If you select at random any one of the eighty-two novels featuring Perry Mason, you stand a good chance of finding an opening in Mason’s office with secretary Della Street looking over the black-eyed blondes, dangerous dowagers, and haunted husbands looking pacing the reception area, selecting one and then escorting them into Mason’s inner sanctum … Continue reading PERRY WALKS THE PLANK: The Case of the Substitute Face
Erle Stanley Gardner
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
PAT ON THE BACK: Meeting (Some of) My 2022 Goals
“There is no Frigate like a Book to take us Lands away . . . “ These words by Emily Dickenson were emblazoned on the bookplates my grandparents gave me when, at an early age, I declared my love for reading. I pasted them into every volume I owned and used up my stock long ago. … Continue reading PAT ON THE BACK: Meeting (Some of) My 2022 Goals
THE 2022 ROY AWARDS: All in Love is (A.A.) Fair
“’Call a cab,’ she said. “’I have one waiting downstairs.’ “’Are you sporting taxi cabs for your private transportation?’ she asked. ‘Or did you think you were on an expense account?’ “I flared up and said, ‘I thought I was on an expense account.’ “She was silent for several seconds. I sat there wondering whether … Continue reading THE 2022 ROY AWARDS: All in Love is (A.A.) Fair
THE THREE FACES OF ESG
“We’re a dramatic people. We’re not like the English. The English want dignity and order. We want the dramatic and the spectacular. It’s a national craving. We are geared to a rapid rate of thought. We want to have things move in a spectacular manner.” I read classic mysteries as an escape, so it was … Continue reading THE THREE FACES OF ESG
THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: My Ten (or so) Favorite Courtroom Cases
(This is for Carol.) True story: after acing my bar mitzvah at the tender age of 13, I told my parents that when I grew up, I did NOT want to be a rabbi - I wanted to be a movie star. My mom and dad exchanged a look – correct that: it was a Look – … Continue reading THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: My Ten (or so) Favorite Courtroom Cases
BOOK CLUB ON THE DEFENSE: The Case of the Shoplifter’s Shoe
Oh, to be in England! This week marks the eve of Bodies from the Library ’22, the long-awaited return to celebrating face-to-face all things related to the Golden Age of Detection. Most of my friends will be there, but here I am, stuck in the provinces. My Facebook feed alternates between the results of friends’ daily … Continue reading BOOK CLUB ON THE DEFENSE: The Case of the Shoplifter’s Shoe
THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION: The D.A. Calls It Murder
“The devil of it is, this isn’t like one of those detective stories, which you can solve by merely pointing the finger of suspicion at the guilty person. This is a real life, flesh and blood murder case, where we’ve got to produce actual evidence which can stand up in a court of justice. I’ve … Continue reading THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION: The D.A. Calls It Murder
REPRINT OF THE YEAR: The Case of the Case of the Case of the . . .
“A murder case is simply a jigsaw puzzle, a lot of things to be put together. If you have the right solution, all of the parts fit into the picture. If some of the parts don’t seem to fit, it’s a pretty good indication you haven’t the right solution.” Perry Mason It’s that time of year … Continue reading REPRINT OF THE YEAR: The Case of the Case of the Case of the . . .
Ah Sweet Mystery! 