With so many mysteries being published each year, it’s easy to get swept up with the current crop and forget the old masters.
So often I have thought about the works of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Dorothy Sayers, and, my personal favorite, Ross Macdonald and realized that I just don’t have the time to revisit their works.
Truthfully, I barely have the time to read new works.
So Art Taylor’s ultra-cool story titled Miss Jane Marple: Spinster Sleuth Extraordinaire was especially interesting to me. (The story’s in the Winter Issue, 2009; No. 108.)
While I left Agatha Christie off that list above, I hadn’t forgotten about her.
I cut my mystery teeth on Christie’s work and her novels always have a special place in my heart.
But with all the attention on new authors, I tend to forget:
* What a wry old bird Miss Jane Marple was. True, a bit creepy, always watching her neighbors, living vicariously in a sense. But she was the epitome of a sleuth – eagle-eyed, thoughtful, insightful and not swayed by personalities.
* What a complex personality Miss Marple was. She didn’t trust people, but at the same time she was never unkind to anyone.
* What a great plotter Christie was. Those stories were dense with clues and plot points and characterizations. Some readers might find the writing in those stories a bit dated but they are not.
* Contemporary issues abound in Christie’s work. Sure, these stories were written in another century, but issues of classism, fidelity, family secrets never go out of style.
* And talk about relevance….Christie’s books also have been released as graphic novels. Do you think that would happen if these stories were too old-fashioned?
* Senior sleuths are a group that is often overlooked. Christie may have been the first to give a voice to the often invisible senior citizen. With so many 30 to 40something sleuths dominating the genre, it is a refreshing change to have a 70something show her intelligences.
My knowledge of Christie and Miss Marple are scant next to Kate, who is a true Christie expert, and to Art, whose article makes some interesting observations.
But when I was 9 or 10, I discovered Christie’s novels and they lead me to so many more wonderful authors. For that, I am always grateful to Christie and her troupe of characters.
The annual avalanche of fall books has arrived at our office and there are some real gems this year. Just out and already receiving great reviews is Walter Mosley’s latest, Blonde Ambition. No surprise there but as you read our interview, you may be taken aback by the number and dazzling variety of new projects Mosley has in the works. We won’t even comment on the rumor that this might be the last Easy Rawlins novel…
FALL ISSUE #106 of Mystery Scene
Thursday, September 25th, 2008Hi everyone,
We talk to some fascinating new talents in this issue starting with Marcus Sakey, whose latest, Good People, is building on the strong showing of his debut, The Blade Itself.
Tana French’s In the Woods was a favorite of Mystery Scene readers and won the Edgar for Best First Novel of 2007. Now her second, The Likeness, has critics hailing a major new talent. Cheryl Solimini chats with this former actress who has taken a flair for the dramatic from the stage to the page.
Clyde Ford launches an intriguing new boating series set in the Pacific Northwest with an ex-Coast Guard officer as hero. Ford reports that he’s working with actor Morgan Freeman on a screenplay.
John J. Lamb’s popular mysteries combine two seemingly disparate worlds—the cozy milieu of teddy bear collecting and the gritty details of police procedure. Our reporter discovers striking similarities between Lamb’s work and life.
In the midst of this historic presidential election season, Art Taylor takes a look back at mystery fiction from the tumultuous Civil Rights era of the 1950s and ’60s.
Verna Suit explores fiction set in “Mysterious Maryland” with a special focus on Baltimore, where the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention will be taking place in October.
Our own Jon L. Breen, who won an Edgar Award for Novel Verdicts: A Guide to Courtroom Fiction, puts his expertise to work in a round-up of new legal thriller fiction. Following Jon’s glowing recommendation I’ve just read Justin Peacock’s debut, A Cure for Night. Don’t miss this book!
Best wishes,
Kate Stine
Editor-in-chief (more…)
Posted in Art Taylor, Burn Notice, C.S. Challinor, Chris Grabenstein, Civil Rights Era Fiction, Clyde Ford, Commentary, Donald Harstad, Donald Westlake, Herb Jeffries, John J. Lamb, Justin Peacock, Legal Thriller, Maryland Mysteries, Richard Stark, Robert B. Parker, Tana French | No Comments »