Tag: patrick quentin

Cottage Sinister (1931) by Q. Patrick

February 12, 2021

Cottage Sinister by Q Patrick

6 stars (6/10 stars)

“There’s something all wrong about this. God alone knows what it means.”

Lady’s Bower is the loveliest cottage in Somersetshire—more beautiful, even, than the nearby manor house Crosby Hall. Visitors are often surprised to find this choice property occupied by a servant, but Mrs. Lubbock deserves it after her years of service to the Crosby family. Mrs. Lubbock is enjoying a happy retirement, with her three daughters settled in life. Amy and Isabel are ladies’ maids in London. Lucy, a trained nurse, lives at home with her mother while working in the village hospital. It’s even rumored that Lucy has caught the eye of Dr. Christopher Crosby, the heir to Crosby Hall.

It seems impossible that anything bad could happen in such an idyllic setting. But the Lubbock family’s peaceful life is about to be shattered by violent death…not just once, but again and again. Continue reading “Cottage Sinister (1931) by Q. Patrick”

A Puzzle for Fools (1936) by Patrick Quentin

April 1, 2019

A Puzzle for Fools by Patrick Quentin 1936

7 Stars (7/10 stars)

“There seems no motive, but then you don’t need motives in a place like this.”

Broadway producer Peter Duluth fell into a bottle after the death of his wife. It’s a long climb back out, and his recovery is not helped by the sinister whispers he hears at night—his own voice, warning of murder. He discovers that many of his fellow patients at the Lenz Sanitarium are similarly troubled. Have they simply lost their minds, or is someone trying to drive them insane? When a suspicious death does take place, Peter is the only one who can solve the mystery, even at the risk of his own sanity.

Continue reading “A Puzzle for Fools (1936) by Patrick Quentin”

Death and the Maiden (1939) by Q. Patrick

September 6, 2018

Death and the Maiden by Q Patrick Book Cover

7 Stars (7/10 stars)

“Heaven forbid I should ever meet up with another Wentworth girl. If they’re all like Grace Hough, that place must be a congregation of female vipers.”

For the other girls at Wentworth College, campus life is an endless round of parties and dates. They even use a school-approved “cultural” outing to sneak into a nightclub. Grace Hough has never quite fit in, though, especially since her bankrupt father killed himself. So her roommate Lee Lovering is happy when Grace starts getting special delivery letters from an admirer. She even lets Grace wear her fur coat to meet this secret boyfriend.

After a hectic night out in New York City, Lee runs into Grace, leaving the theater with a red-haired naval officer. She will never see her roommate alive again.

Continue reading “Death and the Maiden (1939) by Q. Patrick”