Great minds think alike! It’s the final week for the Tuesday Night Bloggers to dedicate their efforts to all things related to poison, and without consulting each other in any way, my buddy JJ at The Invisible Event and I both set our sights on Ellery Queen, one of the foremost American practitioners of the … Continue reading ELLERY QUEEN AND THE POISONOUS QUARTET
Ellery Queen
LETTER TO TEACHER: Learning About Shin Honkaku
Dear Miss Crabtree, Here is my twenty five hundred word essay that you are making me write as punishment for not following the instructions of our last assignment properly. the Tuesday Night Bloggers wanted us to write about murders that take place in academia, which means school, and I meant to do that but I … Continue reading LETTER TO TEACHER: Learning About Shin Honkaku
THE HEAT IS ON: Ellery Queen on Vacation
The Tuesday Night Bloggers have dedicated the month of May to variations on the theme of transportation, travel, and vacation. Ah, vacation! What educator doesn’t thrill to the sound of that word in early May? I have exactly four full days and three half days of work left before mine starts . . . not … Continue reading THE HEAT IS ON: Ellery Queen on Vacation
KATE MADE ME DO IT: A Workplace Quiz
The beginning of every year is extraordinarily busy for me because that’s when I gear up at school to present the big musical! (This year we produced Nice Work If You Can Get It, with music by George Gershwin, and it went very well, thank you.) Consequently, I have had neither the time nor the inclination toward reading, … Continue reading KATE MADE ME DO IT: A Workplace Quiz
TWO VILLAGE MYSTERIES FROM 1950
Over at Past Offenses, Rich is gathering mystery fans from far and wide to honor the year 1950. It just so happens that during this year, two of my favorite authors published mysteries set in small villages. Agatha Christie, writing her fiftieth novel, created a masterpiece. Ellery Queen, however, wrote a lesser Wrightsville tale that, … Continue reading TWO VILLAGE MYSTERIES FROM 1950
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
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
THE FIRST BRADLEY AWARDS! Christie Vs. Queen
What are the Bradley Awards? They are whatever I want them to be! I envision the categories shifting and changing faster than alliances on Game of Thrones. This time around, it’s all about a summing up of my month-long comparison between Agatha Christie, the Mistress of Mystery, and Ellery Queen, the, er, Queen of Crime! As … Continue reading THE FIRST BRADLEY AWARDS! Christie Vs. Queen
CHRISTIE VS. QUEEN: MALICE DOMESTIC TAKES ON THE GOD COMPLEX
Given the number of singular surprise endings for which they were responsible, it’s safe to say that Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen were both masters of misdirection. One or the other probably invented nearly every variation on “the least likely suspect” motif. They shared a goal of fooling the reader, using “fair play” methods that, … Continue reading CHRISTIE VS. QUEEN: MALICE DOMESTIC TAKES ON THE GOD COMPLEX
A TOUCH OF THE CREEPS: Two by Helen McCloy
We can have a political discussion about Amazon.com at another time. Right now, I feel grateful to the mega-company because, unlike most major publishers, Amazon has found value in providing access for readers to the work of past mystery authors. When I walk into a bookstore – and these days, that is getting harder and … Continue reading A TOUCH OF THE CREEPS: Two by Helen McCloy
Ah Sweet Mystery! 