Do you need to catch up? Okay, let’s go! CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE MAN AT THE WINDOW The delightful entr’acte that opens this chapter takes place at Sir Henry Merrivale’s house, where Dr. Michael Tairlaine has a sleepover with His Corpulence! Many games are played and much whiskey is drunk, after which H.M. bestows upon Tairlaine … Continue reading READ-ALONG WITH BRADLEY: The Red Widow Murders, Part Two
Author: Brad
READ-ALONG WITH BRADLEY! The Red Widow Murders: Part One
It seemed a good idea at the time, but in the cold light of day, calling this event “GADzooks!” seems a shuddering case of The Cutes! The Puzzle Doctor calls his a “chapter to chapter”, and JJ will appear with his own “Spoiler Warning” in this format in July! True to form, PD remains spoiler-free, … Continue reading READ-ALONG WITH BRADLEY! The Red Widow Murders: Part One
“HOT TOWN, SUMMER IN THE CITY . . .”: Ellery Queen’s Cat of Many Tails
As I write this, it’s the beginning of my second week of summer vacation. For laymen, (read: non-educators) it’s the gravy in the crazy tureen of my professional life. Residing as I do in the middle of Silicon Valley, it’s not unusual when I meet a person and they ask me what I do for … Continue reading “HOT TOWN, SUMMER IN THE CITY . . .”: Ellery Queen’s Cat of Many Tails
A MOTIVE FOR LOVING CHRISTIE
Every so often, a confluence of events brings about enlightenment. It’s how we got penicillin and harnessed electricity and learned how to fly. In the art world, it happens when paints mix together fortuitously or musical notes embrace in harmony or Warner Brothers produces The Maltese Falcon three times before they get it right. As an … Continue reading A MOTIVE FOR LOVING CHRISTIE
THE CASE OF THE DUPLICITOUS BLURB
1975 marked the tenth anniversary since I had started immersing myself in the Golden Age of Detection. I had gobbled up Christie, Carr and Queen, fortified myself with the foundational stories of Doyle and Poe, and was beginning to branch out to the likes of Marsh, Brand, and Crispin. At the ingenuous age of twenty, … Continue reading THE CASE OF THE DUPLICITOUS BLURB
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: I’M MOVING TO JAPAN!!!
Okay, I’m not moving to Japan! That was what we writers call a tease. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. Ever. Trust me. However, Soji Shimada’s introduction to Takemaru Abiko’s debut mystery, The 8 Mansion Murders, offers many attractive reasons for me to do so. First there’s the architecture. According to Zillow.com, the 910-sq.ft. condo I … Continue reading SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: I’M MOVING TO JAPAN!!!
G.A.D.ZOOKS! A Special Announcement
Gadzooks! Definition: a cry of surprise or irritation. The perfect epithet for when you have turned that page to where the sleuth drops all pretense, points to the least likely suspect and declares: “It was you!” … Continue reading G.A.D.ZOOKS! A Special Announcement
I SECOND THAT EMOTION: Mysteries That Make You Feel
Dale Carnegie said: “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.” Try applying this truism to the classic mystery, and you can perhaps see why some people turn away from the tendency of these stories to shortchange the emotional aspects of murder, while others are … Continue reading I SECOND THAT EMOTION: Mysteries That Make You Feel
PONDERING THE IMPOSSIBLE, CHRISTIE-STYLE
I’VE never hung out so much with other guys until I started blogging about death. Seriously, if you knew me, it makes total sense that this GAD commentator would associate with the elegant Moira, the scrappy Kate, and the sagacious Bev. To my surprise and delight, however, I find myself welcomed into the company of … Continue reading PONDERING THE IMPOSSIBLE, CHRISTIE-STYLE
OBIT
EDITOR’S NOTE: I was putting the final touches on my last post for the Tuesday Night Bloggers about great detectives (my topic was “Recipe for Success: the Six Best-Fed Sleuths”) when I was sent the article I include below. I think this sad news is appropriate to the TNG topic this month. My comments follow:) … Continue reading OBIT
