Before we start, let’s take a quiz. One question only, multiple choice. Go on – you know you want to. QUESTION: Look at the picture below: Can you identify who this is? Is it . . . A brilliant but disreputable (and proud of it!) classic mystery blogger (HINT: his name rhymes with “cray-cray”); A … Continue reading PAUL ET MOI DANS LE GRAND POMME!
Paul Halter
THE SEVEN BLUNDERS OF THE SEVEN WONDERS OF CRIME
I want to make it clear right from the start. I have nothing against ambition. They called the Wright Brothers foolhardy for imagining they could fly. Yet this real-life Daedalus and Icarus gave vent to their ambition, and because of them I can now relax in my cramped seat on Jet Blue, hoping against hope … Continue reading THE SEVEN BLUNDERS OF THE SEVEN WONDERS OF CRIME
GOING THROUGH PAUL HALTER’S SHORTS
Maybe it’s due to the mad whirl of school starting up again, but I’m having a hard time focusing on murder mysteries. I’ve been juggling a Carter Dickson, a Rex Stout, and a Theodore Roscoe, and I can't finish any of them. I’ve lost my follow-through! Maybe there’s just too much teacher stuff running through … Continue reading GOING THROUGH PAUL HALTER’S SHORTS
PUZZLING PUDDLES: Paul Halter’s The Madman’s Room
“A family united all together under the same roof, in an old manor, with a generous and very rich man. If this were a novel, it would end in tragedy.” It would seem that the madman here is yours truly. My problematical relationship with author Paul Halter has been well documented on this site. And … Continue reading PUZZLING PUDDLES: Paul Halter’s The Madman’s Room
SACRE BLEU! Caught Having a Good Time with Paul Halter
Those of you who have been kind enough to follow my excursions into classic mystery fiction know that along my reading travels there have been one or two travails, no more so, I fear, than my attempts to embrace Paul Halter, the modern-day French John Dickson Carr devotee and wannabe. God knows I’ve tried - … Continue reading SACRE BLEU! Caught Having a Good Time with Paul Halter
MY READINGS (AND REVISITINGS) OF 2016
Happy New Year, everyone! As a new blogger, I have only just become aware of the tradition in this community for those who blog about books to reflect on the past year in reading. Yes, let’s focus on the reading because in most other respects, for me at least, 2016 was not a keeper! So … Continue reading MY READINGS (AND REVISITINGS) OF 2016
DRACULA IT AIN’T: Paul Halter’s The Vampire Tree
After reading all of Agatha Christie’s novels and stories – most of them multiple times – I feel I can talk about her with, if not authority, then great confidence. After reading nine novels by Paul Halter, an author I have admittedly had trouble appreciating, I cannot admit any authority or confidence, but I feel … Continue reading DRACULA IT AIN’T: Paul Halter’s The Vampire Tree
HISTORY CROSSES PATHS: The Picture From the Past
This month, the Tuesday Night Bloggers tackle a sprawling subject: the relationship between mystery and history. It’s a topic one can examine from many different angles. So far, members of the group have shared insights about mysteries set in specific historical eras, or examined how historical context plays into, or is revealed, in Golden Age … Continue reading HISTORY CROSSES PATHS: The Picture From the Past
HERE I GO AGAIN: Looking for a Halter That Works
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” My blogging pal JJ from The Invisible Event reminded me of this bit of wisdom only the other day after I told him that I had purchased a new Paul Halter novel. You see, my relationship with Halter’s work has … Continue reading HERE I GO AGAIN: Looking for a Halter That Works
THE SEVENTH HYPOTHESIS, or Why I’m Taking a Break from Paul Halter
“That’s the problem. No matter how far back I go, I can’t remember a case where we’ve talked so much . . . “ Amen, brother! That’s Inspector Archibald Hurst, the rotund Watson to Paul Halter’s super-sleuth, Dr. Alan Twist, channeling the complaints of this reader in what some fans seem to consider their favorite … Continue reading THE SEVENTH HYPOTHESIS, or Why I’m Taking a Break from Paul Halter
Ah Sweet Mystery! 