On behalf of the thousands of teenagers that I taught for thirty-one years, all of whom deserve to have wonderful stories created for them, I would like to demand that the following cliches be retired from books, films, and television aimed at kids: Can we stop setting stories in tony California towns where the rich … Continue reading KIDDIE KRIMES: Murder Meets Marketing in The Agathas
ROOTING FOR WATSON: The Twist of a Knife
How fortunate are we that, somewhere along the line in his 43-yearlong writing career, Anthony Horowitz turned to the mystery genre and became one of the best purveyors of the modern mystery in the classic style. He has managed to do this for readers, for television viewers, and especially for kids. He can craft an … Continue reading ROOTING FOR WATSON: The Twist of a Knife
A MURDER (ON THE NILE) IS ANNOUNCED
The text came over a year ago: Coastal Repertory Theatre Company in Half Moon Bay, California was planning its next season - a return to live theatre! – and they wanted to know if I was interested in directing one of their plays. See, they had heard from a mutual friend that I was really into the … Continue reading A MURDER (ON THE NILE) IS ANNOUNCED
SO LONG, SHERLOCK: Elementary, Season 7
Early last spring, at one of our Zoom-togethers with my pals Jim and Sergio, we talked TV as we often do, and Sergio said, not for the first time, “You guys really should watch Elementary.” Now I like Sherlock Holmes as much as the next nerd, the show was available to binge on Hulu, and it’s … Continue reading SO LONG, SHERLOCK: Elementary, Season 7
LETTERS TO BOOK CLUB: The Documents in the Case
Fans of the GAD blogosphere, you are about to be inundated with Dorothy L. Sayers. Now, Sayers has her fans, of which I am not one. But even I will not make the mistake of underestimating her importance to the genre. Despite only writing a dozen mysteries, Sayers had a profound influence on the evolution … Continue reading LETTERS TO BOOK CLUB: The Documents in the Case
THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: My Ten (or so) Favorite Courtroom Cases
(This is for Carol.) True story: after acing my bar mitzvah at the tender age of 13, I told my parents that when I grew up, I did NOT want to be a rabbi - I wanted to be a movie star. My mom and dad exchanged a look – correct that: it was a Look – … Continue reading THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: My Ten (or so) Favorite Courtroom Cases
RE-BRANDING #4: The Housing Crisis – Suddenly at His Residence
Two years after crafting Green for Danger, a classic wartime puzzle, Christianna Brand wrote Suddenly at His Residence, (a.k.a. The Crooked Wreath, a.k.a. x 2 One of the Family, its U.S. serialized title), her only extended family mystery and her first impossible crime novel. Inspector Cockrill appears for his third case, which means that, for as many times in a row, … Continue reading RE-BRANDING #4: The Housing Crisis – Suddenly at His Residence
ABRA-CADAVER: Death and the Conjuror
Let’s face it: life these days has not been just a bowl of cherries. You might wonder, then, why I seem to only read books about violent death. The answer, for any fan of classic crime stories at least, is obvious: we read mysteries for the same reason that millions of souls gobbled them up between 1920 … Continue reading ABRA-CADAVER: Death and the Conjuror
FINALE FAKE-OUT: Elementary, Season Six
Five seasons and 120 episodes into Elementary, we are in a good place, following a solid foursome of series regulars through quirky cases, some of them inspired by Doyle’s canon, and a variety of longer arcs, the success of which depend upon your own taste in plotlines, a particular season’s guest star, and how the whole thing … Continue reading FINALE FAKE-OUT: Elementary, Season Six
Re-Branding #3: The Gold Standard – Green for Danger
A few years ago, I had the good fortune to discuss Green for Danger with two other bloggers: John Norris of Pretty Sinister Books and Ben Randall of The Green Capsule. Here is that conversation, where you’ll discover that the idea I had to revisit all of Christianna Brand’s mysteries is a lot older than even I remembered. It … Continue reading Re-Branding #3: The Gold Standard – Green for Danger
Ah Sweet Mystery! 