The real fun with my Book Club occurs when we toss aside the traditional “Read-of-the-Month” format and talk about books in general. When we read something together, we make quick work of our discussion: if we all loved it, we cover that love in twenty minutes; ditto if we all despised it. And if we … Continue reading SIX SKIDOO: My Favorite Mysteries of the 1920’s
NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART 5
You know the drill! The full list is here. We’re drafting the Top Thirteen 1955 Films Noirs in November. Today’s trio is a decidedly mixed bag: each has elements that work for me – and elements that don’t. I’ll rank the trio at the end, but I wonder if any of them will earn a high enough place on … Continue reading NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART 5
LAY OFF MAC DUFF: The Unsuspected by Charlotte Armstrong
Had Charlotte Armstrong decided that she would become the beloved author of sixty-six cozy mysteries starring her beloved amateur sleuth, retired history professor MacDougall Duff, I have a feeling we would not be talking about her now. Or perhaps Dean Street Press would be slowly republishing her long-forgotten canon. (Not to snark on Duff: I … Continue reading LAY OFF MAC DUFF: The Unsuspected by Charlotte Armstrong
NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART 4
Let’s return to the mean streets for three more of the thirty-six films noirs made in 1955 that the Noirmeister Sergio Angelini sent to Nick Cardillo and me so that we can determine the Top Thirteen during our Noirvember Draft. (Here is the complete list.) Warning: not every trio of movies can be a banger, folks! Today, I feel … Continue reading NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART 4
GONE GIRL IN THE WINDOW, NO TRAIN: The Dead Friend Project
I think I’m growing tired of these covers of modern cozy mysteries, with their punny titles, cutesy illustrations, and snarky tag lines: The cover of The Dead Friend Project, Joanna Wallace’s second novel, is almost bland by comparison to others, but it gets the job done of informing you that this is a murder mystery. Note the … Continue reading GONE GIRL IN THE WINDOW, NO TRAIN: The Dead Friend Project
BRAD TAKES THE COLBERT QUESTIONERT
Something a little different today . . . Citing financial reasons, CBS has cancelled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The timing couldn’t be worse. Colbert has the #1 rated program on late night TV and, quite frankly, his hilarious political commentary has gotten me through a rough ten years. We’ve waded through the dirty morass … Continue reading BRAD TAKES THE COLBERT QUESTIONERT
FILM, FILIM, DIANYING, PELICULA: International Agatha Christie She Watched
If you come here often, you may have picked up that I love talking about movies. Sadly, the most fraught discussions tend to center around the adaptations of my very favorite subject - Agatha Christie. I can’t say I’m surprised: a conversation with the Dame herself would have elicited fervent emotions on the subject. Why shouldn’t her … Continue reading FILM, FILIM, DIANYING, PELICULA: International Agatha Christie She Watched
RIDDLE IN RETAIL: Death Wears a White Gardenia
Since this is a blog that deals in genre secrets, I’ve got a good one for you: not everybody collects Dell Map Back Mysteries because they’re great literature - it’s because they look sooo cool!! I have no idea how many of the 8500 titles Dell published in this format between 1943 and 1950 would … Continue reading RIDDLE IN RETAIL: Death Wears a White Gardenia
THE POIROT PROJECT #10: Murder in Mesopotamia
“Your travel life has the essence of a dream . . . you are yourself, but a different self.” (Agatha Christie) Full disclosure: I’ve tried writing this article five times, and it becomes increasingly difficult to stick to the subject. My basic issue around Murder in Mesopotamia is that, despite a few interesting features, what fascinates me … Continue reading THE POIROT PROJECT #10: Murder in Mesopotamia
WHAT’S THE BUZZ? The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito
“‘Suppose,’ Mason said, ‘I should give you a dose of poison, and you should die. That would be murder, wouldn’t it?’“Della laughed. ‘Sometimes when I’ve made mistakes I think it would be a justifiable homicide. But go on. What’s the idea?’“‘But suppose that before the poison had quite resulted in death, someone came along, whipped … Continue reading WHAT’S THE BUZZ? The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito
Ah Sweet Mystery! 