SCRIBNER'S Reviews VI

In the October 1938 issue of Scribner's the mystery fiction reviewer encounters several durable classics as well as a couple of obscurities:

~ Too Many Cooks by Rex Stout (1886-1975):

The latest Nero Wolfe opus, Too Many Cooks, deserves recognition as Nero's most toothsome case. A famous and much hated chef is fatally quenched at a culinary convention, and Nero solves the murder between courses.

Wikipedia HERE - GAD Wiki HERE - FictionMags HERE

~ A Body Rolled Down Stairs by Inez Haynes Irwin (1873-1970):

The folks in A Body Rolled Down Stairs are all so beautifully mannered and the New England scene is such a museum piece that murder seems unthinkable and is—almost—unsolvable. First class.

Wikipedia HERE - Goodreads review HERE - FictionMags HERE

~ Murder a la Stroganoff (a.k.a. A Bullet in the Ballet) by Caryl Brahms (1901-82) and S. J. Simon (1904-48):

Murder a la Stroganoff is both hilarious and exciting. The scene is the Riviera, and almost all the people are mixed up in some way with the effervescently temperamental Ballet Stroganoff. Adam Quill, ex-Scotland Yard, is the harried detective.

Wikipedia HERE and HERE - Goodreads reviews HERE - GAD Wiki HERE - FictionMags HERE and HERE

~ The Dawson Pedigree (a.k.a. Unnatural Death) by Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957):

Harcourt, Brace is reissuing some early Dorothy Sayers' novels in double helpings. Peter Wimsey is almost always worth three cops [our rating system], and The Dawson Pedigree plus Lord Peter Views the Body is worth $2.

Wikipedia HERE - GAD Wiki HERE - FictionMags HERE

~ Murder in Newport by Gerard B. Lambert (1887-1967):

Gerard B. Lambert, who sails J-boats, has written a first-class puzzler in Murder in Newport. Watch the way the detective, one Vardon, a yachtsman, unravels the case and fathoms the remarkable device on which it hinges. Don't be put off by occasional pompousness.

Lambert and the America's Cup HERE

Resource:
- Our last encounter with Scribner's was HERE.

Category: Detective fiction criticism