A fixture of Christmas crime story anthologies throughout history; but is it any good?
Continue reading#1063: Little Fictions – ‘The Blue Carbuncle’ (1892) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
#1062: “That’s exactly the point this gentleman has been making.” – A Day Out for the Armchair Detective in 12 Angry Men (1957) [Scr. Reginald Rose; Dir. Sidney Lumet]
I first watched 12 Angry Men (1957) some 20-odd years ago and was delighted, as a callow teenager, to find it more than living up to its reputation. So, 20-odd years on, does it stand up to a second viewing?
Continue reading#1061: Death and the Conjuror (2022) by Tom Mead
Tom Mead is that rare thing these days: an author writing detective fiction in the classic tradition with some actual interest in the classic tradition of detective fiction. When he peppers the text of Death and the Conjuror (2022), his very entertaining and easy-to-read debut novel, with references to the work of R. Austin Freeman, G.K. Chesterton, Melville Davisson Post and others, you know it’s the result of time spent reading the genre rather than a few quick Google searches to give him credibility. And when he plays the games of identity and location as well as he does here, you also know he’s having a joyous time playing in his favourite sandbox…and wonderful it is to see.
#1060: Little Fictions – ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’ (1891) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sometimes revisiting the classics is a real chore, y’know? And sometimes, like today, it’s a complete delight.
Continue reading#1059: “You are one of those people who look so mild, and really wallow in blood.” – Three-Act Tragedy (1934) by Agatha Christie
Having just completed a look at the Murder in the Mews (1937) collection by Agatha Christie, let’s turn our attention to “the Crow’s Nest business” referenced by Mr. Satterthwaite therein.
Continue reading#1058: The Cat Saw Murder (1939) by Dolores Hitchens [a.p.a. by D.B. Olsen]
If, like me, you were dissuaded from reading The Cat Saw Murder (1939) by Dolores Hitchens because the titles brings on the hives of a cozy Cat Catches Criminals caper, rest assured that this is very much not that type of book. The cat does indeed see murder — the surprisingly violent hacking to death of Lily Stickleman in the shabby beachside boarding house where she resides while waiting for an inheritance — but the sleuthing is done by a combination of Lieutenant Stephen Mayhew and the elderly Miss Rachel Murdock. Samantha, the eponymous moggy, provides a clue and a little intrigue of her own, but she’s much more dragged in rather than an essential catalyst (Ithankyou).
#1057: Little Fictions – ‘The Five Orange Pips’ (1891) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Tuesdays in May will see us recommence charting the complete short stories of Mr. Sherlock Holmes as written by his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Continue reading#1056: A Wolf (or Two) in Sheep’s Clothing in The Affair of the Twisted Scarf, a.k.a. Disguise for Murder (1950) by Rex Stout
Once more unto the breach of Ellery Queen’s 1964 Anthology, with a visit to the famous brownstone on West 35th Street, home of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.
Continue reading#1055: Owls Don’t Blink (1942) by A.A. Fair
If I remember correctly — and, let’s face it, I probably don’t, since I read them years ago and all out of order — Owls Don’t Blink (1942), the sixth title to feature Erle Stanley Gardner’s irrepressible P.I. duo of Donald Lam and Bertha Cool, starts something of a hot streak for the series. Hired by New York lawyer Emory Hale on behalf of an unknown client to find an ex-model who was last heard of in New Orleans some three years ago, you know Gardner has something special up his sleeve when the resourceful Donald is able to produce the woman within twenty pages. From here, it’s a criss-cross of obscured motives and identities, and enough skulduggery for Yorrick’s remains.
