At the midpoint of 4:50 from Paddington, Lucy Eyelesbarrow enters the Long Barn at Rutherford Hall for the first time. She is looking for a body. This is what she finds: “At a first glance, Lucy felt that she was in a singularly bad museum. The heads of two Roman emperors in marble glared at her … Continue reading ALL HER WORLD’S A STAGE: Theatricality in the Novels and Stories of Agatha Christie, Chapter 6: Design for Murder

Happy June, everyone! Happy harbinger of summer! Happy Pride Month! It’s time to trade slacks for shorts (please ignore my pasty legs) and fire up those grills (unless the CC&R’s of your condo association forbid barbecuing). Grab your towel, trunks and bottle of lotion with SPF500 and head to the beach – unless you live … Continue reading THE BAD BOYS OF SUMMER, CHRISTIE-STYLE

The centerpiece of every mystery is the crime itself. Procedurals usually begin with the finished product: a police team rushes to the scene of the crime and begins to piece together the events by sorting clues and interviewing witnesses. The classic detective story might begin with a client approaching the world-famous sleuth with a question: … Continue reading ALL HER WORLD’S A STAGE: Theatricality in the Novels and Stories of Agatha Christie, Chapter 5: Design for Murder – Setting the Scene (of the Crime) 

I make this confession with a stinging sense of shame: in all my years of reading and re-reading my favorite author Agatha Christie, I have never given Mary Westmacott a chance. I suppose in my early days there was some sense to this decision. I love a good mystery, and the Queen of Crime wrote the … Continue reading ALONG COMES MARY: Giant’s Bread

In classic literature and drama, the concept of characters going about in costume was a commonplace plot device. The Greek gods disguised themselves as mortals to wander about causing trouble. Odysseus disguised himself as a beggar to check up on his wife’s fidelity.  In nearly every Shakespearean comedy, somebody wanders around in disguise: often it is … Continue reading ALL HER WORLD’S A STAGE: Theatricality in the Novels and Stories of Agatha Christie, Chapter 4: The Devils in Disguise

Despite the fact that I count London among my three favorite cities in the world, I know far too little about it. I’ve been there four times, hit some of the tourist spots, taken high tea (with and without gluten), and visited with friends. Most of what I have learned about London, however, is what I’ve … Continue reading FROM BERTRAM’S TO WHITEHAVEN: Agatha Christie’s London by Tina Hodgkinson

“She was such a beautiful creature. She had such a wonderful gift. She had a great power of love and hate, but no stability. That’s what’s so sad for anyone, to be born with no stability. She couldn’t let the past go, and she could never see the future as it really was, only as … Continue reading ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE: Theatricality in Agatha Christie’s Novels and Stories, Chapter 3: The Actors, Part III

It’s lovely, isn’t it, how one thing can inspire another! My friend Kate Jackson, the proprietor of neighboring mystery blog Cross Examining Crime, started an activity a few years ago that she calls Murder Every Monday! At the start of the week, Kate invites anyone who wishes to participate to post on social media – or even … Continue reading SWEET SIXTY AND NEVER BEEN KISSED: Agatha Christie’s Best Spinsters