My experience with mystery writer Patrick Quentin, the pseudonym of . . . oh, so many people, but mostly Hugh Wheeler and Rickie Webb, is sketchy. Many years ago, Avon published six catchy paperbacks comprising the first six cases for Peter and Iris Duluth, who had perhaps the most fraught marriage of any romantic sleuthing team in … Continue reading THAT’S WHAT FIENDS ARE FOR: A Puzzle for Fiends by Patrick Quentin
“Let’s all go to the lobby . . . ” – My Spring Movie Round-up
Sadly, there hasn’t been much of a reason for me to go to the cinema these past few years, and I say this as someone who was once an inveterate moviegoer. It’s expensive and it’s uncomfortable (I hate those “luxury seats”: they’re too warm, and they make my legs cramp unless I put the seat all the … Continue reading “Let’s all go to the lobby . . . ” – My Spring Movie Round-up
“Un peu toujours la même chose . . .” The Case of the Cautious Coquette
For those of you with a shaky vocabulary, “coquette” is a French term for a flirty woman. That fits in perfectly with our ’26 Perry Mason theme of Les Femme! Les Femme! Les Femme! But before we get to it, I can’t help wondering what sort of mystery might have arisen if the title had been slightly altered … Continue reading “Un peu toujours la même chose . . .” The Case of the Cautious Coquette
ALL HER WORLD’S A STAGE: Theatricality in the Novels and Stories of Agatha Christie, Chapter 6: Design for Murder
At the midpoint of 4:50 from Paddington, Lucy Eyelesbarrow enters the Long Barn at Rutherford Hall for the first time. She is looking for a body. This is what she finds: “At a first glance, Lucy felt that she was in a singularly bad museum. The heads of two Roman emperors in marble glared at her … Continue reading ALL HER WORLD’S A STAGE: Theatricality in the Novels and Stories of Agatha Christie, Chapter 6: Design for Murder
THE “GREATEST FILM SLEUTHS” DRAFT
One of the many things that the Three Amigos – Nick, Sergio and Brad – have in common is that, as much as we love to read mysteries, we adore watching them every bit as much! That’s why we talk about movies nearly every time we get together and why we’ve drafted about The Greatest … Continue reading THE “GREATEST FILM SLEUTHS” DRAFT
AAAAND – CUT! A Deadly Episode, by Anthony Horowitz
It is always a pleasure to return to the work of Anthony Horowitz, an author who never met a meta-fiction he didn’t like. First, he gave us a trilogy about an editor who had to solve the mysteries in the books she published in order to find justice for the bodies dropping all around her. … Continue reading AAAAND – CUT! A Deadly Episode, by Anthony Horowitz
DÉJÀ REVIEW: Vivian Dies Again by C. E. Hulse
I recently did some research on the concept of déjà vu – not for the first time, I feel almost certain – and I learned that this feeling that we are experiencing something that happened to us before arises from a sort of “glitch” in our brain between the part that detects familiarity and the part that … Continue reading DÉJÀ REVIEW: Vivian Dies Again by C. E. Hulse
THE BAD BOYS OF SUMMER, CHRISTIE-STYLE
Happy June, everyone! Happy harbinger of summer! Happy Pride Month! It’s time to trade slacks for shorts (please ignore my pasty legs) and fire up those grills (unless the CC&R’s of your condo association forbid barbecuing). Grab your towel, trunks and bottle of lotion with SPF500 and head to the beach – unless you live … Continue reading THE BAD BOYS OF SUMMER, CHRISTIE-STYLE
MR. THORWALD IN THE GARDEN WITH THE HATBOX: Sergio and Brad Discuss Rear Window
If you are a true "Ah Sweet Mysterian" (yes, we've got our own cult name!), then you know that Rear Window is my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie and maybe my favorite film of all time. I've mentioned it a lot and written about it extensively here. But I've never gotten to talk about it quite … Continue reading MR. THORWALD IN THE GARDEN WITH THE HATBOX: Sergio and Brad Discuss Rear Window
BONUS GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS!: The Case of the Crimson Kiss
We’re nearly halfway through our celebration into the Girls! Girls! Girls! of Perry Mason. The truth is that I selected a dozen novels that, title-wise, fit the thematic bill, but the titular ladies abound in the 82-novel canon that comprises Mason’s career. The feminine gender even seeps into the four novelettes that Erle Stanley Gardner … Continue reading BONUS GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS!: The Case of the Crimson Kiss
Ah Sweet Mystery! 