Happy New Year, everybody! A little over a year as a member of the Golden Age Detection group on Facebook, and my life has changed for the better. I have (virtually) met dozens of erudite and charming people whose passion for mystery fiction matches mine even as their knowledge far exceeds my own. As a … Continue reading CURTIS MADE ME DO IT, PART I: My first E.R. Punshon
1950: A VERY GOOD YEAR FOR NOIR
Over at Past Offences, Rich has designated January as a celebration of the year 1950 and all the great mysterious books and films that came out of that year. To join up, simply go here: https://pastoffences.wordpress.com/2015/12/28/1950book-sign-up-page/ Turns out that 1950 was a great year for film noir. Wikipedia lists fifty-four titles, including In a Lonely … Continue reading 1950: A VERY GOOD YEAR FOR NOIR
The Curious Incident of the Doggerel in the Nighttime
My fellow blogger, Helen Szamuely, posted a fascinating article about the nature of clueing in classic mysteries, much of which is lost to modern writers and readers due to the rising technology of our times. Read her post here: http://conservativehistory.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/some-idle-thoughts.html It inspired me to scribble a silly poem - something I do way too often … Continue reading The Curious Incident of the Doggerel in the Nighttime
AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE PALE HORSE
“Of course I often have a master criminal in my stories – people like it – but really he gets harder and harder to do. So long as one doesn’t know who he is, I can keep him impressive. But when it all comes out, he seems, somehow, so inadequate. A kind of anticlimax. It’s … Continue reading AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE PALE HORSE
DO YOU SWEAR TO TELL . . . ?:Helen McCloy’s The Deadly Truth
The year is 1941, and the shadow of war encroaches on our nation from both sides. Paris has fallen, and in a few short months the Japanese will bomb Pearl Harbor. You wouldn’t know this, however, if you peeked into the windows at Blessingbourne, the Long Island estate where society hostess Claudia Bethune and her … Continue reading DO YOU SWEAR TO TELL . . . ?:Helen McCloy’s The Deadly Truth
THE TWELVE FAMILIES OF CHRISTIE-MAS – PART II
Continuing my investigation of the twelve family tales one finds scattered throughout Agatha Christie’s novels, today I examine the second half dozen: On the seventh day of Christie-mas my true love sent to me: Seven family members strapped for cash. 1948’s Taken at … Continue reading THE TWELVE FAMILIES OF CHRISTIE-MAS – PART II
THE TWELVE FAMILIES OF CHRISTIE-MAS – PART I
Ah, the holidays! A time when families come together to decorate the tree, light the candles, exchange gifts, and spike the eggnog with just enough cyanide to ensure the reading of the will by New Year’s Eve! Well, that’s the way it is if your clan is featured in an Agatha Christie novel. Actually, out … Continue reading THE TWELVE FAMILIES OF CHRISTIE-MAS – PART I
CAT AMONG THE PIGEONS Or, Poirot as an Afterthought
Cat Among the Pigeons is the last Christie work of the 1950’s and a novel I have a particular fondness for due to the girls’ school setting. I was a sucker for mysteries set in the world of education long before I myself became a teacher, and I feel I have only cracked the number … Continue reading CAT AMONG THE PIGEONS Or, Poirot as an Afterthought
THE FIRST GLIMMERS OF NOIR: Two Great Mystery Films From 1941
In honor of the December celebration of the year 1941 over at the Past Offenses blog, I checked out the film scene and discovered that two of my favorite mysteries of all time were made that year. I’m a huge fan of film noir, a very brief era that actually began after World War II … Continue reading THE FIRST GLIMMERS OF NOIR: Two Great Mystery Films From 1941
NGAIO MARSH: The Third Queen of Crime
The Tuesday Night Bloggers group was founded by Curtis Evans with the purpose of exploring a different Golden Age mystery writer each month. So far, I have had it easy! We started with Christie – and everyone knows something about her! Next came Ellery Queen. So far, so good: after Christie, I think I know … Continue reading NGAIO MARSH: The Third Queen of Crime
Ah Sweet Mystery! 