Thursday, May 4, 2017

OLD-TIME DETECTION, Spring 2017

(GIVE ME THAT) OLD-TIME DETECTION.
Spring 2017. Issue #44.
Editor: Arthur Vidro.
Old-Time Detection Special Interest Group of American Mensa, Ltd.
34 pages (including covers).
Cover image: Ross Macdonald (and fedora).
No matter what your favorite types of mysteries might be, Arthur Vidro has undoubtedly included something to interest you in this latest edition of Old-Time Detection, a high-
quality publication by anyone's standards, one that is not to be missed.

Featured in the issue: a hard-boiled pioneer . . . the apotheosis of the hard-boiled confessional . . . the epitome of the puzzle plot, the locked room mystery . . . Poirot 
redux . . . the BBC mangling Christie—again . . . a reclusive noir writer lighting up 
the silver screen . . . an impossible crime fiction story . . . and perceptive reviews throughout.

(Note: We've also added a few off-site links—indicated by "Related: (HERE)"—to 
jog your memory.)

==================================================================

(1) "Carroll John Daly and The Snarl of the Beast" by Charles Shibuk (1981; 3 pages).
      Related: (HERE).
". . . a milestone in the early history of the hard-boiled genre . . ."
(2) "Mega-Review": It's All One Case: The Illustrated Ross Macdonald Archives (2016) by Paul Nelson & Kevin Avery with Jeff Wong — A review by Michael Dirda (2016).
      Related: (HERE).
". . . tragedy, or at least aim at it."
(3) "Locked Rooms and Puzzles: A Critical Memoir" by Donald A. Yates (1976; 7 pages).
      Related: (HERE).
". . . life was pleasant and uneventful until my thirteenth year, when I read Ellery Queen's The Chinese Orange Mystery . . ."
(4) "Mega-Review": Closed Casket (2016) by Sophie Hannah — A review by Brigitte Weeks (2016).
     Related: (HERE).
"There isn't enough quirky interplay . . ."
(5) "Christie Corner" by Dr. John Curran (2017).
      Related: (HERE).
". . . the enormity of the liberties taken with her masterpiece."
(6) "The Woolrich Films: Part One in a Series" by Francis M. Nevins (1988; 2 pages).
      Related: (HERE).
". . . haunted by a sense of doom that never left him . . ."
(7) "Thirty-Plus Years Ago: Murder in Print" by Jon L. Breen (1983).
      Related: (HERE).
". . . stronger on anecdote than literary criticism . . ."
(8) "The Paperback Revolution" by Charles Shibuk (1969).
      Related: (HERE).
". . . probably the best novel Macdonald ever wrote."
(9) Haycraft-Queen Cornerstones: "File #21: Anthony Berkeley's Trial and Error (1937)" — A review by Arthur Vidro (2017).
     Related: (HERE).
". . . a giant in the Golden Age of detective fiction."
(10) Fiction: "The Hunt for Fred October: A Jacob Black 'Impossible Crime' Mystery" by Michael E. Grost (8 pages).
     Related: All eighteen of Michael Grost's Jacob Black mysteries can be accessed from (HERE).
". . . Jake's instincts, which had rarely lied to him, told him something was up."
(11) "Mini-Reviews":
       The Plague Court Murders (1934), reviewed by Douglas Greene (1995); The Secret of High Eldersham (1931), reviewed by Amnon Kabatchnik (1973); The Black Camel (1929), reviewed by Trudi Harrov (2017); and A Life for Sale (1927), reviewed by Charles Shibuk (2017).
      Related: (HERE), (HERE), and (HERE).
". . . a historical romance within the larger framework of a detective story."
". . . not only a novel of detection, but also a novel of folklore."
". . . engaging, accessible writing style . . ."
". . . a fast, easy read . . ."
(12) "The Readers Write":
       "I sympathize with Jon Breen's intention to just 'glance' at OTD when it comes 

in, though that is also in part to make it last. Because once I have it in hand and 
start reading, I have trouble stopping, so I'm through it too fast, instead of savoring 
it, a bit at a time."

(13) "Last Issue's Puzzle":
       Eleven readers got it right!

(14) "This Issue's Puzzle":
       "Below is a photograph of an old-time mystery writer. Who is he?"

Subscription information:
- Published three times a year: spring, summer, and autumn.
- Sample copy: $6.00 in U.S.; $10.00 anywhere else.
- One-year U.S.: $18.00 ($15.00 for Mensans).
- One-year overseas: $40.00 (or 20 pounds sterling or 25 euros).
- Payment: Checks payable to Arthur Vidro, or cash from any nation, or U.S. postage stamps.
Mailing address:
   Arthur Vidro, editor
   Old-Time Detection
   2 Ellery Street
   Claremont, New Hampshire 03743
Web address:
   oldtimedetection@netzero.net

==============================================
Resource:
- Our review of the Autumn 2016 issue of OTD is (HERE).

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