A potentially final visit to the work of Harlan Coben, who I got into in a big way in the early 2000s but who now, as my own tastes have moved on, occupies more a position of nostalgia than any sort of feeling of needing to continue to read him.
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#1433: Adventures in Self-Publishing – Dollhouse (2020) by Robert Innes
Between 2016 and 2020, Robert Innes published 10 impossible crime novellas and one novel and then just…disappeared. And his sudden — thought not seemingly impossible — vanishment from the scene made me overlook his final published work, Dollhouse (2020), which I intend to correct today.
Continue reading#1430: Adventures in Self-Publishing – An Odyssey to the Castle of Vampires (2023) by DWaM
It’s been a while since I read any of the often boundary-straddling works of DWaM, and with a couple of self-published books by other authors proving hard going, common sense finally prevailed and I turned to An Odyssey to the Castle of Vampires (2023) — an epic which has been patiently waiting its turn for nearly three years now.
Continue reading#1426: Adventures in Self-Publishing – The Locked Rooms (2025) by Alex Wagner
In an age where the term “locked room mystery” increasingly seems to mean “closed circle mystery” — as in, one of the limited number of characters in the story committed the crime, as if you’d want there to be an alternative — how refreshing to come across someone in Alex Wagner who actually demonstrates an awareness of what an impossible crime is.
Continue reading#1423: Adventures in Self-Publishing – The Westerlea House Mystery [n] (2013) by Adam Croft
Another self-published impossible crime story, I can’t remember how The Westerlea House Mystery (2013) by Adam Croft came to my attention, but it did, I’ve read it, and we’re going to look at it today.
Continue reading#1420: Adventures in Self-Publishing – ‘Body of Matter’ (2022) by Jamie Probin
Having enjoyed Jamie Probin‘s previous stabs at the impossible crime, I turn to the currently last of his stories to be made publicly available, the long short story ‘Body of Matter’ (2022).
Continue reading#1417: Little Fictions – The 13 Crimes of Science Fiction: ‘Coup de Grace’ (1958) by Jack Vance
A fourth story from the 13 Crimes of Science Fiction [ss] (1977) collection, as I further explore my interest in the crossover mystery. Might this be the point where this collection springs to life?
Continue reading#1414: Little Fictions – The 13 Crimes of Science Fiction: ‘The Ceaseless Stone’ (1975) by Avram Davidson
My first two excursions into the 13 Crimes of Science Fiction [ss] (1977) anthology haven’t exactly been roaring successes. Might some actual detective work find things more to my liking?
Continue reading#1411: Little Fictions – The 13 Crimes of Science Fiction: ‘Second Game’ (1958) by Charles V. De Vet and Katherine MacLean
A second delve into The 13 Crimes of Science Fiction [ss] (1979), as I explore the possibilities of another crossover mystery.
Continue reading#1408: Little Fictions – The 13 Crimes of Science Fiction: ‘The Detweiler Boy’ (1977) by Tom Reamy
I am a fan of a good crossover mystery, in which the tenets of crime and detection are placed into a science fiction/Fantasy milieu. So when I heard of a collection called The 13 Crimes of Science Fiction [ss] (1979), you’re darn tootin’ it was only a matter of time before I got to it.
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