One of this writer’s joys in exploring the world of classic detective fiction over the past ten years has been the discovery of some marvelous authors whose long-forgotten status has nothing to do with the quality of their work but, perhaps, their all-too-small output. Why did Harriet Rutland only write three books? Or Lange Lewis … Continue reading THE REDOUBTABLE LILY WU! The Chinese Chop
Author: Brad
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. CHAN! Keeper of the Keys
“I am only stranger, passing through, and it has been well said, the traveling dragon cannot crush the local snake . . . Do not believe, however, that I consider myself dragon. I lack, I fear, the figure.” Once upon a time, a hundred years ago to this very day, the The Saturday Evening Post began a … Continue reading HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. CHAN! Keeper of the Keys
THE POIROT PROJECT #4: Dead Man’s Folly
The order in which I read the sixty-six mystery novels of Agatha Christie was a total crapshoot, based largely on what cover or blurb struck my teenaged fancy. I couldn’t recite my reading chronology if I tried, although you always remember your first – and in my case, I remember my first four: And Then … Continue reading THE POIROT PROJECT #4: Dead Man’s Folly
THE OL’ SCRATCH AND BITE: The Case of the Velvet Claws
“'Every time you come here, you lie to me. You’re one of those baby-faced little liars that always gets by by deceit. Just because you’re beautiful, you’ve managed to get by with it. You’ve deceived every man that ever loved you, every man you’ve ever loved. Now you’re in trouble, and you’re deceiving me.' "She … Continue reading THE OL’ SCRATCH AND BITE: The Case of the Velvet Claws
HAPPY CENTENARY, MR. CHAN
Back in April of last year, I received an e-mail from a reader made some lovely comments about the blog – before pointing out a gap in my Golden Age coverage: “Many/most of my favorites are here, as illustrated by the fine group cartoon that graces the top of the blog. The reason I bring up Charlie … Continue reading HAPPY CENTENARY, MR. CHAN
PERRY AND DELLA AND PAUL, OH MY! A Perry Mason Menagerie for 2025
If, like me, you’re a fan of Perry Mason, the brilliant defense attorney/sleuth created by Erle Stanley Gardner, you are in luck! Gardner was one of the most prolific mystery authors of all time, and I intend to celebrate that for as long as my mind and spirit can keep this ol’ blog a’runnin’! He … Continue reading PERRY AND DELLA AND PAUL, OH MY! A Perry Mason Menagerie for 2025
“No denying she’s a funny girl, that Belle . . . ” Loose Lips by Kemper Donovan
When it comes to the high seas, I prefer my voyages to be vicarious. I have been known to get seasick on a slow ferry. My antipathy toward those flashy floating malls they call “luxury liners” is balanced by my fascination with all those YouTube videos of people taking and rating one cruise after another … Continue reading “No denying she’s a funny girl, that Belle . . . ” Loose Lips by Kemper Donovan
EVE OF POSSIBILITIES: Looking Back on ’24 and Forward to ’25
It’s New Year’s Eve, the final day of a most, er, dramatic year, and this is my 79th and final post of 2024. It's also the time when some of my fellow bloggers review their accomplishments, perhaps name a “Book of the Year,” and make prognostications about what’s coming up in 2025 that are hopefully vague … Continue reading EVE OF POSSIBILITIES: Looking Back on ’24 and Forward to ’25
THE POIROT PROJECT #3: The A.B.C. Murders
“As soon as I heard you were coming over, I said to myself: Something will arise. As in former days, we will hunt together, we two. But if so, it must be no common affair. It must be something – something recherche - delicate – fine . . .” No fictional detective had a more … Continue reading THE POIROT PROJECT #3: The A.B.C. Murders
2024 REPRINT OF THE YEAR #2: Cat of Many Tails
As soon as we received our invitations to take part in the 2024 edition of Reprint of the Year over at Kate’s blog, Cross-Examining Crime, I knew that one of my books had to be Ellery Queen’s Cat of Many Tails! I’m sure most of you know that “Ellery Queen” is the alias of cousins Frederick Dannay (the plotter) … Continue reading 2024 REPRINT OF THE YEAR #2: Cat of Many Tails
Ah Sweet Mystery! 