Ah, P.D. James . . . Unlike Christie, Carr, and Queen, and most of the other classic writers for that matter, whose pages I first cracked open as a teenager, I didn’t start reading James until I became an adult. And a good thing, too! Her world is dark and complex, and it moves at … Continue reading FOUR GRINCHES GRINCHING: The Mistletoe Murder
Author: Brad
FOUR FILMS TAKE US OUT OF THE DARK
The end of a year brings a great many things, two of which loom large for me. First, it’s time to reflect on the past twelve months, and, on a personal level, 2016 can’t end soon enough. The New Year looms uncertainly as the nation embarks on the frightening adventure that is President Trump. And … Continue reading FOUR FILMS TAKE US OUT OF THE DARK
L’EXCROISSANCE: Deuxième Partie
The holidays beckon, but this stalwart member of the Tuesday Night Bloggers keeps on a’bloggin’! All through December, we are tackling the topic of “Foreign Crimes” in however fashion that subject floats our ocean liner! Last week, I discussed Agatha Christie’s foreign-set mysteries, and the week before that I focused on the English village as … Continue reading L’EXCROISSANCE: Deuxième Partie
AN AUTHOR ABROAD: Agatha Christie’s Foreign Mysteries
Only a week or so ago, I admittedly got a little gossipy insinuating how Agatha Christie’s first marriage to Captain Archie Christie may have informed her work. (Read it here.) Just think: if Christie had honored her previous engagement to Reggie Lucy and married that faithful old duffer, perhaps her output would have contained fewer adulterous cads … Continue reading AN AUTHOR ABROAD: Agatha Christie’s Foreign Mysteries
DRACULA IT AIN’T: Paul Halter’s The Vampire Tree
After reading all of Agatha Christie’s novels and stories – most of them multiple times – I feel I can talk about her with, if not authority, then great confidence. After reading nine novels by Paul Halter, an author I have admittedly had trouble appreciating, I cannot admit any authority or confidence, but I feel … Continue reading DRACULA IT AIN’T: Paul Halter’s The Vampire Tree
THE ENGLISH VILLAGE, IN TRANSLATION
It’s a new month and, therefore, time for a new subject for the Tuesday Night Bloggers! All through December, we will explore different aspects of – let’s call it, “the foreign mystery.” This can encompass writers who embark on an excursion to other climes with their books or just a discussion of mysteries we have … Continue reading THE ENGLISH VILLAGE, IN TRANSLATION
PSYCHO (1960): The Finest Cut of All
This month, over at Past Offenses, Rich is gathering bloggers together to celebrate the mystery fiction and cinema of 1960. It’s not a year particularly suited to my tastes, and as I trolled the lists to find something, the only title that called out to me was the Alfred Hitchcock film, Psycho. I wrote briefly about … Continue reading PSYCHO (1960): The Finest Cut of All
OH YOU CAN GET A MAN WITH A GUN: Christie and the Cad
Ninety years ago today, Archibald Christie argued with his wife and walked out of the house, revealing to her that he was leaving her for another woman. This sort of domestic tragedy happens all the time, but when it happens to the world’s most successful mystery writer, the repercussions are bound to affect the work … Continue reading OH YOU CAN GET A MAN WITH A GUN: Christie and the Cad
GIVE ‘EM A RIGHT HOOK: Carr vs. Christie on Roping In the Readers
Only yesterday my buddy JJ, on his insightful blog site, InsultingAgathaChri-, oops, I mean, The Invisible Event, celebrated the 110th birthday of his favorite author, John Dickson Carr - an author, I might add, whom I also count among my favorites. Among his many moments of praise for the Locked Room Master, JJ asserted the … Continue reading GIVE ‘EM A RIGHT HOOK: Carr vs. Christie on Roping In the Readers
A CELEBRATORY HODGEPODGE HONORING JOHN DICKSON CARR
Happy 110th birthday, John Dickson Carr. Two months ago, JJ at The Invisible Event invited everybody to share a post on this day of days for his favorite author, the Master of the Locked Room Mystery. We could write anything we wanted: a review, a poem, a celebration of the author. I had great intentions, … Continue reading A CELEBRATORY HODGEPODGE HONORING JOHN DICKSON CARR
Ah Sweet Mystery! 