Murder mysteries

[flaja]

Does anyone here read murder mysteries?

Has anyone here ever written a murder mystery?

[blucher]

I tried for years because if I wanted a book my mom's mysteries were everywhere. Just prefer history, SCiFi for relaxing and some fiction.

[RiponredTJ]

I have hundreds of murder mysteries on my shelves.
What authors are we talking?

[flaja]

Originally Posted by RiponredTJ

I have hundreds of murder mysteries on my shelves.
What authors are we talking?

I read Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes starting in the 6th grade. I've read most of his material, but not all. At the time I was more interested in the Victorian Era setting than I was the characters or plots.

I later saw the TV re-make (Deborah Kerr) of Christie's Witness For The Prosecution. It wasn't until years later that I saw the original (and better) Hollywood version.

I read Christie's Mousetrap and the stage version of WFTP last spring. After all the hype I've heard about Mousetrap finally reading the play was a big letdown. I got the distinct feeling that she made a very conscious effort to make everyone in the cast a red herring. About half-way through I thought maybe the killer was the killer for the simple fact that he hadn?t been implicated by then.

But WFTP was good, although I cannot figure out why the name change for Mrs. Vole.

I just bought a bunch of Christie paperbacks from a thrift store. They were cheap, but my eyesight is too far gone to read the small print.

I watched Murder She Wrote during its original run back in the 1980s- but mostly to make fun of Lansbury's character. Since people get bumped off wherever she went, if I were one of her relatives, I'd want her to stay home more often.

I also like Inspector Morse and Inspector Lewis and Foyle's War. I don?t much care for anything else on PBS.

In the 9th grade my school got a grant to set up a special classroom where students could improve their reading skills (total waste of money- it was a college prep magnet). We got to pick our assignments so my first one was about The Hound of the Baskervilles- chosen because I had already read it. I don't remember what the assignment was but I remember something about questioning whether or not it is fair for a mystery writer to withhold information from his readers the way Conan Doyle did when Holmes did an investigation in secret. The reader didn't get very much to use in solving the mystery, and I did feel a little ripped-off because Holmes got to know things that I didn't.

I?ve always liked the concept of murder in an English aristocratic setting. I don?t know what it is, but there is something about the detective getting all of the suspects in the same room to ID the killer. Of course we don?t have that setting this side of the Atlantic. But I have written a stage play about a murder mystery set in an old folks home. There?s a local amateur theater organization that will take script submissions from the public. I?d like to have someone read the script before I send it to make sure the plot is understandable and there are no loose ends.

[RiponredTJ]

I always liked Raymond Chandler, Tony Hillerman, James Lee Burke and Ian Rankin.

I just picked up some ratty old Erle Stanley Gardner paperbacks at a local garage sale. Perry Mason

[blucher]

I just bought a bunch of Christie paperbacks from a thrift store. They were cheap, but my eyesight is too far gone to read the small print.

Cataracts caused my mother to go through two operations & recovery. A nearby library was kind enough to order large print mysteries for her.

Another possibility is getting a digital copy of the book you wish to read and then reading it on your computer with a larger font size or on a reader like a Kindle that allows font selection. The only other option is a big Harbor Freight magnifying glass.

[flaja]

Originally Posted by blucher

Cataracts caused my mother to go through two operations & recovery. A nearby library was kind enough to order large print mysteries for her.

Another possibility is getting a digital copy of the book you wish to read and then reading it on your computer with a larger font size or on a reader like a Kindle that allows font selection. The only other option is a big Harbor Freight magnifying glass.

I didn't notice my eyesight problem until after I was hospitalized with the heart failure. I had trouble with my eyes before the 7th grade and had to have surgery, so I've had my fill of eye doctors. My mother has had contacts for about 10 years now and they have been nothing but trouble so I am not anxious to start using them.

I had already given up most of my book reading because arthritis makes it hard to hold a book for very long. I'm already getting some books on CD from the library.

[blucher]

My mother has had contacts for about 10 years now and they have been nothing but trouble so I am not anxious to start using them.

A few people find them troubling. I've never tried them (wear glasses since 41) but a friend's 15 year old got her first contacts last week and has no problems at all.

I had already given up most of my book reading because arthritis makes it hard to hold a book for very long. I'm already getting some books on CD from the library.

The books on CD will definitely help. I used Gutenberg's free books for years. Still do at times. Electronic books are easy to change fonts or resize for large print. Amazon also sells rehabbed Kindles at times. Great deal if you can dig up $100.