A drink order says a lot about a person—that’s maybe why there are approximately a zillion online quizzes promising to reveal the secret of our personalities based on our drink of choice. And in mystery novels, a character’s favorite drink is equally as telling. A fun way to get into a protagonist’s head is to…
Crime and mystery fiction’s diversity attracts a broad readership. For instance, I prefer the soft stuff and am attracted to the puzzle rather than grizzly details, while many of my friends enjoy peeled skin and body parts. Knowing that, it seems immensely impertinent for me to try to compile a “best of” list on my…
As the presidential election campaigns end and the polls begin to close, we'd like to take a break from the real world and lose ourselves in our favorite place—a good book! From Agatha Christie's Miss Marple to Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, there are several fictional characters we'd love to see duke it out on…
You’ve read all the books in your favorite mystery series. The description of the characters and the settings by the author are so good that you can see them in your mind. You’d love to see these books made in a visual medium. Let’s get it going, and, please, let’s get it right! Faithful fans…
When the Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher (Essie Davis, owner of one of the best faces known to man) sashays into Melbourne, the city truly doesn't know what's hit it. With her Louise Brooks-style bob and a pearl-handled pistol in her purse, the fashionable heiress doesn't hesitate to speak her mind and flaunt her stuff. She's…
It’s me again, kittens. Your friendly neighborhood Bibliotherapist, and believe me when I tell you that I know what’s ailing you. Yes, you. And you, too. Gather round, chumps and listen up. As I write this now, we are out of salt, out of sand, and out of patience. I love the winter. Really, I…
The period immediately following World War I was a time of particular social turmoil, involving issues such as labor, class, and colonialism. People were changed as individuals, too. Former soldiers had to deal with their return from battle to families who might not understand them any longer. Those who’d stayed on the home front had…
If you’re looking for something different to read and enjoy historicals, Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne (rhymes with briny) Fisher mysteries might suit. This series, which began with Cocaine Blues (1989), is set in Melbourne, Australia, in the 1920s. (A television series titled Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and starring Essie Davis begins filming next month to air…
