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
Tuesday Night Bloggers
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
Agatha Christie’s THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS: Part IV
The second half dozen stories found in The Thirteen Problems were originally published in The Story-Teller Magazine from December 1929 to May 1930, eighteen months after the first six tales had appeared. This set differs in its cast of characters and its format: rather than a weekly meeting at Miss Marple’s house, these six tales … Continue reading Agatha Christie’s THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS: Part IV
Agatha Christie’s THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS: Part III
It’s Thanksgiving Week, a perfect time for this Christie fan to indulge in reflection about one of her best short story collections. I think others like it, too; we who discuss the best of the best Golden Age writers have named ourselves The Tuesday Night Bloggers, in honor of the guests who met each week … Continue reading Agatha Christie’s THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS: Part III
Agatha Christie’s THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS: Part II
Grabbing at the chance to enter into the discussion about short stories over at The Invisible Event and always eager to talk about Agatha Christie, I thought I would spend the next few posts discussing The Thirteen Problems, Christie’s version of The Arabian Nights Tales that served to introduce everyone’s favorite spinster sleuth, Miss Marple. … Continue reading Agatha Christie’s THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS: Part II
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
AGATHA CHRISTIE AND ME: Confessions of a Fan
Yikes! I got a little confused this week, probably due to tech'ing and opening a musical over the weekend. I thought it was the end of the month and The Tuesday Night Bloggers last week to tackle Agatha Christie. So I wrote a rather personal summation of my relationship with the author and then woke up … Continue reading AGATHA CHRISTIE AND ME: Confessions of a Fan
DOCTOR, LAWYER, MERCHANT, CHIEF: Professions in Agatha Christie
October is racing by, which means the Tuesday Night Bloggers' discussion of all things Christie is, alas, drawing to a close. Curtis Evans, our fearless leader, gathered a group of us together a few weeks ago with an offer to let us expound on anything we liked about the Mistress of Mystery. (Check out Curt's blog, … Continue reading DOCTOR, LAWYER, MERCHANT, CHIEF: Professions in Agatha Christie
THE BLOODSTAINED PAVEMENT, PART I: Agatha Christie and the Serial Killer
I am honored to be included by Curtis Evans, along with Noah, Bev Hankins, Moira Redmond, Helen Szamuely, and Jeffrey Marks, all bloggers par excellence, as a member of the Tuesday Night Bloggers, in honor of that Mistress of Mystery, Agatha Christie. For those of you new or new-ish to Christie’s work, The Thirteen Problems … Continue reading THE BLOODSTAINED PAVEMENT, PART I: Agatha Christie and the Serial Killer
Ah Sweet Mystery! 