Just Finished Reading: 4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie (FP: 1957) [281pp] 

Elspeth McGillicuddy could hardly believe her own eyes, so it came as no surprise that the police refused to believe that she’d seen a murder committed right in front of her. The railway authorities were likewise less than impressed at her story of seeing a woman being strangled on another train as it drew level with her own. Quite distressed by the whole experience she knew that she could rely on one person to take her seriously – and she was right. Jane Marple had known Elspeth since her long-ago school days and knew when she was telling the truth, but how to convince the police to investigate further? Feeling her advancing years Miss Marple could only thing of getting someone younger and fitter to take her place poking around in the undergrowth and asking subtle questions. Then she hit on the solution – Lucy Eyelesbarrow, a much sort after and highly efficient home help. The question foremost in her mind was how to convince young Lucy to be her eyes, her ears and her hands. But delighted by the odd challenge and the thrill of something different she jumps at the idea. Hired by the local Crackenthorpe family sets about her tasks – sorting out a fractious and chaotic household and the discovery of a dead body... 

Reading this I couldn’t but help have brief images from the 1961 movie adaptation (Murder, She said) starring Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple. Probably for streamlining purposes Miss Marple, in this movie version, both saw the murder from the 4.50 from Paddington and hired herself as a maid to the Crackenthorpe family. Not surprisingly, I thought that the additional characters in the novel worked much better. Jane has been detecting criminality for far too long to be knee deep in brambles between cooking and cleaning for 5-6 adults and a pair of (very well behaved) young boys. I actually thought that the character of Lucy was brilliant, and she fast became one of my favourite fictional females. It would be really nice to ‘see’ her again in future novels but I’m guessing this is both the first and our last time with her. Oh, and I can’t but mention the feeling that Christie had FAR too much fun with her family names here! I mean, McGillicuddy, Eyelesbarrow AND Crackenthorpe.... [lol] 

The plot, as you might expect from Christie is both somewhat convoluted and brilliant. Typically, I failed to spot the murderer – not even close this time – nor the motive but loved the process of finding out. The only disappointing aspect of the whole investigation was the fact that I liked the murderer until the point of revelation – that was new. One of the things I really enjoyed here, and there was a lot to enjoy being honest, were the very well-drawn characters. Even the two schoolboys – they must’ve been around 11-12 I think – were a scream, if FRIGHTFULLY British... Not only were they allowed to see the body (for their education) and spent a great deal of their time looking for clues, but they also prompted a clever reveal as to the corpse's identity which threw things in a whole other direction. Overall, I can hardly praise this too highly. It’s now one of my favourite Miss Marple novels – and that’s a HIGH bar – and I loved it from beginning to end. Very highly recommended to all classic crime fans.

Just Finished Reading: Battle of Britain by Patrick Bishop (FP: 2009) [332pp] 

It is virtually without argument that the Battle of Britain, fought mostly in the skies over southern England between 10 July and 31 October 1940, was the most significant conflict in the country's modern era. If the battle had been lost and the Luftwaffe had gained even temporary air-superiority over the coast there was a real danger that an invasion could have been attempted (it would have failed IMO). Fortunately for Britain and, again arguably, the world the battle was won and Operation Sealion – the ‘planned’ invasion of Great Britain – was postponed indefinitely. 

Organised in 5 sections covering (very roughly) 2-6 weeks depending on the level of activity, this well written and often fascinating study lays out the battle as it ramped up. Initially German High Command (or at least AH himself) fully expected Britain to seek terms following the retreat from Dunkirk. Of course, Churchill had no intention of surrendering and it was always going to be ‘fight on’. Although essentially on our own – not strictly true in the grand scope of things – the UK had a lot going for it. The English Channel was only 26 miles at its most narrow point but was often both a treacherous and unpredictable stretch of water. However much the Germans thought of it as a particularly wide river it was nothing of the sort. Despite the loss of a great deal of equipment in France the British army was far from defeated and would, it was expected, give a good account of itself if any planned invasion did occur. What is more, the Royal Navy was still the largest in the world and would be expected the throw everything it had at any invasion fleet. It would be far from plain sailing even across a theoretically calm English Channel. But it was the RAF that was Britain’s first line of defence. If it could hold back the might of the Luftwaffe all bets would be off – but could it do so? 

On the face of things, it was going to be a very hard fight indeed for the RAF. Not only were they greatly outnumbered in both fighters and bombers, but the German pilots had gained a great deal of valuable experience on their European battlefields. However, that wasn’t a completely good thing. OK, they had gained experience – but at the cost of overconfidence. Most of their enemies across Europe had been using out of date aircraft and had quickly succumbed to highly effective tactics and had been largely destroyed on the ground. Such conditions would not prevail over England. Likewise, the Luftwaffe was mainly designed to excel at one task – supporting the army in its Blitzkrieg tactics – and this it did very well indeed (at least early on). But over England these tactics would not be required and a whole other skill set would be needed. The German bomber force, likewise, was a tactical rather than a strategic one. In 1940 the Germans did not possess a single 4 engine bomber, so their range and bomb load were limited. 

Facing them were two fighters – the Hurricane and Spitfire – that were at least the equal of anything the Germans had to oppose them. On top of this the British boasted probably the most sophisticated and technically advanced air-defence system in the world – something the Luftwaffe had never faced before. Although outnumbered, the RAF fighters always seemed to be in the right place and the right time. It was very rare indeed for any number of German aircraft not to be intercepted either on their way to a target, on their way back or even both. Although initial losses for Germany were light, they were constant. What made things worse of course, was that a German pilot bailing out over England was captured whereas a RAF pilot doing likewise could be back in a fighter the very next day. What was even more telling was the disparity in aircraft production. During the battle the RAF were hardly ever short of fighters – indeed production of new planes and recovery of damaged ones increased during the fight. The shortage – sometimes desperate – was pilots, especially experienced ones. There are so many stories of fresh, incredibly young, pilots who went straight from minimal training into combat within hours of arriving at their new squadrons only never to come back. 

Without trying to precis the whole book, the Battle of Britain amounted to a massive miscalculation on the part of the Luftwaffe and most especially of Herman Goering who promised AH that he could defeat England in a matter of weeks. German ‘intelligence’ was quite pitiful consistently underestimating the strength of the RAF until it became obvious that they could not be defeated in the given timeframe with the planned invasion of the Soviet Union pressing. But failing to knock Britain out of the war allowed for the dreaded ‘war on two fronts’ that the German High Commanded worried about so much – rightly. Ultimately, of course, it allowed Britain to be a jumping off point for European liberation and as an unsinkable aircraft carrier for bombing raids deep into the Reich itself. 

Even if you have a good grasp of the Battle of Britain this is definitely worth a read. Although I regard myself as reasonably knowledgeable, I still picked up on a few things – even such basics as why the RAF fighters flew in ‘Vic threes’ whilst the Luftwaffe flew in ‘Finger fours’ - which always pleases me. I think this is my second book by this author and it won’t be my last. Recommended.  

VERY clever........................!!

Happy Birthday: Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer and humanitarian who was famously nicknamed "The King of Comedy", with a career lasting over eight decades. He appeared in more than 60 motion pictures, starting in 1949 including sixteen Martin and Lewis musical comedy films with Dean Martin, as his partner.

Just Finished Reading: The Z Murders by J. Jefferson Farjeon (FP: 1932) [272pp] 

It all started with an annoying carriage companion on the journey from the North. By the time Richard Temperley had arrived in London in the early hours of the morning he was both exhausted and unwilling to wake his sister at an ungodly hour. Taking advice from a station porter he heads for a nearby hotel to freshen up and rest before journeying on only to find his snoring companion has already arrived. Too tired to change his plans, Richard decides to stay and starts to drift off before realising that something is wrong – the silence. Approaching the now quiet ex-companion Richard discovers, to his horror, that he’s quite dead – shot through the chest. Questioned by the police he has little information to offer. For some reason he fails to tell them about the attractive young woman who left just as he had arrived. He also fails to mention that he has in his possession her left-behind purse and that he knows both her name and home address. Wanting to know if she was indeed somehow involved in the bizarre death of a seemingly harmless man, he makes his way to her apartment only to realise he’s being followed – by the police or by the murderer? What Richard doesn’t know is that the girl is at the very centre of things and that more bodies are already on the horizon.  

This was a bit of a strange one. At times it felt all rather Hitchcockian, and I had flashes of ‘North by Northwest’ going through my mind. Essentially it was two previously unconnected people – both young & both single naturally – thrown together by circumstance and trying to figure dangerous things out as they race across an equally dangerous landscape in pursuit of a murderer – whilst in turn being pursued (or used as bait) by the police. Although I found the plot a little on the ‘thin’ side from time-to-time the actual mechanics of the tale were mostly well done. Both Richard Temperley and his motivating love interest, Sylvia Wynne, were well drawn and likable. The baddie was a rather over-the-top cardboard villain though nasty with it. The side characters, Richard’s sister, the police inspector and the put-upon taxi driver, were fun (and often funny) which lightened the mood when necessary and I liked all three. The long-distance chase gave characters time to know each other as well as muse on the case at hand which was a decent way of progressing things. The end scene was suitably dramatic and cinematic, and the wrap-up made sense. Despite being a little too chaotic from time to time and a touch overly contrived here and there this was still mostly a fun read. Not one of the best BLCC books I’ve read but still above average in the grand scheme. Reasonable.  

Just Finished Reading: How to Speak Whale – A Voyage into the Future of Animal Communication by Tom Mustill (FP: 2022) [249pp] 

When a seemingly peaceful whale almost kills you, it’s reasonable to ask why. When the author and a friend were kayaking off the Californian coast and encountered a number of whales, they rightly considered it a magical moment. But when one of them breached and landed almost on top of them (caught on camera below), capsizing their boat and almost killing them both it turned, momentarily, into a nightmare. But the author, a wildlife filmmaker, was more intrigued than afraid. Why had the whale acted that way? Was it afraid, annoyed or something else? Did it even know they were there and, most intriguingly, did it make a conscious effort to avoid landing directly on top of them – which would surely have killed them both. So, his journey began to find answers until one scientist made what appeared to be an off-hand comment that directed his investigation in a whole new and fascinating trajectory. When asked if the whale HAD made any effort to avoid them – after it breached and maybe for the first time noticed they were almost directly underneath it – the scientist responded: “Well, it’s not like you can *ask* it”. At which point the author mused: Why not? 

Whales have been known to ‘sing’ for centuries and probably gave rise to myths of mermaids and sirens. But no one, so far, has been able to determine why (we’re actually getting closer to the question of How though...) or if the ‘songs’ ‘mean’ anything. While whale song certainly isn’t just random ‘noise’ it’s far from clear if it's a form of communication, never mind a potentially understandable language that could, again potentially, be used for two-way communication with these elegant beasts. Many have tried, and failed, to understand what, if anything, the whales are ‘saying’ to each other but recent developments in cryptology and AI have opened a possible window to understanding. Together with much better methods of recording both songs and behaviour simultaneously for context clues there is hope that if enough song data can be accumulated it might enable the understanding of any ‘language’ structure which could lead to real communication between our species. Even the thought of such a breakthrough is mindboggling. 

This was a completely fascinating look at the numerous projects across the world trying to understand animal communication – mostly in regard to whales but in other species too. Most surprisingly there are groups out there making real progress and we could, within decades, be directly speaking to these creatures and really communicating with each other. The ramifications and potentials are immense – not only here on Earth but possibly for any future communication with aliens beyond our world. I did wonder if we’re seeing the very beginnings of a true Universal Translator! There is SO much going on between these pages that it's impossible to summarise it all, but needless to say, if you have any interest in whales or even the hint of a possibility of talking to them – plus primates, dogs or even birds – this is most definitely the book for you. Highly recommended.   

Happy Birthday: Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who, aboard the first successful crewed spaceflight, became the first human to journey into outer space. Travelling on Vostok 1, Gagarin completed one orbit of Earth on 12 April 1961, with his flight taking 108 minutes. By achieving this major milestone for the Soviet Union amidst the Space Race, he became an international celebrity and was awarded many medals and titles, including the nation's highest distinction: Hero of the Soviet Union.

As I *forgot* yesterday...... [lol]

Just Finished Reading: The Railway Detective by Edward Marston (FP: 2004) [348pp] 

London, 1851. It was a crime that shocked the nation. For the first time a train had been stopped and the contents of its mail carriage taken away – including a considerable amount of gold and a number of mail bags. Under intense pressure from the railway company, the Royal Mint, the Post Office and the Press, Scotland Yard assigns Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck to the case – a rising star in the department. Colbeck certainly has his work cut out for him. The raid was carried out with military precision and had quickly overcome both guards and locks to gain access to the gold – something considered simply impossible. The questions, however, were piling up: how did the robbers know the train would be carrying so much gold? How did they open the twin safes so quickly? But the most perplexing question of all bothered Colbeck deeply – why, after securing the gold did the robbers delay their escape in order to derail the locomotive? Was it simple malice or a perverted desire to cause additional destruction or was it something more, something sinister? As Colbeck continues his investigation he becomes convinced that the gang will strike again and that the object of that strike will not be simply to gain more money but will be an attack on the railway itself! 

I’ve been looking forward to ‘starting’ this series for a while now after previously reading, and greatly enjoying, the 15th book back in December ‘21 because of its Christmas theme. I was pretty confident that if the author could more than hold my interest after 15 books, he should do so with the first in the series – and so it was. I REALLY like this. I was already most impressed by Colbeck's abilities from my earlier introduction to him and his world and here he hit the ground running as he, and the inevitable solid side-kick, began the investigation, ran down clues and closed in on the miscreants behind the diabolical scheme. I was also hoping that we’d be introduced to Colbeck’s wife who I fell in love with in the 15th novel. Luckily, she did indeed appear – although both were single here – so we got to see how they met and why their difference in social standing didn’t come between them (Colbeck might be a highly education Inspector, but he actually came from more humble origins). The baddies were equally well-drawn and interesting and their motivations for their crimes were understandable. Being ‘baddies’ they had few redeeming qualities, which was quite funny at times, and I was convinced that at least one of them would end up twilling his moustache menacingly at some point! Overall, this was a well-paced, intriguing and highly entraining historical mystery/crime novel and I’m SO glad that its part of a LONG running series. I’m not 100% sure if I can get around to reading all 22 of them, but I’m definitely looking at trying. Very highly recommended for all crime, historical and railway buffs. 

[Highest page count of the year so far: 348pp][+22pp]

Happy World Book Day! Go READ something, or better still.... Go BUY something. Treat Yourself to a Book!

Ok, not exactly sure of the PRACTICALITY of such a thing.... But I still WANT one!! [lol]

Just Finished Reading: Spying on Whales – The Past, Present and Future of the World’s Largest Animals by Nick Pyenson (FP: 2018) [256pp] 

Whales are strange creatures, which is probably one reason why they fascinate us so much. For one thing they’re the largest mammals on the planet – by far – and are, indeed, the largest animals to have ever lived, including the dinosaurs. Another thing that often surprises is that they were once (much smaller!) land mammals before they returned to the world's oceans around 50 million years ago. In the first section of this intriguing and often fascinating work the author, who is a Palaeontologist, looks at how evolution has shaped whales for their environment, including reasons for their gigantic size in several species as well as the development of the baleen system of feeding, echolocation especially in dolphins and, of course, how whales ‘sing’. 

The second section looks at present day whales – those who through luck or for other reasons escaped the cull of the last few centuries and who have started to recover in numbers (some more than others). Much is made of, as you can imagine, the problems of pollution, global warming – and how it impacts things such as food supply, ocean currents and so on. Likewise, the drop in species diversity – caused by so many being taken out of the picture by hunting – is recognised as a problem going forward. 

The last section looks at the future of whales. Although recovery is underway, it's not entirely certain that some species of whales will survive much longer. Two in particular might already be extinct (actually somewhat difficult to prove conclusively) or be close to it. Even those apparently in more favourable circumstances may not be out of the woods yet. Their environment is changing, and quickly, due to our influence. Not only is the chemical nature of the oceans changing – with chemical run-off, plastics and the gradual acidification of sea water – but global warming is threatening both krill populations (a primary food source of the baleen whales) and their breeding grounds. Their survival is not guaranteed. 

As you might imagine, this was a much more scientific book than my previous read and I probably enjoyed it more because of that. I certainly learnt a lot about the life cycle of whales and how they fit into the oceanic ecosystems. I learnt quite a bit about Orcas (killer whales) too, much of which was completely new to me – which I really liked! This is a must read for anyone interested in these mammoths of the sea and will give you both insights and plenty to mull over. Definitely recommended. 

Special mention of the impressive line drawings throughout by Alex Boersma. 

Well, THAT didn't take long..... [lol]

 

Welcome to March..... Let the Craziness begin expand...!