| Title | : | Two Tocks before Midnight (The Agora Mystery #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 64 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2012 |
Two Tocks before Midnight (The Agora Mystery #1) Reviews
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Two Tocks Before Midnight is a Victorian style, period-drama, mystery in the style of Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The straightforward short story is meant as an introduction to the Agora Club, a men’s society with the objective of making the world better.
The story revolves around forgeries that have been sold to museums by members of the Agora Society, without the knowledge of other Agora members, and how the culprits must be brought to justice, in effect forcing the members to police themselves. In the interim there is murder and mayhem and an attempt to do the right thing.
The story is entertaining; the characters could use a little more depth, but the story is barely 50 pages. A writer sometimes has to give up plot for pace. In this story, it is not such a bad tradeoff. There is a definite punch at the end which gives these quick-paced stories the satisfactory ending needed to make the entire process worthwhile. -
GAB Two Tocks Before Midnight is an interesting short story, fast of pace, and in the style of Sherlock. complete in and of itself, Tocks is a teaser for a collection of short tales by author Clay Boutwell involving the Agora Society, a collection of about a dozen gentlemen "dedicated to foster ideas for the betterment of man" similar to Ben Franklin's Junto Society.
The Handkerchief, A short story, is a change of pace completely modern short about a man meeting his wife at a big airport. Fearing his wife is coming home to pack up and leave him, he tries to distract himself by people watching, and finds fascinating the parting of a soldier and his girl, and a lipstick and tear-stained army issue handkerchief that awakens in him the desire to save his relationship with his wife.
I received a free electronic copy of these short stories from Clay Boutwell in exchange for an honest review. Thank you sir for sharing your hard work with me. -
This was a simple story told at a clip that should entertain mystery fans. Clay Boutwell is the author and it is free on Amazon for the kindle. The author is boldly commercial in convincing the reader to continue reading his Agora books...so I may or may not bite.
The 2nd volume contains 5 stories for $5, but I have not decided yet. -
2 Tocks Before Midnight.
10/24/1859, Boston, MA. The Agora society meets on a regular scheduled basis.
Some of the 12 members are: Joseph (bastard child, Charles’ 1/2 brother), Carl (narrator, Near Eastern languages), Dr. Christopher Harding (expert in papyrus, cuneiform, antiquity writing methods), Mr. Thomas Phillips (ancient weaponry skills, expert marksman), Mr. Charles Tock (speaks 13 languages, read 5 more, biblical language scholar).
The group also established a Freeman’s society which got 136 negroes released from their binds.
The financing of the repairs to the dam in Clarkesville was also a top priority.
Captain Barnwell informed the group Joseph was dead.
Why did Thomas suddenly disappear?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written Mystery (short story) book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great Mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Kotoba Books; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn) -
I got this as a e book for subscribing to the authors website. I enjoyed reading it. It had a good story to it. I look forward to more books by this author. It was a short story so I was able to read it in one reading session.
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I quite enjoyed this short story. It felt like a cross between a Sherlock Holmes story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and an Agatha Christie! This title is the first in a series of stories called The Agora Letters.
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Two Tocks before Midnight, The Agora Mystery Series 1 by Clay Boutwell begins in 1889 in Boston. It is an intriguing book and I gave it five stars because it kept my interest from start to finish.
"I can't even say with certitude that the events of that date occurred exactly as I remember them. As time passes, so do the minute and myriad details; rough edges are made smooth and the inevitable romanticizing of the past plays havoc with true fact."
Thomas, a club member who arrived later was suspected of being the killer. "He had become emotionally upset--as would I, had I been accused of murder unjustly. But if he truly was the murderer, the truth had to be fleshed out before another victim could be killed."
I received a complimentary Kindle copy in an Amazon promotion. That did not change my opinion for this book.
Link to purchase:
https://www.amazon.com/Two-Tocks-befo... -
This pseudo-Holmes-type tale, is written in the Victorian melodrama style.
Its narrator is Carl Brookes and he writes (as in a 1889 diary), with 'hindsight' of a quaint gentleman's club, whose members are the Rotarian-like benefactors and intellectuals, known as the Agora.
Two of the [twelve in total], members of the club are Charles Tock and Thomas Philips. They later turn out to be unscrupulous fraudsters and together with the former's half-brother Joseph, try to inveigle Carl and the others into authenticating antique parchments, with supposedly 'Biblical-era' texts on them.
Later Tock is murdered at the club and the other club members are threatened that two more of them will die...before midnight!
Can Carl and Captain Barwell thwart and unmask the villain(s) and save everyone inside the Agora Society Room - you'll have to read this quirky, (free) book by multi-talented author Clay Boutwell to discover!
Also includes a tiny gem of a short story, called The Handkerchief - a mischievous little bonus - at the end! -
Poe Revisited?
An epistle from the last remaining member of the Agora club, this story, well-narrated by the author, tells of the founding of the club and the shameful end of one of its members. While not quite a locked-room mystery, one recognizes tributes to Sherlock Holmes' observation and logic as well as the 19th century's passion for a Classical Education and admiration for accomplished scholarship. Now add in the stalwart policeman with admiration for the members' deductions--a nicely wrought tale! -
Excellent! Forgery, a secret society, murder, and a well documented cerebral investigation. And all in a length and style similar to Conan Doyle, what more could you ask for? Very well crafted and written for the enjoyment of those of us who always hope to find someone new yet similar.
Wayne Farrell is marvelous as Carl.
I requested and received a free review copy from the publisher, author, or narrator courtesy of AudioBookBOOM -
It was such a great read. I started off mildly interested and then... couldn’t wait to finish. Excited to start on the next one!! I even have my hubby reading the series. This story is told with such ease that I can truly visualize everything. For me, there was nothing about this book that fell short.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this short story from the author. I received nothing else in return for this review. My review is my complete and honest opinion. -
I really enjoyed this short story, being a fan of Sherlock Holmes I soon got into the style this was written in, and being a short story meant no long drawn out places, altogether an interesting read.
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This short story is a great little who-done-it with wonderful twists and turns before the fill disclosure of events. I highly recommend it.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this ebook from the author and this is my honest and freely given review. -
Because I love whodunnits and this is a great one. I also love historical fiction and this book fits both. It is a very short read with lots of twists.
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I really enjoy this short mystery. The plot was well done and the story was written appropriately for the time frame portrayed. Looking forward to more stories of the Agora society.
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Recieved free for review:
This is kind of along the line of sherlock Holmes. Quick to read. -
"Two Tocks Before Midnight" is the first book of the Agora Mystery Series, which is very comparable to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Homes". I loved the fact that this is a very short book (60 pages) that manages to tell a very complete story. (I love writing flash fiction myself.) The story, taking place in the 1800's, centers around a counterfeit document, and the Agora Society. The bad guy is caught, of course, and ... writes a letter explaining why he did what he did!
The various skills that members of the Agora Society exhibit (speaking and writing several languages, understanding antiquities and forgeries, weaponry skills, and a biblical language scholar) work together to solve the crime. The society itelf was formed to foster ideas for the betterment of man. During the years that the society existed, the members established a Freemason's society, which secured the release of one hundred and thirty-six slaves. The society also financed the repair of the dam in Clarksville, and were involved in building libraries, windmills, schoolhouses, and churches. They also assisted the police on occasion. As with the Sherlock Holmes series, I appreciate that fact that solving these crimes is very much an intellectual endeavor.
This is a crime that is being written about a good twenty years after it happened, which is intriguing. An Agara mmber by the name of Charles Tock takes forefront in this story. By age, and by abilities, he takes a leadership position with the Agara Society concerning the issue behind this story. His appearance in the Agara Society was sudden - and his disappearance just as sudden! Since it was truly frowned upon to miss a society meeting, other members decided to search for him. Charles had lied - the address he gave for his lodgng was false. End of search. Six months later - he turns up again! With him he has a strange man, who is carrying a parchment document. The document was ancient, and written in Paleo-Hebrew. It could very well be one of the "lost books" from the biblical period.
Within an hour, the document is found to a forgery. It is handed back to Charles. Within weeks a similar document appears on display in a museum! On speaking with the director, it is determined that three men are involved - Charles, Joseph (the man he brought with him to the society), and a third man. Charles, unfortunately is found dead, hanging in the society's lodging. It was murder, not suicide.
The characters in this story are fairly well developed, and the backdrop of society from that time period is delightful to read about. The storyline moves along at a good pace, and ends in quite an interesting manner.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery!
For transparency sake, I received this book in digital format free from the author. -
I am currently reading my way through a collection of free “reader magnets” - books offered for free which serve as a taster of a series. This one is a tale of the first case for the Agora Society, a group of nineteenth-century philosophers, scholars and, eventually, investigators. The book is quite short. It’s really more of a novella, or even a novelette, at around 12,000 words, but manages to pack in quite a lot of story for its size.
The most significant thing about this book is that it is a pastiche of nineteenth century mystery stories and has a certain amount of the style of the period. It would sit fairly comfortably among such books, not only the more famous ones such as Sherlock Holmes, but other lesser lights such as Max Carrados, Carnacki, or Horace Dorrington. It is introduced as an ensemble piece, but narrated in the form of a memoir by the notional protagonist Carl Brooke. This style includes a certain amount of intrusion from the writer of the memoir, along with occasional apologies for the vagueness of memory, but this all adds to the charm of the piece.
The story is essentially a crime mystery which starts with forgery, but then descends into murder and misdirection. We get a brief introduction to the Society and its aims, as well as some of the key characters and then launch into the mystery. One of the members vanishes for several weeks, then returns in an unusual state claiming to have uncovered a priceless ancient papyrus from the times of the old testament. The members of the Society are excited, until it becomes apparent that the work is, in fact, a very clever forgery. The puzzling Society member disappears again and then further, better, copies of the forged document begin appearing in collections and museums. It is apparent that the forgers have perfected their technique and are selling as many copies as they can.
The Agora Society gathers, and makes a collective decision to stop this unethical behaviour, whatever it takes. Their efforts seem to be succeeding, until the body of their disgraced ex-member is found dead, hanging in their meeting room. Now they find themselves facing an antagonist capable of not just fraud, but murder!
They engage the assistance of a local police officer and, after a series of investigations and scrapes, eventually discover and capture the culprit. In a regular story it would end there, but this one is presented as a memoir, so we also get a summary, in the form of a letter many years later, of what had really happened, and why. Obviously, as this is an introduction to the series, we also get an encouragement to read more adventures of Carl and the Society.
All in all a fun read, and refreshingly different from the tide of relatively formulaic cozy mystery stories which have appeared of late. I’m even considering buying some of the later books. -
The Kindle version of this tale was free so I want to be sure to review it. (It is free for that common reason: first in a long series of books. I have given away copies of my Kindle books before in the hopes that grateful readers would leave their opinion in lieu of the payment. Not so much!
Anyway, back to this mystery story. I found the story held my interest and I like what he did to write in the style of classic authors that I have read my whole life, such as Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and of course the Sherlock Holmes books he emulated specifically. I appreciated how the author let the cop be a contributing partner, rather than just Being an admiring S to the narrator’ genius. Also, the ending was intriguing. There were a couple of obvious twists I half expected to see at the end, but what the author chose was original and believable. -
This mystery novella (and a short one at that) is set in Victorian times and is definitely an homage to Sherlock Holmes judging by the tone of the story. Carl Brookes is a member of a Freemason sort of group and is the point of view character. They're all enthusiastic about antiques and a newish member, Charles Tock, presents them with a Biblical document, if true, would be priceless.
Carl, however, doubts it's authenticity. Before long murder follows forgery and it's down to Carl and his friends to sort it out. it was a bit short as I said and definitely has that Sherlockian flourish for bizarre clues but I did enjoy it. I wouldn't mind seeing more of this. -
Note: I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
I don't normally go for short stories - I prefer full length novels. But this one was decently done. And sometimes I think authors could take a hint from short story writers; their ability to tell a significant amount of story in just a few words is a good talent to have, imo. Especially for writers who tend to be a bit too ... er ... wordy *cough* George R.R. Martin *cough*. -
My first read from author Clay Boutwell. I'd gotten this Kindle book a year ago & never got around to reading it, but upon acquiring the Audible edition and being able to read along with the excellent narration I read it. Reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes with voice inflections reminiscent of Sean Connery this was a well-written, thoroughly enjoyable read! Since I own 3 other books by the author I'm sure I'll be reading more from him.
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WOW!!! Clay Boutwell can really write – this story was just amazing. I particularly enjoyed the punishment members of their secret society had to do if they were late for meeting ---- pick up horse manure in the streets! Interesting how some of the details of the time were correct and how the members connected with the family members of other members – very interesting, can’t put down novella! It also included a short story call “The Handkerchief” – which was also a 5*!
