“He sat and thought and drank. He looked at his watch and it was a few minutes after eleven. And after a long while he looked at his watch again . . . and it was still the same time. So he’d forgotten to wind his watch that morning, and now he didn’t know what … Continue reading “I HOPE TO HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN BY NOON”*: Fredric Brown’s The Far Cry
Author: Brad
THE TRAGEDY OF Zzzzzzzzzz
One could write an amusing post about authorial pseudonyms and the reasons for them. How many writers donned a literary disguise out of a sense of shame that they were dabbling in an “inferior” genre? Surely a poet of great stature in the United Kingdom like Cecil Day-Lewis could not write thrillers under his own … Continue reading THE TRAGEDY OF Zzzzzzzzzz
SCRATCHING A NICHE: On Whodunits and Hitchcockian Hooey
Considering Sunday is a day of rest, this lazy cuss managed to get a lot done! I had a nice walk along the shore under a bright Indian Summer sky. I replaced all my decrepit plastic storage containers with spiffy new Pyrex bowls. I met the new lady Doctor. I like her, but her debut … Continue reading SCRATCHING A NICHE: On Whodunits and Hitchcockian Hooey
G.A.DIVERTISSEMENT
Let’s face it: life can’t be all about reading classic mystery after classic mystery, matching wits with Peter Wimsey and Hercule Poirot and Inspector French to solve some puzzles. Sometimes you just have to step back and . . . solve some puzzles! Fortunately, the folks at the British Library are aware of this! They … Continue reading G.A.DIVERTISSEMENT
TWO REVIEWS, TWO QUESTIONS: Part Two
“’There’s a bloody footprint out on the terrace, if you care to take a look. It might give you a shoe size. I’d say the killer left down the fire escape into the alley, so perhaps you’ll catch him on CCTV. But we didn’t see anything. We got here too late.’ “’All right, then. You … Continue reading TWO REVIEWS, TWO QUESTIONS: Part Two
TWO REVIEWS, TWO QUESTIONS: Part One
Here is the first question: Why is Sophie Hannah writing the new Poirot novels? For many of you, the real question is why anyone should endeavor to continue Hercule Poirot’s career forty-five years after his true creator’s death? It’s a good question, but it’s not my question. Notice the italics on the name "Sophie Hannah." It … Continue reading TWO REVIEWS, TWO QUESTIONS: Part One
INSIDER, OUTSIDER, ALL AROUND THE TOWN: A Return to Wrightsville
I admire my fellow bloggers who are able to read and post reviews for one, two, even three books a week (how do you do it, PD and Kate?!?) I’m too slow a reader to get that job done. I’ll also admit that reviewing books, most of which others have been far more insightful about, … Continue reading INSIDER, OUTSIDER, ALL AROUND THE TOWN: A Return to Wrightsville
FELICITATIONS, DAME AGATHA!
You may not be reading this until tomorrow (Monday) because I’m sure that, like everyone else, you’re outside celebrating Agatha Christie’s one-hundred-twenty-eighth-and-one-day birthday! Some fools posted yesterday during the pre-celebratory festivities, but the real fans are out there right now, spreading the cheer about the world’s most famous mystery writer. Okay, look, I had a really busy … Continue reading FELICITATIONS, DAME AGATHA!
ADDENDUM WITH FAERIES
A couple of days ago, I wrote about the latest Paul Halter translation, The Man Who Loved Clouds. I bought the book as soon as it came out because, for some perverse reason, I like to be among the first to review Halter. But work prevailed, I read slowly, and several fine bloggers beat me … Continue reading ADDENDUM WITH FAERIES
“IT’S CLOUDS’ ILLUSIONS I RECALL . . . “: The Latest from Paul Halter
I can hardly begin to sort the barrage of thoughts and feelings that have swirled around me like the wind while reading The Man Who Loved Clouds, the latest novel by French author Paul Halter to be translated into English courtesy of John Pugmire and Locked Room International. The announcement several months ago of its … Continue reading “IT’S CLOUDS’ ILLUSIONS I RECALL . . . “: The Latest from Paul Halter
Ah Sweet Mystery! 