Let’s face it: life these days has not been just a bowl of cherries. You might wonder, then, why I seem to only read books about violent death. The answer, for any fan of classic crime stories at least, is obvious: we read mysteries for the same reason that millions of souls gobbled them up between 1920 … Continue reading ABRA-CADAVER: Death and the Conjuror
The Golden Age of Detection
Re-Branding #3: The Gold Standard – Green for Danger
A few years ago, I had the good fortune to discuss Green for Danger with two other bloggers: John Norris of Pretty Sinister Books and Ben Randall of The Green Capsule. Here is that conversation, where you’ll discover that the idea I had to revisit all of Christianna Brand’s mysteries is a lot older than even I remembered. It … Continue reading Re-Branding #3: The Gold Standard – Green for Danger
ACDC PART TEN: In Which The Reader Is Warned . . . about The Reader Is Warned
After a notable pause, we return to my Carter Dickson celebration with The Reader Is Warned (1939), the tenth book John Dickson Carr wrote under this pseudonym and the ninth Sir Henry Merrivale mystery. Frankly, this is a difficult one for me to write about because, for the first 168 pages, it is so wonderful that it … Continue reading ACDC PART TEN: In Which The Reader Is Warned . . . about The Reader Is Warned
BOOK CLUB ON THE DEFENSE: The Case of the Shoplifter’s Shoe
Oh, to be in England! This week marks the eve of Bodies from the Library ’22, the long-awaited return to celebrating face-to-face all things related to the Golden Age of Detection. Most of my friends will be there, but here I am, stuck in the provinces. My Facebook feed alternates between the results of friends’ daily … Continue reading BOOK CLUB ON THE DEFENSE: The Case of the Shoplifter’s Shoe
THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION: The D.A. Calls It Murder
“The devil of it is, this isn’t like one of those detective stories, which you can solve by merely pointing the finger of suspicion at the guilty person. This is a real life, flesh and blood murder case, where we’ve got to produce actual evidence which can stand up in a court of justice. I’ve … Continue reading THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION: The D.A. Calls It Murder
THROWING DOWN THE GAUNTLET: The Best Weapon
Our little circle of folks who enjoy Golden Age mysteries have found untold pleasures finding each other on the Internet. While Agatha Christie may be the most frequently published author of all time, I have become convinced that I may be the only person west of the Mississippi who – well, not reads her, but deep dive-reads her. … Continue reading THROWING DOWN THE GAUNTLET: The Best Weapon
LONDON SHORTS WEATHER: Book Club Reads Capital Crimes
My Book Club is changing things up a little for May with a collection of short stories. Under the aegis of author and editor Martin Edwards, the British Library has published a number of these collections. Although they all tend to provide a mini-survey of mystery fiction, ranging from the pre-GAD era to the modern … Continue reading LONDON SHORTS WEATHER: Book Club Reads Capital Crimes
” . . . CRACK’D FROM SIDE TO SIDE”: Madness in Christie
(This article discusses over a dozen novels by Agatha Christie and is rich in spoilers. If you are only a casual reader of her work, I would advise you to read on with great caution as numerous murderers will be exposed.) A wise man once said, “We all go a little mad sometimes,” just before … Continue reading ” . . . CRACK’D FROM SIDE TO SIDE”: Madness in Christie
PODCAST MANIA, PART I: Five Little Pigs
“It’s psychology that interests you, isn’t it? Well, that doesn’t change with time. The tangible things are gone – the cigarette end and the footprints and the bent blades of grass. You can’t look for those anymore. But you can go over all the facts of the case, and perhaps talk to the people who … Continue reading PODCAST MANIA, PART I: Five Little Pigs
BOOK CLUB BLUES: Bristow/Manning Sequel Drags the Marsh
Three months after the fact, the world is still reeling from my extraordinary upset win in the 2021 Reprint-of-the-Year Awards, when Gwen Bristow and Bruce Manning’s 1930 debut novel, The Invisible Host, beat out J.D. Carr’s Till Death Do Us Part for the grand prize, (a deluxe lounge suite from Broyhill). The folks over at Dean Street Press … Continue reading BOOK CLUB BLUES: Bristow/Manning Sequel Drags the Marsh
Ah Sweet Mystery! 