Friday, November 6, 2015

Friday Forgotten (or Overlooked) Book: WHEN LAST I DIED (1941) by Gladys Mitchell

Originally published in 1941, this is the 2005 re-issue by Rue Morgue Press. 


Thanks go out to Sergio over at his fabulous blog, Tipping My Fedora, for getting me interested in reading Gladys Mitchell's Mrs. Bradley books. His enthusiastic review of DEATH AT THE OPERA did the trick.

(DEATH AT THE OPERA was my first choice, but it quickly became apparent that nobody had this book unless I wanted to pay big bucks and no I didn't.)

I had originally been put off reading Gladys Mitchell because of the television series starring Diana Rigg (whom I like) which I never cottoned to, though I did like the interaction between Mrs. Bradley and her neat chauffeur. And I loved the fashions.

At any rate, I've now read two Mrs. Bradley books: one I really liked and one I didn't finish. So I suppose I'll be reading more - one out of two isn't bad. But the next one had better be one I finish.

WHEN LAST I DIED begins with a note from the author:

To you, American Reader, whoever you are, affectionately.

I am a Londoner. Proud, too, of it. Whilst this book was being written,the Jerries made rings round it. They picked off seven houses, a railway bridge, and a block of flats. We put the Union Jack up on all these sites. They they wiped out shops, factories, and the main road. It took time to put back the gas mains alone on that main road. Then they dropped high explosives in the garden six doors away. Still, here is the book.

G.M.

How anyone can continue to write under those conditions, I just cannot even imagine. I feel humbled by Mitchell's grit and steadfastness.

On with the review:

WHEN LAST I DIED makes use of a good plot ploy - the found diary. I do have a weakness for cold case type murder investigations.

Now, it says here in this book that Mrs. Bradley is a psychologist though, to my mind, a very strange one. She is so weird herself that it would make one pause before going to her with any problems of the mental sort. I never got a clear sense of what she looked like - I know she's old and kind of 'reptilian' and has an odd propensity for cackling (?) but that's about it. Just for a lark, I began to envision her as a lizard in a serviceable suit  and hat. Not that that was what the author intended I'm sure.

I also noticed that in the books, the chauffeur, up front and center in the television series, is hardly on the scene when most of the action is taking place. He doesn't show up at all in the second book (the one I didn't finish), at least not in the pages I read. Too bad. I like the idea of a chauffeur as associate crime fighter.

At any rate, Mrs. Bradley decides to rent a house by the sea for a few weeks as part of some sort of psychological experiment resulting from her professional involvement with a school for delinquent boys. Her seven year old grandson occasionally comes to stay which I found a bit odd to begin with, since there had been sinister doings at the school and the experiment involves short term stays at the Bradley house by various boys. A kind of break from their normal routine.

The rental had, several years before, been the property of a young woman named Bella who was tried and acquitted for the murder of a cousin, a ghost hunter who'd been investigating a local haunted house. The woman had since committed suicide and the house passed to a servant who is happy to let the place for the summer.

In the meantime, Mrs. Bradley gets her hands on a diary written by Bella outlining events prior to the murder and the strange disappearance of two boys from the aforementioned school at which Bella herself had once worked. Then there is the suspicious death of Bella's aunt, a well-to-do old woman who'd choked to death on some grated carrots (?).

Mrs. Bradley is almost immediately suspicious of what she reads in the diary and decides that there's much more here than meets the eye. And as she goes nosing about it is soon obvious that she is correct, there is something rotten in this pleasant little village by the sea.

I was completely taken in and spent most of a night reading and trying to get to the bottom of a rather convoluted tale of twisted lives and ugly death.

Admittedly I found Mrs. Bradley hard to take - especially the cackling part - and as I mentioned, I had trouble visualizing her. She just didn't seem real to me if I can call anyone in this sort of story 'real' - but you know what I mean. But other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

The other Mitchell book I began (my local library only had the two titles) was THE RISING OF THE MOON, a book I thought I'd like but didn't bother finishing. This one had Mrs. Bradley entering the fray very late in the story which was okay but leading up to her involvement, the tale was told from the point of view of two young, adventurous boys living in a village who come across a murder or two or three. Sounded good, but for whatever reason, wasn't.

But as I say, WHEN LAST I DIED is worth a look, if you can find a copy. And I'm still hoping to come across DEATH AT THE OPERA. Maybe an inter-library loan will do the trick.

Since it's Friday, don't forget to check in at author Patricia Abbott's blog, Pattinase, to see what other forgotten (or overlooked) books other bloggers are talking about today.

22 comments:

  1. Yvette,

    I find the library's InterLibraryLoan procedure to be very good in getting books that the local library doesn't have and whose used copies are quite expensive.

    I also watched the TV adaptations. Did you know that her chauffeur was played by Neil Dudgeon who is now playing Inspector John Barnaby in the TV episodes of Midsomer Murders?

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    1. It's funny, Fred - I was talking yesterday to the librarian about InterLibrary Loans - she assured me I could order up to ten titles at a time. So I'm going to make a list of some vintage authors and we'll see how it goes.

      I liked Neil Dudgeon as the chauffeur but I'm not sure about him as John Barnaby. I think I watched several of the newer episodes but just couldn't get over missing the original Barnaby - the uncle, was it?

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    2. Yvette,

      I started using InterLibraryLoan about a year or so ago and have been very happy about it. So far I've gotten everything I've requested.

      I think Tom and John Barnaby were cousins, and I agree. When John Nettles played Tom Barnaby, there was a sly sense of humor in the show that is now lacking. The new sergeant is a rather flat character also. I may give it one more season and then stop, if the show isn't cancelled first.

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    3. Yeah, I just didn't like the newer versions - 'flat' is the right word. But I do still go back and watch the John Nettles versions now and then.

      I am definitely going to try the InterLibrary thing, Fred.

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  2. Thanks first and foremost for the kind words Yvette, as ever. Like you, my experience with Mitchell has been incredibly variable but I plan to try a few more

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    1. Oh, you're very welcome, Sergio.

      Variable is right. We can both plan to read some more and see what's what. She wrote quite a few books in a rather long career. That's why it's so funny that her books are not more widely available.

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  3. I've read several of Gladys Mitchell's books. She wrote about 50 mysteries and almost all of them are available for Kindle from Amazon for $3.99 or less, including Death at the Opera. I like ones I've read so far, but I liked some better than others. She is a very strange character. I'm not sure I'd want to meet her in real life!

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    1. I'm with you, Joan - about not being sure of a meeting with this character in real life. :) Although, come to think of it, there aren't all that many book characters I'd want to actually meet. Though quite a few that I would.

      I'll check Kindle for the Mitchell titles, thanks for the info. But first I'm going to try the library.

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  4. I love these books - some more than others and find them very expensive to obtain used. So I only have a few.

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    1. I don't own any yet, but I hope to in the future. I like actually OWNING my vintage books if at all possible. But the library is a good second choice. :)

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  5. Like you, Yvette, the TV show turned me off the books. Sounds as though it is nothing like the books. I too picked up one of her books on sale in Kindle format after reading Sergio's review. Haven't read it yet though. Speedy Death is the name. The Rue Morgue book covers are great! I love their books.

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    1. I'm not as fond of the Rue Morgue books because of their size, Peggy Ann. Does that make any sense? They're hard to keep open and the editing is such that they do not break apart the chapters and paragraphs in a well designed manner. But other than that, I'll read Rue Morgue copies if that's what's available. Despite that, I would buy them if that were the only way to read an author I was really interested in.

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  6. I have trouble writing when the kids are yelling next door. Can't imagine were I in the middle of a war zone, altho maybe that would kick in tougher instincts. Knowing this alone has increased my interest in Mitchell's work. Thanks for an enjoyable review, Yvette.

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    1. You're welcome, Mathew. Yes, when I read that note I couldn't help thinking that people in those days were stronger and more adaptable than we are today. Or maybe it's just the Brits. :) They did have to endure quite a bit.

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  7. Just that note to the readers would make me want to read the book, Yvette. I have only read one Gladys Mitchell book starring Mrs Bradley, A Hearse on May-Day, published in 1972. I enjoyed parts of it and it sounds like it had a similar format to this one with Mrs. Bradley coming in later. In some parts of it I was confused totally. I would like to try some earlier ones.

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    1. If you can find one or two Tracy, I'd scoop them up. I'm going to keep looking and I am definitely going to try InterLibrary Loans.

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  8. Most of Gladys Mitchell's books are available in ebook form from Amazon quite cheaply. I find her very original but that has it's drawbacks when the books don't quite work. I think of her as an acquired taste and she is certainly not for everyone. Her work is almost surreal at times and even the books that don't work have their points of interest, such as the folklore and customs of England, often including the occult. I've read about a dozen and they are rather uneven in quality.

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    1. 'I think of her as an acquired taste...' Yes, absolutely. I can see that just from the two books mentioned in my post. Mrs. Bradley is really like no other old lady solving crimes that I know and believe me I've read a bundle. Thanks for the info, Ron. I'll check out the e-book list.

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  9. Yvette, I'm not familiar with Gladys Mitchell's work though I have read some reviews of her novels. I'm not sure if her books will appeal to me. Only way to find out is to read one.

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    1. I would say so too, Prashant. :) You just never know what's going to appeal to anyone at any given moment. For me, reading anything is all about the mood I'm in.

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  10. Yvette, I think you might try "A Hearse on May-Day," the one that TracyK read. I found it one of the more "approachable" Mitchells, while it still contains a lot of the humor and almost surrealistic plot twists which mark her books. That one is available (I think!) from Rue Morgue Press. I think an even better one for an introduction to Mitchell and Mrs. Bradley is "St. Peter's Finger," which I know is available on e-book. It's the book I'm reviewing on my blog and podcast next week, as a matter of fact. Mrs. B seems a bit more sedate in that one - not as much cackling, if you will. There are some very well-defined and memorable characters. You might try either of those.

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    1. Thanks, Les. I've just discovered that eight of the Mitchell books are available in audio versions. But not these two, unfortunately. However, I'll check around and see if Abe books have either.

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