I know, I know, friends! I was waxing reflective on Agatha Christie only the other day, and here I go again. Forgive me, but January is always a rough month to get some reading in. It’s the final stretch of rehearsals for the big school show, and this year’s entry, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, is … Continue reading REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST: The Stirring of Memory in the Novels of Agatha Christie
Author: Brad
SINISTER OR SILLY: When Does Agatha Go Too Far?
Last month on the Facebook Golden Age Detection page, the great blogger Xavier Lechard opened up the proverbial can of worms, and I have this to say about that! First, though: if you are a GAD fan like me (and still brave membership on Facebook) yet do not belong to this amazing group . . … Continue reading SINISTER OR SILLY: When Does Agatha Go Too Far?
ACDC, PART TWO: HM = History + Mystery in The Plague Court Murders
“Logic and reason, when not tempered with imagination and sympathy and even childlikeness, produce ruthlessness.” (Douglas Greene) A Carter Dickson Celebration continues – some would say has its legitimate beginning – with 1934’s The Plague Court Murders. After all, as I discussed in our first installment, The Bowstring Murders, written on the fly for quick … Continue reading ACDC, PART TWO: HM = History + Mystery in The Plague Court Murders
FLOOD, MUD, BLOOD: Goodnight Irene by James Scott Byrnside
“I have seen the swallowing of jewels, a puffer fish poisoning, and a woman strangled with her own cat, but I have never seen anything like this.” (Rowan Manory) It’s no secret that I always wanted to write a mystery. I have penned a few childish things. No, literally, they were the works … Continue reading FLOOD, MUD, BLOOD: Goodnight Irene by James Scott Byrnside
ACDC, PART ONE: Medieval Ho Hum, er, Mayhem in The Bowstring Murders
And so we begin. A Carter Dickson Celebration has been a long time coming. As I explained before, when I first began to embrace the works of John Dickson Carr, my youthful stubbornness caused me to opt for Gideon Fell and reject Sir Henry Merrivale. Was this foolish of me? Perhaps. Am I unhappy about … Continue reading ACDC, PART ONE: Medieval Ho Hum, er, Mayhem in The Bowstring Murders
A CHRISTIE FOR CHRISTMAS: The Moving Finger
I grew up in a wondrous world where every year, as the yuletide approached, an advertisement would appear in the newspaper announcing that Agatha Christie had done it again! Mind you, this began for me in the late 60’s, so we’re not talking about the titles that regularly make it on anyone’s Top Ten list. … Continue reading A CHRISTIE FOR CHRISTMAS: The Moving Finger
REPRINT OF THE YEAR : Les Crimes Impossibles, à la Française
Today’s post is not so much tinged with irony as soaked in it. Many months ago, Kate Jackson invited me to be part of a sort of “contest” designed to cast a light on some of the marvelous re-issues of classic mysteries that have occurred this year. We were asked to name our poison, so … Continue reading REPRINT OF THE YEAR : Les Crimes Impossibles, à la Française
HOLIDAYS WITH IRA
This year marks the first in a very long time that I did not show Rosemary’s Baby to my film class on Halloween. If you know the film you probably consider this a good idea: what is the man thinking to show a bunch of 14-year-olds a movie about a young wife who gets raped by Satan … Continue reading HOLIDAYS WITH IRA
REPRINT OF THE YEAR: The Stuff That (Bad) Dreams Are Made Of
In case you weren’t paying attention last weekend, Kate Jackson of Cross Examining Crime has assembled an illustrious group of bloggers to highlight some of the great vintage mysteries that have been republished in 2018. I jumped at the chance to be included in this because it gave me a chance to spread the most … Continue reading REPRINT OF THE YEAR: The Stuff That (Bad) Dreams Are Made Of
NOAH
Today, the intimate coterie of online Golden Age Detection fans, the women and men who argue, discuss, bolster each other and in all ways thrive together – today, we lost a dear friend. Noah Stewart traded in bookselling for many years. He knew a lot. He had a delightful sense of humor. His blog site … Continue reading NOAH
Ah Sweet Mystery! 