Every month on Past Offences I gather together blog posts about crime fiction written or filmed in a particular year. I’ve called it Crimes of the Century. After 1975, which seemed to own some terrible books, I’ve picked 1960.
This video of police sports at Sarawak in 1960 gets quite odd at 2:16.
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 
No idea what a blog post is, I’m afraid, but will somebody please take note of Geoffrey Household’s “Watcher in the Shadows” (1960) which I once described as Gunfight at the OK Corral set in St Mary Mead. A wonderful thriller and up there (almost) with his classic “Rogue Male”.
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Take that, Mike! Get with the program already and lay off the gin. ;^) See what happens when you indulge in irony? Humorless, literal minded pedants lay in on you like rats feasting on food scraps in an alley.
I’ll read Household’s book just to make your day a little brighter and spread happiness and cheer to those attacked by snarky librarians.
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You know me John and you know I will stick to the gin. Amazed you haven’t read the Household – a treat in store.
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Hmm . . . ’75 was definitely tough!
No Christie in 1960, unless you count the American publication date of Cat Among the Pigeons. No Queen either. No Moyes. Carr had In Spite of Thunder. Rex Stout had Too Many Clients, which I believe is a good one. Patrick Quentin has The Green Eyed Monster – is that findable? Gladys Mitchel has Say It With Flowers. Margaret Millar has A Stranger in My Grave.
The most notable book of the year was To Kill a Mockingbird, hardly a mystery. The notable film was Psycho.
Gosh, Rich, I don’t think you made things easier this time around!
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Well there was The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Christie published in this year.
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To which I say . . . yuck.
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I think if one were determined one could make a case for To Kill A Mockingbird being crime fiction…
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Indeed, the Guardian did, it turns out, in 2009! https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jan/18/1000-novels-crime-part-two
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Brad: I’ve got Quentin’s The Green-Eyed Monster (snagged it at our annual Community Book Sale a couple of years ago and haven’t got round to it yet). This may be the time for it…I’ve got others from 1960 also waiting in the wings….
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Bit stumped as to what I might read. At the moment it might be The Chinese Lake Murders by Robert Van Gulik. Some other ideas I came across but didn’t hugely appeal were:
Ngaio Marsh’s False Scent
Fleming’s For Your Eyes Only
Rex Stout – Too Many Clients
Patricia Highsmith’s This Sweet Sickness
George Simenon’s The Blue Room
Michael Innes’ The New Sonia Wayward
Michael Underwood’s Cause of Death
Erle Stanley Gardner’s The Case of the Waylaid Wolf, The Case of the Duplicate Daughter, The Case of the Shapely Shadow
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Oh also forgot to mention another Stout book from this year – Three at Wolfe’s Door.
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John D. MacDonald had Slam the Big Door, The Only Girl in the Game, and The End of the Night that year. I think the only one of these that I’ve read is Slam the Big Door (wait till you find out what the big door is!).
Ross Macdonald’s The Ferguson Affair, which was one of the few non-Lew Archer books he wrote in his later years. I read it long ago but don’t remember it.
By the way, I love Highsmith’s This Sweet Sickness. Not a mystery, though.
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Not an easy year for me this time either. I have Simenon’s The Blue Room on my TBR shelves but afraid it was first published in 1962.
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I’m going to go with Margaret Millar’s A Stranger in my Grave – only one I can get hold of without spending a fortune to post something to Oz
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Well, 1960 was John Rhode’s penultimate year, so I’ll take a run at Death Paints A Picture and Legacy of Death, the final two Miles Burton titles. Even though they’re supposed to be a bit crap…
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I’ve ordered today Maigret in Court by Georges Simenon. Hope it will arrive on time to read it.
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This Wikipedia list of 1960 British novels – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1960_British_novels – includes The Night Of Wenceslas by Lionel Davidson, which I don’t think has been mentioned.
The equivalent US list – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1960_American_novels – includes something called The Dame’s The Game, by Al Fray.
And this wider list – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_in_literature#New_books – may also provide inspiration which I haven’t spotted.
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Quite enjoyed The Night of Wenceslas.
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I have several to pick from and I wish I could manage more than one. I will be reading Kill Now, Pay Later by Robert Kyle (AKA Robert Terrall).
Other possibilities are:
Death Lives Next Door by Gwendoline Butler
Alibi For A Judge by Henry Cecil
So Dies The Dreamer by Ursula Curtiss
Fear The Light by Elizabeth Ferrars
The Case Of The Shapely Shadow by Erle Stanley Gardner
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I enjoyed Butler’s book…although I like her later ones better.
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My TBR possibles:
Jury of One by Mignon G. Eberhart
Dark Lady by Doris Miles Disney
The Doomed Oasis by Hammond Innes
the Green-Eyed Monster by Patrick Quentin
Death-Wish Green by Frances Crane
The Last Commandment by George Harmon Coxe (GA Detection says 1961, but my edition says first published by Knopf in 1960)
Follow Me by Helen Reilly
Decision at Delphi by Helen MacInnes
Too Many Clients by Rex Stout
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Other 1960 possibilities (I have already read most of these):
Gideon’s Risk by J. J. Marric
Evvie by Vera Caspary
The Case of Sonia Wayward by Michael Innes (aka The New Sonia Wayward)
Jack on the Gallows Tree by Leo Bruce
Furious Old Women by Leo Bruce
Dead Against My Principles by Kenneth Hopkins
The Golden Man by Frances & Richard Lockridge [the only one I don’t have/haven’t read]
The Judge is Reversed by Lockridge
Show Red for Danger by Lockridge
Death in the Andamans by M. M. Kaye (aka Night on the Island)
Gently with the Painters by Alan Hunter
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Toss up between Death of A Citizen and the Dame
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Read the Matt Helm book! You won’t regret it. He’s nothing like Dean Martin in the movies, let me tell you. We need more fictional spies and assassins represented in this crime fiction salute.
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Totally agree: go for the excellent Donald Hamilton, and I’m sure John will back me up on suggesting “The Pass Beyond Kashmir” by Berkely Mather.
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Death Of A Citizen by Donald Hamilton
http://suspenseandmystery.blogspot.com/2016/12/death-of-citizen-by-donald-hamilton.html
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Pingback: The ‘salivating male audience’: The #1975book round-up | Past Offences: Classic crime, thrillers and mystery book reviews
Taking on a third job had kept me out of last month’s 1975 round-up, but I hope that the December holidays might provide some time for pleasure reading once more…
I shall tackle John Rhode’s TWICE DEAD this time around, which at least has a very artistic dustjacket design.
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Pingback: PSYCHO (1960): The Finest Cut of All | ahsweetmysteryblog
Okay, Rich – here’s my write-up on Psycho! https://ahsweetmysteryblog.wordpress.com/2016/12/05/psycho-1960-the-finest-cut-of-all/
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I’ve just ordered Leo Bruce’s “Furious Old Women.” If it arrives in time, I’ll review it for my contribution to the 1960 book list.
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I’ve got my first one: Dark Lady by Doris Miles Disney
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Pingback: Death Paints A Picture by Miles Burton – In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
My review of Leo Bruce’s “Furious Old Women” has been posted: http://www.classicmysteries.net/2016/12/furious-old-women.html
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My first one is up: Sleep with Slander by Dolores Hitchens.
Lives up to its cult classic status and then some!
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Is that you again John??
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Of course. I’m turning into an utterly inept typist.
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My first one is up: Sleep with Slander by Dolores Hitchens.
Lives up to its cult classic status and then some! (Please delete the other comment that is “awaiting moderation”. Something very odd happened there.)
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Pingback: H. R. F. Keating: Zen There Was Murder | Past Offences: Classic crime, thrillers and mystery book reviews
Pingback: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (1960) by Agatha Christie | crossexaminingcrime
Here is my review of the short story ‘The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding’ by Christie:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress.com/2016/12/16/the-adventure-of-the-christmas-pudding-1960-by-agatha-christie/
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Pingback: Schachnovelle (1960) | Noirish
I’ve given an account of Schachnovelle (1960; vt Brainwashed; vt Three Moves to Freedom) here. It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a movie so much.
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Like Kate I’ve done Christie’s Adventure of the Christmas Pudding. http://clothesinbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/xmas-book-of-1960-and-christmas-pudding.html
–now off to read her review.
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& btw, entertainingly bizarre video Rich. Reminds me of recently-read Death of Jezebel by Christianna Brand.
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Pingback: Review: Maigret in Court, 1960 (Inspector Maigret #55) by Georges Simenon. Trans: Robert Brain | A Crime is Afoot
My first one Maigret in Court, 1960 (Inspector Maigret #55) by Georges Simenon. Trans: Robert Brain is at https://jiescribano.wordpress.com/2016/12/18/review-maigret-in-court-1960-inspector-maigret-55-by-georges-simenon-trans-robert-brain/
I’ve finished reading Michael Innes The New Sonia Wayward (1960) (also known as The Case of Sonia Wayward), my post will follow soon.
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Both my Miles Burton reviews are up – Death Paints A Picture https://classicmystery.wordpress.com/2016/12/10/death-paints-a-picture-by-miles-burton/ and Legacy Of Death https://classicmystery.wordpress.com/2016/12/19/legacy-of-death-by-miles-burton/ . Surprisingly, there’s both actually rather good…
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And a third book from me, A Well-Known Face by Josephine Bell https://classicmystery.wordpress.com/2016/12/28/a-well-known-face-by-josephine-bell/
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Pingback: Review: The New Sonia Wayward, 1960 (aka The Case of Sonia Wayward) by Michael Innes | A Crime is Afoot
And my seconnd 1960 book The New Sonia Wayward, 1960 (aka The Case of Sonia Wayward) by Michael Innes is at https://jiescribano.wordpress.com/2016/12/20/review-the-new-sonia-wayward-1960-aka-the-case-of-sonia-wayward-by-michael-innes/#comment-13627
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My review for John Rhode’s TWICE DEAD is available. Adding to Puzzle Doctor’s observation about his reads, this late Street/Rhode/Burton was a pleasant surprise, if unsurprising in its content. Thank you, Rich, for the monthly yearly prompt you provide us GAD fans….
http://www.jasonhalf.com/blog/book-review-twice-dead-1960-by-john-rhode
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Pingback: Dr. Priestley Detective Series | A Crime is Afoot
I nearly forgot to let you know, Rich. I have done a post on Kill Now, Pay Later by Robert Kyle at Bitter Tea and Mystery on Dec. 22, 2016.
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I got one more in just in the nick of time. Excellent noirish crime novel by one of my favorite writers:
Sing Me a Murder by Helen Nielsen
Happy New Year! Here’s to more fabulous vintage crime fiction discoveries in 2017!
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