Margery Allingham Archives

The Evolution of Margery Allingham

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Leandra Griffith

The parallel lives of a writer and her detective.

Thanks to my guest, Julia Jones. Her biography of Margery Allingham is available now through all good bookshops.

Related Shedunnit episodes:
— Margery Allingham Waits for the Invasion

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/theevolutionofmargeryallinghamtranscript

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

The Murder Mystery Hotline

Posted on May 3, 2023 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

The Death Of The Country House

Posted on February 22, 2023 by caroline

A most golden age murder. Books mentioned in this episode— Lady Chatterley’s Lover by DH Lawrence— The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame— Peril at End House by Agatha Christie— The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham— There Came Both Mist and Snow by Michael Innes— Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie— Too Soon… Continue Reading

Margery Allingham Waits For The Invasion

Posted on November 3, 2021 by caroline

For Albert Campion’s creator, the war was her salvation. This is the third episode of Queens of Crime at War, a six part series looking at what the best writers from the golden age of detective fiction did once that period came to an end with the start of the Second World War. There are… Continue Reading

Policing the Detectives Transcript

Posted on May 19, 2021 by caroline

Caroline: Is detective fiction an escapist genre? The marketing for today’s thrillers and cosy mysteries that encourages us to “get away from the real world” for a while by reading about fictional crimes would suggest that it is. Expecting to be soothed by plots that centre on violent death might sound counter intuitive, but it… Continue Reading

Policing the Detectives

Posted on May 19, 2021 by caroline

Is it possible to write a whodunnit and leave out the police? Many thanks to my guest, Nicole Glover. More information about her work is available at nicole-glover.com, and her first book, The Conductors, is out now in the US and the UK. The inspiration for this episode was Nicole’s article “Who Are You Going… Continue Reading

Brides In The Bath

Posted on September 4, 2019 by caroline

Once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. But three times? Three women dead in identical circumstances is highly suspicious. This is the story of the brides in the bath. Become a member of the Shedunnit book club and get bonus audio, listen to ad free episodes and join a book-loving community at shedunnitshow.com/membership. Books… Continue Reading

Period Style

Posted on May 1, 2019 by caroline

Murder mysteries: if you believe the clichés, they all happened in the 1920s and 1930s, surrounded by flappers and butlers. But let’s take a second to wonder — why is it that detective fiction is so closely associated with this period style? Find more information about my guest Jacqueline Winspear and the Maisie Dobbs books… Continue Reading

The Secret Life of Ngaio Marsh Transcript

Posted on April 3, 2019 by caroline

Here’s a full transcript of the thirteenth episode of Shedunnit. Click here to listen to it now in your app of choice. Caroline: Before we get started with today’s show, I want to tell you about another podcast you should check out. The Lonely Palette is a show that aims to make art history accessible, enjoyable,… Continue Reading

The Secret Life of Ngaio Marsh

Posted on April 3, 2019 by caroline

By any definition, the New Zealand crime writer Ngaio Marsh lived an extraordinary life. But who was she really, this globetrotting blockbuster author who divided her life between opposite sides of the world? Find more information about my guest Joanne Drayton and links to the books discussed at shedunnitshow.com/ngaiomarsh. To be the first to know… Continue Reading

The Rules Transcript

Posted on February 6, 2019 by caroline

Here’s a full transcript of the ninth episode of Shedunnit. Click here to listen to it now in your app of choice. 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… Continue Reading

The Rules

Posted on February 6, 2019 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

Dining with Death Transcript

Posted on January 23, 2019 by caroline

Here’s a full transcript of the eighth episode of Shedunnit. Click here to listen to it now in your app of choice. Caroline: It’s a perfect image of family harmony and domestic bliss. Everyone gathered around a table groaning with food, brought together for the daily ritual of breaking bread. Maybe it’s a huge dining room… Continue Reading

Dining with Death

Posted on January 23, 2019 by caroline

Food matters in books. It helps to set the scene, build up characters and evoke a period, and it also symbolises comfort, security and domesticity. Yet in detective fiction, food can also be a method for murder. Everything is lovely at the family dinner, until somebody clutches their throat, turns blue in the face, and… Continue Reading

Crime at Christmas Transcript

Posted on December 19, 2018 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 December 19, 2018 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

Whodunnit? Transcript

Posted on October 24, 2018 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 October 24, 2018 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

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