“The city in these pages is imaginary. The people, the places are all fictitious. Only the police routine is based on established investigatory technique.” I’ll take my inspiration anywhere I can get it. This one came about from two different sources. The first was my own crazy head: I was sitting around, recovering from a … Continue reading FROM KING’S RANSOM TO 天国と地獄 (HIGH AND LOW)
Author: Brad
ARE YOU MY MOTHER? Gus and the Missing Boy
Like me, some of you might remember how back in the 1980’s and 90’s, the dairy industry would put the pictures of missing children on their cartons. This was the time – blissfully free of the internet – when wanted posters dotted the bulletin boards in every post office. It seems like a natural fit … Continue reading ARE YOU MY MOTHER? Gus and the Missing Boy
CRY WOLF NO MORE: The Window (1949)
Stupid head cold! It came on me on Tuesday, and so far it has made me miss a haircut, a massage, a night at the theatre, and forty bucks for COVID tests. (Fortunately, I have tested negative – twice!) I hate being sick! I hate NyQuil, and daily bowls of chicken soup, and drowning my … Continue reading CRY WOLF NO MORE: The Window (1949)
THE ART OF ADAPTATION: Ms. Ma, Nemesis
If you ever go wandering through this blog and find some of my early posts about film adaptations of Agatha Christie’s work, you find yourself in the presence of a staunch purist. I mean, when your favorite author’s greatest strength is her plotting, why tamper with perfection? Why indeed? My relationship with adaptation has changed … Continue reading THE ART OF ADAPTATION: Ms. Ma, Nemesis
GOURMET VS. G-MEN: The Doorbell Rang
My recent sampling of the work of Herbert Brean left me with a hankering for more Gotham-centered mystery. And when you want a taste of New York, what better place to stop than West 35th Street, home of that orchid-loving, gargantuan grumpy genius, Nero Wolfe, and his girl-magnet sidekick and everybody’s favorite Watson, Archie Goodwin. These … Continue reading GOURMET VS. G-MEN: The Doorbell Rang
DEATH AND THE HYPNOTIC EYE: The Darker the Night
My pal JJ has been extolling the talents of Herbert Brean over at The Invisible Event since 2017 . . . but I didn’t listen. Two years after that, our buddy Ben at The Green Capsule joined in the chorus . . . and I didn't take up the tune. And then in 2020 our … Continue reading DEATH AND THE HYPNOTIC EYE: The Darker the Night
ABA-DABA-HONEY-MURDER: The Case of the Haunted Husband
“‘The trouble, Mason, is that you find too many bodies.’“Mason said, ‘No. The trouble is that I can’t stay in my office and wait for people to come in and see me the way clients are supposed to. I have to get out on the firing line. When you do that, you circulate around quite … Continue reading ABA-DABA-HONEY-MURDER: The Case of the Haunted Husband
MY AGATHA CHRISTIE INDEX
It's no secret that I have given much focus on this blog to Agatha Christie, but then she is my favorite mystery author. I've even got a Christie tag at the top!! Now, if you prefer meandering around people’s blogs, feel free to do so; WordPress provides a search engine which is all you need. Still, I … Continue reading MY AGATHA CHRISTIE INDEX
POLITICS AS USUAL: The Hollywood Blacklist (1947-1958)
I talk to my mother every night on the phone, and invariably, we get around to the news of the day. It wears my mother down, and she moans, “What a world, what a world we live in today!” That’s when I have to remind her, ever so gently, that the world isn’t so very … Continue reading POLITICS AS USUAL: The Hollywood Blacklist (1947-1958)
THIS TIME CARR DRIVES THE BUS: The D.A. Draws a Circle
It’s Leap Day, everyone! Every four years, we gather together 1440 minutes and set them before the people. It’s a gift of time! It’s an acknowledgement of our limitations at monitoring the whirl of planets and the time flow of the cosmos. To me, it’s more unnerving than Halloween and more deserving of celebration. When … Continue reading THIS TIME CARR DRIVES THE BUS: The D.A. Draws a Circle
Ah Sweet Mystery! 