“’So you’re a lawyer now?’ “’I guess so.’ “’Don’t you have, like, ten steps for solving crime or whatever? Just do – ‘ she wriggled her hands in the air like she was performing a magic trick - ‘a bit of all that.’ “’They’re rules, not steps. And they’re not mine.’” Monseignor Ronald Knox, circa 1930 … Continue reading FINAL READ OF THE YEAR!
PAT ON THE BACK: Meeting (Some of) My 2022 Goals
“There is no Frigate like a Book to take us Lands away . . . “ These words by Emily Dickenson were emblazoned on the bookplates my grandparents gave me when, at an early age, I declared my love for reading. I pasted them into every volume I owned and used up my stock long ago. … Continue reading PAT ON THE BACK: Meeting (Some of) My 2022 Goals
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
THE (OTHER) HITCHCOCK WOMAN
Saturday is my mom’s birthday. She always hated that her birthday was on Christmas Eve, and not because she’s a nice Jewish Bronx-born girl. She envied the idea of a person’s birthday being months away from Christmas or Hanukkah, of the celebration of your life – along with gifts - being upstaged by a major … Continue reading THE (OTHER) HITCHCOCK WOMAN
THE 2022 ROY AWARDS: All in Love is (A.A.) Fair
“’Call a cab,’ she said. “’I have one waiting downstairs.’ “’Are you sporting taxi cabs for your private transportation?’ she asked. ‘Or did you think you were on an expense account?’ “I flared up and said, ‘I thought I was on an expense account.’ “She was silent for several seconds. I sat there wondering whether … Continue reading THE 2022 ROY AWARDS: All in Love is (A.A.) Fair
CRIME SOLVING WITH CANAPES: The Adventures of the Puzzle Club
If you have had the good fortune to dive into honkaku and shin honkaku mysteries, you will be thrilled to learn that, in Japan, high schools and universities have murder societies, whose members are all devotees of the Golden Age of Detection. They meet regularly to wallow in every aspect of classic crime, and then some of them grow … Continue reading CRIME SOLVING WITH CANAPES: The Adventures of the Puzzle Club
FRACTURED FAIRY TALE: The Better to Eat You
Every month, my Book Club selects a different classic mystery to read. Even with all the terrific books out there, it isn’t as easy a task as you might think. For one thing, most of us are bloggers, and we read a lot of this stuff. Then again, our tastes vary, and it’s well nigh impossible to … Continue reading FRACTURED FAIRY TALE: The Better to Eat You
THE 2022 ROY AWARDS: Making My Case for Jezebel
For some time now, my friend Kate has been hosting an end-of-year celebration over at her place, Cross Examining Crime, of all the wonderful classic mystery reprints that have appeared over the past year. For 2022, the list is longer than ever, and for that we really have to thank the wealth of small presses … Continue reading THE 2022 ROY AWARDS: Making My Case for Jezebel
FROM PAGE TO (SOUND)STAGE: Classic Mysteries on the Radio
Here’s what it feels like to grow old: A few years ago, I had to acknowledge the fact that I had not owned a record player for a decade and that the hundreds of albums I owned had caused the top shelf of my upstairs closet to buckle and that I had replaced all that … Continue reading FROM PAGE TO (SOUND)STAGE: Classic Mysteries on the Radio
KRIMES FOR KIDS (WITH A CHRISTIE TWIST): Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen
As the sages are fond of saying: good things come to those who read Christie. Had I not picked up my first Agatha Christie novel (And Then There Were None) at the tender age of eleven, I might not have devoured the author’s entire canon by my twenties, re-read her voraciously, and set myself up … Continue reading KRIMES FOR KIDS (WITH A CHRISTIE TWIST): Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen
Ah Sweet Mystery! 