Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge 2012: Wrap Up Post

In 2012, this was one of the first challenges I joined. I read vintage mysteries a lot when I was younger, had a lot of vintage mysteries in my To Be Read stacks, and needed motivation to read some of them.

My goal was to read (and review) eight books for two themes, Golden Age Girls (books by a female author) and Cherchez l'Homme (books by a male author). I finished my last vintage mystery for the year in late November. I am glad I joined the challenge because I did need the motivation.

Here is my list of books read, with links to reviews.

Golden Age Girls

1. Christianna Brand: Heads You Lose
2. Christianna Brand: Green for Danger
3. Ngaio Marsh: Night at the Vulcan
4. Phoebe Atwood Taylor: The Cape Cod Mystery
5. Helen Reilly: Lament for the Bride
6. Helen Reilly: The Dead Can Tell
7. Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express
8. Agatha Christie: The Secret Adversary

 Cherchez l'Homme

1. Eric Ambler: A Coffin for Dimitrios
2. Akimitsu Takagi: The Tattoo Murder Case
3. S.  S. Van Dine: The Greene Murder Case
4. Earl Derr Biggers: The House Without a Key
5. Cyril Hare: With a Bare Bodkin
6. Cyril Hare: An English Murder
7. Rex Stout: Fer-de-Lance
8. Ed McBain: Cop Hater

My favorite book for this challenge (that was not a re-read) was The House Without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers. Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout is my favorite mystery ever, and I highly recommend it. The books by Cyril Hare were also re-reads, and maybe the ones by Agatha Christie. Christie wrote so many books, I am not sure which ones I read in my teens and twenties.

Phoebe Atwood Taylor, Helen Reilly, Akimitsu Takagi, S. S. Van Dine, Earl Derr Biggers, and Ed McBain were all new authors to me.

I look forward to joining in on the 2013 Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge. I know I will read at least eight vintage mysteries, or I may go as high as sixteen.