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depizan's review against another edition
2.0
Two and a half stars, really. Or perhaps I should say, the stories in the book varied between two stars and three, maybe three and a half stars. It felt pretty inconsistent as far as quality of story went. I'm also not sure I'd classify all of them as detective stories. One - admittedly, one of the better ones - even bordered on being a horror story.
anjana's review
4.0
https://superfluousreading.wordpress.com/2018/01/19/foreign-bodies-a-british-library-crime-classic
lsneal's review
4.0
Some stories are more successful than others, of course, but it was a fun and fascinating collection to read. I really appreciate the Poison Pen/British Library Crime Classics series. It's a terrific way to discover forgotten and lesser-known classics of the Golden Age of mystery!
annarella's review
4.0
A really interesting collection of short stories written from nearly unknown writers from different countries.
Really entertaining, the story are fascinating description of how mystery were written during the Golden Age outside the English speaking countries.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley
Really entertaining, the story are fascinating description of how mystery were written during the Golden Age outside the English speaking countries.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley
robinwalter's review
informative
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
An interesting anthology of detective fiction originally written in languages other than English. I learned a lot and enjoyed the homage to "The Mystery of the Yellow Room" MUCH more than I did that book itself.
pgchuis's review
3.0
I received a copy of this collection of crime stories from the publisher via Netgalley.
I found these stories highly variable, both in terms of their content and the quality/style of the translation. Broadly speaking, I was disappointed with the first few stories, and underwhelmed by the the last third of the collection, but in the middle there were a few enjoyable tales. Not all are "detective" stories and some are not even mysteries as such. The length of the series means that many operate at an intellectual/working out the puzzle level, with very underwritten characters.
My favourites included "The Kennel" (very short and shocking), "The Spider" (ingenious), and "The Return of Lord Kingswood" (likeable detective).
As the biographies make clear, most of these authors wrote widely, including full length novels, and I can see this collection being an introduction to the further works of the authors showcased here.
I found these stories highly variable, both in terms of their content and the quality/style of the translation. Broadly speaking, I was disappointed with the first few stories, and underwhelmed by the the last third of the collection, but in the middle there were a few enjoyable tales. Not all are "detective" stories and some are not even mysteries as such. The length of the series means that many operate at an intellectual/working out the puzzle level, with very underwritten characters.
My favourites included "The Kennel" (very short and shocking), "The Spider" (ingenious), and "The Return of Lord Kingswood" (likeable detective).
As the biographies make clear, most of these authors wrote widely, including full length novels, and I can see this collection being an introduction to the further works of the authors showcased here.
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