Tag Archives: The Crossword Mysteries

Double Trouble

What happens when two people write a whodunnit together?

Thanks to my guests, Cordelia Biddle and Steve Zettler. They write separately under their own names and together under the pseudonym Nero Blanc. The whole Crossword Mysteries series can be found at crosswordmysteries.com, where there are links to buy each title.

There are no spoilers in this episode.

Find links to all the books mentioned in this episode at shedunnitshow.com/doubletrouble.

Books mentioned:
— Tidy Death by Nap Lombard
The Life of G.D.H. Cole by Margaret Cole
The Floating Admiral by the Detection Club
Murder’s a Swine by Nap Lombard
Enter Sir John by Clemence Dane and Helen de Guerry Simpson
Regiment of Women by Clemence Dane
The Documents in the Case by Dorothy L. Sayers
Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers
Busman’s Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers
The Nursing Home Murder by Ngaio Marsh and Henry Jellett
The Crossword Murder by Nero Blanc
Death on the Diagonal by Nero Blanc

Further listening:
The “Round Robin” episode about multi-author whodunnits
The “Detection Club” episode about the group of golden age authors who participated in these projects
The “Mutual Admiration Society” episode about the collaboration between Dorothy L. Sayers and Muriel St Clare Byrne

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. Buying from them is a great way to support both the podcast and the book trade!

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

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

Cryptic Crimes Transcript

Caroline: Classic detective fiction has rules. Codified as the genre grew in popularity in the 1920s and early 30s, these conventions mostly feed into the idea of “fair play” between author and reader. The art of writing a good murder mystery, then, is sticking to this framework while also subverting it. There’s a great skill… Continue Reading

Cryptic Crimes

If you can solve a crossword, you can solve a murder. Thanks to my guest, Hamish Symington. You can find out more about his work at hamishsymington.com and order a custom cryptic crossword from him at customcrypticcrosswords.com. There are no major spoilers about clues or endings in this episode. However, there is some mention or… Continue Reading