I have long been a fan of old radio shows, and for me the best show ever to hit the air was . . . not Ellery Queen! It was, without a doubt, Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Jack Benny. Benny hosted a top tier program for nearly his entire career on the radio, and it … Continue reading CHALLENGE TO THE LISTENER: Ellery Queen on the Radio
Author: Brad
Agatha Christie’s THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS: Part IV
The second half dozen stories found in The Thirteen Problems were originally published in The Story-Teller Magazine from December 1929 to May 1930, eighteen months after the first six tales had appeared. This set differs in its cast of characters and its format: rather than a weekly meeting at Miss Marple’s house, these six tales … Continue reading Agatha Christie’s THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS: Part IV
Agatha Christie’s THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS: Part III
It’s Thanksgiving Week, a perfect time for this Christie fan to indulge in reflection about one of her best short story collections. I think others like it, too; we who discuss the best of the best Golden Age writers have named ourselves The Tuesday Night Bloggers, in honor of the guests who met each week … Continue reading Agatha Christie’s THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS: Part III
Agatha Christie’s THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS: Part II
Grabbing at the chance to enter into the discussion about short stories over at The Invisible Event and always eager to talk about Agatha Christie, I thought I would spend the next few posts discussing The Thirteen Problems, Christie’s version of The Arabian Nights Tales that served to introduce everyone’s favorite spinster sleuth, Miss Marple. … Continue reading Agatha Christie’s THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS: Part II
THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS : PART I
Over at The Invisible Event (which is a source of marvelous discussions about Golden Age mysteries), fellow blogger and mystery fanatic JJ is hosting a relatively new chat about short stories. Check out the original post here. I’m not surprised that Agatha Christie’s name has not come up in conversation. Although she wrote dozens of short … Continue reading THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS : PART I
THE FIRST BRADLEY AWARDS! Christie Vs. Queen
What are the Bradley Awards? They are whatever I want them to be! I envision the categories shifting and changing faster than alliances on Game of Thrones. This time around, it’s all about a summing up of my month-long comparison between Agatha Christie, the Mistress of Mystery, and Ellery Queen, the, er, Queen of Crime! As … Continue reading THE FIRST BRADLEY AWARDS! Christie Vs. Queen
THE DARKER REACHES: Helen McCloy’s The Slayer and the Slain
Thanks to a sale on Kindle, I snatched up about a half dozen titles by Helen McCloy and have been enjoying them like literary bonbons ever since. I previously reviewed two of her titles, Through a Glass, Darkly and Mr. Splitfoot, here. Both of these novels feature her sleuth, Dr. Basil Willing, a psychologist, allowing … Continue reading THE DARKER REACHES: Helen McCloy’s The Slayer and the Slain
CHRISTIE VS. QUEEN: MALICE DOMESTIC TAKES ON THE GOD COMPLEX
Given the number of singular surprise endings for which they were responsible, it’s safe to say that Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen were both masters of misdirection. One or the other probably invented nearly every variation on “the least likely suspect” motif. They shared a goal of fooling the reader, using “fair play” methods that, … Continue reading CHRISTIE VS. QUEEN: MALICE DOMESTIC TAKES ON THE GOD COMPLEX
TO BEE OR NOT TO BEE: SHOULD A WOULD-BE MYSTERY WRITER COZY UP?
A recent Buzzfeed post offered that, simply by typing in your name, you will be provided with a word that will define your coming year. The whole thing appeared random, but I thought, Why not give it a try? Some of my friends got “love”, while others got “wisdom”. For no special reason that I can see, … Continue reading TO BEE OR NOT TO BEE: SHOULD A WOULD-BE MYSTERY WRITER COZY UP?
A MIX TAPE FOR WHEN YOU DIDN’T GET CAST
I have been directing theatre for around thirty-seven years, and you know one thing that has really changed for me? I used to love casting. When I directed theatre in the community, I loved auditions: seeing who came in, admiring the effort and preparation actors brought to their work, being dazzled by new surprises. Then … Continue reading A MIX TAPE FOR WHEN YOU DIDN’T GET CAST
