Tag Archives: Gladys Mitchell

The Green Penguin

Posted on by Leandra Griffith

One visit to Agatha Christie changed everything.

Thank you to my guest, Jules Burt, for sharing his book-collecting experiences and knowledge with us. You can learn more about his collection on his YouTube channel, Jules Burt Collections and Unboxings at youtube.com/@JulesBurt.

My new book, A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria, is published in April. To find out more and register for the exclusive pre-order bonus material, visit my website carolinecrampton.com.

Mentioned in this episode:
— The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
— Ulysses by James Joyce
— Ariel by André Maurois
— Death on the Borough Council by Josephine Bell
— Speedy Death by Gladys Mitchell
— Taken on Trust by Terry Waite
— Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
— The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L Sayers
— Allen Lane: King Penguin by J.E. Morpurgo
— Penguin Special: Life and Times of Allen Lane by Jeremy Lewis
— Mushroom Jungle: A History of Postwar Paperback Publishing by Stephen Holland
— The Penguin Story by W.E. Williams
— ‘A Paperback Guide to Progress: Penguin Books 1935– c .1951’ by Nicholas Joicey in Twentieth Century British History, 1993

Shedunnit Episodes Mentioned:
— The Nobodies

NB: Links to Blackwell’s are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you). Blackwell’s is a UK bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.

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Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/thegreenpenguintranscript/

Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details.

Whodunnit Centenary: 1924

Posted on by Leandra Griffith

Time travelling, murder mystery style. Mentioned in this episode: — The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie — The Plague Court Murders by John Dickson Carr — Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie — The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L Sayers — A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh — Death… Continue Reading

Spooky Sleuthing

Posted on by Leandra Griffith

The supernatural and the rational come together in the murder mystery. Thank you to my returning guest, Carla Valentine, for joining me. This episode marks the beginning of the 2023 Shedunnit Pledge Drive! Help ensure the future of the podcast and get your hands on some exclusive audio perks by becoming a Shedunnit member now… Continue Reading

Murder-on-Sea

Posted on by Leandra Griffith

Murder does like to be beside the seaside. Thanks very much to my guests. Dr Allan Brodie is a visiting fellow at Bournemouth University and the author of books including England’s Seaside Heritage from the Air. Dr Kathryn Ferry is a historian of the British seaside and the author of books including The British Seaside Holiday, more… Continue Reading

The Murder Mystery Hotline

Posted on by caroline

If you need a golden age detective fiction recommendation, we are at your service. To take part in future interactive episodes, become a member of the Shedunnit Book Club now at shedunnitbookclub.com/join. Mentioned in the episode:— A Grave Mistake by Ngaio Marsh— Common or Garden Crime by Sheila Pim— Unholy Dying by RT Campbell— The… Continue Reading

Howdunnit

Posted on by caroline

Invert everything you know about murder mysteries. Mentioned in this episode:— “The Case of Oscar Brodski” by R. Austin Freeman— The Mystery of 31, New Inn by R. Austin Freeman— The Red Thumb Mark by R. Austin Freeman— John Thorndyke’s Cases by R. Austin Freeman— “A Wastrel’s Romance” by R. Austin Freeman— “The Art of… Continue Reading

Clerical Crimes

Posted on by caroline

Why do murder mysteries contain so many vicars? Mentioned in this episode: — Measuring religious affiliation in Great Britain by Clive D. Field — The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers — Death in Holy Orders by P.D. James — The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie — Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers… Continue Reading

The Shedunnit Centenary

Posted on by caroline

In which Caroline is the guest, not the host. Caroline Crampton is the host of Shedunnit. You can find out what she does when she’s not hosting this podcast at carolinecrampton.com or on Instagram @cacrampton. Guy Cuthbertson is her husband. His website is guycuthbertson.com and he tweets @guywjc. Mentioned in this episode: — The Lion,… Continue Reading

A Second Century of Whodunnits

Posted on by caroline

Reading my way through the last hundred years, from the 1920s to the 2020s, one mystery at a time. My previous attempt at this reading project can be found in the episode A Century of Whodunnits. Books mentioned: — Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L Sayers — Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles — Laurels are… Continue Reading

Young Sleuths Transcript

Posted on by caroline

Caroline: I can’t remember how old I was when I read my first detective novel, but I definitely wasn’t a teenager yet. I devoured my first Agatha Christie — the Miss Marple short story collection The Thirteen Problems — under the covers on a family holiday when I was 11 after finding it on the shelf at… Continue Reading

Young Sleuths

Posted on by caroline

Young detectives, and young readers, play an important part in the history of detective fiction. Many thanks to my guest, Maureen Johnson. Her newest YA mystery, The Box in the Woods, is out now. Find out more at her website www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com and follow her on Twitter @maureenjohnson. There are no major plot spoilers in this… Continue Reading

Notable Trials

Posted on by caroline

How did a legal history series become so well known that even Lord Peter Wimsey owned a set? Special thanks today to my guest Dr Victoria Stewart. You can follow her on Twitter @verbivorial and order her book Crime Writing in Interwar Britain: Fact and Fiction in the Golden Age here. Become a member of the… Continue Reading

The Rules Transcript

Posted on by caroline

Caroline: A good detective story has a recognisable rhythm. The plot might have unexpected twists and the characters can surprise you, but there are certain structures and tropes that recur through much of the crime fiction from the first half of the twentieth century. Some of them have been parodied to the point of cliche, such… Continue Reading

The Rules

Posted on by caroline

A good detective story has a recognisable rhythm and plot points. But how did these tropes come about? And what happens when you break the rules? Find more information about this episode and links to the books discussed at shedunnitshow.com/therules. The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find… Continue Reading

Crime at Christmas Transcript

Posted on by caroline

Caroline: The classic Christmas traditions are all about comfort. Blazing fires, mulled drinks, vast quantities of food — it’s all intended make the darkest time of year that little bit brighter. Much of the entertainment we enjoy over the festive period tries to do the same thing. The books, films and TV series themed around… Continue Reading

Crime at Christmas

Posted on by caroline

Reading crime fiction from the early twentieth century is a really popular activity at Christmas. It’s nice to curl up with a good whodunnit by the fire, but if we stop and think about it, reading about complicated ways for people to die is not exactly the most festive thing to do. So why is… Continue Reading

Queer Clues Transcript

Posted on by caroline

[Music] Caroline: On the surface, everything about classic detective stories seems straightforward. It’s all very black and white: people are either good or bad, guilty or innocent. There’s not a lot of grey in between. These easy distinctions are what some readers find appealing about murder mysteries, since the idea that there are actually definitive… Continue Reading

Queer Clues

Posted on by caroline

The detective stories of the 1920s and 30s aren’t exactly well known for being at the vanguard of the struggle for gay rights. But there are queer clues everywhere in these books, if you only know where to look for them. Contributors: —JC Bernthal, academic and author of Queering Agatha Christie —Moira Redmond, journalist and blogger… Continue Reading

Whodunnit? Transcript

Posted on by caroline

Here’s a full transcript of this mini first episode of Shedunnit.  Listen to it now in your app of choice. Caroline: For a couple of decades between the first and second world wars, something mysterious happened. Many things, actually — there were murders in country houses, on golf courses, in Oxford colleges, on trains, in vicarages, in far… Continue Reading

Whodunnit?

Posted on by caroline

 For a couple of decades between the first and second world wars, something mysterious happened. A golden age of detective fiction dawned, and people around the world are still devouring books from this time by Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, Margery Allingham, Anthony Berkeley, Gladys Mitchell, Ngaio Marsh, Josephine Tey and more. In this… Continue Reading