The world of books and art, 1789 – 1914
4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie (1957) Spoiler alert. In this review I describe the early parts of the novel, but do not reveal whodunit. Sherlock Holmes was born about 1854, and by 1927 had retired to Sussex to take up beekeeping. As one great detective left the stage, another one entered. Jane Marple was... Continue Reading →
The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn by Colin Dexter (1977) No human action happens by pure chance unconnected with other happenings, none is incapable of explanation. Warning - this review contains spoilers INTRODUCTION: Colin Dexter and Inspector Morse had a lot in common, I expect they would have enjoyed sharing a few pints of Old... Continue Reading →
Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886) O God!' I screamed, and 'O God!' again and again; for there before my eyes--pale and shaken, and half fainting, and groping before him with his hands, like a man restored from death - there stood Henry Jekyll! In an ideal world... Continue Reading →
Book review – Talking about Detective Fiction – P.D. James - originally published in hardback by the Bodleian Library, Oxford in 2009. Six months ago I might have casually told you that the only detective fiction I was familiar with was Sherlock Holmes. When I thought about the genre I tended to think of the... Continue Reading →
Book review – Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie [pub. 1934] [Dont worry, I won't be giving away the book's ending in this review] This is a rambling review of the first and only Agatha Christie that I have read, Murder on the Orient Express (1934) [I later reviewed 4.50 from Paddington]. Like a... Continue Reading →
The Long Victorian 