Mysteries Italiano

I’m finding and enjoying  many mysteries on MHZ Choice. The Donna Leone Mysteries are based on her books. Commissario Brunetti and Venice are the stars. In each episode, Brunetti works through bureaucratic obstacles and family crises juxtaposed against the eye-appealing Venetian background. Strangely, it was produced by a German company and is in German with […] Continue reading

Queen of Mystery

No, not Dame Agatha. Ellery. I hadn’t read any Ellery Queen mysteries until about 18 months ago. Don’t know how I missed them. I had seen the short run TV series with Jim Hutton. I’ve now read twenty in about two years. I enjoy them. There are many interesting characters and plots, of course, but […] Continue reading

Murder on the Orient Express

I haven’t been writing here, but I have been binge-watching tv and film mysteries and reading , of course.  It’s easier than writing. I do have ideas now. The first, involves Dame Agatha’s Murder on the Orient Express. Be advised that there will be spoilers. I’ve read the book and watched the two film adaptations. I was […] Continue reading

Maigret

Recently more Georges Simenon Maigret novels have been available in America. I think there were only about eleven of them available in English for a long time unless of course you found a good source of used copies. More seem to be available every few months now and I am happy. These mysteries also have […] Continue reading

Is It Always About Holmes?

Not always, but a lot. I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed, but I am interested in the different Holmes portrayals. The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes books published by Titan Books presents many perspectives on Holmes. Most of them stay very close to the high-functioning sociopath portrait of Conan Doyle’s Holmes, but people experiment around the edges, examining […] Continue reading

Gunther

Ten months since I’ve written here. Although busy writing a new mystery, I have no excuse not to post here more often, especially when I’ve read books worth the comment time. I’ll start with Bernie Gunther, the hero of  a series of books by Philip Kerr. Bernie begins as a detective working in prewar Nazi […] Continue reading

Atmosphere, ambiance, mood

Sometimes I think the feel of a mystery is the most enjoyable part for me.  It stays with me the longest.; I forget plot elements long before I forget how it made me feel. I’ve read many of the Maigret mysteries — thanks to the fact that more are being released, now, in U.S– lately. […] Continue reading

Book finally published

Finally I reached what can be considered the finish line of my goal of publishing a book.  It’s self-published.  I’m sixty-six, I can’t count on an agent or publishing house to hitch their wagon to me.  Instead, I set out to accomplish the goal on my own.  At the moment it’s only available through Barnes […] Continue reading

Mr. Holmes, Part II

My son reminded me that the last bit on the 4th season of ‘That Mitchell and Webb Look’  imagined Sherlock Holmes with Alzheimer’s.  A depressing thought for Holmes fans.  There were laughs, but overall it captured the tragedy of such a prospect with Holmes, at the end, whispering to a tearful John Watson, “I know…I […] Continue reading

Mr. Holmes

I enjoyed the film,  “Mr. Holmes.”  People who have little patience for Holmes stories not penned by Conan Doyle or not faithful to the Conan Doyle characterization of Holmes will not like the movie.  The movie presents an older Holmes.  One who has lived into the mid-twentieth century.  It’s been 34 years since his last case, which he […] Continue reading