Evidence of Things Seen

Elizabeth Daly is an excellent writer, and this is one of her best books. I am grateful to Felony and Mayhem for publishing it -- and for publishing other books by this author of the Golden Age!

I'm delighted to see that Elizabeth Daly's novels are coming back into print. Henry Gamadge, her series detective, is a bibliophile and an expert on antique books and forgeries. In "Evidence of Things Seen," his wife, Clara, and their housekeeper find themselves frightened by the appearance of a woman near their summer cottage, her face shrouded by a sunbonnet, who only appears near sunset. It is hinted that this may be the ghost of a woman, possibly murdered by her sister. Soon, there is a murder, and it is up to Gamadge to discover the criminal - and bring the crime back into the realm of reality, rather than being the handiwork of a ghost. It's one of Daly's best, and it's a good introduction to Gamadge.

Plot: During the early days of WWII Clara Gamadge moves into a rented summer cottage in the Berkshires with her housekeeper Maggie. Her husband Henry plans to join her after his overseas mission is complete; another couple will also share their quiet refuge. Soon after arriving Clara and Maggie see a mysterious figure on a nearby path night after night. Is the figure that of the woman who recently died in the rented cottage? And is the dead woman's sister to become a victim at the hand of a ghost? Review: A "cosy" mystery set in the countryside peopled with sophisticated city folk amidst the "natives," with a houseful of war refugees thrown in for good measure. A pretty good mystery, written in a pleasing style. This was my first Henry Gamage mystery, and I plan to seek out more based on this.