Thu 17 Mar 2011
Reviewed by Geoff Bradley: R. A. J. WALLING – The Dinner-Party at Bardolph’s.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[18] Comments
R. A. J. WALLING – The Dinner-Party at Bardolph’s. Jarrolds, UK, hardcover, 1927. Hardcover reprint; Hodder & Stoughton, 1937. US title: That Dinner at Bardolph’s. Morrow, hc, 1928. Series character: Inspector Pierce.
A few years ago (certainly more than five, probably less than ten) I was walking past my local library and saw outside a trolley of books for sale. They consisted of tatty, much read recent books but amongst them was this title in a 1937 Hodder & Stoughton edition. It clearly wasn’t from the library itself — it’s far too old and had no library stamps — so I guess it must have been some sort of donation though I haven’t really heard of that happening over here (though I think it is common in the US).
Anyway for the sake of 30p I couldn’t really leave it there so, against my better judgement, I forked over the cash and brought it home to join the thousand or so other books awaiting my attention.
It might have stayed in the loft forever, or until my executor starts disposing of the contents, but Barry Pike had an article on another Walling book in the current issue of CADS (that well known literary magazine) and I was inspired to fish it out and give it a try.
And I’m glad I did. In many ways it was dated and slow-moving, the whodunit element was not particularly cunning, and the actions of the narrator a gentleman of the old school – were hard to credit, yet it was fascinating and held my attention well.
The story involved the death by shooting — at first assumed to be suicide — of the titular character and the subsequent disappearance of all the dinner guests. The narrator and his hardworking factotum-cum-chauffeur are involved in the clandestine movements of two of them but when murder is uncovered they become caught up in a chase to clear the names of the innocent and find out what is behind the crime.
And, as I said, it all worked — for me anyway. I probably won’t go actively searching out more Walling’s to read — I have so many other books piled up and clamouring for my attention, but if I come across one in a second hand book shop I will probably pick it up.
Editorial Comment: Geoff mentions in passing the existence of a mystery fanzine called CADS, but he failed to point out two things. First of all, that he is the editor and publisher, and then secondly, that the magazine is still going strong.
If you’re interested in articles about authors and reviews of mystery fiction that are both solidly and substantially done, you should most definitely be reading CADS. The most recent issue was #59, and copies should still be available at a cost of $14 by air or $12 by surface mail. #60 will be ready in a few weeks, says Geoff, but since postage fees will be going up in early April, the price hasn’t been determined yet.
Geoff’s mailing address can be found here, but the ad’s way out of date. Email Geoff to double check on the availability of #59 or to reserve a copy of #60. (Tell him I sent you.)
March 17th, 2011 at 11:19 pm
Walling and Dr. Philip Tolfree are certainly dated today, a bit musty, and his prose only occasionally rises from plodding to eccentric, but I enjoyed the ones I read for the most part — albeit to some extent for their alternative qualities (Bill Pronzini not unfairly called Tolfree a ‘twit’ in GUN IN CHEEK).
These were once fairly popular in the US as well as England and even recieved good reviews though at best Walling’s plots are servicable and Tolfree a bit hard to take.
Not really humdrums as Curt often discusses, mostly just ho-hums. Still as Geoff says they do have a deer in the headlights quality for the modern reader at times.
Walling is one of those unique writers who isn’t actively bad (usually) he’s just not actively good either (well, to be honest he’s not ‘actively’ anything — actively is not a word you associate with Walling and Tolfree).
About the most I can say for either Walling or Tolfree is that they are occaisionally dull in a slightly pleasant way tinged with a bit of nostalgia for the general era. If you find one second hand like Geoff (and I) did you might want to read it, but I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to find any.
March 18th, 2011 at 12:28 am
Inspector Pierce, who appears in this book, shows up in only two others, according to Hubin, and in those two it’s really Tolefree who’s the primary detectve. There were some 22 Tolefree books in all, most of them published in the US by Morrow, a major publisher, which means they must have been popular.
Which does not mean that they were major works of detective ingenuity or that anyone remembers them today.
I have a review I did of another book by Walling which I’ll be posting shortly. There’s not a big rush to do so, since while I enjoyed it, like Geoff, I’ve never felt any urgency in picking up any of the rest of his work.
Bill Pronzini reviewed another Tolefree novel in 1001 MIDNIGHTS. I’ll post it soon too. As a bit of a preview, though, he calls Tolefree a twit in this one as well.
March 17th, 2011 at 11:22 pm
You’ve heard the phrase ‘damned with faint praise’, I think this might qualify as praised with faint damns.
March 18th, 2011 at 2:04 am
I’ve never been particularly pulled by Walling, though Haycraft bracketed him with John Rhode and clearly preferred him, as I recall.
Walling seems to lack an outstanding feature like Crofts’ alibis and Street’s murder means and Freeman’s science–or the plotting clarity of any of them.
But there was definitely a contingent that seems to have viewed him pretty highly.
March 18th, 2011 at 2:19 am
Curt
The Walling’s I’ve read — all Tolfree novels — felt to me fairly generic — in addition to oft times dull and once in a while alternative. Rhode may not always have shined, but he never felt generic to me, and Crofts is a writer that I suppose many would find dull or even plodding, but whose skills and pleasures I almost always enjoyed.
I’ve always thought of Walling as not very good, but not very bad either. If there was nothing else to read and you read a Walling you might not regret the time spent, but as soon as there was something else to read — anything else to read — Walling went back to the bottom of the pile.
March 18th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
I darned well would be glad to spend 30p on this one, and which I had come across it, though that is an unlikely occurrence in Portland, OR, USA. Sounds like a nice change of pace from my every day fare of late. Does anyone have an opinion about which Walling to look for if I were to go hunting?
March 18th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Richard
Isn’t Powell’s out your way? You’re a lot more likely to find a Walling there than in a local library sale, as Geoff did. Books like this don’t show up here that way any more. Tag sales, as they’re called here, would be a better bet, or estate sales. I used to go to a lot of those, but not so much the last few years. It takes a lot of time, gasoline, and even a small amount of luck. Persistence, too!
The one by Walling that I’ve read is THE CORPSE WITH THE DIRTY FACE, and with some reservations I liked it. This is the one that I’ll post the review for soon. Maybe somebody else has a favorite one; my general impression is that they’re all cut from the same cloth.
What’s for certain is that no one’s writing mystery stories like Walling did any more. As a change of pace from today’s fare, absolutely!
— Steve
March 18th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
For any used book there is always the used bookstore nemesis, Ebay.
March 18th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
Richard
Barzun and Taylor came closest to having something nice to say about the first Tolfree novel, FIVE FATAL MINUTES and this one Geoff reviewed, but even then it is faint praise.
Be warned though, Walling is the type of writer who thinks having his characters run around a good deal is a substitute for suspense and tends to draw out the conclusions in a similar mistaken concept.
It’s hard to give someone who hasn’t read one an accurate idea of just how mundane Walling’s books are, and calling Tolfree a twit has the implication the books might at least offer a few laughs — which they really don’t.
Walling isn’t vanilla ice cream — he’s not even iced milk. If you took skim milk and froze it with no flavoring you wouldn’t be far off Walling.
But good luck in finding one. Most libraries have long since cleaned him off the shelves and disposed of his books in sales so e-bay, second hand dealers, and estate and or garage sales may be your best bet, though the books were once common enough there should be some kicking around. A few even made it into American paperbacks I believe. You might try inter library loan though. Some smaller libraries may have hung onto a few copies.
March 18th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
I came across a Walling title (MURDER AT THE KEYHOLE, 1929, four printings that year!) some time ago in the local used book store in my town (Northfield, MN) and thought it looked vaguely familiar so I didn’t pick it up immmediately. After checking my own shelves and not finding it, I went back but couldn’t find it! A short time later it miraculously reappeared so I bought it. It cost $5, marked down from $10. When I came to reading it I found it slow going and almost gave up before the end. I swear that Doug Greene mentioned it as a book that John Dickson Carr had praised, but if that is so, Doug missed including Walling or the title in the index to his biography of Carr.
I don’t read many new mysteries since I have so many of the old ones that remain unread. I also think I am capable of enjoying more sheer rubbish than anyone around, but Walling appears to have defeated me.
March 18th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
Alibris has several Walling mysteries ranging from $3 to $9 available, and some pricier editions of non mystery works by him. Most appear to be John Lane editions.
March 18th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Marooned With Murder/Bury him Deeper is the one reviewed in 1001 Midnights, as I recall. I had started it once and it wasn’t bad, but then somehow I never finished it. He’s never grabbed me, seemed sort of bland, but then I haven’t made a systematic study of him. In my view, he’s like rather more like Christopher Bush than John Rhode.
But Morrow, his American publisher, gave him good promotion. On the back of my copy of The Corpse in the Coppice is:
OVER 100,000 COPIES
OF MR. WALLING’S MYSTERY STORIES
HAVE BEEN SOLD IN AMERICA
It’s stated that Ogden Nash, Amy Loveman and Alexander Woolcott “read A. J. Walling with avidity.”
Morrow also often changed Walling’s more interesting titles to cheesy ones, particularly those with “corpse” in the title. I mean, Marooned with Murder over Bury Him Deeper?
March 18th, 2011 at 7:34 pm
BURY HIM DEEPER — not really a terrible idea when it comes to Walling’s prose.
March 19th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
This conversation provoked me to read another Walling!
That sort of thing often seems to happen.
Some walling titles are astonishingly common (58 copies of the Corpse in the Green Pajamas on Abebooks?).
Mike Grost probably has more about Walling on his website than anyone outside Bill Pronzini.
I must say, Bill is quite funny on Walling, but Walling never seemed that bad (or that bad he’s good) from what I read. But he wasn’t really memorable either. But then I’ve only read a few titles. I think there were over twenty Tolefree mysteries.
Walling himself seems like a pretty interesting individual, one of the English mystery writers of that day who came from definite working class origins and made an interesting career for himself.
He is sometimes classified as a Humdrum, but I like David’s term (Ho-hum) rather better. To me he didn’t really have the technical skill to qualify as a True Humdrum and I wasn’t interested enough in him to include him as a False one.
That said, the one I’ve started isn’t bad in the first couple chapters.
March 19th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
Curt
One or two Walling’s I read started well enough, but he tends to fall back in the stretch, and by the time you reach the finish line he is somewhere back in the dust — along with any interest you had in the mystery at hand.
One of the very real problems with him is that he really seems to think that running around to no real point and for no reason creates suspense — it doesn’t, it creates tedium, and he tends to spin out the endings with complication and long drawn out explanations long after you have ceased to care who done it — or even what was done.
You could concievably come to the end of some Wallings and find yourself turning back to the start to remind yourself what the crime was to begin with.
Mysteries are like good jokes — setups are easy, it’s punchlines that count though. Walling never can deliver the punchline.
He does seem to have been interesting as a person, and I wouldn’t mind reading some of the non-fiction about Plymouth and Devon (those tend to be pricey though).
As you say he has none of the qualities that keep you turning the pages with Freeman or Crofts (I always equate them with the great line about Daniel Defore, that they ’employ dullness brilliantly.’). Tolfree is no Thorndyke (if all else failed you could read Freeman just for the pleasure of spending time with the doctor), but ironically he’s no French either.
I know that sounds odd, but I always found French interesting in his ordinary way — not realistic exactly, but almost like someone you might actually know and appreciate even if they were a bit on the dull and unimaginative side. For me one of the skills Crofts manages is that you find yourself rooting for French (and his other detectives) as you follow the intricate trails of timetables, shipping schedules, and bills of ladel to the doorstep of some damn fine crimes. Both Freeman and Crofts have the ability to create their own unique brands of suspense from the puzzle element alone in the way some others use the game playing element.
Rhode doesn’t always manage that, but even there, however annoying Priestly can be, you buy him as a great detective — the same for the more attractive Merrion. I’m not sure anyone read Rhode just for Priestly or Merrion, but their genius is real enough. You might say many negative things about them, but neither are twits.
But I think Bill Pronzini hit on one of the real problems with Walling, besides his technical failures: Tolfree really is a twit. He is not compelling in any sense. Annoying Reggie Fortune might be and Roger Sherringham could be downright distasteful, but you know you have been in the company of one of the great detectives with them.
Tolfree always feels like a pretender. He’s not only a lightweight, he’s virtually characterless save for his negative characteristics.
Tolfree has an almost generic great detective quality to him, something true of many of the lesser writers in the field, and Walling, as you point out, isn’t quite bad enough to be fun.
March 20th, 2011 at 5:08 pm
[…] 03-20-11. This, of course, is the review I promised as a follow-up to Geoff Bradley’s review of an earlier Walling mystery, which produced a lot of comments, mostly neutral (ho-hum) to […]
November 7th, 2011 at 7:55 am
I came across this discussion belatedly — Randy is recalling JDC’s comment praising one or two Walling novels in “The Grandest Game in the World.”
August 31st, 2013 at 12:28 pm
Just finished That Dinner At Bardolph’s. I have collected all the Tolefree novels and am working on the other Walling fiction. Walling follows a formula in all the books I have of his…26 so far. Very predictable set of characters and situations. I may be an old fuddy~duddy at 46 but I LIKE the books. I did find Bardolphs an interesting and engaging read, better than some of the Tolefree books. Lite, attractive reading perhaps for people who live a quiet life?