I hope you had a chance to check out yesterday’s review of Cards on the Table. Since it’s an Hercule Poirot mystery, you would think if you wanted to find a decent film adaptation, you need look no further than the David Suchet series, Agatha Christie’s Poirot. The sad fact is, I would urge you to avoid the travesty … Continue reading CHORABALI: A Bengali Re-deal of Cards on the Table
THE POIROT PROJECT #1: Cards on the Table
Well, The Poirot Project is off to a furshlugginer start! As I informed you last month, I have identified fifteen Agatha Christie titles featuring Hercule Poirot for which I have so far failed to provide an in-depth article/review. I decided to review these in random order, using slips of paper in a mini-chocolate box as … Continue reading THE POIROT PROJECT #1: Cards on the Table
“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
EXTRA-CURRICULAR WTF: Janice Hallett’s The Examiner
“Attached is an application form for the new MA course I’m running from this September to May next year. It’s designed to bridge the gap between creative work and the commercial world. I aim to create a safe space for students to develop unfamiliar skills and practice those they already possess. As you said, artists … Continue reading EXTRA-CURRICULAR WTF: Janice Hallett’s The Examiner
AGATHA CHRISTIE’S MARPLE: EXPERT ON WICKEDNESS by Dr. Mark Aldridge
What will the critics make of Dr. Mark Aldridge’s new book? You know, the folks who describe any novelist who tries their hand at a mystery in the classic style as “the next Agatha Christie?” They might say something like this: “An entertaining and informative dissertation on the world’s most famous and best-loved spinster sleuth … Continue reading AGATHA CHRISTIE’S MARPLE: EXPERT ON WICKEDNESS by Dr. Mark Aldridge
AN ANNIVERSARY AND AN ANNOUNCEMENT: The Poirot Project
Can you believe it? Nine years ago, on this very day, I began my life as a blogger! I was young and wild, a snappy dresser, sure, but uncertain of how to put my feelings into words. And now, with time and patience, I have grown into myself as a writer and a man. In … Continue reading AN ANNIVERSARY AND AN ANNOUNCEMENT: The Poirot Project
THE FESTIVAL? THE FESTIVAL! THE QUEEN OF CRIME’S FESTIVAL!
It was a plan two years in the making, brought about by an invitation from detective fiction expert Tony Medawar, to travel to Torquay, England, in the County of Devon, the birthplace of Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller, the girl who grew up to become my favorite author, in order to speak about her. Really, though, … Continue reading THE FESTIVAL? THE FESTIVAL! THE QUEEN OF CRIME’S FESTIVAL!
HERCULE AND JANE AND ME, OH MY!
We interrupt our regular program with this special announcement: Last December, in a reflective mood, I wrote about the year ahead and referred to something I called “The Christie Conundrum”: “It’s no secret how much I love Agatha Christie, but the truth is that I’ve read her books many times, and I tend to fall … Continue reading HERCULE AND JANE AND ME, OH MY!
ATTICUS REDUX: Moonflower Murders
Few modern authors have such a firm and delightful grasp on the conventions and stylings of classic detective fiction that Anthony Horowitz has. This has proven especially true in his television writing: Poirot and Midsomer Murders displayed a deft hand at adaptation, but it was Foyle’s War that really proved Horowitz’ mettle. If you haven’t watched that series, what are you … Continue reading ATTICUS REDUX: Moonflower Murders
BAD SPLIT: The Case of the Daring Divorcee
It’s always sad when a marriage ends in divorce. And it makes me feel no better when the series of marital titles I’ve been covering in the Perry Mason series ends as ignominiously as The Case of the Daring Divorcee. It’s 1964: Erle Stanley Gardner is 75 years old and has more than seventy Mason mysteries, … Continue reading BAD SPLIT: The Case of the Daring Divorcee
Ah Sweet Mystery! 