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
THE KNITTING WARS: Marple vs. Silver (Part One and Only)
Fans of classic detective fiction know that there are thousands of books by hundreds of authors to choose from. They run the gamut from pure puzzlers to “Had I But Knowns”, from succinct procedurals to opulent thrillers. Their tones rank from despairing to hilarious, and you can pick your sleuths out of a panoply of … Continue reading THE KNITTING WARS: Marple vs. Silver (Part One and Only)
A MINI-SHIN HONKAKU REVIEW: “The Tragedy of Black Swan Lodge”
I haven’t subscribed to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine for years and years, mainly because the short mystery has undergone the same transformation as the modern novel: puzzles and problems have been replaced with anger and ennui. But the local library has a large, comfortable magazine room, and every two months, I pick up the newest copy of EQMM on … Continue reading A MINI-SHIN HONKAKU REVIEW: “The Tragedy of Black Swan Lodge”
FINAL TWISTS: A Columbo Quadruple Bill
In preparation for our upcoming draft of the best female murderers in Columbo, my pal Sergio Angelini sent me a list of twenty-one episodes. I have covered seventeen of them, and today we’ll look at the final four. Then I’m going to explain the upcoming draft to you – and why we’ll only be drafting fifteen episodes! I’ve only … Continue reading FINAL TWISTS: A Columbo Quadruple Bill
FAIT ACCOMPLI: Two More Columbo Adventures
In all fairness, “Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star” probably had no chance with me from the start. This 1991 episode pits the Lieutenant against Hugh Creighton, “the world’s best defense attorney” (Dabney Coleman). Now, I happen to be intimately acquainted with the world’s best defense attorney: his name is Perry Mason, and, … Continue reading FAIT ACCOMPLI: Two More Columbo Adventures
RATTLING THE LIEUTENANT: Two More Columbo Adventures
Like many popular crime TV series, Columbo succeeded because of, rather than despite, its formulaic structure. Fans endured waits lasting anywhere from weeks to years between episodes for the chance to see Peter Falk wield his fake humility against the overweening ego of a colorful guest star, pop up at awkward and arguably humorous moments to rattle … Continue reading RATTLING THE LIEUTENANT: Two More Columbo Adventures
LADY ON TOP: Two More Columbo Adventures
This new project of watching all the female murderers and accomplices on Columbo is not making an expert out of this first-time viewer. My sense is that the men who kill here are far more cold-blooded, motivated by greed, envy and a lust for . . . well, anything. And, from the feedback I’ve been getting, the … Continue reading LADY ON TOP: Two More Columbo Adventures
RUTHLESS RUTH! Two More Columbo Adventures
Our exploration into Distaff Columbo jumps to the second episode of 1976 and the first episode of the 1977 season. Both are a mere 75 minutes in length, both concern a murderess who is both sympathetic and ruthless – although one of them a character named Ruth and the other played by an actress named Ruth! - … Continue reading RUTHLESS RUTH! Two More Columbo Adventures
DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES: Two More Columbo Adventures
I don’t know the reasoning behind why some Columbo episodes were 75 minutes long and others ran to 95 minutes. “Any Old Port in the Storm,” the 2nd episode of the 3rd season, is a brilliant 75-minute-long case weighed down by twenty extra minutes. The fabled Carsini Winery is run by elder son Adrian Carsini (Donald Pleasance), whose ability … Continue reading DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES: Two More Columbo Adventures
“OH YOU CAN’T GET A MAN WITH A GUN . . . “: The Case of the Spurious Spinster
The course of true love never did run smooth . . . particularly when the situation burst from the fevered brain of Erle Stanley Gardner. So far, we’ve been on four matrimonial adventures where every bride, groom, husband and wife has had a helluva time. You might start asking yourself if you would be better … Continue reading “OH YOU CAN’T GET A MAN WITH A GUN . . . “: The Case of the Spurious Spinster
Ah Sweet Mystery! 