Follow the Clues Mystery Challenge 2017 Wrap-up

It’s time now for me to make my case in Bev’s Follow the Clues Mystery Challenge. The challenge was to read a certain number of mysteries and link them in a chain of evidence from one to the other. As she explained:

To follow a set of clues furnished by the mystery books you read to create a body of evidence to support a book court case. Each book clue should lead you to your next read. The connection can be anything at all from author names to motive for murder to type of mystery (police procedural, espionage, romantic thriller, etc) to an item on the cover, but you must be able to make your case to the jury on your detective logic.

I read ten books, successfully reaching the Felony level, which was my goal. My favorite book of the bunch was Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, though I enjoyed all of them so much that I have a renewed enthusiasm for the mystery genre. I’ve already signed up for next year’s challenge, and I’m aiming for the Capitol Offense level of twelve books.

Here, then, is my body of evidence for the 2017 Follow the Clues Mystery Challenge:

1. The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux- Finished 1/1/2017 – This book has an introduction by Otto Penzler, which is the clue that leads to another book with an introduction by Otto Penzler…
2. The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer – The cover of the Open Road edition has a clock tower on the cover, leading to another book with a timepiece on the cover… – Finished 1/31/2017
3. 4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie – This mystery involves a train, which leads to a book with a form of transportation on the cover, a ship… – Finished 2/13/2017
4. The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie – This book features a ship on the cover, which leads to a book that features another form of transportation, a Lincoln Town Car… – Finished 10/3/2017
5. The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly – The title of this book mentions Lincoln, a head of state. This clue leads to another head of state… – Finished 10/24/2017
6. The Last Queen of England by Steve Robinson – This book leads from the Queen of England to a book written by the Queen of Mystery… – Finished 10/27/2017
7. The Murder in the Vicarage by Agatha Christie – This book features a character who is a member of the clergy, leading to a mystery written by a member of the clergy, Jesuit priest Fr. Brad Reynolds… – Finished 11/4/2017
8. The Story Knife by Brad Reynolds – The title of this book features the word story, leading to a book that has the word stories in its title… – Finished 11/5/2017
9. Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James – This collection of gothic tales leads to one of the most famous gothic books of all time… – Finished 11/19/2017
10. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier – Case closed. – Finished 12/6/2017