Dear listeners, Things have been a little hectic on my end the past few weeks, so I've missed a couple of newsletters. I'm sorry about that and hope to be resuming normal weekly service soon. As such, there are two new episodes that I need to
The childhood nightmare that informed a crime writing career.
Caroline: At the heart of every good golden age mystery is the closed circle — that limited group of suspects from which the detective will, eventually, pick out the murderer. This isn't a form of crime writing that generally concerns itself with faceless strangers or unknown assailants. Part of
This is your audiobook for April 2026.
The childhood nightmare that informed a crime writing career.
Green Penguin Music Caroline: Welcome to Shedunnit. I’m Caroline Crampton. And welcome back to Green Penguin Book Club, a series within Shedunnit that documents my journey of reading and discussing every crime or green title from the main Penguin series, in order. Our book today is The Sanfield Scandal
Jim Noy joins Caroline for some Jolly Adventures in a castle.
Jim Noy joins Caroline for some Jolly Adventures in a castle.
Published: 1914 | Series: The Abbey Girls 1 Set in Miss Macey's school in Wycombe and in the surrounding hamlets and villages, this first book tells how Cicely Hobart comes to Whiteleaf to be near her maternal grandparents. About Elsie J. Oxenham Elsie Jeanette Dunkerley (1880–1960) wrote children&
Published: 1942 | Series: The Famous Five 1 There's a shipwreck off Kirrin Island! But where is the treasure? The Famous Five are on the trail. About Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English children's writer. Blyton's books have been worldwide bestsellers
Published: 1930 | Series: Standalone About Clifford Hosken Clifford James Wheeler Hosken (1882-1950) was an English writer who also published under the pseudonym Richard Keverne. Hosken served in the Flying Corps during the First World War, and he was a journalist for the Daily Mirror. His series characters were Inspector Mace
Published: 1939 | Series: Gideon Fell 10 A box of deadly poisoned chocolates from Sodbury Cross's high street shop haunts the group of friends and relatives assembled at Bellegarde. About John Dickson Carr John Dickson Carr (1906–1977) was an American author of detective stories. He also published under
Published: 1925 | Series: Standalone When Anthony Cade agrees to deliver a parcel to an English country house on behalf of a friend, he never expected that decision would make him the centrepiece of a murderous international conspiracy. About Agatha Christie Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was a British author who became the
Published: 1926 | Series: Standalone Michael Carteret is sent to a quiet rest home in Suffolk for a nerves cure. Once there, rather than rest, he stumbles on a smuggling operation. About Richard Keverne Clifford James Wheeler Hosken (1882-1950) was an English writer who also published under the pseudonym Richard Keverne.
Published: 1936 | Series: Sergeant Jakob Studer 2 A child-murderer escapes from a Swiss insane asylum, and the director is discovered with a broken neck in the boiler room. About Friedrich Glauser Born in Vienna, Friedrich Glauser (1896–1938) was a German-language Swiss writer. He was addicted to morphine and opium
Published: 1936 | Series: Commissario De Vincenzi 7 Not long after Inspector De Vincenzi receives an anonymous letter warning of imminent danger at the Three Roses, a body is found hanging in the hotel’s stairwell. As De Vincenzi investigates, more deaths follow. About Augusto De Angelis Augusto De Angelis (1888–
Published: 1959 | Series: Agaton Sax 4 When the Koh-Mi-Nor diamond is stolen, the thief leaves coded messages about it in the personal column of the newspaper published by the Swedish detective Agaton Sax. About Nils-Olof Franzen Nils-Olof Franzén (1916–1997) was a Swedish writer who wrote the Agaton Sax series.
Published: 1950 | Series: Standalone Amateur murder mystery writer Akimitsu Takagi is sent to investigate a haunting presence in the Chizurui family mansion. But then, tragedy strikes the Chizurui family. About Akimitsu Takagi Akimitsu Takagi (1920–1995) was the pen-name of a popular Japanese crime fiction writer active during the Shōwa
Published: 1948 | Series: Detective Kosuke Kindaichi 2 Kosuke Kindaichi arrives on the remote Gokumon Island bearing tragic news but also a dying man's message. While on the island, there is a series of gruesome murders. About Seishi Yokomizo Seishi Yokomizo (1902–1981) was a Japanese mystery novelist, known
Dear listeners, Welcome to our reading recommendations newsletter! Once a month, I pop into your inbox to share what the Shedunnit team — that is, me and my production assistant Leandra — have been reading while we are making the show. I hope you'll find some ideas for what you
This is the Shedunnit Book Club Conversation episode for March 2026.
This is the Shedunnit Book Club Fact File episode for March 2026.
Published: 1961 | Series: Standalone When a young woman calling herself Annabel Winslow, who supposedly died four years ago, comes home to Whitescar, Con Winslow and his half-sister Lisa must find out whether she really is who she says she is. About Mary Stewart Mary Stewart (1916–2014) was a British
Published: 2024 | Series: Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney 3 Amateur sleuths Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney are tasked with preventing the murder of the imperious Lady Catherine de Bourgh. About Claudia Gray Claudia Gray is the pseudonym of Amy Vincent. She is the author of the Mr. Darcy & Miss
Published: 1929 | Series: Standalone In this light-hearted thriller, a practical joke involving eight clocks backfires horribly. One of the clocks has gone missing, and someone is dead. About Agatha Christie Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was a British author who became the best-selling novelist of all time. She wrote 66 detective novels
Published: 1948 | Series: Inspector Alan Grant 3 The residents at the Franchise have been accused of kidnapping a young girl named Betty Kane. About Josephine Tey Josephine Tey (1896-1952) is the pen name of Elizabeth MacKintosh. The Scottish author's other pen name was Gordon Daviot. Under the latter,
Dear listeners, I've been reading lots more short stories in the last couple of months, as I continue trying to cultivate the habit of not staying up too late reading "just one more chapter" of a novel. I talked about this recently in a bonus episode
Caroline: I imagine that most crime fiction fans have a mental list of their favourite tropes and plot devices. I know I do, and it's always a pleasure to encounter them out there in the wild as I'm reading my way through as much golden age
What could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly go wrong?
This is your audiobook for March 2026.
Dear listeners, We're very fortunate to be living in an era of reprints. It is now the norm that publishers big and small are bringing crime fiction from the past back into ready availability. Especially with more ebook and audio editions as well, reading classic detective fiction has
Published: 1928 | Series: The Baffle Book 1 Part of the “solve-it-yourself” detective book craze of the 1920s and 1930s, these thirty short crime problems make the reader play detective, challenging them to solve whodunnit. About Lassiter Wren and Randle McKay Lassiter Wren (pseudonym of John T. Colter), with co-author Randle
Published: 1947 | Series: Lady Lupin 3 While trying to help a young married couple, Lady Lupin runs into what appears to be murder most foul. About Joan Coggin Joan Coggin (1898–1980) was a British crime writer during the golden age of detective fiction. Her series detective is Lady Lupin
Published: 1943 | Series: Standalone Two brothers develop a fierce rivalry over the same woman. About Marjorie Bowen Margaret Gabrielle Vere Long (1885–1952) was a British author of historical romances, supernatural horror stories, popular history, and biographies. She wrote under numerous pseudonyms: Marjorie Bowen, George R. Preedy, Joseph Shearing, Robert
Published: 1981 | Series: Standalone Onizuka Kumako is suspected of killing her new husband Shirakawa Fukutaro, a rich widower desperate for companionship and unaware of her shady past. She proclaims her innocence, but doubt begins to creep in. About Seichō Matsumoto Seichō Matsumoto (1909-1992) was born in Fukuoka, Japan. Self-educated, Matsumoto
Dear listeners, When reading murder mysteries, I tend to think of motive as a psychological question. What is it about the inner life of one of these characters that makes them willing to take the life of another? Revenge, greed, hate: these are internal factors that are then released into
Caroline: The crime at the heart of a classic murder mystery tends to be a personal, even intimate one. Whereas later twentieth century whodunnits and thrillers began to explore the crimes of strangers in greater depth — stalkers, serial killers, and so forth — during the interwar years, most fictional murderers were
The fascinating history of divorce in detective fiction.
The fascinating history of divorce in detective fiction.
Published: 1934 | Series: Standalone In this satirical novel, Herbert aimed to highlight the perceived flaws of contemporary divorce law. In fact, it played a major role in the popular debate about the liberalisation of divorce law in the mid-1930s, and helped pave the way for the 1937 statutory reforms. About
Published: 1941 | Series: Inspector Charlesworth 1 Inspector Charlesworth, a young detective with Scotland Yard, investigates a murder at an upmarket dress shop in London's Bond Street. About Christianna Brand Mary Christianna Lewis (1907–1988), known professionally as Christianna Brand, was a British crime writer and children's
Published: 1940 | Series: Play In this stage comedy, a man and his mistress have run off the Venice; in his absence, the man's wife becomes a successful playwright. About Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957) is best known as the author of twelve detective novels, most of
Published: 2015 | Series: Short Stories In this anthology, there are fourteen stories ranging widely across the golden age of British crime fiction, from mysteries by Arthur Conan Doyle and G. K. Chesterton to hidden gems that have seldom been reprinted. What I've said about it on Shedunnit Stories
Published: 1937 | Series: Lord Peter Wimsey 11 Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane spend their honeymoon at Talboys, an old farmhouse in Hertfordshire which he has bought her as a present, but it turns into a murder investigation when the seller of the house is found dead in the cellar.
Published: 1933 | Series: Short Stories This collection includes short stories following Lord Peter Wimsey and Montague Egg, as well as some miscellaneous mysteries. About Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957) is best known as the author of twelve detective novels, most of which feature her aristocratic and literary-minded sleuth
Published: 1925 | Series: Dr Lancelot Priestley 1 Returning home one night from a nightclub, Harold Merefield finds a dead body in his bed. About John Rhode Cecil John Charles Street OBE MC (1884–1964), also known as John Street, was a major in the British Army and a crime fiction
Dear listeners, Welcome to our reading recommendations newsletter! Once a month, I pop into your inbox to share what the Shedunnit team — that is, me and my production assistant Leandra — have been reading while we are making the show. I hope you'll find some ideas for what you
This is the Shedunnit Book Club Conversation episode for February 2026.
This is the Shedunnit Book Club Fact File episode for February 2026.
Published: 1928 | Series: Dr Lancelot Priestley 4 Baffled by a succession of murders in the London neighbourhood of Praed Street, Scotland Yard seeks the help of Dr Lancelot Priestley and his unusual methods of investigation. About John Rhode Cecil John Charles Street OBE MC (1884–1964), also known as John
Published: 1933 | Series: Roger Sheringham 9 At a costume party with the theme of 'famous murderers and their victims', one guest is found hanging from the decorative gallows on the roof terrace. About Anthony Berkeley Anthony Berkeley (1893-1971) was an influential British crime writer who revolutionized detective fiction
Published: 2026 | Series: Standalone Agnes Aubert runs a cat rescue in 1920s Montreal. She must turn to a grouchy but charming wizard to help save the shelter. About Heather Fawcett Heather Fawcett is a Canadian fantasy author. She has published adult, young adult, and children's literature. Her adult
Published: 1944 | Series: Robert MacDonald 25 Who shot miserly Old Mr. Folliner during a London blackout? About E.C.R. Lorac E.C.R. Lorac was the pseudonym of Edith Caroline Rivett (1894–1958), a prolific British author who began publishing during the golden age of detective fiction. Elected as
Published: 1937 | Series: Hercule Poirot 18 A picturesque cruise along the Nile is disrupted when American heiress Linnet Ridgeway is murdered. About Agatha Christie Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was a British author who became the best-selling novelist of all time. She wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, creating
Published: 1945 | Series: Roderick Alleyn 13 The body of Flossie Rubrick, MP, one of the most formidable women in New Zealand, is found packed inside one of her own bales of wool. About Ngaio Marsh Dame Edith Ngaio Marsh DBE (1895–1982) was a New Zealand author and playwright. Marsh
Dear listeners, I love to be transported by the crime fiction that I read. Settings that are nothing like my everyday life, whether that's a boat on the Nile or a sheep farm in New Zealand, are always welcome. Most of all, though, I like books that take
The best murder mysteries transport us to another era.
Caroline: I've always loved writing that can immerse me in another place and time, especially one very different to my own. There are lots of types of books that do this — historical fiction, science fiction, literary fiction, even some non-fiction. But for me, one type of book does
When do reading goals start to hurt more than help? Caroline and Leandra discuss reading intentions for the new year.
Published: 1926 | Series: Standalone When his son Ranulph is believed to have eaten fairy fruit, Nathaniel Chanticleer, the mayor of Lud-in-the-Mist, finds himself looking into old mysteries in order to save his son and the people of his city. About Hope Mirrlees Hope Mirrlees (1887-1978) was a British translator, poet
Published: 1926 | Series: Alastair-Audley 1 Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, is a reprehensible rake with an axe to grind. Can Leonie win the Duke's affection, or will his need for revenge overcome them both? About Georgette Heyer Georgette Heyer (1902–1974) is best known today for her
Published: 1932 | Series: Alastair-Audley 2 When Mary Challoner discovered the young Marquis of Vidal's plans to run away with her lovely sister, she donned cloak and mask in a daring impersonation and found herself bound for France with the most notorious rake in Georgian London. About Georgette Heyer
Published: 2024 | Series: Standalone A gifted young knight named Collum arrives at Camelot to compete for a spot on the Round Table, only to find he’s too late. About Lev Grossman Lev Grossman is the author of the Magicians trilogy, which was adapted for television in 2015. He has
Published: 2025 | Series: Standalone Slow Gods is the galaxy-spanning tale of one man's impossible life charted against the fate of humanity amongst the stars About Claire North Claire North is a pseudonym used for the adult fantasy and science fiction books written by Catherine Webb, a Carnegie Medal-nominated
Published: 2017 | Series: Standalone Dagobert Trostler is described as the Sherlock Holmes of Vienna. What sets him apart from his English counterpart is that Trostler is a bon-vivant in the heyday of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This collection features stories published in Vienna between 1889 and 1910. It provides a glimpse
Published: 1933 | Series: Asey Mayo 3 Asey Mayo, the “Codfish Sherlock Holmes,” investigates the murder of a traveling performer. About Phoebe Atwood Taylor Phoebe Atwood Taylor (1909-1976) was an American crime writer. She graduated from Barnard College in 1930 and married surgeon Grantley Walder Taylor in December 1951. She published
Published: 1931 | Series: Ellery Queen 3 An eccentric millionairess is discovered strangled with picture wire in an anteroom of the surgical suite of the Dutch Memorial Hospital. About Ellery Queen Ellery Queen is the pseudonym of American detective fiction writers Frederic Dannay (1905-1982) and Manfred Bennington Lee (1905-1971). The two
Published: 1949 | Series: Standalone Twenty-one-year-old Brat Farrar is an orphan, alone in the world without friends or family. So when he is offered the unexpected chance to impersonate Patrick Ashby, the long-lost heir to a vast fortune on a country estate, he agrees. All is going to plan until Brat
Published: 1939 | Series: Standalone Ten strangers are invited to Soldier Island, an isolated rock near the Devon coast. When one of the party dies suddenly they realise they may be harbouring a murderer among their number. About Agatha Christie Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was a British author who became the best-selling
Published: 1936 | Series: Albert Campion 7 In 1911, one of the members of the Barnabas family, owners of a leading publishing house in London, disappears. Twenty years later, another family member goes missing. About Margery Allingham Margery Allingham (1904-1966) was an English novelist. She is considered one of the four
Published: 1933 | Series: Lord Peter Wimsey 8 Lord Peter Wimsey goes undercover at an ad agency to find out who pitched a copywriter down a flight of stairs. About Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957) is best known as the author of twelve detective novels, most of which feature
This is your audiobook for February 2026.
Published: 1931 | Series: Inspector French 7 During its regular Channel crossing the Newhaven-Dieppe Ferry encounters a yacht floating in its path. Further examination reveals that there are two dead bodies on board, both of whom have been shot. About Freeman Wills Croft Freeman Wills Crofts FRSA (1879-1957) was an Irish
Published: 1931 | Series: Standalone In this inverted mystery, the murderer's identity is revealed in the novel's first sentence: "It was not until several weeks after he had decided to murder his wife that Doctor Bickleigh took any active steps in the matter." About Francis
Published: 1928 | Series: Standalone Black lawyer Fred Merrit buys a home in a white neighborhood bordering Harlem. Merrit encounters the racism of his new white neighbors as well as racism and classism among the residents of Black Harlem. About Rudolph Fisher Rudolph John Chauncey Fisher (1897-1934) was a skilled physician,
Published: 1932 | Series: Standalone When a "conjure-man" or fortune-teller is discovered dead, his waiting room full of clients turn into suspects. Harlem detective Perry Dart is on the case. About Rudolph Fisher Rudolph John Chauncey Fisher (1897-1934) was a skilled physician, radiologist, musician, and influential writer during the
My personal favourite episodes from the archive.
Published: 1935 | Series: Standalone In this meta-fictional mystery, a pair of police detectives investigate the vanishing of a reclusive novelist whose true identity — and very existence — is called into question after his secretary reports him missing. About E.C.R. Lorac E.C.R. Lorac was the pseudonym of Edith
Dear listeners, I have read The Documents in the Case four times now, including my most recent revisit for today's new Green Penguin Book Club episode. Every time, I become more convinced of its brilliance and its utter oddness. 📣You can listen to this episode right now on
Green Penguin Music Caroline: Welcome to Shedunnit. I’m Caroline Crampton. And welcome back to Green Penguin Book Club, a series within Shedunnit that documents my journey of reading and discussing every crime or green title from the main Penguin series, in order. Our book today is The Documents in
Victoria Stewart joins Caroline to discuss Dorothy L. Sayers’ epistolary poisoning mystery.
Victoria Stewart joins Caroline to discuss Dorothy L. Sayers’ epistolary poisoning mystery.
Published: 1929 | Series: Standalone Strange events take place twenty years apart. A diamond necklace was stolen at a house party at the Tower House during the First World War; not long after, Sir Jeremy Sanfield shut up the Tower House and left for America, never to return. Twenty years later,
Published: 1934 | Series: Standalone Based on the events of a sensational murder trial, the 1922 Thompson and Bywaters case, F. Tennyson Jesse's novel portrays Edith Thompson as Julia Almond, who becomes trapped by her sex and class in a criminal justice system in which she has no control.
Published: 1930 | Series: Lord Peter Wimsey 5 The Crown's case is watertight. Harriet Vane is guilty of the killing her lover, and she will hang for it...unless her claims of innocence are true. Can Lord Peter Wimsey prove that Harriet Vane is not guilty of murder, and
Published: 1926 | Series: Lord Peter Wimsey 2 When the fiancé of Lord Peter's sister, Mary, is found dead outside the conservatory of the Wimsey family's shooting lodge in Yorkshire, the evidence points in an unfortunate direction. Their older brother, Gerald, the Duke of Denver, appears to
Published: 1868 | Series: Standalone The Moonstone, a priceless yellow diamond, is looted from an Indian temple and maliciously bequeathed to Rachel Verinder. On her eighteenth birthday, it is stolen again. About Wilkie Collins Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) was a British author and playwright best-known for his novels, The Woman in White
Published: 2023 | Series: Standalone Stewart examines how ideas about crime, criminality, and judicial procedure that had developed in a domestic context influenced the representation and understanding of war crimes trials, victims of war crimes, and war criminals in post-Second World War Britain. About Victoria Stewart Victoria Stewart a writer and
Published: 2017 | Series: Standalone Stewart aims to provide a richer and more complex view of how crime and criminality were understood between the wars by placing debates about detective fiction in the context of this largely forgotten, diverse culture of writing about crime. About Victoria Stewart Victoria Stewart a writer
Dear listeners, Welcome to the first reading recommendations newsletter of 2026! Once a month, I pop into your inbox to share what the Shedunnit team — that is, me and my production assistant Leandra — have been reading while we are making the show. Perhaps you will find some inspiration for what
This is the Shedunnit Book Club Fact File episode for January 2026.
This is the Shedunnit Book Club Conversation episode for January 2026.
Putting Agatha Christie's alter ego in the spotlight.
Caroline: We spend a lot of time alone with our favourite writers, just them and us. With nothing but the page separating us, a close connection develops. Even though we only actually know what they have chosen to put in their work, a sense of familiarity and camaraderie often develops.
Was this Agatha Christie's greatest piece of misdirection?
Published: 1972 | Series: Ariadne Oliver 7 Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver investigate a decades-old tragedy to determine whether a young woman's parents died in a murder-suicide or double murder. About Agatha Christie Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was a British author who became the best-selling novelist of all time. She
Published: 1969 | Series: Ariadne Oliver 6 A teenage girl is drowned in an apple-bobbing tub at a Halloween party after boasting she once witnessed a murder, prompting Hercule Poirot to investigate her claim. About Agatha Christie Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was a British author who became the best-selling novelist of all
Published: 1966 | Series: Ariadne Oliver 5 Hercule Poirot helps a young woman who claims to think she may have committed murder while sharing a London flat with two other girls. About Agatha Christie Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was a British author who became the best-selling novelist of all time. She wrote
Published: 1961 | Series: Ariadne Oliver 4 A dying woman's list of names leads Mark Easterbrook to investigate a sinister trio of women in a village who may be connected to a series of convenient deaths. About Agatha Christie Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was a British author who became the
