Classic Crime for Winter Time: Beattie Cavendish and the Highland Hideaway by Mary-Jane
Beattie Cavendish and the Highland Highway is available now from the Mail Bookshop
Beattie Cavendish and the Highland Hideaway by Mary-Jane Riley (Allison & Busby £22, 352pp)
A wartime heroine who fought with the French Resistance, Beattie Cavendish finds there is no let-up after peace is declared.
As an undercover agent posing as an administrative adviser she is posted to an intelligence outpost in the Scottish Highlands where a suspected spy ring is tapping into state secrets.
With support from a tough private detective who has more than a professional interest in his partner’s welfare, Beattie revives memories that are too raw for comfort and too close to home.
The story moves along at a cracking pace which is all for the best in a narrative that skips lightly over the implausible twists in the plot. And the cliches grate.
That said, Beattie is an intriguing character with the staying power for a captivating series.
The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie (HarperCollins £14.99, 272pp)
The blanket coverage for Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot overshadow Agatha Christie’s standalone mysteries. The Pale Horse is a case in point.
A young writer with an eye to adventure, Mark Easterbrook is diverted by a cafe fight between two female dropouts.
Later, he finds out that one of the contestants, a spoilt rich girl, has died, apparently from natural causes. But when her name appears on a list of victims who have departed prematurely, Mark is pitched against a criminal mastermind offering death on demand under cover of black magic and witchcraft.
With her customary skill, Christie sets out an intricate pattern of false trails for Mark to navigate. But supported by an astute policeman, Mark arrives at the truth. This is vintage Christie.
As If By Magic Edited by Martin Edwards (British Library £10.99, 288pp)
In this mixed bag of tricks, Edwards rings the changes on what can be loosely described as locked-room mysteries where a murder has no obvious perpetrator or explanation.
John Dickson Carr, long acknowledged as foremost exponent of the seemingly impossible crime, sets the mood with his sonorous alter ego, Dr Gideon Fell.
As a general rule, the shortest stories are the best value. The ever reliable Michael Gilbert turns in a brilliant piece on how police perseverance can pay off with unexpected consequences. A personal favourite is The Last Meeting Of The Butlers Club, where old retainers reminisce about famous murders committed during their service.