KIDS, DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME! The Mini-Mega Hitchcock Draft, Home Edition

/ Brad / 15 Comments

Screen Drafts is a podcast that helped me survive the pandemic and, along the way, captured my heart through the sense of camaraderie that permeated each conversation. Since I first wrote about it nearly seven months ago, I have caught up with all the publicly posted episodes, and I have joined the Patreon group and dabbled … Continue reading KIDS, DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME! The Mini-Mega Hitchcock Draft, Home Edition

RANKING MARPLE #4: Sleeping Murder

/ Brad / 24 Comments

“’Miss Marple and Dr. Kennedy both said, “Leave it alone.” Why don’t we, Giles? What makes us go on? Is it her?’                                                                                                                                           “’Her?’                                                                                                                                                                “’Helen. Is that why I remember? Is my childish memory the only link she’s got with life – with truth? Is it Helen who’s using me – and you - so that the truth will … Continue reading RANKING MARPLE #4: Sleeping Murder

THE PLAY’S . . . SORTA THE THING: Opening The Mousetrap

/ Brad / 9 Comments

Today marks opening night for the production of The Mousetrap that I directed at the high school where I spent twenty-eight years teaching drama. I woke up all too early and checked my e-mail, only to find this missive, sent to the cast and crew from our play’s stage manager, a remarkable young woman named Kelania: "Hello, … Continue reading THE PLAY’S . . . SORTA THE THING: Opening The Mousetrap

BOOK CLUB DOES THREE-ACT TRAGEDY: A One-Act Comedy

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The Members of Book Club (in order of appearance) Miss Dresden                                                                                                                                                Mrs. Russet-Tate                                                                                                                                            Arthur Mimms                                                                                                                                            Gracie Mimms                                                                                                                                               Mr. Panagotacos                                                                                                                                         Oswald Ginch (Scene: Miss Dresden’s parlor. A small fire plays merrily in the grate. There is a comfortable settee, draped over with a lovely antimacassar, and three oddly assorted armchairs, on each of which rests a … Continue reading BOOK CLUB DOES THREE-ACT TRAGEDY: A One-Act Comedy

SLEUTHING IN THE DARK: Death Knell by Barnard Kendrick

/ Brad / 8 Comments

“One way or another, I’ve developed myself into a monstrously clever fellow. My brain’s as fertile as a pomegranate. My heart’s as cold as Troy Singleton in morgue vault twenty-two. I do jigsaw puzzles and hook together pieces of wood that I can’t even see. It makes a picture of death, Davis. I’m blind Justice, … Continue reading SLEUTHING IN THE DARK: Death Knell by Barnard Kendrick

GHOSTS IN SHORTS: “The Sleeper of Coldwreath” by Tom Mead

/ Brad / 2 Comments

Fellow GAD enthusiast Tom Mead has met with great success with Death and the Conjuror, his first novel to feature magician-detective Joseph Spector. It’s a loving and clever take on the classic locked room mystery, and it has garnered deservedly nice reviews for its strict adherence to the rules of classic detection and its multiplicity of … Continue reading GHOSTS IN SHORTS: “The Sleeper of Coldwreath” by Tom Mead