“What more perfect image could Agatha have used for the disappearance of the world she had known? How wrong – how utterly wrong – were those who believed that Agatha Christie was a fossilized creature, suspended in an England that was forever 1932, comfortably taking tea in a firelit lounge: the very setting that Agatha … Continue reading RANKING MARPLE #11: At Bertram’s Hotel
Author: Brad
BOOK CLUB STICKS TO PROCEDUR-AL: Henrietta Who?
I confess that I’ve had several mysteries by Catherine Aird sitting on my shelf for a few years now without having enough gumption to pick one up and read it. But thanks to Book Club, that has been remedied, and I have to say this writer may have a long career ahead of her. Actually, Kinn Hamilton … Continue reading BOOK CLUB STICKS TO PROCEDUR-AL: Henrietta Who?
FA LA HA HA HA: The Christmas Appeal
“It’s a panto in a church hall, Elsie, what’s the worst that could happen?” In her acknowledgments at the end of The Christmas Appeal, author Janice Hallett reveals that she never had any intention of writing a sequel to her stunning debut novel from 2021, The Appeal. It was not until she sat down and began to … Continue reading FA LA HA HA HA: The Christmas Appeal
HAVE A HOLLY GIALLI HALLOWEEN
Tis the scary season, and I have a problem: as a boy, I loved a good horror movie, but as a curmudgeonly man, I have become fear-averse. More specifically, I have become viscera-averse! All the hacking, stabbing, piercing, gouging, rending, tearing, slicing and dicing have done me in (er, emotionally!) I have such distaste for … Continue reading HAVE A HOLLY GIALLI HALLOWEEN
KRIMES FOR KIDS: The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson
“On Monday afternoon, my beautiful baby boy, Teddy, went missing from my father’s yard. I urge anyone with any information as to where he is to please call the police. Anything, even the smallest bit of information, could help find him. So, please, no matter how trivial you think it might be, please call. “If … Continue reading KRIMES FOR KIDS: The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson
“OH, ROMEO, ROMEO, WHEREFORE AAAGGGGHH! . . .”: Juliet Dies Twice
“See what a scourge is laid upon your hate/That heaven finds means to kill your joy with love.” In the long-lived, much-married, distinctly Californian life of Jane de Lange Lewis Beynon Bissell Brandt, she managed to produce five mystery novels, all under the pen name Lange Lewis. On the basis of my enjoyment of her … Continue reading “OH, ROMEO, ROMEO, WHEREFORE AAAGGGGHH! . . .”: Juliet Dies Twice
RANKING MARPLE #10: A Caribbean Mystery
A Caribbean Mystery doesn’t get enough love. I am here to rectify that. It merits barely a mention in the various Christie biographies. Robert Barnard, in A Talent to Deceive, dismisses the book as “in the tradition of all those package-tour mysteries written by indigent crime writers who have to capitalize on their meager holidays.” Even my go-to … Continue reading RANKING MARPLE #10: A Caribbean Mystery
TIME OUT FOR GINGER: The Case of the Restless Redhead
“Hamilton Burger arose ponderously to his feet. ‘Just a moment, Your Honor’, he said. ‘I’d like to be heard on that question. I believe there has been a very deliberate attempt on the part of someone, and I am not at the present time naming that someone, although I hope to be able to do … Continue reading TIME OUT FOR GINGER: The Case of the Restless Redhead
SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY LIKE . . . The Case of the Borrowed Brunette
“Next time I run across anyone who is borrowing a brunette, I’m going to let him keep her!” There’s a comforting sameness at the beginning of a Perry Mason novel that is reminiscent of a Sherlock Holmes story. A client comes into the office to consult Mason on a problem. Like Baker Street sleuth, the lawyer is … Continue reading SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY LIKE . . . The Case of the Borrowed Brunette
THE AGATHA CHRISTIE DRAFT
(Warning: you should go into this article knowing that there will be massive spoilers of the solutions of many Agatha Christie titles! Enter at your own risk!!) Everyone has a list in their head of their favorite things. If I was to list just three of mine, I’d say that I love Agatha Christie I … Continue reading THE AGATHA CHRISTIE DRAFT
Ah Sweet Mystery! 