Snow is a very powerful tool for a detective novelist. It can create a sinister atmosphere, keep suspects and murderer stormbound, and preserve the footprints of anyone who dares to escape. What could be more seasonal or festive than that? This episode of Shedunnit first aired on 11th December 2019. Caroline is currently recovering from Covid; the next new episode will be in January 2023. Mentioned in this episode: — Murder on the Orient Express (1934) by Agatha Christie — Hercule Poirot’s Chris...
Dec 14, 2022•22 min
Invert everything you know about murder mysteries. Mentioned in this episode: — "The Case of Oscar Brodski” by R. Austin Freeman — The Mystery of 31, New Inn by R. Austin Freeman — The Red Thumb Mark by R. Austin Freeman — John Thorndyke's Cases by R. Austin Freeman — "A Wastrel's Romance” by R. Austin Freeman — “The Art of the Detective Story” by R. Austin Freeman — The Adventures of Romney Pringle by Clifford Ashdown (aka R. Austin Freeman and John Pitcairn) — Inspecting Psychology by David Co...
Nov 30, 2022•25 min
Why do murder mysteries contain so many vicars? Mentioned in this episode: — Measuring religious affiliation in Great Britain by Clive D. Field — The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers — Death in Holy Orders by P.D. James — The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie — Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers — Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death by James Runcie — “The Blue Cross” by G.K. Chesterton from The Innocence of Father Brown — Literary Distractions by Ronald Knox — The Cadfael Chronicl...
Nov 16, 2022•25 min
In which Caroline is the guest, not the host. Caroline Crampton is the host of Shedunnit. You can find out what she does when she’s not hosting this podcast at carolinecrampton.com or on Instagram @cacrampton . Guy Cuthbertson is her husband. His website is guycuthbertson.com and he tweets @guywjc . Mentioned in this episode: — The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis — Howards’ Way (TV series) — The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman — Miranda Sawyer’s review of the podcast in th...
Nov 02, 2022•42 min
There’s a dark story connecting this 18th century abduction with a 20th century crime novel. Thanks to my guest, Tana French. The new Penguin edition of The Franchise Affair , which includes her introduction, is available now. And Tana's own latest novel is The Searcher , now available in paperback. This episode contains minor spoilers for The Franchise Affair . Mentioned in this episode: — The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey — Tom Jones by Henry Fielding — Amelia by Henry Fielding — The Canni...
Oct 19, 2022•32 min
What if everything we thought about murder mysteries was wrong? Thanks to my guest, Benedict Morrison. Among his many publications, you can read him on Agatha Christie's theatrical work in the Bloomsbury Handbook to Agatha Christie . Mentioned in this episode: — The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie — A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie — The “Queer Clues” episode of Shedunnit — Towards Zero by Agatha Christie — The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie — Suddenly At His Residence aka The Crooked Wreat...
Oct 05, 2022•28 min
Could you beat the detective to the solution? This live episode of Shedunnit was recorded at the 2022 International Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay. Mentioned in this episode: — The Wintringham Mystery by Anthony Berkeley — The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie — The Mystery of Norman's Court by John Chancellor — The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie — The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie — Bleak House by Charles Dickens — The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie — The Four Jus...
Sep 21, 2022•35 min
How well do we really know the queen of crime? Thanks to my guest, Lucy Worsley. Her book Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman is out now. Books and sources mentioned: — An Autobiography by Agatha Christie — Agatha Christie: A Biography by Janet P. Morgan — Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life by Laura Thompson — Agatha Christie: The Woman And Her Mysteries by Gillian Gill — Forever England: Literature, Femininity and Conservatism between the Wars by Alison Light — “In The Shadow Of Hercule — The...
Sep 07, 2022•42 min
Should detective fiction be easy reading? Thanks to my guest, Eric Sandberg. He is an assistant professor at City University of Hong Kong and the editor of Dorothy L. Sayers: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction . Get tickets to see Shedunnit live on 11th September 2022 in Torquay at shedunnitshow.com/events . Mentioned in this episode: — Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers — The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins — The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins — Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers — “The Case of...
Aug 24, 2022•27 min
In 1922, Agatha Christie took a trip around the world. Find out more about this episode at shedunnitshow.com/agathatheadventuress . To support the podcast, be part of a superb bookish community, and get two bonus episodes a month, become a member of the Shedunnit Book Club now at shedunnitbookclub. Referenced for this episode: — Agatha Christie: The Grand Tour introduced by Mathew Prichard — The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie — The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie — An Autobiography ...
Aug 10, 2022•26 min
Clerks, shop assistants, secretaries, salespeople — we have lots to learn from the lower middle class characters of classic detective fiction. Thanks to my guest, Dr Nicola Bishop. Her book, Lower-Middle-Class Nation: The White-Collar Worker in British Popular Culture is published by Bloomsbury Academic. Find out more about this episode at shedunnitshow.com/thenobodies . To support the podcast, be part of a superb bookish community, and get two bonus episodes a month, become a member of the Shed...
Jul 27, 2022•19 min
A judge looks back over her time on the bench at a very famous court. Thanks to my guest, Wendy Joseph. Her book about her time as an Old Bailey judge, Unlawful Killings , is out now. Find out more about this episode at shedunnitshow.com/attheoldbailey To support the podcast, be part of a superb bookish community, and get two bonus episodes a month, become a member of the Shedunnit Book Club now at shedunnitbookclub.com/join . Mentioned in this episode: — The Witness for the Prosecution by Agath...
Jul 13, 2022•32 min
What if thinking and talking about real life murders was not actually good for us? Thanks to my guest, Emma Berquist. Find all the details about her books and articles at emmaberquist.com . Find out more about this episode at shedunnitshow.com/thedarksideoftruecrime To support the podcast, be part of a superb bookish community, and get two bonus episodes a month, become a member of the Shedunnit Book Club now at shedunnitbookclub.com/join . Mentioned in this episode: — The Brides in the Bath epi...
Jun 29, 2022•30 min
Expanding the horizons of golden age detective fiction. Many thanks to my guest, Christopher Huang. You can find out more about his work at ricordius.com . His first mystery novel is A Gentleman's Murder . Read his article "How Do You Decolonise The Golden Age Mystery? Read More Historical Fiction!" at crimereads.com . Find out more about this episode at shedunnitshow.com/lookingeast . To support the podcast, be part of a superb bookish community, and get two bonus episodes a month, become a mem...
Jun 15, 2022•22 min
F. Tennyson Jesse created a way of telling crime stories that still influences us today. Find out more about this episode at shedunnitshow.com/thequeenoftruecrime . To support the podcast, be part of a superb bookish community, and get two bonus episodes a month, become a member of the Shedunnit Book Club now at shedunnitbookclub.com/join . Books mentioned and sources consulted: Books mentioned: — Murder and Its Motives by F. Tennyson Jesse — "The Mask" by F. Tennyson Jesse — The Sword of Debora...
Jun 01, 2022•28 min
The grandfather of detective fiction still has a lot to teach us. Many thanks to my guest, Jim Noy. You can find out more about his work at his blog, theinvisibleevent.com . His book The Red Death Murders is available only from Amazon worldwide ( link for UK ; link for US ). To support the podcast, be part of a superb bookish community, and get two bonus episodes a month, become a member of the Shedunnit Book Club now at shedunnitbookclub.com/join . Books mentioned: — The Murders in the Rue Morg...
May 18, 2022•36 min
A box of chocolates can conceal a poisonous secret. Find out more at shedunnitshow.com/deathbychocolate . To support the podcast, be part of a superb bookish community, and get two bonus episodes a month, become a member of the Shedunnit Book Club now at shedunnitbookclub.com/join . Books mentioned: — The Case of the Chocolate Cream Killer by Kaye Jones — The Invention of Murder by Judith Flanders — The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley — "The Chocolate Box" in Poirot Investigates by ...
May 04, 2022•28 min
Please join me for a long-awaited guided tour of the role that dogs play in detective fiction. Books mentioned: — My Lady's Money by Wilkie Collins — The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle — A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle — The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon — The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle — The Mystery of the Black Dog by Ellery Queen — "The Oracle of the Dog" by G.K. Chesterton — Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie — Postern of Fate...
Apr 20, 2022•30 min
Let's spend some time with G.K. Chesterton, the first president of the Detection Club. Sources: — "The Hammer of God" by G.K. Chesterton from The Innocence of Father Brown — "Errors About Detective Stories" by G.K. Chesterton in the Illustrated London News NB: Links to Blackwell's are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you). Blackwell's is a UK independent bookselling chain that ships internationall...
Apr 06, 2022•47 min
Agatha Christie knew more than most about digging up corpses. There are no major spoilers in this episode, but be aware that there are mentions of plot points from the books listed below. Books and sources: — The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie — Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie — An Autobiography by Agatha Christie — Mallowan’s Memoirs by Max Mallowan — Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie — The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie — Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie — A...
Mar 23, 2022•30 min
A good detective story has a recognisable rhythm and plot points. But how did these tropes come about? And what happens when you break the rules? This episode of Shedunnit was first released in February 2019 and is repeated here in a rerecorded and remastered version. Find more information about this episode and links to the books discussed at shedunnitshow.com/therules . The podcast is on Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make s...
Mar 09, 2022•22 min
Reading my way through the last hundred years, from the 1920s to the 2020s, one mystery at a time. My previous attempt at this reading project can be found in the episode A Century of Whodunnits . Books mentioned: — Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L Sayers — Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles — Laurels are Poison by Gladys Mitchell — The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey — The Belting Inheritance by Julian Symons — Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh — A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine — Faceless Kil...
Feb 23, 2022•30 min
India has a long and deep tradition of storytelling and mythology. What happens when this heritage is combined with the tropes of golden age detective fiction? Thanks to my guest R.V. Raman. His first whodunnit is A Will To Kill and you can find more information about upcoming books in his Harith Athreya series at rvraman.com . To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter . Find a full transcript of this episode at...
Feb 09, 2022•25 min
The golden age of detective fiction was obsessed with identity. The reason why? An extremely melodramatic Victorian legal case involving shipwreck, Shetland ponies and a tangled aristocratic inheritance. Please be aware that there may be spoilers for the following books in this episode. Books referenced: — The Claimant by Michael Gilbert — Death in Captivity by Michael Gilbert — Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert — The Murder at Road Hill House episode with Robin Stevens — The Suspicions of M...
Jan 26, 2022•34 min
Do you know your ack emma from your pip emma? Would you wear the cat's pyjamas? Are you, in fact, a goop? Helen Zaltzman joins me to delve into some baffling language from golden age detective fiction. Thanks to my guest for this episode, Helen Zaltzman. She is the host of The Allusionist , a marvellous podcast about language, which I strongly recommend that you support on Patreon now . A bonus episode with 20 minutes of extra material will be published later this month just for Shedunnit Book C...
Jan 12, 2022•40 min
How much did Agatha Christie really know about dead bodies? Thanks to my guest for this episode, Carla Valentine. She is a trained mortuary technician and the technical curator at Barts Pathology Museum in London. She's also the author of Murder Isn't Easy: The Forensics of Agatha Christie . There are no major plot spoilers in this episode, although there is some discussion of the death in Hercule Poirot's Christmas . Books referenced: — The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie — The Tuesday N...
Dec 08, 2021•35 min
Why did she stop writing detective fiction as WW2 approached? This is the sixth and final episode of Queens of Crime at War , a six part series looking at what the best writers from the golden age of detective fiction did once that period came to an end with the start of the Second World War. There are very minor spoilers in this episode for the eventual outcome of the Harriet Vane-Peter Wimsey plot line. Books referenced: — Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L Sayers — The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L ...
Nov 24, 2021•29 min
Caught between two very different worlds, WW2 forced this queen of crime to become better acquainted with her homeland. This is the fifth episode of Queens of Crime at War , a six part series looking at what the best writers from the golden age of detective fiction did once that period came to an end with the start of the Second World War. Thanks to my guest, Gail Pittaway. You can find out more about her work here . There are no spoilers in this episode. Books referenced: — Ngaio Marsh: Her Lif...
Nov 17, 2021•31 min
Something happened to the Scottish writer during WW2 that made her want to write mysteries again. This is the fourth episode of Queens of Crime at War , a six part series looking at what the best writers from the golden age of detective fiction did once that period came to an end with the start of the Second World War. Visit shedunnitshow.com/josephineteysgoldenage for more details. Thanks to my guest, Jennifer Morag Henderson. You can find out more about her work at jennifermoraghenderson.com a...
Nov 10, 2021•28 min
For Albert Campion's creator, the war was her salvation. This is the third episode of Queens of Crime at War , a six part series looking at what the best writers from the golden age of detective fiction did once that period came to an end with the start of the Second World War. There are no spoilers in this episode. Books referenced: — Dancers in Mourning by Margery Allingham — Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers — The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham — Traitor's Purse by Margery Alli...
Nov 03, 2021•27 min
