Agatha Christie: Mrs McGinty’s Dead

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Mrs McGinty’s Dead Agatha Christie First published in the UK by William Collins & Sons, 1952 This edition: Published as part of  The Agatha Christie Crime Collection (with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and They Do It With Mirrors) 1969, Hamlyn Publishing … Continue reading →

Just the Facts: Erik Routley’s The Puritan Pleasures of the Detective Story

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The Puritan Pleasures of the Detective Story Erik Routley First published in the UK by Gollancz, 1972 ISBN: 0575013842 253 pages Source: Borrowed It’s been a while since I wrote up a non-fiction book for ‘Just the Facts’, in fact … Continue reading →

Most Wanted: Sherlock Holmes

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Personally we do not think that either the “legitimate” drama or the picture drama can recapture for us the first fine careless rapture we felt when we came upon these stories in their original version. But we are firmly of … Continue reading →

Joan Hess: Strangled Prose

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Strangled Prose Joan Hess First published in the US 1986 by St Martin’s Press, New York This edition Bello, 2014 ISBN: 9781447276890 150 pages Source: From the publisher I have profiled Bello, Pan Macmillan’s digital-only imprint, previously on Past Offences. Last … Continue reading →

Raymond Chandler: The Big Sleep

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The Big Sleep Raymond Chandler First published in the US 1939 by Alfred A. Knopf This edition Penguin Books, 2011 ISBN: 9780241956281 251 pages Source: Wymondham Library It’s probably impossible for a lowly blogger to find a fresh angle on The Big Sleep. It … Continue reading →

Don Cameron: White for a Shroud

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White for a Shroud Don Cameron First published in the US 1947 by Mystery House This edition Boardman Books, 1949, UK 184 pages Source: Richmond Yorkshire I picked up White for a Shroud on my recent jaunt to the frozen north (well, Yorkshire). … Continue reading →

Sherlock unchained

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Well, it looks like Leslie Klinger has finally won his case against the Conan Doyle estate, with some pretty barbed comments made by the presiding judge – words like extortion cropped up, according to I Hear of Sherlock. With the … Continue reading →

#1952book sign-up

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After a bumper crop of 1939 crime in July, I asked for suggestions for August’s book of the year. Sergio stepped forward with 1952. Events of 1952 included Elizabeth II becoming Queen, a polio epidemic in the US, the last great … Continue reading →

Bodies for Fun with a Pencil: The #1939book crime round-up

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Last month I threw down the gauntlet and asked my contributors to pick a year as a theme for July. Moira from Clothes in Books stepped forward with 1939. It was a stonking (as Moira would say) year for crime: … Continue reading →