Author H.M. Faust (AKA DWaM) declares his main goal in the About the Author section: ...to push the limits of the mystery genre, merging bizarre storylines and modern narrative techniques with the tropes of the Golden Age period of detective fiction. He also likes impossible crimes which is the real reason I read his work.… Continue reading Gospel of V
Some novels are comforting to my soul. Francis Beeding's Death Walks in Eastrepps is a fine example. This 1931 story about a multiple murderer terrorizing a seaside town reminds me of a warm fire, a grilled-cheese sandwich with a piping hot bowl of soup, and daytime pajamas. Familiar but comforting. Besides, focusing on novelty is… Continue reading Death Walks in Eastrepps
The setting for John Dickson Carr's Nine-and Death Makes Ten is certainly atmospheric. The rolling fog horns, the unsteadiness of the ocean, and the cold, oppressive darkness give us the appropriate apprehension required by murder mysteries. Of course, it's the functionality of such a setting that I most appreciate. Nine passengers (and a largely faceless… Continue reading Nine-and Death Makes Ten
I've come to the end of my Four Corners journey and while it has been enjoyable, the overriding feeling I am left with is that there are far too many lost Roscoe masterworks out there. The Four Corners series is just from the Argosy magazine collections. As such, it should not be seen as a… Continue reading “Ghost on Lonesome Hill” from Four Corners Vol II
Last week's Four Corners tale There are Smiles that Make you Happy and this week's have a lot in common. Both see the world through young eyes. Both have a love triangle. Hell, both of them have a moment when the narrator childishly refuses to attend a wedding because he doesn't like one member of… Continue reading “Stay as Sweet as you Are” from Four Corners Vol II
James Scott Byrnside 