When it comes to reviewing titles, my Book Club is rarely copacetic. But when we take a break from the Book-of-the-Month format and pick a general topic, then we really cut loose. After making our lists of Favorite Mysteries of the 1920’s, the 1930’s and the 1940’s, it was only natural that we take a … Continue reading “All I Have to Do Is Dream” of Murder: Ten Favorite Mysteries of the 1950’s
Agatha Christie
AGATHA CHRISTIE: A World of Mystery
“Agatha Christie changed my life. I discovered her at the age of eight, when I had the good fortune to attend the world film premiere of Murder Most Foul (1964), which (weirdly enough) was held in a tent during a summer fete in Cheshire . . . I went home that evening in a happy daze and … Continue reading AGATHA CHRISTIE: A World of Mystery
THEY’RE BAAAAAACK!! Agatha Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence
“There must be no love interest in the story. To introduce amour is to clutter up a purely intellectual experience with irrelevant sentiment. The business in hand is to bring a criminal to the bar of justice, not to bring a lovelorn couple to the hymeneal altar.” (S. S. Van Dine, “The Third Rule for … Continue reading THEY’RE BAAAAAACK!! Agatha Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence
SHE’S BAAAAAAACCKK! The New “Miss Marple” Mystery
For a moment in 1935, it looked like there could have been, not twelve, but thirteen Miss Marple novels. If you pull out your volume of Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks and turn to the section on Death on the Nile, you will find that, as she was planning, Christie made a list of potential characters, and at the … Continue reading SHE’S BAAAAAAACCKK! The New “Miss Marple” Mystery
I’M BAAAAAAACCKK! My Sojourn to the 2026 Agatha Christie Festival
Two years ago, as the 2024 Agatha Christie Festival came to a close, a trio of California lads who had bonded over their passion for the Queen of Crime vowed then and there that they would meet up again in two years on the same promenade in Torquay. Jeff, Chris and I made a pact … Continue reading I’M BAAAAAAACCKK! My Sojourn to the 2026 Agatha Christie Festival
HIYA, HIATUS!
hiatus (n.) – a temporary break, pause or interruption in an ongoing activity, work or series Hello, my fellow mystery lovers! This month marks eleven years of Ah Sweet Mystery! I can’t believe the time has gone so fast, or how much I still enjoy delivering my thoughts to you about our favorite genre, whether it’s … Continue reading HIYA, HIATUS!
ALL HER WORLD’S A STAGE: Theatricality in the Novels and Stories of Agatha Christie, Chapter 8: Spotlight on the Sleuths
We’ve spoken at length about criminals utilizing dissembling and disguise in order to (sometimes literally) mask their guilt – but what of the detective? The history of fictional sleuths donning a disguise to infiltrate a villain’s lair or track down a vital clue is long and fascinating - and, most significantly, based on truth. The … Continue reading ALL HER WORLD’S A STAGE: Theatricality in the Novels and Stories of Agatha Christie, Chapter 8: Spotlight on the Sleuths
THIS ONE’S A BUTTE! Sweet Spot by Kemper Donovan
Author Kemper Donovan has made no secret of the influence that Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime, has had on his own writing. You can hear it in every episode of his podcast, All About Agatha. Likewise, I’ve made no secret of who myfavorite author is, and it’s a tribute to our shared passion for the Dame that … Continue reading THIS ONE’S A BUTTE! Sweet Spot by Kemper Donovan
ALL HER WORLD’S A STAGE: Theatricality in the Novels and Stories of Agatha Christie, Chapter 7: Scene Study: The Deadly Duos
It is a truth universally acknowledged that in a murder mystery everybody lies. They lie about their motives, and they lie about their alibis because they don’t want to appear guilty in the eyes of the police. Naturally, the lies of the innocent make them appear guilty, and it is up to the sleuth to sort around … Continue reading ALL HER WORLD’S A STAGE: Theatricality in the Novels and Stories of Agatha Christie, Chapter 7: Scene Study: The Deadly Duos
ALL HER WORLD’S A STAGE: Theatricality in the Novels and Stories of Agatha Christie, Chapter 6: Design for Murder
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
