THE MAN IN THE QUEUE - Josephine Tey

 

HIDE MY EYES - Margery Allingham

 

A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF - Lawrence Block

 

DEATH BEFORE BREAKFAST - George Bellairs

 

STICKY FINGERS,THE LIFE & TIMES OF JANN WENNER &ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE - Joe Hagen

 

A very complex man, alienated as many as he helped over the years but the ambition from a young age is startling.

Stating Rolling Stone at 20 through sheer will power and found he had struck at the perfect time creating a serious magazine for rock music.  On the down side he is a social climbing sycophant.

Wenner knows everyone in the music business and at it beginning Rolling Stone covered some of the 20th century's big events. i.e Kent State, Vietnam etc  

Wenner 'found ' Annie Leibovitz , Hunter S. Thompson and many others & gave them a home.  He eventually fell out with them all as well.  He had John Lennon as a friend but destroyed the friendship for a few dollars.

So, a very complex man.   My criticism of this biography is it has Wenners shade over it,its not a hagiography but it lacks a deep dig into many of the events you would get if it was a posthumous book.

Its worth the read because of the events it covers, the 60's, 70's and beyond. Wenner was there through it all

OUT ON THE CUTTING EDGE - Lawrence Block

 

SHE DIED A LADY - John Dickson Carr

 

THE FAR SIDE OF THE DOLLAR - Ross MacDonald

 

A STAB IN THE DARK - Lawrence Block

 

TROUBLE IN TRIPLICATE - Rex Stout

 

Three novellas, all average.  Stout did this s alot , you get the feeling they all started as full novels but he didn't feel it so he canned them after 70 pages.  Always good dialogue but the stories ae weak.

HAG'S NOOK- John Dickson Carr

 

A LONG LINE OF DEAD MEN- Lawrence Block

 

IN THE MIDST OF DEATH - Lawrence Block

 

THE CASE OF THE CONSTANT SUICIDES - John Dickson Carr

 

This is one of the best I have read of Carr's, some great characters and genuine humour.

THE WIDOWS CRUISE - Nicholas Blake

 

Not one of his best, in fact all a bit silly and a waste of an afternoon.

A DANCE AT THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE - Lawrence Block

 

The entire Scudder series is excellent but this one is exceptional.  Scudder is hired by a man to prove his brother in law murdered his sister.  This segue's into the underworld where children are sold as play things for freaks.

This stands with anything Chandler wrote, very dark, very violent and gut wrenching.

If you like the crime noir genre it doesn't come any better than this.

GRAVEDIGGER - Joseph Hansen

 

PRISONERS BASE - Rex Stout

 

WINGS ABOVE THE DIAMANTINA - Arthur Upfield

 

THE EMPIRE OF THE SUN - J G Ballard

 

THE ALAMUT AMBUSH - Anthony Price

 

THE LABYRINTH MAKERS - Anthony Price

 

THE SOFT TALKERS - Margaret Millar

 

THE TIME OF THE EYE - Harlan Ellison

 

MY FRIEND MAIGRET- Georges Simenon

 

THE MYSTERY OF SWORDFISH REEF - Arthur Upfield

 

A LEGACY OF SPIES- John Le Carre

 

THE HONOURABLE SCHOOLBOY - John Le Carre

 

I have read this several times and it never gets old, my favourite Le Carre.  Another fine example of his writing about broken people getting used.  The dialogue is fantastic.

It will get read again.

CONSEQUENCE OF FEAR - Ted Allbeury

 

MURDER MUST WAIT - Arthur Upfield

 

THE LISTENING WALLS - Margaret Millar

I've seen Millar described as the best mystery writer no ones ever heard of, which is probably true as she does not get the credit she deserves.  Her husband was Kenneth Millar, aka Ross MacDonald who wrote the outstanding Lew Archer series, but the more I read of Millar the more I think she had the win in the writing stakes.

This is an outstanding mystery.  As usual for her very dark ,but there is some funny dialogue from the PI hired to solve a wife disappearing.

There are not many of her 27 novels in print so if you're into the genre troll the secondhand stores and websites.

Highly recommended

NINETY-TWO DAYS - Evelyn Waugh

 

An interesting wee read, no great discoveries but a tale of genuine discomfort traveling in Guiana and Brazil in the 1930's.

Mr Christie is is met in some hell hole called Boa Vista and becomes the model used in "The Man Who Liked Dickens", which in turn is included in "A Handful of Dust" 

If you like your travel books short this is worth picking up.

PIETR THE LATVIAN - Georges Simenon

 

If you are ever indecisive about what you want to read , pick up a Maigret.  They are works of art.

CAKE IN THE HAT BOX- Arthur Upfield

 

THE UNDERGROUND MAN - Ross MacDonald

 

ALL THE SOUNDS OF FEAR - Harlan Ellison

 

ALL THE FLOWERS ARE DYING - Lawrence Block

 

BORN VICTIM - Hillary Waugh

This is very very dark.  Unsettling the way it ends up.

Waugh is outstanding 

DANCE HALL OF THE DEAD - Tony Hillerman

 

First of these I have read, good mystery, good descriptions of the Indian lands where the action takes place.

I will read more when I come across them.

SIDETRACKED - Henning Mankell

 

RED HARVEST - Dashiell Hammett

Hardboiled crime.  Hammett, often imitated , never bettered.

THE GLIMPSES OF THE MOON - Edmund Crispin

 

MEMOIRS - Kingsley Amis

 

Not autobiographical, more snapshots of his life, friends & enemies.  The booze, my god.  His entire set put it away like they were going to stop making it.

Very very funny in places, sad in others but if you were a friend , you were a friend for all time.  Well worth a read

VANISH IN AN INSTANT -Margaret Millar

 

PATRICK BUTLER FOR THE DEFENCE - John Dickson Carr

 

HOPE TO DIE - Lawrence Block

 

MADMAN'S BEND - Arthur Upfield

 

THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD- Lawrence Block

 

TIME TO MURDER AND CREATE - Lawrence Block

 

MINUTE FOR MURDER- Nicholas Blake