A Zebra Mystery Puzzler #33 - Who's Next?

This thirty-third entry into the Zebra Mystery Puzzler series is the second book authored by Joan Allan, whose true identity remains a secret (although there is a clear connection with author Martin A. Grove, who wrote a number of books in this series under the pseudonym "Marjorie Grove").  While the first book by Allan, Who Killed Me?, has a dedication to "Marjorie, Martin and Geoffrey Eric Grove," this book has a dedication to Marjorie and Geoffrey - with Martin noticeably missing!  Once again, this begs the question as to whether "Joan Allan" is just another pseudonym for Grove himself.  In any event, this book sees the return of advertising executive Valerie Lambert, who must play amateur sleuth once again when faced with an ever-growing pile of dead bodies!

 

Who's Next? takes Valerie and her assistant, Oscar Fryman (known simply as "Fry"), to Paris, France, where they are to meet with the owner of her agency's latest client, Abbe-Roi, a vineyard famous for its champagne that is hoping to break into the American market.  Joining Val and Fry for the trip is wine expert Franklin Hertford, an Englishman who has agreed to offer his expertise to assist Val in coming up with a campaign for Abbe-Roi.  While there for the weekend, the trio are staying with their host at a rather lavish - and, coincidentally, very isolated - chateau that once belonged to the original owner of the land - Pierre Alexandre Saulnier, who was brutally murdered on the property and who is said to still haunt the halls of the somewhat worn down homestead.  No one believes in ghosts, of course, but for Val, it does set the mood for what is about to be a terrifying weekend!

 

Allan eases readers into the story, with 60 pages of build-up as Val and Fry first meet Hertford, and the three travel more than a couple of hours by limousine to the chateau.  They are welcomed and introduced to their hosts, Henri-Robert Verlaine and his wife, Claudine.  At the lavish wine-tasting being held down in the wine cellar, Val and Fry also meet the other guests for the weekend:  Michael Rochambeau, the vineyard's chef de caves; Edouard Cherbourg, the vineyard's advertising director; Nicole Courteline, who is Edouard's secretary; Roger Saint-Benoit, head of sales for the vineyard; and Alexandre Saulnier-Carpeaux, descendant of the original owner of the chateau.  Of course, there is also Gerard (the butler), Caroline (the maid), and Alain (the cook).  With the cast fully introduced, Allan wastes no time at that point getting to the murder we've all been waiting to happen.

 

Rochambeau is the first to be killed, before the wine tasting can even get off to a good start.  With everyone there in the room, it's next to impossible to figure out who the killer is.  Then Cherbourg's secretary is killed rather gruesomely, with a mess left behind (hint: this is the scene from the cover of the book).  After that, Saint-Benoit literally has his brains beaten out of his skull, making him victim number three.  Before the night is even over, Hertford is nearly killed, saved only by the fortunate turn of his head at the most opportune moment!  One of the survivors of the group disappears, leaving everyone else to wonder if perhaps this points to the guilt of that person - but that suspicion comes into question when two more dead bodies turn up, bashed in their heads by a heavy tree branch (with a rather horrific image of those bodies depicted in one of the internal illustrations, page 171!).  With everyone being picked off so quickly, over the span of one evening, it leaves Val and Fry wondering - who's next?  (Hence, the book title!  In fact, the author asks this question three times in the story:  pages 82, 108, and 143.)

 

I was actually rather surprised by the rather explicit descriptions of the bloody deaths.  "Roger Saint-Benoit's skull had been cracked open ... The sight of his brains splattered among the bedclothes was sickening..." (p. 103).  The last two victims "had been bludgeoned to death ... and now lay in a shallow pool of blood that trickled directly across the narrow trail" (p. 165).  This is a murder mystery, so I would certainly expect some description of the crime scene; but I believe this is the most horrific descriptions I have seen to date in any book in this series.  And the illustration on page 171, with those last two victims - definitely not for the faint of heart!

 

Speaking of illustrations,  Sanford Hoffman once again provides the internal illustrations, and interestingly enough, three of the six internals are horizontal, rather than vertical.  Normally, we might see one or two in this way, but to see half of them depicted in this form is a bit unusual.  What is not unusual is the framing around the illustrations, since that seems to be a standard for Hoffman in this series, which, to be honest, I rather like.  Especially when he has part of the illustration extend beyond that frame (as he does with that gruesome scene on page 171).  The clues in the illustrations are not obvious at all, except maybe for the one on page 151, which becomes extremely clear once you know the identity of the killer.

 

There was a part of me, as I was reading the story, that was hoping this would all turn out to be some elaborate hoax, such as the film April Fool's Day (1986), and in the end, it would turn out no one was dead, but it was all staged just to test the analytical and detecting skills of the guests.  But, alas, it was not.  Instead,we got a replay of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, in which ten individuals at a secluded estate suddenly find themselves being picked off one by one (with the only obvious difference being not everyone dies in this tale!).

 

There are a few things worth pointing out about this book.  Published in October 1979, I was surprised to see a reference to Star Wars (p. 14).  Yes, the movie had been out for two years at this point, but normally I would not expect a pop cultural reference like this to appear so soon.  The author also throws in a number of real newspaper columnists, such as Dorothy Kilgallen and Louis Sobel from the New York Journal-American; Frank Farrell from the World Telegram; Earl Wilson and Leonard Lyons from the New York Post; and Walter Winchell from the New York Daily Mirror (p. 44).  These came up as Val revealed her original dream of becoming a columnist, before changing direction and working in advertising.

 

9 shattered bottles of champagne out of 10 for piling up the bodies, subtly laying out the clues, and providing readers with a creative climax to the story! 

Agatha, Girl of Mystery #5 - The Eiffel Tower Incident

Well, I didn't wait quite as long between reading the installments of Agatha, Girl of Mystery this time (last time, there was a year gap between books!).  This time, I managed to only let five months pass before picking up the next book in the series.  I cannot say enough just how much FUN this series is!  Yes, it is aimed at young readers, and yes, each book is relatively short (only 120 or so pages, with large font and plenty of illustrations); but the stories and characters are unique and whimsical, and the mysteries are so wonderfully plotted, with clues to their solution placed right there for the reader to pick up on, you can't help but enjoy yourself reading them!  I am thankful that Grosset & Dunlap picked up the series and translated it from its original Italian into the English language for us to read.

 

The Eiffel Tower Incident takes Agatha and her crime-solving cohorts into new territory - solving a murder! Agatha and her cousin, Dash, are off to Paris to visit with Dash's older brother, Gaston, who is a painter - and, of course, Chandler (the butler) and Watson (the cat) are along for the ride.  Dash gets delayed, though, due to one of his detective classes, and he inadvertently causes a severe injury to his teacher who is headed to Paris as well to solve the mystery of a murdered Russian diplomat - so with no other choice, he sends Dash in his place.  Poor Dash doesn't know what to do, so he immediately seeks Agatha's help, and she is more the ready to step in and save the day.

 

Author Sir Steve Stevenson does create  rather crafty little mystery here.  Boris Renko, a 60-year old Russian diplomat was having dinner at the famous Jules Verne restaurant, located more than 400 feet above the ground on the second level of the Eiffel Tower (which, as it turns out, is an actual restaurant located exactly where the book says), when he suddenly choked and fell to the floor in a faint.  By the time he reached the hospital, he was pronounced dead.  The police discovered traces of poison in his wine and arrested the sommelier (otherwise known as a wine steward) who had been serving him.  But Agatha finds this too convenient and sets about solving the crime and uncovering the identity of the real killer.  But the only clue she has is the phrase, "red rose," which were the dying man's last words.  This leads them to three possible suspects.

 

Gerard Clouseau is a boxer with a red rose tattooed on his neck.  He had a sour confrontation with the diplomat in the elevator riding up to the restaurant the night of the murder.  John Radcliffe was a brilliant New York attorney having dinner with his girlfriend that night; but when he proposed, she left in tears, leaving behind the engagement ring and the red rose he had given her.  Madame Roxanne Pigafette is a  food critic whose brother owns a restaurant in competition with Le Jules Verne.  Any one of the three had a motive, yet, Agatha has to figure out which of them had the means and opportunity.  As it turns out, the real killer set up an entire faux scenario, and as revealed through the interviews with the suspects, stumbled out of the restaurant just before the diplomat was poisoned - knocking into some patrons, as well as a waiter, and stopping for a moment at the bar where the wine glasses were waiting for the steward to deliver.  With the means and opportunity cleared up, Agatha, Dash, Chandler, and Watson (that cat goes everywhere!) had across the street from the Russian embassy in Paris to confront the killer!

 

Readers are treated to an exciting roof-top chase, as well as an unexpected rescue from the most unlikely source.  And, once again, the case is wrapped up nicely, the criminal is brought to justice, and Dash is pulled out of the frying pan and not kicked out of school - all thinks to the quick-thinking and analytical skills of Agatha, Girl of Mystery! 

 

Artist Stefano Turconi provides plenty of illustrations throughout the book, and his stylized art provides readers with a fun romp through the streets of Paris and the Eiffel Tower at twilight (with a gorgeous two-page spread in the middle of the book).  Turconi captures the character descriptions provided by Stevenson so nicely, and while they are a bit cartoony in nature, it fits the feel of the book. I would so love to see this done as an animated series, with Turconi's art as the basis and style for the animation!

 

From Egypt to Bengal, from Scotland to Niagara Falls ... Agatha Mistery travels the world to solve what appear to be impossible crimes!  Sure, the stories are short, easy reads (an hour at most to read one book), but they are well worth it for the entertainment value alone!

 

RATING:  9 bottles of cockroach poison out of 10 for giving young readers a chance to enjoy a carefully crafted murder mystery that even they can solve! 

A Zebra Mystery Puzzler #18 - You'll Die Yesterday

It has been nine books since Marjorie J. Grove's last Zebra Mystery Puzzler, so it was high time we had another mystery for everyone's favorite Hollywood gossip columnist Maxine Reynolds to solve.  Nurse Tory Baxter (by Marcia Blair) has had THREE BOOKS in the time between Grove's last mystery and this one, and country singer Darby Castle (by Jan Michaels) has had TWO BOOKS in between.  As far as I'm concerned, Grove deserves to have some more books in this series to catch up with these other recurring characters (although, to be fair, this is Max Reynold's fourth appearance in the series, and poor Darby Castle's two appearances were here only two to be had!).  I was more than happy to re-enter the world of Maxine Reynolds, her sassy assistant Toothie, and her devoted boyfriend, Rob Allan, as they set about to solve their latest murder mystery!

 

You'll Die Yesterday takes our main character to Paris, where she has been sent by her employers to oversee the French office of their magazine (as the previous woman in charge had married and taken off, leaving the office without any leadership!).  Max jumps at the chance, having just been wondering if her life needed a change, and she manages to convince her boss that she will need Toothie to assist her while she is there.  They arrive in the City of Love to be greeted by the nephew of the famous French film producer, Philippe Gustave-Grenier (since, as it happens, Max's employer is friends with Monsieur Gustave-Grenier).  She joins the producer and his nephew on an afternoon walk down the Champs-Elysees, despite the drizzling rain - but as they are out, a motorcycle speeds past, spraying water on the three, following which, a stranger in an overcoat bumps into Monsieur Gustave-Grenier, causing injury to his lower leg.  It all seems innocent enough; but, when the producer turns up dead the next day, Max suspects foul play.

 

Now, either I am getting extremely good at spotting the killer in these books, or the mystery was just not very complicated at all - but I was able to not only identify the killer from the moment it happened, as well as guess at the motive.  Honestly, it was not very difficult at all (it were almost as if the killer was carrying around a neon sign, saying "I'm the one! I'm the one!").  Nevertheless, the story was still a very enjoyable read, and this one offered up some really great banter between Max and Toothie.  And one aspect of the story I found rather amusing is how readily the French detective investigating the case allowed Max to be involved, sharing information with her as she provided what information she gleaned from the suspects she interrogated.  And Grove does manage to provide a variety of suspects - a disgrunted actor, a bitter musician, and an elusive businessman who is determined to buy our Monsieur Gustave-Grenier's production company.  The actor is only too willing to talk with Max, but the musician is brusque and refuses to even meet with her (and he becomes very irate when she sneaks into his apartment and interviews his wife under false pretenses!).  Max puts off trying to meet with the businessman and his two representatives, but when she does, she manages to uncover a rather interesting bit of information (that has nothing to do with the murder, but is rather clever in its execution!). 

 

The Paris setting of this story allows the author to highlight a number of French sites, such as the Eiffel Tower, the museums, the restaurants, the shopping districts.  Grove has a tendency to spend a lot of details on the surroundings, whether in Hollywood, London, or even here in Paris, which grounds the story in reality a bit more than if the reference were vague and entirely fictional.  There are times where, as I am reading, I am tempted to pull up a map and follow along to see exactly how accurate the details are!

 

While the clues that lead to the identity of the killer are fairly simple to spot if you pay attention, there are two illustrations - one near the beginning and one in the next to the last chapter (before you open the sealed final chapter) - that pretty much cinch it for Max, as well as the reader.  Honestly, it took me a moment when I looked at that final internal illustration before I realized the importance of the scene; but once it clicked, there was no more doubt about who the killer was.  Once again, there is no credit given to the internal illustrator; but the cover art is signed by "Iskowitz,"  I was able to locate a couple of artists with that last name, but while no credit is specifically given to him, I believe the artist is Joel Iskowitz, who is said to have provided a number of book and cover illustrations for books in the late '70s and early '80s, which would fit the time period when this book was published (and the signature on this cover matches the signature on other paintings by Joel Iskowitz).  And the cover scene, which is the moment before the motorcycle splash and the "accidental" bump, provides a very obvious clue as to the choice of murder weapon.

 

Readers are treated to a bit more insight into Max's growing relationship with Rob, as she debates whether she wants to stay in Paris if her employer asks her to make the job permanent, since it would mean leaving behind the man she keeps hoping will ask her to marry him.  One good thing about these recurring main characters in this series is you get to watch them grow as the series progresses.  I know there are still several more Max Reynolds' stories in the series, so it will be interesting to see where these two finally end up!

 

RATING:   9 warning messages written in lipstick out of 10 for a rainy, Parisian murder mystery whose enjoyment is not figuring out whoddunnit, but in following along with Max as she tries to figure it out!

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32007 - The Fourth Letter

"She thought the past was laid to rest - only to discover that it threatened to destroy her future" (cover blurb).

 

I can't believe I am already seven books into the Harlequin Gothic Romance series.  Even more shocking, I can't believe how much I am thoroughly enjoying each and every one of the books in this series!  But here I am, and I have no intention of slowing down - although, I will admit, I'm beginning to already feel a bit of sadness at the idea that the series only had eighteen books in it.  That means I only have eleven left to go.  Oh, well, there are plenty of other gothic books from the '60s, '70s, and '80s out there waiting for me to read them, so I suppose I should not be too disheartened.  But, honestly, I don't know that any of them have as beautiful art and as creative titles as this series does, and the uniformity of the covers is a huge plus to someone who loves uniformity and consistency, particularly in series books.  And this one has its series books moments, believe me!

 

The Fourth Letter is written by Alison Quinn and is her second (and final) book in the series.  As previously indicated in my review of her first book (The Satyr Ring), which also happens to be the first book in the series, Quinn is likely the real name of the author and not a pseudonym, since the copyright page on both books indicate the copyright is owned by "Alison Quinn."  Other than that, and the fact that she wrote the first and seventh book in this series, I am not able to find anything else about the author.  I can saw, however, that she is a very talented writer and definitely knows how to write a great gothic mystery.  In this instance, the mystery involves a young woman named Nicole Lord, whose father has died and she has left her home in Paris, France to fulfill her father's dying wish - see her grandmother and resolve the issues that caused him to leave home so many years ago.  The only thing is, Nicole is not prepared for the various secrets and machinations that exist within the walls of the Lord mansion in the hills of Vermont!

 

While Quinn integrates a number of standard gothic tropes - the isolated mansion, the secrets held by pretty much every member of the household, the dangerous cliffs, and the mysterious sounds in the dead of night - she also manages to sneak in some twists into the story and challenge what the reader thinks they know or have figured out.  Quinn throws a couple of very unexpected curve balls that have great impact on the story and the relationships among the characters. Nicole arrives to find a grandmother that is at first resistant and distrusting; a housekeeper and confidant that makes it clear Nicole is not wanted there; a housekeeper's son who is hot and cold - distant at times, friendly at others; and a doctor who is a renowned ladies' man and has set his eyes on Nicole.  The poor girl does not know who to trust, and all she wants is to pass along her father's message and move on to New York.  And therein lies the problem...

 

Nicole's father had previously written his mother three times before, but never received a response.  Nicole has in her possession a fourth and final letter her father wrote just before he died, telling Nicole to give it to her grandmother when she feels the time is right.  But Nicole cannot determine when, or even if, there will be a right time.  And why does her grandmother have this irrational hatred of art of any kind?  Why is the house filled with mirrors on the walls rather than works of art?  And what is that constant tapping she hears at night, coming from the small patroon house at the edge of the woods?  The answer to that final question ultimately leads to a deadly encounter which results in Nicole being locked in the burning building, left to die!  And I suppose there is one more question that must be answered - why in the world does everyone get so distraught when Nicole and Mark announce their engagement?  What secret could their families possibly be hiding that would prevent them from consummating their love?  Well, let's just say that Flowers in the Attic could take a queue from this story!

 

I love the fact that Quinn does not even try to hide who the villain of this story is; nor does she give readers a clear line of good and bad when it comes to Nicole's two suitors - instead, we get plenty of gray areas with both of them.  And the contents of that mysterious, sealed fourth letter, the burning of the patroon house, the threats to Nicole's life, and the secrets that everyone in the house is hiding - well, they all add up to a great gothic mystery that, in some ways, reminds me of a good Nancy Drew mystery.  In fact, the cover art (by yet another unidentified artist) is similar to the original cover art of the Nancy Drew mystery, The Clue in the Diary, by Russell H. Tandy.  Both covers feature the burning buildings in the background, both covers feature a young woman in the foreground - one reaching down for a book, the other clutching a sealed envelope. 

 

Then again, the cover also resembles a much later Nancy Drew mystery, Race Against Time, which cover art was provided by the very talented Ruth Sanderson.  In this particular cover, we see the burning building in the background (as with this book), and the young woman is now facing the fire, her hand raised up to her mouth, similar to how the young woman on the cover of this book has her hand raised up to her chest as she looks back at the burning building.  Perhaps it is mere coincidence that all of these covers feature similar aspects; I mean, after all, the Nancy Drew mysteries have always incorporated a lot of gothic elements into the stories, so why should it be any surprise the covers should not also mirror certain gothic themes?  

One thing I did find odd about the book has nothing to do with the story or cover art; rather, it is the two-page spread in the back of the book advertising the various Harlequin series.  The advertisement urges readers to "Indulge in the pleasure of superb romance reading by choosing the most popular love stories in the world."  Below this tag are six different Harlequin series:  Harlequin Romance, Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Temptation, Harlequin Superromance, Harlequin American Romance, and Harlequin Intrigue.  Surprisingly, the very series in which the ad is placed is not mentioned at all. One would think they would want to advertise the Harlequin Gothic Romance series as well, but apparently it did not make the cut for this particular advertising campaign.  Perhaps that might be part of the reason the series did not last beyond 18 books - without advertising, one cannot expect a series to succeed!

 

This was yet another fantastic addition to the world of gothic romance/mystery novels, leaving me excited and anxious to read the next one in this series!

 

RATING:  10 seven-eights leopardskin fur coats out of 10 for a superbly-written gothic tale of secrets, suspense, and soap-opera style surprises!