Robin Burcell, The Real Deal

I thought the succinct bio from author Robin Burcell’s webpage would do the trick in introducing her to those who haven’t already read her suspenseful novels. “Robin Burcell, an FBI-trained forensic artist, has worked in law enforcement for over two decades as a police officer, detective and hostage negotiator. She is the author of the … Read more

The Phantom Lady–Best 100 Mysteries Of All Time

The Phantom Lady  William Irish (Cornell Woolrich) 1942 IP I know you’re all thinking, ‘oh no, not HIM again!’ but yes, Woolrich again, and again, and again, because he was that good. I was going to write a review of  I Married a Dead Man until i realized I’d written an article about selling it, … Read more

Robin Hathaway, Lovely Lady, Fine Author Passes Away

Whenever I hear of another writer passing away, I feel as though the literary world has been diminished just a little bit. Robin Hathaway was not a best selling author, she didn’t set the world on fire with her written thoughts, but she was a lovely lady with a smart detective and was given a … Read more

The Jealous One–Best 100 Mystery Novels of All Time

The Jealous One—Celia Fremlin–1964  used. I wouldn’t leave the bathtub until I’d finished reading. I wouldn’t have a conversation with the husband, until the last chapters were gobbled up. I wouldn’t pay attention to anything else around me, even though I was at a pricey bed and breakfast for a two day romantic extravaganza. I … Read more

The Spider Orchid–Best 100 Mystery Novels of All Time–Runner Up

The Spider Orchid—Celia Fremlin–1977 –Used. I admit I originally had this on my Best 100 Mysteries of All Time list. I remember loving Ms. Fremlin, and thought this title was the best of what I read. But upon rereading this and another, I found I favored the other much more, so have switched this from … Read more

The Red Right Hand–Best 100 Mysteries of All Time

The Red Right Hand-–Joel Townsley Rogers–1945–used It’s almost impossible to describe The Red Right Hand. It’s kookie. Odd. Seemingly disjointed and nonsensical. It’s none of those things in the end, but it is something of a gigantic guffaw. Because you really need to set your suspension of  belief  at a very high level to believe … Read more

The So Blue Marble–Best 100 Mysteries of All Time

The So Blue Marble—Dorothy B. Hughes–1940–used ‘One delighted  voice said,  “Griselda, fancy seeing you!” The other one was laughing, “We’d thought you’d never come!” She could see the tall silk hats, the shining white scarves, the dark coats, the sticks under their arms. Even in shadow, she knew she had never seen their faces.’ This … Read more