Philip MacDonald’s Mystery at Friar’s Pardon opens with a careful introduction to the man who will become our amateur sleuth, Charles Fox-Browne. MacDonald takes his time. He wants us to understand Browne before sending him to Friar’s Pardon, where he will say very little and observe a great deal. A wise move—there is much to… Continue reading Mystery at Friar’s Pardon
I'm currently reading a slasher to get into the slasher mood with the Carny Murders. But as soon as I finish that, I'm diving into this bad boy. The title page has a blurb. And I quote -- "Suppose you found a woman dead from drowning, with her body and clothing perfectly dry, in a… Continue reading Latest, old, no-dustjacket-having, rare mystery
I'm almost done with story number 3, formerly known as Fantome Fatale. It's now called the Red River Murders, and while that's a worse title, it is the better title for this story. The Fantome Fatale trick does happen, but the trick is not the focus of the story. This thing has taken me forever… Continue reading February 10 — update
I kinda like it.
I'm still working on Fantome Fatale. No worries -- things are going well, just slower than usual. I haven't mapped out Rowan's exact path to solving it yet. This is unusual for me -- I always know that before I start writing. This fact has caused me to think more carefully about the direction of… Continue reading 1/25/2026 update
James Scott Byrnside 