Back from Malice

Wow, what a weekend!just back from the Malice Domestic traditional mystery conference in Arlington, VA. During this fun-packed three-day festival of the traditional mystery, I learned about writing humor, voted during a “Sleuth Off” (Sherlock Holmes won,...

Christie speaks!

Wow! Today’s New York Times reveals that a box containing 27 audiotapes of Agatha Christie talking about her life has been discovered!The reels contain dictation, seemingly done in preparation for writing her autobiography. And what does Dame Agatha, grand...

My Agatha (not the award, alas)

Nice bit of news – my editor over at the Barnes and Noble Library of Essential Reading loves my introduction to The Mysterious Affair at Styles,, Poirot’s first adventure, so look for my name to be linked to the great Agatha Christie when this new edition...

All About Agatha

Did you know Agatha Christie only received 25 pounds for her first mystery, The Mysterious Affair at Styles? And that wasn’t even an advance. She only got that because someone agreed to serialize it, and that was her take.I’ve been asked to write the...

Why cozies? A guest blog by Diana Vickery

Diana Vickery runs the great Cozy Library and she and I have been talking about the merits of the so-called cozy, or traditional, mystery. I posted my own Defense of the Cozy a few months back. Here is her take.Why do I read cozy? A more fundamental question is “Why...