Originally published in 1996 English translation published in 2006 Volume 10 Preceded by Kidnappings, Shootings, & Drownings, Oh My! Followed by An Unfamiliar Face A diplomat is found dead in his study and Conan’s on the case. But what exactly happened? The elder statesman was definitely murdered, but the door and windows to his private chamber were all locked from the inside. How in the world did the killer escape? The book begins by concluding the final case from the previous volume, Wealthy Daughter Murder Case. In my review of that volume, I outlined the basic concept of the case and ..read more

Originally published in 1931 Anthony Bathurst #9 Preceded by Murder en Route Followed by The Triple Bite “As you seem to be indicating a spot of murder—well—let’s have the facts.” Major Daniel Wyatt gathers a group of six people together in the back room of a London restaurant. All are acquainted with André de Ravenac – a known blackmailer, but most probably also a serial murderer. He is currently threatening to destroy the life of a woman they all care for. Hence a plan is hatched to assassinate De Ravenac at a masked ball – and once all of the men agree, lots are drawn. Each is assigned a r ..read more

Originally published in 1975 Sergeant Cribb #6 Preceded by The Tick of Death (Invitation to a Dynamite Party) Followed by Swing, Swing Together The spiritualist movement has captivated a segment of Victorian London: manifestations, the occult, and “sensitives” are in vogue. When séance sites become targets for theft, Sergeant Cribb and Constable Thackeray are on the case. But then someone murders the medium, and the two find themselves rubbing shoulders with some rather eccentric suspects. Sergeant Cribb’s last adventure, The Tick of Death, had been something of a disappointment to me, largel ..read more

Originally published in 1961 Inspector Littlejohn #35 Preceded by Death in the Fearful Night Followed by Death of a Tin God “A decent, hardworking chap, with not an enemy anywhere. People were surprised that anybody should want to kill Jim.” But Jim has been found stabbed in the back near Ely, miles from his Yorkshire home. His body, clearly dumped in the usually silent (‘dumb’) river, has been discovered before the killer intended, disturbed by a torrential flood in the night. With any clues to the culprit’s identity swept away with the surging water, Bellairs’ veteran sleuth boards a train ..read more

Originally published in 2002 as ゲームの名は誘拐 English translation first published in 2017 A battle-tested project leader at PR firm Cyberplan and a slippery bachelor, Sakuma is smug self-regard personified. But when his idea for a mini-theme park is dismissed as vacuous by client Nissei Auto, he’s met his match: Katsuragi, an heir and executive at the global carmaker who believes life is but a game. Once the man’s daughter teams up with Sakuma in a bid to come into her inheritance sooner rather than later… it’s time for a good ol’ kidnapping! The Name of the Game is Kidnapping introduces us to ..read more

Originally published in 1981 A Florentine Mystery #1 Followed by Death of a Dutchman It is just before Christmas and the marshal wants to go South to spend the holiday with his wife and family, but first he must recover from the flu (which has left the Florentine caribinieri short-handed) and also solve a murder. A seemingly respectable retired Englishman, living in a flat on the Via Maggio near the Santa Trinita bridge, was shot in the back during the night. He was well-connected and Scotland Yard has despatched two officers to “assist” the Italians in solving the crime. But it is the marsh ..read more

The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother is a film I felt sure I’d seen. Watching it last week though, I realized that I had never watched it from start to finish. What this meant is that while I remembered many sequences I had seen as clips, I had little idea how they connected or what the overall plot of the film was. Another thing I realized was that my perception of the film differed quite a bit from the reality. I came to this with the expectation that I would watch a Mel Brooks-style parody, but Wilder’s film is a surprisingly affectionate tribute to its inspiration and treats ..read more

Originally published in 1934 Ellery Queen #8 Preceded by The Siamese Twin Mystery Followed by The Spanish Cape Mystery The offices of foreign literature publisher and renowned stamp collector Donald Kirk are often host to strange activities, but the most recent occurrence­―the murder of an unknown caller, found dead in an empty waiting room―is unlike any that has come before. Nobody, it seems, entered or exited the room, and yet the crime scene clearly has been manipulated, leaving everything in the room turned backwards and upside down. Stuck through the back of the corpse’s shirt are two l ..read more

Originally published in 1934 Gideon Fell #3 Preceded by The Mad Hatter Mystery Followed by The Blind Barber In a house in the English countryside, a man has just turned up dead, surrounded by a crime scene that seems, at first glance, to be fairly straightforward. He’s found with a bullet through the head in an unlocked room, and all signs point to a recent strange visitor as the perpetrator. The body is even accompanied by an ostentatious clue, presumably left by the killer: The tarot card of The Eight of Swords, an allusion, perhaps, to justice. But when Dr. Gideon Fell arrives at the hous ..read more

Originally published in 1936*. Also published as The Murder in Gay Ladies. * The edition shown has a publication date of 1931 on its copyright information page, but I believe 1936 is the correct date. Stephen Osborne has lost his job and is worried about providing for his large family. He asks his wealthy sister for assistance, but Octavia Osborne is a most unpleasant person. She not only refuses to help but informs the family that she is writing them out of her will. Bad timing on her part; while sitting in their drawing room awaiting a train home, someone strangles Octavia. The police are ..read more