Went shopping for myself. Got a few treats... Oh, and we finished the jigsaw. It's been a good day...

I promise I'll get back to books soon but in the meantime, here's another installment of my Holmes on Film series. This time I take us back to close to the start with discussion of the 1916 film, Sherlock Holmes. This starred William Gillette and is one of the most influential Holmes pictures...

I had somehow missed this news. Another one of Kurosawa's noir films is coming to 4k courtesy of Criterion... www.criterion.com/films/788-st...

Episode three of Get A Clue, Dad!, a tween mystery fiction podcast, sees MJ encounter her first locked room mystery. We discuss First Class Murder by Robin Stevens.

It's time to reenter the world of Sherlock Holmes - though today's post sees him removed from Victorian London to face a more contemporary menace. Find out what I made of Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror as part of my Holmes on Film series...

Seishi Yokomizo's The Inugami Curse is one of his most famous mysteries, blending detection and horror. 💙📚⚡

My next book review up will be Seishi Yokomizo's The Inugami Curse. Just need to write it. After that? I am currently reading The Return of Moriarty (Jack Anderson) and JDC's The Burning Court...

In today's post, I rank the four translated mystery novels from Japanese author Masako Togawa. Some of those have definitely aged better than others, but they're an interesting collection of books... ⚡️📚

Roland Pertwee's Death in a Domino (or It Means Mischief) is one of the earliest example of a murder dinner party game gone wrong in fiction. But does early equate to good? ⚡️📚

Next review up should by Death in a Domino by Roland Pertwee which I finished last night. I just need to find the time to write up my thoughts!

MJ had such a good time recording the first episode of Get a Clue, Dad! we recorded a second almost immediately afterwards. Today's episode discusses the second book in the Wells & Wong series, Poison is Not Polite (Arsenic for Tea) ⚡️📚

Today's post is one I sincerely hope becomes outdated at some point in the near future. It's my ranking of all six Frédéric Dard novels available in English translation... ⚡️📚💙

I've finally done it. One of the most-delayed posts in the history of my blog. It has only taken three years and multiple viewings of this film... So, here are my thoughts on Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.

Snow's coming down again so out comes the jigsaw!

Today's post sees me take a look at The Wicked Go To Hell, a short novel by Frédéric Dard. The concept: two men are put in a jail cell together. One of them is a dangerous spy, the other an undercover cop. But which is which? ⚡️📚

Editing done! I'll be working to get some text reviews up in the next few days for some of the (grown up) books I've read lately.

Recording and editing the second episode of Get A Clue, Dad. MJ has really appreciated the feedback from episode one and was keen to jump straight back in!

In this very special podcast, my daughter MJ and I discuss Robin Stevens' middle grade mystery Murder is Bad Manners. ⚡️📚

Some thoughts on Celia Fremlin's The Long Shadow. Ignore the Christmassy cover, this is a fantastic read at any time of year. Apologies that it's a little less detailed than usual - I read the book over a month ago and am only just starting to catch up! ⚡️📚

It's time for another obscure, out-of-print title. Today I share my thoughts on Death Follows a Formula by Newton Gayle - a murder mystery from 1935 in which the inventor of a formula to replace gasoline is murdered on a transatlantic journey. ⚡️📚

Preparing for a little talk I am giving next week on Agatha Christie. Its intended to be an introduction so it is really an overview, meant to get people interested in delving deeper. Here's hoping I have time to read one or two more books before then. :)

Currently reading a book in which the victim (a man reputed to possess the only copy of a scientific formula that will replace gasoline) has made know they sit alone each night in a ground floor room with their back to an open window. Suspect that may not work out well for them...

It's time for me to return to one of the writers I have enjoyed most, C. E. Vulliamy (Anthony Rolls)... ⚡️📚

I've been under the weather the past week so no book review today. Instead, here are my reflections on a year of reading and blogging, and some resolutions for the year ahead!

Ah... Crooked House leaves Netflix in five days? Well, I guess I have to finally watch it...

The first episode of Banacek may be the fastest I have ever solved an impossible crime.

I just read another Fremlin. Yep. She was a really good writer. Totally planning to read everything she ever wrote at this point. Too tired to write it up tonight but hopefully tomorrow night/Wednesday morning...

Today's post sees me take a look at a collection of vintage mysteries from the British Library. With stories from Carr, Marsh, Chesterton, and others, this is an interesting and varied collection. ⚡️📚💙

A short post today, sharing some thoughts on the 1986 BBC Radio adaptation of Hercule Poirot's Christmas. A production starring an unusual but quite distinctive actor!

It's time to head to your digital polling station to cast your votes for Fremlin and Flynn - the 2025 dream reprint of the year ticket! crossexaminingcrime.com/2025/12/21/r...

It's time for another of my yuletide traditions... Subjecting myself to Peter Sallis' 'Belgian' accent in the BBC Radio adaptation of Hercule Poirot's Christmas!

It's time for my second nomination for Reprint of the Year. Like last week, I'm withholding the title until the last words of the post, so you can see if you can guess. The key point: This is a book I've reviewed (glowingly) on the blog this year... ⚡️📚

The best mystery movie in years... @rianjohnson.bsky.social #WakeUpDeadMan classicmystery.blog/2025/12/18/p...

Today's post takes a look at Something Wicked, a wintery mystery novel from 1983 from E. X. Ferrars. ⚡️📚

Currently reading E. X. Ferrars' Something Wicked which really begins on December 15. Totally unplanned but feels incredibly fitting...

Some brief thoughts on Wake Up Dead Man, the latest Knives Out mystery film...

Finally got to see Wake Up Dead Man and was really taken with it. A much heavier film than either of its predecessors, but really well constructed. Gonna let this stew for a while (and maybe rewatch the other two), but I may have to write up more detailed thoughts...

Huge thanks to Mysteries Ahoy! for the nomination and kind words. It means a great deal to us. #ReprintoftheYearAward2025 @puzzledoctor.bsky.social #BrianFlynn mysteriesahoy.com/2025/12/13/r...

Each year bloggers with a taste for Golden Age mysteries put forward their nominations for Reprint of the Year. This year I've decided on an exciting new format twist. Yes, I will be channeling my inner Ellery Queen, giving clues and a challenge to the reader! Can you deduce what I've picked? ⚡️📚

Today I look at Shizuko Natsuki's 1976 mystery novel, Innocent Journey. I've had some pretty mixed feelings about Natsuki's work before. Would this be any different? ⚡️📚

Deadline's reporting a new film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Endless Night is in the works. That strikes me as exciting news. I consider it one of Christie's most interesting later works. Hopefully they do it justice!

I was in the mood for a quick read today, so I returned to the manga series Detective Conan. This fifteenth volume finds the series still going strong, boasting a couple of pretty original ideas... ⚡️📚

Movie you've watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (either War or Trek), LOTR, or Marvel. It's been three times this year alone!

Today's post sees me tackle one of those huge gaps in my Christie reading - Tommy and Tuppence. Would I be frustrated by those bright young things or find them charming? Read on and find out... ⚡️📚

Really surprised to find that in my 642 book reviews, I have never done a book published in 1922. My next one will rectify that!

Today's post offers up some thoughts on Alan Green's 1950 Edgar Award-winning comic mystery, What A Body! ⚡️📚

Today I offer up some thoughts on Christianna Brand's Cat and Mouse - a mystery novel that purposefully evokes Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre while doing its own, distinct thing... ⚡️📚

As always, I have several books on the go. I'm currently reading Cat and Mouse by Christianna Brand, What A Body! by Alan Green, and Floral Tribute by C. E. Vulliamy. Oh, and The Case of the Stuttering Bishop by Erle Stanley Gardner on audio. What are you reading at the moment? ⚡️📚 💙

Today I share my ranking of the five films featuring Margaret Rutherford's portrayal of Miss Marple. I doubt there'll be any surprise about what is at the bottom of my list (predicting it is as easy as A-B-C), but what will be at the top? Read on and find out!

Several years ago I picked up all the Henry Gamadge series by Elizabeth Daly at a second-hand bookshop. While I have enjoyed a few of them before, today's read, 1944's The Book of the Dead, is easily my favorite to date. ⚡️📚