Shedunnit

Food matters in books. It helps to set the scene, build up characters and evoke a period, and it also symbolises comfort, security and domesticity. Yet in detective fiction, food can also be a method for murder. Everything is lovely at the family dinner, until somebody clutches their throat, turns blue in the face, and falls face forward into the soup.Find more information about this episode and links to the books discussed at shedunnitshow.com/diningwithdeath. The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr 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.Kate Young is the author of The Little Library Cookbook. Follow her on Instagram @bakingfiction and find out more about her work at thelittlelibrarycafe.com.Books mentioned in order of appearance (please be aware that there are minor spoilers for some stories in this episode):—At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie—A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie—The Little Library Cookbook by Kate Young—The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie—Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L Sayers—A is for Arsenic by Kathryn Harkup—Police at the Funeral by Margery Allingham—Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie—They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie—The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie—"The Thumb Mark of St Peter" and "The Tuesday Night Club" in The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie—Strong Poison by Dorothy L Sayers—Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie—A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie—Crèmes & châtiments : Recettes délicieuses et criminelles d'Agatha Christie by Anne Martinetti - French Language Only—The Lord Peter Wimsey Cookbook by Elizabeth Bond Ryan and William J Eakins—Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie—The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha ChristieFind a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/diningwithdeathtranscriptNB: 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 independent bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the morning of 9 January 1923, a brutal and horrifying execution took place at Holloway Prison in London. The condemned young woman screamed and cried, but no last minute reprieve arrived. Long after she was dead, her story would inspire authors like James Joyce, E.M. Delafield, Dorothy L. Sayers and Sarah Waters, and you can find traces of it in many detective novels published in the decades since.This is the story of Edith Thompson.Find more information about this episode and links to the books discussed at shedunnitshow.com/ediththompson. The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr 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.Books mentioned in order of appearance:—Bella Donna by Robert Hichens—Criminal Justice: The True Story of Edith Thompson by Rene Weis—Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen—The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards—Messalina of the Suburbs by E.M. Delafield—The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield—As for the Woman by Francis Iles (aka Anthony Berkeley)—The Anatomy of Murder by the Detection Club—The Documents in the Case by Dorothy L. Sayers and Robert Eustace—Crooked House by Agatha Christie—Before the Fact by Francis Iles (aka Anthony Berkeley)—A Pin to See the Peepshow by Fryn Tennyson Jesse—The Paying Guests by Sarah WatersFind a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/ediththompsontranscriptNB: 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 independent bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many people, their main contact with detective fiction is via film and television adaptations. For a huge global audience, Agatha Christie's work is as often watched as it is read. Any new production is greeted with intense scrutiny, so what is it really like to adapt these stories? Screenwriter Sarah Phelps, the woman behind the recent BBC versions of And Then There Were None, Witness for the Prosecution, Ordeal by Innocence and now The ABC Murders, explains.Find more information about this episode and links to the books discussed at shedunnitshow.com/adaptations. The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr 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.Contributors:—Sarah Phelps, who is on Twitter as @PhelpsieSarah.Books and stories mentioned in order of appearance:—The 1928 film "The Passing of Mr Quin" is based on the short story "The Coming of Mr. Quin", which part of the Agatha Christie collection The Mysterious Mr. Quin—And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie—"Witness for the Prosecution" by Agatha Christie—Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie—The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie—The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie—Mrs McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie—Agatha Christie on Screen by Mark AldridgeFind a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/adaptationstranscriptNB: 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 independent bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reading crime fiction from the early twentieth century is a really popular activity at Christmas. It's nice to curl up with a good whodunnit by the fire, but if we stop and think about it, reading about complicated ways for people to die is not exactly the most festive thing to do. So why is it that we love crime at Christmas?Contributors:—Cecily Gayford, senior commissioning editor at Profile—Anna Leszkiewicz, deputy culture editor at the New Statesman. Read her article about cosy murder mysteries here.Books and stories mentioned in order of appearance:—The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers—Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie—Murder in the Snow: a Cotswold Christmas Mystery by Gladys Mitchell—The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay—Portrait of a Murderer: A Christmas Crime Story by Anne Meredith—A Very Murderous Christmas edited by Cecily Gayford—The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and a Selection of Entrées by Agatha Christie—Hangman's Holiday by Dorothy L. Sayers (includes 'The Necklace of Pearls')Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/crimeatchristmastranscriptNB: 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 independent bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Agatha Christie disappeared in 1926, nobody could find her.Books mentioned in order of appearance—The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie—The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie—The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie—An Autobiography by Agatha Christie—The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie—Unnatural Death by Dorothy L Sayers—Agatha Christie: A Biography by Janet Morgan—Agatha by Kathleen Tynan—Agatha Christie and the Missing Eleven Days by Jared Code—Agatha Christie: The Finished Portrait by Andrew Norman—A Talent for Murder by Andrew Wilson—The Big Four by Agatha Christie—The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie—The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie—The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie—Giant's Bread by Mary WestmacottSources:—The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards—The Complete Christie: An Agatha Christie Encyclopaedia by Matthew Bunson—The British Newspaper ArchiveFind a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/theladyvanishestranscript.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 independent bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The detective stories of the 1920s and 30s aren't exactly well known for being at the vanguard of the struggle for gay rights. But there are queer clues everywhere in these books, if you only know where to look for them.Contributors:—JC Bernthal, academic and author of Queering Agatha Christie—Moira Redmond, journalist and blogger at clothesinbooks.blogspot.comBooks referenced in order of appearance—Queering Agatha Christie by JC Bernthal—The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie—A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie—Unnatural Death by Dorothy L Sayers—Murder in the Closet edited by Curtis Evans and with essays by multiple authors, including Moira Redmond—Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey—Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie—Hallowe'en Party by Agatha ChristieFind a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/queercluestranscript.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The detective writers of the 1920s and 1930s weren't working a vacuum. They took a keen interest in the crimes of their time, often weaving elements from actual murder cases into their plots or referencing them directly. And there was one case, a murder both infamous and domestic, that interested the likes of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Anthony Berkeley more than any other.This real life murder mystery has everything: a body hidden in the cellar, adultery, a transatlantic steamship pursuit, cross dressing, and a pleasingly ambiguous ending. It was referenced in novels more than any other by the detective writers of the golden age, and did a great deal to shape the genre as we know it today.This is the story of Dr Crippen.Books referenced in order of appearance:—Walter Dew: The Man Who Caught Crippen by Nicholas Connell—Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie—The Wychford Poisoning Case by Anthony Berkeley—Mrs McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie—Malice Aforethought by Frances Iles (aka Anthony Berkeley)—The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards—"The Lernean Hydra" in The Labours of Hercules by Agatha Christie—The Case with Nine Solutions by J. J. Connington—The House That Berry Built by Dornford Yates—Henbane by Catherine Meadows—Dancing for the Hangman by Martin EdwardsYou can find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/crippentranscript.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are spinsters always solving mysteries?Contributors:—Rosemary Cresswell, senior lecturer in global history at the University of Hull. Follow her on Twitter @RosieCresswell.—Camilla Nelson, associate professor of writing at the University of Notre Dame Australia.—Helen ParkinsonFurther reading:—A field guide to spinsters in English fiction—'Surplus women': a legacy of World War One?—Singled Out: How Two Million Women Survived Without Men After the First World War by Virginia Nicholson.—The Shadow of Marriage by Katherine Holden—Unnatural Death by Dorothy L SayersNB: 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.You can find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/surpluswomentranscript. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For a couple of decades between the first and second world wars, something mysterious happened. A golden age of detective fiction dawned, and people around the world are still devouring books from this time by Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, Margery Allingham, Anthony Berkeley, Gladys Mitchell, Ngaio Marsh, Josephine Tey and more.In this podcast, Caroline Crampton will be unravelling the mysteries behind such classic detective stories, looking at the social, literary and political context in which these writers worked. If you've ever stayed up late reading under the covers to find out whodunnit, then this podcast is for you.Find the show at shedunnitshow.com, on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and in all major podcast apps. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss the first episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.You can find a full transcript of this mini episode at shedunnitshow.com/whodunnittranscript. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices