The Murder-mystery Association Society of New Sweden (MASONS) Gretta Grahame (22) A librarian with a dark past and a dim future. Faye Withers (27) A waitress at the Shake Shack. Gretta's roommate. Olive Tennant (53) The daughter of a wealthy toothpick mogul, Olive spends her time creating murder plots and pitching them at the club.… Continue reading The Cast of “The Five False Suicides”
Author: jamesscottbyrnside
I'm a murder mystery/impossible crime fanatic and author. I like locked rooms, footprints in the snow, missing murder weapons, and unreliable suspects.
(Back) Cover Update
Things are moving slowly, but they are moving. I'm always slow, so snail-like progress doesn't bother me; however, I do despair at the ease with which other writers seem to work. Working on their fourth book of the year and publishing two short stories, other writers always have their shit together. I...do not. There's nothing… Continue reading (Back) Cover Update
My 10 favorite films of the 1970s
My apologies for the non-mystery related post, but I am procrastinating the only way I know how. In 11 months or so, I'll post my favorites of the 1930s and continue sporadically. So, in no particular order... The Third Generation (1979) Rainer Werner Fassbinder There is black comedy and then there's The Third Generation. Bitter… Continue reading My 10 favorite films of the 1970s
Spidery Stratagems — Penelope’s Web
The main criticism of Paul Halter's writing can be summed up in one word -- overstuffed. While I don't share this criticism, it is understandable--particularly because some of the elements turn out to be intricately woven plot strands while others fall by the wayside, rendered as the sort of fantastical flourishes which contain little actual… Continue reading Spidery Stratagems — Penelope’s Web
A Ring of Roses by Mary Anne Ashe (AKA Christianna Brand)
The hospital setting in Green for Danger came directly from Christianna Brand's experience working in such a facility during World War II. The gangsters in A Ring of Roses come directly from Brand's reading Damon Runyon--that's my guess anyway. It's not necessarily a problem because ARoR is about artifice; it makes sense that the characters… Continue reading A Ring of Roses by Mary Anne Ashe (AKA Christianna Brand)
