Susanna Calkins, Author at Criminal Element

The Real Canary Murder Case of 1929

By Susanna Calkins

May 2, 2019

In 1929, there were two “Canary Murder” Cases. The first was a film starring Louise Brooks, William Powell, and Jean Arthur, released in February, which told the story of a showgirl (“The Canary”) who was strangled after a failed attempt at blackmail. The second “Canary Murder” occurred in Chicago towards the end of the year,…

The Edgar Awards Revisited: Death and the Joyful Woman by Ellis Peters (Best Novel; 1963)

By Susanna Calkins

March 8, 2019

In 1963, Ellis Peters’ Death and the Joyful Woman was awarded the Edgar for Best Novel, edging out Dell Shannon’s Knave of Hearts, Mark McShane’s Séance, Shelley Smith’s The Ballad of the Running Man, Jean Potts’ The Evil Wish, and Ross Macdonald’s The Zebra-Striped Hearse. I’d never read any novels by Ellis Peters, one of…