Supporting COMMUNITY. Inspiring DISCOVERY. Promoting LITERACY. |
|
About the Group Come in, get cozy and enjoy a group discussion of books of mystery and suspense by famous and lesser known authors from the Golden Age of Mysteries. Meeting Date and Location - Every other month, usually on the 4th Wednesday of that month.
- Meetings are usually held in-person in the library's Upper Level Conference Room; however, participants can also request a Zoom invite to join the discussion remotely if preferred.
- Please check the library's Events Calendar for specific information.
|
|
|
|
The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing "How does a man escape from himself?" George Stroud is a minor executive of Crimeways Publications. His attraction to Pauline Delos, his boss' mistress, leads to a week-end dalliance. Dropping her at her building after their tryst, he sees his boss, Earl Janoth follow her in. Later she is found murdered. Janoth had spotted a man as he arrived. He wants him identified and found... and arrested as the murderer. Who does he assign to discover the identity of that man? -- George Stroud! This masterpiece of noir suspense was written by Kenneth Fearing in 1946. It has twice been made into a movie.
|
|
Double Indemnity by James M. Cain We are discussing the book Double Indemnity by James M. Cain. This book was written in 1936 and is considered an outstanding example of the fast moving noir of the golden age of mystery writing. Walter Huff is an insurance salesman seeking to convince his client Mr. Nirdlinger to renew his auto insurance. He gets a lot more then he bargains for when Mrs. Nirdlinger enters the scene. "Tautly narrated and excruciatingly suspenseful"
|
|
The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin We are discussing Edmund Crispin's whodunit The Moving Toyshop, published in 1946. A British mystery set in Oxford just after WWII, it features the series detective Gervase Fen as he helps his old university friend Richard Cadogan. Cadogan arrives in Oxford late one night and stumbles, literally, upon a dead body in a toyshop. The next morning the body has disappeared -- and so has the toyshop!
|
|
The Mystery of the Cape Cod Players by Phoebe Atwood Taylor Come join us for a trip to the coast of New England, on old Cape Cod of the 1930s. A troupe of actors find themselves stranded and are given refuge for the night in the remote cottage rented by Victoria Ballard. In the morning the lead magician of the group is found shot dead. Asey Mayo is nearby, visiting his cousin Syl. Asey, a former fisherman and race car driver is locally known as the "Codfish Sherlock". Together with Victoria he tackles the mystery. A classic American mystery seasoned with gentle humor and the regional color of coastal New England.
|
|
The Woman in Black by Leslie Ford Join us as we investigate sinister goings-on in our nation's capital in the years after WWII. Grace Latham, the shrewd and elegant widow living in Georgetown works with her good friend Colonel Primrose to uncover the truth behind the death of the woman in black, whose appearance at a Washington cocktail party sets off a "chain of violence and murder".
|
Need a Copy of the Book? - Click on any of the titles (or book covers) above to check availability in our catalog.
- Check mrspl.ovedrive.com to see if eBook or eAudiobook copies are available.
- Special book group copies for the next month's discussion are also on a first come, first serve basis at each discussion. Check with our Main Level Service Desk (703-248-5031 TTY 711) for availability.
Staff Contacts for This Book Club - Catherine Wilson: email | 703-248-5237 (TTY 711)
- Eric Albrecht: email | 703-248-5031 (TTY 711)
|
|
|
Mary Riley Styles Public Library
120 N. Virginia Ave, Falls Church, Virginia 22046 703-248-5030 (TTY 711) www.mrspl.org
|
|
|
|