The Nine Tailors
by Dorothy L. Sayers (Gollancz, 1934); audiobook read by Ian Carmichael (Playaway, 2011)
As a period piece this is passably interesting. As a mystery it is nothing but a disappointment (and could easily have been edited down to half the length). Lord Peter Wimsey is a minimal presence at best, listening to other characters’ ramblings.
Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams
by Philip K. Dick; stories read by Tanya Eby, Luke Daniels, Peter Berkrot, Jeff Cummings, and Patrick Lawlor (Brilliance Audio, 2017)
Dick was an ideas man and a prolific writer. He may have outshone his pulp era contemporaries, yet the end product smacks of an imagination employed piecemeal, in lieu of craft. The stories in this collection have the lustre of early drafts.
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
by Judith Kerr (William Collins, 1971)
Nine-year-old Anna and her family are refugees from Nazi Germany. The child’s perspective is uplifting and uncomplicated but—as with many mostly autobiographical accounts—the authenticity that is so valuable precludes the story from having the (manipulative) clout of a straight-out novel.
Peanuts Dell Archive
ed. Whitney Leopard & Chris Rosa (Kaboom!, 2018)
A collection of lamentable (though Schulz-endorsed) Peanuts knock-offs that appeared in comic books during the late 1950s and early 1960s. These are of curiosity value but the artwork, format, stories and characterisations serve only to highlight the superlativeness of the genuine article.
A Foot in the Grave
by Joan Aiken (Jonathan Cape, 1989); audiobook read by Melissa Exelberth (Bolinda, 2015)
These supernatural stories breeze along, effortlessly conjuring character and mood; yet their conclusions invariably fail to shock, spook or satisfy. The let-downs are palpable! Aiken is like a pole-vaulter who runs in beautifully, soars to great heights but always clips the bar.
Inspector Morse: The Riddle of the Third Mile
by Colin Dexter (Macmillan, 1983); audiobook read by Samuel West (Macmillan, 2017)
The writing has an air of literature to it and some wonderfully poetic flourishes. Morse himself is a great character. Yet the mystery itself—key elements of which are artfully, rather capriciously concealed by omissions in Dexter’s omniscient narrative—doesn’t bear scrutiny.
The League of Gentlemen
dir. Basil Dearden (AFM, 1960)
This classic British heist film wipes the floor with its American counterpart (Ocean’s 11). The ensemble cast is faultless, each actor lending real personality to his character. Composer Philip Green brings tension. The plot is straightforward; slow-moving at first yet nonetheless compelling.
Tintin: Explorers on the Moon
by Hergé (Methuen, 1959)
An extraordinary achievement, constituting both a prescient (ie. well-researched and well-reasoned) foretelling of a genuine moon landing, and a tour de force of Tintin staples: Boy’s Own action and comic misadventure. Unlike other volumes, this one is genuinely tense. Nail-biting yet funny!
The Ruby in the Smoke
by Philip Pullman (Oxford University Press, 1985); audiobook read by Anton Lesser (Bolinda, 2015)
Pullman captures the essence of Victorian London (without belabouring the setting), and his characters all stand out, especially in Lesser’s audiobook reading. The story, however, gains little from these virtues, its omniscient third-person narrative frittering away most of the tension and mystery.
P.R.O.B.E. – The Zero Imperative
by Mark Gatiss (BBV, 1994)
A creepy Doctor Who spin-off that sees Liz Shaw investigating supernatural deaths at a psychiatric hospital. Liz, however, doesn’t actually feature that much, and it’s a little difficult to reconcile the other Who actors (four ex-Doctors, no less!) with their new roles.