2020; written by Lisa Pearson.

This is the perfect time of year for a good, old-fashioned murder: a locked-room, arsenic-in-the-fish paste, too-many-suspects kind of mystery. Agatha Christie is the queen of these kinds of stories, but as prolific a writer as she was there are only so many of her detective novels available. Modern writers tend to lean more towards gruesome violence, serial killers, twisted sexual motives, and other unpleasantness. So what’s a gentle reader to do?

Fortunately, Poisoned Pen Press and the British Library have come to our rescue with a series of classic mysteries re-issued with covers adapted from period travel posters. Originally published during the 1930’s, 40’s, and 50’s, these stories feature clever plots and charming British settings with a dearth of sex and strong language. You can feel sure you won’t be getting any nasty surprises with these books.

However, since there is more than one author represented in the series, you never know what you’re going to get in terms of writing. Some of the authors prefer action, espionage, and humor, while others dwell on police procedure, courtroom proceedings and railway timetables. Their protagonists are always new characters to become acquainted with, rather than the familiar faces of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Most of the authors came to detective fiction later in life, after such careers as accountant, railway engineer, archaeologist, lawyer, and Unitarian minister. Writing for them was a creative outlet, and in many of the stories you can see their professional expertise emerge in the details of the case.

Two of our newest acquisitions in this series are “The Dumb River” by George Bellairs and “Death Has Deep Roots” by Michael Gilbert. Bellairs’ book features a Scotland Yard detective sent up to East Anglia to work with the local police during a flood emergency. The murdered man was running a hoopla stall at the local fair, but was originally from Yorkshire. And it is in Yorkshire that Superintendent Littlejohn finds the answers. (Hoopla is the British version of ring-toss, according to Google).

Gilbert’s book is a cross between a courtroom drama (Rumpole of the Bailey) and post-war thriller (The Third Man). A Frenchwoman who settled in London after the war is accused of murdering a British officer she met while working for the Resistance. Her defense lawyers are positive she is innocent, and launch their own investigation to solve the case.

Gilbert also wrote “Smallbone deceased: a London mystery”, which is one of my favorite books in the British Library Crime Classics series. It’s centered around a law office (Gilbert himself was a solicitor), and has a great deal of understated humor. And it has a diagram of the crime scene; I love diagrams in my mystery novels! “Quick Curtain” by Alan Melville is another mystery that is also funny. This story is set backstage in a London theater and features a cast of suitably eccentric actors. Melville was a playwright and broadcaster, and his inside knowledge of the industry comes through in his writing.

The Golden Age of American detective fiction is also receiving new attention. Penzler Publishers is issuing an American Mystery Classics series, of which we currently have 5 titles on the shelf. Two of the newest are ‘The Red Lamp” by Mary Roberts Rinehart and “The Case of the Curious Kitten” by Erle Stanley Gardner. The curious kitten mystery features Perry Mason, a lawyer brought to life on television by Raymond Burr. Gardner’s original Perry Mason seems more dashing and flippant than Burr’s steady performance (or maybe it was just the suit that made him seem so serious).

Ellery Queen, John Dickson Carr, and Stuart Palmer are the other authors represented in this series. The action usually takes place in New York or California, with the exception of John Dickson Carr’s novel “The Crooked Hinge” which is set in London. It features an English ex-pat who returns after years spent in imposed exile in America to claim his inheritance. But is he really who he says he is? The case is solved by Dr. Gideon Fell, who was the hero of 23 mystery novels written by Carr.

So if you’re looking for a nice murder mystery where the motive is usually about money, mentions of sex are limited to women who “got themselves in trouble” (a discussion point for another time), and the victim is such an unpleasant person that you know their days are numbered and the suspects will be many, then I suggest picking up a classic.

And if you’re searching for a way to keep the kids busy in between reading sessions, we have family events scheduled for every day from Monday through Saturday of Spring Break. Check out our calendar online at ketchikanpubliclibrary.org, or look for us on Facebook.