Two Recent Reads

The first Ellery Queen novel, The Roman Hat Mystery, from 1929, is an interesting experience. The character hadn't quite gelled yet, and at the book's beginning is living in retirement in Italy with his father and also with his wife and child, and their manservant Djuna. (Not Djnma Barnes!) A friend meets them at random and convinces them to tell a tale of one of their cases. Ellery, as first introduced, is simultaneously a rough-n-ready athletic type but with the sensibilities of an effete snob a la Philo Vance. Murder happens in the Roman Theater in New York when sleazy lawyer Monte Field collapses during a performance, and it's soon revealed that he was poisoned. Who did it? Why? There's no shortage of suspects, as always...there's a woman he groped, his former law partner who detested him, the ex-con, and others. Why was Field sitting in the middle of a block of empty seats? And what is the significance of Fields' missing top hat? As it turns out, plenty. It's an enjoyable exercise although it's technique is better than its grace in style. The authors seem too absorbed in showing off their intricacies of plot than having any real literary strength, and sometimes the wiseguy attitude that comes across in the narration gets a little grating. Djuna will make many modern readers cringe as he's something of a stereotype, and while the final solution is indeed fair play, the motive behind the murder has dated badly and wouldn't raise an eyebrow today.

It's interesting to read the first book of the series; I've read a few others...Calamity Town, Cat of Many Tails, and And on the Eighth Day (which was partly ghostwritten by Avram Davidson)...and those had really literary depth, especially the third which functioned as both a detective story and a religious allegory. As the series progressed, the authors grew less obsessed with contrived plots and technical puzzle mysteries and the stories became more naturalistic and character-driven.The main character became more human and humane, and his wife and child were dropped from the narrative with no explanation.

The Roman Hat Mystery is out there in paperbacks and also as an ebook; it's an interesting historic curiosity, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way for it.

Any reader of this blog should know I'm a fan of Christopher Fowler's Bryant & May series, and this just keeps things going. This time the Occupy movement is used not merely as a backdrop but also a plot element. In Bryant & May and the Burning Man Guy Fawkes Day is coming nigh, and an insider-trading scandal has protesters out in force, making a ruckus over corruption in England's banks. During all the hoo-ha, a man is burned to death in what first seemed like an accident, but the Peculiar Crimes Unit soon realizes is murder. There's a few more murders, and it becomes obvious that the murderer seems to be very carefully committing his crimes to whip up the crowds even more. The final climax comes on Guy Fawkes night and the plot revealed...

There's an odd air of finality about this book, as a couple of ongoing subplots in the series are resolved...one long-simmering love affair takes off, while another love affair ends, and a likable character leaves. And Bryant is starting to develop Alzheimer's and his normally labyrinthine brain becomes foggier and foggier. However, there are more in the series, thank goodness, but I wonder if Fowler was considering ending things there.

As always with Fowler, this is Require Reading.