Obelists Fly High (Detective Stories)

Rating:
Summary: C. Daly King Flies High
Review: An excellent book, with a smash-finish. The author, a psychologist as was his detective's Watson (Capt. Michael Lord's Dr. Love Rees Pons, to be precise), has devised a murder tale of immense complexity, dealing with the murder of a sexually possessive physician (and brother to an important American politician) on board a plane after receiving death-threats. The characterisation is good, if not excellent, but the dialogue is apposite to the characters, and the theories concerning the impossible murder on the part of an English novelist are good. Despite an alibi business which would have made Freeman Wills Crofts drool with envy (though it's not that dull,) the book must be one of the masterpieces of the Van Dine school - and, taking into consideration the fact that the Van Dine school included such people as S. S. Van Dine and Ellery Queen, as well as the awful Rex Stout, it must therefore be excellent. Read it!

Rating:
Summary: Great fun
Review: Entertaining for the story and characters, but especially charming as a portrait of a cross-country commercial airline flight in the 1930s. Have times ever changed since a 10-passenger plane was considered large! The story has some far-fetched aspects, but was great fun nonetheless. The author has even provided a list of clues, with page and line references, at the end of the book. Nice touch.

Rating:
Summary: Great fun
Review: Entertaining for the story and characters, but especially charming as a portrait of a cross-country commercial airline flight in the 1930s. Have times ever changed since a 10-passenger plane was considered large! The story has some far-fetched aspects, but was great fun nonetheless. The author has even provided a list of clues, with page and line references, at the end of the book. Nice touch.