Something Fresh
by P G Wodehouse (Methuen, 1915)
audiobook read by Frederick Davidson (Blackstone, 1995)
The first Blandings Castle novel evinces much of Wodehouse’s penchant for twisty intertwinings of plot, and even more of his fondness (particularly in the early days) for facetious observation and scathing characterisation. Compared to later works, however, it’s all a bit artificial.
Hydra
by Ian Stewart (Analog, February 1993)
Not so much a short story as the author’s midnight musings on Von Neumann Probes, tacked onto the end of an all-female deep-space mining scenario. While big on character conflict, Stewart skips though action sections as if wielding a mis-firing magic eraser.
Lucy Rules OK?
by Charles M. Schulz (Hodder and Stoughton, 1978)
At time of printing there were fewer than 1,000 Peanuts Sunday strips to choose from. Still this is a very patchy collection. Of the forty-three selected (colour, A4), few do Lucy justice. In most she is an incidental character (or absent altogether!).
Maskerade
by Terry Pratchett (Victor Gollancz, 1995)
audiobook read by Indira Varma (Penguin, 2022)
Pratchett takes aim at opera and in doing so makes some serious points about stereotyping. The mystery is a bit muddled, the humour at times over-egged (though still great fun). Indira Varma’s audiobook reading is perfect for Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg.
Stop Press
by Michael Innes; audiobook read by Matt Addis (Bolinda, 2013)
originally published as “The Spider Strikes” (Dodd, Mead and Company, 1939)
A triumph of sustained tedium. Innes wields a beautiful turn of phrase, yet Appleby’s only notable achievement across 17+ audiobook hours of pointless, pontificating conversations, plumping out of superfluous characters and mendacious touting of murder in the offing, is to stay awake.
Blake’s 7, Series 1
by Terry Nation (BBC, 1978)
Terry Nation’s scripts present as increasingly ham-fisted but the guest stars are generally very good and the regulars are so well cast as to become immediately iconic. The edgy character dynamics give the programme punch beyond its dated parade of SF tropes.
The Island of Adventure
by Enid Blyton (Macmillan, 1944); audiobook read by Thomas Judd (Bolinda, 2021)
Blyton spends far too long on the pre-adventure, holiday-atmosphere buildup. While the children are slow to cotton on, the danger does at last manifest (and with a harder edge). Memorable mostly for Kiki the parrot and Philip and Dinah’s bickering sibling relationship.
Money in the Morgue
by Ngaio Marsh & Stella Duffy (Collins Crime Club, 2018)
The murder mystery is astutely handled. Inspector Alleyn appears earlier than usual and the entire affair takes place over the course of one night, adding a sense of urgency. The espionage angle is less convincing—perhaps explaining why Marsh abandoned the work-in-progress?
Antidote to Venom
by Freeman Wills Crofts (Hodder and Stoughton, 1938)
audiobook read by Gordon Griffin (Soundings, 2015)
A remarkably long and tedious book. Crofts spends the first half establishing the unlikable viewpoint character and his motivation for murder. Even once this occurs, Inspector French is held back until the final third. No suspense, let alone mystery, just utter banality.
The Poisoned Chocolates Case
by Anthony Berkeley (Collins, 1929)
audiobook read by Gordon Griffin (Isis, 2017)
Berkeley employs a Detectives Club scenario to take a sly dig at the mystery genre, proffering several very plausible solutions to a murder by poisoning. While the protagonists aren’t as amusing as he seems to think, this remains a very good read.