So far, August 2020 is not sorting itself out to be the summer of anyone's lifetime. In another galaxy, long ago and far, far away, I would be reveling in memories of a marvelous July trip to London and New York, meeting old friends and cramming in as many intense discussions of a GAD variety … Continue reading IT’S SHORTS WEATHER: Perusing Bodies From the Library 3
John Dickson Carr
MAY I SUGGEST YOU READ A MURDER MYSTERY?
I have to admit I’ve been stressed for about . . . three and a half years. Bernie Sanders said recently that the current health crisis is “on the scale of major war,” but I’ve felt battle-scarred, mostly by tweet, for some time now. And now, thanks to COVID-19, I’m in exile: our schools have … Continue reading MAY I SUGGEST YOU READ A MURDER MYSTERY?
MURDER GETS GRAPHIC: The Detection Club, by Jean Harambat
Far be it from me not to cave into peer pressure. When Kate Jackson reviewed the English translation of a French graphic novel placing seven members of the famed Detection Club into an actual mystery, I snapped like a long bean. Despite the fact that the English translation of this comic book mystery is … Continue reading MURDER GETS GRAPHIC: The Detection Club, by Jean Harambat
IT’S BAAAAAAACK! My First Nominee for “Reprint of the Year”
In this perilous age of political craziness, where most of us are shaking our heads and muttering that invaluable Latin phrase, “What the fuuuuuu - ?” (translation: “I am stymied, Marcus Aurelius”), it behooves us to be grateful for small matters. For instance, it’s turning out to be a great time to be alive if … Continue reading IT’S BAAAAAAACK! My First Nominee for “Reprint of the Year”
AN ACDC INTERLUDE: Introducing Colonel March, Looking Pretty Good in a Pair of Shorts
Those of you who are good enough to follow my adventures through the treasure trove that makes up A Carter Dickson Celebration will know that we last left off in 1938 with The Judas Window. The next novel, Death in Five Boxes – a first timer for me – will follow in due course. Both … Continue reading AN ACDC INTERLUDE: Introducing Colonel March, Looking Pretty Good in a Pair of Shorts
THE SQUARE PEG/ROUND HOLE CONUNDRUM, or Putting Poirot in His Place
The other day, my buddy Kate at Cross Examining Crime tried to get my goat! This is rich, coming from the woman who raises goats herself! But Kate is also a writer, writers get metaphorical, and knowing what a champion of Agatha Christie I am, Kate saw fit to warn me that not all folks … Continue reading THE SQUARE PEG/ROUND HOLE CONUNDRUM, or Putting Poirot in His Place
ACDC, PART EIGHT: Waving Through the (Judas) Window
For those mystery fans who may be in the dark about the title of this post, it’s a reference to Dear Evan Hansen, the award-winning musical about a lonely boy on the spectrum who one day decides to have a drink with his prospective father-in-law over a game of bows-and-arrows behind the locked door of … Continue reading ACDC, PART EIGHT: Waving Through the (Judas) Window
ACDC, PART SEVEN: Smashing the Teacups
After a lifetime of denial, I finally gave Carter Dickson a try a little over two and a half years ago. My experience was so pleasant that I picked up another right away. I based my choice on the fact that a trusted friend was posting a spoiler-filled piece on this one, and I wanted … Continue reading ACDC, PART SEVEN: Smashing the Teacups
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
THE IRONIC FRAGILITY OF THE JAW-DROPPER ENDING
They are the solutions that you can’t forget, no matter how much you try. You desperately want to re-read and experience that delicious jolt you got the first time, but you can’t. There’s something so original or special or boundary-breaking about these books that often they end up at the top of many “best of” … Continue reading THE IRONIC FRAGILITY OF THE JAW-DROPPER ENDING
Ah Sweet Mystery! 