Thu 11 Nov 2021
An Archived Mystery Review by Maryell Cleary: ALICE TILTON – The Iron Clew.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[3] Comments
ALICE TILTON – The Iron Clew. Leonidas Witherall #7. Leonidas Farrar Straus & Co., hardcover, 1947. Foul Play Press, paperback, 1992.
“In one foul sweep,” says Mrs. Mullet, housekeeper to Leonidas Witherall … and though that memorable malapropism occurs on the last page, it is characteristic of the entire book. Phoebe Atwood Taylor, writing as Alice Tilton, packs more misapprehensions, missed appointments, and mistaken identities into one book than any mystery writer I know.
They are funny, too, unless the reader tries to read too many of her books one after the other and falls afoul of the basic likenesses of plot, characters, and even clues in them all.
Nevertheless, this romp through winterset New England towns, chasing missing brown paper packages, and finding missing people, is hilarious if you don’t think too seriously about what is going on. Don’t try to believe it, just enjoy it, is my advice!
November 13th, 2021 at 1:52 pm
There was a short-lived radio series based on the Tilton books, and listening to it, I finally learned how to pronounce Leonidas. Is it Lee-ON-i-das or Leo-NI-das? To tell you the truth, I’ve forgotten.
November 13th, 2021 at 6:53 pm
Sounds like just my meat. We could all do with a lot more humor these days.
November 13th, 2021 at 7:39 pm
Paperback books in the series should not be hard to find. I’ve read one or two, and while I don’t remember the details, I think Maryell’s review is well stated.