Stamp Mysteries...Yes!
The
mysteries in this list range from short stories taking inspiration from stamps,
to a burglar who knows how to read a Scott catalog, to a series featuring a
postal inspector. The books are in alphabetical order by title. The links will
open the Amazon.com book description page.
Big Money,
by Peter Turnbull
I haven't seen a review or synopsis of this, but word
has it that it features stamps!
Buy
Large Print Ed. from Amazon Approx $21.95
Bloodhounds,
by Peter Lovesey
The stamp appears very early in the story before any
crime is committed. A group of Bath crime novel lovers meet weekly to discuss
their favorite reads and they're quite eclectic in their interests. The
discussion turns to locked room mysteries and the novels of John D. Carr.
Eventually the Bloodhounds have their own locked room murder, in this case
a locked houseboat. The detection is done by Lovesey's Peter Diamond character
so there's a police procedural element as well.
Buy
book from Amazon Approx $4.79 Paperback
These mysteries by Doris Disney feature a Postal Inspector as a detective.
Black Mail, by Doris Disney (Out-of-Print)
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book from Amazon [Search Required]
Mrs. Meeker's Money, by Doris Disney (Out-of-Print)
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book from Amazon [Search Required]
Unappointed Rounds, by Doris Miles Disney
The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart,
by Lawrence Block
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Paperback from Amazon Approx $5.59
Bernie Rhodenbarr, the main character in the
Burgler
Who... series, just can't give up burglaring, and I suspect the reason
why is that stamps may be pretty high on his want list. In the legit world
he is a Used- that is, Antiquarian Bookseller who can't bear to sell his
four-year old Scott catalog, You see, just now it's rife with details about
his lovely paramours' country of origin, facts he can impress her with.
A fun and amusing read that appealed to the collector in me. Lawrence Block
is a confessed stamp collector with interests in Ireland and worldwide
19th century.
The Case of the One-Penny Orange,
by E. V. Cunningham [1981]
(Out-of-print)
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book from Amazon [Search Required]
Masao Masuto is a Japanese- American detective in Beverly
Hills who investigates the murder of a prominent stamp dealer. The title
refers to an 1847 stamp from the island of Mauritius that is worth over
$500,000. The case also involves Masao's following the trail of an SS commander
who disappeared at the end of World War II. (Pseudonym of Howard Fast).
The Chinese Orange Mystery,
by Ellery Queen
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book from Amazon Publisher out of stock. Price TBD.
1983 Ed. from Amazon
[Search Required]
Frederick Dannay and Manfred Lee wrote this and many other
mysteries under the name "Ellery Queen" A man is found dead in
the waiting room of a noted stamp collector - and all of the man's clothing
is on back-to-front! To say more would spoil the story. Originally published
in 1934. The 1983 now out-of-print reissue had the curious subtitle of
"Wife or Death".
Dead Letters,
by Sean McGrady [1992]
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Paperback from Amazon Approx $4.40
Synopsis from Amazon: FBI-trained US Federal Postal Inspector Eamon Wearie explores
Baltimore's dead letters warehouse where he discovers clues to a gruesome
murder. Out of a job and in over his head, Wearie finds his search leads
straight to hell.
Dutch Blue Error, by William
Tappley
A Boston lawyer is in hot pursuit of a stolen Dutch Blue
Error.
The Fourth Postman,
by Craig Rice (Out-of-print)
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book from Amazon [Search Required]
Craig Rice appears to have been a popular writer in the 30s
and a number of his books are available as reissues in as mass paperback
"Library of Crime Classics" reprints. Unfortunately, this one
does not appear to have been reissued on its own.
Hit Man,
by Lawrence Block.
[1999]
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Hardcover from Amazon Approx $15.40
Buy Paperback from Amazon Approx
$5.59
Keller, the hit man of the title, engaging in what a review
called "a search for retirement satisfaction," tries out several
things, one of which -- and the only one that works out -- is stamp collecting.
He gets so into it that he can't retire because he needs the income to
support his new stamp collecting habit. [Mystery readers will know
that
feeling!] Lawrence Block is a confessed stamp collector with interests
in Ireland and worldwide 19th century.
The Mandarin Mystery,
by Ellery Queen [1936] [Video] Directed by Ralph Staub and staring the unimposing Eddie
Quillan as Ellery Queen. A locked-room murder mystery revolving around
a priceless stamp. Also starring Charlotte Henry. This movie is available
only in the USA.
Ed: Could this be
The Chinese Orange Mystery?
McNally's Secret,
by Lawrence Sanders
Buy
book from Amazon - Approx $6
Buy Audio tape from Amazon - Approx
$6.99
Synopsis from Amazon: "Accustomed to helping the high society of Palm Beach cover
up its scandals, private investigator Archy McNally agrees to assist a
wealthy matron find a missing block of priceless stamps when the case uncovers
a shocking secret from his own past."
From the Editor: Lawrence Sanders has his fans. I imagine Product Placement Managers,
if there is such a thing for books, are among the most active members.
I also find it slightly odd that a guy of his tastes and habits, I'm talking
about McNally, still lives with Mom & Dad. Yes, McNally is a curious
amateur PI....
The Mystery Box,
by Frederick Highland.
Short Story Collection
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Hardcover from Amazon Approx $24.95
Buy Softcover from Amazon Approx
$16.95
Twenty mysteries of all types - historical, suspense, cozy, psychological,
parody. Although only a few of the stories actually have a stamp
in
the story, each story is illustrated with and is inspired by postage stamps.
Unique non-fiction commentary follows each tale, sort of like AMC or History
Channel vignettes. Reviewed widely in the philatelic press and a cover-feature
excerpt in the January 1999 American Philatelist. A must have for collectors
and mystery readers alike.
Return of the Jenny,
by
Dick Stark
A second sheet of 100 Jenny's was spirited out of the
U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing by a worker, leading to murders both
back in time and in modern times when the sheet is rediscovered. The Jenny
of the title is the Curtiss Jenny, the airplane that was printed upside
down on one sheet of airmail stamps in 1918. This invert is one of the
best-known rarities in U.S. stamp collecting, worth maybe $100,000 each.
[synopsis contributed by a reader. No ISBN information available.]
The Scarlet Ruse,
by John D. MacDonald.
Buy
Paperback from Amazon Approx $4.79
Buy Audio Cassette from Amazon
Approx $6.29
A Travis McGee mystery in which Travis is hired to recover
a stolen stamp collection. The audio cassette version is read by Darren
McGavin.
Sealed With a Kiss,
by Sean McGrady [1995]
Buy
Paperback from Amazon Approx $4.40
Baltimore Postal Inspector Eamon Wearie and his partner,
Bunko Ryan, search for an avenging femme fatale and her poison pen sending
a series of threatening chain letters connected to the grisly deaths of
their male recipients.
Solomon's Seal,
by Hammond Innes
Buy
Paperback from Amazon Approx $19.95
Buy LargePrint Ed. from Amazon
Approx $21.95
A true "philatelic mystery". A must read for those
who enjoy adventure, exotic locations, historical content, and the unraveling
of a philatelic puzzle. Very well written and clearly well researched.
The paperback is a 1997 reissue from Pan. The 1981 Large Print edition
is from Ulverscroft.
The Stamp Collectors,
by David Benedictus (Out-of-print)
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book from Amazon Search Required
Town Without a Zip,
by Sean McGrady
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Paperback from Amazon Approx $4.79
Synopsis from Amazon: Returning from his honeymoon, Eamon Wearie is the target of a
series of life-altering incidents. Behind the disasters is a madman's scheme
to possess the woman he has always loved. Now, to get inside the criminal
mind, Eamon must look to the deviant's heart--and the twisted love letters
that reveal the mark of a killer.
Pull a rabbit out of the hat
- do you know any thing about the following titles?
Let
me know.
The Adventure of the One-Penny Black from
The Adventures
of Ellery Queen
The Antigua Stamp, by Robert Graves. [1936, UK
The
Penny Puce Sadly, out of print.
Cancelled in Red,
by Hugh Pentecost A prolific
writer, but I could find nothing about this particular title.
Darling Corey's Dead,
by Maurice Webb
Death of a Postman, by John Creasy
The Great Mail, by Clarence Budington Kelland
The Postage Stamp Murder,
by George C Bestor -
Geo. Clinton Bestor wrote "City Planning Bibliography".
Could he be moonlighting as a writer of philatelic fiction??
Stolen Stamps,
by J Bruce Chiltenden
Kidz | Philatelic
Mysteries
| Philatelic Sort of...
