Mystery 
Death at the Chateau Bremont
Dotted by medieval towns dating back to Roman times, filled with rolling hills of lavender and herbs, alive with the sun-drenched colors of ochre, azure, and sienna, Provence has long inspired creative minds. This is Cézanne’s country, and his birthplace, Aix-en-Provence, is the setting of M. L. Longworth’s debut novel, Death at the Château Bremont. The Mistral… Read More ›
The Ogham Society
It finally has a name. Creating the world in which your characters reside is an ongoing challenge. What places and organizations are a part of their world? Are they real or imagined? Ever since reading Anne Rice’s The Witching Hour (see post here), I’ve wanted to create a psychical research society for my own series. … Read More ›
Purr-fect Murders
Read along with The Poisoned Martini … Mysteries and cats are a purr-fect pairing. In these tales, cats are watching. Are they witnesses to murder, sleuths on the case, or clues to the crime? Find out in these feline felonies. As before with previous discussion series, “A Taste of Murder” in 2011, “Unusual Sleuths” and “Unearthing Murder”… Read More ›
Maigret and the Reluctant Witnesses
If you are reading along with The Poisoned Martini, then perhaps this month you read a Georges Simenon mystery featuring the laconic Maigret, the French commissaire known for his cigars and love of a good stiff drink. As a book discussion choice, it may be hard to come by enough copies of the same Maigret… Read More ›
An Interview with the Co-Author of The Agatha Christie Companion 3
PART THREE The Poisoned Martini ‘s first author interview continues. Be sure to read Part One and Part Two. Then read on for the third and final part of my interview with Len Lovallo, co-author of The Agatha Christie Companion. *** The PM: With the recent release of such books as Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks and Agatha… Read More ›
An Interview with the Co-Author of the Agatha Christie Companion 2
PART TWO The Poisoned Martini ‘s first author interview continues. Click here to read Part One. Then read on for the second part of my interview with Len Lovallo, co-author of The Agatha Christie Companion. *** The PM: What did you find to be the most fascinating, perhaps unexpected, detail(s) that you learned during the… Read More ›
An Interview with the Co-author of The Agatha Christie Companion
PART ONE For the first time, I’ve had the opportunity to interview an author and share the experience with readers here on The Poisoned Martini. In this first interview, The Poisoned Martini is fortunate to have the privilege of speaking with Len Lovallo, co-author of The Agatha Christie Companion: The Complete Guide to Agatha Christie’s Life And Works…. Read More ›
Towards Zero
Perhaps one of the best modern adaptations of an Agatha Christie story is the 2007 French film, L’Heure Zero (Zero Hour), adapted from the novel, Towards Zero. Here, Superintendent Battle become Det. Bataille and he is present in the prologue when a group of lawyers listen to M. Trévoz, a former solictor, explain his theory of… Read More ›
Lady in the Lake
This 1947 film noir is unique in its presentation. “Right now you’re reading in your newspapers and hearing over your radios…about a murder. They call it the Case of the Lady in the Lake. It’s a good title. It fits. What you’ve read and what you’ve heard is one thing. The real thing is something else. There’s… Read More ›
The Thin Man
It’s 1934, and Prohibition is over! The martinis and highballs flow freely in this classic silver screen hit that spawned five sequels! “The champagne elite of sleuthing”, Nick and Nora Charles banter their way through solving their first mystery in The Thin Man. Clyde Wynant, an inventor, receives a visit from his daughter, Dorothy, who is soon… Read More ›
The Poisoned Martini 