2021 Vintage Scattergories

This Bev Hankins challenge is located here. 

The goal is to read at least eight Golden Age (prior to 1960) books during 2021 from the following categories: Wrap-up: Got all 40!

1. Colorful Crime: A book with a color or reference to color in the title The Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen, 1934

2. Murder by the Numbers: A book with a number or quantity in the title: The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart, 1909

3. Amateur Night: A book with a detective who is not a P.I.; Police Officer; or other official investigator (Nurse Keate, Father Brown, Miss Marple, etc.) The Case of the Smoking Chimney by Erle Stanley Gardner, 1943, in which the detective is Gramps Wiggins, a desert hermit.

4. Leave It to the Professionals: A book featuring cops, private eyes, secret service, professional spies, etc. White Face by Edgar Wallace (1930) in which a bunch of Scotland Yard cops team up to find the mysterious White Face.

5. Jolly Old England: A mystery set in the United Kingdom Murder on the Bridge by Lynn Brock, 1930

6. Yankee Doodle Dandy: A mystery set in the United States The D.A.'s Daughter by Herman Petersen, 1943

7. World Traveler: A mystery set in any country except the U.S. or U.K. Bells for the Dead by Kathleen Moore Knight, 1942, set in Guatemala.

8. Dangerous Beasts: A book with an animal in the title Beauty is a Beast by Kathleen Moore Knight, 1959

9. A Calendar of Crime: A mystery with a date/holiday/year/month/etc. in the title The Calendar by Edgar Wallace, 1930

10. Wicked Women: A book with a woman in the title--either by name (Mrs. McGinty's Dead) or by reference (The Case of the Vagabound Virgin) Prillilgirl by Carolyn Wells, 1924, in which Prillilgirl is the nickname for Corinne Deane.

11. Malicious Men: A book with a man in the title--either by name (Maigret & the Yellow Dog) or by reference (The Case of the Haunted Husband) Ladies' Man by Rupert Hughes, 1930

12. Murderous Methods: A book with a means of death in the title (The Noose, 5 Bullets, Deadly Nightshade, etc.) The Chiffon Scarf by Mignon G. Eberhart, 1939

13. Staging the Crime: A mystery set in the entertainment world (theatre, musical event, pageant, Hollywood, etc) The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen, 1929, which takes place inside the Roman Theatre

14. Scene of the Crime: A book with the location of the crime in the title (The Body in the Library, Murder at the Vicarage, etc) Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie, 1930

15. Cops & Robbers: A book that features a theft rather than murder The Adventures of Ellery Queen by Ellery Queen, 1934; in which the short story The One-Penny Black features the theft of a rare postage stamp.

16. Locked Rooms: A locked-room mystery The Canary Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine, 1927

17. Impossible Crimes: Any other impossible crime (locks not necessary) The Greene Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine, 1928, in which the murder has a solid alibi for the time of the murder.

18. Country House Criminals: A standard (or not-so-standard) Golden Age-style country house murder Dead Man's Secret by Mary Plum, 1931

19. Murder on the High Seas: A mystery involving water The Case of the Turning Tide by Erle Stanley Gardner, 1941

20. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: A book with a mode of transportation in the title The Basle Express (train) by Manning Coles, 1956

21. Murder is Academic: A mystery involving a scholar, teacher, librarian, etc. OR set at a school, university, library, etc. Deep Lay the Dead by Frederick C. Davis, 1942, in which the protagonist is a math teacher.

22. Things That Go Bump in the Night: A book with something spooky, creepy, gothic in the title (The Skeleton in the Clock; Haunted Lady; The Bat; etc) The Hangman's Whip by Mignon G. Eberhart, 1940

23. Repeat Offenders: A mystery featuring your favorite series detective or by your favorite author or reread an old favorite The Benson Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine, 1926

24. The Butler Did It...Or Not: A mystery where the butler is the victim, the sleuth...(gasp) the criminal...or is just downright memorable for whatever reason. All At Sea by Carolyn Wells, 1927, in which the butler really did do it. 

25. A Mystery by Any Other Name: Any book that has been published under more than one title (Murder Is Easy--aka Easy to Kill [Christie]; Fog of Doubt--aka London Particular [Christianna Brand], etc.) The Gaol Breaker (US title) / We Shall See! (UK title) by Edgar Wallace, 1924

26. Dynamic Duos: A mystery featuring a detective team (Holmes & Watson; Pam & Jerry North; Nero Wolfe & Archie Goodwin, or a little-known team that you introduce to us) The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, featuring detectives Sam Spade and Miles Archer, 1929

27. Size Matters: A book with a size or measurement in the title (Death Has a Small Voice; The Big Four; The Weight of the Evidence; etc.) The Bigger They Come by A. A. Fair, 1939

28. Psychic Phenomena: A mystery featuring a seance, medium, hypnotism, or other psychic or "supernatural" characters/events The Day the World Ended by Sax Rohmer, 1929, featuring lots of mind control

29. Book to Movie: A book that has appeared on screen (feature film or TV) Temple Tower by H. C. McNeile (1928), which was made into a 1930 Bulldog Drummond movie of the same name.

30. The Old Bailey: A courtroom dram mystery OR a mystery featuring a judge, lawyer, barrister, district attorney The Tule Marsh Mystery by Nancy Barr Mavity (1929) in which the courtroom trial comprises a major part of the book. 

31. Serial Killers: Books that were originally published in serial format (from the pulp era) OR a book that includes three or more deaths--all committed by the same person. A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie, 1953 (3 dead by same killer).

32. Killed in Translation: A work that originally appeared in another language and has been made available in English--original publication date determines Gold or Silver Age--OR if your native language is not English, then a work that originally appeared in English which you read in your native language. Maigret's Christmas by Georges Simenon, 1951.

33. Blondes in Danger: A variation on "Colorful Crime." A book that features a blonde in the title (The Blonde Died First; The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde) or another shade of hair color (The Case of the Substitute Brunette) The Case of the Black-eyed Blonde by Erle Stanley Gardner, 1944

34. International Detectives: A variation on "World Traveler"--but instead of the crime being set in another country, the detective is not from the U.S. or U.K. It Walks by Night by John Dickson Carr, 1930, featuring M. Henri Bencolin of Paris.

35. Somebody Else's Crime: Read a book that someone else has already read for the challenge. Murder in Three Acts by Agatha Christie, 1934, read previously by Bev.

36. Genuine Fakes: Read a book by an author who wrote under a pseudonym (Josephine Tey [Elizabeth Mackintosh]; Nicholas Blake [Cecil Day Lewis]; etc.) Without Lawful Authority by Manning Coles (1943), pseudonym of Adelaide Frances Oke Manning (1891–1959) and Cyril Henry Coles (1899–1965)

37. Hobbies Can Be Murder: A mystery that involves a hobby in some way: stamp, coin book collecting, etc; knitting; birdwatching; hunting; etc. Shadow in the House by Sinclair Gluck, 1929, in which the entire family persues archery with a bad result.

38. Snatch & Grab: Read the first book you pick up off your shelf or TBR stack/s  The Pattern by Mignon G. Eberhart, 1937

39. I've Got You Covered: Pick a book to read based on the cover The Preying Mantis by Nancy Rutledge, 1947

40. Get Out of Jail Free: One per customer. You tell me what special category the book fits and it counts The Avenging Ray by Austin J. Small, 1930. Suggested category: Science is Golden: featuring a Mad Scientist or crazy invention