For certain, we can agree on the Golden Age of Detective Fiction as a term that applies to stories written mainly in the 1920s and 1930s that tended to be about light-hearted ‘cosy’ crimes, within which you could reliably expect to find upper-class characters in a secluded country estate, where at least one of them usually died. Leading the pack of Golden Age writers was Agatha Christie. Poison Expert Speakers and … Continue reading
That was the issue raised at the last meeting of our Mystery Book Club (MBC). I presume it is based on the notion that reading Book #9 without reading Books #1 through #8 would be akin to walking into a movie that has a mystery type of plot… but arriving one hour late. Or similar to watching a 10-episode mystery show on PBS TV (the kind where the inspector struggles … Continue reading
Stop You’re Killing Me (SYKM) is a website dedicated to crime fiction books. Its index at the top of every page can connect you with mysteries and thrillers of nearly 5,900 authors, both contemporary and from the past. It is a valuable resource. I have been using SYKM multiple times a month for the last 18 years. At times you will wonder why you cannot find a specific author in … Continue reading
So a year ago, the dentist told me to stop drinking Coke. Too much sugar in my mouth. She suggested Diet Coke but I didn’t like the taste. Then I discovered “Green Cola” and I was drinking quite a bit of that; it was sweetened with stevia which I think is the healthiest substitute for sugar. Then about 5 weeks ago, it was not on the shelf at Market Basket. … Continue reading
It is not a simple thing because the term, “mystery book,” is used in two ways and it’s not always clear which way a person is using the term. Plus, how does a mystery differ from a “thriller” – and you’ll get a lot of different answers on that, also. It’s further complicated because authors are always looking to be different, and that can lead to blending one or more … Continue reading
Find Extended Answers Below to the Quiz regarding “Mystery Book Publishers and Their Readers” Do the Quiz Before Reading Further. You have Two Ways to Do the Quiz: (1) To use an online version of the quiz, CLICK HERE. Or, (2) to get a PDF of the quiz to read and answer with scrap paper or to print out the quiz CLICK HERE. Do the Quiz Before Reading Further. Then … Continue reading
Part 1: The Regular Characters in the Dismas Hardy Books (maybe a couple exceptions) Names with asterisk (*) — see some more details on the list of the 26 books (PDF link at bottom of Part 2 of this page). Part 2: The Characters Specific to Poison Download a Character List PDF: Click Here
This is only my 2nd post here in 2024. And it relates to my first post back in January where I discussed the number of mystery books that various reviewers I admire read. One of them, George Easter read 121 books in 2023. That is beyond my capacity, but in that post I suggested I might: READ ONE BOOK A WEEK. No, I couldn’t do that at all. My total … Continue reading
“Do you read a lot?” you ask. “I don’t know, compared to what?” I respond. On December 13, with still 18 days to go, George Easter, editor of Deadly Pleasures, wrote on his blog: “My reading goal for 2023 was to read 120 mysteries, crime novels and thrillers. Today the count stands at 121 read. So my goal was reached.” Holy book pages, Batman! Gosh all Fiddlesticks! Damn, that’s amazing!! … Continue reading
I was introduced to Dame (Edith) Ngaio Marsh 19 years ago during my first Christmas in the Mystery Book Club at Manchester Library. The book was appropriately, Tied Up in Tinsel, the 27th book in Marsh’s Detective Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn series. Her first book was in 1934 and her last, the year of her death, was in 1982. Alleyn presents as a British “gentleman detective” – schooled at Eton, … Continue reading
LET'S PLAY CLUE: Was it MBC member Dick Goutal, in the garden, using the poisonous plant, Black Henbane?
