Lighting the Pipes

Richard Vine's debut novel transports readers to the sharp, seedy world of Manhattan art shows, broken hearts and criminal enterprise. What starts as helping out a murder investigation soon becomes much more for art-dealer (and friend of victim) Jackson Wyeth. "SoHo Sins" is crafted by Vine with a knowing pen, one that is encouraged by a wealth of career experience in the art game and inspired by the busted-up detective narrators of noirs gone by. LTP is excited to be back and kick-starting a new round of reviews with this 2016 entry from Richard Vine and Hard Case Crime.

Who killed Dimitrios Makrupoulos? That’s what obsessive mystery writer Charles Latimer is eager to find out in Eric Ambler’s classic thriller from 1939. As he racks up European passport stamps in pursuit of an answer, the dark and criminal underbelly of a continent in flux is exposed to him, offering Latimer much more than fodder for his next novel. Join LTP as Josh and Scott give chase and explore both author and novel. Fast facts @ 8:50; Summary @ 27:15; Pipes @ 44:30

Our look at the post-Fleming world of 007 continues with "Licence Renewed", John Gardner's inaugural outing and the first James Bond novel of the 1980s. An ousted nuclear scientist with a Braveheart complex seeks revenge in this spy adventure. From fixed horse races and holographic bedrooms to night-driving and devilish highland games, we portion out the narrative goods and take focus down the literary gun-barrel.

Artistry and imagination ran in the bloodline of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's family. His father, Charles, was driven by powerful appetites and ambitions that aptly reflected the Victorian spirit and would come to greatly influence his son. However, his personal life and mental health were marked by persistent struggle. From his advantaged start in London to his tumultuous adult years in Edinburgh to his final days in Dumfries, we step off the beaten track in this special episode for a sojourn through the life and legacy of Charles Altamont Doyle.

We conclude this summer's Sherlock Selects series with "The Devil's Foot", originally published in 1910 and presented later in Conan Doyle's "His Last Bow" collection. Highlighted by a dastardly villain with a vengeful, colonial mind, this story also features a drug-induced journey into the unknown which tests Holmes and Watson's friendship to the max! Edwardian adventure awaits you in this conversation, originally recorded in June of 2018.

Louise Penny's debut novel transports readers to the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada, and the fictitious village of Three Pines. The mysterious death of a retired teacher, Jane Neal, sends this secluded community into a fog of suspicion marked by the exhumation of buried secrets, insecurities and dark history. Working the case is Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, veteran of the Sûreté du Québec, whose peaceable personality puts him in good stead among the denizens of Three Pines. So pack your bag, readers, and book your B&B: visitors to the leafy lanes of "Still Life" can expect lessons in archery, antique furniture and amateur art! Fast Facts @4:00, Summary @19:30, Review from 43:30.

Josh's selection for this year's "Sherlock Selects" returns us to The Illustrious Client. Marked by the predatory exploits of a dastardly Baron, this later Conan Doyle story (1925) spins its archetypal threads of good vs. evil while promoting emergent themes in context of suffragette and female agency. Our chat, originally recorded in-person during the summer of 2018, has been trimmed down, tidied up and newly introduced here for our annual Summer Redux. Enjoy!

In this installment, Josh presents a clean line through the scandalous phlegm of HUAC and the red scare in Hollywood which served as backdrop for many great film noir productions, including 1948's "Force of Evil". Director Abraham Polonsky fills each frame with atmosphere and suggestive imagery to help convey themes of family conflict and corruption. Heralded still for its lyrical, razor-sharp script, "Force of Evil" has earned a place in the pantheon of film noir. John Garfield, Thomas Gomez and Beatrice Pearson star in this compelling thriller showcasing the rot of capitalist greed in the American underworld.

In this episode, our first in a new branch exploring the continuation novels of James Bond, we look down the literary gunbarrel at "Colonel Sun", written by Robert Markham (Kingsley Amis). Published four years after Ian Fleming's death, Markham's compelling adventure situates agent 007 in a new world of espionage. "Colonel Sun" comes on the heels of Amis's successful non-fiction character-piece, "The James Bond Dossier" and marks the first "official" 007 fiction of a new era. So, hop aboard the good ship LTP and brandish your shades and parasols - we're setting sail right now, straight for the Sun... Colonel Sun!

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."Thus starts the troubled narrative of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 classic novel. Part mystery story, part Gothic romance, Rebecca manipulates features of both genres to impressive effect. It offers readers a haunting depiction of tormented characters in an eerily prescient country mansion. The novel follows our naive narrator as she tries to make sense of married life in the aristocracy, complete with a controlling housekeeper, destructive family secrets and more repressed baggage than you can comfortably carry! Bio & Context @ 4:55, Summary @ 25:15, Review @ 48:30

Kami Garcia's "Agent of Chaos" is one of two X-Files origin novels published in 2017. The story is set in 1979 and follows a 17 year-old Fox Mulder. A soon-to-be High School graduate, Mulder is struggling to negotiate the choppy waters of his parents' recent divorce as a spate of child abductions casts an anxious cloud over the D.C. area. Mulder grows obsessed when he starts to piece together evidence missed by the authorities and soon sees the case as a chance to make amends for the loss of his own sister, Samantha, five years earlier. Garcia's novel offers an engaging and decisive snapshot of Fox Mulder before his transition into adulthood and employment with the FBI.

Hjalmar Söderberg's compelling novel caused quite a stir in Europe when it was published in 1905. His protagonist - a restless, brooding doctor in Stockholm at the turn of the century - grows obsessive when a patient comes to him with a delicate problem. Written in loose epistolary fashion, the inner monologues of Doctor Glas juxtapose beautiful reflections on life and morality with odious thoughts and scheming about the local minister, Pastor Gregorius. Oh, and did we mention the patient was the Pastor's wife? Yeah, it's all to play for here and tragic love is the trophy. Söderberg's narrative has a lot to offer: great beauty, dark trauma and hectares of fertile Freduian farmland to map!

In this episode we travel to the Land of the Rising Sun where master detective Akechi Kogoro plays a game of cat and mouse with the titular Black Lizard, a femme fatale unlike we’ve encountered so far! Serialized at the height of Imperial Japan, before its ill-fated bid at Pacific supremacy, this twisted tale by Edogawa Rampo (the pseudonym of Taro Hirai) weaves a narrative of jewelery-theft and kidnap-come-torture. Channeling the spirits of Poe's disturbed imagination and Conan Doyle's straight-ahead pacing, Rampo delivers a lively, memorable read. So join us as we take on "The Black Lizard"!

Our final episode of 2023 investigates Celia Fremlin's "The Long Shadow" from 1975. Fremlin's text spins an intricate domestic mystery surrounding the recently-widowed character of Imogen Barnicott. Strange things start happening around her home at Christmastime and her late husband's family arrive to spend the holidays with their own baggage weighing heavy. But house guests are only the start of Imogen's trouble: nightmarish visitors, misplaced books, anonymous letters, a stolen cat... oh, and accusations of murder - what holiday would be complete without them! So, stoke the fire and grab your favourite grog, it's time for a holiday mystery!

In this special episode we polish the dust off our first chat on "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" from 2017 and reintroduce the story just in time for the holidays! As the only Holmes story set firmly within the Christmas season, "Carbuncle" occupies a special place in the hearts of many readers. Published in the January 1892 edition of The Strand, it offers readers a fine mix of intrigue, mishap and fireside fuzzies.

1961's "Call for the Dead" was a striking premiere in spy fiction. Not only was it the careful, opening gambit in John le Carré's long and dominating career, it also marked the first appearance of George Smiley, the author's recurring intelligence officer of unlikely composition. Accented by a polite, unassuming conduct, Smiley is slightly overweight and a bit lovesick, too, all of which stood him in sharp contrast to the "known quantity" literary spy of the day. Drawing on his own experiences of work with Britain's intelligence services, John le Carré sculpts his inaugural text out of post-war mortar and emerging cold-war realism.

In this installment, Josh gets behind the wheel of "Detour" and takes listeners through the hairpin turns of Edgar G. Ulmer's "poverty row" production. When it was released in November 1945, "Detour" exceeded expectations, impressing post-war audiences and critics alike with inspired editing, nihilistic storytelling and a standout performance by Ann Savage as the vicious Vera. From Martin Goldsmith's source material to Leo Erdody's compelling post-production score, this special episode covers all tire-worn avenues of Ulmer's classic noir!

Batman first appeared in the May 1939 edition of "Detective Comics", the creation of Bill Finger and Bob Kane. Since then, the caped crusader and his story have been re-imagined through myriad themes and variations. Arguably the most compelling of these came In 1987, when artist and writer Frank Miller portrayed the first year of Bruce Wayne's activity as Batman. His four-part story runs in parallel to that of Police Lieutenant James Gordon, whose arrival and ascension in Gotham city is of equal importance. In this episode, Josh and Scott discuss Miller's graphic novel, starting with a detailed look at the origins of the character and its artists (6:25) before presenting a full plot summary (36:20) and finally reviewing the work in its entirety (54:00).

It's late in 1941. Honolulu basks in Hawaiian warmth and Battleship Row sparkles with military confidence, just weeks before the day that would live in infamy. Downtown, Police Detective Joe McGrady receives a brutal double murder case that's about to change his life. The first victim is the nephew of an Admiral; the second is a young Japanese woman. What do these killings have to do with the impending attack on Pearl Harbour and Imperial Japan’s grasp for Pacific supremacy? How far will McGrady go to uncover the truth and chase a killer? Find out more as we dive-bomb into extended discussion over James Kestrel’s Edgar Award winning war-time thriller, Five Decembers.

Boileau-Narcejac's novel D'entre les morts (The Living and the Dead) was published in 1954 and served as the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock's classic psychological thriller. Over the decades, however, the source material with its war-time setting has been largely subsumed by the influence of the Hollywood production. Here, Josh and Scott explore Jeffery Sainsbury's enduring translation of the original novel by the esteemed French crime-writing duo.

A brief crank call transforms into a lengthy nightmare for spinster Helen Clarvoe and her anxious orbit around family and friends in Los Angeles. By turns evasive and compelling, Margaret Millar proffers a unique psychological thriller with Beast in View, her Edgar Award winning novel from 1956. Working the case on behalf of Helen (and readers) is unlikely investigator, Paul Blackshear, who sails a sea of choppy emotional waters, characterised by obsession, personal trauma and vindictive love. So, leave your phone off the hook and join us for a look through this enduring narrative gem and its unassuming legacy.

Robert Siodmak's gem from 1949 goes under the microscope in this episode. Motivations for this classic plot involve an armoured car heist, an old flame and axes to grind. Good natured sap, Burt Lancaster, is the inside man on the job whilst making time with his ex, turned gangster’s moll, Yvonne De Carlo. Unfortunately for him, head-heavy Dan Duryea is as violent as he is jealous. Josh takes you through the beats of Criss Cross as LTP Noir continues its investigation into the world of Film Noir.

In this episode we hoist, brail and kedge our way through Erskine Childer's 1903 prophetic spy thriller, The Riddle of the Sands. Published in 1903 and foreshadowing the great conflict of nations only a decade away, "Riddle" has held its place among the pantheon of influential spy mysteries for well over a century now. We start our voyage with Josh navigating the short, tumultuous waters of the author's life, rise and eventual fall at the inception of Irish Civil War (8:00). We then bowse the main sail and get down to cruising through brass tacks in our discussion of the novel itself (48:12).

A staple of the first-person confessional, James M Cain's debut novel has really lasted the test of time. Now knocking on 90 years of age, "The Postman Always Rings Twice" delivers a ruthless plot at an unforgiving pace. Frank Chambers is an unemployed rambler possessed of a loose moral compass and an appetite for opportunity. Once he drifts upon the Twin Oaks Tavern and into the life of the restless Cora Papadakis things will never be the same again. So, flip the sign and lock the door - it's closing time at the diner but happy hour for another LTP literary investigation!

LTP Noir returns, this time to the mean streets of Samuel Fuller’s New York City at the height of the McCarthy era. Richard Widmark, Jean Peters and Thelma Ritter star in "Pickup on South Street", a brutish and caustic yarn where common criminals are considered heroes compared to those stinking Reds! Collect your tickets, friends, and hop aboard as Josh steadies the train through this underrated film's tracks and turns, with stops along the way through Fuller's prolific career in journalism and Hollywood.

"The Triumph of the Spider Monkey" is the chaotic narrative of Bobby Gotteson, whose repressive lust and murderous rage reach their fever-pitch following a hubris-led journey to California. All but disowned by its author, Joyce Carol Oates, we crack the covers on a new season of LTP with a look at this stylish, often brutal novel, recently resurrected from obscurity by Hard Case Crime. We also take a look at "Love, Careless Love", Oates' never-before collected companion novella.

In 1943, Alfred Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt" delivered a sinister sucker-punch of a conundrum to naïve North American audiences: What happens when the sleepy, mundane routine of a secure society unwittingly welcomes in maniacal, chaotic forces? Playing on one of Hitchcock's favourite themes, this microcosm of a film has aged exceptionally well. In this episode, Josh breaks down the complex film and considers its legacy.

“Dark Passage” is one of Film Noir's most unique thrillers. The 1947 film boasts an all-star cast, innovative use of first-person subjective camerawork and some remarkable on-location shooting. What's more, it was the inspiration for "The Fugitive" TV series of the 1960s as well as its 1993 feature film remake (...minus the plastic surgery of course!). In this episode of our cinematic side-series, Josh navigates the murky waters of Delmer Daves’s tense and visually compelling manhunt.

Our first Agatha Christie read takes us to Gossington Hall where the body of a young woman is found, dead and spread, upon the floor of Colonel Bantry's library. Invited to snoop and sleuth by the Colonel's wife, the quiet and calculating Miss Marple lends her expertise when the investigation moves from country manor to seaside hotel. Published in 1942 and featuring a complete set of supporting players and red-herrings, "The Body in the Library" is the fourth Marple investigation and one of her most celebrated. Before diving into the narrative we shed light on the author's fascinating life and share some equally fascinating links to the world of table-top gaming! Cluedo anyone?

In this episode Josh discusses the troubled and time-pressed production of George Marshall's "The Blue Dahlia". Penned by hard-boiled novelist, Raymond Chandler, and starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake and William Bendix, the story behind this gritty man-on-the-run thriller is as compelling as the adventure itself.

Better know, perhaps, for his writing in the expanded universes of Star Wars, Star Trek and Blade Runner, K W Jeter is nevertheless one of the pioneers of cyberpunk fiction. The sub-genre's gritty, challenging tropes are equal parts prophetic and perplexing for readers. Into its tech-heavy milieu of corrupt appetites and dispossessed culture, Jeter situates John McNihil, a singular detective with a unique and nostalgic view of his world, the Gloss of the Pacific Rim. There's not much that Jeter's narrative and world-building shy away from here so hold on to your hats (...fedoras, of course) as we delve deeply into this complex and prescient thriller.

Otto Preminger's "Laura" from 1944 is considered a classic of the noir genre. Expertly cast and masterfully directed, "Laura" has remained among cinema's most stylistic of psychological thrillers for nearly 80 years. So set your clocks and hide your shotguns - in the second feature of this intriguing side-series, Josh explores the context behind Laura's production and considers the factors of its enduring influence.

Ten years after propelling his protagonist off the page via Reichenbach in "The Final Problem", Arthur Conan Doyle returns Holmes to his adoring public. Published in Autumn of 1903, "The Empty House" gave eager readers what they'd been seeking for a decade - key answers to the past, a wild villain of the present and much hope for the future. First released in November 2017, this episode has been lovingly reworked for presentation and brings this Summer's Sherlock Selects Series to an end!

Good news, Sherlock fans! Summer has arrived (in the northern hemisphere at least) and that means the return of our world-famous "Sherlock Selects" Summer Series! Last year, we featured four classic stand-alone installments. This season we're tackling the Holmesian mythology with revamped presentations of "The Final Problem" and "The Empty House". First up, Conan Doyle's intrepid attempt to bid farewell to his great detective from December 1893. Our conversation here was first presented in September 2017. Enjoy!

Inspired by real events, Robert Traver's 1958 novel was the first of its kind - a true "courtroom thriller". Showcasing the genial narrative perspective of every-man defense attorney, Paul Biegler, "Anatomy" couldn't be better named as it guides readers through the crooks and crevices of the legal corpus of a murder trial. Groundbreaking and controversial in equal measure for its detailing and confrontation of sexual assault, Traver's story was immediately adapted for the screen by Hollywood legend Otto Preminger, where it gathered further acclaim and social traction. As fiction, "Anatomy" holds up well and, propelled by its warmth and wisdom, offered us a mill's worth of grist for conversational grind.

In this pint-sized episode, we reach into the archives and present a conversation from July 2016 on Ian Fleming's "Quantum of Solace". A divisive short story that had James Bond fans scratching their heads, Fleming's narrative experiment positions 007 as after-dinner audience to a morality tale of greed, revenge and marital conflict. It's a curious short story and well worth checking out!

In this engaging side-series, Josh flies solo in exploring the production, features and influences of Film Noir. Taking the shape of compact film reviews, the first of these complementary capsule episodes sets the stage for the genre's American premiere by looking at its European origins. Informative context then gives way to review as John Huston's 1941 adaptation of "The Maltese Falcon" by Dashiel Hammett goes under the microscope. "The stuff that dreams are made of..." Enjoy!

Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon" wastes no time cutting shapes and setting angles in its pursuit of modelling the hard-boiled genre. The opening sentence alone produces enough sharp edge to slice through a striploin at Herbert's on Powell Street: "Samuel Spade's jaw was long and bony, his chin a jutting V under the more flexible V of his mouth." However, in spite of its influence, the whetted and defining weaponry of Hammett's straight-ahead narrative isn't to everybody's literary taste and debate remains strong over this classic crime story. Join us as we light the pipes and share conversation over this perennial text.

"The Moonstone" is regarded by many as the progenitor of the detective novel in English. Published in 1868, it marks, perhaps, the peak of Wilkie Collins's career as a novelist and emerged onto the scene at a time of great change for Scotland Yard and the British Empire at large. Steeped in foreign intrigue and trapped within a casing of disguise, mistaken identity and class conflict, "The Moonstone" offers a wealth of intrigue for genre readers and literary historians alike. So, please take your seat at Lady Verinder's table with us and prepare for the most prophetic 18th birthday party you can imagine - the Moonstone is in the building!

In 1955 Patricia Highsmith introduced the world to Tom Ripley, a young and ambitious con-man who gets the break of a lifetime when serendipity (in the form of an acquaintance's rich father) sends him to Italy on a rescue mission. Haunted by insecurities and struggling against his own ego, Tom "fakes it till he makes it", drawing on deep reservoirs of charm and industry, and for a while his many demons are quietly contained. But invisible appetites are always sharpening their teeth and Highsmith soon ratchets up the tension to let the beast off the leash. It's been a while in arriving but we're excited to finally be lighting the pipes over this enduring psychological thriller!

Edgar Allan Poe's contributions to literary form can hardly be overstated. Among many accomplishments, he is widely regarded as the progenitor of the detective story. His character, C. Auguste Dupin first appeared in 1841's "Murders in the Rue Morgue" and returned the following year for "The Mystery of Marie Roget" and again in 1844's "The Purloined Letter". These three stories had an enormous impact on the development of mystery and the evolution of crime fiction, influencing many writers and artists. Perhaps chief among these was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In this episode, Josh and Scott reflect upon Poe's three 19th Century tales of "ratiocination".

In Michael Connelly's debut novel, readers meet Detective Harry Bosch of the LAPD. Bosch is haunted by several demons from his past, each of which comes out to play in "The Black Echo". First, there's the tragedy of his mother's murder and the childhood wounds of growing up in the system. Then there's his time as "tunnel-rat" in Vietnam as part of the 1st Infantry Division. Finally, his fumble over the so-called "Dollmaker" serial killings: an accidental shooting which saw him cut from the lofty heights of Robbery-Homicide and redeployed within the Department's Hollywood Division. These compelling factors combine with other narrative features in setting the context for our introduction to Connelly's principled protagonist. Here, LTP deep-dives through the first appearance of one of the genre's most celebrated characters.

What do you get when an adventurous British writer combines suspension of disbelief, war-time propaganda and a patriotic dose of daring-do? John Buchan's "The 39 Steps", of course, a "shocker" that pleased troops and arm-chair generals alike and introduced the literary world to the character of Richard Hannay. In 1915, this novella seemed to strike all the right chords with British (and allied) audience. But more modern tuners are challenging the culturally-insensitive sharps and flats of Buchan's compositions. Season 3 continues as Josh and Scott light pipes and chat over the narrative and legacy of "The 39 Steps".

In 1955, Graham Greene published "The Quiet American", part character confession and part political allegory, set amidst the changing of the colonial guard in Southeast Asia. As the French powers puff their last breaths in Vietnam the American agenda starts making its strident moves and there, observing all from the inside, is cynical British journalist Thomas Fowler. Forced into defending his own private sanctuary and selfishness, Fowler grows embroiled in a conflict with CIA agent Alden Pyle that is as symbolic as it is sympathetic. Josh and Scott talk PIPES and chase the metaphorical dragon over this sophisticated narrative as Season 3 continues.

Our "Sherlock Selects" summer series concludes here with a real show-stopper! "The Copper Beeches" is one of Conan Doyle's most atmospheric and engaging mysteries, featuring a female client with moxie and a country manse full of fear. We had a great time talking over this story back in May of 2017 and proudly re-present it here today in wrapping up our seasonal series.

When old age hands you lemons... it's time to take monkey gland injections from a quack Czech doctor! Or, at least, that's what Professor Presbury might have once suggested. This curious tale is as close as Conan Doyle ever gets to showcasing the hardships of graceful aging to the love-struck pensioner. Yes, "The Adventure of the Creeping Man" is full of crazy moments but it is not bereft of relevance: anti-aging creams, experimental diets, airbrushed photographs... how many of us wish for greater powers of attraction and vitality? Presbury might be an unhinged "monkey man" but his actions hold an awkward mirror up to ourselves. We had a fun time talking over this tale back in September of 2018 and are excited to revive it now for our Summer series!

In this gritty crime thriller, Detective Sergeant John Rebus makes his literary debut. Ian Rankin draws on rich material from the city of Edinburgh and his native Scotland in sculpting his protagonist's first adventure. From the dank alleyways of Auld Reekie to the spirited influence of Stevenson's "Jekyll and Hyde", Rankin works hard with his first Rebus novel to establish an immersive world of conflict and consequence.

A grizzly harpoon murder and a protégé inspector lure Sherlock and Watson out of London and into the remote Weald of East Sussex in this atmospheric adventure. Originally published in 1904, this yarn was collected and re-published a year later in "The Return of Sherlock Holmes". Our "Sherlock Selects" Summer mini-series continues here with a return to this dark story of revenge and retribution sparked years previously upon the open sea. All aboard!

Our "Sherlock Selects" mini-series continues to buffer the Summer's bigger reads, this time with a conversation on "The Bruce Partington Plans" from May 2018. Originally published in 1908 (and featured in the later collection "His Last Bow") this story of stolen government plans in a fog-draped London overflows with intrigue and eventually ranked as one of Conan Doyle's own favourites. We had fun revisiting this tale and stoking the fire over its slow-burning charm.

Published in 1977, "A Morbid Taste For Bones" introduced Brother Cadfael to the world, a Welsh Benedictine monk of the 12th Century with a penchant for solving crimes. Although Ellis Peters establishes a dynamic back-story for her protagonist, set amidst the turmoil of the First Crusade, the vibe of his first adventure is decidedly more "crofter intrigue" than "conflicts of war". Led by the suspect vision of an ambitious monk, the Brothers of Shrewsbury Abbey feel entitled to the nearby relics of Saint Winifred, Welsh virgin martyr, and travel to rural Gwytherin in hopes of exhuming and obtaining them. Things go from bad to worse when bribery and murder enter the plot and Cadfael is soon forced to intercede to arbitrate, explicate and ameliorate events. Complete with a mini-history on the First Crusade, in this episode we guide you through the bell-tolls of Cadfael's first monastic mystery.