“On Monday afternoon, my beautiful baby boy, Teddy, went missing from my father’s yard. I urge anyone with any information as to where he is to please call the police. Anything, even the smallest bit of information, could help find him. So, please, no matter how trivial you think it might be, please call. “If … Continue reading KRIMES FOR KIDS: The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson
“OH, ROMEO, ROMEO, WHEREFORE AAAGGGGHH! . . .”: Juliet Dies Twice
“See what a scourge is laid upon your hate/That heaven finds means to kill your joy with love.” In the long-lived, much-married, distinctly Californian life of Jane de Lange Lewis Beynon Bissell Brandt, she managed to produce five mystery novels, all under the pen name Lange Lewis. On the basis of my enjoyment of her … Continue reading “OH, ROMEO, ROMEO, WHEREFORE AAAGGGGHH! . . .”: Juliet Dies Twice
RANKING MARPLE #10: A Caribbean Mystery
A Caribbean Mystery doesn’t get enough love. I am here to rectify that. It merits barely a mention in the various Christie biographies. Robert Barnard, in A Talent to Deceive, dismisses the book as “in the tradition of all those package-tour mysteries written by indigent crime writers who have to capitalize on their meager holidays.” Even my go-to … Continue reading RANKING MARPLE #10: A Caribbean Mystery
TIME OUT FOR GINGER: The Case of the Restless Redhead
“Hamilton Burger arose ponderously to his feet. ‘Just a moment, Your Honor’, he said. ‘I’d like to be heard on that question. I believe there has been a very deliberate attempt on the part of someone, and I am not at the present time naming that someone, although I hope to be able to do … Continue reading TIME OUT FOR GINGER: The Case of the Restless Redhead
SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY LIKE . . . The Case of the Borrowed Brunette
“Next time I run across anyone who is borrowing a brunette, I’m going to let him keep her!” There’s a comforting sameness at the beginning of a Perry Mason novel that is reminiscent of a Sherlock Holmes story. A client comes into the office to consult Mason on a problem. Like Baker Street sleuth, the lawyer is … Continue reading SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY LIKE . . . The Case of the Borrowed Brunette
THE AGATHA CHRISTIE DRAFT
(Warning: you should go into this article knowing that there will be massive spoilers of the solutions of many Agatha Christie titles! Enter at your own risk!!) Everyone has a list in their head of their favorite things. If I was to list just three of mine, I’d say that I love Agatha Christie I … Continue reading THE AGATHA CHRISTIE DRAFT
“WE DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE DISAPPEARANCE . . .
Last night, Theatre Works, one of the Bay Area’s most accomplished theatre companies, opened its 53rd season – and welcomed its new artistic director, Giovanna Sardelli – with a production of Mrs. Christie by Heidi Armbruster. Sardelli herself had directed the world premiere of this play in 2019 at the Dorset Theatre Festival, but Armbruster had been workshopping … Continue reading “WE DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE DISAPPEARANCE . . .
GENTLEMEN PREFER . . . The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde
Let’s get the icky stuff out of the way first: a young blonde woman with a fresh black eye shows up at Perry Mason’s office, and he never expresses concern for her safety or well-being, never offers her a sympathetic comment, an ice pack or a raw steak. In fact, his early questions are disappointingly … Continue reading GENTLEMEN PREFER . . . The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde
THE CASE OF THE BODACIOUS BOOK COVERS
Mystery publishers have long adhered to the well-known adage – and I’m not talking about “Crime Doesn’t Pay! here” The concept that sex sells applies to books as well as anything else. This is all well and good; in fact, it leans right into the world of pulp fiction where the best of hard-boiled detectives … Continue reading THE CASE OF THE BODACIOUS BOOK COVERS
NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF . . . Monkey See, Monkey Murder
Writing, like old age and rugby, is not for sissies. This especially holds true for the writing of James Scott Byrnside, that sardonic writer of impossible crime novels, whose fifth book, Monkey See, Monkey Murder is clever and funny and definitely not for the squeamish. Byrnside is one of those rare modern authors who trades in the devices and … Continue reading NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF . . . Monkey See, Monkey Murder
Ah Sweet Mystery! 