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TCO Reviews: Love and Other Scams by Philip Ellis
Cons, scams, heists – if there’s a story with a stylish crime in it, I’m in. And my 2022 was full of weddings, which can get tiring after a while. So I was excited to get a preview of Love and Other Scams by Philip Ellis, which follows two con artists who try to pull…
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A Pocket Full of Rye, Part 2: Motivation matters
Welcome back to our deep-dive on Agatha Christie’s sixth entry in the Miss Marple series, A Pocket Full of Rye. When we left off last week, we discussed features that make this novel unique: Miss Marple’s social engineering, and an increased emphasis on her drive for Justice. Where we’ve previously been treated to Miss Marple’s…
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A Pocket Full of Rye, Part 1: Miss Marple the social engineer
Next in our Miss Marple series, we’re taking a look at A Pocket Full of Rye. This is the first of what I’d consider the “iconic” Miss Marples. The “first half” of the series tends to feature Miss Marple in settings that are closer to home, investigating murders in the English countryside. Starting with this…
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TCO Reviews: I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai
2023 might be the year we have a good think about the role of the True Crime podcast. Last year, they were a huge trend in the books I enjoyed, but from a lighthearted stance – exploring the form and format. This year, Rebecca Makkai has brought the genre to a darker, more thoughtful space…
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TCO Reviews: Death Comes to the Costa del Sol by M.H. Eccleston
When I’ve got the January blues, I find myself longing for sunshine and warm beaches. So when I came across Death Comes to the Costa del Sol by M. H. Eccleston, I was excited to escape endless rain to the seaside resort of Estipona. (Thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the digital review…
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TCO Reviews: Crime and Punctuation by Kaitlyn Dunnett
When it comes to linguistics, I go back and forth between prescriptivist and descriptivist. I know, intellectually, that language flows with the people, and forcing “correct” rules on it ignores how languages evolve to accommodate new needs. Still, there’s part of me that loves the clear meaning that you get with a well-defined, broadly accepted…
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Magicians and mystery: unraveling the secrets of the loneliest sleuths
In a mystery series, the protagonist is key to a reader’s enjoyment. The proper selection of protagonist can have critical impacts on a reader’s willingness to accept the investigation. Does it makes sense that this character investigates this crime? Does her expertise seem actually relevant to her solution? And, to an equal extent – does…
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Piranesi: the loneliness and dramatic irony of journal entries
Have you ever seen a piece of art get so hyped up that you avoid it, because you’re worried that there’s no way it can live up to it? This is how I felt about Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, a weird and wonderful novel that unfolds via journal entries. Despite seemingly everyone in the entire…
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They Do It With Mirrors, Part 2: creating a character ecosystem
It’s time to take a closer look at the two TV adaptations of They Do It With Mirrors. This is a bit of a tricky one, because the novel has distinct strengths and weaknesses. Specifically, the novel features quite strong character portraits but a questionably consistent theme. Last week, we discussed that the overall effect…
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They Do It With Mirrors, Part 1: A suite of character studies
Welcome back to our series on the art of literary adaptation, using the Miss Marple series as a guide. For those of you who are new, I’ve been re-reading the adventures of my favorite spinster sleuth, and comparing the novels with both the BBC and ITV adaptations. It’s been a fascinating way to see how…