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The Moving Finger, Pt. 2: What makes a cozy mystery?
It’s time for a closer look at the two TV adaptations of The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie. Last week, we broke down what sets this novel apart from a very structurally similar predecessor. Unlike prior books in the series, The Moving Finger centers non-Marple characters and their community. (It could serve as a standalone…
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TCO Reviews: Glass Onion uses a Golden-Age premise to tell new tales
A sunny Greek island, a murder mystery party among reunited friends – what could go wrong? In Rian Johnson’s new film Glass Onion, plenty. In Glass Onion, an eccentric Tech Billionaire named Miles Bron invites some of his closest friends for an exotic getaway. Bron hosts these get-togethers annually, and his latest entertainment innovation is…
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TCO Reviews: Con/Artist by Tony Tetro
You’ve gotta love a good scam. Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been fascinated by scams and cons as long as I can remember. There’s something so fun about understanding how con artists and scammers exploit the rules of society. And I’ve always had a particular fascination for art forgery and counterfeits. No matter…
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The Moving Finger, Pt. 1: romance, gossip, and murder in a cozy English village
Our series on Miss Marple continues, as we examine literary adaptation via one of my favorite cozy mystery series. As always, expect spoilers for The Moving Finger (and The Murder at the Vicarage) – both the novels and their BBC + iTV adaptations. We are moving on to the third Miss Marple novel, The Moving…
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TCO Reviews: Secrets in the Stacks by Lynn Cahoon
I recently got the chance to read Secrets in the Stacks by Lynn Cahoon, released this November. As you may have noticed, I’ve been doing a lot of Golden Age mysteries, and it was a nice rest to come back to a more modern cozy mystery. This was a solid, fun read – a good…
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A November tradition (and confession): reading more Native voices
November is Native American Heritage Month, and I want to share one of my favorite annual traditions with you to celebrate. A few years ago, I helped run a local diversity-themed book club, and we hit the month of November. Various other members suggested a variety of reads – some wanted to read the new…
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The Body in the Library, Pt. 2: Characters and themes
Welcome back to our series on adaptation, where we use the Miss Marple murder mysteries to understand keys to adaptive success. Our current focus is The Body in the Library, the second book in the Miss Marple series (and arguably the first “true” Miss Marple). The Body in the Library was adapted for the BBC…
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The Body in the Library, Pt. 1: A triumph of character…
Welcome back to our series on Miss Marple, where we examine the art of adaptation through the lens of the original spinster sleuth. We’re now at episode two, The Body in the Library, which features a more recognizable version of our protagonist. (As always, a blanket spoiler alert for the contents of The Body in…