Aidan
@mysteriesahoy.bsky.social
I blog about mystery fiction (and movies) at Mysteries Ahoy!
I just read another Fremlin. Yep. She was a really good writer. Totally planning to read everything she ever wrote at this point. Too tired to write it up tonight but hopefully tomorrow night/Wednesday morning...
December 23, 2025 at 4:06 AM
I just read another Fremlin. Yep. She was a really good writer. Totally planning to read everything she ever wrote at this point. Too tired to write it up tonight but hopefully tomorrow night/Wednesday morning...
Today's post sees me take a look at a collection of vintage mysteries from the British Library. With stories from Carr, Marsh, Chesterton, and others, this is an interesting and varied collection.
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A Surprise for Christmas and Other Stories, edited by Martin Edwards
A Surprise for Christmas was the fourth anthology of festive short stories published by the British Library. Like its predecessor volumes, this attempts to show different writing styles and approaches to a common theme. It also combines some familiar names, such as G. K. Chesterton and Margery Allingham, with a few more obscure ones.
mysteriesahoy.com
December 22, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Today's post sees me take a look at a collection of vintage mysteries from the British Library. With stories from Carr, Marsh, Chesterton, and others, this is an interesting and varied collection.
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A short post today, sharing some thoughts on the 1986 BBC Radio adaptation of Hercule Poirot's Christmas. A production starring an unusual but quite distinctive actor!
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (Radio)
When it comes to holiday traditions, I like to keep things simple. We'll visit a lights display, listen to some music, and generally just enjoy family time together. Beyond that, I really have only one festive tradition: listening to the BBC Radio production of Hercule Poirot's Christmas.
mysteriesahoy.com
December 22, 2025 at 8:27 AM
A short post today, sharing some thoughts on the 1986 BBC Radio adaptation of Hercule Poirot's Christmas. A production starring an unusual but quite distinctive actor!
It's time to head to your digital polling station to cast your votes for Fremlin and Flynn - the 2025 dream reprint of the year ticket!
crossexaminingcrime.com/2025/12/21/r...
crossexaminingcrime.com/2025/12/21/r...
Reprint of the Year Award 2025: Let the Voting Begin!
During the first three weeks of December I, along with 13 other bloggers, have been trying our best to convince you to vote for our classic crime fiction reprint nominations. However now it is time…
crossexaminingcrime.com
December 21, 2025 at 6:11 PM
It's time to head to your digital polling station to cast your votes for Fremlin and Flynn - the 2025 dream reprint of the year ticket!
crossexaminingcrime.com/2025/12/21/r...
crossexaminingcrime.com/2025/12/21/r...
It's time for another of my yuletide traditions... Subjecting myself to Peter Sallis' 'Belgian' accent in the BBC Radio adaptation of Hercule Poirot's Christmas!
December 20, 2025 at 7:35 PM
It's time for another of my yuletide traditions... Subjecting myself to Peter Sallis' 'Belgian' accent in the BBC Radio adaptation of Hercule Poirot's Christmas!
It's time for my second nomination for Reprint of the Year. Like last week, I'm withholding the title until the last words of the post, so you can see if you can guess.
The key point: This is a book I've reviewed (glowingly) on the blog this year...
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The key point: This is a book I've reviewed (glowingly) on the blog this year...
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Reprint of the Year 2025: Aidan’s Second Nomination
Last week, I shared my first nomination for this year's Reprint of the Year award. This week I get to add another nomination for a second title. Now, I know what you're thinking... "I am already going to vote for that book, why are you trying to sell me on a different one?"
mysteriesahoy.com
December 20, 2025 at 5:02 AM
It's time for my second nomination for Reprint of the Year. Like last week, I'm withholding the title until the last words of the post, so you can see if you can guess.
The key point: This is a book I've reviewed (glowingly) on the blog this year...
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The key point: This is a book I've reviewed (glowingly) on the blog this year...
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Reposted by Aidan
The best mystery movie in years...
@rianjohnson.bsky.social #WakeUpDeadMan
classicmystery.blog/2025/12/18/p...
@rianjohnson.bsky.social #WakeUpDeadMan
classicmystery.blog/2025/12/18/p...
Puzzle Doctor At The Movies – Wake Up Dead Man
Father Jud Duplenticy has been exiled to a new location – he did punch a deacon, cinedeservedly or not – where Monseigneur Jefferson Wicks leads a small band of obsessed parishioners. Jud is tasked…
classicmystery.blog
December 18, 2025 at 2:16 PM
The best mystery movie in years...
@rianjohnson.bsky.social #WakeUpDeadMan
classicmystery.blog/2025/12/18/p...
@rianjohnson.bsky.social #WakeUpDeadMan
classicmystery.blog/2025/12/18/p...
Today's post takes a look at Something Wicked, a wintery mystery novel from 1983 from E. X. Ferrars.
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Something Wicked by E. X. Ferrars
Back in the early days of this blog, I would spend each December focusing on seasonal mysteries. I fell out of the habit when I was in college Winter, as I reserved Winter break for family time. Now that is done and I am blogging pretty regularly, this post is a first step in resuming the tradition.
mysteriesahoy.com
December 17, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Today's post takes a look at Something Wicked, a wintery mystery novel from 1983 from E. X. Ferrars.
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Currently reading E. X. Ferrars' Something Wicked which really begins on December 15. Totally unplanned but feels incredibly fitting...
December 16, 2025 at 4:53 AM
Currently reading E. X. Ferrars' Something Wicked which really begins on December 15. Totally unplanned but feels incredibly fitting...
Some brief thoughts on Wake Up Dead Man, the latest Knives Out mystery film...
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Film)
Billed as A Knives Out Mystery, Wake Up Dead Man is the third film to feature Detective Benoit Blanc. It follows Glass Onion, a film I enjoyed more than many, and sees the detective solving an impossible murder.
mysteriesahoy.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Some brief thoughts on Wake Up Dead Man, the latest Knives Out mystery film...
Finally got to see Wake Up Dead Man and was really taken with it. A much heavier film than either of its predecessors, but really well constructed. Gonna let this stew for a while (and maybe rewatch the other two), but I may have to write up more detailed thoughts...
December 14, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Finally got to see Wake Up Dead Man and was really taken with it. A much heavier film than either of its predecessors, but really well constructed. Gonna let this stew for a while (and maybe rewatch the other two), but I may have to write up more detailed thoughts...
Reposted by Aidan
Huge thanks to Mysteries Ahoy! for the nomination and kind words. It means a great deal to us. #ReprintoftheYearAward2025 @puzzledoctor.bsky.social #BrianFlynn
mysteriesahoy.com/2025/12/13/r...
mysteriesahoy.com/2025/12/13/r...
Reprint of the Year 2025: Aidan’s First Nomination
It’s that wonderful time of the year once again. The nights have drawn in. There’s a digital fireplace on the TV, a blanket on my lap, and hot cider in my mug. Yes, I am ready to share …
mysteriesahoy.com
December 13, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Huge thanks to Mysteries Ahoy! for the nomination and kind words. It means a great deal to us. #ReprintoftheYearAward2025 @puzzledoctor.bsky.social #BrianFlynn
mysteriesahoy.com/2025/12/13/r...
mysteriesahoy.com/2025/12/13/r...
Each year bloggers with a taste for Golden Age mysteries put forward their nominations for Reprint of the Year. This year I've decided on an exciting new format twist. Yes, I will be channeling my inner Ellery Queen, giving clues and a challenge to the reader! Can you deduce what I've picked?
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Reprint of the Year 2025: Aidan’s First Nomination
It's that wonderful time of the year once again. The nights have drawn in. There's a digital fireplace on the TV, a blanket on my lap, and hot cider in my mug. Yes, I am ready to share my first nomination for this year's Reprint of the Year awards.
mysteriesahoy.com
December 13, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Each year bloggers with a taste for Golden Age mysteries put forward their nominations for Reprint of the Year. This year I've decided on an exciting new format twist. Yes, I will be channeling my inner Ellery Queen, giving clues and a challenge to the reader! Can you deduce what I've picked?
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Today I look at Shizuko Natsuki's 1976 mystery novel, Innocent Journey. I've had some pretty mixed feelings about Natsuki's work before. Would this be any different?
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Innocent Journey by Shizuko Natsuki, translated by Robert B. Rohmer
My relationship with Shizuko Natsuki's work can be characterized largely as one of frustrations. In each of the works I have read there have been some really intriguing ideas. I enjoyed the blend of traditional detection and inverted mystery in Murder at Mt. Fuji, and the sequential corporate killings of Death from the Clouds.
mysteriesahoy.com
December 11, 2025 at 6:27 AM
Today I look at Shizuko Natsuki's 1976 mystery novel, Innocent Journey. I've had some pretty mixed feelings about Natsuki's work before. Would this be any different?
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Deadline's reporting a new film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Endless Night is in the works. That strikes me as exciting news. I consider it one of Christie's most interesting later works. Hopefully they do it justice!
December 11, 2025 at 6:09 AM
Deadline's reporting a new film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Endless Night is in the works. That strikes me as exciting news. I consider it one of Christie's most interesting later works. Hopefully they do it justice!
I was in the mood for a quick read today, so I returned to the manga series Detective Conan. This fifteenth volume finds the series still going strong, boasting a couple of pretty original ideas...
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Case Closed 15: The Frozen Teacher by Gosho Aoyama, translated by Naoko Amemiya
It's been a busy weekend. All good, thankfully, but the type of weekend that has left me wanting a quick read. When I'm in this type of mood, I know exactly the series to reach for...
mysteriesahoy.com
December 8, 2025 at 5:37 AM
I was in the mood for a quick read today, so I returned to the manga series Detective Conan. This fifteenth volume finds the series still going strong, boasting a couple of pretty original ideas...
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Movie you've watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (either War or Trek), LOTR, or Marvel.
It's been three times this year alone!
It's been three times this year alone!
December 8, 2025 at 3:53 AM
Movie you've watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (either War or Trek), LOTR, or Marvel.
It's been three times this year alone!
It's been three times this year alone!
Today's post sees me tackle one of those huge gaps in my Christie reading - Tommy and Tuppence. Would I be frustrated by those bright young things or find them charming? Read on and find out...
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The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
A little over a month ago I posted a review of the first Miss Marple stories, The Tuesday Club Murders. In my introduction, I mentioned that I felt my lack of coverage of Miss Marple was a pretty big omission. That post was a first step and you can expect more Miss Marple coverage to come.
mysteriesahoy.com
December 6, 2025 at 6:17 AM
Today's post sees me tackle one of those huge gaps in my Christie reading - Tommy and Tuppence. Would I be frustrated by those bright young things or find them charming? Read on and find out...
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Really surprised to find that in my 642 book reviews, I have never done a book published in 1922. My next one will rectify that!
December 6, 2025 at 3:24 AM
Really surprised to find that in my 642 book reviews, I have never done a book published in 1922. My next one will rectify that!
Today's post offers up some thoughts on Alan Green's 1950 Edgar Award-winning comic mystery, What A Body!
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What A Body! by Alan Green
What A Body! was the 1950 winner of the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Which is pretty remarkable given the author had written four books already. Admittedly a couple of those were penned under pseudonyms, but it seems the Edgar Awards people didn't do their research!
mysteriesahoy.com
December 4, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Today's post offers up some thoughts on Alan Green's 1950 Edgar Award-winning comic mystery, What A Body!
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Today I offer up some thoughts on Christianna Brand's Cat and Mouse - a mystery novel that purposefully evokes Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre while doing its own, distinct thing...
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Cat and Mouse by Christianna Brand
Earlier this year I had the good fortune to attend the British Library's Bodies from the Library conference. During one of the excellent presentations, author Victoria Dowd discussed the connections between the gothic novel and the detective story. One of the titles she discussed was Christianna Brand's Cat and Mouse, mentioning that its connections to Jane Eyre.
mysteriesahoy.com
December 1, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Today I offer up some thoughts on Christianna Brand's Cat and Mouse - a mystery novel that purposefully evokes Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre while doing its own, distinct thing...
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As always, I have several books on the go. I'm currently reading Cat and Mouse by Christianna Brand, What A Body! by Alan Green, and Floral Tribute by C. E. Vulliamy. Oh, and The Case of the Stuttering Bishop by Erle Stanley Gardner on audio.
What are you reading at the moment?
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What are you reading at the moment?
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November 27, 2025 at 1:54 PM
As always, I have several books on the go. I'm currently reading Cat and Mouse by Christianna Brand, What A Body! by Alan Green, and Floral Tribute by C. E. Vulliamy. Oh, and The Case of the Stuttering Bishop by Erle Stanley Gardner on audio.
What are you reading at the moment?
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What are you reading at the moment?
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Today I share my ranking of the five films featuring Margaret Rutherford's portrayal of Miss Marple. I doubt there'll be any surprise about what is at the bottom of my list (predicting it is as easy as A-B-C), but what will be at the top?
Read on and find out!
Read on and find out!
Ranked: The Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple Films
I first encountered Margaret Rutherford's portrayal of Miss Jane Marple while I was living in Halls of Residence. I had a few friends I would watch films with regularly. When there wasn't anything on the big screen, we'd take turns showing movies to one another from our collections.
mysteriesahoy.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:02 AM
Today I share my ranking of the five films featuring Margaret Rutherford's portrayal of Miss Marple. I doubt there'll be any surprise about what is at the bottom of my list (predicting it is as easy as A-B-C), but what will be at the top?
Read on and find out!
Read on and find out!
Several years ago I picked up all the Henry Gamadge series by Elizabeth Daly at a second-hand bookshop. While I have enjoyed a few of them before, today's read, 1944's The Book of the Dead, is easily my favorite to date.
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The Book of the Dead by Elizabeth Daly
I have tried several Elizabeth Daly novels over the years and have generally had a good time with them. As much as I have enjoyed myself, I was waiting to find one that really caught my imagination. Well, at long last I am pleased to say I found what I was looking for.
mysteriesahoy.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Several years ago I picked up all the Henry Gamadge series by Elizabeth Daly at a second-hand bookshop. While I have enjoyed a few of them before, today's read, 1944's The Book of the Dead, is easily my favorite to date.
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Revisiting the Margaret Rutherford Marple pictures to prepare for a ranking. That theme music delights me every time...
November 20, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Revisiting the Margaret Rutherford Marple pictures to prepare for a ranking. That theme music delights me every time...