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Cheese
It's really a simple tale. A young woman, Jenny Morgan from rural England, is looking for work so she placed an advertisement in the London papers. She got a positive response! A lady is seeking a companion-secretary and a first meeting at the National Gallery is arranged. But then Jenny learns that there was a murder of another young woman in similar circumstances recently. So she consults the police. And then it gets complicated!
Librarian's note: Ethel Lina White was a prolific author, and became one of the best-known crime writers in Britain and the US during the thirties and forties. Though best-remembered for her novels Some Must Watch and The Wheel Spins, her short fiction was also hugely popular, and Cheese ranks amongst her best tales.
Librarian's note #2: many of the crime and detective stories of the Victorians, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Fantasy and Horror Classics is republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
Librarian's note: Ethel Lina White was a prolific author, and became one of the best-known crime writers in Britain and the US during the thirties and forties. Though best-remembered for her novels Some Must Watch and The Wheel Spins, her short fiction was also hugely popular, and Cheese ranks amongst her best tales.
Librarian's note #2: many of the crime and detective stories of the Victorians, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Fantasy and Horror Classics is republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
- GenresShort Stories
108 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1941
3 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Ethel Lina White
127 books105 followersEthel Lina White was a British crime writer, best known for her novel The Wheel Spins (1936), on which the Alfred Hitchcock film, The Lady Vanishes (1938), was based, and Some Must Watch (1933), on which the film The Spiral Staircase (1946) was based.
Born in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales, in 1876, White started writing as a child, contributing essays and poems to children's papers. Later she began to write short stories, but it was some years before she wrote books.
She left employment in a government job working for the Ministry of Pensions in order to pursue writing. Her writing was to make her one of the best known crime writers in Britain and the USA during the 1930s and '40s.
Her first three works, published between 1927 and 1930, were mainstream novels. Her first crime novel, published in 1931, was Put Out the Light. Although she has now faded into obscurity, in her day she was as well known as such writers like Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie.
She died in London in 1944 aged 68. Her works have enjoyed a revival in recent years with a stage adaptation of The Lady Vanishes touring the UK in 2001 and the BBC broadcast of an abridged version on BBC Radio 4 as well as a TV adaptation by the BBC in 2013.
(from Wikipedia)
Born in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales, in 1876, White started writing as a child, contributing essays and poems to children's papers. Later she began to write short stories, but it was some years before she wrote books.
She left employment in a government job working for the Ministry of Pensions in order to pursue writing. Her writing was to make her one of the best known crime writers in Britain and the USA during the 1930s and '40s.
Her first three works, published between 1927 and 1930, were mainstream novels. Her first crime novel, published in 1931, was Put Out the Light. Although she has now faded into obscurity, in her day she was as well known as such writers like Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie.
She died in London in 1944 aged 68. Her works have enjoyed a revival in recent years with a stage adaptation of The Lady Vanishes touring the UK in 2001 and the BBC broadcast of an abridged version on BBC Radio 4 as well as a TV adaptation by the BBC in 2013.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 25, 2025
3 Stars. A fun little read. I found the 15-page story in Murder on the Railways which came out in 1996. It's originally from 1941. Ethyl White is the crime fiction author who published The Wheel Spins in 1936 which became Alfred Hitchcock's acclaimed movie, The Lady Vanishes, in 1938. In Cheese, the star is an intelligent young woman from the countryside who comes to London to look for work. Jenny Morgan places an ad in the paper and a Mrs. Harper responds saying she was in need of a personal assistant. But Jenny listened when a friend, the niece of a police sergeant, suggested checking details. For example, the letter to Jenny was on Ritz Hotel writing paper, but there had been no one with the Harper name registered there for a while. Maggie then recommended that Jenny consult with the police, especially since an Emmeline Bell had been murdered while hunting for a job recently. Jenny follows this good advice and meets with Inspector Duncan. It's what happens next that makes the story. Duncan sees her as the cheese in a trap to catch a rat. It looks simple but soon becomes complicated. I am going to read more White. (Oc2024/Se2025)
August 31, 2019
A fresh, young woman from the country in the big city is asked to be bait for a killer.
This is more of a thriller than a mystery. White writes damsel in distress very well and the right atmosphere that slowly builds the tension.
This is more of a thriller than a mystery. White writes damsel in distress very well and the right atmosphere that slowly builds the tension.
December 16, 2018
A boring and predictable short crime story.
December 12, 2023
Beautiful detailed expressions of young Jenny's inner thoughts.
May 23, 2025
Jenny Morgan is concerned about a letter offering employment so she contacts the police. The result, she will be the bait to catch a murderer,
An enjoyable short story.
An enjoyable short story.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews