Marple: Twelve New Mysteries

September 13, 2022

Most of us recognize Miss Jane Marple, Agatha Christie’s amateur sleuth. I preferred her over Hercule Poirot. Now, twelve authors from several countries try their hand at short stories in Marple: Twelve New Mysteries. Readers will recognize many of the names...

Murder By the Book, ed. by Martin Edwards

August 30, 2022

As with any collection of stories, some stand out more than others. However, with the various collections edited by Martin Edwards for British Library Crime Classics, I can always count on one thing. Edwards’ introductions will provide the needed background for...

The Deepest Black by Randall Silvis

August 06, 2022

I realize there are a number of Randall Silvis fans out there. In fact, one of my dearest friends loves his books. Silvis has also been a finalist for two Hammett Prizes. But, I found The Deepest Black to be one of the weirdest books I ever finished. I really only...

The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra

June 12, 2022

Harini Nagendra takes readers to Bangalore, India in 1921 in her debut mystery, The Bangalore Detectives Club. It’s an excellent traditional mystery that introduces us to a country twenty-five years before its independence, a country where class structure is...

Unnatural Ends by Christopher Huang

May 08, 2022

What a perfect cover for Christopher Huang’s Unnatural Ends. It’s a complex puzzle, a trap set in a North Yorkshire estate in 1921. But, the trap was planned years earlier. In April 1921, the three children of Sir Lawrence Linwood return home to Linwood...