Search - The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories

Nine stories by Auntie Agatha: some murder, some mystery, some interesting, some dull as dishwater.
The opener, a tidy but called “The Edge,” I found to be the most intriguing. “Edge” has so many implications. A marries B, who is in love with C, who is married to D. Nothing new here. But, here’s the rivalry; E is in love with A, discovers B and C, of whom A knows nothing. Such a conundrum! E can’t decide how to handle it. Someone will go over the “edge,” but whom?
“The Actress” is really a ham until she outwits a would-be blackmailer. Now she’s a star.
“While the Light Lasts” revives the old tale of a presumed dead husband, a remarriage, and a return of the dead.
“House of Dreams” is merely weird. Don’t bother.
“The Lonely God” is an obscure statue that attracts two people and brings them together in a sort of O. Henryish tale.
“Manx Gold” reminds me of E.A.P.’s “The Gold Bug,” except that the clues a more obscure, we aren’t allowed to understand their solution as we read, and the explanation at the end is more obscure that the clues. Don’t bother with this one either.
“Within a Wall” is so dull I don’t even remember it.
“The Mystery of the Spanish Chest” is Poirot quickie sans ce cher Hastings. Hastings lucked out on this one.
The title story, “The Harlequin Tea Set,” is tedious to tears. Absolutely NOTHING happens until the last few pages.