A new trailer has dropped for the upcoming third Knives Out movie, Wake Up, Dead Man. The lovely thing about it is that it is heavy on imagery and light on spoilers, and it trumpets to the skies that it concerns what detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) calls “for a man of reason the Holy Grail” – an … Continue reading CRIME WATCH: New Mysteries on TV
THIS MASON MENAGERIE BONUS IS FOR THE BIRDS
Back in January, I promised you a year-long journey through a bountiful bestiary beset with blonde bombshells and redolent red-heads, all connected to the creatures of the air, land, and sea, all created by Erle Stanley Gardner, and all of them starring that peerless legal eagle for the ages, Perry Mason. I promised you twelve … Continue reading THIS MASON MENAGERIE BONUS IS FOR THE BIRDS
THE POIROT PROJECT #8: The Big Four
It’s easy to argue that The Big Four represents the artistic nadir of Agatha Christie’s career. It barely makes a mention in the biographies: Laura Thompson calls it “one of the worst pieces of writing she ever published but . . . it sold well.” Janet Morgan dismisses it as “a stopgap.” Gillian Gill takes a more … Continue reading THE POIROT PROJECT #8: The Big Four
QUACK, QUACK, GLUG, GLUG: The Case of the Drowning Duck
In our year-long visit through the Perry Mason Menagerie, we have been wandering through the Hall of Birds for an awfully long time. Canaries in 1937! Parrots in 1939! Time moves along, it is now 1942, and we find ourselves still stuck in the avian section - only now the birds go “quack” and float … Continue reading QUACK, QUACK, GLUG, GLUG: The Case of the Drowning Duck
MILLAR’S CROSSING: Beast in View
Sometimes you have to look around at all the great authors you’ve added to your collection – and still never read – and just hang your head in shame. Among my unforgiveable omissions is a charming married couple, the Millars. (Sounds like “Miller.”) He (Kenneth) wrote primarily under the pseudonym of Ross MacDonald and created one of … Continue reading MILLAR’S CROSSING: Beast in View
G-G-G-GAME CHANGER: Poker Face, Season Two
I’d like to see you try and name a better mystery series on TV these days than Poker Face. Creator Rian Johnson (Knives Out) has taken the beloved Columbo formula and gone one better by creating the delightful cocktail-waitress turned amateur sleuth Charlie Cale, played by the ever-delightful Natasha Lyonne. Season One chronicled Charlie’s cross-country adventures trying to elude … Continue reading G-G-G-GAME CHANGER: Poker Face, Season Two
POOH AND PIGLET ON THE CASE: The Red House Mystery
Like most classic mystery fans, I have long been aware that in 1922, three years before he created that immortalis ursi Winnie-the-Pooh, A. A. Milne wrote a single crime novel called The Red House Mystery. The book was a great success! Even Raymond Chandler, Public Enemy #1 when it comes to country house mysteries and locked room puzzles, … Continue reading POOH AND PIGLET ON THE CASE: The Red House Mystery
CHRISTIE, AVEC SUBTITLES: More Movie Adaptations
To all you true Christie fans, have I got an adaptation for you! As I’ve said repeatedly, I have come around to a much more open-minded attitude when it comes to adapting Christie, which is why I enjoyed the BBC’s recent Towards Zero more than most of my fellow Christie fanatics did. It was far from perfect … Continue reading CHRISTIE, AVEC SUBTITLES: More Movie Adaptations
“. . . OF COURSE, OF COURSE”: The Deadly Percheron
My Book Club’s recent discussion about our favorite 1940’s mysteries is the gift that keeps on giving. That our lists displayed such marvelous variety, with very few crossover titles, is a testament to our voracious reading habits and differing tastes; it may also explain why we have such trouble agreeing on what to read each … Continue reading “. . . OF COURSE, OF COURSE”: The Deadly Percheron
CHARLOTTE’S WEB: An Object Lesson in Domestic Suspense
Let’s say A wants to kill B. (It’s a perfectly acceptable conversation starter around here.) If we’re in a whodunnit, A and B are hanging around with C, D, E, F, and G, who also want to kill B. (Popular fellow.) Once B is dead, the reader must decipher the clues, untangle the red herrings, and figure out … Continue reading CHARLOTTE’S WEB: An Object Lesson in Domestic Suspense
Ah Sweet Mystery! 