Crime Books

Wow. Possibly the most amazing book I've read. Elkins is furious and angry and this oozes from his writing. How then does it not come across as an emotional diatribe??? This was simply great writing and story telling. The events are interesting. The people are interesting. That the book is fact shocked and depressed me. How much have I already heard about the holocaust? I've seen Schindler's List. I've seen footage of the bodies on the History Channel. I'm reasonably well informed. But this book......this book not only seemed to make the known more real and vivid, it told an incredible and dramatic story I never heard before. I loaned my only copy to a friend and he is just as blown away. I think I'll buy another.

Though horrible and shocking, this book shows how the human spirit cannot be surpressed. In spite of an absolute impossibility of success, a small handfull of men kept the spirit of survival and revenge alive during the darkest period in history. While revenge may seem inappropriate in our concept of ideal society, at that time, no other emotion is conceivable! This book very clearly shows how revenge was a natural outgrowth of the horrors of the holocost.

Elkins keeps his work to the point. He does not hide the facts, but tells them as they really were. For a real close look at the holocaust, this book is a perfect read

A comprehensive chronology of Jewish resistence to the Nazis and their collaborators from the late 30's through the war. It also details complicity of the Central and Eastern Europeans with the Nazis, the apathy of the "Allies" during the war, and the shameful behavior of the world after the war with respect to refugees, Nazi criminals and Israel. This book will make you proud if your Jewish and angry if your human (Jewish or otherwise).

A very good book that makes you feel the pain that the Jews have felt. To try a turn this around and say look how horrible the Jews are is totally insane. The Jews should be commended on being able to keep a cool head after so long. Any other ethnic group of people who would have experienced this would have carried out equal horrible attrocities upon their oppressors. To whine and say what was mentioned in the book was cowardly is pothetic.

In writing a review of this book, I must first state that I am probably not one of the greatest fans of the 1960s TV series. With that said, I also confess that I didn't exactly hate it either. It was an entertaining show produced more than forty years ago that was initially hard for me to remember. What I like best about the book is the enthusiasm of its reviewers, and their skill in thoroughly describing and reviewing the good and not so good elements of this old series. Also admirable, is their successful rekindling of my interest in the show. Proof of this rekindling is the fact that after reading Volume I of the series I readily bought the first season DVD offering and have been regularly watching the shows. Volume 2 is probably even better written than Volume 1, and I recommend both books to fans of the series, and anyone wanting to know more about the series. When the episodes for Season Two get released on DVD this book will become even more valuable. For the record, I think the old series was superior to the 1990s movie starring Harrison Ford. David Janssen was very well cast in the show. He was a much underrated actor.

A must read for all Fugitive fans. What is unique about this book is that each episode of season two is reviewed in detail and given a poll rating on a scale of 0-10. Follow Richard Kimble and Phil Gerard along with Bob, Kitty, and Ken. Season two has many classic episodes including World's End, Nemesis, Escape into Black, The End is But the Bginning, The Survivors, and May God Have Mercy. This book will be an excellent reference guide to the DVD collection when released.

Volume II of The Fugitive: Views And Reviews, picks up where volume I left off, with more insightful and fact filled reviews and debate of the second season of "The Fugitive" one of television's greatest dramatic series. Also contains viewer poll results for each episode.This volume covers the second season which ran from1964 to 1965, including many classic episodes like "Man In A Chariot", "World's End", "The End Is But The Beginning", and the all time classic "Escape Into Black" from which the cover photo is derived.A perfect companion piece to Volume I which is currently available and a must have for true Fugitive fanatics.Bobbynear

This is the best episode guide yet on The Fugitive. The authors go into such detail and raise points I would never have thought of. I'd recommend it to all Fugitive fans. I hope another three books will follow, for seasons 2, 3 and 4!

The authors of this book put in painstaking effort to review each episode of The Fugitive starring David Janssen. They personally watch each episode more than once, research background information, and blend in their views stemming from what they have gathered from the characters and storyline before each episode, as well as real-life parallel history to either confirm or deny plausibility of plot.

I recommend this book very much as a companion to any Fugitive fan who is going through one or all of the episodes.

Mitch

i recently purchased this book and i must say-what a read!! after reading the other reviews, im glad i follwed the advice. the story was greatly put togeher and i was on the edge of my seat, waiting to figure out the plot. this is a great author who i hope continues to write these great page-turning stories!! if you dont have this book, buy it.

I just discovered Maureen Smith when I stumbled upon her book at Walmart A Guilty Affair...the term page turner has never made more sense to me because I was up until 2am just hoping this ten course verbal meal would never end. She is so detailed that I feel that I know the players in the book. The love scenes are to die for and her plots are nothing short of breathtaking you just want to know what happens in the end between the two lovers that you keep reading and rereading. Needless to say the next day I came onto Amazon.com and bought all her books and I have enjoyed every last one of them. She is my best Author to-date.

Over the years my taste in books has changed and it seems that Mrs. Smith knows exactly wghat it is I'm looking for. This book was beyond good. I used to shy away from anything suspensefiul, and strictly stick to books that I knew were going to end well, with little to no surprises. Well this book is the exact opposite to what I thouht I wanted, but turned out to be just that. Somehow, she manages to balance the suspense and the romance so well. You don't feel that she's putting too much of either into her writing. In this one, I particularly like how Nick and Rachel were initially enemies, but overcame their mutual feelings of distrust to fall in love and save the day. lol. I've reread a billion times.

How I let this book set for so long, I do not know; however, once I picked it up and got started I could not put it down.

When Rachel Calloway meets Nicholas Hunter, the prosecutor who will prosecute her father for burning down his restaurant, she instantly looks at him as the enemy, but doesn't feel that way. The same goes for Nick.

Not only did I want to know how long it would take Nick and Rachel to realize they were going to get together, but I had to know which of the three people I suspected was really the guilty party.

Ms Smith wrote a book with plenty of suspense and some hot romance. Though, she has received accolades for this book, I tip my hat, stand and applaude and say BRAVO.

This is only the second novel I've read by Maureen Smith. And so far she hasn't disappointed. I must say, "Hats off to Mrs. Smith", this story captured me from the beginning to very end! The novel had me on the edge of my seat trying to guess what would happen next. It was a nice mixture of suspense and romance. Throughly enjoyed the heated attraction between Nick and Rachel. Nick was definitely a man any woman would want to get to know. And Rachel held her own, she wasn't the whiny, always crying damsel in distress, although she had every right to be, considering what she had to go through. I couldn't get through the story fast enough to find out who was causing all the drama in their lives. If you love action packed stories with a lot of romance and suspense, then this is definitely a book you MUST read!

Very good! Really holds your interest. Great plot, cleverly written. Exciting drama throughout. Should be made into a movie

I found this book very entertaining. It keeps you reading and you don't want to put it down. A very clever opening, interesting from start to finish. If you love a mystery, this is it. Plus, it has a very surprise ending. Really enjoyed it and know other readers will, too.

Suzy Schaak

This is a very exciting fiction thriller. Editorial warning:
It's difficult to set this book down once you start reading it.

This is a very exciting fiction thriller. Editorial warning:
It's difficult to set this book down once you start reading it.

Great crime novel. Holds your attention from start to finish. Places and characters very vividly portrayed. Unusual approach in capturing criminals by cop and his reporter uncle. Fast-paced and delightful "who dunnit" story with romance.Highly recommended. Looking for sequel to story.

I had Mr. Eder as a Professor for two Philosophy classes, so I knew a bit of the background behind his daughter's murder but I never completely grasped the tragedy of it. I cried like a baby in a few places...Mr. Eders' memoir is the heart-wrenching story of a father living his worst nightmare; the dissappearance and murder of his only daughter. I couldn't put it down until I had finished the book. My favorite quote from the book is so classically Eder: simply put yet powerful..."I teach the great Philosophers, study the great ideas, and search for God." Thank you for introducing me to this book, Professor.

As a former student of Mr. Eder's (and the former-Mrs. Adrienne Eder), I felt an instant connection to this book & the author. As a student, I knew that something bad had happened to their daughter, but I was not aware of the extent. This book is provacative, poignant and I must commend Mr. Eder for having the courage to write it.
As a teacher, myself, I know that it is hard to put your heartfelt personal life out there for students (let alone others in the general public) to see...this crime was so horrific, that I can't imagine how this man managed to inspire students the way that he did everyday. He has been through Hell and it is inspiring to see how he and his family have carried on with such dignity and courage.

James Eder has written a thoughtful and provocative memoir. His tone is candid and at times brutal in his frank inner pain. To read him is to discover our own worst fears; to walk with him is to realize the immeasurable power of the human spirit. The book aches in the very pages, but there is much beauty and craftsmanship in Eder's stirring journey. Ultimately, Eder's story is necessary reading for all of us.

Recommended to anyone who loves a good book; excellent for libraries.

Vicki was a fellow classmate of mine at Northport High School (Class of 1981), we were also in the Environment Team together(those who went to Northport know what that was). I remember vividly the day when they found Vicki's body, I cried like a baby. I suppose that was odd considering we were not good friends, but just aquaintances. Yet I cried like a baby none the less, the hurt and sorrow were real. After reading this book, the sadness all came back.
My heart goes out to Mr. Eder, and I thank him for sharing his terrible ordeal with us.

This book is amazing! I couldn't put it down! Eder is beautifully spoken and writes with pure honesty, emotion, and detail. Of course I'll never know what it's like to be in his shoes but this book comes close. He makes the intense thoughts of a father, husband, teacher, and human being during a time of crisis so real to the reader. There are things in this book that we can all relate to like the loss of a loved one, questioning of your worthiness as a parent, and questioning your relationship with God. Eder raises the questions we have all considered at one point in our lives - How can an all loving God allow such horrible things to happen? and Are our troubles in life punishments from God? I highly reccomend this book to anyone and everyone. The content is universal wether you believe in a God or not, wether you believe the world is an evil place or a good place, we all have something to gain from understanding the experiences of others.

Rose Beecham (aka Jennifer Fulton) has another great series going with star FBI agent Jude Devine at the helm.

The plot has to do with dead women being found and the trail leads back to a group of Latter Day Saints living out the role of polygamists without appearing to break the law.

The child abuse and uncaring of the men and women was appalling.

Beecham has written a fine novel.

Of course, there's the underlying notion that maybe, just maybe Jude and Dr. Westmoreland might become an item.

I'm looking forward to the next book.

Great book!

Grave Silence is a chilling look into an American polygamist cult. As usual, Rose Beecham writes with clear wit and precision and, in the case of this story, poignantly about the lives of abused women and children. It's a hard-to-put-down read.

It's good to see Rose Beecham back on the shelves. This is far better than her previous detective series (Amanda Valentine), and that's saying a lot.

This book is one of the rare books that I immediately begin re-reading as soon as I reach the end; it's that good.

Others have described the plot; I'll just add that not only do you learn more about a topic that you really wish weren't true (the plygs) but you have a helluva read.

All I can say to the author is "More!".

Jude Devine, a FBI agent, has been assigned to an undercover operation in remote Paradox Valley. She assumes the duties of Sheriff's detective for the Montzuma County Sheriff's office. While she is building a case for the FBI, a dead, mutilated woman shows up on her turf. She and her deputy begin an investigation. It leads them to a cult of Mormon polygamists. What follows is a web of secrecy,deception, abuse, and brainwashing.

This book is hard to read in places because it depicts spousal and child abuse in detail. While the descriptions are germane to the story, it remains hard to read.

Beecham carefully develops the characters in this book from petty crook Bobby Lee to Jude Devine. Her descriptions of the people are carefully drawn so the reader comes to care about them all - with the exception, of course, of the cultists who the reader will learn to despise. Her descriptions of this remote area near the Four Corners is beautifully drawn so the reader senses the desolation and the isolation.

This is a procedural at its best. We follow along with Jude as she uncovers each bit of evidence that will lead her to the woman's killer.

The romance is well done. Jude's relationship - or non-relationship - with the local pathologist, Dr. Mercy Westmoreland, begins slowly and builds slowly. By book's end, however, the two women still want different things from each other - resolution of which will undoubtedly take place in a later book in the series.

Over all this is a good read for mystery fans, for romance fans, and for readers who like to learn from their fiction.

After spending the last few years writing sexy romances as Jennifer Fulton, Fulton aka Rose Beecham has triumphantly returned to penning mysteries. With the award-winning Grave Silence, she mixes facts, surrounding the activities of the Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints (FLDS), with a riveting murder mystery and crafts a gripping story.

When we first meet Sheriff's Detective Jude Devine, a former FBI agent who has been transferred to a small Colorado town in the Four Corners area, she is unraveling the grisly murder of a young woman left decomposing in a desert wash. The clues to solving this crime take Devine and the reader on an unbelievable journey beyond anything we could have imagined. FLDS is a splinter group not recognized by the Mormon Church that among other things illegally practices polygamy. Beecham deftly weaves a second plot about life on an FLDS ranch into this story. We learn how autocracy and abuse rule the mostly underage girls married to the "master" of the cult, and how silence is used as a survival tool to avoid being punished for disobeying. As the book evolves, these two plots collide forcefully, taking the reader on a compelling adventure with Devine emerging as the silent hero.

After reading this book over eight months ago, this reviewer was haunted by the "facts" of Grave Silence. I wanted to know where the fiction ended, and the truth began. After hearing a talk by Beecham on how she compiled her research and gathered first-hand information about FLDS, I received my answers and was shocked. This is not a book where an author spews her views on religion disguised as a novel. FLDS is a cult that does not adhere to any tenets of any religion. Beecham has done a tremendous amount of in depth research to incorporate these facts into a fictional murder mystery, and the results are an amazing and fascinating book. The writing is tight and fluid. The path to the murder clues grows as the plot moves forward. Beecham strings her readers along cleverly, not releasing us until the final explosive ending.

After hearing Beecham speak about Grave Silence, I reread the book. If she had written a non-fiction account of this cult, I would not have believed the magnitude and far-reaching effects FLDS has on its victims, the young girls who are forced into this way of life by other adult family members. This fictional story, termed a "message mystery" by the author, cannot be ignored. It captures the reader and obliges us to look beyond our world. Beecham's telling helps us swallow the hard reality and reflect upon the importance of unmasking these groups. After reading Grave Silence, I suggest you take another glance. The implications of this novel are significant and cannot be overlooked.

(Beecham won a 2006 GCLS award in the mystery/thriller/adventure category for Grave Silence. In September 2006 Sleep of Reason, the second Jude Devine mystery, will be released.)

This was a great read.
I was hooked from the very first page.
I hope to see more from this writer soon.
My husband enjoyed this book also.

Guardian of Innocence contains the danger, fear and suspense essential to keeping the pages turning. The description of New Zealand reads like a travelog as Boynton sets emotional tone. The character of Marla Creighton is skillfully developed so the reader feels her anxious anticipation turn to disappointment when things are not as they had seemed, and, as the plot unfolds, her doubts and fears. Her spirit is never down for long. Hope, faith and a strong will create a believable heroine. When she perceives the life of eleven-year old Jessica is endangered because she may know the identity of a killer, Marla puts her own life on the line. The surprise ending adds the cherry to all the other ingredients which will fill a mystery lovers sweet tooth.

Boynton has crafted a suspenseful mystery, set in a part of the world that few will ever see. Though that is part of its intrigue, even better is the clever layering of plot lines and characterizations that keep you turning the pages. This could serve as the ultimate "how-to" model for any budding mystery writer. The book seems surprisingly small for the big payoff you get at the end, both in story and setting.

While I found Guardian of Innocence an intriguing mystery with well-drawn characters, it was Boynton's descriptions of New Zealand that really made the book for me. I have been to many of the places the Marla and Jessica went and it was fun to revisit them. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has been to New Zealand or is planning to go there. Boynton will make it come alive for you.

Good thing iUniverse.com is bringing back deserving out-of-print books. Guardian of Innocence, a jewel of many facets, is one of these.

It's a murder mystery. A priceless Celtic religious amulet is stolen, the thief is murdered, and the only witness - a child - is unable to shed light on the situation. And the amulet has vanished.

It's a romance. Marla Creighton, the child's companion, must sort her way among three tall-and-handsomes (two dark, one light). Who's the good guy; who's bad? Marla's choices may well determine her future, as well as whether she and her young charge will have any future at all.

It's a gustatory thriller, replete with descriptions of food that would turn a monk's attention from his prayers.

It's a marvelous travelogue, as the action moves among lovingly-portrayed New Zealand landscapes with their flora, fauna, art, dances, and native celebrations. New Zealand itself becomes a character in this novel, from the spirit-lifting sheep country, to the fascinating cities of Dunedin and Christchurch, to the fabulous Glowworm Caves, an impressive backdrop for some good old dastardly deeds, courageous enterprises, and suspense as the novel whips to its close.

There are even a couple of interesting twists at the end. Check out this book; it's like nothing you've ever read.

Although dated in some sections, the compilation of articles on the various gun control topics provides a reasoned and fact based discussion.

Everyone will disagree with some recommendations but the authors provide the reasoning behind their recommendations. It will give you something to ponder.

A definite read if you want to be armed with the facts on gun control.

After reading John Lotts, "More Guns Less Crime,"(which I highly recommend) I then picked up this one, and found that this book also suggests gun control solutions which at least make some sense. "Guns: Who Should Have Them", struck a chord with me here, because the suggested solutions don't affect law abiding citezens nearly as much as current and proposed legislation, and focuses on the criminals. I would ask anyone on one side or the other of the gun debate to at least be knowlegable about what the effects of waiting periods, and permissions laws really are. This book covers it all.

Each chapter in this powerful volume will help the readers cut through the rhetoric and sensationalism that frequently surrounds the gun control debate.

Written by the leading experts in law, criminology and medicine, this volume includes such headings as "Arms and the Woman"; "Doctors and Guns," further rebutting the arguments that guns are a public health menace; and "Children and Guns," dissecting the contentious and timely issue of guns and violence in our schools. It compliments David Kopel's previous masterpiece, The Samurai, the Mountie, and the Cowboy: Should America Adopt the Gun Controls of Other Democracies? honored as the 1993 Book of the Year by the American Society of Criminology's Division of International Criminology.

This expertly written book should occupy a place in the library of all citizens genuinely interested in the topic of gun and violence research and in understanding the fallacies of gun control as a public health issue.

Attorney, scholar and criminologist, David Kopel, should be commended for editing and compiling this comprehensive yet highly readable masterpiece.

Miguel A. Faria, Jr., M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the Medical Sentinel of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) and author of Medical Warrior: Fighting Corporate Socialized Medicine.

I can't stress it enough - this book may be one of the most important books for all voting Americans to read today. This slices right through the rhetoric that the news media employ to confuse Americans about gun control and stir up hysteria about guns. This book thoughtfully and thoroughly dismantles every major argument for gun control and reveals the dangerous flaws in all recent federal gun-control legislation. Whether you're a gun lover, gun hater, or something in between, you should read this book!

David Kopel's second major book on the efficacy of gun control laws is an extensive and objective review of research both supporting and denying the basic premises of gun control in preventing crime and accidents involving firearms. Kopel takes an even-handed approach that is greatly missing in most compilations on this subject. Kopel takes great care to examine the merits of the existing research, almost always providing extensive analysis and reference to each work. Just as in his previous award-winning book, "The Samurai, the Mountie, and the Cowboy", Kopel's analyses (in the chapters he writes) are complete, to the point, and well-written. Kopel's writing is clear and effective. The strongest and weakest chapters of the book, however, are contributed by other authors. The chapters on feminist theory (by Mary Zeiss Stange) and race control and guns ( by Robert Cottrol and Raymond Diamond) provide some good background on the subject but fail to deliver the knockout blow that they could. The chapter on doctors and guns, however, delivers not as much the knockout blow as takes a sledgehammer to the medical community, AMA, American Association of Pediatriacs, and Center for Disease Control. Don Kates, Henry Schaffer, John Lattimer, George Murray,and Edward Cassem expose the intellectual dishonesty and horrendous scholarship in the medical literature concering firearms, violence, and safety. All accustations are well-documented and examined. This chapter should be must reading for every single medical school student in the United States. It may make you fear your doctor.

This book should take its place among the other outstanding, intellectually honest works in the literature of the gun control efficacy genre, including Gary Kleck's "Point Blank". the previously mentioned Kopel work, and John R. Lott, Jr.'s "More Guns Less Crime".

An added feature of this book is not only the brilliant analyses and conclusions Kopel makes on the ineffectualness of gun control laws on preventing crime and accidents, but Kopel provides analyses on REAL causes of these social ills and suggests REAL solutions. You should buy four copies of this book: one for you, one for your doctor, and send the other three to your senators and congressman.

Lenny Mclean was one of a kind.this book started it all.he was one of the toughest men in britain or anywhere else...a giant of a man in body and soul.he was loyal to his mates and treasured his family...but if you crossed him heaven help you!this is a must read.very sadly lenny lost his battle with cancer and never saw this book go to #1.rip guv'nor.

A Walk Through LifeThe Guv'nor is a great autobiography about a tough man who comes from the East end of London and gives you some good insight into the underworld of unlicensed boxing. One of the stories inside is how Lenny Mclean was flown to new york to fight the mafias top man, he beat him in the less than three minutes! if you like your tough men like Kimbo Slice, Mike Tyson and many others this book is for you to read!.

I always wondered who played the role of "John the Baptist" in the movie, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The name Lenny Mclean kept popping up in books on British gangsters. He is Lenny McLean. A man who grew up tough under hard circumstances. Showing a talent for fighting, he starts doing enforcer and door man work for the local mobs. Later, he fights for money. Totally fearless, he takes on all comers "I'll even fight King Kong," he states. "And I'll beat the hairy b....ard!" Some of his exploits and boldness had me laughing. Like when a group of tough guys approached him at a bar that he was managing and asked for his job. After soundly beating the lot, he tosses them out of the club. There is another incident where he beats up an opponent before getting into the ring.

There is no bragging or nonsense in this well-written biography. It is an honest, straight-forward story about one hard guy.

Doug Setter, author of Stomach Flattening

one of the best books i have ever read

a must buy

If you ever saw the movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels , you probably noticed the mob enforcer character, "Barry the Baptist", who "baptized" his victims in trash-bins filled with water. While reading an article about the movie, a mention was made of the real mobsters and hard-edged sorts that were used in bit parts. One such role was played by Lenny McLean, who portrayed Barry, and was called out as "in real life, the hardest man in England".

As an American fight fan, I'd never heard of Lenny McLean. So I did a bit of Internet research and happened upon his autobiography -- this book -- over at Amazon.co.uk. I bundled it with a few other UK-only purchases (at the time, certain AJ Quinnell books were only available there, too) and received it days later. It was a captivating, compelling read -- the working-class, Cockney nomenclature notwithstanding -- that details McLean's rise from an abused child to the top of England's unlicensed fight game.

An unlicensed fight can take place anywhere: a warehouse, tavern, gym... wherever there's enough room for two willing fighters and a plethora of bettors. The rules? Let's just say there aren't many. Head butts, hair-pulling, elbows, knees, and the like are all part of the game. One might consider UK's unlicensed fights as the logical ancestor to today's UFC or mixed martial arts.

Over time, McLean proved himself the most dangerous man in the fight game. He participated in thousands of these no-holds-barred bouts, and it can be argued he lost only once. And in a rematch of that fight, he handily won. McLean doesn't shy away from describing his experiences on the seamy side of things. He details his role as a real-life mob enforcer willing to do anything -- except kill -- to collect or intimidate. Even his tangles with the law -- including a murder charge for which he was found innocent -- are fully described in colloquial, yet entirely satisfying, prose.

The book's ending is filled with promise for a new life as an actor: McLean appeared in several TV and film roles. But during the filming of LS&2SB, McLean was stricken by a bout with the flu. Subsequent testing showed that he was suffering from advanced lung and brain cancer and he passed away in July 1998, just days before the release of the film. The book is a fascinating testament to a hard man who lived a hard life, but was equally dedicated to his family and destined for great things no matter the odds.

A mystery without a murder, Albert Champion's 3rd quest is to prevent a crime. LOOK TO THE LADY, by Margery Allingham is a fresh delight away from grizzly murder and mayhem. This title is my first experience with Albert and Lugg, it won't be my last.
Ms. Allingham's take on the Grail legend and the quests it entails is funny, adventurous and an outstanding puzzle. All the elements of a great mystery without a murder. The current name for this genre is cozy, but there is a movement afoot to change it to "classic" mystery.
If you've never read Allingham, pick up one today and you'll be a fan of the solution, the quest, the characters, the location and the writing. All of which are what keeps her title in-print so many years after her death.
Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

An early entry in the Mr Campion saga. He is young and rather obnoxious, irritating all and sundry with his (often hilarious) brand of humour. The opening of this book is superb - an empty envelope bearing his name leads a downandout toff to a restaurant that just happens to be open at 2 am... The rest of the book contains many superb set pieces and unexpected characters: a witch, a likeable professor, a jewelry expert whose ancestors "talked to the Almighty". The ending is a stunner and a puzzle. What is the Gyrth treasure exactly? Why is Mr. Campion intimately connected with it? Who is its Guardian? The Professor has the tantalising last word.

"The Gyrth Chalice Mystery" was the first Allingham mystery I read. By coincidence, I was then the same age Allingham was when she wrote it (despite there being several wars in between). I was immediately taken with the story with its heady mix of adventure, English snobbery, humor and the supernatural. When I was done reading I was a British mystery addict and an eternal fan of Albert Campion, Allingham's detective.

I am much older now, and this is the third or fourth time I've reread this novel. I can only report that it gets better with age. Unlike some authors whose work is best remembered rather than reexperienced, Margery Allingham's works are every bit as much fun now as they were then. Perhaps the secret of their long popularity is that they are the highest order of entertainment, full of adventure and humor.

In 'The Gyrth Chalice Mystery' Campion's assignment is the protection of the ancient Gyrth chalice from theft by a nefarious ring of art collectors. The secret of the chalice is passed from fathers to sons on their 25th birthday, and this is the time that the chalice is most vulnerable. Campion must first track down the current heir, Percival, and bring him home for the ceremony. No sooner is this accomplished when Percival's somewhat flaky aunt is frightened to death by the 'chalice monster.' With that we are off and running.

Allingham does her usual best to delight and bemuse, mixing forgers, racing people, gypsies, academics and other English country folks of every sort and form into the heady stew which is a Campion adventure. Campion has matured tremendously since the first novels and is in full possession of his role as the somewhat zany yet brilliant master of the chase. Allingham doesn't write mystery stories as such. Often she gives the villain of the piece away and the real mystery is how Campion will manage to save the day. "The Gyrth Chalice" is just such a tale. The ending comes as a complete surprise and adds a dimension to the tale, which makes it especially remarkable and memorable.

Look to the lady.
- response to Lady Macbeth's fainting fit, MACBETH, act II, scene 3

"We can't fight a ring like this forever. It's incredible; they're too strong."
"There is the point which resolves the whole question into a neat 'what should A do?' problem. We've got just one chance, old bird - otherwise the project wouldn't be worth fighting and we should not have met. The rules of this acquisitive society...are few, but they are strict. Roughly, what they amount to is this. All members' commissions - they have to be for things definitely unpurchasable, of course - are treated with equal deference. The best agent is chosen for the job; unlimited money is supplied; and there the work...ends until the treasure is obtained...However - and this is our one loophole - should...the owner of the treasure in question kill [their agent] to save it - then they leave well alone, and they look out for somebody else's family album."
"Who is the agent employed to get the Chalice?"
"That's the difficulty. I don't know...so you see what a mess we're in."
- Val Gyrth and Albert Campion

While the U.S. title - THE GYRTH CHALICE MYSTERY - is easy to associate with the events of this book, it's something of a misnomer; this is more an adventure story or a thriller than a mystery, and in a way, it's the reverse of a mystery. Campion's ultimate goal isn't to *solve* a crime, but to prevent the theft of a national relic by any means necessary, beginning with unearthing and joining forces with Val Gyrth, the estranged only son of the family devoted to protecting the Chalice on behalf of the Crown. Val - destitute to the point of being out on the street in the wake of a failed marriage - is to come of age in a few weeks time and be initiated into the Gyrths' deepest family secrets, and has become a target of the anonymous society of wealthy collectors whose current target is the Chalice. Campion and his valet Lugg together manage to locate Gyrth, establish that he hasn't been corrupted, and explain the danger to the Chalice in an extended sequence that alternates between comedy and suspense, beginning with Val escaping arrest as a vagrant on his own doorstep, identifying himself by the tailor's label in his decrepit suit, and dodging an unsuccessful kidnap attempt before fetching up at Campion's flat in response to a mysterious trail of messages.

Campion, with Val and Lugg in tow, is soon installed as a guest at the Tower at Sanctuary, the Gyrth family home in Suffolk, Val's quarrel with his father only having dragged on this long through his own stubbornness. Not that there isn't plenty of conflict and excitement to spice up matters when the Chalice almost immediately goes missing from its supposedly burglar-proof niche in the family chapel. That turns out to be a fairly clever move on the part of one of the family, though it almost immediately backfires (only the first of several such reverses in the story, which is full of alternating comic and dramatic episodes).

"'...it's like a Welsh rarebit nightmare with you as the hero.'
'With me as the *rabbit*,' said Mr. Campion feelingly."

As for the original U.K. title of LOOK TO THE LADY, the story has an unusual number of women in supporting roles, such as: Val's foolish aunt Diana (New Age and fancies herself as a patron of the arts, with a number of suspect hangers-on); his charming and tough sister Penny and her best friend Beth Carey (daughter of an American professor eager to study the Chalice); Mrs. Dick Shannon, an obnoxious local horse-breeder whose shadier racing associates are becoming obtrusive; and Mrs. Sara, an old friend of Campion's who with her family are part of a large group of gypsies camping out near the Tower. Blessedly, none of the players are saddled with ridiculous cooing dialogue as are some of the characters in such stories as THE CASE OF THE LATE PIG.

I highly recommend the unabridged recording narrated by Francis Matthews, who does an amazing job with Lugg and the varying Suffolk accents of the Gyrths' neighbours, though he has a tougher time with the New England accents of the Careys. In either written or audio format, the story is a romp, a comedy and a thriller by turns; just don't expect it to be a conventional mystery.

Drive-in totals:
- Two deaths.
- Three kidnappings with unlawful imprisonment.
- Two riots.
- One "secret room" with family "secret", the existence of which is actually common knowledge, though not the details.
- Two alternate identities of Campion's, complete with their own names.
- One of Allingham's "darkest England" episodes, involving some creepy bits of local superstition (with some *very* funny reactions by Lugg, who disclaims any belief in such stuff despite his obvious discomfort with it). There are also some very moving scenes involving the Gyrths' secrets and their devotion to the relic.
- Some very entertaining and enlightening exchanges between Lugg and the Gyrths' butler Branch, an old acquaintance with an only slightly more respectable background. "You'd be doin' me a service, Mr. Lugg, if you'd refrain from referrin' to me as number 705."

Allingham is without a doubt, the best mystery/suspense writer that ever lived. I don't say this lightly. There is absolutely no one that can compare to her and to her hero, Albert Campion! I had read most of the Allingham stories a very long time ago, but when I checked there were some that I missed, so I decided to make up for that oversight. The Gyrth Chalice Mystery is one that I somehow missed. I am very glad that I made up for that oversight now. If you have not read an Allingham mystery, then you do have a treat in store for you. I heartily recommend that you begin to read them all as soon as possible. How else can we have a benchmark to grade the authors that have come afterwards. As far as I'm concerned, Allingham is in a class of her own. Her books are thrillers really more than mysteries, but what wonderful stories they are! In this book Albert connects up with a young kinsman of his to help protect an ancient relic that the young man's family has been responsible for for hundreds of years. We also are treated to large doses of the wonderful Lugg - Albert's man of many talents. I'm not going to say any more about this wonderful book. You must read for yourself, and be prepared to be awed!