Category Archives: Musings

The Fourth Coffin

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Nalkarj

“…he would tell a story of mediaeval sorcery and, at the end, abruptly explain all the puzzles in the fashion of a detective story.” “This case he was going to talk about was rather special and sensational. … Crime and the … Continue reading →

Posted in John Dickson Carr, Musings, My Stories, Paul Halter, Solutions | Tagged Impossible Crime, John Dickson Carr, solution, The Hollow Man, The Third Gunman, The Three Coffins | 2 Comments

The Verdict of You All…

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Nalkarj

This is a question I’ve mused over for a while, but it’s one of those times in which it may well be more difficult to formulate question rather than answer! (Socrates would be proud.) Simply put, it would be “who … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Musings, Questions | Tagged Books, Lists, Musings, Mystery, Open Question, Thoughts | 7 Comments

Helen McCloy

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Nalkarj

At the risk of making a somewhat unceremonious return… 😉 I recently finished Helen McCloy’s The Slayer and the Slain and was inspired, I suppose (it’s really a marvellous book), to write the following. I posted it elsewhere, but I’ll … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Ellery Queen, Helen McCloy, Musings | Tagged Ellery Queen, Helen McCloy, Musings, Mystery | 6 Comments

Notes for the Curious (Part 2)

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Nalkarj

A more appropriately Carrian title, no? 🙂 First things first: I’ve been investigating whether or not Lady Pamela Hoyt was a real person and have found that, to the knowledge of every historian I know (not many), a history-connected forum, … Continue reading →

Posted in John Dickson Carr, Musings | Tagged Alexandre Dumas père, Cagliostro, epigraphs, folklore, he who whispers, John Dickson Carr, notes for the curious, secret society, sources, the crooked hinge | Leave a comment

Brief Interrupting Mystery

Posted on August 19, 2017 by Nalkarj

I know I promised to do Part 2 of “Notes for the Curious” yesterday; I apologize that I didn’t follow through with it. (I actually got very sick on Thursday and am still recovering now.) Still, my apologies, and I … Continue reading →

Posted in John Dickson Carr, Musings | Tagged John Dickson Carr | Leave a comment

Notes for the Curious

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Nalkarj

Crime and the occult! These were the only hobbies for a man of taste! I just had to start with that. This may seem a strange topic for a post, I know, but John Dickson Carr’s epigraphs and sources have … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, John Dickson Carr, Musings | Tagged Beneath Suspicion, Books, Don Quixote, Dorothy Sayers, Impossible Crime, John Dickson Carr, M.R. James, Margaret Murray, Musings, Mystery, non-dead, Pepys, The Affair of the Poisons, The Burning Court, The Hand of Glory, The Ingoldsby Legends, Thoughts, Witchcraft | 5 Comments

Open Question

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Nalkarj

I do intend soon to post something that’s more than filler, folks, but until then… What books do you know that are comparable to Christie’s And Then There Were None (Ten Little Indians)? On the IMDb v2.0 boards, one poster … Continue reading →

Posted in Filler, Musings | Tagged Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None, Filler, John Dickson Carr, Musings, Open Question, Raven King, Ten Little Indians, The Hollow Man | 2 Comments

New Carrian Author?

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Nalkarj

I’ll try to post the solution to “Death in the Sun” soon, but until then… Has anyone seen this piece of Jon L. Breen’s in the Weekly Standard? Fascinating stuff. http://www.weeklystandard.com/room-for-murder/article/2002994

Posted in Authors, Musings, Reviews | Tagged Books, Death in the Sun, John Dickson Carr, Jon L. Breen, Locked Room Mystery, Mystery, New Authors, The Weekly Standard | 4 Comments

Is ‘Lord Edgware Dies’ Fair Play?

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Nalkarj

Originally posted on Golden Age of Detective Fiction Forum:
I’ve recently reread Christie’s “Lord Edgware Dies” (aka “Thirteen at Dinner”) and was again troubled by the question of whether one of the key moments of misdirection is fair. Hastings has…

Posted in Musings, Reviews | Tagged Agatha Christie, Captain Hastings, Fair Play, GAD, Hercule Poirot, Jane Wilkinson, Lord Edgware Dies, Musings, Question, Thoughts | 4 Comments

An Undignified Melodrama for My Bone of Contention

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Nalkarj

OK, folks, I’m in a bit of a quandary: I have a new Geoffrey Lord story, and I think it’s fairly decent, but it’s longer than any of the others I’ve posted, and I’m not sure if you’d all be … Continue reading →