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melissa_who_reads's review against another edition
3.0
A collection of short stories, many of the locked room variety, some of the just plain odd. Grouped in roughly date order (publication date), they go from Arthur Conan Doyle (not a Sherlock, however) to Margery Allingham, with a fair number of previously unknown to me authors (all male). Dorothy L. Sayers and Allingham are the only solo female contributors; Margaret Cole has a story she wrote with her husband included. The early stories are frankly incredible, and some are just bad - they pick up with the R. Austin Freeman story, and become plausible after that.
camerontrost's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent collection! I'm not a particular fan of locked-room mysteries (not that I don't like them, I just don't care whether a mystery is one or not), but I enjoyed these a lot!
carolpk's review against another edition
E-Galley provided through the generosity of Penguin Press and Netgalley for my honest review. This title is part of The British Library Crime Classics and is available for purchase as of June 6, 2017.
Miraculous Mysteries is a compilation that’s like a bag of potato chips. Once you open its pages, you will not be able to stop at just one.
Many including me love locked room mysteries. The quest to figure out how a crime is committed in a space with no way for the perpetrator to exit is delicious to say the least. The solving of these mysterious mysteries is good for this aging brain and good fun too.
Thank heavens for GR friends, in this case Sue Drees who gave the wonderful authors of this collection their due. Some old friends and some new acquaintances for me. Most familiar to me were Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K Chesterton, Margery Allingham, and Arthur Conan Doyle, but don't expect a Sherlock story. Nicholas Olde, Sax Rohmer, and Austin Freeman are a few that I will need to research.
Love the old-fashioned look of The British Library Crime Classics covers, the hues and tones and the content is top-notch too. Miraculous Mysteries: Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes is a book I need to own. It’s a solid collection and a must for fans of this genre, edited by Martin Edwards.
Miraculous Mysteries is a compilation that’s like a bag of potato chips. Once you open its pages, you will not be able to stop at just one.
Many including me love locked room mysteries. The quest to figure out how a crime is committed in a space with no way for the perpetrator to exit is delicious to say the least. The solving of these mysterious mysteries is good for this aging brain and good fun too.
Thank heavens for GR friends, in this case Sue Drees who gave the wonderful authors of this collection their due. Some old friends and some new acquaintances for me. Most familiar to me were Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K Chesterton, Margery Allingham, and Arthur Conan Doyle, but don't expect a Sherlock story. Nicholas Olde, Sax Rohmer, and Austin Freeman are a few that I will need to research.
Love the old-fashioned look of The British Library Crime Classics covers, the hues and tones and the content is top-notch too. Miraculous Mysteries: Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes is a book I need to own. It’s a solid collection and a must for fans of this genre, edited by Martin Edwards.
mike_brough's review against another edition
3.0
A mixed collection of locked-room and other impossible mysteries from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.
Most of them left little impression on me - I've looked back at the contents list and can't recall the story-lines of most - but a few are well-written diversions, including The Case of the Tragedies in the Greek Room by Sax Romer and Too Clever by Half by GDH & Margaret Cole, while the last story in the book, by Margery Allingham, wittily blows a hole through the conventions of the genre.
Most of them left little impression on me - I've looked back at the contents list and can't recall the story-lines of most - but a few are well-written diversions, including The Case of the Tragedies in the Greek Room by Sax Romer and Too Clever by Half by GDH & Margaret Cole, while the last story in the book, by Margery Allingham, wittily blows a hole through the conventions of the genre.
tombomp's review against another edition
3.0
The Dorothy Sayers story uses the n word multiple times. Racist and horrible and no pushback within story?? ugh
nighttime78's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
danon17's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Does what it says on the tin. Maybe because I'm unfamiliar with most of the authors, but it didn't feel like there was much variation in the voices. The Chesterton was the clear stand-out for me - both in writing and in the pathos of the solution - really enjoyed that one. I liked the solution to the Allingham too though - it was a nice note to end the book on.
softrosemint's review
3.5
I have been in a bit of a reading slump so I struggled with getting through this. Regardless, I think this is a pretty solid collection. It explores the impossible crime genre beyond the traditional locked-room mystery / murder and features some excellent entries.
Favourites: "The Case of the Tragedies in the Greek Room" by Sax Rohmer, "The Aluminium Dagger" by R. Austin Freeman, "The Diary of Death" by Marten Cumberland, "The Music-Room" by Sapper, "Death at 8.39" by Christopher St. John Spriggm, "The Haunted Policeman" by Dorothy L. Sayers and "The Villa Marie Celeste" by Margery Allingham
Favourites: "The Case of the Tragedies in the Greek Room" by Sax Rohmer, "The Aluminium Dagger" by R. Austin Freeman, "The Diary of Death" by Marten Cumberland, "The Music-Room" by Sapper, "Death at 8.39" by Christopher St. John Spriggm, "The Haunted Policeman" by Dorothy L. Sayers and "The Villa Marie Celeste" by Margery Allingham