Last night, Theatre Works, one of the Bay Area’s most accomplished theatre companies, opened its 53rd season – and welcomed its new artistic director, Giovanna Sardelli – with a production of Mrs. Christie by Heidi Armbruster. Sardelli herself had directed the world premiere of this play in 2019 at the Dorset Theatre Festival, but Armbruster had been workshopping … Continue reading “WE DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE DISAPPEARANCE . . .
Author: Brad
GENTLEMEN PREFER . . . The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde
Let’s get the icky stuff out of the way first: a young blonde woman with a fresh black eye shows up at Perry Mason’s office, and he never expresses concern for her safety or well-being, never offers her a sympathetic comment, an ice pack or a raw steak. In fact, his early questions are disappointingly … Continue reading GENTLEMEN PREFER . . . The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde
THE CASE OF THE BODACIOUS BOOK COVERS
Mystery publishers have long adhered to the well-known adage – and I’m not talking about “Crime Doesn’t Pay! here” The concept that sex sells applies to books as well as anything else. This is all well and good; in fact, it leans right into the world of pulp fiction where the best of hard-boiled detectives … Continue reading THE CASE OF THE BODACIOUS BOOK COVERS
NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF . . . Monkey See, Monkey Murder
Writing, like old age and rugby, is not for sissies. This especially holds true for the writing of James Scott Byrnside, that sardonic writer of impossible crime novels, whose fifth book, Monkey See, Monkey Murder is clever and funny and definitely not for the squeamish. Byrnside is one of those rare modern authors who trades in the devices and … Continue reading NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF . . . Monkey See, Monkey Murder
REVENGE OF THE OCTO-BLOGGER!!
Can you believe it?!? Eight years ago today, I slapped the title of a very very old song on a shingle and set up shop as a blogger. My goal was to be a part of the conversation about all things having to do with the mystery genre that we all love. If I tend to run … Continue reading REVENGE OF THE OCTO-BLOGGER!!
A HAUNTING IN VENICE: La terza volta è il fascino!
Recently, the publisher William Morrow released a paperback tie-in to Kenneth Branagh’s latest Agatha Christie-inspired film that has this cover: The book’s original title can be found waaaayyy down at the bottom in smaller letters. It took me back to 1965 when I found the paperback tie-in to George Pollock’s film Ten Little Indians and purchased my … Continue reading A HAUNTING IN VENICE: La terza volta è il fascino!
SLAY FEVER: The Candles Are All Out by Nigel Fitzgerald
“There’s husbandry in heaven; their candles are all out.” (Macbeth, I, iv) Actor-manager Alan Russell is having a really bad day. He has squired his theatre company to the Irish town of Invermore, where they regularly perform, only to discover that Alan’s beloved wife, off to Hollywood to make a picture, has screwed up the hotel … Continue reading SLAY FEVER: The Candles Are All Out by Nigel Fitzgerald
RANKING MARPLE #9: The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side
"Out flew the web and floated wide . . . " "The mirror crack'd from side to side . . . " "The curse is come upon me cried the Lady of Shalott." That “special” look is one of my favorite Agatha Christie devices, and the myriad ways she employed it throughout her career illustrates … Continue reading RANKING MARPLE #9: The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side
BOOK CLUB LEARNS ITS LESSON WELL: Murder Among Friends
A serial killer has been stalking co-eds at a Southern California university. Dubbed Black Overcoat by the police due to his distinctive garb, he has so far claimed five victims, employing a different type of weapon with each kill. Most recently he was in a seedy coffee shop sitting near Garnet Dillon, a beautiful young … Continue reading BOOK CLUB LEARNS ITS LESSON WELL: Murder Among Friends
IN DEVELOPMENT: What I Wish Was Coming Up in the Christie-Verse
In about two weeks, I’m going to drop a review here for Kenneth Branagh’s A Haunting in Venice, the latest film adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel. This time, it’s not set on the Nile or the Orient Express; instead, we have a lesser-known (and less liked) late novel, Hallowe’en Party – you remember, the one set in Italy … Continue reading IN DEVELOPMENT: What I Wish Was Coming Up in the Christie-Verse
Ah Sweet Mystery! 