Shedunnit

Dive into the fascinating life of Dorothy Erskine Muir, a pioneering detective novelist who fused real unsolved crimes with fiction. Discover her struggle for independence and resilience as she navigates a challenging upbringing and the aftermath of World War I. The exploration of early 20th-century crime fiction reveals how societal tensions influenced her writing. With intriguing insights on how crime narratives provide resolution, this journey showcases Muir's unique contributions to the genre and the psychological depth within her mysteries.

Caroline dives deep into Brand’s work to find her favourite novel.Back in July of last year, I did an episode titled Christianna Brand's Impossible Crimes. During the research and preparation for that episode, I read quite a few Brand novels. Even though I haven't read every single work she published, I hope you enjoy this ranking of 15 books from Christianna Brand's canon.Click here to take part in the Shedunnit Audience Survey.Christianna Brand novels mentioned, in alphabetical order:— Alas, for Her That Met Me!— The Brides of Aberdar— Cat and Mouse— Court of Foxes— Death in High Heels— Death of Jezebel— Green for Danger— Heads You Lose— The Honey Harlot— London Particular— A Ring of Roses— The Rose in Darkness— The Three Cornered Halo— Tour de Force— Suddenly at His ResidenceSupport the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.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 bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.You can find the podcast in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Darryl Jones joins Caroline to discuss the first collection of Raffles stories.No major plot spoilers until you hear Caroline say we are "entering the spoiler zone", at 10:30. After that, expect full spoilers.A full list of titles in the Penguin series can be found at penguinfirsteditions.com. The next book discussed in this series will be The Four Just Men by Edgar Wallace.Join the Shedunnit Book Club for two extra Shedunnit episodes a month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.Books mentioned in this episode:— Raffles by E.W. Hornung— The Mysterious Affair At Styles by Agatha Christie— No Orchids for Miss Blandish by James Hadley Chase— The Final Problem by Arthur Conan Doyle— The Hound of Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle— The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde— The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle— The Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson— The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde— The Black Mask by E.W. Hornung— Fiction and the Reading Public by Q.D. Leavis— King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider HaggardPast Shedunnit Green Penguin episodes:— The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Green Penguin Book Club 1)— The Murder on the Links (Green Penguin Book Club 2)— The Thin Man (Green Penguin Book Club 3)— Mr Fortune, Please (Green Penguin Book Club 4)— The Poisoned Chocolates Case (Green Penguin Book Club 5)— The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Green Penguin Book Club 6)— The Missing Moneylender (Green Penguin Book Club 7)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 bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/rafflestranscriptMusic by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do these two historic university cities appear in so many murder mysteries?Books mentioned in this episode:— The Masters by C.P. Snow— Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis— Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh— Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm— Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers— The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin— The Cambridge Murders by Dilwyn Rees— Death at the President’s Lodging by Michael Innes— An Oxford Tragedy by J.C. Masterman (£825.00)— Death on the Cherwell by Mavis Doriel Hay— Murder at Cambridge by Q Patrick— Police at the Funeral by Margery Allingham— The Incredible Crime by Lois Austen-Leigh— Last Bus to Woodstock by Colin Dexter— Trick of the Dark by Val McDermid— Case Histories by Kate Atkinson— Cambridge Blue by Alison Bruce— Fall of Angels by Barbara Cleverly— Invitation to Die by Barbara Cleverly— James Runcie's Granchester stories— Rory Clement's Tom Wilde seriesSupport the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.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 bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A consideration of crime fiction’s more compact incarnation.Please be aware that there are spoilers in this episode for the two stories discussed here in detail: "Traitor's Hands" by Agatha Christie and "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell.Books mentioned in this episode:—  Memories and Adventures by Arthur Conan Doyle— The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle— A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle— "A Scandal in Bohemia" by Arthur Conan Doyle, collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes— How to Write a Mystery: a Handbook from Mystery Writers of America,  edited by Lee Child with Laurie R. King— The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie— “The Tuesday Night Club" by Agatha Christie, collected in The Thirteen Problems— Mr. Fortune, Please by H. C. Bailey— "Traitor's Hands" by Agatha Christie, collected in The Hound of Death— "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell, collected in In the Shadow of Agatha Christie— Marple: Twelve New MysteriesSupport the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.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 bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She is beloved worldwide for her crime writing. But what did she like to read?Resources and articles mentioned in this episode:— Jamie Bernthal on Arthur Conan Doyle— Moira Redmond on Elizabeth Daly— Martin Edwards on My Brother's Killer— Gray Robert Brown on Muriel SparkBooks mentioned in this episode:— Agatha Christie An Autobiography by Agatha Christie— The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle— The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie— The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle— The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie— Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers— Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers— The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers— Mr Fortune, Please by H.C. Bailey— Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie— Unexpected Night by Elizabeth Daly— The Missing Moneylender by W. Stanley Sykes— The Clocks by Elizabeth Daly— The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux— My Brother's Killer by D.M. Devine— The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carré— The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie— Endless Night by Agatha Christie— Stamboul Train by Graham Greene— The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark— The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark— A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie— The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie— The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen— Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen— The House in Paris by Elizabeth BowenSupport the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.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 bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/agathachristiestasteincrimefictiontranscript.Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Moira Redmond joins Caroline to consider a surprising medical mystery from 1931.No major plot spoilers until you hear Caroline say we are "entering the spoiler zone", at 19:39. After that, expect full spoilers.A full list of titles in the Penguin series can be found at penguinfirsteditions.com. The next book discussed in this series will be Raffles by E.W. Hornung.Join the Shedunnit Book Club for two extra Shedunnit episodes a month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.Reviews for The Missing Moneylender:— Martin Edwards— Beneath the Stains of Time— Vintage Pop FictionsBooks mentioned in this episode:— The Missing Moneylender by W. Stanley Sykes— Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie— The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie— The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers— The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley— The Ray of Doom by W. Stanley Sykes— The Harness of Death by W. Stanley Sykes— Essays on the First Hundred Years of Anaesthesia by W. Stanley Sykes— "The Incredible Elopement of Lord Peter Wimsey" by Dorothy L. Sayers— A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie— "Before Insulin" by J.J. Connington— The Documents in the Case by Dorothy L. Sayers and Robert Eustace— The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas— Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers— Mr Fortune, Please by H.C. Bailey— Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie— Raffles by E.W. HornungPast Shedunnit Green Penguin episodes:— The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Green Penguin Book Club 1)— The Murder on the Links (Green Penguin Book Club 2)— The Thin Man (Green Penguin Book Club 3)— Mr Fortune, Please (Green Penguin Book Club 4)— The Poisoned Chocolates Case (Green Penguin Book Club 5)— The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Green Penguin Book Club 6)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 bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/themissingmoneylendertranscriptMusic by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caroline goes deep on Dorothy L. Sayers’ 1935 masterpiece.At 18:58, there is a brief mention of attempted suicide.Books mentioned in this episode:— Gaudy Night by Dorothy L Sayers— Whose Body? by Dorothy L Sayers— Strong Poison by Dorothy L Sayers— Have His Carcase by Dorothy L Sayers— Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L Sayers— Lord Peter Wimsey Investigates series by Jill Paton WalshRelated Shedunnit episodes:— The Advertising Adventures of Dorothy L. Sayers— Dorothy L Sayers Solves Her Mystery— The Challenge Of Dorothy L. SayersSupport the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.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 bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/ongaudynighttranscript.Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reading the mysteries of the past 100 years.Books mentioned in this episode:— 1925: The Paddington Mystery by John Rhode— 1935: Gaudy Night by Dorothy L Sayers— 1945: Coroner's Pidgin by Margery Allingham (also published as: Pearls Before Swine)— 1955: Tour de Force by Christianna Brand— 1965: At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie— 1975: Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters— 1985: B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton— 1995: The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid— 2005: Still Life by Louise Penny— 2015: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins— 4.50 from Paddington by Agatha ChristieRelated Shedunnit episodes:— Whodunnit Centenary: 1924— The Shedunnit Centenary— A Century of Whodunnits— A Second Century of WhodunnitsSupport the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.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 bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/whodunnitcentenary1925transcript.Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s always more to say about detective fiction.Books mentioned in this episode:— The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie— The Secret Place by Tana French— The Crozier Pharaohs by Gladys Mitchell— Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie— The Examiner by Janice Hallett— The Appeal by Janice Hallett— The Documents in the Case by Dorothy L Sayers and Robert Eustace— Three-A-Penny by Lucy Beatrice Malleson— Portrait of a Murderer by Portrait of a Murderer— Death in Fancy Dress by Anthony Gilbert— The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L Sayers— The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie— The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie— The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett— Murder's A Swine by Nap Lombard— The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin— The Organ Speaks by E.C.R. Lorac— Death in Dwelly Lane by Frank Vigor Morley— Agatha Christie: Mistress of Mystery by Gordon C. Ramsey— "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" by Arthur Conan Doyle— His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle— A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle— Hard Liver by Anthony Weymouth— “Death Sits in the Dentist’s Chair” by Cornell Woolrich, collected in Darkness at Dawn: Early Suspense Classics— Mr Fortune, Please by H.C. Bailey— Black Land, White Land by H.C. BaileyShedunnit episodes mentioned in this episode:— Whodunnit Centenary: 1924— A Reading Life— Lucy, Anthony, and Anne— The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Green Penguin Book Club 1)— The Murder on the Links (Green Penguin Book Club 2)— The Thin Man (Green Penguin Book Club 3)— Instrument of Death— Edmund Crispin's Inside Jokes— Death at the Speakeasy— In The Dentist's Chair— Mr Fortune, Please (Green Penguin Book Club 4)— Mysterious KnittingSupport the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.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 bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/notesandqueriestranscript.Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices