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.

If you approach this book as a Dorothy L. Sayers fan, it's a complete outlier. It's her only full-length novel not to feature Peter Wimsey, Bunter, or Harriet Vane (although we do get a small cameo from her recurring Home Office man, Sir James Lubbock). It's her only mystery written with a co-author, in this case Dr Robert Eustace — about whom much has already been said on Shedunnit, of course. Even with due credit given to the wonderful prologue of Busman's Honeymoon, it's her only fully epistolary novel. In order to keep their established fanbase on board, authors usually change one thing at a time — not everything about how they work at once. It was a bold move for a writer who had only just quit her day job.

Even for the general mystery reader who stumbles across this book without an intimate knowledge of the Sayers canon, it will stand out in its peculiarity. The suburban villa where most of the characters authoring the "documents" in this case reside is a familiar setting, but a good deal of what they write about is not. A lot of space is given in this book to philosophical questions about relativity, literature and whether science can co-exist with religion. The crime itself is an esoteric one, relying on a degree of specialised knowledge in both the murderer and those trying to apprehend them. It doesn't naturally add up to "addictive thriller".

And yet, and yet. Four times I have read this book as if it was the most compulsive page-turner. I find new things to enjoy and appreciate every time. On one read, I was full immersed in the technicalities of the crime, researching scientific instruments and falling down internet rabbit holes about mushrooms. Another time through, I was very preoccupied by the connections between this novel and other golden age-era crime fiction that draws inspiration from the Edith Thompson-Frederic Bywaters case of 1922 — my guest today, Victoria Stewart, had some fascinating details to add on this aspect. This most recent read saw me analysing the characters more deeply and, as you'll hear, becoming quite preoccupied with the fate of one in particular. Justice for Agatha Milsom, spinster, lady's companion and crafting obsessive!

Since making the Death on Paper episode last year all about epistolary crime fiction I have developed a strong partiality for this way of telling a story. I like the way that it builds suspense from the reader's confusion and encourages us to pay close attention to the way the mystery unfolds as well as what is happening. Given that I've now made 180 episodes of a podcast about golden age detective fiction, my interest in meta-narrative perhaps isn't that surprising. I would recommend trying this, or another novel, told through letters and documents, though, especially if you find yourself struggling with reading. The variation in rhythm and pace can help hold your attention.

All of which to say: I hope, after reading my "case" for The Documents in the Case, you might feel inspired to read it yourself — either for the first time, or as a re-read. It's certainly not "classic" golden age detective fiction by any means, but it's a wonderful example of the experimentation and originality that flourished in crime fiction during the interwar years. In these times of AI-generated content and endless reboots, I find myself more and more craving the weird and the unexpected in the media I consume. This book delivers all that and more.

Until next time,

Caroline

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You can listen to every episode of Shedunnit at shedunnitshow.com or on all major podcast apps. Selected episodes are available on BBC Sounds. There are also transcripts of all episodes on the website. The podcast is now newsletter-only — we're not updating social media — so if you'd like to spread the word about the show consider forwarding this email to a mystery-loving friend with the addition of a personal recommendation. 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).

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 you might read next here? I hope so.

Caroline Has Read: A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith

If you're a reader of my personal blog/newsletter, you might remember that in December 2024 I received Sally Smith's debut historical crime novel, A Case of Mice and Murder, as a Christmas present and had read it by the end of Boxing Day. Imagine my delight when I opened a present from my husband this Christmas and found the sequel! I once again dedicated most of the 26th to reading it in full and had a lovely time. I'm not sure that Smith writes "cosy crime" precisely, but I certainly had a very cosy time with this crime novel.

Once again, Smith takes us back to the Inner Temple in London in the early 1900s, with her barrister-detective Gabriel Ward as our guide. This time, the case he must unravel mostly takes place within the walls of the Inner Temple (an ancient and peculiar community of lawyers in the City of London) as various residents have been receiving unpleasant parcels containing body parts. I liked this inward focus, since I find the setting one of the most fascinating things about this book. I also enjoyed Gabriel's gentle character growth over this book as he begins to admit that he can make space in his rigid routines for the occasional friend or pet. Long may his adventures continue.

Caroline Will Read: Curiosity Killed the Cat by Joan Cockin

The Shedunnit Book Club is reading this 1949 detective novel about a murder in a village taken over by the Ministry of Scientific Research during WW2 as our book for February, so I will be reading this one shortly so I can make the bonus episode about it. I'm very intrigued — Cockin seems like a fascinating person and I have high hopes for her crime fiction.

Leandra Has Read: Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite

In this second instalment of the Dorothy Gentleman sci-fi mystery series, a baby is discovered on board the HMS Fairweather. As the passengers are hundreds of years into their trip to a new Earth with medical intervention preventing procreation, such an occurrence should be impossible. Ship detective Dorothy Gentleman not only has to uncover how this child came to be but also why the mother doesn't remember having him. Could something more sinister be at play?

I received an advanced reader's copy of Nobody's Baby from the publisher, and as I enjoyed my time with the first book, Murder By Memory, I looked forward to this being my first read of 2026. It's the perfect series of novellas for those who gravitate toward cozy mysteries. It's more character-driven than plot-driven, and the setting of this luxury interstellar liner takes centre stage. It was a light, relaxing way to start of my 2026 reading.

Leandra Will Read: Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees

As the Shedunnit Book Club is celebrating the hundredth anniversary of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd in January, I have been slowly reading a 1926 fantasy classic with a friend. We started this title before the December holiday season but then set it aside until the new year. It follows numerous inhabitants of the fictional city, Lud-in-the-Mist, who are slowly realising that they have a fairy problem. While the city borders the land of Faerie, it has been decades since they've severed their connections with their neighbours. In recent weeks, however, children are suspected of eating fairy fruit, the ex-mayor witnesses blood trickle down from the lid of a coffin, and Master Nathaniel Chanticleer keeps hearing "the Note". I am about halfway through this narrative and thoroughly enjoying it. The writing is lush, filled with beautiful descriptions, but it's also whimsical and packed with odd, humorous moments. I hope the final half is just as strong!

That's how we're starting the year, book wise! What are you going to be reading? You can let us know by replying directly to this email or by leaving a comment to join the conversation with other readers. We're also going to be recording a bonus episode shortly just for Shedunnit Book Club members all about our reading intentions for 2026, so if you aren't already a member, you might like to join in time to hear that in early February.

Until next time,

Caroline

Some book links are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you).

Dear listeners,

One of the many things that fascinates me about Agatha Christie's detectives is that I don't think she knew at the beginning how many times she would end up writing about them. The idea of the crime series built around a central sleuthing personality is so embedded now that I suspect most debut novelists have half an eye on the sequel potential of their protagonist even as they are constructing their first case. Not only did Christie not begin her first novel expecting to become a professional writer with a career spanning decades, she also didn't have ten Poirot sequels already in mind.

This is surely especially true of Mrs Oliver, who first shows up as a minor character in the Parker Pyne story "The Case of the Discontented Soldier", written in the early 1930s. I don't think Christie knew then that she would go on to write seven novels featuring this character, one of which has her as the sole detective. The evolution of Mrs Oliver (who acquires her first name, Ariadne, in her first novel length appearance) is fascinating, therefore. She grows and changes to meet the demands of each new novel that Christie wanted to put her in, rather than being a fixed personality that is slotted in, ready made, to new stories.

In the latest episode of Shedunnit, I've gone more deeply into the form and function of Ariadne Oliver in Christie's mysteries, and looked at the relationship between creator and character. Ariadne is often described as being a stand-in or self-insert for Agatha Christie herself. But is that really true?

Let's take a look at the full Ariadne Oliver canon.

Cards on the Table (1936)

This is a clever piece of formal experimentation that puts me in mind of some of Anthony Berkeley's 1930s detective fiction. An eccentric host invites four people he suspects of having got away with murder and four detectives to his house for dinner and cards. By the end of the night, he is dead, stabbed by one of his guests. Who did it? The personalities at the party, as revealed by their bridge playing, is vital to the solution of the case. It's something of a detecting super-group, with Christie bringing together four detectives she had used separately in other works: Hercule Poirot, Mrs Oliver, Colonel Race and Superintendent Battle. I like this book both for its cunningly-handled murder scenario and because it sets up what was to become a close and long-term relationship between Mrs Oliver and Poirot.

Mrs McGinty's Dead (1952)

After leaving Mrs Oliver in stasis for 16 years, Christie brought her out to act as a secondary to Poirot in this village mystery about the brutal murder of a cleaning lady. She is there by coincidence, not design, being introduced as an acquaintance of one of the households. She is working on a stage adaptation of one of her novels with someone who lives there — a reflection of the fact that Christie herself was also moving more into theatrical writing in the early 1950s.

Dead Man's Folly (1956)

This time, it is Mrs Oliver who calls in Poirot, but not initially to investigate a murder. She is staying at a country house (Greenway in disguise) and has been asked to create a murder mystery treasure hunt for the village fête. She is feeling uneasy about the process, but can't quite put her finger on why — a Mrs Oliver trademark. Certain aspects of her mystery are being changed as if someone is manipulating her for their own nefarious reasons. Not long after Poirot joins her, the murder mystery game becomes a real murder and we get to see Mrs Oliver in a more active sleuthing role. I especially like the evolution of her much discussed "women's intuition" from earlier stories. We see how seriously Poirot takes Mrs Oliver's feelings that something is not right in this book.

The Pale Horse (1961)

This is the only full-length novel in which Mrs Oliver appears without Poirot. She is consulted by the book's narrator, Mark Easterbrook, about another murky suspicious circumstance that may or may not be criminal: the possibility that a group of creepy women living in an old pub are running a magical "assassination to order" business. Through Mark's eyes, we get to see some of Mrs Oliver's creative process for her fiction and we learn that she had written 55 novels and counting. She gives him good advice about confronting evil. This book is also a key crossing-over point in the Christie canon. One of the characters from Cards on the Table recurs as a way to connect Mrs Oliver to the social circle and the area where the Pale Horse pub is. Also based here is the vicar's wife Mrs Dane Calthrop, who appears in 1942's The Moving Finger as the person Miss Marple is staying with while investigating poison pen letters in Lymstock. Thus, this novel confirms that Poirot and Marple exist in the same fictional universe, since via Mrs Oliver they now have a friend in common. I highly doubt that Christie thought or cared about such a detail, but I enjoy thinking about it.

Third Girl (1966)

This is a less successful crime novel (Christie tries to write about drugs and youth culture, topics that don't suit her) but we still get some good Mrs Oliver moments, such as her request to Poirot that he be the guest speaker at the "Detective Authors' Club" annual dinner, thereby confirming that she is a member of a Detection Club equivalent. Christie, by the way, was the president of the real-life Detection Club when she published this novel. This book also contains some good examples of Mrs Oliver's compassion, particularly for girls and young women, and perhaps my favourite sequence hers of all, where she briefly turns shoe-leather detective and trails a suspect across London.

Hallowe'en Party (1969)

These days, I think people mostly read this book for the seasonal vibes rather than the mystery, which is probably as it should be. The opening chapter where Mrs Oliver is helping out at her friend's children's Halloween party is lovely. The book is interesting for the scholar of Ariadne Oliver, though, because as in Dead Man's Folly she has to confront the fact that her presence might have precipitated an until-then theoretical murderer into taking practical action. Once again, Mrs Oliver summons Poirot onto the investigation, confirming that their connection remains close and strong 35 years on.

Elephants Can Remember (1972)

My overwhelming feeling about this book is that it is very sad. Its subject matter is deeply tragic — more so than the average Christie mystery — and its thematic focus on ageing and memory is melancholy, too. Mrs Oliver wrestles (as Christie probably was too, four years before her death) with feelings about being an old woman, the world having changed around her, and not being able to rely on her own memory as she once did. I don't love this novel or yearn to re-read it often, but as I looked at it again for this episode I came to see it as a fitting conclusion for a character who had spanned so much of her creator's career and become a vessel for many of her own preoccupations.

I hope you'll enjoy listening to this episode — Agatha and Ariadne — and I'll be back with you next Wednesday with our monthly reading recommendations.

Until then,

Caroline

You can listen to every episode of Shedunnit at shedunnitshow.com or on all major podcast apps. Selected episodes are available on BBC Sounds. There are also transcripts of all episodes on the website. The podcast is now newsletter-only — we're not updating social media — so if you'd like to spread the word about the show consider forwarding this email to a mystery-loving friend with the addition of a personal recommendation.