Marriage, murder awkwardly mix in ‘Busman’s Honeymoon’ (1937)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Sayers wraps her Harriet Vane quadrilogy with a decent mystery and a plodding start to the Vane-Wimsey marriage.
Books
Marriage, murder awkwardly mix in ‘Busman’s Honeymoon’ (1937)
Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood’ (1966) is a book I could read again
Book club book report: Capote uses cold, hard facts to ask timelessly unanswerable questions about human nature and justice.
‘Gaudy Night’ (1935) explores chaos of changing times on campus
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Ambitious yet flawed, the Oxford-set 10th Wimsey novel is an essential read for fans of Sayers’ alter-ego Harriet Vane.
‘Have His Carcase’ (1932) coasts along with multiple intrigues
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Sayers’ interest in the procedure of detection remains, but this second Wimsey-Vane collaboration operates on additional levels.
Good Lord, ‘Five Red Herrings’ (1931) has a lot of logistical details
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): If you want layers beyond the pure mystery puzzle, you might find the sixth Wimsey novel to be a slog.
‘Keeper of Enchanted Rooms’ (2022) and the dreariness of coziness
Book club book report: There’s safety in magical cliches, but not in risky romance; the latter thread is the only reason to read the book.
‘Simple Art of Murder’ (1950) has overly complex street-level mysteries
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Not as accessible as the Marlowe novels, this collection is worth reading for Chandler’s titular essay.
Parker takes the baton from Chandler in refreshing ‘Poodle Springs’ (1988)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): One of the most successful authors inspired by Chandler gets his own crack at Marlowe by finishing “The Poodle Springs Story.”
Chandler salvages screenplay for one more Marlowe novel, ‘Playback’ (1958)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Though it’s the slightest Marlowe novel, it still gives us the goods we’ve come to expect.
Marlowe actually makes friends in ‘The Long Goodbye’ (1953)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): However, that doesn’t turn his life or his job into a breeze in Raymond Chandler’s meatiest novel.