Reader, I Buried Them & Other
by Peter Lovesey
Pub Date 01 Feb 2022 |
Soho Press, Soho Crime
Mystery & Thrillers
I am reviewing a copy of Reader, I Buried Them & Other Stories through Soho Press and Netgalley:
Peter Lovesey published a short story in an anthology, more than fifty years ago.
That short story caught the eye of the great Ruth Rendell, whose praise ignited Lovesey’s lifelong passion for short form crime fiction.
While working on his one hundredth short story Peter Lovesey has assembled this devilishly clever collection, eighteen yarns of mystery, melancholy, and mischief, inhabiting such deadly settings as a theater, a monastery, and the book publishing industry.
The collection includes that first storythat launched his story-writing career as well as three exclusive new stories. In addition, Loveseyfans will delight in a personal essay by the author about the historical inspirations—and in an appearance by the irascible Bath detective Peter Diamond, who has, in the author’s words, “bulldozed his way” into this volume.
I give Reader, I Buried Them & Other Stories five out of five stars!
Happy Reading! 1641293616 A wonderful collection of short stories from master writer Peter Lovesey. What is brilliant about them, beyond the experimentation with form, is the fact that they all carry different voices. I love how the characters have unique personalities, and the crimes are committed through resourceful means.
1641293616 I just finished reading the 1st short story in this collection, and it reminded me why I DO NOT usually like short stories... as in many others, there was zero character development and it had an abrupt ending that came out of left field.
As if that wasn't bad enough, this author had committed what I perceive to be a Cardinal Sin. He chose to divulge details from other stories to help his own story along. Not only did the author give away the essence of the twist from the movie Gaslight, but he also gave away details from And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I could almost forgive Gaslight since gaslighting has become such a buzzword lately, but I CANNOT forgive any discussion of what happens at the end of And Then There Were None.
NOTE: The narration was very good, but not good enough to impel me to go any further with this.
I'm also trying to figure out why Gaslighting is the 1st story in the audiobook but the 12th one in the print version. 1641293616 My first question was, Who could resist that title? and with Peter Lovesey as the author, who would want to? Peter Lovesey has had a long and distinguished career as a crime novelist, telling stories in the classic puzzle vein. I am a great fan of his contemporary series, set in Bath and featuring the overweight, irascible Peter Diamond. I was unaware of his Victorian series and many short stories.
The stories in Reader, I Buried Them include characters both high and low-born, rich and poor, good and evil, and those caught in situations, not of their making. I found And The Band Played On heart-wrenching and The Homicidal Hat hilarious. Each of the stories is a small gem, many with a touch of macabre humor. Anyone who knows Peter Lovesey's work will be delighted by this collection, and those who aren't familiar will have a pleasant introduction.
Thanks to SoHo Crime, NetGalley, and Mystery and Suspense Magazine for an advance digital copy. 1641293616 I found it to have great charm!!
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This was a delightful collection of short murder mysteries, tales of vengeance, clever characters, and an almost absurd number of poisonings. A few were just average stories, but most were really good to great. This is well-worth your time, and is a book which naturally divides easily into quick reading bursts, perfect for busy people who still want to enjoy good stories. 1641293616 I’ve always been partial to British mystery authors, whose whimsical styles and types of crimes differ from the gun-toting, gangland shoot ’em ups of American writers. The Brits tend to kill people off in such quirky ways. Poisons are a popular method --- any number of confusing types of mushrooms, undetectable chemicals, powders secreted in handkerchiefs or shirt cuffs. Some are macabre, and haunted houses were a favorite theme of Ruth Rendell, who took fellow British writer Peter Lovesey under her wing and encouraged him to continue writing in his early days.
It's been 10 years since I had the pleasure of getting acquainted with Lovesey’s Peter Diamond, a reluctant mall cop who eventually became a detective and starred in 20 tidy little mysteries. I’ve reviewed a few of them and read many others for my own enjoyment.
In READER, I BURIED THEM, Lovesey appears to have thumbed through his notebooks and filing cabinets to find some of his early pieces. A musician might call them “noodling” around on a keyboard --- experimenting with an idea or concept to see if it would develop into something worthy. Here, he offers up 18 short stories, some merely a few pages long. Many ended up in various publications, and three are brand new.
The most absorbing piece is “The Bathroom,” a bizarre tale based on an actual crime that is later detailed in “The Tale of Three Tubs.” Three brides mysteriously drowned in bathtubs between 1912 and 1915 in locales as far removed from each other as Herne Bay, Blackpool and Highgate. The guilty party was George Joseph Smith, a bigamist who was hanged for the murders. The tubs ended up in various museums for nearly a century because of the diabolical nature of the crimes. Jack the Ripper immediately came to mind as I was immersed in this shocking story.
My favorite droll tale is “Agony Column,” which reminded me of Ann Landers’ advice columns. A woman who calls herself “Neglected” writes to Dr. Wisefellow that her husband, Hamish, isn’t paying attention to her and disappears every evening. She is becoming suspicious of his activities and is even on the verge of calling the police.
After a fair amount of back and forth between them, Dr. Wisefellow responds that there is no need to go to the authorities. “I can now set your fears at rest…. Hamish is becoming a crime writer. A peculiar condition, but not usually dangerous. Soon you will find that he gives up those long walks and starts shutting himself away in a place of isolation, like the garden shed or an attic. If you pass anywhere near, you may hear a tapping sound, or, more likely, shouts of “Blast!” as paper is screwed up and thrown across the room.” Following this warning, the good doctor advises her to stay out of his way. It isn’t easy being married to a crime writer, but it certainly can have its exciting moments.
The same can be said for READER, I BURIED THEM, which I am happy to say is a fun read for any mystery buff.
Reviewed by Roz Shea 1641293616 For fans of Peter Lovesey, this is a wonderful collection of stories. There is a great variety and many will bring a smile.
Perfect book to relax with in between bouts of struggling with doing my taxes!
The intro shares Lovesey's encounter with and encouragement from Ruth Rendell years ago when he first spent some of his energies writing in this form. 1641293616 What attracted me to this mystery story collection initially, apart from Peter Lovesey’s well known name, was the flippant and fun title. I had to know what laid behind that lead in. It turns out there are many wonderful stories, some straight out mysteries, some crime, a few in the cozy style, all well written, and some surprising.
The settings for most are various places in Britain but one, set at a Crime Writers event, occurs in the U.S. While initially I was concerned that the stories didn’t seem to have much edge or ironic feel to them, I need not have worried. As the collection opened up, so too did the plots and characters and I was more than satisfied. There is even a true crime tie-in with great historical detail. In addition, there is a listing at the end of Lovesey’s writing by novels, stories, collections, anthologies, etc should you wish to check out some more.
Recommended.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. 1641293616 • A copy of this book was given by NetGalley in return for an honest review •
Rating: 3.5 Stars
The Review
Let me preface this by stating that I haven’t really read crime and mystery stories in this short story form before and this book has me wondering why I haven’t done so sooner.
The title was what first drew me in – Reader, I Buried Them. Wasn’t that interesting, I thought and it got me to turn the page.
Each short story in this collection holds within it a crime and manages to balance the suspense, intrigue and reveal of it well, foreshadowing without being too obvious and, at times, pulling the rug from under you. This more than anything is really what impressed me: a good twist without being obvious in a story 30 or so pages long.
With various unlikely protagonists distinct to their tale, from beekeepers to monks, to a fancy hat contestant, the stories make for an engaging, quick read. The characters from each tale also felt distinct in a way I appreciated – I could tell by their dialog and their characterization that they could only be who they were, if you get what I mean. I particularly liked Sweet and Low and Formidophobia.
All in all, a delightful short story collection. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a little intrigue. 1641293616
More than fifty years ago, Peter Lovesey published a short story in an anthology. That short story caught the eye of the great Ruth Rendell, whose praise ignited Lovesey's lifelong passion for short form crime fiction.
On the occasion of his hundredth short story, Peter Lovesey has assembled this devilishly clever collection, eighteen yarns of mystery, melancholy, and mischief, inhabiting such deadly settings as a theater, a monastery, and the book publishing industry.
The collection includes that first story that launched his story-writing career as well as three exclusive new stories. In addition, Lovesey fans will delight in a personal essay by the author about the historical inspirations--and in an appearance by the irascible Bath detective Peter Diamond, who has, in the author's words, bulldozed his way into this volume. Reader, I Buried Them Other Stories