Over at The Invisible Event, JJ has compiled a list, voted on by an erudite assortment of fans, consisting of twelve titles that purportedly demonstrate the best qualities of a “fair play” mystery. It’s a list that does what these sorts of lists are supposed to do: it provides a jumping off point for arguments … Continue reading NILE vs. SUN: Fair Play With Spoilers
Author: Brad
BRANAGH TO THE RESCUE: “Not Your Granny’s Christie”
This classic mystery fan is always grateful when the modern press pays attention to anything related to the Golden Age, so it was with great delight that I received my latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, only to find the cast of the upcoming remake of Murder on the Orient Express splashed across the cover. Kenneth … Continue reading BRANAGH TO THE RESCUE: “Not Your Granny’s Christie”
ADIEU, GAMACHE: My Troubled Relationship with Modern Crime Fiction
“Adieu, Gamache” may sound like an allergic reaction, but I can assure you, this issue is nothing to sneeze at. Today I am calling attention to a fault within myself and, in true scholarly fashion, trying to assign the blame to others. Attend! I freely admit that I have contradictory tastes. I like my hotel rooms modern … Continue reading ADIEU, GAMACHE: My Troubled Relationship with Modern Crime Fiction
WHERE OCCUPATION MEETS OBSESSION: The Mystery Project Continues
In a previous post, I confessed (as we mystery lovers tend to do) that every year I force my drama students to submit to honoring my passion for classic mysteries by engaging them to come up with an original mystery play of their own. It’s a complex and difficult project, and many tears are shed … Continue reading WHERE OCCUPATION MEETS OBSESSION: The Mystery Project Continues
CHRISTIE, CAMILLA AND THE CONCEPT OF FAIR PLAY
It’s a fine thing for a reader to expand his tastes, isn’t it? Having focused on classic mystery novels my entire life – and almost exclusively so over the past two years – it seemed like a good idea at the time to sign up for that Nordic Crime Fiction course at Stanford University. If you … Continue reading CHRISTIE, CAMILLA AND THE CONCEPT OF FAIR PLAY
HELEN: What’s In a Name?
My life changed significantly on November 19, 2014, when I joined a group on Facebook called Golden Age Detection. It is one of the few events of my life connected to the Internet whose effect on me I cannot overdramatize. I have been reading classic murder mysteries for nearly fifty years, and I had experienced the … Continue reading HELEN: What’s In a Name?
Hjälpa! Jag är fångad i en svensk boklista! (Translation: Help! I am trapped in a Swedish booklist!)
It has been exactly one month since I reported that I had enrolled in a class at Stanford University on Nordic crime fiction, both written and filmed. At that time I reviewed The Terrorists by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahoo. Since then, our class has read Firewall by Henning Mankell, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo … Continue reading Hjälpa! Jag är fångad i en svensk boklista! (Translation: Help! I am trapped in a Swedish booklist!)
A IS FOR ALFRED
All through April, the Tuesday Night Bloggers are on an “Anything Goes” kick: the subject can be anything beginning with the letter “A.” So far this month, I’ve focused on Agatha – Christie, that is – so I thought that, for my final TNG post of the month, I would switch it up to another … Continue reading A IS FOR ALFRED
CHRISTIE/CARR SCATTERGORIES
Omigosh! I am so sorry, people! I was supposed to post this yesterday, as JJ so graciously reminded me this morning. (“Hey, um . . . so are you gonna post, or what?”) My excuse is that I’ve spent the weekend at work, producing the spring play. But here you go, as promised: the sequel to … Continue reading CHRISTIE/CARR SCATTERGORIES
ANATOMY OF AN ADAPTATION: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas aux Francaise
All month, the Tuesday Night Bloggers are dedicating April as “Anything Goes” month, and all our entries begin with the letter “A.” I seem to have found my niche by focusing on the greatest “A” of all: Dame “A”gatha Christie, of course! I’ve honed the focus even further from the author’s depiction of actors in … Continue reading ANATOMY OF AN ADAPTATION: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas aux Francaise
Ah Sweet Mystery! 