“There’s far too much strangeness in the everyday to bother with making things up. Take the Ferris wheel for instance. If I sound dubious about it, it’s because it was a very literal-minded crime. That means one weapon, one victim, and one suspect. And the crime scene is what you might describe as ‘hermetically sealed.’ … Continue reading THE MASTER OF MANIPULATION: Tom Mead’s The Murder Wheel
Author: Brad
BARBENHEIMER AND ME
All my life I’ve loved going to the movies. I grew up in that awkward era between the movie palaces and the multiplexes, but I have to say that growing up in San Francisco meant I had lots of options. There were a few grand old theatres still around, like the Castro on Castro Street … Continue reading BARBENHEIMER AND ME
RANKING MARPLE #7: A Pocket Full of Rye
Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye. Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. When the pie was opened the birds began to sing. Wasn’t that a dainty dish to set before the king? Juxtaposing nursery rhymes with mysteries is an effective way to mix the balm of childhood innocence with … Continue reading RANKING MARPLE #7: A Pocket Full of Rye
HIS BOOOOOOKS!! What I Read on My Summer Vacation
Before I left for sweatier climes, I promised all you bibliophiles the following: I would make a pilgrimage to the Strand Bookstore (Broadway at 12th Street) and the Mysterious Bookshop (Warren Street) in downtown NYC; I would read three books and bring back reviews. Done and . . . almost done. On the hottest Thursday morning … Continue reading HIS BOOOOOOKS!! What I Read on My Summer Vacation
WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION: The Plays
He's baaaaackkkkkkk! My trip to the East Coast this year was relatively brief and oddly shaped. Two days in New York to see a show and hang about Hell’s Kitchen, followed by five days canoeing on a private lake in Connecticut and eating my way through Stamford, Greenwich, New Canaan and Darien (pronounced Dahr-ee-ENNNN). Then … Continue reading WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION: The Plays
A HOLIDAY FROM MURDER
“Start spreadin' the newsI'm leavin' todayI want to be a part of itNew York, New York.” Well, technically, I leave tomorrow – morning flight, no time to blog – but that’s right! I’m taking my first vacation since summer 2019! Frankly, I’ve never been much of a travelin’ man, but there are two places that … Continue reading A HOLIDAY FROM MURDER
SHAKEN NOT STIRRED, JUNIOR EDITION: Stuart Gibbs’ Spy School
This will come as a tremendous shock to most of you, but I was a huge nerd in high school! I was a homeroom rep, a member of both The Sherlock Holmes Society and the Science Fiction, Fantasy and Weird Things Club (Soffowitica!), and an avid drama kid who snuck into the choir room with … Continue reading SHAKEN NOT STIRRED, JUNIOR EDITION: Stuart Gibbs’ Spy School
RANKING MARPLE #6: They Do It with Mirrors
“. . . All the things that seemed to be true, were only illusions. Illusions created for a definite purpose – in the same ways that conjurers create illusions, to deceive an audience. We were the audience.” Nobody excelled at misdirection better than Agatha Christie. Her bag of tricks was large and, if it wasn’t infinite, she … Continue reading RANKING MARPLE #6: They Do It with Mirrors
HOW TO SURVIVE A CLASSIC CRIME NOVEL
Imagine, if you will, that I was a book reviewer for the New York Times, and my boss – a scarlet-taloned woman named Glenda DeLage – pulls me into her office and purrs: “Bradley, I know your propensity for classic detective fiction. Why don’t you take the newest publication from the British Library, How to Survive … Continue reading HOW TO SURVIVE A CLASSIC CRIME NOVEL
PERRY WALKS THE PLANK: The Case of the Substitute Face
If you select at random any one of the eighty-two novels featuring Perry Mason, you stand a good chance of finding an opening in Mason’s office with secretary Della Street looking over the black-eyed blondes, dangerous dowagers, and haunted husbands looking pacing the reception area, selecting one and then escorting them into Mason’s inner sanctum … Continue reading PERRY WALKS THE PLANK: The Case of the Substitute Face
Ah Sweet Mystery! 