The original antepenultimate case for the world’s first consulting detective; the perfect time to introduce some new lore, what?
Continue reading#1280: Little Fictions – ‘The Greek Interpreter’ (1893) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Author: JJ
#1279: “You ought to be able to make like Sherlock Holmes or Ellery Queen…” – The Man Who Read Mysteries [ss] (2018) by William Brittain [ed. Josh Pachter]
The first of (so far…) two volumes of William Brittain’s short fiction from Crippen & Landru, The Man Who Read Mysteries (2018) contains the eleven stories written under the non-series ‘The X Who Read [Author Name]’ titles and seven selections from editor Josh Pachter of the tales featuring crime-solving high school science teacher Leonard Strang.
Continue reading#1278: The Labyrinth House Murders (1988) by Yukito Ayatsuji [trans. Ho-Ling Wong 2024]
Even before the sad death of John Pugmire, who brought us much in the way of foreign language impossible crime novels through Locked Room International, Pushkin Vertigo had started some heavy lifting in supplying us with ingenious puzzle plots from the other side of the language barrier. They’re not all bangers, of course, but the commitment Pushkin have shown, and continue to show if the raft of upcoming titles on their slate is anything to go by, is heartening for those of us who love a complex problem rigorously exploited. And The Labyrinth House Murders (1988) by Yukito Ayatsuji, recently translated by the talented Ho-Ling Wong, is certainly that.
#1277: Little Fictions – ‘The Resident Patient’ (1893) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
#1276: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in The Mystery of the Dead Man’s Riddle (1974) by William Arden
I’ve read books in a single day before — hell, I still do — but it’s been a long time since I read a book in one sitting: take a seat, open the book, finish reading it, stand up. Welcome, then, to The Mystery of the Dead Man’s Riddle (1974), the twenty-second book in the Three Investigators series and the sixth to be written by Dennis Lynds under the name William Arden.
Continue reading#1275: Fools Die on Friday (1947) by A.A. Fair
As my grandfather used to say, “When you fall off the horse, get back on the horse”. And that’s why he made such a controversial judge at gymnastic competitions. But the fact remains that lately I’ve had some disheartening reading experiences with favoured authors — John Dickson Carr, J.J. Connington, Freeman Wills Crofts, A.A. Fair, Craig Rice, Cornell Woolrich J.J. Connington again, maybe Rice a second time — and so the tempting thing is to leave them alone for a while, wait for that memory to fade, and then return. But, no, I’m not doing that, I’m reading Fair again now, because why not? That’s what the horse is here. It was a pommel horse all along.
#1274: Little Fictions – ‘The Crooked Man’ (1893) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Five Tuesdays in April should allow me to finish off the last five stories in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894). Right?
Continue reading#1273: “Who’s responsible for these deaths?” – Clue (1986) by Michael McDowell
Having recently rewatched and reviewed the movie Clue (1985), a comment in the, er, comments sent me in search of the novelisation of the film that I’d previously had no idea existed…and, well, here we are.
Continue reading#1272: Yesterday’s Murder, a.k.a. Telefair (1942) by Craig Rice
As my grandfather used to say, “When you fall off the horse, get back on the horse”. And that’s why he lost his job as a stuntman in Western movies. But the fact remains that lately I’ve had some disheartening reading experiences with favoured authors — John Dickson Carr, J.J. Connington, Freeman Wills Crofts, A.A. Fair, Craig Rice, Cornell Woolrich, J.J. Connington again — and so the tempting thing is to leave them alone for a while, wait for that memory to fade, and then return. But, no, I’m not doing that, I’m reading Rice again now, because why not? That’s what the horse is here. It was a literary horse all along.
#1271: Minor Felonies – Running Girl (2014) by Simon Mason
A little while ago, I asked for recommendations of Sherlock Holmes pastiches. Shortly thereafter, I stumbled into Running Girl (20014) by Simon Mason, which is Teenage Sherlock in all but name.
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The Invisible Event 