Shows
Classic Mysteries"The Condamine Case," by Moray DaltonIt sounded like the perfect story for a movie - a curse still working after 300 years. A macabre twist to a powerful drama - or simply brutal murder?
2021-04-2705 min2021-04-1905 minClassic Mysteries"Death in the Grand Manor," by Anne Morice.Clever plotting, pointed dialogue and murder - what more could a reader want?
2021-04-1204 minClassic Mysteries"The Lost Gallows," by John Dickson CarrA car driven by a dead man with a cut throat...a lost gallows on a missing London street...John Dickson Carr's second mystery starring Henri Bencolin, "The Lost Gallows," reviewed:
2021-04-0506 minClassic Mysteries"Tuesday the Rabbi Took Off," by Harry KemelmanRabbi Small needed a break in his routine. An international bombing incident wasn't what he had in mind.
2021-03-2804 minClassic Mysteries"The Case of Sir Adam Braid," by Molly ThynneNearly everyone in his family hated Sir Adam Braid. Only the old man's granddaughter loved him - and the old miser was cutting her out of his will. A motive for murder? Or did someone else hate him enough to kill him? "The Case of Sir Adam Braid," A Golden Age classic by Molly Thynne, reviewed.
2021-03-2204 minClassic Mysteries"A Key to Death," by Frances and Richard LockridgeOn the Classic Mysteries podcast this week, Mr. and Mrs. North only want to draw up a new will, but it's their lawyer who gets murdered.
2021-03-1503 minClassic Mysteries"Helen Passes By," by E.R. PunshonNewly appointed to Scotland Yard, Bobby Owen finds himself weighing motives, politics and amazing beauty as he hunts for a murderer who might just be an "untouchable" British aristocrat. E.R. Punshon's "Helen Passes By," reviewed.
2021-03-0804 minClassic Mysteries"The Mystery of the Blue Train," by Agatha ChristieAnother, earlier pre-Orient-Express train ride for Hercule Poirot comes complete with jewel robberies, blackmail, and murder on a luxury train across France.
2021-03-0105 minClassic Mysteries"The Laughing Dog," by Francis VivianOn the Classic Mysteries podcast this week, you might call it a portrait of the artist as a young...dog? Inspector Knollis had to decipher the secret of Francis Vivian's "The Laughing Dog."
2021-02-2204 minClassic Mysteries"Murder in Vienna," by E.C.R. LoracOn the Classic Mysteries blog, Scotland Yard Inspector Macdonald thought he was going on holiday in Vienna. So how did he wind up helping local police investigate some nasty murders? E.C.R. Lorac's "Murder in Vienna," reviewed.
2021-02-1504 minClassic Mysteries"The Orange Axe," by Brian FlynnA grim solution to a grim problem: how to deal with a loathsome blackmailer who may also be a serial killer? For half-a-dozen young Englishmen, the answer appears to be a well-plotted murder, one where it will be impossible to tell who struck the fatal blow. Only things may not always go quite as smoothly as planned.
2021-02-0905 minClassic Mysteries"Death of a Doxy," by Rex StoutIn Archie Goodwin’s world view, the word that best fits Isabel Kerr is a four-letter word: doxy. The dictionary says, it defines "a woman who is regarded as sexually promiscuous." Only trouble was, Isabel Kerr was dead. Murdered. And – with the police focused on a suspect who is both a friend and sometime colleague of both Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe, it was clear that Wolfe was going to have to get involved in the search for the real killer.
2021-02-0206 minClassic Mysteries"Some Die Eloquent," by Catherine AirdThe dead woman was a humble chemistry teacher at a girls' school. So, wonders Detective Inspector C.D. Sloan, why did she have a quarter-million pounds in her bank account? And was she murdered? Catherine Aird's "Some Die Eloquent," from her Calleshire Chronicles reviewed.
2021-01-2405 minClassic Mysteries"Unusual Suspects: Selected Non-Fiction," by Joseph GoodrichOn the Classic Mysteries podcast this week, a review of some non-fiction - a book of essays about mysteries and the people who make them. "Unusual Suspects: Selected Non-Fiction," by Joseph Goodrich, reviewed.
2021-01-1808 minClassic Mysteries"A Maigret Christmas and Other Stories," by Georges SimenonMaigret stars in one of these holiday stories, while other associates of Maigret feature in two more tales of holiday crime and redemption.
2021-01-1106 minClassic Mysteries"Halfway House," by Ellery QueenToo bad about Joe Wilson. The itinerant traveling salesman had a secret. And it’s only fair to point out that it turned out to be a deadly secret indeed – a secret which apparently led to his murder. Ellery Queen needed the truth to keep the wrong person from paying for someone else's crime.
2021-01-0404 minClassic Mysteries"The Spiked Lion," by Brian FlynnThe victim's body turned up under a tree in a park, the body unusually battered and bruised – but that’s not what killed him; he appeared to have had potassium cyanide sprayed into his nose. What kind of animal could do that - and why?
2020-12-0705 minClassic Mysteries"It Walks By Night," by John Dickson CarrIt couldn't have been suicide - the victim was beheaded inside a watched and locked room - but the room was empty, except for the victim. French police director Henri Bencolin stars in the first novel by John Dickson Carr.
2020-11-2906 minClassic Mysteries"The Case of the Leaning Man," by Christopher BushA theatrical and criminal problem for Ludovic Travers to solve.
2020-11-2305 minClassic Mysteries"It Might Lead Anywhere," by E.R. PunshonRight from the start, it was clearly going to be an interesting case – the murder of an inoffensive little man with no apparent enemies, not much in the way of physical clues. And that kind of case can be very frustrating indeed.
2020-11-1605 minClassic Mysteries"Crossed Skis, by Carol CarnacWhat connection could there be between a gruesome fire in a London house and a ski holiday in Lech Am Arlberg in the Austrian Alps? The answer may conceal a ruthless murderer.
2020-11-0805 minClassic Mysteries"The Christmas Egg," by Mary KellyPrincess Olga Karukhin escaped from Russia after the revolution. Was she murdered for her supposed collection of art objects?
2020-11-0204 minClassic Mysteries"Death and the Dutch Uncle," by Patricia MoyesThe death of a two-bit hustler was just the tip of the iceberg – that iceberg being a delicate international dispute over a contested strip of land – a dispute which may have involved no fewer than three murders…with every prospect of more crimes still to come.
2020-10-2605 minClassic Mysteries"The Glimpses of the Moon," by Edmund Crispina mystery with artfully rearranged bodies & missing heads & eccentric characters & assorted mayhem - and funny as well.
2020-10-1906 minClassic Mysteries"The French Powder Mystery," by Ellery Queen.Passersby watching the daily advertising show in French's Department Store window got a lot more than they expected when a dead body fell out of the display's bed.
2020-10-1406 minClassic Mysteries"Tread Softly," by Brian FlynnClaude Merivale admits he strangled his wife - but he says he did so while in a sleep so deep that everything he did, he did in a dream. Will the jury buy it? Or can Anthony Bathurst find evidence of a cunning killer at work?
2020-10-0705 minClassic Mysteries"Lord Edgware Dies," by Agatha ChristieLord Edgeware's wife threatened to kill him. Now His Lordship has been murdered - but his wife has an unbreakable alibi! Hercule Poirot is on the case!
2020-10-0204 minClassic Mysteries"The Adventures of Dagobert Trostler," by Balduin GrollerTrostler was described by Ellery Queen as "the first important Teutonic sleuth." These early stories find Dagobert using logic and reason to solve crimes.
2020-09-2407 minClassic Mysteries"Poets and Murder," by Robert Van GulikSet in ancient China, Judge Dee must solve a couple of murders involving very powerful individuals - and some black-haired foxes.
2020-09-1405 minClassic Mysteries"Cécile is Dead," by Georges SimenonCécile had come to the Parisian police headquarters to tell her secret to Inspector Maigret. But Maigret, in the course of a busy day, lost track of Cécile – until she disappeared. And when Maigret, now worried about her, want to her apartment to see what he could find – well, by then it was too late, for Cécile was dead. Now Maigret must uncover her secret.
2020-09-0705 minClassic Mysteries"The Book of the Crime," by Elizabeth DalyWhat was the deadly secret of the book that forced Rena Austen to flee her home and husband and seek help from biblio expert Henry Gamadge?
2020-08-3104 minClassic Mysteries"Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home," by Harry KemelmanAmid the turmoil of the late 1960s, Rabbi David Small deals with synagogue politics and the civil rights struggle within his Conservative congregation, not to mention solving a couple of murders.
2020-08-2405 minClassic Mysteries"Death Comes to Cambers," by E.R. PunshonBobby Owen was spending the weekend at Cambers, planning to advise Lady Cambers on ways to keep her valuable jewelry safe. But when he woke up the next morning, Lady Cambers had been murdered - and the jewels had vanished. An excellent mystery mixed with some pointed British social satire.
2020-08-1605 minClassic Mysteries"The Three Taps," by Ronald A. KnoxMr. Mottram's life insurance would pay handsomely, whether he was murdered or died by accident. But they wouldn't pay for a suicide. So insurance investigator Miles Bredon was sent to uncover the true story of Mottram's peculiar death.
2020-08-1006 minClassic Mysteries"Case Pending," by Dell Shannon.It was the kind of murder Los Angeles saw all too often. But this time, Homicide Detective Mendoza had a hunch that he had worked on a similar crime before. Would he be able to solve both murders - or would a killer seek another victim?
2020-08-0305 minClassic Mysteries"The Black Mountain," by Rex StoutNero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin travel to Montenegro, in the heart of Europe, to find the person who murdered Wolfe's longest and closest friend.
2020-07-2705 minClassic Mysteries"The Box Office Murders," by Freeman Wills CroftsInspector French hears a young woman's plea for help too late to save her - but when she is murdered, French must find out why a gang seems to be targeting low-level clerks.
2020-07-1905 minClassic Mysteries"The Collected Short Fiction of Ngaio Marsh," edited & introduced by Douglas G. GreeneNgaio Marsh is best known for her novels about Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn. This collection features short fiction - some with Alleyn, some with other characters, and most are likely to be unfamiliar to her fans..
2020-07-1305 minClassic Mysteries"The Triple Bite," by Brian FlynnOn the Classic Mysteries podcast this week, a mysterious cryptogram, sudden death - and a shocking way to commit murder.
2020-07-0605 minClassic Mysteries"Death and Letters," by Elizabeth DalyHenry Gamadge puts together a daring rescue for a woman held a virtual prisoner by her family. What was the secret worth killing for?
2020-06-2904 minClassic Mysteries"Sinister Stones," by Arthur Upfielda murder in the Australian outback - and DI Napoleon Bonaparte - Bony - is on the case. Arthur Upfield's "Sinister Stones" reviewed.
2020-06-2206 minClassic Mysteries"The Body Politic," by Catherine AirdAnother of Catherine Aird's witty 'Calleshire Chronicles" mysteries with Inspector Sloan and company.
2020-06-1505 minClassic Mysteries"Murder Within Murder," by Frances and Richard LockridgeMiss Amanda Gipson was a fine researcher to investigate old murders. But what if an old killing made a new one necessary? Pam and Jerry North investigate a possible murder within a murder.
2020-06-0705 minClassic Mysteries"Judge Dee at Work," by Robert Van GulikEight fascinating short stories about cases investigated and solved by Judge Dee, a magistrate (and later court official) in T'ang Dynasty China during the 7th century.
2020-06-0106 minClassic Mysteries"The Night of the Wolf," by Paul Halter"But that's impossible!" Or maybe not. Not when the story you're reading comes from Paul Halter, a modern French author with a gift for impossible crime stories. Ten short stories by Halter, translated by John Pugmire. Savor the (im)possibilities.
2020-05-2504 minClassic Mysteries"The Sybil in Her Grave," by Sarah CaudwellWhen a small group of neighbors is getting successful stock tips from a self-styled "psychic," sudden death may not be quite as accidental as you think.
2020-05-1806 minClassic Mysteries"The Case of the Counterfeit Colonel," by Christopher BushHenry Clandon wanted to hire Ludovic Travers to find the war hero who saved his life. But there were a few obstacles - including murder.
2020-05-1104 minClassic Mysteries"The Case of the Flowery Corpse," by Christopher BushLudovic Travers was nearly run off the road by a car driven by a man dying of atropine poisoning. But Ludo - and the police - found that the deeper they dug into a case of murder, the more bizarre the clues became.
2020-05-0405 minClassic Mysteries"Death in Fancy Dress," by Anthony GilbertA blackmailer is driving victims to suicide when they cannot meet payment demands in this classic country house mystery from a top author of the Golden Age.
2020-04-2705 minClassic Mysteries"Evil Under the Sun," by Agatha ChristieThe beauty of Arlena Stuart Marshall moved nearly everyone she met either to love her or to hate her. When passion exploded into murder, only Hercule Poirot could explain what had happened.
2020-04-1904 minClassic Mysteries"Inspector French and the Starvel Hollow Tragedy," by Freeman Wills CroftsWhen a fire destroys Starvel House, trapping and killing three people, it seems like a terrible accident. But when Inspector French arrives from Scotland Yard, he finds evidence that points to murder.
2020-04-1304 minClassic Mysteries"Maigret and the Saturday Caller," by Georges SimenonThe man who followed him home was a stranger to Maigret - but his secret could lead to murder.
2020-04-0604 minClassic Mysteries"Puzzle for Players," by Patrick QuentinThe show must go on - but will it be overshadowed by the murders offstage?
2020-03-3005 minClassic Mysteries"Death in Captivity," by Michael GilbertA man is found murdered in a hidden escape tunnel being built under an Italian POW camp during World War II.
2020-03-2306 minClassic Mysteries"Four Strange Women," by E.R. PunshonYoung men were dying for no apparent cause. But each had told friends they were deeply in love with someone. Was that love leading those men to a lonely and unexplained death?
2020-03-1605 minClassic Mysteries"Murder en Route," by Brian FlynnThe victim was all alone on the upper deck of a double decker bus, despite the pouring rain. But when they got to the end of the line, the victim was dead - strangled. Impossible? Maybe not...
2020-03-0905 minClassic Mysteries"Death of a Frightened Editor, by E. & M.A.. RadfordThe editor of a gossip-filled newspaper is murdered - but how did the killer manage to poison him?
2020-03-0206 minClassic Mysteries"Good by Stealth," by Henrietta ClandonMiss Edna Alice only wants to improve her neighbors' morals and behavior. How could those ignorant local authorities believe her anonymous notes to those neighbors, pointing out their moral failings, are "poisoned pen" letters? A true masterpiece of very dark humor.
2020-02-2406 minClassic Mysteries"The Art School Murders," by Moray DaltonAt first, it looked like red paint on the floor of the artists' studio - until the first body was discovered.
2020-02-1704 minClassic Mysteries"The Case of the Housekeeper's Hair," by Christopher BushInvestigator Ludovic Travers was uneasy about that promised murder - but could he keep it from coming true?
2020-02-1305 minClassic Mysteries"Curtains for Three," by Rex StoutThree puzzling cases to be solved by the sedentary Nero Wolfe and his right-hand, wisecracking assistant, Archie Goodwin.
2020-02-0405 minClassic Mysteries"The Measure of Malice," ed. by Martin EdwardsMeet the masters of the scientific skills essential for investigating crime. Fourteen short stories, selected and introduced by Martin Edwards.
2020-01-2707 minClassic Mysteries"The Death of Mr. Lomas," by Francis VivianMr. Lomas told the police that he was being poisoned. The Chief Constable thought it was nonsense - until Mr. Lomas's body was discovered the next morning.
2020-01-1905 minClassic Mysteries"The Phantom of the Opera," by Gaston LerouxWho is the mysterious "Angel of Music" living underneath the Paris Opera House? And why is he obsessively fascinated with Christine Daaè and her beautiful voice? The original novel that led to the play which has become the longest-running musical on Broadway.
2020-01-1207 minClassic Mysteries"Fell Murder," by E.C.R. Lorac"This crime is conditioned by the place. To understand the one you've got to study the other."
2020-01-0605 minClassic Mysteries"Bodies From the Library 2," ed. by Tony MedawarAnother collection of little-known mystery stories by such icons of Golden Age mystery fiction as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Marjorie Allingham and Edmund Crispin
2019-12-3005 minClassic Mysteries"The Monkey and the Tiger," by Robert Van GulikTwo stories, "The Morning of the Monkey" and "The Night of the Tiger," mysteries resolved by Judge Dee involving theft, banditry and murder.
2019-12-2205 minClassic Mysteries"Saturday The Rabbi Went Hungry," by Harry KemelmanOn Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Rabbi David Small finds the hidden key to trapping a killer.
2019-12-1605 minClassic Mysteries"A Six-Letter Word for Death," by Patricia MoyesWritten well after the end of the British Golden Age of Detection, "A Six-Letter Word for Death" manages to combine a puzzle-plot mystery (with a real crossword puzzle to be solved), a classic "country house" mystery and a secret "club" of authors, all tied together with a good murder.
2019-12-0904 minClassic Mysteries"Fer-de-Lance," by Rex StoutIt took Nero Wolfe to demonstrate to police that a mysterious death was actually a case of murder. And that's when life became dangerous for Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.
2019-12-0205 minClassic Mysteries"The Body in the Dumb River," by George BellairsJames Teasdale was living a second life running a carnival game when he was murdered - and his respectable family knew nothing about it until it ended with a knife in the back.
2019-11-2405 minClassic Mysteries"A Surfeit of Suspects," by George BellairsThe explosion that killed 3 men had plenty of possible suspects. What it seemed to lack was any reason for the explosion. Superintendent Littlejohn and Inspector Cromwell would have to chase down an elusive motive for a shadowy killer.
2019-11-1805 minClassic Mysteries"The Allingham Minibus," by Margery AllinghamEighteen stories, including a few starring Allingham's regular detective, Albert Campion. All the stories have the wit and style readers have come to enjoy in Allingham's books.
2019-11-1004 minClassic Mysteries"The Chinese Orange Mystery," by Ellery QueenThe murder was apparently impossible, taking place in a locked and bolted room. And when they broke into that room, everything in the room - including the victim's clothes - had been turned backwards.
2019-11-0505 minClassic Mysteries"Nine Times Nine", by Anthony BoucherThe charismatic cult leader was seen through a window apparently murdering his victim - but when police broke in, only the body of his victim was there.
2019-10-2706 minClassic Mysteries"Death Has Deep Roots," by Michael GilbertAs a Resistance fighter, Victoria Lamartine escaped from the Gestapo during World War II. Could she now escape from a charge of murder?
2019-10-2105 minClassic Mysteries"Murder in the Mill-Race," by E.C.R. LoracWhy were the town's residents so determined not to reveal the secrets about Sister Monica to the strangers investigating the murder?
2019-10-0505 minClassic Mysteries"The Mystery of the Peacock's Eye," by Brian FlynnThe Crown Prince was being blackmailed, a young woman was murdered while at the dentist's - and a mysterious gem known as the Peacock's Eye Different threads leading to an unknown destination.
2019-10-0506 minClassic Mysteries"The Christmas Card Crime," Martin Edwards, ed.Martin Edwards selects eleven classic short mystery stories, most from the Golden Age of English Detective Fiction, to provide some sinister holiday fare.
2019-09-2807 minClassic Mysteries"A Puzzle for Fools," by Patrick QuentinHearing a warning of murder can be unnerving. Hearing it in your own voice could push you into insanity.
2019-09-2204 minClassic Mysteries"The Case of the Fighting Soldier," by Christopher BushDid tension between regular army officers and "fighting" officers lead to murder?
2019-09-1505 minClassic Mysteries"Death in Dark Glasses," by George BellairsIt began with a minor embezzlement - but it ended with disappearances and multiple murders.
2019-09-0805 minClassic Mysteries"N or M?" by Agatha ChristieIn this Agatha Christie thriller, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford must identify two Nazi spies known only as "N" and "M" who are plotting the German invasion of England during World War II.
2019-09-0105 minClassic Mysteries"Rocket to the Morgue," by Anthony BoucherThe victim was stabbed inside a locked and bolted room, and witnesses insisted nobody could have entered - or left - the room. Police Lt. Marshall needs help from an inquisitive nun, Sister Ursula, to uncover the truth.
2019-08-2506 minClassic Mysteries"The Case of the Careless Kitten," by Erle Stanley GardnerBanker Franklin Shore had run away from his wife a decade ago. Now somebody claiming to be Franklin Shore was on the phone, asking a family member to help him meet with lawyer Perry Mason. Unfortunately, murder intervened.
2019-08-1805 minClassic Mysteries"The Two Tickets Puzzle," by J. J. ConningtonOswald Preston was a very unpleasant man. But was that sufficient reason to murder him on the train?
2019-08-1105 minClassic Mysteries"The Dutch Shoe Mystery," by Ellery QueenThe millionaire philanthropist died on her way to the operating room - strangled while waiting for the surgery. Ellery Queen realized that in order to determine the WHO, he'd need to uncover both the WHY and the HOW.
2019-08-0105 minClassic Mysteries"The Case of the Kidnapped Colonel," by Christopher BushThe head of a critical military research team disappears, followed by murder. But there's more to Colonel Brende's abduction, and it could affect Britain's chances for survival in World War II.
2019-07-2805 minClassic Mysteries"Maigret and the Headless Corpse," by Georges SimenonThe body of a headless corpse turns up in a Parisian canal, and Inspector Maigret must find out who was killed - and why.
2019-07-2205 minClassic Mysteries"The Mad Hatter Mystery," by John Dickson CarrSomeone is stealing hats and other headgear - top hats, barrister's wigs and such - and leaving them in strangely appropriate places. Surely leaving one on top of a murder victim's body was not appropriate?
2019-07-1505 minClassic Mysteries"An Author Bites the Dust," by Arthur UpfieldThe great Australian author Mervyn Blake is dead - and nobody knows what killed him. But DI Napoleon Bonaparte will find a most unusual way for a determined murderer to kill.
2019-07-0706 minClassic Mysteries"The Return of Mr. Campion," by Margery AllinghamMore than a dozen short stories, many featuring Margery Allingham's most popular character, Albert Campion, including several of her earliest tales.
2019-06-3003 minClassic Mysteries"Charity Ends at Home," by Colin WatsonThere’s an awful lot going on behind the closed doors of Flaxborough – lots of greed and corruption, and the usual assortment of sexual peccadilloes not to mention possible fraud on the part of various dubious charities - and, of course, murder.
2019-06-2405 minClassic Mysteries"A Knife for Harry Dodd," by George BellairsInspector Littlejohn knew he had to find a solution quickly before a determined murderer could strike again.
2019-06-0804 minClassic Mysteries"Bodies from the Library," ed. by Tony MedawarSixteen short stories, all virtually unknown, by some of the finest and best-known writers of Britain's Golden Age of Detective Fiction.
2019-05-3008 minClassic MysteriesDid the powerful piano music played by their neighbor hold the secret of two murders?Did the powerful piano music played by their neighbor hold the secret of two murders?
2019-05-2605 minClassic Mysteries"Maigret Goes to School," by Georges SimenonMaigret takes time off from work to investigate a murder on his own, to help a schoolteacher who traveled to Paris to enlist Maigret's aid.
2019-05-1905 min
Classic Mysteries"Beware of the Trains," by Edmund CrispinSixteen stories, mostly of murder, a fair amount of seeming impossibilities - and Gervase Fen to show why they're not as impossible as they may seem.
2019-05-1300 minClassic Mysteries"Challenge the Impossible," by Edward D. HochThe fifth and final collection of Edward D. Hoch's marvelous stories featuring Dr. Sam Hawthorne, who delights in solving crimes that seem to be impossible.
2019-05-0600 min