hiatus (n.) – a temporary break, pause or interruption in an ongoing activity, work or series

Hello, my fellow mystery lovers! This month marks eleven years of Ah Sweet Mystery! I can’t believe the time has gone so fast, or how much I still enjoy delivering my thoughts to you about our favorite genre, whether it’s celebrated in book form or on the screen. I know you have many choices out there of whom to read, and so I appreciate you stopping by occasionally to find out what’s on my mind. 

I’m celebrating my anniversary by taking a short break. I’m not much of a traveler, but this month I’m heading to England to celebrate the 136^th birthday of my favorite mystery author, Dame Agatha Christie. There will be time spent in London visiting friends, browsing bookshops and seeing theatre, but the main excitement starts when I board a train to Torquay in order to take part in this year’s Christie Festival! I have lots of exciting adventures in store, including making my first trip to Burgh Island, where Agatha found the inspiration for And Then There Were None and Evil Under the Sun. I’ll be boating down the River Dart and hobnobbing with fellow Christie scholars and fans. I might even hang out with a certain lady and her dog . . . 

I’m also lucky enough to participate in two Festival events. First up is a panel discussion on Christie’s Greatest Narrators, with Kemper Donovan, host of All About Agatha, and fellow panelists (and authors) Victoria Dowd, Tina Hodgkinson, and Jamie Bernthal-Hooker. Following that, I’m going to embarrass distinguish myself in a quiz tournament pitting two teams of Christie experts against each other in a test of knowledge. 

I’m on Team Marple! 

When I return I will have lots to tell you! Beginning in October, you can expect to hear my full report of the festival. I will also have reviews of the latest books by Lucy Foley (the first Miss Marple continuation novel – like Little Red Riding Hood, I’m excited and scared!) and Janice Hallett (the sequel to my favorite of her novels, The Appeal). I’ll be preparing all month for The Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid Noir Draft, to be held in November with Nick and Sergio. And there will be more reviews of books and films, more Perry Mason Connections, and maybe some more thoughts on theatricality in Agatha Christie’s work. 

Folks, I’m not going to leave you completely empty-handed. Let’s ease into this hiatus gently! Over the next week, I have prepared another two-part exploration into a group of actors who appeared on Perry Mason. I will also publish my monthly review of the latest case for Perry Mason and Girls! Girls! Girls!, which normally lands on the 17^th but will show up on the 7^th. I’ll be posting pictures of my travels – and participate in Kate Jackson’s weekly fun for #MurderEveryMonday on Instagram, so follow me there @ahsweetmysteryblog.

For now, you’ll have to make do with Kate and Moira and Libby and Jim and Steve and John and Aidan and Jose and all the other great mystery bloggers out there while I’m gone. (Good grief! Where do you find the time???)

À bientôt!