Our Halloween spooktacular begins with the grandfathers of Murder Mystery, with a little twist. Despite being familiar with the solutions, Flex is challenged with putting together a unified solution for Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue & The Purloined Letter. Is it possible to explain the exploits of Dupin with just one trick, linking the gothic horror master's puzzles together? We also sit down with Christian Henriksson from 'Mysteries, Short and Sweet' to talk more about Poe's influence on our beloved genre, from damsels in distress to the true crime stories of the present day.It's currently RADIOTHON over on our home station, 2SER 107.3. Independent media is one of the great necessities of a free and open society. For over 40 years, 2SER has been a fearless and independent source for news, views and great music, and your support keeps us on air. If that's important to you, become a subscriber on the website!

Death of the Reader

Murders in the Rue Morgue & The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe

We discuss chapters 1-14 of Theodore Roscoe's Murder on the Way! Edited by Jim Noy of The Invisible Event and In GAD We Trust. An unfortunate adventure into the Haitian wilderness results in Cart buried alive, it seems our tale is over. Fortunately for Cart, it turns out Pete Dale was the detective all along, and we end up in a tempestuous confrontation with our killer in the mansion after her daring rescue. How petty will Jim Noy be with the points he was offered? Find out in this thrilling conclusion to a bewildering pulp tale.

Murder on the Way! by Theodore Roscoe - Part Three

We discuss chapters 6-9 of Theodore Roscoe's Murder on the Way! Edited by Jim Noy of The Invisible Event and In GAD We Trust. Cart and Pete are caught in the middle of the tontine, with corpses dropping around them as the guests at the mansion vie for wealth. Meanwhile, in the storm outside, a zombie rallies the local population into an uprising that sweeps the safety net out from under the survivors. Can Flex and Herds settle on a solution, or will contest divide them?

Murder on the Way! by Theodore Roscoe - Part Two

In modern crime fiction, or perhaps just modern fiction, there are few authors as prolific and genre-diverse as Anthony Horowitz, so it was a delight to have him on the show to cap off our 2021 journey through Metafiction to discuss his latest, 'A Line To Kill', as well as the many ideas and themes we've been investigating on this leg of our Murder Mystery World Tour. From unlikely thematic pairings, the inversion of the writer in his portrayal of himself, to the homework he does to put together a compelling puzzle, we did our best to hit all the ideas of A Line To Kill (and Magpie Murders!) without spoilers, so enjoy at your leisure!

EXTRA: Anthony Horowitz on A Line To Kill & Metafiction

We discuss chapters 1-5 of Theodore Roscoe's Murder on the Way! Edited by Jim Noy of The Invisible Event and In GAD We Trust, this pulp nightmare of a murder mystery takes the whole island of Haiti and turns it into the country house of the Golden Age. Artist Edwin 'Cart' Cartershall and Patricia 'Pete' Dale are invited to the funeral of Pete's distant relative, Eli Proudfoot. A bizarre tontine encouraging the attendees to kill one another promises Eli's fortune to whoever remains on the island for 24 hours after the reading of the will, and of course, the body-count rises to meet it. In a head-to-head collaboration for points, can Flex and Herds actually work together before Jim escapes with the goods?We're also joined by Anthony Horowitz, author of Magpie Murders and many other books, to talk about the latest entry in his Daniel Hawthorne series, 'A Line To Kill', and what inspires the innovative metafictions with which he's been challenging the crime fiction world.

Murder on the Way! by Theodore Roscoe - Part One

We discuss parts 9-12 of Emma Stonex's 'The Lamplighters', as the waves calm and the true detective of the story steps into the light. What really happened on the Maiden? We get our answer, but whose answer is it? Does it constitute truth, and does that matter? As each question is replaced by the next, the surface calms and this queasy story comes to a gentle end. We're joined this week by Emma Stonex, to pick further into the decisions behind the story, the impact it's had and the previously unseen influence it has on her new story.

The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex - Part Three

We discuss parts 5-8 of Emma Stonex's 'The Lamplighters', its chaos and turbulence only growing as we approach the inevitable incident that spurred the whole story on. In 1972, the three keepers on the lighthouse grow distrustful. Their secrets are brought to bear, and an agent of chaos arrives amid distressing visions of bodies and ghosts. In 1992, the widows try to reconcile their differences, turning their cold distrust of Dan Sharp into a catalyst for growth. Through all this can Herds discern the identity of culprit and conspirator?We've got an excerpt this week from the wonderful 'In GAD We Trust' podcast, hosted by Jim Noy of The Invisible Event, in preparation for him joining us for our next book. He sat down a few weeks ago to speak with Tony Medawar about his fourth 'Bodies in the Library' collection and the processes that went into it. You can find the full episode here, be sure to give it a listen!

The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex - Part Two

We discuss parts 1-4 of Emma Stonex's 'The Lamplighters', with its haunting lyricism here to spook Herds off the scent of truth. Three men disappear from 'The Maiden', leaving the perfect mystery in their wake. Twenty years later, writer Dan Sharp shows up to unravel the case, speaking with the women who were left behind. Raising many questions about the genre we inhabit, there's a lot to soak in here, and the book doesn't make it easy, even though the effort is worth it.We're also joined by Associate Professor of Narratology, Dr. Tom van Laer, from the University of Sydney, to talk about how the shifting perspectives and work the book asks of you engages and endears it to its audience.

The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex - Part One

We discuss Parts 6-7 of 'Magpie Murders' by Anthony Horowitz, with Andrew Pople from 2SER's 'Final Draft' in the hotseat. Susan's amateur-sleuth-editing career pays off as we reach the dramatic, burning conclusion of Magpie Murders. This dramatic send-off for both Pund and his author ends with a bizarre reveal that left us scratching our heads. Do both Horowitz' and Conway's stories meet the mark of fair play, and did they even try to?

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz - Part Three

We discuss Parts 5-6 (up to the Road to Framlingham) of 'Magpie Murders' by Anthony Horowitz, with Andrew Pople from 2SER's 'Final Draft' in the hotseat. The end of Alan Conway's 'Magpie Murders' is missing, and the author himself has turned up dead in dramatic circumstances. Can his discovering editor Susan Ryeland find out what happened before things collapse further, or did she do the crime herself? We've got a new layer of reality to contend with and Andrew Pople is ready to unravel every thread, or so he thinks.

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz - Part Two

We discuss Parts 1-4 of 'Magpie Murders' by Anthony Horowitz, with Andrew Pople from 2SER's 'Final Draft' in the hotseat. A murder occurs in Saxby-on-Avon, and detective Atticus Pund refuses the call. A second murder occurs in Saxby-on-Avon, and Atticus Pund answers the call, only to find a history of death and deceit in the small town. Above all this, an unnamed editor warns us that Alan Conway's 'Magpie Murders', featuring Atticus Pund, changed their life. Can Andrew Pople unravel reality in time?We're also joined by Dr. Lucy Andrew and Dr. Samuel Saunders to talk about their new 'Study in Sidekicks', an academic exploration of the real heroes of detective fiction and beyond. Who are the sidekicks, how have they evolved, and what do they do for us?

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz - Part One

In case you missed it, we had a lovely long chat with Sulari Gentill as part of our recent episodes on her award-winning 'Crossing the Lines', also known as 'After She Wrote Him'. From the book's writing, to its publishing and reception, we do our best to cover it all! Listen in to hear our full discussion including more reality-bending, sausage-roll-logistics, and more!

EXTRA: Sulari Gentill Crosses the Lines After She Wrote Them

We discuss chapters 20-24 of Sulari Gentill's 'Crossing the Lines'. Ned and Maddie's spiral into madness approaches its crescendo as their relationships with the people around them start to crumble. Maddie's relationship with her husband begins to collapse after Ned writes him potentially having an affair, and Ned's relationship with Willow dissolves as it becomes clear what the truth is behind the murder of Geoffrey Vogel is. Is there any way back from the abyss?We're joined one again by Sulari Gentill to talk about the maddening details that nearly sent us spiraling into that same abyss as we read the book, and we finally try figure out what 'pantsing' actually is.

Crossing the Lines by Sulari Gentill - Part Three

We discuss chapters 9-19 of Sulari Gentill's 'Crossing the Lines'. As the two writers slowly pull each other closer, the lines between reality are blurred, and things go a little off the rails. Madeleine and Edward begin to crave one another, at the expense of the people around them. When they're in control of each other's lives, is there any way they can pull away before it's all too late?We're also joined by Tim Ayliffe, author of the John Bailey thriller series, to talk about the latest entry in the series, 'The Enemy Within', the true events and fears it draws from, as well as the importance of a strong counterpart to your protagonist.

Crossing the Lines by Sulari Gentill - Part Two

We discuss chapters 1-8 of Sulari Gentill's 'Crossing the Lines'. Nobody saw the writer do it, but you're about to. Edward McGinnity has come up with this wonderful new character, crime fiction writer Madeleine d'Leon. She's a bit tired of writing her detective serials and wants to do something new, so she's come up with this wonderful new character, Edward McGinnity, a literary author. He's about to write a new tale of the human condition, starring crime fiction writer... I think you get the idea. As their complex tales entwine and bewilder, can you determine who is really writing who?We're joined by Sulari herself to talk about what motivated her to write this book, how she perceives her characters, and the reception this amazing book received upon its release.

Crossing the Lines by Sulari Gentill - Part One

Join Flex and Herds as they take you on a Murder Mystery World Tour in Death of the Reader. From classic British puzzles in the Golden Age of Detective Fiction to the weirdest of foreign detective fiction, explore everything in the grizzly world of the 'locked room'. Each week we'll feature academics, authors and more as we trace the influences of the genre around the world.