Twists come at a fast draw in ‘A Purple Place for Dying’ (1964)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Travis McGee finds things aren’t so civilized out West in the third adventure of John D. MacDonald’s series.
Mystery
Twists come at a fast draw in ‘A Purple Place for Dying’ (1964)
‘A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery’ (1987) elegantly adapts Vane-Wimsey trilogy
Sleuthing Sunday (TV review): The three adaptations chronicling their courtship stay faithful to the author’s plots and commentaries on 1930s Britain.
Feig’s ‘Housemaid’ (2025) should’ve cleaned up its script
Movie review: The director’s latest slick thriller boasts fun twists, but the plot and characterizations ultimately flee from plausibility.
McGee’s ‘Nightmare in Pink’ (1964) only partly comes from juggling women
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): The second McGee novel especially reveals the secret that these are men’s romance novels.
‘Someone’s Watching Me!’ is even more 1978 than ‘Halloween’
Frightening Friday (Movie review): Carpenter efficiently packages Seventies paranoia as a prime-time vehicle for Lauren Hutton.
‘Deep Blue Good-by’ (1964) a confident, rollicking hello to Travis McGee
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Already well-established with standalones, John D. MacDonald confidently segues to a series character.
Action gets heated in Grafton’s ‘H is for Homicide’ (1991)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Kinsey finds herself undercover in gangland L.A. as the author wildly breaks from formula.
‘You’re Next’ (2011) puts Wingard, cheeky slashers on the map
Frightening Friday (Movie review): The director who would eventually take over the “Godzilla” films drops an impressive calling card of home-invasion horror.
‘G is for Gumshoe’ (1990) … and for good, but not great
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Strong concepts are underdeveloped as Kinsey enters her second year of filing reports as a P.I.
John’s top 10 TV shows of 2025
TV list: The way we consume TV is changing, but luckily quality isn’t dropping.