Nicks` Cabinet of Curios

Eric Ambler (ed) - Great Cases of Scotland Yard ; Volume One - Reader`s Digest - 1993   Reprint of book first published in 1978 Contents ;  Thomas Neill Cream, Poisoner - Elizabeth Jenkins Flannel Foot - Michael Innes The Strange Case of Stanley Setty - Andrew Garve  The Portland Spy Case - Ludovic Kennedy Clive Egleton - The Stealing of Muriel McKay The story of five historical crime cases told by popular writers of the day.  Generally, a very absorbing and satisfying read. The first three cases were very much my kind of thing and I enjoyed them immensely. I am not particularly keen on espionage stories, whether fact or fiction, but in fact Ludovic Kennedy`s account of the Portland Spy Case was fascinating  and very enjoyable. I was surprised to find that I was not so keen on the Muriel McKay kidnapping case, which is odd as  it`s a case that I`ve read about before and one that generally interests me. I`d have to also add that while the author quotes ...

  Anthony Berkeley -The Silk Stocking Murders - Collins Crime Club/The Detective Club - 2007 "A Roger Sheringham Detective Novel"  2007 reprint of book first published in 1928 It is a while since I read this. I usually like to review books promptly after reading them but in this case real life got in the way.  I remember this as an intelligent and ingenious novel, that I enjoyed very much.  It is said that the central character has may of the attributes of the author himself. I mention this is there ae two female characters, either of whom could very easily have taken on the role off the detective`s sidekick. Considering they are relatively minor characters, the author seems to go to some length to portray them, which made me wonder if they were based on women he knew.  I personally did work out the identity of the villain of the piece, which I actually found a bit disappointing. When I was younger I tended to be quite pleased if I could solve the case correctly...