Missing or Murdered (1929) by Robin Forsythe

🤎 I have read two Algernon Vereker's mysteries before, and have enjoyed both. One thing that make them interesting is the friendly competition between Vereker - the amateur detective, and Detective Inspector Heather from Scotland Yard. I always enjoy their bantering, usually over a bottle of aperitif or beer at the bar. This book is the first in the series, and the one where they both met for the first time. I've been excited over this one, and in the end it proved to be satisfying!

🤎 Lord Bygrave from the Ministry office seemed to had vanished into thin air the day after he last left the office for a fortnight holiday in his country house. Detective Inspector Heather from Scotland Yard was in charge of the case, and Vereker, being Lord Bygrave intimate friend and executor, joins Heather in the investigation. The first thing to be established is whether Lord Bygrave is dead or alive, missing or murdered,  - hence the title. But that is difficult to determine. A lot of things were discovered, of course, such as the visit of a mysterious veiled lady shortly before the disappearance; bonds missing from his personal cabinet; a proposal to his beloved niece from a man he didn't approve of. In short, there are several possibilities, but very limited clues.

🤎 Like the usual Golden Age mysteries, it has several plot twists and red herrings, and we are continually wondering whether the man is missing or murdered. The story revolves around these possibilities with its many red herrings, till almost the very end. And that made it highly entertaining, besides the challenge between the Scotland yard and the amateur detective, of who could solve the puzzle first - each with his own strategy of pulling the other's legs, though with good sport, without jeopardizing the case.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Spirit Murder Mystery (1936) by Robin Forsythe #RIPXVIII

👻 Eileen Thurlow is what you would've called in 1930s as a spiritualist. She is an ardent supporter of spiritualism, and is learning to become a medium. She persuaded her uncle to do a séance to prove her theory that a faint music she had been hearing lately wasn't of this earth. Skeptical at first, John Thurlow eventually agreed. And he did hear a faint organ playing! He checked outside, the sound wasn't heard anymore.

👻 Still curious, John Thurlow decided that night to investigate the source of the organ sound, bringing his pistol for precaution. The next day he was nowhere to be found. Few days later his dead body was found on an empty corner, together with the body of another man who had been missing several days before. John's head was smashed with a heavy tool, while the other man was shot. The other man was known to have been jealous when his girl got intimate with John Thurlow. So, were they killed each other in an amorous duel?

👻 Algernon Vereker, a painter slash amateur sleuth, is sojourning in the same village. And he wastes no time to investigate alongside Inspector Heather, with whom, a sort of sporting competition is running. Can he beat his rival this time?

👻 This turn out to be highly entertaining. Séance, a mysterious music, even an apparition in the room where Algernon is alone, made this a perfect Halloween read. The crime itself is ingeniously crafted, I think. Because there are two murders at the same time. If John had shot the other man first, the man couldn't have been able to smash John's head after that. And vise versa, it's impossible for John to shoot the other man after his head was smashed.

👻 The solution is well thought and unexpected. The how, in this case, is the more interesting question than the whodunnit. After my second read of Antony (Algernon) Vereker's mystery, I admire Vereker's wonderful deducting ability. Similar to Christie's Hercule Poirot, Vereker doesn't do the detection alone. He gathers his facts through the helps of his easy-going womanizer friend Manuel Ricardo (Ricky) - with whom he enjoys some funny, witty banters - and his rival Inspector Heather (yes, they exchange facts during the investigation). And like Poirot, Vereker's strong point is, what Poirot used to say, his grey cells.

👻 All in all, this is a highly entertaining mystery. Eerie atmosphere: checked. Suspenseful actions: checked. Difficult mystery solving: checked. End result: a superb read!

Rating: 4 / 5

This is the 5th book of the series, re-published by Dean Street Press, and I read this for:

#RIPXVIII

British Crime Classics Challenge 2023

For Bingo Card: Spooky Mystery
For Monthly Theme: Spooky Mysteries

The Pleasure Cruise Mystery (1933) by Robin Forsythe

⛴ Algernon Vereker is lucky to have Manuel Ricardo as his best friend. When Vereker's feeling down after bad criticism of his latest painting, Ricardo suggested a pleasure cruise holiday. Well, his suggestion is not fully unselfish, because he hoped Vereker would pay for his ticket as well!

⛴ Just when Vereker begins to feel bored on board the cruise, mysterious things happen. A woman called Beryl Mesado, his cabin neighbor, seems to avoid being seen in public. She makes an appearance at dinner, but it's quite a distance from Vereker's table, that he can't see her face. She wears a pale blue dress and a diamond necklace with butterfly clap. On board with this elusive woman is a maid/companion and the Colvins (sister and brother-in-law).

⛴ At his cabin Vereker hears conversation between Beryl and Colvin. Beryl insists that Colvin must do "the job" quickly despite of the "risks". At this Vereker's boredom vanishes, and his sleuthing mode is on!

⛴ On the fatal night, Vereker hears Beryl's exclaimation that Maureen's necklace is gone. Who's Maureen? Then a rattle sounds inside Vereker's cabin, which he can't find the source. At midnight, Ricardo wakes him up as he'd found a woman's body on the deck, wearing pale blue evening dress, but without the diamond necklace. Her knuckles were bruised inside her chamois gloves (which doesn't match her evening outfit), and Vereker notices that her shoes are of bigger sizes. The Colvins admit that Beryl had had bad heart condition, and that must have been the cause of her death. But was it?

⛴ Later on Vereker found the diamond necklace with butterfly clasp on his cabin! So, that's where the rattle sound came from! But Colvin said the missing necklace is of white and cinnamon diamonds. Are there two missing necklaces, then? And was it burglary and murder?

⛴ This is a very complex and complicated murder mystery. Besides the Colvins, the other suspects consist of Dias, an acquaintance of the family, and a wealthy young girl, a Miss Penteado, Ricardo's crush. The murder method is the most unusual I've ever known. It's like when Forsythe saw the device, he thought, "Ha! That can cause death if one isn't careful!", and used it for his next novel.

⛴ All in all, it's a fun read. I loved the holiday vibes onboard the cruiser. I also loved the witty banters between Vereker and Ricardo; and the mystery itself is really puzzling. The only setback is the redundancy whenever Vereker told Inspector Heather or Ricardo of how the case has been progressing, or their discussing over the solution. Other than that, it's a witty, highly entertaining mystery with unusual but ingenious plot. Many thanks to Dean Street Press for re-printing this Golden Age Mystery!

Rating: 4 / 5

This book counts for British Crime Classics Challenge 2023

For Bingo Card: Mystery Set on Boat/Ship
For Monthly Theme: Authors New to Me