It's difficult to know where to start with the Quentin Patrick bibliography. There are several pen names hiding several real names. (Dick Callingham, Q Patrick, Jonathan Stagge, Quentin Patrick, Patrick Quentin, etc.) My only previous undertaking was Death's Old Sweet Song, one of the best (and most savage) murder mysteries I've read. After reading the… Continue reading The Grindle Nightmare
Anthony Berkeley's The Poisoned Chocolates Case is an absolute delight. It focuses almost entirely on summation, but manages within its artificial boundaries to accomplish everything we want in detective fiction. I'll try and explain. The Problem: Sir Eustace receives a sample box of Masons chocolate liquors in the mail. Uninterested in acting as a Masons… Continue reading The Poisoned Chocolates Case
Detective fiction is a tough racket; the readers have TBR lists stretching back a hundred years. I know because I am exactly the same -- most of my physical and electronic books are from the 30's and 40's, so I'm doubly appreciative when GAD fans buy my books. October was my best month yet. Thank… Continue reading Rollout of The Strange Case of the Barrington Hills Vampire
Though Dick Markham and Lesley Grant are blissfully in love, they have the misfortune of being the main characters in a John Dickson Carr novel. Those ominous clouds above them in chapter one threaten a lot more than rain. The couple... But I'm beginning to discuss the plot, which is not my intention. (There are… Continue reading A Spoiler-Filled Look at the Locked-Room Murder in Till Death Do Us Part
We always begin with my horrible, ugly sketches. It's sad how many hours I spend on them. I wanted to play with reflections. The Vampire, of course, leaves no reflection. In a nod to the author/reader agreement barring supernatural explanations, I decided to do it anyway. But I cannot draw a reflection (I tried), so… Continue reading Cover Evolution of Vampire
James Scott Byrnside 