‘4:50 from Paddington’ (1957) a padded Christie whodunit
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): The reliable whodunit elements are in place, but this Christmas-set tale is unusually cold – not always in a good way.
Books
‘4:50 from Paddington’ (1957) a padded Christie whodunit
‘Double Sin’ (1961) puts Poirot in a Christmas mood
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): “Double Sin and Other Stories” collects four Poirots, two Marples and a couple supernatural yarns.
‘Drug of Choice’ (1970) a pulpy ride of pharma paranoia
Michael Crichton Monday (Book review): In his sixth John Lange book, Crichton peppers big ideas about Big Pharma into the pulp template.
Colorful caricatures drive ‘Venom Business’ (1969)
Michael Crichton Monday (Book review): Crichton-as-Lange breaks out in this slow-developing yet consistently entertaining fifth Lange novel.
‘Pocket Full of Rye’ (1953) a pocket full of tropes
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Agatha Christie pulls out all the rules of the game in “A Pocket Full of Rye,” a comfortably familiar murder tale in a manor.
‘Next’ (2006) a weirdly engineered novel about genetics
Michael Crichton Monday (Book review): Crichton experiments with structure, making “Next” as much a scrapbook as a plotted story.
‘Funerals are Fatal’ (1953), especially in this family
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Christie doesn’t reinvent anything here, but this family-based mystery does offer a few wrinkles.
‘Zero Cool’ (1969), 4th Lange novel, has zero originality
Michael Crichton Monday (Book review): Crichton is already recycling old ideas as his vacationing stand-in gets roped into a crazy adventure.
‘Last Séance’ (2019) gathers Christie’s spooky stuff
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): This collection gathers Agatha’s supernatural yarns in one place, including the rare “Wife of the Kenite.”
‘Hallowe’en Party’ (1969) can’t capture spirit of season
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Although it doesn’t have the spooky vibe I hoped for, there are things to like about this Poirot novel.