Archives
The Right to Sing the Blues by John Lutz
It has been awhile since I looked at the impressive output of John Lutz (1939-2021). He was a powerhouse in the world of crime fiction, publishing more than 50 novels and about 250 short stories. He was repeatedly shortlisted for major awards and received an Edgar...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: Death Down East by Eleanor Blake
Death Down East by U. S. author Eleanor Blake (1899-1952) was first published by Putnam in 1940; reissued by Penguin in 1945, and reprinted again by Coachwhip in 2022. It’s a highly readable story narrated by Kathie Edwards, the youngest of the in-crowd in Sidley’s...
The Empty Beach by Peter Corris
Peter Robert Corris (1942-2018) was an Australian academic, historian, journalist, and novelist. He received a Ph.D. in history from the Australian National University and then became a lecturer, literary editor of the National Times, and wrote multiple historical...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: Ghost of the Hardy Boys by Leslie McFarlane
This week’s forgotten book is essential for anyone who has ever read one of the Hardy Boys books by Franklin W. Dixon. My thanks to David C. Tucker, https://davidctucker.blogspot.com/, for drawing my attention to it. I found it a mesmerizing read. The true authors...
McGarr at the Dublin Horse Show by Bartholomew Gill
Mark C. McGarrity (July 22, 1943-July 4, 2002) was a newspaper features writer and columnist, writing about nature and outdoor recreation for the Newark Star-Ledger. Under the name Bartholomew Gill, his maternal grandfather’s name, he published 16 mystery novels...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: The Burning Question by Carol Carnac
The Burning Question (Collins, 1957) by Carol Carnac is a rare non-series book from Edith Caroline Rivett (1894-1958) who usually wrote about Inspector Ryvet or Inspector Rivers under the Carnac name. As anyone who has read more than two or three of her books...
Sapphires on Wednesday by Malcolm Gair
Malcolm Gair was the pseudonym of Scottish author and historian John Dick Scott (1917-1980). He became Assistant Principal at the Ministry of Aircraft Production in London during the war, and joined the Cabinet Office as an official war historian in 1944. He...
Friday’s Forgotten Book: A Bullet in the Ballet by Caryl Brahms and S. J. Simon
Caryl Brahms was the name used by Doris Caroline Abrahams (1901-1982), an English critic, novelist, and journalist specializing in the theatre and ballet. She also wrote film, radio and television scripts. She collaborated with a Russian friend, S....
Dupe by Liza Cody
Liza Cody introduced Anna Lee, an early female private investigator in the book Dupe (Collins, 1980), which won the CWA John Creasey Memorial Dagger for best debut crime novel of the year in 1981 and was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1982....
Friday’s Forgotten Book: An Oxford Tragedy by J. C. Masterman
Sir John Cecil Masterman, OBE (1891-1977) was a versatile gentleman. He was a Modern History don at Christ Church, Oxford during the 1920s, while he also played cricket, tennis, and hockey, participating in international competitions. He is best...
