We’re coming close to the end of our 36-film list of films noir for our upcoming Noirvember draft. (Here’s the entire list.) And, as often happens when you reach the end, we’re finding ourselves at the bottom of the glass, swimming through the dregs. Women’s Prison There’s something special about a women’s prison picture, where a virtual … Continue reading NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART 11| Ah Sweet Mystery!
Della to Perry: “Well, you certainly took a button and sewed a vest on it!” On my journey through the Perry Mason Menagerie, I approached the Hall of Monkeys with some trepidation. Part of this had to do with a personal experience that I’ll share with you next month, but mostly it was all about timing. … Continue reading MASON MONKEY BUSINESS, PT. 1: The Case of the Grinning Gorilla| Ah Sweet Mystery!
The spirits of R. Austin Freeman and Baroness Orczy and E. C. Bentley may eternally wonder why the year 1920 is used to mark the start of the Golden Age of Detection, since they had been publishing detective stories since 1907, 1908, and 1913, respectively. But these writers have faded into obscurity, while 1920 marked … Continue reading BOOK CLUB IS FRENCH-IFIED: The Affair at Little Wokeham| Ah Sweet Mystery!
We’re only a month away from our draft of the Top 13 Films Noirs of 1955. I’m busy compiling my list, and I’m sure my co-drafters Sergio Angelini and Nick Cardillo are doing the same. I’ve seen a few masterpieces, a lot of solid noir, and some real, er, dreck. The question is: what’s ahead for me in the final … Continue reading NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART TEN| Ah Sweet Mystery!
And now to open the second box . . . “I’m flattered our quiz means so much to you – it means a lot to me, as you know – but perhaps enjoy it for what it is, an entertaining evenin…| Ah Sweet Mystery!
Having just read about The Murder Game, I was eager to play it. Nowadays, I’ll admit that I tend to read mysteries more passively, allowing the twists and turns of a puzzle to wash over me and hoping against hope that, come the denouement, I will be surprised. But John Curran’s new book reawakened the eleven-year-old armchair … Continue reading PLAYING THE GAME, PART I: You’re the Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder, a Solve-It-Yourself Mystery| Ah Sweet Mystery!
