I used to read The Scarlet Pimpernel books over and over again as a child. I absolutely loved them. I have never read anything else by Baroness Orczy and when the chance came up to try this I was intrigued enough to give it a go. This is a series of stand alone crime short stories. Each story is reported to a nameless witness in a tea house, and solved by a nameless detective who is, it appears based very much on Sherlock Holmes with his powers of deductive reasoning. The stories, as you would expect, seem rather dated now. They're perfectly acceptable. An easy read. Not very taxing. I didn't warm to the detective or the nameless narrator as they exist solely to bat ideas back and forth and I think my lack of connection to the characters means that I can't really rave about the book.

Hmmm… A book that is a step back and a step forward at the same time. Fresh from disliking the first book in this series, I find this volume, which was published afterwards but written beforehand. This must have puzzled anyone reading the books in order of appearance way back when, for all talk of our tea rooms-addicted woman being married, and finding out what she found out at the end of last time, has disappeared. So I can only assume the books drifted from first person reportage from her point of view as seen here to the third person of the prequel just to get her married off. What we get this time then are several more 'mystery' stories, all by the same formula – the pre-credits sequence, the real drama of the crime, what our "scarecrow" saw in the inquest room with his permanent spot on the front row, and what it all means, ie whodunnit. I have to admit I didn't expect such variety, on the basis of reading elsewhere, for here you don't have to go far to find stories that DON'T rely on people playing dress-up for a change. (I was all for thinking the woman in the stables was her husband in drag.)

But the problems still persist – the woman does little (except feed his addiction with "beautiful" string here and there), while he tells us all the ins and outs of the crimes with none of the wit, style or fashion of Watson. His humdrum telling of everything – and yes, that's definitely more than everything needed at times – is what perhaps lets these stories down. That and huge plot holes – "how did he know where she lived?!" is an obvious response to one of the tales here. So why the second book written just regressed to be him-in-a costume, her-in-disguise, etc, I'll never know. This if anything was the better of a weak brace of collections, and I can't see me rushing for the third.

"And thus you see," he added, "there are no such things as mysteries. The police call them so, so do the public, but every crime has its perpetrator, and every puzzle its solution. My experience is that the simplest solution is invariably there right one."

So speaks the Teahouse Detective, referred to only as 'the man in the corner' throughout this intriguing book. The stories contained within were written by Baroness Emmuska Orczy at the beginning of the 1900s. Both characters remain anonymous throughout, which adds a layer of mystery that distinguishes it from Sherlock Holmes or similar detectives. A further contrast is that the man in the corner solves all of his mysteries from the comfort of his armchair in the corner of the room. It's this fact that makes the book ultimately a bit frustrating. Murders and thefts are 'solved' but the culprits presumably walk free with the man in the corner remaining in his chair and not informing the police who have failed to work out who committed the crime.

There's obviously still charm involved, as there is in most of these turn-of-the-century detective novels. Each story is standalone and it's fun to try and work out what happens. The man in the corner is wonderfully perceptive and notices everything. Is it as compelling as similar short adventures involving Sherlock Holmes? I'd argue no, but if you delight in such stories, there's plenty more enjoyment to be had here.

All the books I've reviewed so far have been pre-released books, so it is an odd experience to review an old book written by such an esteemed author that is simply being republished. If you find enjoyment in detective classics, this is a must read.

Did you ever read the Encyclopedia Brown mysteries when you were a kid? Some kid would get in trouble at school or lose something or be a victim of a prank. There would be 2-3 suspects, and then a kid with the nickname Encyclopedia would ask a few questions, and based solely on that, would solve the crime. They would give you a chance to guess the right answer by putting the solution on the page upside down. It was all pretty tame.

These stories are the early 20th century version of that. The "old man in the corner" - who never even gets an actual name -sits there and reads the paper or harasses this "lady journalist" by going on about the crime of the day. Then he tells her what really happened. He doesn't consult with the police and seek justice or anything, he just eats his cheesecake, fiddles with a piece of string, and talks.

If that sounds like something you would enjoy, there are 12 stories in this collection, all equally bland. I thought it was incredibly boring. I guess some things just don't age well.

Written by the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel. These stories were initially serialised in magazines, then later published in a book and have since been adapted for radio, television and film.
They are quite Sherlock Holmesesque and quite clever and easy to read.

Two people meet in the teahouse to discuss cases , ‘the odd man in the corner and the writer’. They discuss recent cases that have happened , not always murder, and the man in the corner explains to the writer exactly how and what happened in all these cases. He attends all the courthouse/ inquests and somehow always gets a front row seat – making it seem he might be someone of importance.

There are twelve "Minute Mysteries" of the era and it’s quite fascinating how the man in the corner without fingerprints, DNA, CCTV, or any other modern methods we are now use to, deducts what actually happened in a very clever way.
The cases always seem to work out for the best in a chain of events way.

If you like Sherlock Holmes but would like a shorter , less ambling descriptive mini story, then these are perfect. I loved this collection and read them wanting more. Will be reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC for my honest review.

This is a nice little book filled with short mysteries. It isn't written like most mysteries but broken up into stories where the stories are being told with out any real deductive reasoning needed. It wasn't my cup of tea but it wasn't a bad book.

I do enjoy these short stories by Baroness Orczy, this is another from the Old Man in the Corner stories, they are very intriguing and clever, I just wish they had a little more ending. I do like a cause and effect ending.
Forgetting my foibles, I did enjoy them - the twist and plots where very clever especially considering they are short stories.

Ah- a classic crime book that never disappoints!
I love these stories as they're really bite size and good fun. Highly recommended for both crime and short story lovers.

short-stories, anthology, mystery *****

Can you solve these "Minute Mysteries" without fingerprints, DNA, CCTV, or any other modern means using only the observations of a rather odd man and your own deductive reasoning? That's the challenge posed by each of the twelve examples included in this challenging little book written by the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel which is more intriguing than a Sunday Times crossword! Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Steerforth Press and Hanover Publisher Services via NetGalley. Thank you!