Has YHB ever mentioned how wonderful library book sales are? No? Well, one of the many wonderful things about library book sales is very similar to one of the wonderful things about libraries, that is, one can take a risk on obtaining books of dubious quality, and sometimes that risk pays off rather well. I grabbed Take Two at Bedtime, for some small amount of money, because I had enjoyed reading a Margery Allingham book. I had also disliked a Margery Allingham book. Perhaps two. Not a good bet, but then, the risk was low.
It turned out that the book was not a novel at all, but a collection of two novellas. The first, Wanted: Someone Innocent is a seriously atmospheric creepfest. I was pretty sure I knew what was going to happen (I was wrong, but that isn’t important now) and I was still creeped out by how it got there. This is an extremely effective story. Yes, it might have been a trifle shorter, but it didn’t feel overlong. If you like Ms. Allingham’s stuff at all, or if you like thirties murder fiction at all, this is worth seeking out.
The second novella, Last Act, is a different kettle of fish altogether. It stinks. On ice. Oh, there’s the odd bit of period detail for fans of period detail, but seriously. Stinks. In addition to the total failure of the atmospherics, there’s the plot, which features the old switcheroo ending with—wait for it—a faked suicide attempt gone dreadfully awry. Yes, the murderer was the victim! Shock! Alarum! Stench!
Ah, well. What do you want for a buck?
chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek,
-Vardibidian.