Author: jamesscottbyrnside
I'm a murder mystery/impossible crime fanatic. I like locked rooms, footprints in the snow, missing murder weapons, and unreliable suspects. My first novel, Goodnight Irene, was meant to evoke the great detective stories of the past. Last year I published my second novel, The Opening Night Murders. In 2020, I will release The Strange Case of the Barrington Hills Vampire upon the world.
Locked Room Murders: Supplement
Two years ago, I received my copy of Adey's Locked Room Murders from our overlords at Amazon. I pored through the endless supply of problems with excitement. As an impossible-crime fanatic, I loved having a reference book. At the time, I had published Goodnight Irene, but no one was really reading it. Today, I received… Continue reading Locked Room Murders: Supplement
The Corpse in the Waxworks
What if the secret society of Eyes Wide Shut were combined with the atmospheric horror of The Mystery of the Wax Museum and the whole enterprise had John Dickson Carr at the helm? The Corpse in the Waxworks (32) doesn't quite live up to that promise, but it comes damn close. It's Paris, which means… Continue reading The Corpse in the Waxworks
End of the year update.
I thought I'd be much further along. This will take about another month to whip into reading shape, much less be ready for editing. Best case scenario: Reading in February, Editing in March, Cover in March, Line editing in April, and a May release. Worst case scenario, July. I also thought the vampire book would… Continue reading End of the year update.
The Realm of the Impossible
When I gave my impressions of The Locked Room Reader, I felt I may have been too harsh. Though some of the individual stories didn't impress me, it was a pleasure embarking on one locked-room mystery after another. As I've now chosen another gathering of impossible delights to discuss, I'd like to make it clear… Continue reading The Realm of the Impossible
The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club
My introduction to Dorothy Sayers was the dense but ingenious The Nine Tailors, a book I might not have the fortitude to finish nowadays. Although it presents a witty, entertaining detective and an absolutely brilliant murder weapon (maybe the best I've encountered), TNT also has an unbearably tedious account of campanology. I still don't know… Continue reading The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club
Goodnight Irene on sale until Dec 9th
I realize most people reading this have already bought/borrowed the book, but I wouldn't be reaching out to every possible place unless I posted it on my blog -- the Kindle version of Goodnight Irene is on sale for the low low price of $0.99 (or an equivalent amount in whatever currency rules your neck… Continue reading Goodnight Irene on sale until Dec 9th
