Shedunnit

Ngaio Marsh was a master of the spooky and the macabre.

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Many thanks to my guest, Alex Clark. Her first novel, Dovecombe, will be published in early 2027. It’s a twisted Gothic mystery set in a remote English manor house, and it’s available for pre-order now wherever you get your books. There's more information at her website, alexclarkauthor.com.

Books mentioned in this episode:
— Dovecombe by Alex Clark
— Castle of Atranto by Horace Walpole
— The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
— Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
— Dracula by Bram Stoker
— Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
— The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
— Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie
— Hamlet by William Shakespeare
— The Ingoldsby Legends by Thomas Ingoldsby
— Surfeit of Lampreys by Ngaio Marsh
— Macbeth by William Shakespeare
— Death in Ecstasy by Ngaio Marsh
— Vintage Murder by Ngaio Marsh
— Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh
— Died in the Wool by Ngaio Marsh
— Photo Finish by Ngaio Marsh
— Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
— Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh
— Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh
— Off With His Head by Ngaio Marsh

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There’s an art to bringing classic crime tropes into the 21st century.

Many thanks to my guest, Maureen Johnson. Check out the latest installment in her Stevie Bell mystery series, The Velvet Knife. Learn more about her books on her website at maureenjohnsonbooks.com.

Books mentioned in this episode:
— Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper (Illus.)
— You Are the Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper (Illus.)
— Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
— Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson
— The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson
— The Murder at World's End by Ross Montgomery
— I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
— Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
— The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
— Gaudy Night by Dorothy L Sayers

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Why has Agatha Christie’s spinster sleuth endured?

This episode was recorded live at the 2026 International Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay, Devon. Alongside Caroline on the panel was Professor Michelle Kazmer from Florida State University and the historian Rachel Trethewey, with the journalist Sarah Ransome in the chair.

Support the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.

Books mentioned in this episode:
— Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie
— A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie
— The Mirror Crack'd by Agatha Christie
— A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie
— The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie
— The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
— An Autobiography by Agatha Christie
— The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
— Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley
— They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie
— Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie
— 4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie

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Katie Lumsden joins Caroline to examine the swan song of A.J. Raffles.

No major plot spoilers until you hear Caroline say we are "entering the spoiler zone", at 13:03. After that, expect full spoilers.

Learn more about Katie Lumsden, her novels and YouTube channel, at Katie's website, www.katielumsden.co.uk.

A full list of titles in the Penguin series can be found at penguinfirsteditions.com. The next book discussed in this series will be The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Support the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.

Books mentioned in this episode:
— Mr Justice Raffles by E.W. Hornung
— The Brotherhood of the Seven Kings by L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace
— The Amateur Cracksman by E.W. Hornung
— The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
— Trilby by George du Maurier

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Where does the tradition of younger women solving crimes begin?

Support the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.

Books and stories mentioned in this episode:
— The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green
— "Problem One: The Golden Slipper" by Anna Katharine Green, collected in The Golden Slipper, And Other Problems For Violet Strange

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Caroline rereads Christianna Brand's 1944 crime novel, Green for Danger.

Join my live event at the International Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay on Saturday, 19th September. Tickets are available at iacf-uk.org.

Support the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.

Books mentioned in this episode:
— Green for Danger by Christianna Brand
— "Dear Mr Editor..." by Christianna Brand, collected in Murder by the Book
— Death of Jezebel by Christianna Brand
— London Particular by Christianna Brand; alternate title: Fog of Doubt

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Let’s meet Agatha Christie’s strangest creation.

Join my live event at the International Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay on Saturday, 19th September. Tickets are available at iacf-uk.org.

Support the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.

Books mentioned in this episode:
— The Mysterious Mr Quin by Agatha Christie
— The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie
— The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie
— Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie
— The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
— Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie
— The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie

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Beyond the famous novels, there’s a whole world to discover.

Support the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitshow.com/join.

Sign up to the podcast's newsletter to stay in touch between episodes: shedunnitshow.com/newsletter

If you'd like to hear Caroline speaking at greater length about Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie, come along to her event at the International Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay on Saturday 19th September at 3pm. Tickets are available from the festival website, iacf-uk.org.

Books mentioned in this episode:
— Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

— The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie

— Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

— And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

— Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie

— Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie

— Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie

— The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie

— Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie

— The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

— Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

— Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie

— Curtain by Agatha Christie

— Absent in the Spring by Mary Westmacott

— Death Comes As The End by Agatha Christie

— Mrs McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie

— Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie

— A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie

— Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie

— Endless Night by Agatha Christie

— A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie

— Nemesis by Agatha Christie

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On science-driven crime fiction in the 1920s and the 2020s.

Many thanks to my guest, Kathy Reichs. The paperback of Evil Bones is published on 30th July in the UK. You can find out more about Kathy and her work at her website, kathyreichs.com.

Support the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.

Books & sources mentioned in this episode:
— The Missing Moneylender by W. Stanley Sykes
— The Documents in the Case by Dorothy L. Sayers ad Robert Eustace
— The Bone Collection by Kathy Reichs
— Evil Bones by Kathy Reichs

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Why did Agatha Christie set her murders in villages?

Support the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join.

Books & sources mentioned in this episode:
— "God Made the Country" by William Cowper
— The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie
— The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie
— The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
— A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
— A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie
— Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie
— The South Country by Edward Thomas
— The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers
— An Autobiography by Agatha Christie
— The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
— The Condition of England by Charles F. G. Masterman
— The Strange Death of Liberal England by George Dangerfield
— Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie

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