In the north of Iceland stands a sanatorium, once used for treating cases of tuberculosis, but it has an even darker past. In 1983, a nurse was killed – strangled but with fingers cut off. Soon aft…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Kit Pelham, professional cult sci-fi fan, has developed something of a reputation as a detective following her unmasking the killer of Wolf Tyler in The Fan Who Knew Too Much. So when she is on the scene when a dismembered body is found, along with a mocking poem implying this is the first of ten […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
So, it’s been a weird sort of August. A break to one of our favourite isolated spots in Scotland managed to coincide with Storm Floris, and I’ve spent most of the month waiting for a medical test that, thankfully, produced an all-clear result. I was fairly sure that was going to be the case, but […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Dr Gideon Fell meets a man in a Somerset valley and learns of a murder that came up from the lake itself. Sir Henry Merrivale visits a house in Goblin Wood where a girl disappears from a cottage that was watched from all sides. And there are some other stories in the collection too… OK, […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
“I don’t have to exhibit my wife in the nude in order to help my sale of rabbits!” Woman Detective-Constable Kitty Palgrave isn’t the favourite officer in the Women’s Section of CID due to her impetuousness despite her abilities, so she is dispatched to make some basic enquiries in the reported disappearance of a 15 […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Thirty years ago, Annabel Maddock was killed. One of her group of friends, Dave, went to prison for it and the rest drifted apart. But Dave is released from prison and it seems that the story of Annabel Maddock is far from over for the village of Barton Mallett. Ben Knot, Annabel’s boyfriend at the […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Barry Brown came to South Devon to write a book. He had made a career ghost-writing celebrity autobiographies, but he has come into possession of some information that could give new life to his career. But rather than giving him new life, that information may well be what caused him to be murdered. With Barry’s […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Elin S Jónsdóttir, the best-selling crime writer, has disappeared. Famed for writing a series of ten exquisite crime novels – and then stopping – there seems to be no reason for her to vanish. And …| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
1940, the early days of the war. There are safer ways of crossing the Atlantic, but for those who must make a quick crossing, for whatever reason, the most direct way is on board the M.V. Edwardic,…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Lights! Camera! Action! Monica Stanton, the daughter of a village vicar has come to Pineham Studios near Watford to start a screenwriting job with Albion Studios. She is rather disappointed to disc…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
10 posts published by Puzzle Doctor during August 2025| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Constantinople, 1452. Seeking a new life and career, Nicollo Moro, one of the most feared investigators in Venice, has come to the city, only to find it surrounded by an Ottoman army and sea blockade, waiting for the moment to strike and take the city. With his money tied up in a ship that cannot […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
London, 1718. At the end of A Thief’s Blood, Jonas Flynt – an operative for shadowy powers in London – was on the verge of finding happiness when a visit from Cassie, his first love, turned his world upside down. And that was before she told him her news – that Jonas’ stepmother, Mercy, had […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Catching the Aston Strangler was the case that launched DCS Kat Frank but when a body is found buried on a Warwickshire farm, doubts begin to form that the right man was arrested for the crime. A new podcast is accusing Kat of arresting the wrong man and now with a new victim, pressure is […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Avory Hume had told his daughter that he was pleased with her engagement to James Answell, but when Answell is summoned to a meeting with Hume in his study, the man’s attitude seems to have changed…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
There are a number of authors who I’ve reviewed a lot over the past few years, so I’ve decided to collate some of them. Classic Authors Agatha Christie John Dickson Carr – note th…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
10 posts published by Puzzle Doctor during December 2021| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
The cathedral city of Storminster is being plagued by a campaign of poison-pen letters, all typed on the same typewriter, all “signed” with a picture of the scales of justice. Some of the secrets t…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
So, what constitutes a book worthy of the Tuesday Night Bloggers (and friends) Reprint of the Year award? Or rather, what should constitute it? Last week, for my first nomination, I cited Carter Di…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Seymour Merriman is holidaying in Bordeaux when to his horror, he runs out of petrol. Luckily, he gets a lift to a nearby plant that constructs pit-props – you know, those wooden things that keep a…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
10 posts published by Puzzle Doctor during March 2021| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Praed Street, near Paddington, London. Back in the late 1920s, you would not want to be trying to sell property in that locale. First, one Jim Tovey, a greengrocer, is killed by a single stab-wound…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Ellery Queen has stepped back from detective work due to his recent traumatic investigations in Wrightsville – Calamity Town, The Murderer Is A Fox and Ten Days’ Wonder – until it takes about one m…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Right, June is over and done with. A big shout out to Cotswold Falconry Centre and their Owl Experience for an amazing birthday treat for my much better half and a bit of a boo to the hotel who’s “…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Florence, 1537, and the Convent of Santa Maria Magdalena is in uproar. Cesare Aldo had been asked to investigate reports of attempted intruders to the convent, but things take a very dark turn when…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Florence, 1498, and the city gathered to see the execution of Girolamo Savonarola, the once de-facto ruler of the city, burned to death on a funeral pyre. Florence, 1538, and the city is suffering …| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
So, it’s June 1st – my 23rd wedding anniversary in fact, twenty-three years married to the best person in the world. Sorry to all of you reading this, but she is – sorry to disappoint you all who h…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Currently there are 35, soon to be 40, reprints of Brian Flynn’s mystery novels from Dean Street Press that I had a hand in, so if you’ve read one (or more) you might want a bit of back…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Malcolm Stannaway lies dead and his family – the two halves of his family, from each of his wives – gather to hear who has granted what from the contents of his substantial estate. Given what sort …| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
The dark of night, and Stephen Benright was in trouble. He was stopped at a police road-block – there was a local escaped “loony” on the prowl – but managed to convince the officers that it was onl…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
