Aidan
@mysteriesahoy.bsky.social
I blog about mystery fiction (and movies) at Mysteries Ahoy!
Some brief thoughts on Wake Up Dead Man, the latest Knives Out mystery film...
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Film)
Billed as A Knives Out Mystery, Wake Up Dead Man is the third film to feature Detective Benoit Blanc. It follows Glass Onion, a film I enjoyed more than many, and sees the detective solving an impossible murder.
mysteriesahoy.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Some brief thoughts on Wake Up Dead Man, the latest Knives Out mystery film...
Finally got to see Wake Up Dead Man and was really taken with it. A much heavier film than either of its predecessors, but really well constructed. Gonna let this stew for a while (and maybe rewatch the other two), but I may have to write up more detailed thoughts...
December 14, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Finally got to see Wake Up Dead Man and was really taken with it. A much heavier film than either of its predecessors, but really well constructed. Gonna let this stew for a while (and maybe rewatch the other two), but I may have to write up more detailed thoughts...
Reposted by Aidan
Huge thanks to Mysteries Ahoy! for the nomination and kind words. It means a great deal to us. #ReprintoftheYearAward2025 @puzzledoctor.bsky.social #BrianFlynn
mysteriesahoy.com/2025/12/13/r...
mysteriesahoy.com/2025/12/13/r...
Reprint of the Year 2025: Aidan’s First Nomination
It’s that wonderful time of the year once again. The nights have drawn in. There’s a digital fireplace on the TV, a blanket on my lap, and hot cider in my mug. Yes, I am ready to share …
mysteriesahoy.com
December 13, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Huge thanks to Mysteries Ahoy! for the nomination and kind words. It means a great deal to us. #ReprintoftheYearAward2025 @puzzledoctor.bsky.social #BrianFlynn
mysteriesahoy.com/2025/12/13/r...
mysteriesahoy.com/2025/12/13/r...
Each year bloggers with a taste for Golden Age mysteries put forward their nominations for Reprint of the Year. This year I've decided on an exciting new format twist. Yes, I will be channeling my inner Ellery Queen, giving clues and a challenge to the reader! Can you deduce what I've picked?
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Reprint of the Year 2025: Aidan’s First Nomination
It's that wonderful time of the year once again. The nights have drawn in. There's a digital fireplace on the TV, a blanket on my lap, and hot cider in my mug. Yes, I am ready to share my first nomination for this year's Reprint of the Year awards.
mysteriesahoy.com
December 13, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Each year bloggers with a taste for Golden Age mysteries put forward their nominations for Reprint of the Year. This year I've decided on an exciting new format twist. Yes, I will be channeling my inner Ellery Queen, giving clues and a challenge to the reader! Can you deduce what I've picked?
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Today I look at Shizuko Natsuki's 1976 mystery novel, Innocent Journey. I've had some pretty mixed feelings about Natsuki's work before. Would this be any different?
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Innocent Journey by Shizuko Natsuki, translated by Robert B. Rohmer
My relationship with Shizuko Natsuki's work can be characterized largely as one of frustrations. In each of the works I have read there have been some really intriguing ideas. I enjoyed the blend of traditional detection and inverted mystery in Murder at Mt. Fuji, and the sequential corporate killings of Death from the Clouds.
mysteriesahoy.com
December 11, 2025 at 6:27 AM
Today I look at Shizuko Natsuki's 1976 mystery novel, Innocent Journey. I've had some pretty mixed feelings about Natsuki's work before. Would this be any different?
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Deadline's reporting a new film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Endless Night is in the works. That strikes me as exciting news. I consider it one of Christie's most interesting later works. Hopefully they do it justice!
December 11, 2025 at 6:09 AM
Deadline's reporting a new film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Endless Night is in the works. That strikes me as exciting news. I consider it one of Christie's most interesting later works. Hopefully they do it justice!
I was in the mood for a quick read today, so I returned to the manga series Detective Conan. This fifteenth volume finds the series still going strong, boasting a couple of pretty original ideas...
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Case Closed 15: The Frozen Teacher by Gosho Aoyama, translated by Naoko Amemiya
It's been a busy weekend. All good, thankfully, but the type of weekend that has left me wanting a quick read. When I'm in this type of mood, I know exactly the series to reach for...
mysteriesahoy.com
December 8, 2025 at 5:37 AM
I was in the mood for a quick read today, so I returned to the manga series Detective Conan. This fifteenth volume finds the series still going strong, boasting a couple of pretty original ideas...
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Movie you've watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (either War or Trek), LOTR, or Marvel.
It's been three times this year alone!
It's been three times this year alone!
December 8, 2025 at 3:53 AM
Movie you've watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (either War or Trek), LOTR, or Marvel.
It's been three times this year alone!
It's been three times this year alone!
Today's post sees me tackle one of those huge gaps in my Christie reading - Tommy and Tuppence. Would I be frustrated by those bright young things or find them charming? Read on and find out...
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The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
A little over a month ago I posted a review of the first Miss Marple stories, The Tuesday Club Murders. In my introduction, I mentioned that I felt my lack of coverage of Miss Marple was a pretty big omission. That post was a first step and you can expect more Miss Marple coverage to come.
mysteriesahoy.com
December 6, 2025 at 6:17 AM
Today's post sees me tackle one of those huge gaps in my Christie reading - Tommy and Tuppence. Would I be frustrated by those bright young things or find them charming? Read on and find out...
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Really surprised to find that in my 642 book reviews, I have never done a book published in 1922. My next one will rectify that!
December 6, 2025 at 3:24 AM
Really surprised to find that in my 642 book reviews, I have never done a book published in 1922. My next one will rectify that!
Today's post offers up some thoughts on Alan Green's 1950 Edgar Award-winning comic mystery, What A Body!
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What A Body! by Alan Green
What A Body! was the 1950 winner of the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Which is pretty remarkable given the author had written four books already. Admittedly a couple of those were penned under pseudonyms, but it seems the Edgar Awards people didn't do their research!
mysteriesahoy.com
December 4, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Today's post offers up some thoughts on Alan Green's 1950 Edgar Award-winning comic mystery, What A Body!
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Today I offer up some thoughts on Christianna Brand's Cat and Mouse - a mystery novel that purposefully evokes Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre while doing its own, distinct thing...
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Cat and Mouse by Christianna Brand
Earlier this year I had the good fortune to attend the British Library's Bodies from the Library conference. During one of the excellent presentations, author Victoria Dowd discussed the connections between the gothic novel and the detective story. One of the titles she discussed was Christianna Brand's Cat and Mouse, mentioning that its connections to Jane Eyre.
mysteriesahoy.com
December 1, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Today I offer up some thoughts on Christianna Brand's Cat and Mouse - a mystery novel that purposefully evokes Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre while doing its own, distinct thing...
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As always, I have several books on the go. I'm currently reading Cat and Mouse by Christianna Brand, What A Body! by Alan Green, and Floral Tribute by C. E. Vulliamy. Oh, and The Case of the Stuttering Bishop by Erle Stanley Gardner on audio.
What are you reading at the moment?
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What are you reading at the moment?
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November 27, 2025 at 1:54 PM
As always, I have several books on the go. I'm currently reading Cat and Mouse by Christianna Brand, What A Body! by Alan Green, and Floral Tribute by C. E. Vulliamy. Oh, and The Case of the Stuttering Bishop by Erle Stanley Gardner on audio.
What are you reading at the moment?
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What are you reading at the moment?
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Today I share my ranking of the five films featuring Margaret Rutherford's portrayal of Miss Marple. I doubt there'll be any surprise about what is at the bottom of my list (predicting it is as easy as A-B-C), but what will be at the top?
Read on and find out!
Read on and find out!
Ranked: The Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple Films
I first encountered Margaret Rutherford's portrayal of Miss Jane Marple while I was living in Halls of Residence. I had a few friends I would watch films with regularly. When there wasn't anything on the big screen, we'd take turns showing movies to one another from our collections.
mysteriesahoy.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:02 AM
Today I share my ranking of the five films featuring Margaret Rutherford's portrayal of Miss Marple. I doubt there'll be any surprise about what is at the bottom of my list (predicting it is as easy as A-B-C), but what will be at the top?
Read on and find out!
Read on and find out!
Several years ago I picked up all the Henry Gamadge series by Elizabeth Daly at a second-hand bookshop. While I have enjoyed a few of them before, today's read, 1944's The Book of the Dead, is easily my favorite to date.
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The Book of the Dead by Elizabeth Daly
I have tried several Elizabeth Daly novels over the years and have generally had a good time with them. As much as I have enjoyed myself, I was waiting to find one that really caught my imagination. Well, at long last I am pleased to say I found what I was looking for.
mysteriesahoy.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Several years ago I picked up all the Henry Gamadge series by Elizabeth Daly at a second-hand bookshop. While I have enjoyed a few of them before, today's read, 1944's The Book of the Dead, is easily my favorite to date.
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Revisiting the Margaret Rutherford Marple pictures to prepare for a ranking. That theme music delights me every time...
November 20, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Revisiting the Margaret Rutherford Marple pictures to prepare for a ranking. That theme music delights me every time...
What have I been watching over the past few months? what did Fall have in store for me? A noir starring Dirk Bogarde, a classic Orson Welles joint, an adaptation of a play I read back in Summer, and two Christie adaptations. Find out what I thought of them in today's round-up!
Mystery Movie & TV Round-up: Fall 2025
What did Fall have in store for me? A noir starring Dirk Bogarde, a classic Orson Welles joint, an adaptation of a play I read back in Summer, and two Christie adaptations.
mysteriesahoy.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:49 PM
What have I been watching over the past few months? what did Fall have in store for me? A noir starring Dirk Bogarde, a classic Orson Welles joint, an adaptation of a play I read back in Summer, and two Christie adaptations. Find out what I thought of them in today's round-up!
My difficult relationship with Michael Innes continues. Today I share some brief thoughts on Carson's Conspiracy. This one is not recommended.
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Carson’s Conspiracy by Michael Innes
I have sworn off Michael Innes several times since starting this blog, but here I am again. My reason is at least a pretty good one. Carson's Conspiracy has sat untouched on my shelves for years. I'm at a point where I need to weed my collection, and I have to decide whether it should stay.
mysteriesahoy.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:12 PM
My difficult relationship with Michael Innes continues. Today I share some brief thoughts on Carson's Conspiracy. This one is not recommended.
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This cover image certainly inspires faith that this text has undergone the most rigorous of proof reading processes...
November 13, 2025 at 2:11 AM
This cover image certainly inspires faith that this text has undergone the most rigorous of proof reading processes...
Today's post looks at Body Unidentified by John Rhode. This novel, from 1937, features two cases. One, the theft of a valuable string of diamonds, the other an unidentifiable body found in the drum of a tar heater.
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Proceed with Caution (or: Body Unidentified) by John Rhode
One of my favorite mystery hooks is an unidentifiable corpse. Whether found in a bathtub or dressed in backwards clothing, I am almost always intrigued. So, when I discovered a nearby college library had a book called Body Unidentified, I wanted to read it!
mysteriesahoy.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Today's post looks at Body Unidentified by John Rhode. This novel, from 1937, features two cases. One, the theft of a valuable string of diamonds, the other an unidentifiable body found in the drum of a tar heater.
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I am not saying the internet has failed us, but how isn't there a video of an insurance agent assessing all the damage wrought by the car chase at the start of The Rookie? Seems to me that a Claims Agent reacts to action movies video series could be pretty entertaining...
November 11, 2025 at 12:24 PM
I am not saying the internet has failed us, but how isn't there a video of an insurance agent assessing all the damage wrought by the car chase at the start of The Rookie? Seems to me that a Claims Agent reacts to action movies video series could be pretty entertaining...
You just discover one Audible Hercule Poirot adaptation starring Peter Dinklage, then another immediately comes along... Today I look at the recent audio adaptation of my favorite Agatha Christie novel - The ABC Murders.
The ABC Murders (Radio)
A little over a month ago I posted about a dramatized audio adaptation of The Mysterious Affair at Styles. I commented on how I'd been baffled that somehow Audible's algorithm failed me. I own all of the BBC Radio Christie adaptations as well as the Audible Murder on the Orient Express. In spite of that, I don't recall the app ever suggesting the Peter Dinklage production to me.
mysteriesahoy.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM
You just discover one Audible Hercule Poirot adaptation starring Peter Dinklage, then another immediately comes along... Today I look at the recent audio adaptation of my favorite Agatha Christie novel - The ABC Murders.
After promising it a few weeks ago, here are my thoughts on Leonie Swann's Three Bags Full. A mystery with a charming flock of ovine sleuths...
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Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann, translated by Anthea Bell
Three Bags Full caught my eye with its unusual tag line. It is, according to its rather attractive cover, 'a sheep detective story'. That was enough to prompt some further investigation. I was further charmed to discover that this is a investigation led by a rather intelligent sheep named Miss Maple.
mysteriesahoy.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:22 PM
After promising it a few weeks ago, here are my thoughts on Leonie Swann's Three Bags Full. A mystery with a charming flock of ovine sleuths...
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Wonder how they came up with THAT number for a reprint from a couple of years ago.
An ambitious number given I can pick up a first edition for a third of that...
An ambitious number given I can pick up a first edition for a third of that...
November 5, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Wonder how they came up with THAT number for a reprint from a couple of years ago.
An ambitious number given I can pick up a first edition for a third of that...
An ambitious number given I can pick up a first edition for a third of that...
After dipping into the 2001 Murder on the Orient Express film in the past, last night I decided to watch it from start to finish.
Suffice it to say, the scenes I had seen before didn't improve with context. Further thoughts to come in a few weeks...
Suffice it to say, the scenes I had seen before didn't improve with context. Further thoughts to come in a few weeks...
November 4, 2025 at 4:57 PM
After dipping into the 2001 Murder on the Orient Express film in the past, last night I decided to watch it from start to finish.
Suffice it to say, the scenes I had seen before didn't improve with context. Further thoughts to come in a few weeks...
Suffice it to say, the scenes I had seen before didn't improve with context. Further thoughts to come in a few weeks...