EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND by Deborah Elliott-Upton It was a cool day and very clear. You could see a long way – but not as far as Velma had gone. – —Farewell, My Lovely “Tall, aren’t you?” she said. “I didn’t mean to be.” Her eyes rounded. She was puzzled. She was thinking. I could see, […]

ONE MAN’S OPINION by Rob Lopresti Last year Our John listed some of his favorite things, specifically novels, movies, and short stories. That got me working on a list I have had bouncing around my head for a while: my fifty favorite mystery short stories. You can see the result at the end of this […]

Jeffrey Marks’ most recent book, Anthony Boucher: A Bibliobiography, is nominated for this year’s Malice Domestic‘s Agatha Award for Best Non-Fiction mystery-related work. This is his third nomination. Melodie should return next week. —JLW PICKING A BIOGRAPHY SUBJECT by Jeffrey Marks Readers ask me this question whenever I do a talk. I think it’s their […]

The Gentle Reader probably does not require an introduction to master short story author and former newspaper reporter and Pinkerton man Dick Stodghill, but if anybody does, here’s a link to his website. You’ll also find link to his blog, “Stodghill Says So”, at right in our list of Amicae Curiae, (“Friends of the Court”). […]

BEYOND COMIX by Leigh Lundin This week’s column is all Rob’s fault. His article about cartoons and comics reminded me of a couple more, one extant, one extinct (perhaps). The Brick Testament The Rev. Brendan Powell Smith created The Brick Testament. This isn’t a comic per se, but a Lego rendition of the Bible with […]

PLAYING AT WORK by John M. Floyd Over the past month or so, Deborah’s written two interesting columns about reading (and writing) for the sheer fun of it. And that got me to thinking. Occasionally I read fiction so good that the reading itself is effortless — I float along with no awareness of the […]

GUILTY PRESSURES by Steve Steinbock Last Friday, during our week-long celebration at Criminal Brief Corporate Headquarters (CBCH), I disclosed a few of my guilty pleasures. While I continue to enjoy the “Beach Party” movies and The Three Stooges, I haven’t actually eaten an entire can of chocolate frosting for a long time. Another cinematic guilty […]