Book Review: Mother of Detective Fiction by Patricia D. Maida One of the joys of reading random biographies is learning about minor figures you might have heard about once in a long list of “these people existed.” In this case, it’s Anna Katherine Green, author of the first detective novel written by a woman in… Continue reading Book Review: Mother of Detective Fiction
Tag: detectives
Movie Review: Chamber of Horrors
Chamber of Horrors (1940) directed by Norman Lee When Lord Charles Selford dies, he leaves his fortune to his young son John or in the case of John’s death, to his equally young niece June Lansdowne, who lives in Canada. He appoints his friend Silva as guardian for John. However, the Selford family jewels are locked… Continue reading Movie Review: Chamber of Horrors
Movie Review: Blackmail (1929)
Movie Review: Blackmail (1929) directed by Alfred Hitchcock Alice White, who works in her father’s tobacco shop, is bored with her police detective boyfriend Frank. She acts obnoxiously during a date with him, causing Frank to cancel. But Frank hesitates long enough outside the restaurant to see Alice leave with handsome artist Mr. Crewe, who’d… Continue reading Movie Review: Blackmail (1929)
Manga Review: Bungo Stray Dogs 01
Manga Review: Bungo Stray Dogs 01 Story by Kafka Asagiri, Art by Sango Harukawa Atsushi Nakajima has had a rough life growing up in an abusive orphanage. When the orphanage was attacked by a tiger that wrecked the place, the people who ran the home decided that Atsushi was somehow responsible and kicked him out.… Continue reading Manga Review: Bungo Stray Dogs 01
Book Review: The New Adventures of Ellery Queen
Book Review: The New Adventures of Ellery Queen by Ellery Queen Ellery Queen was the shared pen name of Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee, as well as the main character of the mystery stories they wrote. Starting with The Roman Hat Mystery in 1929, they wrote many novels and short stories about a brainy mystery writer solving crimes (and then writing about them in the third… Continue reading Book Review: The New Adventures of Ellery Queen
Book Review: The Case of the Fenced-In Woman | Inspector West Takes Charge
Book Review: The Case of the Fenced-In Woman by Erle Stanley Gardner | Inspector West Takes Charge by John Creasey These two books were bound together as a Detective Book Club selection and thus I am reviewing them together. The Case of the Fenced-In Woman: While Perry Mason is best known for defending innocent people accused… Continue reading Book Review: The Case of the Fenced-In Woman | Inspector West Takes Charge
Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales
Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz The definition of “thriller” is a little loose in this fun anthology, though most of the stories do have at least some suspense. It feels more like the compiler picked a bunch of the public domain stories he liked, but didn’t have a strong… Continue reading Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales
Open Thread: Minicon 53
Open Thread: Minicon 53 As noted in my previous con reports, Minicon is a yearly science fiction convention set on Easter weekend. While Minicon 50 was a few years ago, this year is the closest to the Fiftieth Anniversary of the first Minicon, so it had the subtitle of “The Pedantic One.” This year the… Continue reading Open Thread: Minicon 53
Book Review: The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Book Review: The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie World War One rages in Europe, but for Captain Arthur Hastings, the fighting is over. Recovering from battle wounds, Hastings is at loose ends until invited to the country manor of his old acquaintance John Cavendish. Styles Court has changed a bit since Hastings’ childhood… Continue reading Book Review: The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Manga Review: Death Note Tome 10
Manga Review: Death Note Tome 10 Story by Tsugumi Ohba, Art by Takeshi Obata Warning: This review spoils earlier events in the series, including major plot twists. I’ll let you know when that starts happening with a SPOILERS announcement. The life of a shinigami (death spirit) is pretty boring. You sit around the shinigami realm all… Continue reading Manga Review: Death Note Tome 10