We interrupt our regular program with this special announcement: Last December, in a reflective mood, I wrote about the year ahead and referred to something I called “The Christie Conundrum”: “It’s no secret how much I love Agatha Christie, but the truth is that I’ve read her books many times, and I tend to fall … Continue reading HERCULE AND JANE AND ME, OH MY!
Agatha Christie
THE KNITTING WARS: Marple vs. Silver (Part One and Only)
Fans of classic detective fiction know that there are thousands of books by hundreds of authors to choose from. They run the gamut from pure puzzlers to “Had I But Knowns”, from succinct procedurals to opulent thrillers. Their tones rank from despairing to hilarious, and you can pick your sleuths out of a panoply of … Continue reading THE KNITTING WARS: Marple vs. Silver (Part One and Only)
“WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS . . . ” An Agatha Christie Starter Kit
Summer is fast approaching – the official start is Thursday, June 20 – and that’s when the living is easy, COVID surges, a mammoth tornado season, and imminent elections-from-hell notwithstanding. I hope you are settling in for a nice spot of warm weather (but not too warm) and that you have plans on the horizon for an … Continue reading “WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS . . . ” An Agatha Christie Starter Kit
NOW YOU SEE ME . . . NOW YOU DON’T
Recently, I had the opportunity to rewatch the 1997 film Agatha when it appeared on Turner Classic Movies as part of a mini-festival of films about people who have disappeared. Directed by Michael Apted and based on a novel by the film’s screenwriter, Kathleen Tynan, Agatha provides a wholly fictional account of what happened to … Continue reading NOW YOU SEE ME . . . NOW YOU DON’T
WHERE’S THE BEEF? Book Club Tackles Leo Bruce
“Crime? Can’t we talk about anything else? Don’t we get enough of it in books and films? I’m sick to death of this crime, crime, crime, wherever you turn.” If this sounds like an odd complaint coming from a member of a Classic Crime Book Club– well, you’re right. While we have tended to have … Continue reading WHERE’S THE BEEF? Book Club Tackles Leo Bruce
THE ART OF ADAPTATION: Ms. Ma, Nemesis
If you ever go wandering through this blog and find some of my early posts about film adaptations of Agatha Christie’s work, you find yourself in the presence of a staunch purist. I mean, when your favorite author’s greatest strength is her plotting, why tamper with perfection? Why indeed? My relationship with adaptation has changed … Continue reading THE ART OF ADAPTATION: Ms. Ma, Nemesis
MY AGATHA CHRISTIE INDEX
It's no secret that I have given much focus on this blog to Agatha Christie, but then she is my favorite mystery author. I've even got a Christie tag at the top!! Now, if you prefer meandering around people’s blogs, feel free to do so; WordPress provides a search engine which is all you need. Still, I … Continue reading MY AGATHA CHRISTIE INDEX
THE BIG FOUR: Podcasts About Christie
It was twenty years ago today . . . Well, okay, twenty years ago last Monday when Ben Hammersley coined the term “podcast” in The Guardian. And I paid no attention. Maybe that’s because ten years passed before podcasting really took off with the debut (in October 2014) of Serial. And everyone listening in their cars or … Continue reading THE BIG FOUR: Podcasts About Christie
CONSPIRACY THEORY: The Seven Dials Mystery
“’It’s impossible . . . The beautiful foreign adventuress, the international gang, the mysterious No. 7, whose identity nobody knows – I’ve read it all a hundred times in books.’ ’Of course you have. So have I. But it’s no reason why it shouldn’t really happen . . . After all – I suppose fiction is … Continue reading CONSPIRACY THEORY: The Seven Dials Mystery
MY YEAR WITH BRITBOX: Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?
Perhaps you’ve heard me complain (of course you have) about the current state of pay-TV. In my day (cue the cliched old-person talk), watching television cost you nothing. Sure, there were only twelve channels (fourteen, if you could convince your little brother to maneuver the antenna back and forth while you tried to watch Shock Theatre on Channel 44). And … Continue reading MY YEAR WITH BRITBOX: Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?
Ah Sweet Mystery! 