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iphigenie72's review
4.0
Written by different members of the the Detection Club in 1930-31 and broadcasted (maybe just Behind the Screen was a broadcast) on the radio.
The Scoop 4 stars
I really enjoyed this one. The different styles of the authors wasn’t jarring, this is explained by them planning the whole thing together before writing their different parts. The story about a murder of a young woman with more than one lover in an isolated bungalow and investigated by different people (a journalist, a secretary, the police) is very good even though the ending did let the story down a little. I think by the last part it could only be one person, but the fun of the story was all the different twists it took before getting there.
Behind the Screen 3 stars
This one was created differently with the first three authors doing what they wanted and the last three concerting together to solve the clues... it doesn’t work as well. It was obvious to me who should have done it, but I was completely wrong and, normally, that makes me happy but the solution is not very good and mine was way better! Though mine was used earlier and later by Agatha Christie so it was not original just more logical than their solution. Anyway, the story is about a family assembled in a drawing room with someone behind the scree, the daughter’s semi-fiancé comes in and finds that the person behind the screen is dead and then we have the investigation by the fiancé, the police and a nosy neighbour.
I’m glad I bought the book, it was worth it, in the end the stories are fun to read and it’s interesting to see these authors working and enjoying themselves together.
The Scoop 4 stars
I really enjoyed this one. The different styles of the authors wasn’t jarring, this is explained by them planning the whole thing together before writing their different parts. The story about a murder of a young woman with more than one lover in an isolated bungalow and investigated by different people (a journalist, a secretary, the police) is very good even though the ending did let the story down a little. I think by the last part it could only be one person, but the fun of the story was all the different twists it took before getting there.
Behind the Screen 3 stars
This one was created differently with the first three authors doing what they wanted and the last three concerting together to solve the clues... it doesn’t work as well. It was obvious to me who should have done it, but I was completely wrong and, normally, that makes me happy but the solution is not very good and mine was way better! Though mine was used earlier and later by Agatha Christie so it was not original just more logical than their solution. Anyway, the story is about a family assembled in a drawing room with someone behind the scree, the daughter’s semi-fiancé comes in and finds that the person behind the screen is dead and then we have the investigation by the fiancé, the police and a nosy neighbour.
I’m glad I bought the book, it was worth it, in the end the stories are fun to read and it’s interesting to see these authors working and enjoying themselves together.
bookworm_baggins's review
4.0
This book is two short stories written in serial by members of the London Detection Club in the early 1930s. I enjoyed the set up for both of them a bit more than the conclusions. I picked this up because Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie (who were both presidents of the detection club) contribute to both stories. I loved that the voice and flow felt contiguous throughout the different stories, and it was fun to read Sayers's comments at the end on how the authors outlined the work together, but basically wrote their own ideas and jumped off from each other. In The Scoop, I figured out the "whodunit" which was satisfying, even if the ending turned a bit over the top. Behind the Curtain started out feeling SO terrifically ominous. I didn't feel like the ending was completely satisfying, but it was interesting to hear that the first three chapters/authors set the stage, which the second three authors/chapters had to figure out how to wrap things up. Certainly intriguing and a great light read for my tired brain.
missjenniferlowe's review
3.0
I am really giving 4 stars to The Scoop and 2 stars to Behind the Screen.
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