On the last day of June this year, I had the great good fortune to spend hours and hours in the company of two learned friends talking about Agatha Christie. If you turned into last week’s episode of The Men Who Explained Miracles, JJ and Dan’s blog about impossible crimes, JJ and I discussed the impossible crime novels that Christie wrote, expanding upon the list that Robert Adey formulated in his recently republished compendium on impossible crime fiction, Locked Room Murders. We wrapped that conversation up right before Dan joined us and, in with incredible generosity, both podcast hosts put their preoccupations with the impossible aside to just . . . talk about Christie.

                     I’m so glad to have this candid shot of our conversation that night.

With that, I link you here to JJ’s blog where you will find the link to the conversation. So sorry to send you so circuitously to it, but while you’re there, you can explore many wonderful posts. As JJ tells you in his own introduction, we spoil nothing – although as I listened I grew annoyed with how many times I would say, “We can’t get into that!” when I sooooo wanted to!!! To those of you willing to put up with the love fest, I hope you’ll enjoy it. Feel free to share your own opinions and memories of reading Dame Agatha in the comments below or at JJ’s place.

For me, listening to this was like finally getting that packet of Kodak snapshots of your vacation from the drugstore after they told you they’d misplaced the film, only a thousand times more wonderful. I think I was in such a happy daze talking with Dan and JJ that night that I only had the faintest glimmer of what exactly we said. But the joy of the evening all came back as I listened. Thanks, guys, for the memories.

** Incidentally, the cover picture for this post is of a biography of Christie written for children that my friend Viv gave me. I have to say that if you don’t have the time to read the books by Laura Thompson or Janet Morgan, you will be charmed by this book. It’s actually quite informative . . . and it has more pictures!