Raymond Chandler: The Long Goodbye

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Crime isn’t a disease, it’s a symptom. Cops are like a doctor that gives you aspirin for a brain tumour, except that the cop would rather cure it with a blackjack. We’re a big, rough, rich, wild people and crime … Continue reading →

Dashiell Hammett: Red Harvest

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‘Your fat chief of police tried to assassinate me last night. I don’t like that. I’m just mean enough to want to ruin him for it. Now I’m going to have my fun. I’ve got ten thousand dollars of your money to … Continue reading →

Kiss Me, Brickly

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A while ago I posted about LEGO Sherlock Holmes, and now the Danish brick designers have gone a bit Black Mask with their new hard-boiled Detective Office. The set is incredibly detailed, with a mind-boggling 2,262 pieces including a flush toilet and … Continue reading →

Tom Sharpe: Riotous Assembly

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Riotous Assembly Tom Sharpe First published in the UK 1971 by Martin Secker and Warburg Ltd This edition Random House ISBN: 9781446474679 Source: Kindle I decided to combine this month’s crime-novel-of-the-year challenge (1971) with my own travels, choosing the South African-set Riotous Assembly to … 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 →

News from the London Book Fair: Dime Crime

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I’ve been down in London this week at the Book Fair for the day job, but I did get the chance to pick up some classic crime news. I chanced by the stand of Canadian publisher Mosaic Press and was … Continue reading →

D.O.A.

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D.O.A. Director: Rudolph Maté Screenplay: Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene Starring: Edmond O’Brien as Frank Bigelow, Pamela Britton as Paula Gibson, Luther Adler as Majak Production company: Cardinal Pictures Date of release: 1950 ‘I want to report a murder.’ ‘Who … Continue reading →

Pick of the month: March 2013

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Last month I judged the reading public ready for my CWA top 100 reading dashboard. I may have been wrong, but I’m sticking with it. You’ll notice 3% growth month-on-month, a result of focusing on completing a few more titles on … Continue reading →

Classic crime in the blogosphere March 2013 – Women’s Mystery Month

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So, I keep seeing passing references to it being Women’s Mystery Month. I don’t know who has decreed this, or who organised it, or whether we should all get some time off from work, but I have decided to mark … Continue reading →

Graham Greene: Brighton Rock

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Brighton Rock Graham Greene First published in the UK 1938 This edition 2011, Vintage Classics ISBN: 9780099541684 304 pages Hale knew, before he had been in Brighton three hours, that they meant to murder him. Hale is a journalist with a … Continue reading →