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Tod in der Bibliothek. (1942)

von W. Bolingbroke Johnson

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1177231,636 (3.63)17
For the staff of the library at the center of The Widening Stain, it's easy enough to dismiss the death of a woman who fell from a rolling ladder as nothing more than an unfortunate accident. It's more difficult, however, to explain away the strangled corpse of a man found inside a locked room, surrounded by rare and obscure erotica. And that's not all--a valuable manuscript has vanished from the stacks, which means that both a killer and a thief are loose in the facility's hallowed halls. It's up to chief cataloger Gilda Gorham to solve the crimes but, unless she's careful, the next death in the library might just be her own...A humorous and literary Golden Age mystery, The Widening Stain is adorned with as many playful limericks as it is with bibliographic details. The book, which offers a satirical glimpse of academic life at an institution strongly resembling Cornell University, is one of the most beloved bibliomysteries (mysteries involving books) of all time.… (mehr)
Kürzlich hinzugefügt vonbmcbook, dhenn31, Caralen, jjlangel, MWise, YPlfl, LWyandt, lelapin7, weird_O
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Two suspicious deaths and a rare-book theft at a university library would normally be the purview of the police, but in this case Gilda Gorham, chief cataloguer at the library, feels compelled to investigate. Normally I am skeptical of amateur sleuths, but Gilda was mostly sensible in her sleuthing. That said, the means by which she got the killer to confess was rather dangerous, and I wasn’t fond of the way that the solution was revealed. The introduction to this book in its American Mystery Classics reprint is really interesting and well worth reading, as is the book if you like mysteries set in an academic environment. ( )
  rabbitprincess | Feb 28, 2023 |
Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss. ( )
  fernandie | Sep 15, 2022 |
Apologies for this herky-jerky babble. First coffee of the day. Just finished this novel this morning as I couldn't quite do it last night. Had to know how it ended.

W. Bolingbroke Johnson of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky was really Morris Bishop, scholar, historian, essayist and translator. This is the only mystery he wrote, more's the pity. Yes, it's a bit dated (1942) perhaps that's part of why I liked it. You know, this could easily be a period play along the lines of "Good News". It would be a stretch to work in the jitterbug in lieu of the Varsity Drag as the story hardly leaves the library. Hmm. Maybe some clever playwright could make it into a murder mystery musical. Singing in the stacks like prisoners in Jailhouse Rock? I can see it. It sure feels like a play.
The story takes place in a university library (presumably Cornell; Bishop was the university historian). The central character is a plucky librarian, Gilda Gorham. Gilda is a keen observer, clever, and gutsy. Despite some undertones of sexism (the assumption at the end is she must marry a professor--it seems inevitable and almost arbitrary, as though she could just pull a name from a jar and be satisfied with the result) Two professors are found dead and a cherished manuscript is stolen. Gilda is no wilting hothouse flower. She solves the murders and confronts the killer with an admirable level of confidence.

The mystery withholds much information, so it's unlikely that one could unravel the whodunnit or at least the underlying motive before it is revealed. The motive is a bit of a surprise; can't say I've run across this explanation before. It's a good one. Would it hold up in modern times? I wonder.
One of the satellite professors in Gilda's world is a limerick fancier, so the book is dusted with clever limericks-- a perk if you like them and these are playful, not overly bawdy.

Conclusion: This would appeal to mystery lovers who enjoy an academic setting. I didn't know "bibliomystery" was a sub-genre. This is a fun one.
Bravo Otto Penzler for bringing it back for new audiences.

( )
  JEatHHP | Aug 23, 2022 |
1942 After a university President's party, Chief Cataloguer Gilda Gorham discovers a body in the library. Later another body is discovered in a locked room. Is there a connection, what could be the motives, and who is the guilty party. Gilda seems determined to find the answer.
Overall an enjoyable tongue-in-cheek murder mystery, with its likeable characters and a cast of suspects.
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
( )
  Vesper1931 | Jul 29, 2021 |
I found this so-so as a mystery, but some of the little satires on college life were quite amusing. And as an alumna of Cornell I quite enjoyed trying to figure out which buildings the various bits were sent in. ( )
  AmphipodGirl | May 23, 2021 |
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» Andere Autoren hinzufügen (1 möglich)

AutorennameRolleArt des AutorsWerk?Status
W. Bolingbroke JohnsonHauptautoralle Ausgabenberechnet
Kauffer, E. McKnightUmschlaggestalterCo-Autoreinige Ausgabenbestätigt

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In the women's restroom of the University Library, Miss Gilda Gorham, Chief Cataloguer, looked at her face.
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Wikipedia auf Englisch (1)

For the staff of the library at the center of The Widening Stain, it's easy enough to dismiss the death of a woman who fell from a rolling ladder as nothing more than an unfortunate accident. It's more difficult, however, to explain away the strangled corpse of a man found inside a locked room, surrounded by rare and obscure erotica. And that's not all--a valuable manuscript has vanished from the stacks, which means that both a killer and a thief are loose in the facility's hallowed halls. It's up to chief cataloger Gilda Gorham to solve the crimes but, unless she's careful, the next death in the library might just be her own...A humorous and literary Golden Age mystery, The Widening Stain is adorned with as many playful limericks as it is with bibliographic details. The book, which offers a satirical glimpse of academic life at an institution strongly resembling Cornell University, is one of the most beloved bibliomysteries (mysteries involving books) of all time.

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