Month: September 2011
Friday Cocktail
Pucker up for this week’s Friday Cocktail, the Lemon Drop. It’s difficult to unearth the history of this sweet drink, but it appears to date back as far as the 1970s, likely invented on the West Coast of the U.S. where it was quite popular. What you’ll need: Vodka, Lemon Juice, and Sugar. Optionally, Triple… Read More ›
The Gracie Allen Murder Case II
Philo Vance is a noted detective in mystery fiction. However, modern readers might find his affected speech irritating. His tendency to use complex words, references to classical mythology, and dropping the ‘g’ off of words ending in ‘ing’ are a tad annoying, perhaps. As I mentioned previously, having a dictionary handy is a good idea…. Read More ›
The Gracie Allen Murder Case
This is a most unusual mystery novel. In reading about the mystery genre and the craft of writing detective stories, I’ve come across mentions of S. S. Van Dine and his detective Philo Vance. Van Dine, the pseudonym of critic and journalist Willard Huntington Wright (1888 – 1939), was an acquaintance of Burns and Allen,… Read More ›
Friday Cocktail
With a chill in the air announcing Autumn’s arrival, here’s a drink I tend to enjoy this time of year, the Pomegranate Martini. The Pomegranate Martini is essentially a Cosmopolitan with pomegranate instead of cranberry juice. It became very trendy in the late nineties and into the first decade of the new millennium. And it… Read More ›
Scones & Bones
Piratical legend features in this twelfth entry in the Tea Shop Mystery series by Laura Childs. The Tea Shop Mysteries are like revisiting an old friend. Invariably the story begins with Theodosia Browning and company at a notable event in Charleston, South Carolina, and by the end of the first chapter, someone had been killed. It’s… Read More ›
Navigating Reviews
I don’t usually pay attention to reviews until after I’ve read a book. I like to form my own opinion first and then see how it compares to others’ thoughts. Sometimes though–especially when selecting books for a discussion group or in looking for a new author–I do look at reviews. Recently, I read a news… Read More ›
Aunt Dimity’s Death
What constitutes a mystery? In this delightful tale, Lori Shepherd learns that her Aunt Dimity has died. “I was stunned. Not because she was dead, but because I had never known she’d been alive,” says Lori. Her mother used to tell her stories, featuring the indomitable Aunt Dimity. Recently, Lori’s life has been a downward spiral. She… Read More ›
Friday Cocktail
It may have been noticed that I’ve yet to feature a Friday cocktail with rum as its main ingredient. The reason is simple. I’m not a fan. Yes, the drinks are often colorful and very tasty with frequently tropical flavors. The rum quite well disguised that one could drink several before it creeps up on… Read More ›
The Poisoned Martini 