Plodding on and on and.....on.

An update for my own benefit and anybody else who may be interested. Work has not been in touch recently and I am still in the dark as to what the hell fate has in store for me. It's getting quite bad now, I find myself waking up at least once and more often than not twice a night with worry and anxiety. This is bad enough in itself, but what is even more disturbing is that I now find myself waking up not only in daytime but also in conversation.
Charlie Chan and The Keeper of the keys is progressing slowly but surely as I am now on page 182, only125 to go. On the whole I am enjoying it and will review it more fully when I have finished it.
Kay, many many thanks for the Gladys picture, and once Chelsey shows me how to scan it I will endeavor to upload it on to this blog.
Just to finish, here are some firsts from the undisputed queen of crime.

Charlie Chan fan?

Earl Derr Biggers "Keeper of the keys" is his 6th and final Charlie Chan novel which was first published in the U.S. in 1932 by Bobbs-Merrill company.
Synopsis. At Dudley Ward's house in the Sierras is gathered a unique group of people. With the exception of Charlie Chan, all have one bond in common. Four are ex-husbands, and one the future husband of the famous singer, Ellen Landini. Suddenly she herself appears- only to be murdered.
With so many suspects and so many clues, Charlie Chan becomes enmeshed in the most baffling mystery he has yet encountered. But KEEPER OF THE KEYS is more than a swell mystery yarn that keeps you engrossed and guessing to the last page. It is a fascinating story of live people, of intense loyalty and of young love.
And through it all glides Charlie Chan, with his charm, his broken English, his Chinese philosophy and his ability to use his head when others are not so smart.


Well, at the time of writing I have only reached page 48, but needless to say I will let you know if the blurb lives up to its promise. Oh by the way I love it when "swell" is used. It reminds me of Oliver Hardy at his bumptious best.

Has it been that long.

Where does the time go? Anyway 2 new Charlie Chan mysteries have arrived via e-bay; "Behind that curtain" and "Keeper of the keys". Neither of these are first editions but were both published by Grosset & Dunlap New York. Now a word of warning to all you budding collectors because certainly on one of these two books it is accompanied with the a later DJ and the other book's DJ is also suspect, now whether this is a case of let the buyer beware or whether the seller may have misrepresented the full authenticity of the book is open to speculation. However both books will be thoroughly enjoyed because you can't help but enjoy Earl Derr Biggers and his Charlie Chan.

Recently finished "Agatha Raisin and the quiche of death" by MC Beaton and would recommend it, it carries a decent degree of humour, a sense of mystery and also a modicum of suspense, set in her new Cotswold village Agatha endeavors to "get in" with the villagers by entering and winning the village quiche competition. The fact that she cheats, to Agatha is acceptable. The end result that somebody dies from eating the quiche makes Agatha determined to clear her name and solve the mystery.

My baseball is up and running and so far my team The Fleckney Flyers is definately up, but not quite running yet, but remember the old British maxim " It's the taking part that matters not the winning."

one of those days

Things started well today as Jayne and I started to sort out and tidy her pre-school "stuff". Needless to say it didn't take long for the 2 man operation to turn into a 1 man job as I did my vanishing act.

I rang LEAT up today, this is a charity that deals with sufferers of Autism, particularly Asperges, which is something that I was recently diagnosed with, the idea being to check up on any progress regarding claiming benefits. To be updated.

Recently got hold of 2 Earl Derr Biggers books, although not firsts they are both published the same year as the originals and so for me as good as. Twisted Souls turned out as just an average Hutson, recommend his older contributions as his undiluted best. The next book, started today is M C Beaton's Agatha Raisin & The quiche of death. This is her first contribution to her Agatha Raisin's stories which have been adapted for radio.

On the left is the cover for Gladys Mitchells "Fault in the structure". First published in U.K. by Michael Joseph in 1977. This is a middle of the road effort by Gladys, it certainly has it's moments of interest but if you're looking for your traditional whodunits this ain't it. If you've never read a Gladys before this is probably not the best place to start, that would inevitably be "Speedy death" her excellent first book.