Summer vacation goal #2: Read a lot and get some blogging in. Ah, the best laid plans . . . yada yada . . . gang aft a-gley.” With a TBR pile fairly bursting with juicy titles by authors both familiar and new, you’d think this goal would be a cinch. But I’ve had an … Continue reading BACK TO BEFORE: Carr’s The Emperor’s Snuff-Box
John Dickson Carr
CHRISTIE/CARR SCATTERGORIES
Omigosh! I am so sorry, people! I was supposed to post this yesterday, as JJ so graciously reminded me this morning. (“Hey, um . . . so are you gonna post, or what?”) My excuse is that I’ve spent the weekend at work, producing the spring play. But here you go, as promised: the sequel to … Continue reading CHRISTIE/CARR SCATTERGORIES
THE 2017 CHRISTIE VS. CARR SMACKDOWN
. . . isn’t here! So hie thee quickly hence, over to JJ’s blog site, The Invisible Event, to find out what all the hoopla was about. See what two humble (sorta) Carr and Christie fans made of the pair of titles YOU voted as the best of the best! I warn you that, in … Continue reading THE 2017 CHRISTIE VS. CARR SMACKDOWN
PROLOGUE TO A THROWDOWN
This was supposed to commence in April! VS. JJ, my fine, deluded friend from The Invisible Event, broached the subject several months ago of having a friendly competition, to wit: we would allow our friends to select the Number One titles by Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr, and then … Continue reading PROLOGUE TO A THROWDOWN
DICKSON CARR’S “ROGER ACKROYD”: The Burning Court
Get ready, folks! The tension is mounting! April nears, and JJ (The Invisible Event) and I are about to get hot and heavy with our two favorite mystery authors: Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr. After intense polling that involved thousands of mystery fans - okay, maybe thirty? – the top novels by each author … Continue reading DICKSON CARR’S “ROGER ACKROYD”: The Burning Court
MISS SILVER AND THE GREAT CONFLUENCE OF 1937
I love prolific authors. Agatha Christie, John Dickson Carr, Ellery Queen, and Ngaio Marsh basically got me through my teens and 20’s and taught me the ABC’s of classic mystery fiction. Yes, each of them had their share of clunkers, but, by and large, their output was brilliant. Of course, other mystery writers made their … Continue reading MISS SILVER AND THE GREAT CONFLUENCE OF 1937
STEP BY (FOOT)STEP: Carter Dickson’s She Died a Lady
Maybe it’s because of the company I keep: JJ over at The Invisible Event, Tomcat over at Beneath the Stains of Time, and Ben at The Green Capsule all focus much of their energies on impossible crimes and the work of the Master of that sub-genre, John Dickson Carr. (Heck, The Green Capsule is entirely … Continue reading STEP BY (FOOT)STEP: Carter Dickson’s She Died a Lady
TAKING A NEW CARR ROUND THE BLOCK: The Ten Teacups
I’m envious whenever I read another mystery fan describe how much they love the ten Agatha Christie novels they’ve read . . . or the fifteen, or the three, and so on. The lucky devils! What pleasures they still have in store. I often wish that someone would unearth previously unpublished titles by my favorite … Continue reading TAKING A NEW CARR ROUND THE BLOCK: The Ten Teacups
MY READINGS (AND REVISITINGS) OF 2016
Happy New Year, everyone! As a new blogger, I have only just become aware of the tradition in this community for those who blog about books to reflect on the past year in reading. Yes, let’s focus on the reading because in most other respects, for me at least, 2016 was not a keeper! So … Continue reading MY READINGS (AND REVISITINGS) OF 2016
DRACULA IT AIN’T: Paul Halter’s The Vampire Tree
After reading all of Agatha Christie’s novels and stories – most of them multiple times – I feel I can talk about her with, if not authority, then great confidence. After reading nine novels by Paul Halter, an author I have admittedly had trouble appreciating, I cannot admit any authority or confidence, but I feel … Continue reading DRACULA IT AIN’T: Paul Halter’s The Vampire Tree
Ah Sweet Mystery! 