Bodies from the Library 2026

Bodies from the Library has always been a popular event, but on Saturday, for the first time in its eleven year history, the Knowledge Centre at the Library was packed to the rafters, since the day sold out weeks earlier and there was quite a waiting list. Great credit goes to John, Mark, Susan, and Liz, the tireless volunteer organisers. And the day definitely lived up to expectations.

The only snag with Bodies is that there's never enough time to chat to everyone I'd like to spend time with, but it was good to meet quite a few old friends as well as a number of people for the first time including Ashwin Fernandes and a very pleasant gentleman who came up to say hello. He introduced himself as Edward Young, and who told me something that I found quite amazing. He explained that he was personal secretary to the Sovereign and he told me that, during the dark days of Covid and the lockdown, the late Queen cheered herself up by reading books for pleasure. 

Turns out she was a big Agatha Christie fan, which I didn't know. And one of the books she read was one put together by me, namely Howdunit. I was so surprised I might almost have thought I was having my leg pulled; but no, the pleasant gentleman turned out to be Baron Young of Old Windsor himself. Given that earlier this month, a former Prime Minister enthused to me about the British Library Crime Classics, I really do wonder sometimes if I'm living entirely in my imagination these days, since it all seems too surreal to be true. 

Anyway, in the real world, Simon Brett and I kicked off Bodies by chatting about the Detection Club. It's always good to spend time with Simon, and we'd had a drink and then a meal together the previous evening; he's always a fund of fascinating anecdotes and I was very interested to learn that he worked with David Renwick in the latter's early days at the BBC. 

Then followed one fascinating talk after another from Victoria Dowd, Tom Mead, Catherine Cooke, Jasmine Simeone, Jim Noy, Brian Price, Ronaldo Fagarazzi, and of course John Curran. With such a galaxy of interesting and knowledgeable speakers it's almost impossible to pick highlights, but Jim's reading of a passage from Leo Bruce's Jack on the Gallows Tree was utterly hilarious. 

As usual we ended with an 'ask the experts' panel led by Jake Kerridge and then a wine reception hosted by David Brawn of HarperCollins which did give a chance to catch up with some more friends. The photos come from posts by Victoria, Tom, and Paul Greaves, all of whom will tell you it really was a fun occasion.

Forgotten Book - The Royston Affair

The Royston Affair, first published in 1964 by Collins Crime Club, was D.M. Devine's third novel. It begins with a 'prodigal son' scenario, as Mark Lovell returns to his home town of Riverhead for the first time in four years. Mark, the narrator, is a solicitor who was in effect exiled after he 'blew the whistle' on his half-brother Derek, a journalist, for perjury. 

Mark fell out with his father, who headed the private practice in which Mark worked, as well as his step-mother Ilona, who has always been devoted to Derek. His principled stand also infuriated his fiancee, Frances, and she broke off their engagement. But now Mark's father has had second thoughts and has summoned Mark back. Before Mark can find out what has caused his father to change his mind about their past quarrel, Patrick Lovell is murdered. And Derek is prime suspect...

This is a complicated story, and Devine's method of telling it means that we learn about what has happened in the past (including the eponymous Royston affair) in piecemeal fashion, adding to the complications. The local newspaper for which Derek works is run by a ruthless man called Willard, and it's clear that he's up to his neck in whatever has been going on. The other key characters include Patrick's two partners in the firm, members of Willard's family, and a young woman called Pattie who plays a dangerous game of blackmail. 

Inspector Slade, a tough cop, investigates, but Mark - a stubborn and occasionally, it must be said, irritating individual - insists on doing his own detective work. The plot unfolds cleverly, as usual with Devine, and there's a neat false solution before the truth is finally revealed. This novel isn't as dazzling in its trickery as Devine's best work, but it's still a very capable mystery in the traditional vein.

The Fantastic Detective Notebook by Gary Lovisi

As I've mentioned several times before, Stark House Press do a very good job of reprinting interesting and varied crime novels and short stories. They have also published some non-fiction titles, such as Rick Ollerman's Hardboiled, Noir and Gold Medals, which reflects Rick's wide reading and enthusiasm. A recent addition to their eclectic list is The Fantastic Detective Notebook by Gary Lovisi. This is a much-expanded and revised version of a reference book Lovisi first produced, in a very small print run, forty years ago. Lovisi happens to be a prolific fiction writer, and this experience is reflected in his concise but often insightful comments.    

A new foreword summarises the basic premise: 'When well done, science fiction, fantasy, or horror, melded with the private eye, crime and noir genre make for a fascinating mix of entertaining fiction.' Not everyone likes cross-genre writing, and it's not an area in which I can claim any great expertise, but I was interested to see that the many books mentioned include an anthology for which I wrote a story, The Mammoth Book of Future Cops. The story was called 'Mindstalker', and it represented quite a departure for me as a writer. Maybe one of these fine days I should have another go at a story of that kind.

One of numerous appealing features of this book is that there is a plentiful supply of full-colour illustrations of book covers. The choice of authors and books covered is eclectic, ranging for example from Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy novels to Len Deighton's SS-GB. This is not only a useful work of reference but also a good source of answers to the question: 'What should I read next?' A very worthwhile title indeed.

I'd also like to squeeze in a mention of another worthwhile Stark House Press title, Nothing Darker Than the Night, which focuses on hardboiled and noir fiction and collects essays by Curtis Evans that have appeared elsewhere in the past. Many of the authors featured, such as Hammett, Chandler, and Woolrich, have been discussed extensively before by leading critics, and the absence of an index is a shame, but it's good to see pieces about such writers as Fredric Brown, Elisabeth Sanxay Holding, and Edna Sherry, all of whose novels I find very interesting, and all of whom deserve to be remembered.

Agatha Christie's London

I've known Tina Hodgkinson for several years - if I remember rightly, which can never be guaranteed, we first met at the British Library - and I've been aware for some time that she's been working on her first book. It has now been published by the History Press (and they have managed a very nice production job, I must say) and you can guess from the title that I'd be likely to be enthusiastic about it. It's called Agatha Christie's London: A Historical Guide to the Queen of Crime's Capital.

Tina is well-qualified to write such a book, since her interest in detective fiction is complemented by her experience as a London guide. Twelve years ago, indeed, she created a series of Agatha-themed walking tours. I should disclose that I'm mentioned generously in the acknowledgments, but I can honestly say that I really like this book and I have no hesitation in recommending it to fellow Agatha fans. It's a gem of Agatha-related literature.

A lot has been written about Agatha (and I and many terrific and illustrious writers will be adding to the volume with the forthcoming British Library exhibition book, Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery) but this means that it isn't necessarily easy to write a book that doesn't cover too much familiar ground. However, Tina has managed to do this. I learned a lot from this book. She is a genuine expert in her field.

I know parts of London well, as I have spent a lot of time there over the years (and, ages ago, I had the pleasure of spending a couple of nights at Brown's Hotel in Albemarle Street, which features in the book - daren't think what it would cost now!) but my view of the city is essentially that of an outsider. But Tina is a reliable guide, and when she takes her readers all around the capital, we can be confident we will have an interesting time - and not get lost! 

  

Forgotten Book - Frame-Up

Frame-Up, first published in 1964, is a characteristically snappy murder mystery by Paul Winterton, who by that time was writing as Andrew Garve and had abandoned his earlier pen-names Roger Bax and Paul Somers. A couple of times in Garve's work, he has author characters bemoan the fact that their publishers like longer books, and this is an excellent example of how Garve favours economy of style, although not at the expense of good storytelling. In fact, if he'd tried to pad this book out beyond its natural length, the story would not have worked as well as it does.

John Lumsden, an artist getting on in years and with perhaps more money than talent, has an unexpected visitor one evening. Not long afterwards, his dead body is discovered in his studio. He has been strangled. This is a case for Chief Inspector Charles Blair (apparently renamed Grant in the US edition for some reason, perhaps to avoid confusion with another writer's character) and his sidekick, Sergeant Harry Dawson.

They only have three credible suspects to consider, and this helps to explain the relatively short length of the novel. These are Lumsden's nephew Mike Ransley, George Otway, who is a sort of protege of Lumsden, and the housekeeper Kathie Bowen, who had her sights set on marrying Lumsden, mainly for his money. I must admit that I tend to prefer whodunits with a bigger pool of suspects, but Garve juggles suspicion around the three candidates with considerable skill.  

There's a hoax phone call reminiscent of that in the Wallace case and the story also makes good use of two devices that Garve utilised in several of his detective novels - the framing of someone for a crime they didn't commit, and an ingeniously constructed alibi. One tends to think of Garve as a writer of adventure stories and thrillers rather than as a specialist in classic-style whodunits, but I'm almost tempted to think that he was as good at constructing a clever alibi as that master of the Golden Age, Freeman Wills Crofts. 

Alibis in the Archive 2026

Alibis in the Archive is always a highlight in my year. I set up this festival in collaboration with Gladstone's Library back in 2017, and it's been great fun every time. I aim for an eclectic mix of speakers and crime-related topics (including true crime and crime-related non-fiction) and so far, I've had a different group of speakers each year (apart from me!) to underscore the feeling of variety. Though in future I shall probably invite some of the wonderful people we've had before to speak again on different topics.

There have been changes in personnel at the Library since last year, but I was very pleased with the way everything ran. It's always good to see attendees returning year after year, and also to get to know some of the people who are coming for the first time. Things kicked off with a welcome from Beth Russell-Tsuro, who has taken over from Louisa Yates (now doing great things at Warwick University) and after a lovely dinner I was quizmaster for an Agatha-themed quiz. I'd actually done an Agatha quiz of a slightly different type the previous Monday at the Athenaeum on Monday, and on both occasions it was a lot of fun. Next year's Alibis will run from 4-6 June, so do consider joining us.

On Saturday we had the first of our wonderful speakers, Zoe Sharp, followed by Christina Handyment, talking about landscapes in crime fiction. Antony Johnston spoke about his solve-it-yourself murders, and the interesting way he creates them, while Sophia Bennett told an interesting story about the connections between P.G. Wodehouse and a number of other authors. To wrap things up, I gave a presentation about 'judging a book by its cover'. We then had a small exhibition put on by the Library of items from the British Crime Writing Archives - including the Diamond Dagger (above photo), which I always love to see. 

Sunday began with Ajay Chowdury discussing AI and its potential benefits and risks. Angela Buckley (top photo) discussed Victorian true crime, and last but definitely not least came Phil Lecomber, with a fresh slant on supervillains in crime fiction. The atmosphere throughout the weekend was convivial and I'm truly grateful to all the excellent speakers, the staff at the Library, and the attendees, for making the festival one that will linger in the memory.  

Sheila Keating (Sheila Mitchell) R.I.P.

I'm just back from a hugely enjoyable Alibis in the Archive weekend. However, whilst I was away, I received the sad news that Sheila Keating died on Thursday. Her funeral is due to take place on June 24 which, had she lived, would have been her 101st birthday. Sheila was the widow of that genial and highly successful writer Harry Keating, and she had a wonderful career as an actor (as Sheila Mitchell), and she was particularly well-known over the last twenty years and more as a reader of audio books.

I'll talk about this year's Alibis in a day or two, but first things first: today I'd like to pay tribute to Sheila. She was a remarkable woman, truly indomitable, and I very much enjoyed her company. She was forthright and impressive, and even though she reached a grand age, I find it hard to believe she is no longer with us. I first got to know her in the late 80s or early 90s, on the occasions when she accompanied Harry to crime writing events. They were both generous people, and in my early days, Harry gave a kind quote which featured on the front cover of The Devil in Disguise. I spent quite a bit of time in their company at my first Malice Domestic back in 2005, when Harry was given a lifetime achievement award. We dined together at the banquet and had a great evening.

After I was elected to the Detection Club (of which Harry was the sixth President), I saw them more regularly, and after Harry died in 2011, Sheila continued to attend Club dinners. She kindly invited me to stay with her at her lovely home in Notting Hill on a number of occasions. On one visit, she showed me her work-in-progress, a draft of a biography of Harry, for which Len Deighton (a good friend) had written a foreword. I read it on the screen, and enjoyed it, and eventually I was able to introduce her to a publisher, Level Best Books, and write an appreciation of Harry which was included in the book. Her book and Howdunit (which I edited on behalf of the Detection Club and which included a contribution by Harry) featured on the same shortlist for a Macavity award, which greatly entertained both of us. I can say in all honesty that I was truly delighted when she won - a brilliant achievement for a first book, and possibly unique in that she was 96 at the time! She also supplemented her book by writing a very good article for CADS about Harry's non-fiction.

When, ten years ago at CrimeFest, Sheila presented me with the H.R.F. Keating award for best critical/biographical crime book for The Golden Age of Murder, it was a great thrill, given my connection with Harry and her. It was lovely to win the same award on two further occasions, for Howdunit and The Life of Crime.  

She became interested in what I'd told her when writing about Gallows Court and offered to read the audio book - again, a source of joy from my point of view. She came along to the launch in Hatchards (see the above photo) and she was also there at the Dorchester Hotel on that memorable evening when I was elected President of the Detection Club in succession to Simon Brett, who had in his turn succeeded Harry fourteen years earlier. I recall too a memorable CrimeFest banquet in the company of Sheila, Catherine Aird, and James Runcie; three terrific dinner companions, it must be said. On another memorable occasion, Sheila, Phyllis James and I travelled in a taxi to Sheila's home, where I was staying, after a convivial Detection Club dinner. What a privilege to be in their company; they were, among other things, both great conversationalists.

Sheila also spent time encouraging me with my public speaking, something that never came naturally to me. She taught me about voice projection and although I don't think I was the greatest pupil, her advice about conducting the Detection Club ritual was really helpful.

It was rather poignant that I received the news of Sheila's death whilst at Alibis, because eight years ago, she came to Alibis and took part in a discussion about the British Crime Writing Archives; she was very supportive of my efforts with the archives for the CWA (of which Harry had also been Chair, something else he and I had in common) and the Detection Club, and I did appreciate that. I'll miss her, but I remember her with great affection.

 

 

Forgotten Book - Death is My Bridegroom

Death is My Bridegroom was published in 1969 by Dominic Devine, shortly after The Sleeping Tiger, a strong and cleverly plotted book with a distinctive storyline. Here, I think he was trying to do something different again. In fact, one of the things I like about Devine is that he kept varying the way he told his stories. Each was a stand-alone, and most of them were distinctive and very well-crafted, with good characterisation as well as crafty plots.

The story is set at Branchfield University, evidently in England (although Devine worked as a senior administrator in a Scottish university, and the scene does shift north of the border at one point). There is quite a bit about university politics, which has an authentic flavour (for the time the book was written) and Devine amuses himself by making a few jokes at the expense of academics (e.g. 'If there was one thing academics had in common, it was a taste for other people's alcohol').

The students are protesting about the alleged mistreatment of one of their number, and a a fake kidnap stunt connected with the protest is utilised for malign purposes by someone who has murder on their mind. One of the key characters is Barbara Letchworth, daughter of a rich benefactor of the university, another is her lover, the charming but feckless Michael Denton. Barbara is the potential 'victim' in the fake kidnap, but things don't go to plan.

I found this book an enjoyable read, but although the story is quite elaborate and twisty, the culprit is easier to spot than in many of his books, and the truth is revealed some time before the end. I think this is because Devine was trying to focus on character and the psychological stresses that can give rise to murder. I'm not sure he got the balance quite right on this occasion, but the book is still a pretty good read.   

A Cure for Wellness - 2016 film review

A Cure for Wellness, first released ten years ago, is a film that seems to divide opinion, and I can see why. It's certainly visually stunning. And it's almost certainly too long. After that, many aspects of the film are debatable. For instance, how does one categorise it? A horror film with a large dollop of fantasy seems to me to be about right. Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain was apparently an influence on the writer, Justin Haythe. There are also elements of satire, of the 'wellness' industry, and of capitalist ruthlessness, but these ingredients are handled in a rather patchy way. 

Dane DeHaan plays Lockhart, a young and rather soulless financial guy working in a crooked American corporation. His bosses order him to a colleague, Roland Pembroke, whose input is required so that their business doesn't collapse. Pembroke has checked into a 'wellness centre' in the Swiss Alps. Suffice to say that the corporate part of the story is presented in a stylised and not very credible way. I'm pretty sure Thomas Mann had nothing to do with it...

Lockhart travels to the wellness centre, to find that it's housed in a rather spectacular, if remote, castle. In charge of things is a doctor called Volmer - who is played by Jason Isaacs. And that wasn't the only bit of casting that startled me - one of the patients is played by Celia Imrie. Lockhart is involved in a car accident and wakes up to find that he too is now a patient. He meets a mysterious young woman called Hannah (Mia Goth, perfectly cast), and by now it's abundantly clear that Something Very Odd is going on at the clinic.

Barminess prevails for most of the rest of the film. You don't so much need to suspend your disbelief as hang it by the neck, probably until it's dead. It's all pretty crazy, and yet the film does have something of merit. Although the dentistry scene is definitely not for the faint-hearted. I had very mixed feelings about it, perhaps because I found it so hard to empathise with Lockhart. And the belated re-involvement of his capitalist bosses into the story simply didn't work for me.  

Black Widow aka The Black Widow

First, a word of thanks to the loyal readers of this blog. In the month of May, there were more than one million pageviews (over 1.085 million, in fact), a figure I find astonishing and a number that represents a record for the blog. So thank you very much. As I've said before, I suspect AI has something to do with the upsurge, but I know from your emails and messages that it's not the whole explanation. And there will be a new free 'Life of Crime' Substack newsletter from me today as well. Plus, all being well, no fewer than three 'Life of Crime Premium' newsletters and supplements during the course of June containing plenty of fresh information about one of the great figures of the Golden Age, Gladys Mitchell. 

Now to today's topic. Black Widow is a phrase that makes a good title, so it's no surprise that it's been used plenty of times. I've reviewed one film with such a title on this blog - eight years ago, in fact. That movie was based on a novel by Patrick Quentin. The film I'm discussing today was released three years earlier, in 1951, and doesn't have such a strong cast. It was based on a radio serial by Lester Powell called Return from Darkness. The storyline must have something, since in 1958 there was a TV version of the play, written by Powell for an anthology series, Suspicion.

Powell was, you might say, a journeyman writer, but he enjoyed success on both radio and TV . Among other things, he contributed a couple of scripts early on to The Avengers. The screenplay for the film, however, was written by Allan Mackinnon, another of the hard-working scriptwriters of the post-war era, and someone who also tried his hand as a novelist; I recall a book of his, House of Darkness, being reissued in paperback a long time ago, in one of the many attempts to launch a strong crime reprint series (Cyril Hare's first novel Tenant for Death also appeared under the same imprint, which is where I first discovered it, but that particular series of 'Crime Classics' soon disappeared from sight).

The film is one of those 'quota quickies' that were so common in the post-war years, and it was made by Hammer, whose forays into the crime field I find interesting. The set-up of the film is pretty good. Mark Sherwin (Robert Ayres, an American playing a Canadian) is motoring in Yorkshire when he comes across a body lying in the road. He goes to help, and is coshed and has his car stolen for his pains. When he recovers, he is suffering from amnesia, and doesn't know who he is.

The plot thickens nicely for a time, although it's all wrapped up with rather unseemly haste. The sultry Christine Norden plays the eponymous widow, and Jennifer Jayne is the love interest. The director was the prolific Vernon Sewell.