Reading Recommendations: Rolls, Ferguson, Cadfael, Rinehart

Dear listeners,

We're back with another monthly book recommendation newsletter, sharing what I and Shedunnit production assistant Leandra have been spending our reading time on recently. I really enjoyed chatting to some of you in the comments last time and got some good ideas there for future reads, so please do let us know your own reading plans for this month if you have a moment.

Caroline Has Read: Family Matters by Anthony Rolls

I picked up this 1933 novel by "Anthony Rolls", the pseudonym of the Welsh critic Colwyn Edward Vulliamy, as part of my research for an upcoming episode of the podcast. I was reading a lot of books very quickly to prepare for an interview and when I do that I don't tend to savour them, just absorb the key points as quickly as possible. However, I found that I couldn't not slow down and enjoy Family Matters to the full.

The influence of Anthony Berkeley's Francis Iles books is clear here, in a good way. Family Matters is written as a howdunnit — in the sense that we know all along who is trying to poison the principal murder victim and why — but with an unusual take on the format that I had not encountered before. Said victim is an unpleasant eccentric with a handful of all-consuming passions: for his terrible amateur archaeology collection, for the Mosley-esque club he belongs to called the Rule Britannia League, and for his own health, which he constantly attempts to improve with various crackpot home remedies. His wife and son do not number among his interests. Could there be a more ideal poisoning victim for a golden age mystery?

Martin Edwards notes in his introduction to this British Library edition that Dorothy L. Sayers was a big fan of this book, even to the point that she was willing to suspend disbelief on some of its scientific details — unusual for her, a stickler for accuracy. "I am quite ready to accept anything that is told me by so convincing an author," she wrote in her review. I felt the same! In the best detective fiction, the technicalities are there only in service of a great story, and that's the case here.

I did also follow my plan from last month and read A Blunt Instrument by Georgette Heyer, but I think you'll have to wait for the Heyer episode that's coming later in the year to hear my thoughts on that.

Caroline Will Read: Death of Mr Dodsley by John Ferguson

The next title coming up in the Green Penguin Book Club series is The Man in the Dark by John Ferguson, an entirely new author to me. In an attempt to deepen my knowledge before I record the episode with my guest, I'm going to read this other Ferguson title that was republished by the British Library Crime Classics series in 2023. The cover says it is a "London bibliomystery", which bodes well, I feel.

Leandra Has Read: A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters

When Prior Robert of Shrewsbury Abbey decides to acquire the remains of Saint Winifred for his Benedictine order, Brother Cadfael joins the group of monks sent to her final resting place: Gwytherin, Wales. Not long after their arrival, the man in greatest opposition to moving the grave is found dead, having been killed with an arrow. Some say Winifred herself dealt the blow, but Brother Cadfael knows this was a murder committed by human hands.

I finally read the first book in Ellis Peters' Cadfael Chronicles! While I love historical mysteries, I don't often linger outside of the 19th- and 20th-century settings. So starting this well-loved series set in the 12th century was definitely a step outside my comfort zone. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery plot, even though the whodunnit's solution was quite predictable. My favourite elements include Peters' imagery, the tension between English and Welsh characters built from a long and turbulent history, and the linguistic moments with Brother Cadfael acting as translator. Throughout the entire story, I rooted for the residents of Gwytherin to keep Saint Winifred in her rightful place!

I will certainly continue this series.

Leandra Will Read: The Album by Mary Roberts Rinehart

The residents of Crescent Place become a sensation in the papers when one of them is killed with an ax. Decades-worth of family secrets and drama among neighbours rise to the surface, and it seems the murderer is just getting started.

I am five chapters into this nearly 400-page mystery by the author frequently described as the "American Agatha Christie". While I see no resemblance to Christie yet, in either writing style nor plotting, I am intrigued so far. We follow the case through the eyes of Louisa Hall, described by one reporter as: "Twenty-eight and attractive, but wilting under the thumb of her domineering mother." Perhaps it's too soon to make this comparison, but Louisa's narrative voice reminds me of the narrator in Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

Tune in next time for my final thoughts.

That's what we've got coming up reading-wise. What are you planning to read this month? Let us know by replying directly or by leaving a comment to join the conversation with other readers. If you'd like to follow our reading adventures in between these posts, I (try to) publish monthly reading updates on my blog/newsletter and Leandra documents what she's reading on her YouTube channel.

Until next time,

Caroline

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