I sure hope some of you are watching along with me as I take a crash course in 1955 film noir in preparation for the second annual Noirvember Draft I’ll be having with my buddies Sergio and Nick. So far, the views have ranged from terrific to terrible, which is exactly how the genre is supposed to … Continue reading NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART 3
NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART 2
I’m back with my thoughts on three more films from the big 1955 film noir list that Sergio Angelini, Nick Cardillo and I are watching in order to create our Top 13 Best Film Noirs of 1955. (Remember: I’m watching these films in alphabetical order. You can join me or simply sample the films that sound good … Continue reading NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART 2
HISTORY MYSTERY SHMISTORY! Murder in the House of Omari
In the continuing saga that is the translation and publication of Japanese honkaku mysteries into English, Pushkin Vertigo brings us another prolific but seldom read author. Taku Ashibe has been producing crime novels and stories for thirty-five years, many of them with fanciful names like The Palace of Bizarre Idea Murder Case, Murder at the House of Another … Continue reading HISTORY MYSTERY SHMISTORY! Murder in the House of Omari
THE “GREATEST MYSTERY FILMS OF ALL TIME” DRAFT!!!
On Sunday, I met with my buddies Sergio Angelini and Nick Cardillo for our latest game of list-drafting. After tackling Christie, Hitchcock, Sherlock Holmes and Charlie Chan, we decided to broaden our focus on a more general look at the mystery genre in film. Each of us did our research and came together armed with … Continue reading THE “GREATEST MYSTERY FILMS OF ALL TIME” DRAFT!!!
NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART I
The concept of “Noirvember” was created fifteen years ago by Marya E. Gates, a film critic, as a jazzy way to celebrate the beloved genre of film noir. Last year, the word was co-opted by Ah Sweet Mystery when Sergio, Nick and I drafted The Best Noirs of 1944. And now, another Noirvember draft is brewing: this year, we examine … Continue reading NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART I
“IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR . . . ” It’s About Impossible Crime by James Scott Burnside
Since 2018, when James Scott Byrnside’s Goodnight Irene debuted in all its self-published glory, I’ve had an image of the author sitting in his bathtub in the luxury penthouse he owns atop one of Las Vegas’ swanky off-the-Strip hotels – maybe around City Center? – with classic Sinatra piped in through the sound system. His typewriter on … Continue reading “IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR . . . ” It’s About Impossible Crime by James Scott Burnside
THE POIROT PROJECT #9: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
After blogging for ten years on classic crime – with a focus on Agatha Christie, mind you – I could still forgive myself for not having written closely about . . . The Secret of Chimneys . . . or Hickory Dickory Dock . . . or Elephants Can Remember (although the last two will be rectified before the year is … Continue reading THE POIROT PROJECT #9: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
DELLA IN THE LION’S DEN: The Case of the Careless Kitten
Can you blame me if, at the halfway point in our yearlong exploration of the Perry Mason Menagerie, I have decided to return to the Hall of Cats? I happen to have a pair of feline monsters of my own, which might be why I enjoyed the earlier adventure where a family caretaker was found … Continue reading DELLA IN THE LION’S DEN: The Case of the Careless Kitten
THE LONG GOODBYE: Marble Hall Murders
In Anthony Horowitz’ acknowledgements at the end of Marble Hall Murders, we learn that his original intention was probably not to write a third novel about Susan Ryeland, the book editor with the worst luck in friends. “This is the third outing for Susan Ryeland and Atticus Pünd and you wouldn’t be holding it in your … Continue reading THE LONG GOODBYE: Marble Hall Murders
MYSTERY MOVIE TALK: Three Announcements!
I got into this blogging game for the conversations. Ironic, since the vast majority of readers tend to shy away from the comments section. So we scribes do what we can to get the conversation going. Over the past couple of years, my two buddies, Sergio Angelini and Nick Cardillo, and I have set aside … Continue reading MYSTERY MOVIE TALK: Three Announcements!
Ah Sweet Mystery! 