Shedunnit

Can murder mysteries be high art? Exploring vintage snobbery and bookish feuds.

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Many thanks to my guests, Subhadra Das and Tom Spencer. Subhadra's book (Un)Civilised: 10 Lies That Made the West is available wherever you get your books. Tom's detective novel, The Mystery of the Crooked Man, is published by Penguin Random House and available from all good booksellers.

Books and sources mentioned in this episode:— The Common Reader: Second Series by Virginia Woolf— The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr— "The Battle of the Brows" episode of Archive on 4— Middlebrow Literary Cultures edited by Erica Brown and Mary Grover— The Aesthetics of Middlebrow Fiction by Tom Perrin

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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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