Mutt Cafe

Foreign Bodies A British Library Crime Classic by ed. by Martin Edwards Poisoned Pen Press Historical Fiction , Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 06 Mar 2018 Review Foreign Bodies is a delectable treat for those who enjoy classic mysteries. This assortment of stories, many never before published in English, demonstrate just how universal the love of a good puzzle is. At the same time that appreciation of crime fiction was in its heyday in the English speaking world, it was r

Quick Curtain British Library Crime Classics by Alan Melville Poisoned Pen Press Pub Date 05 Dec 2017 Review Alan Melville did not spend much of his life writing mysteries, but those he did are clever and fun - albeit a not particularly accurate representation of police procedure. His books have an element of showmanship and his detectives, albeit earnest and determined are not geniuses. Melville’s subtle humor and dry wit is clear with each turned page. He leaves compl

Death of Anton British Library Crime Classics by Alan Melville Poisoned Pen Press Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 05 Dec 2017 Review Alan Melville takes the readers under the big top in Death of Anton. In the world of acrobats, clowns and daredevil trainers, Carey’s Circus is uniquely successful. In fact their arrival in town is deceptively lacking the bang and flash of a traditional carnival. Deception is one of the main themes throughout as Inspector Minto struggles to

Death of a Busybody A British Library Crime Classic by George Bellairs Poisoned Pen Press Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 05 Sep 2017 Review Death of a Busybody is deliciously fun to read. It is a mystery that delights readers with an assortment of colorful village residents. Bellairs’ characters leap from the page, making it impossible for even the most serious of readers to hide their grins and chortles. It's clear that Bellairs has an eye for both the nuances of human

The Dead Shall be Raised and The Murder of a Quack A British Library Crime Classic by George Bellairs Poisoned Pen Press Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 03 Oct 2017 Review George Bellairs is often forgotten, but his career as a mystery writer was long and moderately successful. Like his lead, Detective Inspector Littlejohn, Bellairs was a man content with his craft with a skill founded on observation of human nature. Detective Inspector Littlejohn does not have the Herculea

Continental Crimes A British Library Crime Classic by ed. by Martin Edwards Poisoned Pen Press Historical Fiction , Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 01 Aug 2017 Review Continental Crimes is a panacea of intrigue, offering readers a variety of lesser known stories from mystery greats both famous and forgotten. The machinations of thieves, con artists and murderers are pitted against detectives both professional and amateur. What all have in common is their European setting -

The Incredible Crime A British Library Crime Classic by Lois Austen-Leigh Poisoned Pen Press Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 04 July 2017 Review The Incredible Crime was the first of Poisoned Pen Press's British Library Crime Classic that disappointed me. My decision wasn’t influenced by comparing Lois Austen-Leigh to her illustrious relative. Instead it was the convoluted path the mystery took in combination with the bizarre insta-love that the heroine falls into with the Prof

Family Matters A British Library Crime Classic by Anthony Rolls Poisoned Pen Press Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 02 May 2017 Review Family Matters is a delicious black comedy. It is a pleasure to see it back in print. Despite being originally released in 1933, the novel is in no way out of date. Robert Arthur Kewdingham is a horrible man. He is a lazy, rude, self-absorbed, pompous, and quarrelsome hypochondriac. He is such a fool that you don’t know whether to hate him or

Crimson Snow A British Library Crime Classic by Martin Edwards Poisoned Pen Press Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 03 Jan 2017 Review Crimson Snow is an exemplary collection of tales from both well known authors and less familiar hidden gems. Poisoned Pen Press does an excellent job of gathering an assortment of thrilling and unusual tales, and Martin Edwards, as always, provides fascinating introductory material before each story. Don’t be deceived. While this excellent antho

The Female Detective A British Library Crime Classic by Andrew Forrester Poisoned Pen Press Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 02 Aug 2016 Review The Female Detective stands out because it is literally the first novel published that features a woman who is a professional detective, as opposed to an amateur. Her identity is obscured, as are the reasons she chose her profession. All readers are given is one of her aliases, Miss Gladden or “G”. Despite being written by a man, The F