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!
CRIME WATCH: New Mysteries on TV
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
Ah Sweet Mystery! 