LOCKED ROOM TALES: Norman Berrow, Down Under and Every Which Way

This is where it all began: struck by my fellow blogger JJ’s (he of The Invisible Event) love of the impossible crime, I made a vow here to tackle four authors in his honor. John Dickson Carr, the master, is someone with whom I have long been acquainted, and I recently tackled two of his …

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A Meeting of the Criminal Minds: A Joint Review of Alias Basil Willing (1951)

Introduction I’ve been singing the praises of Helen McCloy ever since I discovered her novels last year. I’ve read and reviewed four or five of them and am excited that she wrote 28 novels and a number of short stories, about half of them featuring her series sleuth, New York psychiatrist Dr. Basil Willing. So …

THE FORGOTTEN GENIUS, or Where Did I Park My Carr?

This month, the Tuesday Night Bloggers are celebrating the career of that master of the impossible, John Dickson Carr. Rather than discuss his technique or analyze one of his novels, I offer this existential ramble for your dubious delight: You know, being a classic mystery lover was much easier when I was a kid. In …

SO MUCH BLOOD: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

My buddy JJ over at The Invisible Event  unfortunately has to go on a short hiatus. I will miss his erudite excursions into mystery fiction, particularly the joy with which he tackles those classic impossible crime stories he so relishes! I thought I would salute JJ with my view on one of Agatha Christie’s rare …

AGATHA CHRISTIE AS FEMINIST: Appointment With Death

In 1926, Agatha Christie’s husband Archie asked her for a divorce, having fallen in love with another woman. Her subsequent actions could be looked on as both revenge and empowerment: first, the famous “disappearance” which led to suspicions that Colonel Christie might have done away with his wife, and then a series of characterizations throughout …

THE QUINTESSENTIAL CARR: He Who Whispers

In a Facebook discussion about John Dickson Carr that was sparked by a posted review of his classic The Three Coffins (which I reviewed myself here last week), author and fellow blogger Curtis Evans from The Passing Tramp described his own experiences with the author. While he had thoroughly enjoyed reading Carr as a young …

VINTAGE NOIR: Three Films from 1947

Every month at Past Offences, Rich picks a year and invites bloggers everywhere to celebrate the mystery offerings the particular year produced in literature and film. (Check out the results for 1933 here.) For March, Rich allowed regular contributor Santosh to pick the year just because Santosh solved a mystery Rich had posted. (My answer, …