 Supporting COMMUNITY. Inspiring DISCOVERY. Promoting LITERACY. |
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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.
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Sleep with Strangers
by Dolores Hitchens Come join us as we venture onto the highways and byways of Long Beach California of the 1950s. Sleep With Strangers, is a classic hardboiled murder mystery - taut, suspenseful, and gritty. This is the first of the Jim Sader mystery series written by Dolores Hitchens. She is considered one of America's pioneering women crime writers. |
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The Wheel Spins
by Ethel Lina White Young Iris Carr, vacationing at a remote European resort, decides to travel back to England alone, without her friends. After a bout of sunstroke on the train platform she boards and settles in for the journey. Among the travelers in her compartment she meets Miss Froy, a governess. Listening to Froy's life story, Iris soon falls asleep and upon waking she discovers Miss Froy is gone, nowhere to be found. And, to her dismay, no one acknowledges ever having seen her. Thus begins The Wheel Spins, a story of mystery, obsession and madness. Ethel Lina White has weaved an excellent tale of suspense, with vivid and evocative prose. This story has been made into a movie three times - most famously as The Lady Vanishes by Alfred Hitchcock. |
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Suicide Excepted
by Cyril Hare Mr. Dickinson, an elderly and boorish pessimist, apparently commits suicide at the third-rate hotel that was his ancestral home. The life insurance company refuses to pay, siting the suicide exception clause. The deceased’s son, daughter and her fiancé are dismayed, and set out to bring about a verdict of murder, and so inherit the insurance money. Characterization is spot-on. The story is very well-plotted; and there is a surfeit of hotel guests with motives for murder. When Inspector Mallett of CID searches for the truth, he ultimately unravels a very clever and shocking triple solution. |
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Beast in View
by Margaret Millar Margaret Millar spins a story of suspense and malignant danger. Wealthy shut-in Helen Clarvoe receives prank phone calls that take a venomous turn. She enlists the aid of her attorney, Paul Blackshear, to protect her and get to the bottom of the sinister threats. A gripping and psychologically shocking thriller. Beast in View won the Edgar Award for Best Mystery of 1955. |
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The Red House Mystery
by A. A. Milne
A classic locked-room murder mystery published in 1922. In a quaint English country house, the exuberant Mark Ablett has been hosting a week-end house party. The festivities are rudely interrupted by the arrival of Mark’s wayward brother, Robert, home from Australia. Tensions and arguing between the two are heard by others. Shortly after, the long-absent brother is found dead in the study, shot through the head, and Mark has disappeared. It is up to amateur detective Tony Gillingham and his pal Bill to investigate. |
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The Daughter of Time
by Josephine Tey Detective Inspector Alan Grant is laid up with time on his hands, recovering from a broken leg. He is intrigued by King of England, Richard III, the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty. Grant decides to investigate his character. Did he really murder his nephews, the Princes in the Tower, to secure his throne. Was Richard III a victim of unjust defamation by the House of Tudor? This historical mystery is a gripping story that explores the truth of the events that occurred in latter 1400s England. |
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 - Eric Albrecht: email | 703-248-5031 (TTY 711)
- Marshall Webster: email | 703-248-5141 (TTY 711)
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Thank you, MRSPL Foundation! Special thanks to the MRSPL Foundation, whose support enables us to purchase extra copies of each title for this book club. To learn more about the Foundation, which is an independent 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to enhancing library materials, services, programs, and equipment, please visit mrsplfoundation.org!
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Mary Riley Styles Public Library
120 N. Virginia Ave, Falls Church, Virginia 22046 703-248-5030 (TTY 711) www.mrspl.org
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