Shedunnit

Meet Maud West, a real life lady detective from the golden age of detective fiction who lived a very colourful life — as well as sleuthing, she liked to dress up as Charlie Chaplin and once threatened to shoot a ghost. But who was she, really?

Find links to all the books mentioned and more details about my guests at shedunnitshow.com/theladydetective.

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.

Get a free audiobook via Audible at shedunnitshow.com/audible

Guest:

—Susannah Stapleton, author of The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective

Books mentioned in order of appearance:

—The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective by Susannah Stapleton

—British Women in the Twentieth Century by Elsie M. Lang

—Lady Molly of Scotland Yard by Baroness Orczy

To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.

The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.

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

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

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School is an enclosed world that breeds tension and suspicion and stress. No wonder it's such a perfect setting for a murder mystery.

Find links to all the books mentioned and more details about my guests at shedunnitshow.com/backtoschool.

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.

Contributors:

—Moira Redmond, author of the Clothes in Books blog

—Robin Stevens, author of the Murder Most Unladylike book series

Books mentioned in order of appearance:

—The Governess, or The Little Female Academy by Sarah Fielding

—Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

—David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

—Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes

—A Terrible Tomboy by Angela Brazil

—The Naughtiest Girl in the School by Enid Blyton

—The School at the Chalet by Elinor Brent-Dyer

—Moira's blog about The Silent Three

—First Term at Mallory Towers by Enid Blyton

—The Clue in the Castle by Joyce Bevins Webb - Rare Book

—A Question of Proof by Nicholas Blake

—Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers

—Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey

—Cat Among The Pigeons by Agatha Christie

—Quiet as a Nun by Antonia Fraser

—The Secret Place by Tana French

—Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

—First Class Murder by Robin Stevens

—Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.

The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.

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

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

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Her trial gripped the nation and tested Britain’s legal system to the limit. But what happened to Florence Maybrick?

This is the second of a two part story — listen to episode 16 first at shedunnitshow.com/florencemaybrick.

Find links to further information and sources at shedunnitshow.com/florencemaybricktwo.

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 consulted for research:

—The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards

—A is for Arsenic  by Kathryn Harkup

—Did She Kill Him? by Kate Colquhoun

—The Anatomy of Murder  by Members of the Detection Club

To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.

The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.

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

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

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The River Thames has always had a dark side. Its fast-flowing, tidal waters have long attracted those with something to hide.

Find links to further reading and sources at shedunnitshow.com/onthethames.

You can order my book about the Thames, The Way to the Sea, from Waterstones, Amazon or an independent bookshop. For international purchases, Amazon is (sadly) the best option.

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 mentioned in order: —Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers —Footsteps at the Lock by Ronald Knox —”Dark Waters” by Freeman Wills Crofts is collected in Bodies from the Library —Sunset Over Soho by Gladys Mitchell —A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey

Further Thames reading: —Original Sin by P.D. James —Strange Tide by Christopher Fowler —Trouble on the Thames by Victor Bridges

To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.

The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.

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

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

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A shipboard romance that somehow became one of the most notorious domestic poisoning cases in British history. This is the story of Florence Maybrick.

Check back for part two of this story on 12 June.

Find links to further information and sources at shedunnitshow.com/florencemaybrick.

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 consulted for research: —The Golden Age of Murder  by Martin Edwards —A is for Arsenic  by Kathryn Harkup —Did She Kill Him? by Kate Colquhoun —The Anatomy of Murder  by Members of the Detection Club

To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.

The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.

Sponsor: —Audible: get a free audiobook of your choice and  help the show out at the same time at shedunnitshow.com/audible.

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

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

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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 at her website jacquelinewinspear.com and get links to the books discussed at shedunnitshow.com/periodstyle.

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 mentioned in order of appearance: —The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie —The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie —Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers —The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham —A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway —Ariel by André Maurois —The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers —Third Girl by Agatha Christie —Halloween Party by Agatha Christie —Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear —The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear

To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.

The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.

Sponsor: —The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah, published by HarperCollins. Enter the competition to win a copy by sending an email to [email protected].

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

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

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Authors’ names loom large when we think about detective stories. Yet many of them are pseudonyms, created just to appear on book covers. But why go to all this trouble? And what makes a good pen name, anyway?

Find more information about my guest Helen Fields / H.S. Chandler at her website helenfields.co.uk and get links to the books discussed at shedunnitshow.com/pseudonyms.

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.

Read about why I’ve started the book club here.

Subscribe to The Allusionist podcast by Helen Zaltzman to catch Caroline on her pseudonyms episode next week. Find it at theallusionist.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Books mentioned in order of appearance: —The Man in the Queue  by Gordon Daviot / Josephine Tey —A Room of One’s Own  by Virginia Woolf —Josephine Tey: A Life  by Jennifer Morag Henderson —Kif: An Unvarnished History by Elizabeth Mackintosh —Richard of Bordeaux, a play in two acts by Gordon Daviot —A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey —Degrees of Guilt  by H.S. Chandler

Sponsor: —The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah, published by HarperCollins. Enter the competition to win a copy by sending an email to [email protected].

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

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

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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 about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.

The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.

You can donate to the show at shedunnitshow.com/donate and buy books for Caroline to use in the research for future episodes at shedunnitshow.com/wishlist.

Things mentioned in order of appearance: —The Lonely Palette podcast —Ngaio Marsh: Her Life in Crime by Joanne Drayton —A Man Lay Dead  by Ngaio Marsh —Murder at the Vicarage  by Agatha Christie —Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers —The Crime at Black Dudley  by Margery Allingham —Murder on the Orient Express  by Agatha Christie —The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers —Died in the Wool  by Ngaio Marsh —Colour Scheme  by Ngaio Marsh

Further reading and sources: —Ngaio Marsh: A Life  by Margaret Lewis (the authorised biography from 1991) —Black Beech and Honeydew  by Ngaio Marsh (her autobiography) —The Golden Age of Murder  by Martin Edwards

Sponsor: —The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah, published by HarperCollins. Enter the competition to win a copy by sending an email to [email protected].

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

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

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Writing is usually a solitary pastime, yet a group of detective fiction authors in the early 1930s decided to work together on murder mystery stories. Is it possible to construct a compelling whodunnit this way, or do too many cooks spoil the broth?

Fill out the audience survey and have your say in the future of the podcast at shedunnitshow.com/survey.

Find more information about this episode and links to the books discussed at shedunnitshow.com/roundrobin.

The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.

You can donate to the show at shedunnitshow.com/donate and buy books for Caroline to use in the research for future episodes at shedunnitshow.com/wishlist.

Books and articles mentioned in order of appearance: —The Scoop & Behind the Screen by members of the Detection Club —The Floating Admiral by certain members of the Detection Club —The Fate of Fenella by Arthur Conan Doyle and others —The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards —Ask A Policeman by members of the Detection Club —The Anatomy of Murder by members of the Detection Club —Six Against the Yard by members of the Detection Club —The Sinking Admiral by members of the Detection Club

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

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

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Some sleuths need no introduction. But other characters, also created by famous authors like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, lurk in obscurity. In this episode, we're on the hunt for the other detectives.

Find more information about this episode and links to the books discussed at shedunnitshow.com/theotherdetectives. The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.

You can donate to the show at shedunnitshow.com/donate and buy books for Caroline to use in the research for future episodes at shedunnitshow.com/wishlist.

Books and articles mentioned in order of appearance:

—The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

—Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie

—The Old Man in the Corner by Baroness Orczy

—N or M? by Agatha Christie

—By The Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie

—Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie

—In the Teeth of the Evidence by Dorothy L. Sayers (first collection with Montague Egg stories)

—Hangman's Holiday by Dorothy L. Sayers (second collection with Montague Egg stories)

—Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers

—"The Divine Detective in the Guilty Vicarage" by Dr Robert Zaslavsky

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

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

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 independent bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.

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