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cimorene1558's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable collection. A few of these I've read before, and some I've never even heard of the author, but I enjoyed pretty much all of them.
tombomp's review against another edition
3.0
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 from the murderer's perspective and it's not amazing but the ending has a really nice twist
"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. 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. 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.
For ones I'll mention for having some particularly interesting feature:-
Murder! by Arnold Bennett: The story is told from the murderer's perspective and it's not amazing but the ending has a really nice twist
Spoiler
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.
Spoiler
Also the title is a ridiculous punCousin 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
Spoiler
the vanishing from a hotel room where the staff say she was never there oneOf 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.
awin82's review against another edition
5.0
This is a very solid collection of stories and a genre I really enjoy.
fictionfan's review against another edition
4.0
Trains and boats and planes... 3½ stars
Another in the British Library Crime Classics series, this works well as a companion piece to Martin Edward's other recent anthology, Capital Crimes: London Mysteries. As the title suggests, Resorting to Murder is a collection of classic crime stories set in holiday destinations. While a lot of them are set in and around Britain, several others take us abroad, mainly to Europe with the Swiss mountains featuring more than once (well, a good place to make a murder look like an accident, eh?). In his introduction, Edwards suggests that holiday settings were popular with authors since the novelty of the location allowed them to concentrate a bit less on creating strong plots. The stories are in rough chronological order, as in Capital Crimes, again allowing us to see the progression of the mystery story.
There are a few well known names in here – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventure of the Devil's Foot is the first story and GK Chesterton appears with a non-Father Brown story. But there also many whom I didn't recognise at all or only knew because they had also appeared in Capital Crimes.
Here are a few of the stories that stood out for me...
The Finger of Stone by GK Chesterton – I admit that the Father Brown stories have never appealed much to me, so it was refreshing to read something different from Chesterton. This one centres on the creation versus evolution debate when a scientist who has 'proved' that the Biblical timetable can't be correct disappears. It's a bit silly, especially the twist ending, but fun and well written.
Holiday Task by Leo Bruce – this is a great example of a howdunit. A newly appointed prison governor is killed when he apparently drives his car off a cliff. But was it murder? And if it was, how was it done? The solution is clever and I kicked myself for not being able to work it out. As Holmes often remarked, it's all so easy once you know how...
The Hazel Ice by HC Bailey – I enjoyed Bailey's contribution in Classic Crimes and liked this one just as much. Reggie Fisher is again the amateur detective, this time in a story involving a man who is missing after an accident in the mountains. Edwards puts Bailey's decline from the public eye down to his quirky writing style, but I find it entertaining. It's terribly upper-class 1920/30s style – Fisher doesn't wear a monocle but one feels he should. A cross between Lord Peter Wimsey and PG Wodehouse, though admittedly not quite as well written as either. But fun.
A Posteriori by Helen Simpson – A short and strictly humorous story centring on the dangers of ladies travelling alone and being forced to make use of... ahem... public conveniences. Made me chuckle.
The House of Screams by Gerald Findler – a great little horror/crime story about a man renting a haunted house. Are the screams that he hears in the middle of the night the ghost of a previous tenant? I'd have loved to read more of Findler's work, but Edwards tells us that he only published one other story.
In truth, I thought this collection was quite a bit weaker than the London stories. Perhaps it's the locations – London has always been such a great setting for crime fiction – or perhaps Edwards' point about plotting is at the root of it, but on the whole I found many of these stories pretty obvious and not overly original or atmospheric, and often without much sense of place despite the interesting locations. There is some crossover of authors between the two collections, but there are also several in this who don't appear in the other volume, and I felt one or two had been included for their curiosity value more than for the intrinsic quality of the stories. As usual in any collection, though, the quality is variable and there are enough good stories to outweigh the weaker ones overall, meaning this is still an enjoyable read. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, who publish the Kindle version. The paper version is part of the British Library’s Crime Classics series.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Another in the British Library Crime Classics series, this works well as a companion piece to Martin Edward's other recent anthology, Capital Crimes: London Mysteries. As the title suggests, Resorting to Murder is a collection of classic crime stories set in holiday destinations. While a lot of them are set in and around Britain, several others take us abroad, mainly to Europe with the Swiss mountains featuring more than once (well, a good place to make a murder look like an accident, eh?). In his introduction, Edwards suggests that holiday settings were popular with authors since the novelty of the location allowed them to concentrate a bit less on creating strong plots. The stories are in rough chronological order, as in Capital Crimes, again allowing us to see the progression of the mystery story.
There are a few well known names in here – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventure of the Devil's Foot is the first story and GK Chesterton appears with a non-Father Brown story. But there also many whom I didn't recognise at all or only knew because they had also appeared in Capital Crimes.
Here are a few of the stories that stood out for me...
The Finger of Stone by GK Chesterton – I admit that the Father Brown stories have never appealed much to me, so it was refreshing to read something different from Chesterton. This one centres on the creation versus evolution debate when a scientist who has 'proved' that the Biblical timetable can't be correct disappears. It's a bit silly, especially the twist ending, but fun and well written.
Holiday Task by Leo Bruce – this is a great example of a howdunit. A newly appointed prison governor is killed when he apparently drives his car off a cliff. But was it murder? And if it was, how was it done? The solution is clever and I kicked myself for not being able to work it out. As Holmes often remarked, it's all so easy once you know how...
The Hazel Ice by HC Bailey – I enjoyed Bailey's contribution in Classic Crimes and liked this one just as much. Reggie Fisher is again the amateur detective, this time in a story involving a man who is missing after an accident in the mountains. Edwards puts Bailey's decline from the public eye down to his quirky writing style, but I find it entertaining. It's terribly upper-class 1920/30s style – Fisher doesn't wear a monocle but one feels he should. A cross between Lord Peter Wimsey and PG Wodehouse, though admittedly not quite as well written as either. But fun.
A Posteriori by Helen Simpson – A short and strictly humorous story centring on the dangers of ladies travelling alone and being forced to make use of... ahem... public conveniences. Made me chuckle.
The House of Screams by Gerald Findler – a great little horror/crime story about a man renting a haunted house. Are the screams that he hears in the middle of the night the ghost of a previous tenant? I'd have loved to read more of Findler's work, but Edwards tells us that he only published one other story.
In truth, I thought this collection was quite a bit weaker than the London stories. Perhaps it's the locations – London has always been such a great setting for crime fiction – or perhaps Edwards' point about plotting is at the root of it, but on the whole I found many of these stories pretty obvious and not overly original or atmospheric, and often without much sense of place despite the interesting locations. There is some crossover of authors between the two collections, but there are also several in this who don't appear in the other volume, and I felt one or two had been included for their curiosity value more than for the intrinsic quality of the stories. As usual in any collection, though, the quality is variable and there are enough good stories to outweigh the weaker ones overall, meaning this is still an enjoyable read. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, who publish the Kindle version. The paper version is part of the British Library’s Crime Classics series.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
jbleyle63's review against another edition
4.0
The European holiday (vacation for us Yanks) settings for this collection of short stories include the British and Mediterranean coasts, the Alps, and pastoral English countryside. The first half of the book is buttressed by two famous names: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of Devil's Foot"--a lesser known selection from the Sherlock canon--and G.K. Chesterton's "The Finger of Stone"--a story inspired by a walking tour of southern France which does not feature Father Brown. The second half of the book illuminates some great stories from authors whose works have mostly gone out of print. My favorite find from this volume is Helen Simpson's "A Posteriori", an absolute gem of dry wit. Though a few of the stories prove forgettable, Martin Edwards' scholarly prefaces to each story always interest me. Another well presented volume in the British Library Crime Classics series!
softrosemint's review against another edition
3.0
mostly my thoughts can be summarised with: it was good for passing the time and i am sure will make a lot of crime fiction fans happy. personally, i wish i had read it why on vacation myself but alas, it is the end of a work week in october.
favourite stories: "the adventure of the devil's foot" by arthur conan doyle*, "the murder of the golf links" by m. mcdonnell bodkin, "the finger of stone" by g.k. chesterton, "the vanishing of mrs fraser" by basil thomson*, "the hazel ice" by h.c. bailey, "razor edge" by anthony berkley*, "where is mr manetot?" by phyllis bentley*, "the house of screams by gerald findler*
(stories marked with an * i enjoyed entirely; the remainder had a strong element that made them stand out but nearly did not make the list)
favourite stories: "the adventure of the devil's foot" by arthur conan doyle*, "the murder of the golf links" by m. mcdonnell bodkin, "the finger of stone" by g.k. chesterton, "the vanishing of mrs fraser" by basil thomson*, "the hazel ice" by h.c. bailey, "razor edge" by anthony berkley*, "where is mr manetot?" by phyllis bentley*, "the house of screams by gerald findler*
(stories marked with an * i enjoyed entirely; the remainder had a strong element that made them stand out but nearly did not make the list)
vsbedford's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley for an open and honest review.
It is rare to find a Golden Age anthology in which the majority of the short stories have not been published, multiple times, in other sources. I was delighted to find that this collection was completely fresh, to me, and full of lovely surprises; the humor of Helen Simpson's A Posteriori was an especial treat. Highly recommended for all lovers of British mysteries, particularly if planning a holiday!
It is rare to find a Golden Age anthology in which the majority of the short stories have not been published, multiple times, in other sources. I was delighted to find that this collection was completely fresh, to me, and full of lovely surprises; the humor of Helen Simpson's A Posteriori was an especial treat. Highly recommended for all lovers of British mysteries, particularly if planning a holiday!
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
4.0
Resorting to Murder is one of those books that call the name of the dedicated vintage mystery reader when she walks into the library. At least...the name of this dedicated vintage mystery reader. Martin Edwards and British Library Crime Classics--with the help of the Poisoned Pen Press here in the States--have been steadily re-introducing classic crime novels and short stories to a modern readership. For those of us who already know and love the Golden Age of detective stories, this is an incredible bonanza--a chance for some of us who haven't a fortune to spend on ABE books or Ebay to get our hands on original editions to read the work of authors whose names we've heard/seen.
This is a collection of such short stories. A collection with a holiday theme--holiday in the British sense, referring to a vacation of sorts rather than Christmas or Halloween. The authors take us to seaside resorts and French hotels, on walking tours and mountain-climbing trips. We enjoy stories by well-known authors like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, G. K. Chesterton and Anthony Berkeley, but also sample the work of Phyllis Bentley, Helen Simpson, and M. McDonnell Bodkin and others. We see murderers polish off their victims through drowning and climbing accidents and disappearances down boggy holes. There are houses that scream and a prison governor who is mysteriously transported from the prison grounds to the wreckage of his car at the bottom of a cliff.
Of course, murder may not be everyone's idea of the perfect holiday get-away, but a good murder or two (or fourteen--which just happens to be the number in this collection) with a classic detective to ferret out the clues and resolve the mystery is just the kind of vacation I like. This is a grand group of stories with puzzles to keep the armchair traveler absorbed and entertained.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
This is a collection of such short stories. A collection with a holiday theme--holiday in the British sense, referring to a vacation of sorts rather than Christmas or Halloween. The authors take us to seaside resorts and French hotels, on walking tours and mountain-climbing trips. We enjoy stories by well-known authors like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, G. K. Chesterton and Anthony Berkeley, but also sample the work of Phyllis Bentley, Helen Simpson, and M. McDonnell Bodkin and others. We see murderers polish off their victims through drowning and climbing accidents and disappearances down boggy holes. There are houses that scream and a prison governor who is mysteriously transported from the prison grounds to the wreckage of his car at the bottom of a cliff.
Of course, murder may not be everyone's idea of the perfect holiday get-away, but a good murder or two (or fourteen--which just happens to be the number in this collection) with a classic detective to ferret out the clues and resolve the mystery is just the kind of vacation I like. This is a grand group of stories with puzzles to keep the armchair traveler absorbed and entertained.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
verityw's review against another edition
4.0
A mixed bag of stories set on holiday or at resorts. Some familiar names among the authors too.
cmbohn's review against another edition
4.0
I kept seeing this book recommended to me by Goodreads and Amazon, so when I found a copy at the library I snatched it up. This is part of the British Library Crime Classics series, which includes reprints of some forgotten gems by popular writers of the 20th century. This book contains a collection of short stories all centered on the holiday or vacation setting. We've got stories at the seaside, in lonely country cottages, and in Alpine snow chalets. Some of them feature sleuths that readers might recognize from other books, like Dr. Thorndyke, Reggie Fortune, John Dollar, and of course, Sherlock Holmes.
The Holmes story, "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot," was the only story I had read before, and frankly, it's not his best. All of the other stories were new to me. While I had my favorites, there really wasn't a bad story in the whole collection. That is so rare! "The Hazel Ice" by H C Bailey and "Cousin Once Removed" by Michael Gilbert were my favorite. I also found some new authors, The funniest story was by Helen Simpson, "A Posteriori." It's worth hunting this collection down for that story alone! I was surprised not to see Agatha Christie in here, but I'm kind of glad they stuck to unknowns.
The Holmes story, "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot," was the only story I had read before, and frankly, it's not his best. All of the other stories were new to me. While I had my favorites, there really wasn't a bad story in the whole collection. That is so rare! "The Hazel Ice" by H C Bailey and "Cousin Once Removed" by Michael Gilbert were my favorite. I also found some new authors, The funniest story was by Helen Simpson, "A Posteriori." It's worth hunting this collection down for that story alone! I was surprised not to see Agatha Christie in here, but I'm kind of glad they stuck to unknowns.