It’s New Year’s Eve, the final day of a most, er, dramatic year, and this is my 79th and final post of 2024. It's also the time when some of my fellow bloggers review their accomplishments, perhaps name a “Book of the Year,” and make prognostications about what’s coming up in 2025 that are hopefully vague … Continue reading EVE OF POSSIBILITIES: Looking Back on ’24 and Forward to ’25
Nero Wolfe
“I’ve got a little list . . . ” Part II: Ten Favorite Mysteries of the 1930’s
Back in May, my buddies Sergio and Nick and I pooled our heads together and came up with our own three lists of the best mysteries from the Golden Age of Detection. Our method of selection was very structured: we came up with thirteen general categories (i.e., “Best wartime” “best locked room” and “best twist ending”) and … Continue reading “I’ve got a little list . . . ” Part II: Ten Favorite Mysteries of the 1930’s
BOOK CLUB INVESTIGATES NERO WOLFE’S SHORTS
Let’s talk about novellas - specifically, the Nero Wolfe novellas by Rex Stout. In my admittedly limited range of knowledge and experience, no mystery author has better demonstrated that you can accomplish the same thing in 20,000 words that most writers take 80,000 or more words to do than Stout did. Beginning with 1934’s Fer-de-Lance, Nero … Continue reading BOOK CLUB INVESTIGATES NERO WOLFE’S SHORTS
ARCHIE’S TIME OUT: Prisoner’s Base
Archie Goodwin is not only my favorite Watson, he is the best Watson. He more than earns his keep as Nero Wolfe’s assistant, complementing the brilliant mind of his eccentric genius boss with his own massive skillset. As a chronicler of their adventures together, Archie is unmatched in his snappy prose and ever-present wit (although … Continue reading ARCHIE’S TIME OUT: Prisoner’s Base
GOURMET VS. G-MEN: The Doorbell Rang
My recent sampling of the work of Herbert Brean left me with a hankering for more Gotham-centered mystery. And when you want a taste of New York, what better place to stop than West 35th Street, home of that orchid-loving, gargantuan grumpy genius, Nero Wolfe, and his girl-magnet sidekick and everybody’s favorite Watson, Archie Goodwin. These … Continue reading GOURMET VS. G-MEN: The Doorbell Rang
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A PAIR OF SHORTS
If there’s one thing classic mystery fans know, it’s that everyone loves a good murder at Christmastime. Reading about rich Uncle Humphrey found under the tree with a stake of holly through his heart is a great way to relieve the stresses of hanging out with your real Uncle Randy who clasps you to his … Continue reading ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A PAIR OF SHORTS
FANGS FOR THE MANORYS: The Strange Case of the Barrington Hills Vampire
It has been forty-five years since we could all savor the prospect of a “Christie for Christmas.” Alas, that time is passed, so I propose a new tradition: a “Byrnside for Boo-time!” The classic-style impossible crime mysteries penned by modern-day scribe James Scott Byrnside are, by turns, mystifying, sometimes fear-inducing, and most of the time … Continue reading FANGS FOR THE MANORYS: The Strange Case of the Barrington Hills Vampire
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?
ARMCHAIR DETECTIVES OF THE AIRWAVES
There are many ways to get your GAD on! Sure, the purest the literary route, whereby you assemble your own TBR pile (that’s “To Be Read” for those of you who . . . well, I have no idea why anyone who doesn’t have a TBR pile would come visit me!) and whittle it down … Continue reading ARMCHAIR DETECTIVES OF THE AIRWAVES
Ah Sweet Mystery! 