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2013 Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge

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What: 2013 Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge: Scattergories
When: 1 January – 31 December 2013
Who: Bev (My Reader’s Block)
Rules: Read at least 8 vintage (pre-1960) mysteries. Each book must fit one of the categories from a list created by the hostess. There is a mini-challenge (4 books) for those who are looking for a smaller commitment. To sign up or to see more details and the full list of categories, go here.

One of my on-going goals is to read the novels of Georgette Heyer, including her mysteries. She didn’t write as many compared to her romances — a dozen, to be exact. I’ve already read two, and if I complete this challenge, I will have read more than half the books: five of the eight I picked are Heyers.

Earlier this year, I listened to Murder at the Vicarage and I read The Mystery of the Blue Train, both by Agatha Christie. I liked them enough to want to read more, so I chose three Hercule Poirot books. I noticed that the Poirot books could fit into multiple categories. I stuck with the most obvious, based on the titles. Below are the 8 categories and my picks in BLUE:

  • 2. Murder by the Numbers: a book with a number, quantity in the title ~ The Big Four {HP #5} (Agatha Christie)
  • 4. Leave It to the Professionals: a book featuring cops, private eyes, secret service, professional spies, etc. ~ They Found Him Dead {Inspector Hannasyde #3} (Georgette Heyer)
  • 5. Jolly Old England: one mystery set in Britain ~ A Blunt Instrument {Inspector Hannasyde #4} (Georgette Heyer)
  • 7. World Traveler: one mystery set in any country except the US or Britain ~ Death on the Nile {HP #15} (Agatha Christie)
  • 12. Murderous Methods: a book with a means of death in the title (The Noose, 5 Bullets, Deadly Nightshade, etc) ~ Behold, Here’s Poison {Inspector Hannasyde #2} (Georgette Heyer)
  • 14. Scene of the Crime: a book with the location of the crime in the title (The Body in the Library, Murder at the Vicarage, etc.) ~ Death in the Stocks {Inspector Hannasyde #1} (Georgette Heyer)
  • 17. Country House Criminals: a standard (or not-so-standard) Golden Age country house murder ~ The Unfinished Clue (Georgette Heyer)
  • 19. Planes, Trains & Automobiles: a mystery that involves a mode of transportation in a vital way–explicitly in the title (Murder on the Orient Express) or by implication (Death in the Air; Death Under Sail) or perhaps the victim was shoved under a bus…. ~ Murder on the Orient Express {HP #9} (Agatha Christie)

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I will track my progress here.

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