Mabel Seeley was a mystery writer who published a few novels beginning in the late 1930's through the early 1950's. The Chuckling Fingers was first published in 1941. In it, the Heaton family (Minnesota lumber tycoons) experience some strange goings-on at their remote estate (called "Fiddler's Fingers") along the shore of Lake Superior.
Ann Gay has received a letter warning her that her cousin and friend, Jacquelin "Jacqui" Heaton, may be in danger. Jacqui is newly married to Bill Heaton and Ann wants to make sure everything is okay. Ann arrives to the Heaton estate to find tensions everywhere and minor, but irritating incidents occurring - acid has burned a hole in Bill's suit, a bed has been set on fire, and even Ann is not able to escape the incidents as her robe is cut to ribbons. Jacqui, meanwhile, appears to be unstable and all the evidence to the incidents points right to her. But Ann suspects something else may be behind this.

I'm not a tremendous fan of mysteries from this period - perhaps that's why it took me awhile to actually enjoy the genre - but overall I liked Seeley's style. She created some great atmosphere and some fun characters to root for and to hate. I also found the format - the narrative from a relative outsider - to be intriguing and memorable. It may have helped that I read a large portion of this while sitting in a resort along Lake Superior myself, so I was deeply rooted in the setting.

However, my main problem with mysteries like this is the tendency to have an ending that comes essentially out of nowhere. The resolution is not something that we the reader have seen all along, but instead it's a bit of sudden discovery and revelation that wraps it all up in a nice little bow. perhaps readers of the time expected and accepted this, but for modern readers, this is an uncomfortable jolt.

I'd never heard of Mable Seely before this, but based on the general style and writing, I'm glad that her work is seeing new light and hopefully finding a new audience. I look forward to reading more of her work.

Looking for a good book? The Chuckling Fingers by Mabel Seeley is classic 1940's mystery fiction seeing a new light. It suffers from the period style of surprising the reader with new evidence to find the resolution, but is an enjoyable read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This one reminded me a bit of The Crying Child by Barbara Michaels for some reason. I think it was the atmosphere of extreme paranoia and unreliable witnesses as well as the strong bond between two female characters as when it really comes down to it the books have nothing in common plot wise. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. As with most books in the classic American mystery genre the book is a bit slower paced with details and plot points carefully layered in.

I really liked Ann as a main character here. When she realizes that something hinky is going on her first reaction is to bundle up her cousin and daughter and get out of dodge. She doesn't know what's going on but she does know she doesn't want any part of it and fully believes in her cousin's sanity. After the first body falls and they have to stay put she works just as hard to prove her innocence.

This is the second book I've read by Seeley and I have really enjoyed both of them. I liked the bond between Ann and Jacqueline and was really invested in finding out just what was going on.

In The Chuckling Fingers, increasingly hostile pranks are played on a rich Michigan family. All eyes turn to the new bride, Jacqueline. Level-headed Ann comes to the family’s compound to clear her cousin’s name by unmasking the real perpetrator.

Whenever I read one of these golden age mysteries it is difficult to not compare them to Dame Agatha. Christie’s plots were always challenging mysteries. The clues were obscured. However, it was possible for the observant reader to solve the crime. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for The Chuckling Fingers. Even after the killer is revealed, there is no way for an armchair detective to get there other by random guessing. For that reason, this book gets 3 stars from me.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Disclaimer: this was written in 1941 so expect weird turns of phrase that Google can't help you with.

Ann receives an urgent note telling her to visit her newly married cousin on Fiddler's Fingers. There she discovers that someone has been pulling cruel pranks and pinning the blame on her cousin. Before Ann can get her to leave, someone is murdered. Suspicion is thrown on Ann's cousin and Ann has to prove her cousin's innocence.

For a slow beginning, once murder happens the pace goes full steam. The characters are interesting but I kept on confusing the men. Fortunately, at the beginning of the book is a character list with notes. This was an enjoyment saver. Ann is constantly thinking on her feet which is a good thing because someone is either being killed or something is being used as a red herring. The identity of the killer was clever.

Review based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

The Conventional Wisdom on MABEL SEELEY is "This book could be published today! It's so modern! And not racist!" This is all true. I loved the other recent reissue THE LISTENING HOUSE, which was gory in an wholly unexpected way. This title is not as bloody, but it is still really good. Sorry I can't add more than the madding crowd.