Fall 2008:  The Golden Age of Mystery  

            Many people consider the Golden Age of Mystery to be the years 1920 – 1950. In the United States, Hammett and Chandler were defining the hard-boiled private eye novel, while in England the traditional whodunit thrived. Here are four early novels from four of the five grand dames of the British Golden Age.

September 8

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) – Agatha Christie

October 13

November 3       

December 8
  (snowdate: Mon, Dec 15)

Dancers in Mourning (1937) Margery Allingham

                                      Spring 2009:   Murder by the Book 

           The bibliomystery is a sub-genre of detective fiction, a story in which a book or manuscript plays a pivotal role. Here are five examples, each with a book and its author at the center of the mystery.

January 12
(snowdate: Tues, Jan 20)

Appleby’s Answer (1973) – Michael Innes

February 9
(snowdate: Tues, Feb 17)   

The Case of the Missing Bronte (1983) –  Robert Barnard

March 9
(snowdate: Mon, Mar 16)

Booked to Die (1992) – John Dunning

April 13

The Burglar in the Library  (1997) – Lawrence Block

                 May 11                     

A Conventional Corpse (2000) – Joan Hess