“He was her man and he did her wrong . . .” Death on the Nile is my favorite Hercule Poirot novel. I ranked Five Little Pigs higher on my Top Ten Christies list, and it deserves its place there. But it is a different sort of book than Nile, and I enjoy Christie’s 1937 tale more. Pigs is one of … Continue reading THE POIROT PROJECT #14: Death on the Nile
“Double, double, Doyle and trouble” – The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars
“In a way the orange seeds helped. They were the final touch of unreality. No one could feel the actual tragedy of death in a world where people drew dancing men for murder threats and sent dried orange seeds by special messenger.” The closest Agatha Christie came to writing a Hollywood mystery was 1962’s The Mirror … Continue reading “Double, double, Doyle and trouble” – The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars
MASON IN THE MONKEY HOUSE, PART II: The Case of the Mythical Monkeys
Our penultimate visit to the Mason Menagerie also completes our extended stay in the Monkey House. Except here we’ll find no gorillas, grinning or otherwise; this time, the monkeys are purely metaphorical. However, if you are craving some real-life apes, then have I got a true story for you! It’s even a Thanksgiving tale, as … Continue reading MASON IN THE MONKEY HOUSE, PART II: The Case of the Mythical Monkeys
MAYHEM IN MINIATURE: Murder at the Black Cat Cafe
Ten years ago, English-speaking fans of the classic Japanese mystery fiction known as honkaku and shin honkaku would have been lucky to find one newly translated novel a year to enjoy. Nowadays, there’s practically a glut of them, thanks largely to publishing house Pushkin Vertigo and the talent and non-stop effort of translators like Louise Heal Kawai, Ho-Ling Wong, … Continue reading MAYHEM IN MINIATURE: Murder at the Black Cat Cafe
“IT’S A HARD WORLD FOR LITTLE THINGS . . . ” The 1955 Film Noir Draft
It has been months in the making: Sergio Angelini, the Noir Master and host of the noir-centered podcast Tipping My Fedora, reached back seventy years and compiled a list of thirty-six films made in 1955. Our task was to watch (or, in some cases, re-watch) these films and come together in Noirvember to draft a list of the … Continue reading “IT’S A HARD WORLD FOR LITTLE THINGS . . . ” The 1955 Film Noir Draft
BRAD DONS A FEDORA
Next week, you will all find out the results of the Noirvember '55 draft being held this weekend with my friends, Sergio Angelini and Nick Cardillo. In a quick aside, if you can't get enough of film noir, you really should be listening to Sergio's podcast, Tipping My Fedora, where he talks to all sorts … Continue reading BRAD DONS A FEDORA
NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART 12
At last we reach the final trio of films on our 36-title list of 1955 films noirs. What a ride it has been! A revisit to a few old favorites, a discovery of new delights . . . and a whole lot of titles that, out of kindness, I will simply say fit into a decidedly … Continue reading NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART 12
‘TIS THE SEASON . . . FOR SPOOKY SANTA!
My annual Secret Santa book exchange is often a lesson in SUSPENSE!!!! That’s because most of the participants in our game live across the water, and you never know exactly when the package will arrive!! Imagine my SHOCK!!!! when I received a MYSTERIOUS!!!! package in early October and discovered a stack of objects ensconced in cheerful Christmas wrappings. … Continue reading ‘TIS THE SEASON . . . FOR SPOOKY SANTA!
THE POIROT PROJECT #13: Hallowe’en Party
“’Someone, you know, someone had shoved her head down into the water with the apples. Shoved her down and held her there, so that she was dead, of course. Drowned. Drowned. Just in a galvanized iron bucket, nearly full of water. Kneeling there, sticking her head down to bob at an apple. I hate apples,’ said … Continue reading THE POIROT PROJECT #13: Hallowe’en Party
NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART 11
We’re coming close to the end of our 36-film list of films noir for our upcoming Noirvember draft. (Here’s the entire list.) And, as often happens when you reach the end, we’re finding ourselves at the bottom of the glass, swimming through the dregs. Women’s Prison There’s something special about a women’s prison picture, where a virtual … Continue reading NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART 11
Ah Sweet Mystery! 