Author and blogger Margot Kinberg, who comes up with something thought-provoking every . . . single . . . day . . . recently offered up a tantalizing article about illusion. Her focus was on characters in mysteries whose lives, built to varying degrees around an illusory view of the world around them, form the … Continue reading “THESE PRECIOUS ILLUSIONS IN MY HEAD DID NOT LET ME DOWN . . . “
John Dickson Carr
ACDC, PART TWO: HM = History + Mystery in The Plague Court Murders
“Logic and reason, when not tempered with imagination and sympathy and even childlikeness, produce ruthlessness.” (Douglas Greene) A Carter Dickson Celebration continues – some would say has its legitimate beginning – with 1934’s The Plague Court Murders. After all, as I discussed in our first installment, The Bowstring Murders, written on the fly for quick … Continue reading ACDC, PART TWO: HM = History + Mystery in The Plague Court Murders
ACDC, PART ONE: Medieval Ho Hum, er, Mayhem in The Bowstring Murders
And so we begin. A Carter Dickson Celebration has been a long time coming. As I explained before, when I first began to embrace the works of John Dickson Carr, my youthful stubbornness caused me to opt for Gideon Fell and reject Sir Henry Merrivale. Was this foolish of me? Perhaps. Am I unhappy about … Continue reading ACDC, PART ONE: Medieval Ho Hum, er, Mayhem in The Bowstring Murders
SCRATCHING A NICHE: On Whodunits and Hitchcockian Hooey
Considering Sunday is a day of rest, this lazy cuss managed to get a lot done! I had a nice walk along the shore under a bright Indian Summer sky. I replaced all my decrepit plastic storage containers with spiffy new Pyrex bowls. I met the new lady Doctor. I like her, but her debut … Continue reading SCRATCHING A NICHE: On Whodunits and Hitchcockian Hooey
ADDENDUM WITH FAERIES
A couple of days ago, I wrote about the latest Paul Halter translation, The Man Who Loved Clouds. I bought the book as soon as it came out because, for some perverse reason, I like to be among the first to review Halter. But work prevailed, I read slowly, and several fine bloggers beat me … Continue reading ADDENDUM WITH FAERIES
READ-ALONG WITH BRADLEY: The Red Widow Murders, Part Two
Do you need to catch up? Okay, let’s go! CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE MAN AT THE WINDOW The delightful entr’acte that opens this chapter takes place at Sir Henry Merrivale’s house, where Dr. Michael Tairlaine has a sleepover with His Corpulence! Many games are played and much whiskey is drunk, after which H.M. bestows upon Tairlaine … Continue reading READ-ALONG WITH BRADLEY: The Red Widow Murders, Part Two
READ-ALONG WITH BRADLEY! The Red Widow Murders: Part One
It seemed a good idea at the time, but in the cold light of day, calling this event “GADzooks!” seems a shuddering case of The Cutes! The Puzzle Doctor calls his a “chapter to chapter”, and JJ will appear with his own “Spoiler Warning” in this format in July! True to form, PD remains spoiler-free, … Continue reading READ-ALONG WITH BRADLEY! The Red Widow Murders: Part One
G.A.D.ZOOKS! A Special Announcement
Gadzooks! Definition: a cry of surprise or irritation. The perfect epithet for when you have turned that page to where the sleuth drops all pretense, points to the least likely suspect and declares: “It was you!” … Continue reading G.A.D.ZOOKS! A Special Announcement
I SECOND THAT EMOTION: Mysteries That Make You Feel
Dale Carnegie said: “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.” Try applying this truism to the classic mystery, and you can perhaps see why some people turn away from the tendency of these stories to shortchange the emotional aspects of murder, while others are … Continue reading I SECOND THAT EMOTION: Mysteries That Make You Feel
GOOSEBUMPS: THE CHRISTIE EDITION
Mr. JJ of The Invisible Event (you do know that JJ is his last name, not his initials, right? His first name is Al) recently posted on my favorite topic, Agatha Christie, detailing some of the highs and lows he had experienced after nearly twenty years of reading the Queen of Crime. It was a … Continue reading GOOSEBUMPS: THE CHRISTIE EDITION
Ah Sweet Mystery! 