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Along with Sirop de Cassis, cocoa at breakfast, and other drinks considered by Hastings to be “noxious”, Hercule Poirot is often seen drinking his tisane, to which he attributes health and the acuity of his “little gray cells”. This recurring theme led me to wonder, what flavor of tisane would Poirot like best? I often …
What W. H. Auden Can Do for You by Alexander McCall Smith My rating: 4 of 5 stars An engaging introduction to a poet in whom I am sadly ill-versed. This book is part literary biography, part self-help, part memoir, and altogether delightful. It persuaded me within the first few pages that I need more …
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The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper by John D. MacDonald My rating: 3 of 5 stars A quick, enjoyable read. Travis McGee stands smack in the tradition of the likeable hard-boiled gumshoe. A rough and ready, very sympathetic protatonist, MacDonald writes McGee with humor, verve, and an appealing narrative voice. He invests enough emotion …
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After Margery Allingham’s death in 1966, Agatha Christie lauded her fellow writer: How sad it is that there are not more of her stories to which we can look forward. Not only to enjoy on publication, but to read often and often again, enjoying them anew each time. For those who feel the same, [amazon …
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The smooth, flowing lines and glossy finish of Art Deco style turn up everywhere in the Golden Age period – even in hairstyles: For writers and re-creators, Swing Fashionista gives some useful background on the role of the salon in the period, how women of different economic means prioritized their hairstyles, and tips from a …
The Golden Age writers toyed with various sets of rules of “fair play.” The oath of the famous “Detection Club,” which boasted Christie and Sayers in its membership, was: Do you promise that your detectives shall well and truly detect the crimes presented to them using those wits which it may please you to bestow …
I must confess, until I began researching vintage firearms in earnest, I had little knowledge of the murder weapons in my favorite books. Names like Webley, Beretta, and Luger swam vaguely across my memory, with no visual association at all. Feast your eyes with me, on this lesser-known model of automatic pistol. American-made, the Savage …
Cozy. Edgy. True-Crime. Procedurals. Hard-boiled. The mystery genre keeps changing and diversifying over time, but what is it about Golden Age stories that brings true fans back, over and over? To start with, they’re just fun. Waltzing with Lord Peter in a claret-colored frock (“Chateau Margaux 1893 or thereabouts”); narrowly escaping Murder by Horse, …