Every month on Past Offences I gather together blog posts about crime fiction written or filmed in a particular year. Back at the end of October, MarinaSofia chose 1941 for December.
If you want to take part, you can! When you’ve written your post, just let me know below. I’ll gather them all together at the end of the month.
Anyone can play, so over to you…
Small print
- Don’t be shy!
- Just comment below to link to your blog post.
- If you want to play but you haven’t got a blog, I’m happy to have you as a guest poster, or to link to Goodreads or Amazon.
- Books, comics, films, plays and TV also welcome.
- Sorry in advance if I miss you in the round-up, although I am getting better at that bit.
Past Offences: Classic crime, thrillers and mystery book reviews 
I was delighted to see an “easy” year come up – and then, on checking , found that I’ve reviewed all of the potential candidates from the obvious authors already… Time to start casting the net a little wider…
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Have you read Phoebe Atwood Taylor books from this year, The Perennial Border and The Hollow Chest, written as Alice Tilton? I was going to read the former but my order for it fell through.
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I’ve sorted out a couple now – Appleby on Ararat from Michael Innes and one of the E R Punshon books. And a third that I’ve forgotten about…
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Oh great. I’ve read the Innes one. Certainly one of his more fantastical ones.
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Just remembered the third – Heads You Lose by Christianna Brand
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If anyone wants some ideas, here are some:
Evil Under The Sun by Agatha Christie
N or M? by Agatha Christie
The Case Of The Constant Suicides by John Dickson Carr
Death Turns The Tables by John Dickson Carr
Seeing Is Believing by Carter Dickson
Surfeit Of Lampreys by Ngaio Marsh
Traitor’s Purse by Margery Allingham
When Last I Died by Gladys Mitchell
The Case Of The Abominable Snowman by Nicholas Blake
All of which I’ve already reviewed on my blog – the best two are probably The Case Of The Constant Suicides and The Case of the Abominable Snowman
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I got very excited over the weekend when I realized that Heads You Lose was from ’41. It’s not the best of Brand by any means, but it’s exciting that this is the year she started it all!
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Reading it now – enjoying it so far…
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Don’t know yet which book I’ll read, Anyhow I’m in
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I select Evil Under The Sun by Agatha Christie.
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Evil Under the Sun is one of my all-time favourite Christies, Santosh. I’m not necessarily saying it’s one of the best, but it’s definitely one of those I enjoyed the most and would offer up as an example of everything she does so well. I’ll be very interested to read your thoughts on it.
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For obvious reasons, I’ve got quite a lot of 1941 movies in the queue. Lemme see what I can do . . .
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I am in, and shall be reviewing at least The Black Shrouds by Constance and Gwenyth Little. Possibly something else, too, time depending (’tis the season, after all).
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What a rich year!!!! In 1941, two of my favorite mystery/noir films came out: The Maltese Falcon and I Wake Up Screaming. It was also the year Christie wrote Evil Under the Sun and N or M (but Santosh grabbed the better of those.) I think I’ll write about the two films. If I have time, I will continue my Helen McCloy kick and read/review The Deadly Truth.
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Mourned on Sunday by Helen Reilly. I have had a copy for a long time, now I will finally read it.
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I’ve decided to read The Case of the Constant Suicides by Carr
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Pingback: ‘Crack out the railway timetables’: #1922book results | Past Offences Classic Crime Fiction
Pingback: NGAIO MARSH: The Third Queen of Crime | ahsweetmysteryblog
As I’m doing Ngaio Marsh with my other challenge, the Tuesday Night Bloggers, I will kill two birds by doing Surfeit of Lampreys. (listed as 1940 on fantastic fiction, but my copy deffo says 1941…)
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I’ll be very curious what you think of this one, Moira. It’s highly rated by some but I absolutely hated it…
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Bingo, Puzzle Doctor, the short version of my review is ‘used to love it, now hate it.’ It’s here http://clothesinbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/tuesday-night-club-ngaio-marsh-1941.html
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I’m definitely in…I’ve got The Corpse & Three Ex-Husbands by Sue MacVeigh (which showed up under the Christmas tree in a bundle of vintage mysteries last year–I’ve never read her, so I’m interested to see what she’s like) and The Chuckling Fingers by Mabel Seeley looking at me from the TBR stacks (there are some others as well, we’ll see how many I can get through).
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Here’s a post to start about two 1941 films I love!
https://ahsweetmysteryblog.wordpress.com/2015/12/01/the-first-glimmers-of-noir-two-great-mystery-films-from-1941/
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I have reviewed Agatha Christie’s Evil Under The Sun at Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1457713754
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I’ve just pre-ordered Ten Stars Clues by E.R. Punshon. The Kindle edition will be available next 7 December published by Dean Street Press. It was first published in 1941 by Victor Gollancz.
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I ordered three of them, Jose, including that one! Can’t wait to hear what you think!
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Pingback: The Bobby Owen Mystery Series by E. R. Punshon | A Crime is Afoot
Pingback: The Case of the Constant Suicides (1941) by John Dickson Carr: An ‘ingenious and… baffling… series of crime’ | crossexaminingcrime
Here is my review of The Case of the Constant Suicides:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress.com/2015/12/03/the-case-of-the-constant-suicides-1941-by-john-dickson-carr-an-ingenious-and-baffling-series-of-crime/
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I’ve also pre-ordered THE TEN STAR CLUES by E.R. Punshon
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My review is here: http://paradise-mysteries.blogspot.com.au/2015/12/review-ten-star-clues-er-punshon.html
I found it surprisingly good.
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According to the foreword, it was written in early 1940, when the war had not really affected Britain much, when people did not believe real war would eventuate
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So far this month (and it’s only the 4th!) I’ve watched and written about three 1941 movies; I hope to add a fourth or more. The ones so far are Gambling Daughters (1941), The Gang’s All Here (1941) and Swamp Woman (1941). Classics all, sort of.
I should start posting my witterings about them soonish on Noirish.
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wow that’s a lot of films watched!
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Pingback: A Poor Outing in Hitchcock’s Suspicion (1941) | crossexaminingcrime
I have also reviewed Hitchcock’s Suspicion (1941), which in theory is meant to be based on Frances Iles’ Before the Fact (1932). However, having read the book, the film was definitely a poor man’s version, which is disappointing as I really like some of Hitchcock’s other films such as The Trouble with Harry and Dial M for Murder. Anyways here is the review:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress.com/2015/12/05/a-poor-outing-in-hitchcocks-suspicion-1941/
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Pingback: Heads You Lose by Christianna Brand | In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Here’s my review of Christianna Brand’s Heads You Lose…
https://classicmystery.wordpress.com/2015/12/05/heads-you-lose-by-christianna-brand/
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1941 is going fast. I haven’t even begun mine yet.
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There’s going to be a few more as well – although the Punshon one is going to be popular, methinks
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Yes, I think also !
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Here’s my first 1941: The Corpse & 3 Ex-Husbands.
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Thanks Bev. Excellent title!
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Pingback: #46: The Black Shrouds (1941) by Constance and Gwenyth Little | The Invisible Event
Here’s my review of The Balck Shrouds by Constance & Gwenyth Little:
https://theinvisibleevent.wordpress.com/2015/12/09/46-the-black-shrouds-1941-by-constance-and-gwenyth-little/
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Pingback: Cottage to Let (1941) | Noirish
My scribblings about the 1941 movie Cottage to Let are here.
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Here’s some jottings on Patricia Wentworth’s Danger Point, which appeared in 1942 in the UK but was, I’m assured by the fab folk at EuroCrime, published first, in 1941, in the US as In the Balance.
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On Fri, 11 Dec 2015 05:57:56 +0530 Past Offences Classic Crime Fiction wrote >
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realthog commented: “Here’s some jottings on Patricia Wentworth’s Danger Point, which appeared in 1942 in the UK but was, I’m assured by the fab folk at EuroCrime, published first, in 1941, in the US as In the Balance.”
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Fascinating stuff, Santosh. Er . . .
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I simply fail to understand how the above gibberish has appeared under my name !
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The mysteries of technology…
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And here are some notes on the movie Gambling Daughters (1941).
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My second 1941 offering: The Chuckling Fingers by Mabel Seeley
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Here’s my second one – Hangman’s Curfew by Gladys Mitchell. I’d call it entertaining nonsense if a) it was entertaining and b) the nonsense was explained by the end of the book… One to avoid.
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Here’s my novel for the month, a fun romp with Helen McCloy: The Deadly Truth.
https://ahsweetmysteryblog.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/do-you-swear-to-tell-helen-mccloys-the-deadly-truth/
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Pingback: Gang’s All Here, The (1941) | Noirish
Another movie: The Gang’s All Here (1941), with Mantan Moreland and Frankie Darro.
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Pingback: Swamp Woman (1941) | Noirish
And what’s likely my last 1941 movie offering for December (although there’s a rather fun-looking noirish VD scare movie I might try to watch if I have time): Swamp Woman (1941).
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Oh, and I should add that Swamp Woman is one of the quartet of movies made by the legendary stripper burlesque dancer Ann Corio. She went on to carve out a successful stage career as producer/director (and occasionally performer). The movie’s a fascinating (I think) piece of Hollywood’s largely forgotten history.
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Pingback: Philip Van Doren Stern: The Case of the Corpse in the Blind Alley | Past Offences Classic Crime Fiction
I keep forgetting to comment: I did read Mourned on Sunday by Helen Reilly and posted my review at Bitter Tea and Mystery on Dec. 16. I enjoyed it and will be following up with more books about Inspector McKee.
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Thanks Tracy, here’s your link: http://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/mourned-on-sunday-helen-reilly.html
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Pingback: Not my #1941book: MILDRED PIERCE by James M Cain | Reactions to Reading
Pingback: Review: The Case of the Constant Suicides by John Dickson Carr | A Crime is Afoot
Thanks Jose Ignacio – sounds like I should read this one.
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And, finally for me, my notes at Goodreads on Ngaio Marsh’s Surfeit of Lampreys, which I thoroughly enjoyed: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1486693378?book_show_action=false.
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