Ron K. (WhidbeyIslander) - , reviewed on 4/12/2019 + 715 more book reviews

SLEUTH'S ALCHEMY

I don't think Mrs. Bradley (or the reader) is well served by such short tales. There's no time to absorb the obscure clues or get a feeling for the crime. Some of Mitchell's novels are remarkable for the dialogue, which you won't find in these stories. Many of these are very short (two or three pages) and do not feature Mrs. Bradley, but are 'standalone' tales, published in magazines and newspapers during the 1930's and 50's. Probably fine to pass a few minutes in the doctor's waiting room, but not much else. Those with Mrs. Bradley are marked with a B.

Note: although listed at 200 pages, about 20 pages are blank and many have only one or two sentences on them
Introduction: longer than any of the stories themselves, at 15 pages, it chronicles Mitchell's works and is of interest to her fans.

The stories and my rating (* to *****):

(The Case of the Hundred Cats) Mrs. Bradley's secretary gives her clues to possible shenanigans when two women ask Mrs. Bradley to certify one of them as sane. ** B
(Daisey Bell) Mrs. Bradley and her chauffeur come apon a cyclist who has had an accident on a dangerous seaside road. She concludes it was a murder attempt. *** B
(Stranger's Hall) When a body is discovered in a home open to day-trippers for tours, Mrs. Bradley deduces what happened. ** B
(A Light On Murder) Death occurs at an isolated lighthouse with only three possible culprits. **** B
(Rushy Glen) It looks like a local squire was killed in a fall from a horse. Mrs. Bradley and her secretary Laura find out otherwise. *** B
(Juniper Gammon) A local recounts how the son of a pig farmer was killed by a boar's mauling *
(Manor Park) An unliked school master is found bludgeoned with a cricket bat. ***
(The Jar of Ginger) A man recounts a story to a âclubâ where members must posit a way to get away with murder. **
(The Knife) a woman is questioned about the death of her husband. **
(Practical Joke) a husband fond of poorly executed jokes falls victim to one of them. **
(Our Pageant) romantic rivalry leads to death at a fete. ***
(The Tree) efforts taken by a man to have a tree removed finally work. **
(Sammy) Sailors feed a friendly shark, and even take chances swimming with it. ***
(Peach Jam) a man is poisoned. **
(The Plumb Line) rivals for a woman plot how to remove the other man. *
(Haunted House) one of three people is killed overnight in an isolated house. **
(The Falling Petals) An acrobatic act ends in death. **
(The Price of Lead) The theft of a new lead roof on the church worries inhabitants of a small village. *
(The Spell) Mrs. Bradley looks into a young woman slowly wasting away due to a corn-baby infused with witchcraft. *** B
(A Bit of Garden) when a harridan disappears her husdand is suspect #1. **
(The Swimming Gala) a shot rings out at a swim meet and a body falls into the pool. *
(The Tooth-Pick) Jealousy over spot on an archery team leads to poisoning. **
(The Bodkin) a fortune teller warns a play's author of tragedy if the play is performed. ***
(The Boxer) a guard dog figures prominently in an investigation of murder. ***
(The Visitor) a man has a hard time convincing the court he is innocent of a crime. **
(Oversight) questioned about a murder at a roadside inn, a man implicates himself by giving police too much information. ****
(The Manuscript) a woman destroys a writer's book and is soon afterwards killed. ***
(The Fish-Pond) two dead goldfish help solve a death at a school. **
(Alibi) twin sisters plot the death of their employer for the money they plan to inherit from him. ***
(The Vacuum Cleaner) a man's wife is attacked and he is accused before she regains consciousness and can tell police what really happened. ***
(Arsenic In The House) setting up an alibi turns out to be the wrong idea for a man. **

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