I have just finished reading a review of Carter Dickson’s Death in Five Boxes, written by my pal, the Puzzle Doctor, and I must say – I am confused. Make that doubly confused. My puzzlement first stems from Book Club, of which PD and I are both members. Last month, you might have heard the collective groaning over the Zoom … Continue reading ACDC PART NINE/BOOK CLUB ’38: Death in Five Boxes
Impossible Crimes
BEATING PUZZLE DOCTOR AND KATE TO THE PUNCH: The 2021 Mystery of the Year
It’s February 28, and I know exactly what you’re doing: you’re waiting with bated breath for 306 more days to go by, the amount of time it will for the Puzzle Doctor and Kate at Cross Examining Crime to finish sifting through the respective books they’ve read all year (about 2000 for PD, and 6953 … Continue reading BEATING PUZZLE DOCTOR AND KATE TO THE PUNCH: The 2021 Mystery of the Year
BAIN OF MY EXISTENCE: The Mystery Novels of Jack Vance
Most of the suggestions I get for new/old reads come from fellow bloggers, which can lead to exciting discoveries. Sure, a lot of time is expended trying to resuscitate some British guys who wrote 700 novels and then vanished into obscurity. And there’s a wealth of potential crime queens who wrote pure gold, maybe two … Continue reading BAIN OF MY EXISTENCE: The Mystery Novels of Jack Vance
ACDC, PART SIX: L Is For Laughter in The Punch and Judy Murders
“Burn me, you’ve been leaving things behind in a way that’s scandalous. All anybody’s got to do to follow your trail across England is just to walk behind and pick up the pieces . . .” (H.M. to Ken Blake in The Punch and Judy Murders) We begin with a quiz. Can you identify the source … Continue reading ACDC, PART SIX: L Is For Laughter in The Punch and Judy Murders
FALLING STAR/RISING STAR: The Opening Night Murders by James Scott Byrnside
For a long time, my pal JJ has taken a strong interest in modern authors who self-publish impossible crime mysteries. Sometimes things do not work out so well, but once in a while an author hits the mark. Clearly the most exciting discovery JJ has made thus far has been James Scott Byrnside. If you … Continue reading FALLING STAR/RISING STAR: The Opening Night Murders by James Scott Byrnside
ACDC, PART THREE: Footprints and Fade-Outs in The White Priory Murders
“The first thing is to determine the murderer’s motive. I don’t mean his motive for murder, but for creating an impossible situation. That’s very important, son, because it’s the best kind of clue tothe motive for murder. Why’d he do it? Nobody but a loony is goin’ to indulge in a lot of unreasonable hocus-pocus … Continue reading ACDC, PART THREE: Footprints and Fade-Outs in The White Priory Murders
THE SEVEN BLUNDERS OF THE SEVEN WONDERS OF CRIME
I want to make it clear right from the start. I have nothing against ambition. They called the Wright Brothers foolhardy for imagining they could fly. Yet this real-life Daedalus and Icarus gave vent to their ambition, and because of them I can now relax in my cramped seat on Jet Blue, hoping against hope … Continue reading THE SEVEN BLUNDERS OF THE SEVEN WONDERS OF CRIME
STEP BY (FOOT)STEP: Carter Dickson’s She Died a Lady
Maybe it’s because of the company I keep: JJ over at The Invisible Event, Tomcat over at Beneath the Stains of Time, and Ben at The Green Capsule all focus much of their energies on impossible crimes and the work of the Master of that sub-genre, John Dickson Carr. (Heck, The Green Capsule is entirely … Continue reading STEP BY (FOOT)STEP: Carter Dickson’s She Died a Lady
HISTORY CROSSES PATHS: The Picture From the Past
This month, the Tuesday Night Bloggers tackle a sprawling subject: the relationship between mystery and history. It’s a topic one can examine from many different angles. So far, members of the group have shared insights about mysteries set in specific historical eras, or examined how historical context plays into, or is revealed, in Golden Age … Continue reading HISTORY CROSSES PATHS: The Picture From the Past
THE QUINTESSENTIAL CARR: He Who Whispers
In a Facebook discussion about John Dickson Carr that was sparked by a posted review of his classic The Three Coffins (which I reviewed myself here last week), author and fellow blogger Curtis Evans from The Passing Tramp described his own experiences with the author. While he had thoroughly enjoyed reading Carr as a young … Continue reading THE QUINTESSENTIAL CARR: He Who Whispers
Ah Sweet Mystery! 