The Big Sleep

Philip Marlowe has been hired by millionaire General Sternwood to investigate the blackmail of one of the general's daughters.  While watching a house into which the blackmailer had gone, Marlowe hears shots ring out.   He also hears the shooter run away.  Upon entering the house, he finds one person dead.

The body is that of the blackmailer, a second person is also there; one of the daughters of the general.  She is quite naked and quite drugged.  Marlowe takes her home, and upon returning to the scene of the crime finds the body missing.  The following morning, the Sternwood's Buick and chauffeur are found off the end of a pier.  The chauffeur's neck has been broken.

When Marlowe returns to the scene of the crime, he is confronted by a mobster.  Fortunately there is no disastrous consequence to the meeting.  Marlowe then follows up on another lead.  However, in this case there were dire consequences.

Marlowe still has unfinished business for the general.  He is searching for the missing son-in-law.  It would appear that he has skipped town with the wife of a local mobster.  Shortly after that, Marlowe realises that he is being followed.  He speaks to the guy, who in turn offers him information.  Unfortunately, later that evening the informant is killed.  Marlowe is given the information by the girlfriend of the victim.

Author Raymond Chandler has more killing to do in this novel before Private Detective Philip Marlowe solves the case.  This murder mystery was first published in 1939, so the reader must be prepared for terms of that era.   All-in-all, a good, quick read.

The Frost Fair

The Thames has frozen!  It is such an unusual thing that the people of London are having a fair on the ice, and skating on it, including the sons of Constable Jonathan Bale.  When one of his sons takes a tumble on the ice he finds himself looking at a body in the ice.

It is Henry Redmayne who is charged with the murder of the victim in the ice.  His brother, Christopher, finds him in Newgate, and finds out from Henry that there was enmity between the two men.  However,  Christopher is determined to set his brother free.

Bale, who is Christopher's friend, is unsure about helping him to find Henry innocent.  As an officer of the law, he must gather evidence to prove guilt.  Two of Henry's friends, who were with him on the evening in question, are convinced of his innocence, while a third is convinced of his guilt.  After interrogating the third friend, Bale begins tow question Henry's guilt.  And, Christopher finds out that the cause of the bitter enmity was a married woman.

Christopher is surprised when someone pushes him into the Thames.  This convinces him that the real killer is afraid that Christopher is on his trail.  Jonathan becomes of a like mind as more evidence comes to light.  The two must now get more to prove the truth and get Henry released.

Author Edward Marston has written another very good historical murder mystery that is well worth the read.

Bust

Max Fisher has arranged for a hit man to get rid of his wife.  Meantime he has been having it off with his busty executive assistant, Angela.  He thinks he has everything in hand by being with a client in a strip club when the execution is supposed to occur.

Bobby Rosa he been taking pictures of girls in the parks ever since he was confined to a wheelchair.  However, when he spots a beautiful, big busted girl in the Hotel Pennsylvania, he is sure that she is up to something other than meeting her husband.   He wants to know more.  He manages to sneak into her room to get some pictures of her in action in the room with her so-called husband.  He is sure that he recognises the man.  Later he realises that it is Max Fisher.  He is definitely onto something.

Detective Kenneth Simmons is positive that Fisher hired a hit man to do the murders.  He just needs to get the proof.

When he is presented with the picture of him and Angela, Fisher wants to contact the hit man for another job, because he can't afford the demands of Rosa.

Authors Ken Bruen and Jason Starr provide a whirlwind of events in this murder mystery, leaving the reader hanging at the conclusion of this, the first in a trilogy about Max and Angela.  A good, quick read.

The Sting of Death

A young woman has gone missing, and her cousin has asked Drew Slocombe, an amateur detective, to look into her disappearance.  Joined by his business partner, Maggs, They commence their sleuthing at the home of the missing woman.  What they discover prompts them to approach the police.  DS Den Cooper takes on the case, primarily because it has been a quiet summer.

Drew is surprised when the missing young woman turns up while he is visiting her mother.  She informs them that she had been kidnapped and locked up.  DS Cooper is informed the following morning that a child is missing and purportedly with the missing woman.  When he tells Drew of the missing child, Drew doesn't inform him that the missing woman is no longer missing.  DS Cooper is concerned when he speaks to the parents of the missing child that the father doesn't seem to be concerned about his daughter.

The missing child is found dead shortly afterwards.  The story takes a strange twist when the young woman who had started the queries in the first place commits suicide. Author Rebecca Tope pulls everything together in this bizarre murder mystery in the closing chapters.  A good, quick read.

The Repentant Rake

Sir Julius Cheever wants Christopher Redmayne to design a house for him in London.  On his way home from Northamptonshire, an attempt is made to rob Redmayne.  Fortunately he gains the upper hand on his robber and leaves him trussed up in the stable where the robbery attempt occurred.

Meantime, back in London, Jonathan Bale has a murder inquiry in his hands.  A wealthy young man has been strangled to death and his body left in an area of the city that doesn't match with who he would have been.  When Bale discovers the name of the victim, he takes it to Redmayne.  The he discovers that the victim is the son of the man who had engaged Redmayne to design the house for him.   Redmayne, in an attempt to glean information from his brother finds out that his brother has been threatened with death, just like the victim.

Redmayne finds out from the sister of the victim that he had been married.  When he and Bale meet with the widow, they discover that the victim's diary is missing.  Another high profile person is threatened with blackmail, and since he is prepared to pay up the amount demanded, Redmayne offers to be the one to hand it over, but capture of the culprit was impossible.

Shortly after this they learn of a third man being blackmailed.  When Redmayne begins to put pressure on a possible suspect, he is almost killed.  That is followed by a second ransom demand to the second blackmail victim.

How will Redmayne and Bale discover the culprit or culprits behind these dastardly deeds?  Author Edward Marston has some exciting adventures for the pair before they can solve this murder mystery.  A good, quick read.

Blind Eye

Someone in Aberdeen is attacking and blinding Polish workers.  Hate letters have been received by the police bragging about doing this and warning of more to come.  DS Logan McRae becomes involved in the investigation, but is pulled off of it when a fight occurs between local dealers and some Polish men trying to recruit them.  He is caught up working with DI Steel on that case, too.  However DCI Finnie pulls them from that claiming that they were interfering in an ongoing investigation.

Steel and McRae are ambushed when they are sent to investigate screaming in a house.  They find one of the McLeod boys has been blinded.  The action becomes more intense as they discover that it is an international ring that is trying to move in on the local crime rings.  Since there are Polish immigrants that are being victimised, they wonder of it is Polish mafia that are involved.

McRae is assigned to travel to Warsaw to liaise with Polish police and find out about similar blindings that had occurred there in the past.  Although the Aberdeen police had someone in custody for the blindings, there was another blinding while McRae was in Kraków.  Could they have made a mistake?

McRae  is able to find one man who had his eyes gouged out, and the name of the man who had done it.  Unfortunately for him and the police officer who is helping him, they are shot at and bombed.  Upon his return he and Steel are given a secret assignment of a parallel investigation into the killings.

The action really heats up in this murder mystery as the pages flyby.  Author Stuart MacBride has once again produced a real page turner that you won't want to put down.

The War That Ended Peace

Europe had basically been at peace since Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo in 1815. The Paris Exposition of 1900 brought many nations to that city in harmony.  The western world seemed so far ahead of its far flung colonies.  Paris also hosted the second modern Olympics at the same time.

Improved hygiene had led to a rapid increase in the population of Europe, and this in turn led to a greater feeling of nationalism.  Not only was Europe experiencing this sense of prosperity, but Russia was on the rise and the United States was rapidly becoming an economic power.  Both nations were expanding imperialists, Russia to the east and the USA into the Pacific.

Although the Paris Exposition was bright with new things, it also showed the military might of the nations.  Behind the scenes, alliances were either formed or about to be formed.  The world was on the brink of catastrophe.

Britain was the strongest nation at sea, and Germany was the strongest nation in Europe, yet without a powerful navy and much in the way of colonies.   The royal families of the two nations were tightly related.  Yet, there was lots of animosity, especially on the part of the Germans.  Kaiser Wilhelm set about building a navy to compete with the British navy.  He was totally in charge of the German Empire, whereas Britain was a constitutional monarchy.

The Kaiser's Chancellor, von Bulow, was prepared to stir the pot, causing other countries to be at each other's throats, while Germany slowly and quietly got stronger.  Tirpitz, the Kaiser's new Secretary of the Navy, convinces him that a navy with battleships bigger than British ones is what is needed to secure Germany's place in the world.  Tirpitz's assumptions about how Britain would react proved to be far from the mark.

The naval race between Germany and Britain widened the gulf between those nations and at the same time forced more amicable relations between Britain and France.  France was constantly going through political turmoil since losing the war to Prussia in 1871.   The Dreyfus Affair was an example of the poor shape the French army was in.  Lacking friends in Europe, France turned to an unlikely friend, Russia.  It was Edward VII's visit to France in 1903 that would lead to the creation of the Entente Cordiale the following year.

Russia was stumbling along in the early years of the new century.  An incident on the Dogger Bank almost brought it to war with Britain.  In 1904 Russia found itself at war with Japan over control of parts of China.  The following year, after severely defeating the Russian navy, Japan agreed to peace.  The huge country of Russia was in many ways behind the developments of the rest of Europe.  It was still mainly a feudal country.  Its vastness ruled by a few rich elite, while the majority suffered from poverty. Costly strikes and revolutions were in the near future.

Tsar Nicholas II was an autocratic ruler who rarely took advice, and when he did, his advisors were not the best of men such as Rasputin.  He and his family were blissfully unaware of what was really going on in his own country.  The war with Japan had virtually bankrupted Russia, yet its expenditures on the military was above that of other ministries.   Russia found that it needed to connect with Britain, rather than Germany.  This led to Kaiser Wilhelm to feel surrounded.

Although Italy was part of the Triple Alliance, Germany felt that it could only truly turn to the Austrian-Hungarian Empire for support.  Austria-Hungary resented the strength that developed in German unification and also resented Italy.   The Germans were also concerned about the future of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire because it was made up of so many nationalities, very dissimilar to that of Germany.  The only way to keep the internal strife from wrecking the Dual Monarchy was to maintain a strong military.

The Balkans would prove to be a divisive factor between Russia and the Dual Monarchy.  As the Ottoman Empire began to crumble, the Slavs in the Balkans were guaranteed protection by the Russians, while the Dual Monarchy looked to the possible annexation of that area.

Many philosophers of the time argued against war, pointing out the economic costs as well as the cost in deaths of the best and brightest.  Alfred Nobel would create a peace prize just after the turn of the century.  Many pacifist societies would develope across the world, too.  Unfortunately there was not much of a pacifist movement in Germany, Austria-Hungary, nor Russia.  Nationalism seemed to be the natural enemy of pacifism in every country.

In preparation for war, the continental armies took advantage of the railways to move men and goods.  The Germans especially integrated their plans with railway timetables.   Unfortunately the armies and navies of the time did not communicate with each other, so war plans of one branch of the military were hidden from friends as well as foes.  Nor did the military see the reality of the new killing machines that were now available.  Their thoughts of a glorious war were generations in the past.

Germany was the most prepared for war.  The Sclieffen Plan was intended to eliminate France as quickly as possible using pincer movements to capture Paris.  It also intended to have Germany prepared for a two front war; eliminate France quickly while being on the defensive with Russia, then turning on Russia.  Unfortunately the plan, which meant going through neutral Belgium, didn't take into account the fact that Britain soul be drawn into the war on the side of the French as a result.  The Germans also counted on the Austrian-Hungarian army to keep Russia occupied fighting on the eastern front long enough for them to defeat France, and then bring their army to bear on the Russians.

Russia was well aware of what Germany was doing, but their own preparations were slow.  The Russians also had a spy in the Austrian-Hungarian army who kept them well informed.   Surprisingly both sides thought that the war would be a short one.

The first crisis leading to the war was the Moroccan issue.  Germany had hoped to push Britain and France apart, but in reality actually strengthened their relationship.  The second crisis occurred over the Balkan States.  At one time a part of the powerful Ottoman Empire, these states looked for independence, yet at the same time were viewed as up for grabs as the Ottoman Empire fell into decline.   Austria-Hungary and Russia had their eyes on the spoils.  Rumania, Bulgaria and Serbia would, each in its own way antagonise the Dual Monarchy.   It was Serbia that got under the skin of the Dual Monarchy the worst.

Austria-Hungary came to an agreement with Russia, whereby the former would annex Bosnia-Herzegovina, while the latter would be able to move naval ships freely from the Black Sea into the Mediterranean. Unfortunately things didn't work out well.  Bulgaria declared independence at the same time and Russia didn't get access to the straits.  The Serbs felt threatened by these actions.

By 1911, Europe was on the brink of war again as Germany once again tried to stick its fingers into Morocco.  Italy now decided to take advantage of the decline of the Ottoman Empire by grasping Libya.  The Balkan area was the next area in crisis.   The Ottoman Empire was unable to suppress the nationalistic feelings that were rising in the area.  Minorities turned one upon the other.

Yet, at the same time, a Balkan League was formed when Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro formed a defensive alliance.  Before long, Montenegro declared war on the Ottoman Empire, and were quickly joined by the other Balkan states.  It was a short successful war in the sense that the Balkan states threw out the Ottomans.  The major powers brokered a peace for fear of the war spreading.  They had a multitude of other reasons, too.

Aware that Prussia and Piedmont had created new, larger nations, Vienna was against Serbia attempting to do the same.  Russia, although far from prepared for war, did a trial mobilisation at this time, which caused Vienna to do the same.  Albania proved to be an issue, but finally the two powers backed down, fearful of the cost.  However, Montenegro seized a key city, which set Vienna threatening war.  Russia then was forced to back up its Slav brothers.  Seeing the situation they had created, Montenegro gave up the city, and war was once again averted.

In the middle of June 1913, Bulgaria launched a war against Serbia and Greece.  Rumania and the Ottoman Empire joined with Serbia and Greece, and before long, Bulgaria had lost the war and territory. However, Serbia and Albania remained at odds.   Threatened with war by Austria-Hungary, the Serbs backed down.

1914 brought renewed tensions.  As the year progressed, everyone felt that war was inevitable.  Sunday June 28, 1914 was a beautiful day throughout Europe; summer was underway and the leadership had commenced their summer holidays.  The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife was the final crisis, which brought on the dark days of the Great War.

Author Margaret Macmillan has written an excellent book explaining the many facets that led up to The Great War.  For a lover of history, this was a very enjoyable read.

The Amorous Nightingale

Christopher Redmayne has been engaged to design another house in London.  However, the builder is one that is not going to see eye-to-eye with him.  But, will they get to build the new house?  Redmayne has been commanded to the king's presence where he is informed that a famous actress has been abducted.  The king wants Redmayne and Constable Jonathan Bale to investigate and bring the woman safely back.

The kidnappers have demanded five thousand pounds ransom from the king.  The king does not have that kind of money.  Redmayne turns to his brother for his knowledge of the upper levels of society.  Bale isn't interested in finding the actress because he feels that the theatre is the foulest of depravity.  Henry, Christopher's brother, provides some names of potential abductors.

Bale decides to become involved in the search when the actress' maid is also abducted because he knew her family.  It isn't long after this that Redmayne receives a warning in the form of his brother being badly beaten up.  Another message is left at the palace when the maid's body is surreptitiously delivered there.

Author Edward Marston hints at various culprits throughout this historical murder mystery, but Redmayne and Consable Bale are able to eliminate them until the true culprits are found out in the end.  A very good, enjoyable, quick read.

A Question of Honor

Ten years prior to the Great War a lieutenant in the British army had committed murders in England and then disappeared in India.  An Indian soldier in his dying breaths tells Bess Crawford that he has seen the lieutenant serving in France.  Bess is sure she sees him later, too.

Bess and family friend, Simon Brandon set out to investigate.  Bess learns of the family the lieutenant supposedly killed.  The killing he apparently has committed just don't seem to match up with the man they knew.   As their investigation progresses Bess learns that the lieutenant did have a connection to the house where the family was murdered, however they don't have any idea of what the connection is.

Suspicion on the lieutenant is lightened somewhat when an arson fire kills two people in Winchester, whom possibly had information on the lieutenant, after Bess and Simon had visited them.  The lieutenant was in France working under an assumed name as a sapper.  Bess later meets him when he is brought in suffering from influenza.  His story confuses her about his guilt, yet she doesn't betray him.

However, once again, Bess is convinced of his guilt, when upon recovering, and being sent back to the front, he is shortly thereafter taken prisoner.  She is convinced he contrived to be taken prisoner so he wouldn't be brought to trial.

Author Charles Todd provides a surprising twist to the conclusion of this World War One murder mystery.  A good, quick read.  (I just wish that if this American author is going to write British novels, that he would use British spellings, such as Honour)