Had Charlotte Armstrong decided that she would become the beloved author of sixty-six cozy mysteries starring her beloved amateur sleuth, retired history professor MacDougall Duff, I have a feeling we would not be talking about her now. Or perhaps Dean Street Press would be slowly republishing her long-forgotten canon. (Not to snark on Duff: I … Continue reading LAY OFF MAC DUFF: The Unsuspected by Charlotte Armstrong
Charlotte Armstrong
CHARLOTTE’S WEB: An Object Lesson in Domestic Suspense
Let’s say A wants to kill B. (It’s a perfectly acceptable conversation starter around here.) If we’re in a whodunnit, A and B are hanging around with C, D, E, F, and G, who also want to kill B. (Popular fellow.) Once B is dead, the reader must decipher the clues, untangle the red herrings, and figure out … Continue reading CHARLOTTE’S WEB: An Object Lesson in Domestic Suspense
AIM (NOT SO) STRAIGHT AND TRUE: My Resolutions for 2023
A few weeks ago, my pal (and Book Club Arch Nemesis!) the Puzzle Doctor reached his 2000th post on In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel. Not bad for a man who’s only been blogging since 1954. I hit my 500th post last August (it was a dreary review of a dreary book, Dorothy L. Sayers’ The Documents in … Continue reading AIM (NOT SO) STRAIGHT AND TRUE: My Resolutions for 2023
FRACTURED FAIRY TALE: The Better to Eat You
Every month, my Book Club selects a different classic mystery to read. Even with all the terrific books out there, it isn’t as easy a task as you might think. For one thing, most of us are bloggers, and we read a lot of this stuff. Then again, our tastes vary, and it’s well nigh impossible to … Continue reading FRACTURED FAIRY TALE: The Better to Eat You
Ah Sweet Mystery! 