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bhall237's review against another edition
2.0
“Detection by Gaslight demonstrates how varied the short mystery (and especially its hero or heroine) could be. For example, Catherine
L. Pirkis, George R. Sims, and others invented women detectives.
Others introduced clerical sleuths, most notably Silas K. Hocking's Latimer Field and G. K. Chesterton's Father Brown. Writers of the highest talent-such as Rudyard Kipling-were attracted to the form, as were authors whose talents were minimal-for example Headon Hill, one of whose few notable tales is included in this book. The form could be stretched to include pure scientific detection, as with R.
Austin Freeman's Dr. Thorndyke, and to investigations into the paranormal —as with K. and H. Prichard's Flaxman Low. An examination of the monthly magazines of the Victorian and Edwardian eras leaves the reader with the feeling that almost every profession could produce a detective—“
A very hit or miss collection of 14 Victorian-era detective stories that is much more miss than hit. Some were spectacularly wild, but most were just dull.
The Adventure of the Copper Beeches by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
A fun, brief, and albeit rather forgettable adventure from the master detective. Some interesting twists as usual, but nothing unforgettable nor disappointing, either. I’d say the most interesting part of the story was the reveal of why Violet was hired and the extreme lengths the Rucastle family went to cover up their horrible secret. 2/5.
The Case of the Lost Foreigner by Arthur Morrison
This was rather ridiculous and laughable for its content, namely the whole thrilling aspect of this short revolving around baked bread. It was fine, it wasn’t good, but not infuriatingly bad, just very forgettable and not different from anything I have read. 1/5.
The Ghost of Fountain Lane by Catherine L. Pirkis
The best so far and a story that I felt was way ahead of its time, this was a delightful little story that I found engrossing and exciting from beginning to end. What I enjoyed most of this one was how every little detail had a satisfying explanation, not necessarily the easiest or most obvious like in others from this time period. 4/5.
The Return of Imray by Rudyard Kipling
I didn’t really get this one. Something just never clicked on a comprehensive level with me and for that matter, I was never really sure what was occurring and who I should be rooting for and following. I think this one had the most potential to be a great mystery with some very dark lore, but due to either its contents or prose, it just didn’t reach me like I thought it would. 2/5.
The Divination of the Zagury Capsules by Headon Hill
That was pretty well written and very intriguing of a mystery. I have never heard of detective Poignand before, but his deductive reasoning, along with his equally sharp (and horribly racially stereotyped) partner Kala Persad solved a rather engrossing case that I was invested in from beginning to end. 4/5.
The York Mystery by Baroness Orczy
A rather short mystery that wasn’t anything memorable nor horribly executed, this one was very middle of the road with a standard Ness to it that doesn’t make it stand out in any way really. It had a twist, so at least it had that going for it. 2/5.
The Haverstock Hill Murder by George R. Sims
A rather intriguing mystery that I was hooked into and anxiously awaited the twist and resolution of this story. Nothing groundbreaking, but we’ll done. 3/5.
The Dead Hand by R. Austin Freeman
This mystery was a great split of narrative between the murder and the mystery, following the murderer in the first half and the detectives solving it in the second. Very well executed. 4/5.
Mr. Bovey's Unexpected Will by L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace
A short and fun story that was exactly what it was supposed to be. Didn’t do anything out of the ordinary in a tale of Highway Robbery with 2 suspects, one obvious, the other under suspicion. Fine, not great, not bad. 2/5.
A Perverted Genius by Silas K. Hocking
A rather very predictable story, but fun nonetheless. I liked Mr. Ball, and while the overall story was much better in the first half than the second, it was still good. 2/5.
The Eye of Apollo by G. K. Chesterton
Damn. This one was messed up but pretty great. When the twist isn’t obnoxiously obvious, but rather cleverly interwoven in the story like this one, it works a lot better than a cut and dry case. Very dated, but the core mystery is solid. 3/5.
The Purple Emperor by Robert W. Chambers
A rather interesting story that I thoroughly enjoyed. The whole fascination with butterflies and the scientific aspect of the story was a nice touch to the story that without it would have made this likely forgettable. A nice twist at the end they rather perfectly tied up the story. 4/5.
The Tragedy of the Life Raft by Jacques Futrelle
Another fun one and one of the best detectives from this collection is featured in this one. Short, memorable, and rather dark, I really dug this one and all it had to offer. 4/5.
The Story of Baelbrow by E. and H. Heron
Last but not least, we arrive at king last to the conclusion of this grab bag of Victorian Era detective stories. This was an acid trip of a story and the least grounded in reality but I loved it. It had the elements of a great ghost story turned into a possible mummy story then a vampire story. And the ending was the most violent yet. 4/5.
L. Pirkis, George R. Sims, and others invented women detectives.
Others introduced clerical sleuths, most notably Silas K. Hocking's Latimer Field and G. K. Chesterton's Father Brown. Writers of the highest talent-such as Rudyard Kipling-were attracted to the form, as were authors whose talents were minimal-for example Headon Hill, one of whose few notable tales is included in this book. The form could be stretched to include pure scientific detection, as with R.
Austin Freeman's Dr. Thorndyke, and to investigations into the paranormal —as with K. and H. Prichard's Flaxman Low. An examination of the monthly magazines of the Victorian and Edwardian eras leaves the reader with the feeling that almost every profession could produce a detective—“
A very hit or miss collection of 14 Victorian-era detective stories that is much more miss than hit. Some were spectacularly wild, but most were just dull.
The Adventure of the Copper Beeches by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
A fun, brief, and albeit rather forgettable adventure from the master detective. Some interesting twists as usual, but nothing unforgettable nor disappointing, either. I’d say the most interesting part of the story was the reveal of why Violet was hired and the extreme lengths the Rucastle family went to cover up their horrible secret. 2/5.
The Case of the Lost Foreigner by Arthur Morrison
This was rather ridiculous and laughable for its content, namely the whole thrilling aspect of this short revolving around baked bread. It was fine, it wasn’t good, but not infuriatingly bad, just very forgettable and not different from anything I have read. 1/5.
The Ghost of Fountain Lane by Catherine L. Pirkis
The best so far and a story that I felt was way ahead of its time, this was a delightful little story that I found engrossing and exciting from beginning to end. What I enjoyed most of this one was how every little detail had a satisfying explanation, not necessarily the easiest or most obvious like in others from this time period. 4/5.
The Return of Imray by Rudyard Kipling
I didn’t really get this one. Something just never clicked on a comprehensive level with me and for that matter, I was never really sure what was occurring and who I should be rooting for and following. I think this one had the most potential to be a great mystery with some very dark lore, but due to either its contents or prose, it just didn’t reach me like I thought it would. 2/5.
The Divination of the Zagury Capsules by Headon Hill
That was pretty well written and very intriguing of a mystery. I have never heard of detective Poignand before, but his deductive reasoning, along with his equally sharp (and horribly racially stereotyped) partner Kala Persad solved a rather engrossing case that I was invested in from beginning to end. 4/5.
The York Mystery by Baroness Orczy
A rather short mystery that wasn’t anything memorable nor horribly executed, this one was very middle of the road with a standard Ness to it that doesn’t make it stand out in any way really. It had a twist, so at least it had that going for it. 2/5.
The Haverstock Hill Murder by George R. Sims
A rather intriguing mystery that I was hooked into and anxiously awaited the twist and resolution of this story. Nothing groundbreaking, but we’ll done. 3/5.
The Dead Hand by R. Austin Freeman
This mystery was a great split of narrative between the murder and the mystery, following the murderer in the first half and the detectives solving it in the second. Very well executed. 4/5.
Mr. Bovey's Unexpected Will by L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace
A short and fun story that was exactly what it was supposed to be. Didn’t do anything out of the ordinary in a tale of Highway Robbery with 2 suspects, one obvious, the other under suspicion. Fine, not great, not bad. 2/5.
A Perverted Genius by Silas K. Hocking
A rather very predictable story, but fun nonetheless. I liked Mr. Ball, and while the overall story was much better in the first half than the second, it was still good. 2/5.
The Eye of Apollo by G. K. Chesterton
Damn. This one was messed up but pretty great. When the twist isn’t obnoxiously obvious, but rather cleverly interwoven in the story like this one, it works a lot better than a cut and dry case. Very dated, but the core mystery is solid. 3/5.
The Purple Emperor by Robert W. Chambers
A rather interesting story that I thoroughly enjoyed. The whole fascination with butterflies and the scientific aspect of the story was a nice touch to the story that without it would have made this likely forgettable. A nice twist at the end they rather perfectly tied up the story. 4/5.
The Tragedy of the Life Raft by Jacques Futrelle
Another fun one and one of the best detectives from this collection is featured in this one. Short, memorable, and rather dark, I really dug this one and all it had to offer. 4/5.
The Story of Baelbrow by E. and H. Heron
Last but not least, we arrive at king last to the conclusion of this grab bag of Victorian Era detective stories. This was an acid trip of a story and the least grounded in reality but I loved it. It had the elements of a great ghost story turned into a possible mummy story then a vampire story. And the ending was the most violent yet. 4/5.
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
4.0
I always enjoy collections from the Victorian/Edwardian eras that have a large number of stories that I've not read before. This collection does the trick.
bookworm_baggins's review against another edition
3.0
Great collection of short detective stories from the Victorian era. Good mix of authors, plots, and concise intro of each author was helpful. Favorites included: The Haverstock Hill Murder by Sims, The Dead Hand by Freeman, The Eye of Apollo by Chesterton, and The Tragedy of the Liferaft by Futrelle. Unimpressed by Kipling's Return of Imray, and abandoned The Purple Emperor by Chambers.
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