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The Daffodil Mystery
Odette Rider is fired by Thornton Lyne after rejecting his favors. Jack Tarling, a detective who has been working in China and just returned to London, visits his cousin Thorton Lyne at his store to discuss his cashier Milburgh's embezzlement. In his anger with Odette, Lyne decides to try to blame her for the embezzlement instead. Tarling immediately falls in love with Odette. Lyne is found dead in the park with one of Odette's nightgowns wrapped around his gunshot wound and it doesn't look good for Odette. However, Tarling is determined to prove her innocent.
236 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1920
About the author
Edgar Wallace
1,970 books239 followersRichard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) was a prolific British crime writer, journalist and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and countless articles in newspapers and journals.
Over 160 films have been made of his novels, more than any other author. In the 1920s, one of Wallace's publishers claimed that a quarter of all books read in England were written by him.
He is most famous today as the co-creator of "King Kong", writing the early screenplay and story for the movie, as well as a short story "King Kong" (1933) credited to him and Draycott Dell. He was known for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, The Four Just Men, the Ringer, and for creating the Green Archer character during his lifetime.
Over 160 films have been made of his novels, more than any other author. In the 1920s, one of Wallace's publishers claimed that a quarter of all books read in England were written by him.
He is most famous today as the co-creator of "King Kong", writing the early screenplay and story for the movie, as well as a short story "King Kong" (1933) credited to him and Draycott Dell. He was known for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, The Four Just Men, the Ringer, and for creating the Green Archer character during his lifetime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
April 13, 2023
It was ok, but there were parts that I found hard to focus on. I don't know if it was the book or my not feeling well that was the reason.
February 26, 2021
What a great little mystery, and what a surprise! I had never read a book by Edgar Wallace before.
Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during the Second Boer War, for Reuters and the Daily Mail. Struggling with debt, he left South Africa, returned to London, and began writing thrillers to raise income, publishing books including The Four Just Men (1905). Drawing on his time as a reporter in the Congo, covering the Belgian atrocities, Wallace serialised short stories in magazines such as The Windsor Magazine and later published collections such as Sanders of the River (1911). He signed with Hodder and Stoughton in 1921 and became an internationally recognised author.
After an unsuccessful bid to stand as Liberal MP for Blackpool (as one of David Lloyd George's Independent Liberals) in the 1931 general election, Wallace moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a script writer for RKO. He died suddenly from undiagnosed diabetes, during the initial drafting of King Kong (1933).
Wallace was such a prolific writer that one of his publishers claimed that a quarter of all books in England were written by him. As well as journalism, Wallace wrote screen plays, poetry, historical non-fiction, 18 stage plays, 957 short stories, and over 170 novels, 12 in 1929 alone. More than 160 films have been made of Wallace's work. In addition to his work on King Kong, he is remembered as a writer of 'the colonial imagination', for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, and for The Green Archer serial. He sold over 50 million copies of his combined works in various editions, and The Economist describes him as "one of the most prolific thriller writers of [the 20th] century", although the great majority of his books are out of print in the UK, but are still read in Germany.
Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during the Second Boer War, for Reuters and the Daily Mail. Struggling with debt, he left South Africa, returned to London, and began writing thrillers to raise income, publishing books including The Four Just Men (1905). Drawing on his time as a reporter in the Congo, covering the Belgian atrocities, Wallace serialised short stories in magazines such as The Windsor Magazine and later published collections such as Sanders of the River (1911). He signed with Hodder and Stoughton in 1921 and became an internationally recognised author.
After an unsuccessful bid to stand as Liberal MP for Blackpool (as one of David Lloyd George's Independent Liberals) in the 1931 general election, Wallace moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a script writer for RKO. He died suddenly from undiagnosed diabetes, during the initial drafting of King Kong (1933).
Wallace was such a prolific writer that one of his publishers claimed that a quarter of all books in England were written by him. As well as journalism, Wallace wrote screen plays, poetry, historical non-fiction, 18 stage plays, 957 short stories, and over 170 novels, 12 in 1929 alone. More than 160 films have been made of Wallace's work. In addition to his work on King Kong, he is remembered as a writer of 'the colonial imagination', for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, and for The Green Archer serial. He sold over 50 million copies of his combined works in various editions, and The Economist describes him as "one of the most prolific thriller writers of [the 20th] century", although the great majority of his books are out of print in the UK, but are still read in Germany.
July 27, 2015
There Are No Daffodils in Argentina
This is about the only detail I still remember after reading Edgar Wallace’s crime novel The Daffodil Murder from 1920, and it may even not be true for all I know because last time I was in Argentina I could swear I saw some daffodils. But then I’m not too deep into flowers and so I���ll give Edgar Wallace the benefit of the doubt.
All in all, The Daffodil Murder is quite a run-of-the-mill murder mystery centring on the killing of the rich heir and would-be poet Thornton Lyne, who could not stand being roundly rejected by a young woman working in his company and who plans to have his revenge on her. Quite naturally, this young woman by the name of Odette Rider is a major suspect in the case, and equally naturally we all know she could not have done it – for the private detective Tarling, who, for whatever reasons, works with the police on that murder, has fallen in love with her and strongly senses that she is innocent.
There are various red herrings thrown into the game, and the actual solution seems, at least to me, somewhat hard to believe and constrained. Did Wallace know what he was doing or did he figure out the identity of the murder as he was writing the novel? Some gross coincidences might support the latter idea. Apart from that, the novel even seems to argue in favour of interrogation under torture although Wallace remains somewhat ambiguous on that question. The characters are quite stereotypical – the damsel in distress, the unsavoury rich guy, the unctuous villain, the poised detective and the inscrutable Chinese – and the writing is unmemorable.
Good for a beach holiday, but there are better Wallace novels.
This is about the only detail I still remember after reading Edgar Wallace’s crime novel The Daffodil Murder from 1920, and it may even not be true for all I know because last time I was in Argentina I could swear I saw some daffodils. But then I’m not too deep into flowers and so I���ll give Edgar Wallace the benefit of the doubt.
All in all, The Daffodil Murder is quite a run-of-the-mill murder mystery centring on the killing of the rich heir and would-be poet Thornton Lyne, who could not stand being roundly rejected by a young woman working in his company and who plans to have his revenge on her. Quite naturally, this young woman by the name of Odette Rider is a major suspect in the case, and equally naturally we all know she could not have done it – for the private detective Tarling, who, for whatever reasons, works with the police on that murder, has fallen in love with her and strongly senses that she is innocent.
There are various red herrings thrown into the game, and the actual solution seems, at least to me, somewhat hard to believe and constrained. Did Wallace know what he was doing or did he figure out the identity of the murder as he was writing the novel? Some gross coincidences might support the latter idea. Apart from that, the novel even seems to argue in favour of interrogation under torture although Wallace remains somewhat ambiguous on that question. The characters are quite stereotypical – the damsel in distress, the unsavoury rich guy, the unctuous villain, the poised detective and the inscrutable Chinese – and the writing is unmemorable.
Good for a beach holiday, but there are better Wallace novels.
July 19, 2020
That was fun! And mystifying! My - what a complicated set of twists and layers of false clues! It kept me guessing right to the very end.
I did not see this cover when I picked this book. The one I saw was a pretty generic cover with a daffodil on the front. Cute, but that obviously didn’t even hint at the exotic element of a Chinese sleuth tracking a murderer through the nights of London. That was an interesting surprise, and I don’t think it was supposed to be. It was a change from the usual detective you meet in British mysteries. I liked it.
The rest of the mystery was intriguing if rather stock. Damsel in distress is rescued by a total stranger who, surprise, offers marriage by the end of the book. Other than those two characters the rest were a little more unusual. You have a common thief with unknown depths, a fraudster with incredibly persuasive powers, and a Chinese detective bent on revenge. Then there are the possible motives for the murderer. Which one was strong enough to push a person to kill? It all made for a great mystery.
There were a few curse words.
I did not see this cover when I picked this book. The one I saw was a pretty generic cover with a daffodil on the front. Cute, but that obviously didn’t even hint at the exotic element of a Chinese sleuth tracking a murderer through the nights of London. That was an interesting surprise, and I don’t think it was supposed to be. It was a change from the usual detective you meet in British mysteries. I liked it.
The rest of the mystery was intriguing if rather stock. Damsel in distress is rescued by a total stranger who, surprise, offers marriage by the end of the book. Other than those two characters the rest were a little more unusual. You have a common thief with unknown depths, a fraudster with incredibly persuasive powers, and a Chinese detective bent on revenge. Then there are the possible motives for the murderer. Which one was strong enough to push a person to kill? It all made for a great mystery.
There were a few curse words.
October 17, 2015
I thought I'd guessed the murderer early on in the book, only to be caught by twist after twist after twist as this murder mystery goes in circles all the way to the end. It's one of the most convoluted plots I've read, but the writing is excellent, and does not confuse the reader.
A rich man insults a girl and tries to hire a private detective, Tarling, to ruin her name for her refusal of his base advances. Tarling refuses, but is intrigued by the girl's plight; he has just begun to investigate when the rich man, Lyne, is found dead, with a brace of daffodils in his folded hands. Everything about this case is strange, but Tarling, working with Scotland Yard, refuses to allow the girl to be accused without solid proof...and, as suspects change quickly, absolute proof is still needed.
This tale will easily keep you guessing until the very end.
New word learned: oleaginous. Basically a synonym for oily, apparently.
A rich man insults a girl and tries to hire a private detective, Tarling, to ruin her name for her refusal of his base advances. Tarling refuses, but is intrigued by the girl's plight; he has just begun to investigate when the rich man, Lyne, is found dead, with a brace of daffodils in his folded hands. Everything about this case is strange, but Tarling, working with Scotland Yard, refuses to allow the girl to be accused without solid proof...and, as suspects change quickly, absolute proof is still needed.
This tale will easily keep you guessing until the very end.
New word learned: oleaginous. Basically a synonym for oily, apparently.
January 22, 2020
The Daffodil Mystery is a novel by Edgar Wallace published in 1920. Wallace was such a prolific writer that one of his publishers claimed that a quarter of all books in England were written by him. Now wouldn't you love to know if that is even close to being true? I would, but not enough to go figure it all out. Wallace wrote screen plays, poetry, historical books, 18 stage plays, 957 short stories, and over 170 novels, 12 in 1929 alone. So far for me, only his mysteries are on any of my shelves, although most of my "shelves" having a Edgar Wallace book on them are on the computer, I don't believe I've ever come across one in a good old book store. More than 160 films have been made of Wallace's work. He is remembered for the creation of King Kong, for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, and for The Green Archer serial. He sold over 50 million copies of his combined works in various editions, and was also described as "one of the most prolific thriller writers of century" back in the 20th century that is, although few of his books are still in print which probably explains me never finding any of them. Oh, his name was really Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace, if I was going to choose only one of those first three names I would have chosen Horatio.
Wallace was raised by a foster family, the Freemans who ended up adopting him, which I guess makes them his real family not his foster family. He went to school, but dropped out when he was twelve. I wouldn't have thought you'd be able to drop out of school when you were twelve without your parents permission, or with it for that matter, but he did. He then worked as, get ready.......a newspaper salesman, a milk delivery boy, a rubber factory worker, a shoe shop assistant, a ship's cook, and eventually enlisted in the infantry. It seems like it would have been easier to just stay in school. He was sent to Africa in the Press Corps and wound up staying there as a war correspondent. And then he wrote, and wrote, and wrote. He wrote songs, and poetry, and detective stories, and short stories, and just kept writing. One of the things he wrote was The Daffodil Mystery and since he wrote it and I read it, I'll move on to the story.
This book got my attention right at the beginning when we meet and hate Mr. Thornton Lyne.
"I am afraid I don't understand you, Mr. Lyne."
Odette Rider looked gravely at the young man who lolled against his open desk. Her clear skin was tinted with the faintest pink, and there was in the sober depths of those grey eyes of hers a light which would have warned a man less satisfied with his own genius and power of persuasion than Thorton Lyne.
He was not looking at her face. His eyes were running approvingly over her perfect figure, noting the straightness of the back, the fine poise of the head, the shapeliness of the slender hands.
He pushed back his long black hair from his forehead and smiled. It pleased him to believe that his face was cast in an intellectual mould, and that the somewhat unhealthy pastiness of his skin might be described as the "pallor of thought."
"You said just now you didn't understand what I was talking about. I'll put it plainer this time. You're a very beautiful girl, as you probably know, and you are destined, in all probability, to be the mate of a very average suburban-minded person, who will give you a life tantamount to slavery. That is the life of the middle-class woman, as you probably know. And why would you submit to this bondage? Simply because a person in a black coat and a white collar has mumbled certain passages over you - passages which have neither meaning nor, to an intelligent person, significance. I would not take the trouble of going through such a foolish ceremony, but I would take a great deal to trouble to make you happy."
He walked towards her slowly and laid one hand upon her shoulder. Instinctively she shrank back and he laughed.
"What do you say?"
She swung round on him, her eyes blazing but her voice under control.
"I happen to be one of those foolish, suburban-minded people," she said, "who give significance to those mumbled works you were speaking about. Yet I am broad-minded enough to believe that the marriage ceremony would not make you any happier or more unhappy whether it was performed or omitted. But, whether it were marriage or any other kind of union, I should at least require a man."
Here is more about our Mr. Lyne:
Thornton Lyne was a store-keeper, a Bachelor of Arts, the winner of the Mangate Science Prize and the author of a slim volume. The quality of the poetry therein was not very great—but it was undoubtedly a slim volume printed in queerly ornate type with old-fashioned esses and wide margins. He was a store-keeper because store-keeping supplied him with caviar and peaches, a handsome little two-seater, a six-cylinder limousine for state occasions, a country house and a flat in town, the decorations of which ran to a figure which would have purchased many stores of humbler pretensions than Lyne's Serve First Emporium.
I could go on, but it would be easier and faster just to tell you that our Mr. Lyne doesn't like her answer and by the next page Miss Rider is no longer working at Lyne Stores, which is owned by Thorton Lyne, although as Odette points out a little later that it was the work of Thorton Lyne's father that made the business what it is.
To the elder Lyne, Joseph Emanuel of that family, the inception and prosperity of Lyne's Serve First Emporium was due. He had devised a sale system which ensured every customer being attended to the moment he or she entered one of the many departments which made up the splendid whole of the emporium. It was a system based upon the age-old principle of keeping efficient reserves within call.
Thornton Lyne succeeded to the business at a moment when his slim volume had placed him in the category of the gloriously misunderstood. Because such reviewers as had noticed his book wrote of his "poetry" using inverted commas to advertise their scorn, and because nobody bought the volume despite its slimness, he became the idol of men and women who also wrote that which nobody read, and in consequence developed souls with the celerity that a small boy develops stomachache.
So we have met the first two characters in the story, next we have Jack Tarling, a man who had worked as a detective in Shanghai (I don't know why) and had recently returned home and opened his own detective agency. We are told that China rang with the achievements of him, calling him "Lieh Jen," "The Hunter of Men." He has come at the request of Mr. Lyne and has another man with him when he arrives, a man from China, Ling Chu. It seems that Mr. Lyne contacted Tarling about a member of his staff, a Mr. Milburgh, the chief departmental manager. He suspects Mr. Milburgh of consistently robbing the firm for many years, but now Lyne tells him to forget about that he needs him for another "scheme". Lyne makes it clear he wants Tarling to find evidence against one of his girls that he now says is the one robbing him, Miss Rider of course. It is obvious he is trying to frame this girl and Tarling tells him so:
"I see," said Tarling and smiled again. Then he shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't come into this case, Mr. Lyne."
"Can't come in?" said Lyne in astonishment. "Why not?"
"Because it's not my kind of job," said Tarling. "The first time I met you I had a feeling that you were leading me to one of the biggest cases I had ever undertaken. It shows you how one's instincts can lead one astray," he smiled again, and picked up his hat.
"What do you mean? You're going to throw up a valuable client?"
"I don't know how valuable you're likely to be," said Tarling, "but at the present moment the signs are not particularly encouraging. I tell you I do not wish to be associated with this case, Mr. Lyne, and I think there the matter can end."
"You don't think it's worth while, eh?" sneered Lyne. "Yet when I tell you that I am prepared to give you a fee of five hundred guineas——"
"If you gave me a fee of five thousand guineas, or fifty thousand guineas, I should still decline to be associated with this matter," said Tarling, and his words had the metallic quality which precludes argument.
"At any rate, I am entitled to know why you will not take up this case. Do you know the girl?" asked Lyne loudly.
"I have never met the lady and probably never shall," said Tarling. "I only know that I will not be concerned with what is called in the United States of America a 'frame up.'"
"Frame up?" repeated the other.
"A frame up. I dare say you know what it means—I will put the matter more plainly and within your understanding. For some reason or other you have a sudden grudge against a member of your staff. I read your face, Mr. Lyne, and the weakness of your chin and the appetite of your mouth suggest to me that you are not over scrupulous with the women who are in your charge. I guess rather than know that you have been turned down with a dull, sickening thud by a decent girl, and in your mortification you are attempting to invent a charge which has no substance and no foundation.
"Mr. Milburgh," he turned to the other, and again Mr. Milburgh ceased to smile, "has his own reasons for complying with your wishes. He is your subordinate, and moreover, the side threat of penal servitude for him if he refuses has carried some weight."
Thornton Lyne's face was distorted with fury.
"I will take care that your behaviour is widely advertised," he said. "You have brought a most monstrous charge against me, and I shall proceed against you for slander. The truth is that you are not equal to the job I intended giving you and you are finding an excuse for getting out."
"The truth is," replied Tarling, biting off the end of a cigar he had taken from his pocket, "that my reputation is too good to be risked in associating with such a dirty business as yours. I hate to be rude, and I hate just as much to throw away good money. But I can't take good money for bad work, Mr. Lyne, and if you will be advised by me, you will drop this stupid scheme for vengeance which your hurt vanity has suggested—it is the clumsiest kind of frame up that was ever invented—and also you will go and apologize to the young lady, whom, I have no doubt, you have grossly insulted."
And we can't forget Sam Stay. Mr. Stay is a convict who is sometimes in jail, and sometimes out of jail, but wherever he is he adores Thornton Lyne. He is recently released from prison and Lyne is there to pick him up:
"Gawd! To think that there are men like you in the world, sir! Why, I believe in angels, I do!"
"Nonsense Sam. Now you come along to my flat, and I'm going to give you a good breakfast and start you fair again."
"I'm going to try and keep straight, sir, I am s'help me!"
It may be said in truth that Mr. Lyne did not care very much whether Sam kept straight or not. He might indeed have been very much disappointed if Sam had kept to the straight and narrow path. He "kept" Sam as men keep chickens and prize cows, and he "collected" Sam as other men collect stamps and china. Sam was his luxury and his pose. In his club he boasted of his acquaintance with this representative of the criminal classes—for Sam was an expert burglar and knew no other trade—and Sam's adoration for him was one of his most exhilarating experiences.
And that adoration was genuine. Sam would have laid down his life for the pale-faced man with the loose mouth. He would have suffered himself to be torn limb from limb if in his agony he could have brought ease or advancement to the man who, to him, was one with the gods.
Originally, Thornton Lyne had found Sam whilst that artist was engaged in burgling the house of his future benefactor. It was a whim of Lyne's to give the criminal a good breakfast and to evince an interest in his future. Twice had Sam gone down for a short term, and once for a long term of imprisonment, and on each occasion Thornton Lyne had made a parade of collecting the returned wanderer, driving him home, giving him breakfast and a great deal of worldly and unnecessary advice, and launching him forth again upon the world with ten pounds—a sum just sufficient to buy Sam a new kit of burglar's tools.
Yes, Mr. Stay would do anything for Lyne, even if it means getting revenge on a girl who turned him down. Then there is Commissioner Cresswell, the head of the police department, and Detective Whiteside, they enter our story after the murder. Yes, we have a murder. Two if I'm remembering right. Then there is Mrs. Rider, Odette's mother, who lives in a large mansion surrounded by a very impressive garden, and a very impressive wall with a pair of very impressive gates. A very wealthy woman, so why is Odette working as a cashier at Lyne's store? And who did the murder or murders? And who was murdered anyway? I'm not telling you. We have bad guys, and good guys, and lovely girls that the good guys have fallen in love with, what more could you want? There were even daffodils, they seemed to be all over the place, although according to our hero there aren't any in South America. I have to go look that up. After a book where everyone had cancer, this one seemed wonderful. Now on to South America. Happy reading.
October 28, 2010
I was stirred to interest by the flowery title of this novel, and I knew that Wallace had written a lot of early 20th century British crime novels (turns out, he helped write the film King Kong too!). I was, unfortunately, disappointed as I started and continued to read it, as the plot jumped around so haphaazardly, characters were shallow and simplistic, and logical inconsistencies kept flawing the believability of character motivations and responses. I think he wrote this one quickly, with little planning or foresight as to where the story would be two or three pages beyond wherever he was.
Most interesting was Ling Chu, the faithful Chinese servant of the detective hero Tarling, who must help Odette the damsel in distress, recently terminated at a department store by a fiendish store manager. We learn that Ling Chu was himself a great detective in his Eastern homeland, yet apparently out of respect for the (in this novel, assumed) superiority of the white man, he eagerly and gladly devoted his life to coming to England, becoming the stay at home servant to the hero--though he could perform excruciating Chinese torture, speak languages he had kept secret. and outwit both master criminals and Scotland Yard as needed. Ah, those inscrutable Chinese! As a period piece that shows the stereotyping of the Yellow Peril, even in a heroic character, there is a lot to ponder here and though this aspect is fascinating, on a literary level the plot itself was just too convoluted and weak. Use of explosives and fingerprinting were also notable historical markers for the attention and description received.
Most interesting was Ling Chu, the faithful Chinese servant of the detective hero Tarling, who must help Odette the damsel in distress, recently terminated at a department store by a fiendish store manager. We learn that Ling Chu was himself a great detective in his Eastern homeland, yet apparently out of respect for the (in this novel, assumed) superiority of the white man, he eagerly and gladly devoted his life to coming to England, becoming the stay at home servant to the hero--though he could perform excruciating Chinese torture, speak languages he had kept secret. and outwit both master criminals and Scotland Yard as needed. Ah, those inscrutable Chinese! As a period piece that shows the stereotyping of the Yellow Peril, even in a heroic character, there is a lot to ponder here and though this aspect is fascinating, on a literary level the plot itself was just too convoluted and weak. Use of explosives and fingerprinting were also notable historical markers for the attention and description received.
October 31, 2015
Nach dem ich bereits andere Detektiv-Geschichten, zum Beispiel von Doyle, Christie, gelesen habe, war es nur eine Frage der Zeit bis ich tatsächlich auch auf Wallace aufmerksam wurde.
Mein erstes Werk sollte also "das Geheimnis der gelben Narzissen" sein.
Eigentlich möchte ich gar nicht zu sehr mit Namen um mich werfen, da es manchmal auch zu viel des Guten sein kann.
Doch fand ich es manchmal etwas ungewöhnlich, wie oft sich eine Aussage wiederholte. Oder das etwas, was vorher erwähnt wurde, ein plötzliches Rätsel auslöste.
Am Ende war es wirklich überraschend, wer nun den Mord begangen hatte und doch fand ich es recht merkwürdig wie oft etwas widerlegt wurde, was so offensichtlich war.
Wie könnte, zum Beispiel, eine junge Frau einen doppelt so schweren Mann ins Auto verfrachtet haben?
Es waren so Kleinigkeiten, die im Prinzip logisch waren, aber der Super Detektiv es nicht erkannte.
Ich mag allerdings die Art des Schreibens. Wallace wusste mit Worten umzugehen und sie geschickt einzubauen. Aber auch eine Situation bis ins Detail auszuarbeiten.
Interessant war aber auch, dass man tatsächlich aus der Sicht einer anderen Person ein Ereignis hörte, und dadurch das Puzzle vervollständigte. Sehr durchdacht, wenngleich hier und da etwas widersprüchlich und übertrieben.
Mein erstes Werk sollte also "das Geheimnis der gelben Narzissen" sein.
Eigentlich möchte ich gar nicht zu sehr mit Namen um mich werfen, da es manchmal auch zu viel des Guten sein kann.
Doch fand ich es manchmal etwas ungewöhnlich, wie oft sich eine Aussage wiederholte. Oder das etwas, was vorher erwähnt wurde, ein plötzliches Rätsel auslöste.
Am Ende war es wirklich überraschend, wer nun den Mord begangen hatte und doch fand ich es recht merkwürdig wie oft etwas widerlegt wurde, was so offensichtlich war.
Wie könnte, zum Beispiel, eine junge Frau einen doppelt so schweren Mann ins Auto verfrachtet haben?
Es waren so Kleinigkeiten, die im Prinzip logisch waren, aber der Super Detektiv es nicht erkannte.
Ich mag allerdings die Art des Schreibens. Wallace wusste mit Worten umzugehen und sie geschickt einzubauen. Aber auch eine Situation bis ins Detail auszuarbeiten.
Interessant war aber auch, dass man tatsächlich aus der Sicht einer anderen Person ein Ereignis hörte, und dadurch das Puzzle vervollständigte. Sehr durchdacht, wenngleich hier und da etwas widersprüchlich und übertrieben.
August 9, 2012
Middling Edgar Wallace (definitely not what I'd recommend to someone trying him for the first time).
It's an interesting prototype of the kind of mystery that John Dickson Carr would later write: a mystery where there are several suspects with varying degrees of plausibility, but each obvious clue leads to a sign the suspect couldn't have killed the victim. And too many of the cliffhangers are resolved via flashback.
Wallace doesn't display the same sort of wild inventiveness as in JACK OF JUDGEMENT and the mystery is not as compelling as THE MAN WHO KNEW, nor are the villains as memorable as in ANGEL OF TERROR or CLUE OF THE TWISTED CANDLE.
Wallace does give us a heroic Chinese character who speaks flawless English and keeps surprising the caucasian characters with his intelligence, but there is a lot of unfortunate references to his race in general.
I'd say that people looking for Wallace at his best should check out one of the other mysteries I mentioned first.
It's an interesting prototype of the kind of mystery that John Dickson Carr would later write: a mystery where there are several suspects with varying degrees of plausibility, but each obvious clue leads to a sign the suspect couldn't have killed the victim. And too many of the cliffhangers are resolved via flashback.
Wallace doesn't display the same sort of wild inventiveness as in JACK OF JUDGEMENT and the mystery is not as compelling as THE MAN WHO KNEW, nor are the villains as memorable as in ANGEL OF TERROR or CLUE OF THE TWISTED CANDLE.
Wallace does give us a heroic Chinese character who speaks flawless English and keeps surprising the caucasian characters with his intelligence, but there is a lot of unfortunate references to his race in general.
I'd say that people looking for Wallace at his best should check out one of the other mysteries I mentioned first.
December 5, 2022
According to Wikipedia, Edgar Wallace was such a prolific writer that one of his publishers claimed that a quarter of all books in England were written by him. He cheerfully churned out several hundred novels alone.
This makes it difficult to critically review The Daffodil Mystery in isolation, as its apparent merits might seem less evident if I knew that Wallace was merely using the same stock characters and stories as he did in other books. So I suppose I can only say how I feel about this book, but with the recognition that further acquaintance with Wallace might change my opinion about this book.
This is a murder mystery, and it is told with a number of cunning red herrings and twists that keep the story entertaining. While it is often easy to work out the murderer in whodunits, I must applaud Wallace for catching me by surprise on this occasion.
While it would be spoiling the fun to reveal the murderer, I can at least say that the victim is a spoilt and unpleasant businessman called Thornton Lyne. Lyne spends the first few chapters making enemies. He attempts to proposition his employee, Odette Ryder. She refuses him and is sacked.
Not content with this however, Lyne attempts to frame Odette with a petty crime, taking advantage of his corrupt department manager Milburgh, who actually has been cooking the books, and is easy to blackmail. An attempt is made to bring in Jack Tarling, a private detective, but Tarling decides he likes Odette and does not wish to become involved in shady dealings.
Tarling is accompanied by a Chinese detective, Ling Chu, who keeps his own secrets, and turns out to have a grudge against Lyne. Lyne also involves an ex-convict, Sam Stay. Stay is grateful, rather too grateful towards Lyne for supposed help in the past, and he distinctly has a crush on Lyne, which makes him a dangerous enemy for Odette to have.
Along the way, even the virtuous characters have their own secrets, allowing Wallace to artfully misdirect the reader as often as he likes. Some elements of the plot, including the title, serve only to take us down dead ends.
The Daffodil Mystery is certainly a serviceable detective story. Great writing it is not. Wallace’s approach to characterisation is basic to say the least. The possibly homosexual psychopath Stay is the only unusual character. Others follow stock character patterns.
The hero is Tarling, and he is a virtuous enough detective, but without the quirks and flaws of a Chandler or Hammett hero. He is conscientious, and only lies or bends the law in protection of those whom he thinks are innocent.
A romance quickly develops between Tarling and the sensible Odette, but it is hard to see why. She may be attractive, but they hardly know each other well enough to be discussing love, and later marriage, especially since she is a leading suspect.
Lyne is hissable, and Milburgh is odious. No attempt is made to offer them into well-rounded characters. The police are sensible, but not to the point of ever being in danger of solving the crime. Indeed even Tarling proves less than inspiring in this respect.
Perhaps the modern reader will object most to Ling Chu, who hits as many stereotypes of a ‘Chinaman’ as possible. He is inscrutable and not entirely honest. He has weird tracking skills that the other characters lack. He speaks in a flowery and roundabout manner, using odd little expressions, because that is how Chinese people speak in Wallace’s view.
Ling Chu is also no democrat or liberal, and is quite prepared to break the law, pursue his own vendettas, or torture suspects if it suits him. However Wallace generally steers away from anything too gritty or brutal.
There is little here of the bully or fascist that some critics find in the writings of Wallace, perhaps because it is not a colonialist novel. The only fascism comes from the ‘other’ person, a Chinese outsider, and not the respectable representatives of the law.
Nonetheless even Ling Chu is presented as a highly intelligent, experienced and skilful detective. I find it a little unlikely that he would refer to his own people as savage though.
So in itself, The Daffodil Mystery is acceptable enough. The prose lacks any colour and merely services the plot. The plot serves only as entertainment, and there is no attempt to offer up the book as art, or as dealing in any serious issues. It is a murder mystery, and nothing more.
I dithered between rating the book with two stars or three stars, and would probably have been happier to give it two-and-a-half. I will be generous since I found it entertaining enough, even if it does lack any real substance.
This makes it difficult to critically review The Daffodil Mystery in isolation, as its apparent merits might seem less evident if I knew that Wallace was merely using the same stock characters and stories as he did in other books. So I suppose I can only say how I feel about this book, but with the recognition that further acquaintance with Wallace might change my opinion about this book.
This is a murder mystery, and it is told with a number of cunning red herrings and twists that keep the story entertaining. While it is often easy to work out the murderer in whodunits, I must applaud Wallace for catching me by surprise on this occasion.
While it would be spoiling the fun to reveal the murderer, I can at least say that the victim is a spoilt and unpleasant businessman called Thornton Lyne. Lyne spends the first few chapters making enemies. He attempts to proposition his employee, Odette Ryder. She refuses him and is sacked.
Not content with this however, Lyne attempts to frame Odette with a petty crime, taking advantage of his corrupt department manager Milburgh, who actually has been cooking the books, and is easy to blackmail. An attempt is made to bring in Jack Tarling, a private detective, but Tarling decides he likes Odette and does not wish to become involved in shady dealings.
Tarling is accompanied by a Chinese detective, Ling Chu, who keeps his own secrets, and turns out to have a grudge against Lyne. Lyne also involves an ex-convict, Sam Stay. Stay is grateful, rather too grateful towards Lyne for supposed help in the past, and he distinctly has a crush on Lyne, which makes him a dangerous enemy for Odette to have.
Along the way, even the virtuous characters have their own secrets, allowing Wallace to artfully misdirect the reader as often as he likes. Some elements of the plot, including the title, serve only to take us down dead ends.
The Daffodil Mystery is certainly a serviceable detective story. Great writing it is not. Wallace’s approach to characterisation is basic to say the least. The possibly homosexual psychopath Stay is the only unusual character. Others follow stock character patterns.
The hero is Tarling, and he is a virtuous enough detective, but without the quirks and flaws of a Chandler or Hammett hero. He is conscientious, and only lies or bends the law in protection of those whom he thinks are innocent.
A romance quickly develops between Tarling and the sensible Odette, but it is hard to see why. She may be attractive, but they hardly know each other well enough to be discussing love, and later marriage, especially since she is a leading suspect.
Lyne is hissable, and Milburgh is odious. No attempt is made to offer them into well-rounded characters. The police are sensible, but not to the point of ever being in danger of solving the crime. Indeed even Tarling proves less than inspiring in this respect.
Perhaps the modern reader will object most to Ling Chu, who hits as many stereotypes of a ‘Chinaman’ as possible. He is inscrutable and not entirely honest. He has weird tracking skills that the other characters lack. He speaks in a flowery and roundabout manner, using odd little expressions, because that is how Chinese people speak in Wallace’s view.
Ling Chu is also no democrat or liberal, and is quite prepared to break the law, pursue his own vendettas, or torture suspects if it suits him. However Wallace generally steers away from anything too gritty or brutal.
There is little here of the bully or fascist that some critics find in the writings of Wallace, perhaps because it is not a colonialist novel. The only fascism comes from the ‘other’ person, a Chinese outsider, and not the respectable representatives of the law.
Nonetheless even Ling Chu is presented as a highly intelligent, experienced and skilful detective. I find it a little unlikely that he would refer to his own people as savage though.
So in itself, The Daffodil Mystery is acceptable enough. The prose lacks any colour and merely services the plot. The plot serves only as entertainment, and there is no attempt to offer up the book as art, or as dealing in any serious issues. It is a murder mystery, and nothing more.
I dithered between rating the book with two stars or three stars, and would probably have been happier to give it two-and-a-half. I will be generous since I found it entertaining enough, even if it does lack any real substance.
September 30, 2023
I did not enjoy this quite as much as my previous encounter with Edgar Wallace in “The Clue of the Twisted Candle”.
The author is profligate with his plot as he includes two murders, several attempts at murder, embezzlement, kidnapping, and torture He is also overly-addicted to character stereotypes-a too villainous pair of villains, a criminal who goes mad, a tight- lipped detective, an inscrutable Chinese, and a fainting heroine all figure here.
The writing is easy but the episodic nature of the plot and the short chapters become tiresome after a while,and I felt that Wallace was leaving too many options open rather than having an overarching plan. As it is, the solution is unconvincing although it is the only one possible by the time the overloaded narrative reaches its end- and it comes in the least satisfying way as the confession of a dying man.
3.25stars.
The author is profligate with his plot as he includes two murders, several attempts at murder, embezzlement, kidnapping, and torture He is also overly-addicted to character stereotypes-a too villainous pair of villains, a criminal who goes mad, a tight- lipped detective, an inscrutable Chinese, and a fainting heroine all figure here.
The writing is easy but the episodic nature of the plot and the short chapters become tiresome after a while,and I felt that Wallace was leaving too many options open rather than having an overarching plan. As it is, the solution is unconvincing although it is the only one possible by the time the overloaded narrative reaches its end- and it comes in the least satisfying way as the confession of a dying man.
3.25stars.
March 9, 2024
It is most annoying when the detective doesn't ask the right questions. "What are you afraid of?" "Is someone blackmailing you?" "Where is your father?"
The heroine is neither a coward nor a fool, but she doesn't measure up to the girl in "The Crimson Circle", who kept a hand grenade in her purse and an extra pin in case she changed her mind. Admittedly, a hard act the follow, but that's the standard of female protagonist I expect from Wallace.
The heroine is neither a coward nor a fool, but she doesn't measure up to the girl in "The Crimson Circle", who kept a hand grenade in her purse and an extra pin in case she changed her mind. Admittedly, a hard act the follow, but that's the standard of female protagonist I expect from Wallace.
April 19, 2021
The mystery held my attention. There were lot of run-of-the-mill characters that rely on what are now outdated and harmful tropes, a fainting damsel in distress and a mysterious "china-man" that are designed to support the main character. 🤷♀️
June 18, 2021
Un roman polițist britanic destul de captivat
August 9, 2014
Edgar Wallace was a prolific novelist--mostly of mysteries and crime novels, although his best known story is King Kong. This is the first of his novels I have read, listening to a free copy from LibraVox Recordings. It was definitely a fun listen. The twists and turns and whorls that the plot runs through could make a person dizzy. But the characters, a Chinese detective and his faithful friend, a rich Chinese businessman in London, and a few additional unsavory characters, not to mention a beautiful damsel in distress, were fun, if not fully fleshed out. Together and separately they run around town trying to solve the mystery of a dead man in a park with a bunch of daffodils laid on his chest. A boat load of read herrings are thrown out, making the novels water skip with fish. Unfortunately, the resolution was a bit less then satisfactory. But it was a free book and not all that bad.
April 3, 2015
Not at all one of Wallace's better books. Not even as good as his mediocre books. There was a mystery. There was a damsel in distress. There was a witty detective. There was a despicable villain--actually there were three of them. But none of it ever seemed to gel. Seemed that Wallace himself kept losing interest.
Oh well, every writer is entitled to a dud very now and then.
Oh well, every writer is entitled to a dud very now and then.
August 30, 2021
My review: 2.5 stars
A classic, straightforward mystery.
There is racist depictions of the Chinese despite the man being described as one of the best Chinese detectives and the romantic plot, if it can be called that, was the MC realizing he was in love, telling the woman and saying they will marry.
A classic, straightforward mystery.
There is racist depictions of the Chinese despite the man being described as one of the best Chinese detectives and the romantic plot, if it can be called that, was the MC realizing he was in love, telling the woman and saying they will marry.
June 20, 2011
It was a slow start and I thought I wouldn't like it but it picked up and had many twists and turns. I ended up liking it a lot. I'd recommend this book to others.
June 16, 2014
Another splendidly clever and engrossing vintage murder mystery from the pen of Edgar Wallace. Intriguing and suspenseful, it certainly kept me turning the pages. Now for the next one...!
September 6, 2018
Solid mystery with some clever twists, but Odette was infuriatingly annoying and the love subplot was pukeworthy.
November 30, 2021
― Mă tem că nu vă înţeleg, domnule Lyne.
Odette Rider îl privea cu un aer grav pe tânărul aplecat cu nonşalanţă peste birou. Pielea albă a fetei se îmbujorase uşor, iar în ochii cenuşii avea o sclipire care ar fi pus în gardă un om mai puţin convins de geniul şi de puterea sa de seducţie decât Thornton Lyne.
Numai că el nu-i vedea ochii. Privirea sa aprobatoare detalia perfecţiunea siluetei, spatele drept, ţinuta admirabilă a capului, mâinile fine şi graţioase.
Tânărul îşi azvârli spre spate şuviţele negre de păr şi surâse. Îi plăcea să creadă că are un cap de intelectual şi că tenta puţin bolnăvicioasă a pielii sale putea fi numită „paloare de poet”.
Ochii săi o părăsiră curând. Privi prin fereastra uriaşă ce dădea spre holul plin de animaţie al magazinelor Lyne. Biroul era construit anume aici şi astfel pentru a putea supraveghea, oricând voia, marile magazine pe care avea fericirea de a le conduce. Din când în când un cap se întorcea spre el şi el ştia că atenţia tuturor vânzătoarelor era concentrată asupra micuţei scene la care lua parte, deşi împotriva voinţei sale, una dintre salariate, Odette, realiză şi ea acest lucru şi stinghereala i se accentuă. Făcu gestul de a se retrage, dar el o reţinu.
― Nu mă înţelegi, Odette, zise el. Vocea îi era dulce melodioasă, aproape mângâietoare. Mi-ai citit cărticica? întrebă brusc.
Ea făcu un semn afirmativ.
― Da… am citit un fragment.
Faţa i se îmbujoră şi mai tare.
El râse scurt.
― Probabil găseşti bizar ca un om cu poziţia mea să se apuce de scris versuri, nu? Am scris cea mai mare parte înainte de a intra în acest magazin, draga mea… înainte de a deveni un comerciant.
Ea nu răspunse şi el o privi întrebător.
― Cum ţi s-au părut? întrebă.
Buzele fetei tresăriră, dar el nu observă nimic.
― Mi s-au părut detestabile, spuse ea în şoaptă, detestabile!
Odette Rider îl privea cu un aer grav pe tânărul aplecat cu nonşalanţă peste birou. Pielea albă a fetei se îmbujorase uşor, iar în ochii cenuşii avea o sclipire care ar fi pus în gardă un om mai puţin convins de geniul şi de puterea sa de seducţie decât Thornton Lyne.
Numai că el nu-i vedea ochii. Privirea sa aprobatoare detalia perfecţiunea siluetei, spatele drept, ţinuta admirabilă a capului, mâinile fine şi graţioase.
Tânărul îşi azvârli spre spate şuviţele negre de păr şi surâse. Îi plăcea să creadă că are un cap de intelectual şi că tenta puţin bolnăvicioasă a pielii sale putea fi numită „paloare de poet”.
Ochii săi o părăsiră curând. Privi prin fereastra uriaşă ce dădea spre holul plin de animaţie al magazinelor Lyne. Biroul era construit anume aici şi astfel pentru a putea supraveghea, oricând voia, marile magazine pe care avea fericirea de a le conduce. Din când în când un cap se întorcea spre el şi el ştia că atenţia tuturor vânzătoarelor era concentrată asupra micuţei scene la care lua parte, deşi împotriva voinţei sale, una dintre salariate, Odette, realiză şi ea acest lucru şi stinghereala i se accentuă. Făcu gestul de a se retrage, dar el o reţinu.
― Nu mă înţelegi, Odette, zise el. Vocea îi era dulce melodioasă, aproape mângâietoare. Mi-ai citit cărticica? întrebă brusc.
Ea făcu un semn afirmativ.
― Da… am citit un fragment.
Faţa i se îmbujoră şi mai tare.
El râse scurt.
― Probabil găseşti bizar ca un om cu poziţia mea să se apuce de scris versuri, nu? Am scris cea mai mare parte înainte de a intra în acest magazin, draga mea… înainte de a deveni un comerciant.
Ea nu răspunse şi el o privi întrebător.
― Cum ţi s-au părut? întrebă.
Buzele fetei tresăriră, dar el nu observă nimic.
― Mi s-au părut detestabile, spuse ea în şoaptă, detestabile!
November 2, 2021
تتحدث رواية لغز ازهار النرجس للكاتب ادجار والاي عن
ورِيثٌ مُدلَّلٌ لثروةٍ كبيرة تعمل في متجره موظفةٌ شابة. كان مأخوذًا بجمالها الفاتن، ولكنها كانت تَرفض محاولاتِه التودُّدَ إليها، فيَشرع في الانتقام منها ويحاول إدانتها بتُهمة السرقة. وفي تلك الأثناء، يعود ابن عمه، المحقِّق البارع، من الصين، ويتحدَّثان بشأن الفتاة واتهامه لها بالسرقة كان يعلم ان السارق موظف اخر يعمل مديرا لقسم الحسابات لديه. فقرر استغلال اللص الحقيقي ليورط الفتاة لكن المحقق يدرك الحيلة و يرفض طلبه فيضطر الوريث للتعامل مع سجين سابق. وتزداد حدَّة الأحداث عندما يُعثر على هذا الوريث الثري مقتولًا في الحديقة وقد تناثرت على صدره أزهارُ النرجس. وفجأة، تختفي الفتاة؛ وهو ما يجعلها المشتبَه به الرئيسي في القضية. يجدُ المحقِّقُ نفسَه واقعًا في حبها، وبينما يحاول العثور على القاتل الحقيقي، يحاول العثور على دليلٍ لتبرئة ساحتها أيضًا. يساعده في ذلك محقق صيني يعمل معه و شوطي في سكوتلانديارد ..اسلوب شيق ,احببت طريقة تشابك.الاحداث حيث تسحبك رغما عنك في معرفة من منهم صادقا و من الكاذب حيث يحاول كل شخص ان يخفي جانبا يعتقد انه قد يدينه او يورطه
ورِيثٌ مُدلَّلٌ لثروةٍ كبيرة تعمل في متجره موظفةٌ شابة. كان مأخوذًا بجمالها الفاتن، ولكنها كانت تَرفض محاولاتِه التودُّدَ إليها، فيَشرع في الانتقام منها ويحاول إدانتها بتُهمة السرقة. وفي تلك الأثناء، يعود ابن عمه، المحقِّق البارع، من الصين، ويتحدَّثان بشأن الفتاة واتهامه لها بالسرقة كان يعلم ان السارق موظف اخر يعمل مديرا لقسم الحسابات لديه. فقرر استغلال اللص الحقيقي ليورط الفتاة لكن المحقق يدرك الحيلة و يرفض طلبه فيضطر الوريث للتعامل مع سجين سابق. وتزداد حدَّة الأحداث عندما يُعثر على هذا الوريث الثري مقتولًا في الحديقة وقد تناثرت على صدره أزهارُ النرجس. وفجأة، تختفي الفتاة؛ وهو ما يجعلها المشتبَه به الرئيسي في القضية. يجدُ المحقِّقُ نفسَه واقعًا في حبها، وبينما يحاول العثور على القاتل الحقيقي، يحاول العثور على دليلٍ لتبرئة ساحتها أيضًا. يساعده في ذلك محقق صيني يعمل معه و شوطي في سكوتلانديارد ..اسلوب شيق ,احببت طريقة تشابك.الاحداث حيث تسحبك رغما عنك في معرفة من منهم صادقا و من الكاذب حيث يحاول كل شخص ان يخفي جانبا يعتقد انه قد يدينه او يورطه
February 26, 2018
By rights this should be a two star rating. For the longest time, this book carried my interest, twist after twist, and I felt sure it was heading to some ridiculously awesome surprise ending. Nope. Not only is the identity of the murderer not a surprise, the detective (who all along says he has a theory) doesn't I.D. them (or do much detecting). Huge let down.
But I'm giving the third star because by the time I got two-thirds of the way in, I was positively itching to know who did it. Wallace really kept me in suspense, and also the raving lunatic character, Sam Stay, was awesomely depicted.
The problem for me is that I read The Clue of the Twisted Candle before this, which was a pretty good locked room puzzle, so I somewhat naturally suspected that this book would have an amazing solution, or that the daffodils would mean something significant. Oh well.
But I'm giving the third star because by the time I got two-thirds of the way in, I was positively itching to know who did it. Wallace really kept me in suspense, and also the raving lunatic character, Sam Stay, was awesomely depicted.
The problem for me is that I read The Clue of the Twisted Candle before this, which was a pretty good locked room puzzle, so I somewhat naturally suspected that this book would have an amazing solution, or that the daffodils would mean something significant. Oh well.
January 6, 2023
This is my second Wallace mystery, and I'm thoroughly hooked. They're written when editing was important, so errors are rare. Yes, the themes are old-fashioned. Women were treated with respect and honor. Men were gentlemen and defend the ladies with their life. Young readers may scorn all this, but we older folks remember these days with fondness. However, this is an accurate portrayal of a specific period of history, so go with it.
These are well-written stories and the mystery endures throughout. If you're using the LibriVox recordings with various readers, you may find it tedious. Some do not have pleasing reading voices, and some have accents that may make it very difficult to understand. I'd recommend downloading a print copy from Project Gutenberg or buying a copy if you can find it.
This story is good and stumped me to the end. That doesn't happen often with modern mysteries.
These are well-written stories and the mystery endures throughout. If you're using the LibriVox recordings with various readers, you may find it tedious. Some do not have pleasing reading voices, and some have accents that may make it very difficult to understand. I'd recommend downloading a print copy from Project Gutenberg or buying a copy if you can find it.
This story is good and stumped me to the end. That doesn't happen often with modern mysteries.
December 29, 2019
The gruesome murder of Mr. Thomas Lyne, a successful British but hateful merchant is solved by Scotland Yard with the help of 2 Chinese Detectives Ling Chu and Tarling. First published in 1920. The Audiobook version I listened to on Spotify was very animated and exciting.
Three suspects are found, Sam Stay a taxi cab driver, gone wrong, friend of Lyne, one of Thomas Lyne’s employees, Mr. Milburgh, who had been embezzling money from his firm, or was it Odette Rice a cashier at Lyne’s store who he had fired because she refused to make love with him. Which one has an alibi and can be eliminated and which has the biggest motive for murder? Even after the mysterious murder of Mrs. Milburgh, the detectives are chasing after the wrong suspect. Readers will be amazed at the twisted ending.
Three suspects are found, Sam Stay a taxi cab driver, gone wrong, friend of Lyne, one of Thomas Lyne’s employees, Mr. Milburgh, who had been embezzling money from his firm, or was it Odette Rice a cashier at Lyne’s store who he had fired because she refused to make love with him. Which one has an alibi and can be eliminated and which has the biggest motive for murder? Even after the mysterious murder of Mrs. Milburgh, the detectives are chasing after the wrong suspect. Readers will be amazed at the twisted ending.
February 22, 2019
This is an old fashioned mystery story that has lots of subplots going through the main tale. There is: swindling, a threat of exposure, loyalty, sexism, the unknown Chinese element, a world traveler, a young damsel in distress, and a smart detectitve who doesn't know it all. This is a fun read that reminds of a both Sherlock Holmes but, it's not so convoluted plot- and Agatha Christie (without the splendid interiors and long held secrets which populate her mysteries). The ending for me was quite unexpected.
February 26, 2024
2.5 stars rounded up to 3. It was an okay read until 2/3 of the way through the book, but in the last 1/3, the plot presented many coincidences, and implausible situations.
SYNOPSIS: "Set in England at the turn of the 20th century, Wallace's crime novel The Daffodil Mystery follows the mysterious circumstances under which shop owner Lyne has been murdered. Accordingly, it is up to detective Jack Tarling and his trusted Chinese assistant to solve the case and reach an appropriate and just resolution." (www.loyalbooks.com)
SYNOPSIS: "Set in England at the turn of the 20th century, Wallace's crime novel The Daffodil Mystery follows the mysterious circumstances under which shop owner Lyne has been murdered. Accordingly, it is up to detective Jack Tarling and his trusted Chinese assistant to solve the case and reach an appropriate and just resolution." (www.loyalbooks.com)
August 4, 2023
3.5 stars. Decent effort, my first Wallace, I'm looking forward to reading other offerings. More than a little casual racist dialogue for the Chinese character, standard for the era but still a bit jarring. The plot was fine, nothing spectacular, and far from the "Holy merde!" surprise ending other readers had suggested. I've got plenty of Wallace sitting on my e-readers, and they were all at the right price (ahem...public domain = free), so I'll grab some more over the coming months/years.
November 3, 2021
A 1929 mystery, not to be confused with The Daffodil Affair by Michael Innes. It is an example of an earlier genre. Ninety some years later, the characters seem like sterotypes, the plot included too many blatant red herrings, and the torture scenes were gruesome. Some of the Librivox readers are easier on the ear than others.
November 23, 2016
The plot itself was ok, but there was a lot of unnecessary fainting, a lot of weird outdated Asian stereotypes, and just lack of depth to the whole thing. Don't think I will be reading anymore stories by this author.
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