The Murder Mystery Hotline Is Open

Lighthouses, chocolate, harps, China and more.

Dear listeners,

There are many, many things that I love about interwar detective fiction — I wouldn't have been doing a podcast about it for coming up to seven years otherwise — but one of my favourite aspects is its variety. The sheer number of different authors, plots, settings and styles never ceases to amaze and delight me. The fact that this one genre and period unites books as different as, say, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie and Mystery in the Channel by Freeman Wills Crofts is both weird and wonderful.

I'll take any excuse to explore this vast literary terrain. And today's new episode gives me the best possible reason to do so: listeners wanting book recommendations! I've brought back the Murder Mystery Hotline from 2023 and it's open to new calls.

Once again, members of the Shedunnit Book Club provided a wide variety of interesting requests. For their prompts, I went looking for mysteries set in lighthouses and in Ireland, as well as ones that involved Chinese artefacts and Easter chocolates. Along the way, I learned fascinating things about Norwegian crime fiction publishing traditions and the career of Irish writer Sheila Pim, among many other things. I got to read a play by Wilkie Collins, a photographically illustrated short story by Rex Stout and multiple tales involving vanishing harps. Truly, this was one of the most fun reading lists for an episode I've ever had.

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You can listen to this episode right now on all major audio platforms (just click the icon of your preferred app here to jump right in) as well as on the podcast's website, where there is also a full transcript to read if you prefer that. New episodes are also available on YouTube. If you're in the UK, you can listen ad free on BBC Sounds.

And if you'd like to be able to submit a request for a future murder mystery hotline episode, become a member of the Shedunnit Book Club today. As well as the chance to take part in episodes like this, members get ad free episodes, extra audio content and access to a marvellous community that reads a different murder mystery together every month. We are currently reading  Lady Molly of Scotland Yard by Baroness Orczy, a slightly pre-golden age story collection, and I'd love for you to join us in time to discuss it together at the end of the month.

Before I go, here is a picture of Morris the dog swimming around a lighthouse near where we live:

Until next time,

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.