Mystery

Review: The Bullet That Missed

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Cover image of "The Bullet that Missed" by Richard Osman

The Bullet That Missed

The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club, 3) Richard Osman. Penguin Books (ISBN: 9780593299418) 2022.

Summary: The Thursday Murder Club investigates the murder of a TV journalist while Elizabeth must kill an old spy friend.

Once again, the Thursday Murder Club are in deeper than they expected, and loving every minute of it. The four have decided to investigate the unsolved murder of Bethany Waites. Waite was a TV journalist investigating a VAT avoidance scheme and was about to break the story. The same night she had called Mike Waghorn, the news host, her car was found at the bottom of a cliff, with bloodstains that matched hers. Investigators find clothes but no body. It was assumed she had washed out to sea. The one woman who went to prison for the scheme said nothing.

Meanwhile, a man who calls himself the Viking abducts Stephen and Elizabeth. He gives Elizabeth a stark choice. Either kill an old KGB spy, Viktor Illyich, or the Viking will kill Joyce. As it turns out, Elizabeth and Viktor had gone from rivals to lovers, long before Stephen. Yet she takes Joyce along to Viktor’s suite to kill him, not having told Joyce about the Viking’s threat. But in reality, they feign his death and he joins the Club, both to catch the Viking and to work on the other murder.

The question is, why does the Viking want Viktor Illych dead? And who is he? It turns out Stephen supplies a key clue, in a moment of mental awareness, even as he gently and sadly declines into dementia, a decline that will hit Bogdan as hard as anyone.

Meanwhile, the Club is meeting all the people associated with Bethany Waites from Mike Waghorn, who wants her killer found, to Pauline, the make-up person, who falls in love with Ron, to a rival, Fiona Clemence, now a famous TV personality. They work with Chief Constable, Andrew Everton, and even enlist Connie, the drug dealer’s help, despite the fact that she intends to kill Ron and Bogdan.

Before they wrap things up, two more murders take place while Joyce faces a murderous Viking. And I will leave things there so you can have the same fun I did reading to the end!

Review: Not Quite Kosher

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Cover image of "Not Quite Kosher by Stuart M. Kaminsky

Not Quite Kosher

Not Quite Kosher (Abe Lieberman, 7), Stuart M. Kaminsky. Forge Books (ISBN: 9781429912631) 2002

Summary: Lieberman juggles two murder cases, one with multiple deaths including a cop, a bar mitzvah, a partner’s wedding and more.

Sometimes a lot of life happens at once. At home, Lieberman is involved in bar mitzvah plans for his grandson, mainly in figuring out how to stretch the family budget to pay for everything and leave something to repair the roof. Meanwhile, his partner Hanrahan is moving up his wedding date to marry Iris Chin–to this week, with a reception at the Liebermans! This, despite Iris’s family disapproval and threats which Lieberman cleverly handles through the leader of one of Chicago’s gangs. And he even manages to book Senator Joe Lieberman (no relation) to speak for a synagogue fund-raiser.

Then there is the work. A group of young thugs attacks a depressed store owner. Only it doesn’t turn out so well. The man, Arnold Sokol, defends himself well enough to chase two of the young men off and land the other in the hospital. Lieberman and his rabbi help settle things with the young man in the hospital, or so they think. But the next day, Sokol’s badly beaten body washes up in the lake.

Actually, that’s just one of two bodies that wash up. The other is a man called Pryor, involved in Lieberman’s other case. Him and Michael Wychovski rob a jewelry store–the same one they robbed a year ago. Only this time, things don’t turn out so well. On the way out, Pryor stumbles and his gun goes off, killing the owner. Then, while Wychovski drives, he fires on pursuing police, killing one of them. But they manage to elude capture-until Pryor’s body washes up along with Sokol’s.

I love the great relationship between Lieberman and Hanrahan, punctuated with food stops and ever-present reminders about Lieberman’s cholesterol. Each has gotten the other out of trouble on more than one occasion. I also love the philosophic decency of Lieberman–his companionable marriage, his acceptance of his difficult daughter, and his loyalty to his brother Maish and the alter cockers. He’s a man people trust, from Kearney, his boss to a somewhat unstable gang leader.

The reader trusts him as well, even to catching the real killer of Arnold Sokol. My only regret is that Kaminsky only wrote ten installments in this series. Having read most of the Rostnikov and Lieberman stories, perhaps it’s time to check out Toby Peters and Lew Fonseca, his two other crime solvers.

Review: Sulphur Springs

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Cover image of "Sulphur Springs" by William Kent Krueger

Sulphur Springs

Sulphur Springs (Cork O’Connor, 16), William Kent Krueger. Atria Books (ISBN: 9781501147432) 2018.

Summary: A garbled message from Rainy’s son Peter about trouble sends Cork and Rainy to Arizona to help, threatening their own lives.

The phone in Cork and Rainy’s bedroom went to voicemail before Rainy could answer it. It was her son, Peter. in a garbled message, Peter said he was in trouble and something about murdering someone named Rodriquez. It was clear that they needed to go to Arizona, where Peter was living. But this is hard for Rainy. Peter wasn’t the only Bisonette who’d killed a man.

Peter was Rainy’s son by her first marriage. After time in the military, he grew addicted to drugs. After a stay at a re-hab program, he was clean. Or so they believed. The last they’d heard, he was working with the program. But when they arrive, they learn he hasn’t worked there in a year. He’d also gone missing from his current work at a vineyard. A visit to Sulphur Springs, where Peter gets his mail turns up nothing. No one seems to know him. But they get the distinct impression people are lying.

Early on, someone warns them to trust no one. And the advice seems warranted. Even after the bit of poking around they did, the rented Jeep they were driving exploded when, on a cold morning, Corked used the remote ignition fob to warm it up. The only one who would help them was the Methodist minister whose church Peter attended. She loaned them her truck and the use of the parsonage.

As they try to piece together what is going on, they discover the Rodriquez name is tied to a ruthless drug cartel, that Peter has been part of a secretive group assisting border refugees called the Desert Angels, and there is another group, White Horse, opposed to any efforts to assist immigrants. In addition, there are people on the inside who are compromised. It could be anyone.

At one point someone kidnaps Rainy. Cork is captured and “sweated.” And a name out of the past turns up to rescue them. Mondragon. Rainy’s first husband. He’d bankrolled Peter’s treatment. Then the question of trust becomes more personal. Rainy stays hidden with Mondragon while Cork tracks Peter. And Cork wonders if he can trust Rainy’s love. Mondragon is rich and powerful. And Cork is learning Rainy has secrets.

Trust and betrayal. As in many cases, large sums of money play a part. As the young man risks his life to save immigrants on a kind of “Underground Railroad,” Cork is not the only one hunting him. Who will prevail? And will trust prevail over betrayal?

Review: There Came Both Mist and Snow

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Cover image of "There Came Both mist and Snow" by Michael Innes

There Came Both Snow and Mist

There Came Both Snow and Mist (Sir John Appleby Number 6), Michael Innes. Open Road Integrated Media (ISBN: 9781504092074) 2024 (first published in 1940).

Summary: A gathering of Sir Basil Roper’s extended family and friends is marred when his nephew is shot in his study.

Arthur Ferryman has always loved Belrive, the home of Sir Basil Roper, especially the old priory ruins. So, you can understand his delight on being invited for a holiday gathering with extended family. But city is encroaching on country as Ferryman notes, watching the Cudbury Brewery neon sign pour tall cold ones over the priory ruins. Ah, progress!

Likewise, this is not an idyllic family gathering. Sir Basil has announced plans to sell his estate to fund a science expedition. Not everyone is happy, particularly those who could lose inheritances. Furthermore, a new pastime introduces a new element of danger–pistol shooting!

Yes, you guessed it. There is a shooting. Arthur, unsettled by the family dynamics, goes for an evening walk before dinner. At one point, he notices a figure on the terrace outside Sir Basil’s study. Not able to identify the person and not thinking too much of it, he continues his walk as snow begins to fall. As he is returning for dinner, he meets another person at the door, who is none other than Sir John Appleby, a family friend and dinner guest.

When they go in, they learn there has been a shooting in Sir Basil’s study. At first, because he was in there earlier, they feared it was Sir Basil. Instead, it is a nephew, seriously wounded in the right lung. He’s hanging on by a thread as an ambulance rushes him away.

Appleby is asked to join the local police to assist. Appleby more or less invites Ferryman to be his right hand man. Convenient, since Ferryman is our narrator! Typical of manor house mysteries, while Appleby investigates, the family all come up with theories, accusing most everyone in the house. There is even a confession. One of the family is even a would-be mystery writer with her own theories.

There is also some question of who was the intended victim. Everyone notes the family resemblance between Sir Basil and the nephew, as well as the nephew’s brother. This helps account for the variety of theories. In the midst of all that, and a house full of guns, Appleby has to find the shooter while we wait on tenterhooks to see if the victim will survive.

Not everyone appreciates Innes. I would describe his books as mysteries for the cultured, for those who like sophisticated dialogue and dry British humor. And he wrote in the 1930’s and 1940’s, a different time. But I enjoyed the plot development, the cast of characters, and how Innes employs Ferryman as narrator.

Review: The Man Who Died Twice

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Cover image of "The Man Who Died Twice" by Richard Osman

The Man Who Died Twice

The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club, Number 2) Richard Osman. Penguin Books (ISBN: 9781984881014) 2022.

Summary: Ibrahim is badly assaulted by a teenage thug and Elizabeth’s ex-husband shows up, suspected of stealing diamonds.

Ibrahim was enjoying his jaunt to a local bookstore–until assaulted by a group of young thugs–including vicious kicks that landed him in the hospital from one of them. One of the side plots is how the Thursday Murder Club figures out a way to get even with with Ibrahim’s assailant. Interestingly, Ibrahim does not want revenge–he just wants to hide out at the Villages. Psychologist though he is, he is suffering both physical and emotional trauma.

Meanwhile, the main plot begins when Elizabeth receives a letter from a former “associate.” Closer than that, Douglas Middlemiss was once married to Elizabeth. Now he is on the run, suspected of stealing diamonds worth £20 million from a shady banker who needs them to pay off the New York mob. And he wants to hide out in the Villages. Also, it turns out that a new girl working there, Poppy, is actually an agent there to protect him. It turns out he needs it. Poppy kills a hit man attempting to kill Douglas. They are removed to a safe house. But it is not very safe. Elizabeth finds both of them dead, when she responds to a message from Douglas.

Now the Thursday Murder Club kicks into high gear, minus Ibrahim for a time. But Joyce pulls him into action eventually. Bogdan joins them, resourceful and not afraid to deal with a female drug dealer. Chris and Donna are pursuing that drug dealer as well. Meanwhile, Elizabeth, with Joyce as an increasingly useful sidekick, follows a trail of clues both to find Douglas killer and the diamonds. But the trail raises a disturbing possibility. Did Douglas fake his own death at the safe house and is still about? And if not, who found the safe house and killed Douglas and Poppy?

One thing for sure, is that this ends in an exciting climax involving all these actors. But I won’t spoil the fun, and fun it is. We discover more in this book how good Elizabeth was at her tradecraft, as well as being the one Douglas allowed to get away to his wistful regret. Joyce comes increasingly into her own. Seemingly sentimental, taken up with making and giving out friendship bracelets, she doesn’t bat an eyelash at dead bodies, or mafia hit men. She offers insights that Elizabeth misses. And her friendship bracelets even provide a crucial clue! All in all, everything came together to make this an enjoyable book, beginning to end.

Review: Manitou Canyon

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Cover image of "Manitou Canyon" by William Kent Krueger

Manitou Canyon

Manitou Canyon (Cork O’Connor, 15), William Kent Krueger. Atria Books (ISBN: 9781476749273) 2017.

Summary: A man disappears during a camping trip and the grandchildren hire Cork to find him days before Jenny’s wedding.

Cork O’Connor would disagree with T.S., Eliot. For him, November, not April, is the cruelest month. His father, wife, and Sam Winter Moon, his best friend all died in November. And his daughter Jenny is planning a November wedding to Daniel English, Rainy’s nephew. Waaboo would have a father. It seems an auspicious event to change the character of November for Cork. But he still has his fears.

They deepen when two young people, grandchildren of John Harris come to see him. John left Aurora years ago and eventually headed up an enormously successful construction firm. However, in October, he returned to the areas to go on a camping trip in the Boundary Waters with Lindsay and Trevor, his two grandchildren. One afternoon, he went missing while the three of them were separated. Cork was part of the Search and Rescue team. But they could find no trace of him, and eventually the search was called off.

Now, Trevor and Lindsay want to hire him to resume the search. Just two weeks before Jenny’s wedding. What persuades him is a dream Trevor recounts, in which Cork’s son Stephen comes to him and speaks of “mounterths under the bed,” a family memory. Cork agrees to make a three day trip to Raspberry Lake, where Harris went missing. A friend with a float plane would fly them Cork and Lindsay in and out. Sheriff Dross would lend him a sat phone to keep in contact. What could go wrong?

What couldn’t? They land on Raspberry Island. Overnight, they spot a light on a nearby lookout. In the morning Cork goes to explore, climbing a cliff too difficult for Lindsay. When he comes down, she is missing, only her “where’s Waldo” stocking cap left behind. He pursues, to where the others might have landed and is attacked by a man with a knife. In the struggle, the man dies by his own knife. Then Cork is knocked out. When he comes to, an enraged woman wants to kill him. The leader prevents this. There’s also a young man, a sharpshooter. Except he gashes a knee during a portage, which becomes badly infected.

While Lindsay and Cork’s captors press north toward Canada, a search begins when Cork fails to report in or show up to be picked up. A search of the island shows where they camped, and where the man bled out. Meanwhile, Stephen, deeply worried for his father with a sense of heaviness, returns from a pilgrimage out west. Henry also speaks of a great darkness over Cork, a battle he must fight.

To make matters more interesting, Rainy’s Aunt Leah shows up uninvited for the wedding. Half a century ago, Henry rejected her affections, and she’d never forgotten, or apparently, forgiven it. But the rest of the O’Connor clan does their thing. Jenny gets on the internet while Daniel pursues contacts in law enforcement to figure out Trevor’s winning ways at the casino. Meanwhile, Rose cooks, and prays.

A question hovers over the disappearance. How did the captors know that Cork and Lindsay were coming? It’s a question both Cork and the folks back in Aurora figure out about the same time. It turns out there is far more than kidnappings involved. An underground network involved in a number of “disruptions” wants to blow up a dam in Manitou Canyon. Rainy has dreamt of a flood deluging thousands.

I’ll leave it to you to figure out how all this connects and what happens. Will Cork make it back for the wedding? Or will November remain the cruelest month? Needless to say, Krueger sets up another thrilling finish!

Review: The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories

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Cover image of "The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories" by Agatha Christie

The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories

The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories, Agatha Christie. William Morrow (ISBN: 9780062094391) 2012 (first published in 1997).

Summary: Nine early short stories, including a Poirot and the title story, an encounter with Harley Quin.

In addition to her longer novels, Agatha Christie published a number of short stories, often in various periodicals. In recent years publishers have compiled these into various collections. This one was first published in 1997. It consists of a number of her very early works. I’ll give you a brief plot synopsis of each and conclude with my thoughts on the collection.

The Harlequin Tea Set. In this title story, Mr. Satterthwaite’s car breaks down in a small village. While waiting for the repairs, he decides to stop in at the Harlequin Cafe. It puts him in mind of an old friend, Mr. Harley Quin. Whenever he turns up, Mr. Quin’s words would trigger decisions and actions that would prove helpful to others. But e hadn’t seen him in some time. Then who should turn up?

The Edge. Claire Halliwell is a single woman in a small town who devotes herself to her dog and to parish life. At one time, she had fallen in love with Gerald Lee, who married Vivien instead. And then Claire catches Vivien in an affair and faces the choice of what to do with that knowledge.

The Actress. Jake Levitt, a seedy journalist, stops by the theare to see a performance of the famous actress, Olga Stormer. He recognizes her as Nancy Taylor and threatens to tell her story. Only he doesn’t recognize who he is dealing with…

While the Light Lasts. George and Deidre Crozier are driving to a plantation in Rhodesia. This was were her husband Tim had died, and the journey recalls many touching memories…and then an encounter with someone she knew.

The House of Dreams. John Segrave dreams of a House. The next day he meets Allegra Kerr. He believes she is that House. But she will not encourage his affections and will not marry. What is the ark thing he saw looking out from the House in another dream? And what did it mean?

The Lonely God. Frank Oliver has returned to London, alone. One day, he visits the British Museum and spies “a lonely god” on a shelf with which he identifies. He returns often, and then encounters a woman, also drawn to this god.

Manx Gold. Fenella and Juan are cousins betrothed to marry. Their beloved and eccentric Uncle Myles dies. He had found a treasure rumored to be hidden on the island. He sets up a competition for his four living relations but gives Juan and Fenella an extra day before the others arrive to search. There are four chests, and the clues to the location of each are not released until the previous one is found.

Within a Wall. Alan Everard is a rising artist. He is married to a socialite, Isobel Loring and they have a daughter, Winnie. As a crowning work, he sets out to paint a portrait of his wife. Technically, it is brilliant, but there is no life in it. By contrast, a discarded sketch, found by a Miss Lempiere, portrays Winnie’s godmother, Jane Haworth, and is full of life.

The Mystery of the Spanish Chest. This is the one Poirot in the collection. Poirot notes a newspaper story on the Spanish Chest Mystery. The mystery is how, during a party with six people at the home of Major Rich, the body of Mr. Clayton ended up stuffed in the chest, discover the next day when a servant spotted a pool of blood beneath it. He asks his secretary to collect all the details of the case. Shortly after, his friend, Lady Chatterton invites him to her house and introduces Poirot to Mrs. Clayton, the widow. It turns out, Major Rich was her lover and she wants Poirot to prove he wasn’t the murderer, even though it was in his house and his chest.

Of all of these, “The Harlequin Tea Set” and “The Mystery of the Spanish Chest” were my favorites. The others reveal Christie’s early efforts as a writer. All are diverting stories, to be sure. Several involve lovers triangles. However, I suspect they will be of greatest interest to Christie fans, like me. Others might just say, “Meh!”

Review: The Black Wolf

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Cover image of "The Black Wolf" by Louise Penny

The Black Wolf

The Black Wolf (Chief Inspector Gamache, 20), Louise Penny. Minotaur Books (ISBN: 9781250328175) 2025.

Summary: Having arrested the “Black Wolf” trying to poison Montreal, Gamache realizes this was but a prelude to a greater threat.

If you read The Grey Wolf, you knew this book was coming. And if you did not, stop right here. That book gives the background for this, and this review gives details that will spoil the end of the Grey Wolf.

Gamache and his team have barely stopped an attempt to poison Montreal’s water supply as part of a power grab. The supposed mastermind, Marcus Lauzon, the Deputy Prime Minister, is now in solitary confinement. But Gamache, recovering at home, having lost his hearing due to a gun discharge meant to kill him, is beginning to doubt that the threat has been removed. They just may have been diverted off the trail of something bigger.

Not knowing who to trust, he has brought his closest associates, Beauvoir and LaCoste to Three Pines. Quietly, they have been studying the notebooks and a map left by slain biologist, Charles Langlois. But most of his notations are cryptic, and a laptop that may offer the key is still missing.

Another clue is equally puzzling. The Grey Wolf had given them this warning:

In a dry and parched land, where there is no water.

What that means, they have no clue. Canada has an abundance of water.

Slowly they piece together clues that convince them something bigger is going on. Woven into it are forest fires, atmospheric conditions, secret war plans and a treasonous international collaboration.

But back to Gamache’s doubts as to the identity of the Black Wolf. Is it Jeanne Caron, the popular current Prime Minister, a mob boss, or someone else? Or could it even be Lauzon? Penny tantalizes us with this throughout the book.

Like The Madness of Crowds, the book has surprised many readers with its prescience as to current events. In light of this, Penny includes an author note at the beginning of the book that she submitted the book to her publisher in September 2024, predating events that followed the U.S. presidential election in 2024. Most striking are her references to Canada as a “fifty-first state.”

It’s also striking that two meetings occur at the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, which straddles the US/Canada border. A black taped line runs through the middle of the building denoting the border. It has been a unique place where Canadians and Americans mix without checkpoints. Until this year. Now Canadians can’t enter the grand entrance on the US side without going through border control. An emergency exit on the Canada side serves as a temporary entrance.

Beyond details like this Penny explores our brave new social media world and its capacity for misinformation and deep fakes where interviews and videos can be doctored to say the opposite of what they were meant to reveal. In addition, Penny explores the international implications of climate-related events including fires, smoke pollution, and water shortages.

Like many of Penny’s books, this one has a hair-raising finish, one that stretched plausibility for me at points. However, one of the most interesting plot elements is that there is a point at which Gamache intentionally misleads Beauvoir. One senses that something shifts in their relationship. Plot material for a future book?

However, her larger scenario didn’t stretch plausibility. It was bleak and scarily realistic for me. It was only relieved by the beautifully ordinary life of Three Pines with an eccentric poet and her  duck Rosa, and all the people who gather at the Bistro for exquisitely good food. Perhaps that is a parable of how we must live in our time. That is, we enjoy the good, true, and beautiful of the given day, thankful for and praying for the Gamaches that stand between us and annihilation.

Review: Pietr the Latvian

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Cover image of "Pietr the Latvian" by Georges Simenon

Pietr the Latvian (Inspector Maigret, 1), Georges Simenon. Penguin Books (ISBN: 9780141392738) 2025 (first published in 1930).

Summary: Maigret tracks an international criminal appearing in a number of guises, not always sure he is tracking the real Pietr.

Georges Simenon wrote 75 novels and 28 short stories featuring Inspector Jules Maigret. This is the very first of the novels and serves as a kind of introduction to Maigret and to Simenon as a mystery writer.

One thing we discover is Simenon is capable of an extremely twisty plot. He learns that an international crime ring leader, known as Pietr the Latvian, is arriving via train in Paris. He has a description and intends to follow him, hopefully to apprehend him in his nefarious dealings. The one problem is that the man he identifies as Pietr is simultaneously heading to his hotel and also very much dead in a train lavatory. The man at the hotel registers as Oswald Oppenheim and is there to meet an American businessman.

This is the first of several identities Maigret investigates, including a Norwegian sea captain and a drunken Russian living with a prostitute, Anna Gorskin. Who is the real Pitr and who are the doubles? Are any of them the dead man on the train?

Not only is the pursuit bewildering. It is also dangerous. A colleague of Maigret, working at the hotel is murdered. Then someone shoots Maigret in the street of a rough district. Although the wound entered his chest and exited his shoulder, Maigret somehow keeps going. We discover that Maigret is resolute as a junk yard dog.

What keeps Maigret going? It seems it is both the offense of the crime and the expectation that the best criminals sooner or later slip up. And Maigret’s plan is to be there when it happens.

To sum up, this initial number is a good example for the series. Short, fast-moving, twisty stories, running about 160 pages. An implacable Inspector. And interesting criminals. What’s not to like?

Review: The Idol House of Astarte

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Cover image of "The Idol House of Astarte" by Agatha Christie

The Idol House of Astarte (Miss Marple short stories), Agatha Christie. Open Road Integrated Media (ISBN: 9781504082297) 2024 (originally published in 1928, 1932).

Summary: Miss Marple solves a murder occurring before witnesses with no obvious assailant and no weapon found.

The Tuesday Night Club was Miss Marple’s idea of entertaining hospitality. Invite a group of guest over to share mysterious occurrences which Miss Marple would attempt to resolve. None were as unusual as the one related by Dr. Pender, the local clergy.

Years before, he was the guest at a weekend party held at the estate of an old college friend, Sir Richard Haydon. The estate is named Silent Grove for a grove of trees leading to a clearing with a summer house Sir Richard has named the Idol House of Astarte. The guests, in addition to Dr. Pender, are Sir Richard’s cousin Elliot, the beautiful Diana Ashley, to whom Sir Richard is attracted, and a Dr. Symonds.

The Idol House intrigues Diana, and she proposes, in effect, an orgy. Dr. Pender, understandably helps nix this idea and instead, they hold a much tamer costume party. During the party, Diana disappears. The guests search for her, passing through the ominous Silent Grove. They find her at the Idol House. She is wearing the dress of a priestess of Astarte. She dances before the house. A spirit seemingly has taken possession of her! She warns others away but Sir Richard approaches, then falls to the ground. Elliot rushes over, finding him dead, stabbed in the heart. But a search yield’s no weapon. And no one was around Sir Richard when he fell.

Then the police investigate, but the death proves a mystery to them. Dr. Pender even believed it may have been supernatural forces at work. But not Miss Marple! She identifies the murderer who, in fact Dr. Pender knew. The murderer subsequently confessed to Dr. Pender shortly before dying.

Christie does all this in a 25 page short story. Christie first published the story in a mystery magazine in 1928. Later, it was part of a collection, The Thirteen Problems, stories told by different members of the Tuesday Night Club. It makes a great standalone as well as a teaser to get one to buy the whole collection!