Meet the hypochondriacs of golden age detective fiction.

My new book, A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria, is out now in the UK and published on 24th April in North America. To find out more and get your copy, visit my website carolinecrampton.com/abodymadeofglass.

Join the Shedunnit Book Club for two extra Shedunnit episodes a month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join

There are some minor spoilers in this episode — no solutions to whodunnits totally revealed, but some plot details discussed. If you want to avoiding knowing such details about something that you're reading or plan to read, please consult the list of books and stories in the episode description before proceeding.

Mentioned in this episode:

— "The Case of the Perfect Maid" by Agatha Christie, collected in Miss Marple's Final Cases

— N or M? by Agatha Christie

— The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

— Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie

— Green for Danger by Christianna Brand

— Black Plumes by Margery Allingham

— "The Blue Geranium" by Agatha Christie, collected in The Thirteen Problems

— The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie

— Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie

— The Labours of Hercules by Agatha Christie

— Fear for Miss Betony by Dorothy Bowers

— A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie

— 4.50 From Paddington by Agatha Christie

— Family Matters by Anthony Rolls

— “They Don’t Wear Labels” by E.M. Delafield, collected in Capital Crimes

— Below Suspicion by John Dickson Carr

— Blue Murder by Harriet Rutland

— Grave Mistake by Ngaio Marsh

— Police at the Funeral by Margery Allingham

— Poison in the Garden Suburb by G.D.H. and Margaret Cole

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.

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

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

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A scientific murder mystery.

My new book, A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria, is published in April. To find out more and register for the exclusive pre-order bonus material, visit my website carolinecrampton.com.

Join the Shedunnit Book Club for two extra Shedunnit episodes a month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join

Mentioned in this episode:

— "The Tea Leaf" by Robert Eustace and Edgar Jepson

Related Shedunnit Episodes:

— Who Was Robert Eustace?

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The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, 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/thetealeaftranscript

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

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The crime fiction of Lucy Beatrice Malleson deserves to be better known.

My new book, A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria, is published in April. To find out more and register for the exclusive pre-order bonus material, visit my website carolinecrampton.com.

Join the Shedunnit Book Club for two extra Shedunnit episodes a month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join

Mentioned in this episode:

— Three-A-Penny by Lucy Malleson

— Cat and the Canary by John Willard

— The Man Who Was London by J. Kilmeny Keith

— “The Lay of the Last Minstrel” by Walter Scott

— Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

— The Tragedy at Freyne by Anthony Gilbert

— The Division Bell Mystery by Ellen Wilkinson

— Death at Four Corners by Anthony Gilbert

— An Old Lady Dies by Anthony Gilbert

— The Mystery of the Open Window by Anthony Gilbert

— The Night in the Fog by Anthony Gilbert

— Portrait of a Murderer by Anne Meredith

— Death in Fancy Dress by Anthony Gilbert

— The Man in Button Boots by Anthony Gilbert

— Courtier to Death by Anthony Gilbert

— Murder by Experts by Anthony Gilbert

— A Nice Little Killing by Anthony Gilbert

— Death Wears a Mask by Anthony Gilbert

— Death in the Wrong Room by Anthony Gilbert

— The Vanishing Corpse by Anthony Gilbert

— The Woman in Red by Anthony Gilbert

— Lady Killer by Anthony Gilbert

— Death Takes A Wife by Anthony Gilbert

— The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

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.

This episode is free of spoilers.

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, 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/lucyanthonyandannetranscript

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

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Helen Zaltzman is the guest for this dissection of the first green penguin.

Until 26:43, the discussion is free of major spoilers. At that point, as you will hear us say, we enter the spoiler zone and you can expect spoilers until the end.

Helen's podcast The Allusionist is available wherever you are listening to this or at theallusionist.org

My new book, A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria, is published in April. To find out more and register for the exclusive pre-order bonus material, visit my website carolinecrampton.com.

Mentioned in this episode:

— The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L Sayers

— Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers

— Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers

— Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers

Related Shedunnit Episodes:

— Death at the Club

— A Mysterious Glossary

— The Advertising Adventures of Dorothy L. Sayers

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.

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, 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/theunpleasantnessatthebellonaclubtranscript/

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

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One visit to Agatha Christie changed everything.

Thank you to my guest, Jules Burt, for sharing his book-collecting experiences and knowledge with us. You can learn more about his collection on his YouTube channel, Jules Burt Collections and Unboxings at youtube.com/@JulesBurt.

My new book, A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria, is published in April. To find out more and register for the exclusive pre-order bonus material, visit my website carolinecrampton.com.

Mentioned in this episode:

— The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

— Ulysses by James Joyce

— Ariel by André Maurois

— Death on the Borough Council by Josephine Bell

— Speedy Death by Gladys Mitchell

— Taken on Trust by Terry Waite

— Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

— The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L Sayers

— Allen Lane: King Penguin by J.E. Morpurgo

— Penguin Special: Life and Times of Allen Lane by Jeremy Lewis

— Mushroom Jungle: A History of Postwar Paperback Publishing by Stephen Holland

— The Penguin Story by W.E. Williams

— ‘A Paperback Guide to Progress: Penguin Books 1935– c .1951’ by Nicholas Joicey in Twentieth Century British History, 1993

Shedunnit Episodes Mentioned:

— The Nobodies

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.

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, 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/thegreenpenguintranscript/

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

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A conversation about how Shedunnit is made.

Mentioned in this episode:

— Death and the Sisters by Heather Redmond

— Murder of a Lady by Anthony Wynne

— The Birthday Murder by Lange Lewis

— Enter Sir John by Clemence Dane and Helen Simpson

Authors Mentioned:

— Richard and Frances Lockridge

— Rudolph Fisher

Mentioned Shedunnit episodes:

— Miss Marple, Spinster Sleuth

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.

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, 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/areadinglifetranscript/

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

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Time travelling, murder mystery style.

Mentioned in this episode:

— The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie

— The Plague Court Murders by John Dickson Carr

— Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

— The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L Sayers

— A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh

— Death of a Ghost by Margery Allingham

— Checkmate to Murder by ECR Lorac

— That Yew Tree's Shade by Cyril Hare

— Tenant for Death by Cyril Hare

— A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie

— From Doon With Death by Ruth Rendell

— Cover Her Face by PD James

— The Face of Trespass by Ruth Rendell

— Malice Aforethought by Frances Iles

— Before the Fact by Frances Iles

— The Crozier Pharaohs by Gladys Mitchell

— Speedy Death by Gladys Mitchell

— Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie

— Original Sin by PD James

— End of Chapter by Nicholas Blake

— Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

— The Secret Place by Tana French

Mentioned Shedunnit episodes:

— A Century of Whodunnits

— A Second Century of Whodunnits

— The Kidnap of Elizabeth Canning, with guest Tana French

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). 

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, 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/whodunnitcentenary1924transcript/

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

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Renée read her first detective novel in the 1930s. She hasn’t stopped since.

This archive episode of Shedunnit (my personal favourite of all the ones I've ever made) was first published on 2nd September 2020.

You can read Renée's obituary here. Her crime novels, The Wild Card and Blood Matters, are available from all good booksellers.

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/bookclub.

Books and sources:

—These Two Hands by Renée

—Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers

—Wednesday to come by Renée

—Setting the table by Renée

—An interview with Renée from 2017 on RNZ

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/lifelongfantranscript.

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

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Not every mystery needs a murder.

There are minor details shared for all the novels and stories listed below, but no major plot revelations in this episode.

Mentioned in this episode:

— “The Flying Stars” by G.K. Chesterton, collected in The Innocence of Father Brown

— A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

— The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

— Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

— An English Murder by Cyril Hare

— Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon

— The Santa Claus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay

— Murder After Christmas by Rupert Latimer

— The Smiler with the Knife by Nicholas Blake

— Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh

— The Case of the Abominable Snowman by Nicholas Blake

— "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding" by Agatha Christie, collected in a book of the same name

— "Stuffing" by Edgar Wallace, collected in Silent Nights, edited by Martin Edwards

— "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" by Arthur Conan Doyle, collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

— “The Mystery of Mrs Bardell’s Xmas Pudding” by Gwyn Evans

— “The Ghost’s Touch” by Fergus Hume, collected in The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries, edited by Otto Penzler

— A Maigret Christmas by Georges Simenon

— “The Reprisal” by Michael Innes

— Catt Out of the Bag by Clifford Witting

— "The Black Bag Left on a Doorstep” by Catharine Louisa Pirkis, collected in A Surprise for Christmas, edited by Martin Edwards

— “Sister Bessie or Your Old Leech” by Cyril Hare, collected in The Christmas Card Crime, edited by Martin Edwards

— A Highland Christmas by M.C. Beaton

— Deck The Halls by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark

— “Christmas Eve” by S.C. Roberts, collected in The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries, edited by Otto Penzler

— “The Necklace of Pearls” by Dorothy L. Sayers, collected in Silent Nights, edited by Martin Edwards

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.

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, 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/themurderlesschristmasmysterytranscript

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

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A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

The 2023 Shedunnit Pledge Drive is underway! Help ensure the future of the podcast and get your hands on some exclusive audio perks by becoming a Shedunnit member now at shedunnitshow.com/pledgedrive.

Spoilers: there will be minor details shared for all the novels and stories listed below, and major spoilers towards the end for The Documents in the Case by Dorothy L. Sayers and Robert Eustace. The latter will be flagged just before I get to it, so you can safely listen to the rest of the episode and just skip that part when I tell you.

Mentioned in this episode:

— A Master of Mysteries by L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace

— The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

— An Honourable Miss by L.T. Meade

— A World of Girls by L.T. Meade

— Stories from the Diary of a Doctor by L.T. Meade and Clifford Halifax

— The Experiences of the Oracle of Maddox Street by L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace

— The Brotherhood of the Seven Kings by L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace

— The Sorceress of the Strand by L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace

— The Face in the Dark by L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace

— Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror edited by Dorothy L. Sayers

— The Nursing Home Murder by Ngaio Marsh and Henry Jellett

— "The Tea Leaf" by Edgar Jepson and Robert Eustace

— The Documents in the Case by Dorothy L Sayers and Robert Eustace

— Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers

— Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers

— Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers

— The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers

— Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers

Additional sources consulted:

— “The Mystery of Robert Eustace” by Joe Christopher, The Armchair Detective Quarterly volume 13, issue 4, Fall 1980

— Rivaling Conan Doyle: L. T. Meade’s Medical Mysteries, New Woman Criminals, and Literary Celebrity at the Victorian Fin de Siècle by Janis Dawson, English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920, Volume 58, Number 1, 2015

— Dorothy L Sayers, Nine Literary Studies by Trevor H. Hall

— Dorothy L. Sayers: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction by Eric Sandberg

— “Nature Is Lopsided”: Muscarine as Scientific and Literary Fascinosum in Dorothy L. Sayers’ The Documents in the Case by Bettina Wahrig in Poison and Poisoning in Science, Fiction and Cinema: Precarious Identities, 2017

Related Shedunnit episodes:

— Edith Thompson

— The Dispenser

— Dorothy's Secret

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.

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/whowasroberteustacetranscript.

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

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