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
THIS ONE’LL SLAY YA! The Architecture of Murder by James Scott Byrnside
What is the most existential birthday present you’ve ever received? I hope that question doesn’t seem too foreboding! It’s not my aim to inspire dread in any of my readers who are about to celebrate their own Big Day. I simply wanted to tell you all about the most existential birthday present I ever got. It happened on my … Continue reading THIS ONE’LL SLAY YA! The Architecture of Murder by James Scott Byrnside
BOOK CLUB FLIES SOLO, PART ONE: Ten Favorite Stand-Alone Mysteries
Every once in a while, my Book Club eschews the single Title-of-the-Month format and opts for a more general discussion. We select a topic – say, our favorite mysteries of the 1920’s or the best debut novels by a mystery author – craft our separate lists, and pool them together at our meeting - and … Continue reading BOOK CLUB FLIES SOLO, PART ONE: Ten Favorite Stand-Alone Mysteries
NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY GIRL! The Case of the Vagabond Virgin
Can we talk about titles for a minute? Who doesn’t feel comforted by the consistency found in the titles of 82 novels and four short tales that comprise the Perry Mason saga. Each begins with those pithy four words . . . The Case of the . . . and finishes with an adjectival modifier, followed by the … Continue reading NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY GIRL! The Case of the Vagabond Virgin
Ah Sweet Mystery! 