Read Recently -- July -- the Mysteries
The Hollow by Agatha Christie
Lucy Angkatell is an aging, beautiful, and seemingly scatter-brained woman who, though charming, annoys and inconveniences everyone around her. It's astounding that no one has murdered her before the book starts. Mind you, no one murders her after the book starts, either. They murder one of her guests, a doctor who is having an affair with an artist. The Killer is apparantly his wife . . . but is she really guilty? Even Hercule Poirot, who has a cottage in the area of Mrs. Angkattell's country house, is hard-put to solve this case, which pits him agianst one of his cleverest opponents.
I really liked this one. Recommended.
Hammer the Toff by John Creasey
Richard Rollison, aka The Toff, tries to solve the mystery of the disappearance of a friend, a brilliant scientist who has developed a product that could make him rich if he ever turns up again. Things quickly turn complicated when a burglar/philanthropist known as the Hammer gets involved in the case, having turned to murder . . . or has he?
There's really not much to say about Creasey's mysteries; they're short but manage to pack a lot in. The Toff isn't my favourite of his characters, and this isn't my favourite of the Toff's stories, but it's still an acceptable light diversion. You could kill an afternoon in worse ways. Mildly recommended.