Part Two - Short Stories Review

This is part two of the section, "Legendary Sleuths," in the book Masterpieces of Mystery and Suspense by Martin H. Greenberg. For this article, I have read "The Necklace of Pearls" by Dorothy L. Sayers, "Midnight Blue" by Ross MacDonald, and "Abraham Lincoln's Clue" by Ellery Queen.

When detectives first start to solve a case, they ask questions. They want to find out about the victims such as their names, personalities, occupation, people who knew them, etc. After that, they make a list of the possible suspects, the possible motives, and who had the opportunity to commit the crime. The detectives in these three stories followed this pattern.

In the first story, "The Necklace of Pearls" by Dorothy L. Sayers, Lord Peter Wimsey, the detective, first made a list of the suspects who might have had the opportunity to steal the pearl necklace. After that, he thought about the possible motives such as: who would benefit from having the pearls or who would want the pearls.

The setting of the story was in Sir Septimus Shale's house. His daughter was Margharita. He was having a Christmas dinner. After the dinner, the guests gathered together to play games. This was Sir Septimus Shale's favorite time. Some of the guests included: Lavinia Prescott, William Norgate, Joyce Trivett, Henry Shale, Mrs. Dennison, Betty Shale, George Comphrey, Richard Dennison, Miss Tomkins, and Oswald Truegood. All of these guests were suspects because they were left alone during the time the others were playing a game. The pearl necklace was stolen when the guests were involved in the game. Now it's up to you to read the story to find out who stole the necklace and why?

In the second story, "Midnight Blue" by Ross Macdonald, the detective is Lew Archer. This story is written in first person. Lew Archer is the narrator.

Lew Archer found a body of a girl who was wearing a midnight-blue sweater and skirt. The girl's name was Ginnie Green. She had been to her senior high graduation party. After Lew contacted the police, they gathered at the scene of the crime. Throughout the story Lew started asking questions. He wanted to know who had seen Ginnie last, the possible motives people would have to kill her, what kind of girl she was, how long she had been missing, etc. All of these questions are important when detectives are trying to solve a case. Once these questions are answered, the detective can solve the case. This story was interesting. I was eager to find out who killed Ginnie and why. Now, you'll have to read the story to find out who committed the crime and why.

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