“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
MAKING HISTORY: Two Movies to Gobble Up This Holiday Time
Some people mark the coming of Christmas as that time of year when the wife and kids bundle up into their warmest clothing, fire up the car, and head over to Target or Best Buy or Kohl’s for the Black Friday sales . . . all while Dad sits at the table and says, “But … Continue reading MAKING HISTORY: Two Movies to Gobble Up This Holiday Time
Agatha Christie’s THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS: Part V
And now we come to the final four tales in this, my favorite Agatha Christie story collection. After the three male members of the dinner party at Colonel Bantry’s estate tell their stories, Sir Henry Clithering issues a complaint: “We are a company of six, three representatives of each sex, and I protest on behalf … Continue reading Agatha Christie’s THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS: Part V
CHALLENGE TO THE LISTENER: Ellery Queen on the Radio
I have long been a fan of old radio shows, and for me the best show ever to hit the air was . . . not Ellery Queen! It was, without a doubt, Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Jack Benny. Benny hosted a top tier program for nearly his entire career on the radio, and it … Continue reading CHALLENGE TO THE LISTENER: Ellery Queen on the Radio
Ah Sweet Mystery! 