Last week at my mum's house in Carrickfergus, I had the odd and quite pleasant experience of drinking tea, eating toffee shortbread and watching UFO, Murder She Wrote and Countdown on TV before going up to Belfast for a reading at No Alibis bookshop. The toffee shortbread and tea were excellent as usual and those TV shows were a portal to a different time. UFO was a crackpot Gerry Anderson series from 1970 set in the distant future of 1980 when aliens were attacking the Earth and everyone wore wigs. I loved this embarrassingly hokey show and had all the Dinky toys. The episode I saw was about a blind woman in the west of Ireland who has an alien in her house and doesn't even know it. Genius. Murder She Wrote alas was not my favourite episode which was also set in Ireland, but an Ireland that looked suspiciously like Southern California and featured the worst Irish accents in the history of the performing arts. Bad? Brad Pitt bad. It was still a pretty good episode though - it was those annoying young people that done it. Countdown of course is that words and numbers game which is a boon to shut ins and the unemployed everywhere in the British Isles, but the last time I saw it both Carol and Richard were on the show; now Carol's left and Richard, alas, has passed on. It just wasn't the same. How does this tie into the title of this blog, I hear you ask? Well a couple of weeks ago I wrote a piece for The Times on my 10 Favourite Female Detectives and in it I mentioned both Murder She Wrote and Countdown in fairly glowing terms. The piece was published yesterday and last week's viewing confirmed all my happy memories from my days of signing on at the dole office....
You can read the My Favourite Female Detectives article in The Times, here and you can read a little about my adventures at No Alibis on Ger Brennan's CSNI here.
...
BTW the girl on the right in the UFO pic is Gabrielle Drake who is the brilliant English folkie Nick Drake 's sister.
50 comments:
Funny--I'm not surprised by the people in wigs show or Countdown, but I wouldn't have pegged you for a Jessica Fletcher fan.
Don't have time for the article till later, but I'm looking forward to that.
I thought Brad Pitt had a pretty sweet accent in Snatch. I know it wasn't supposed to be exactly Irish, but a lot Irish and his performance was pretty stellar I thought.
Liam,
I second that. Pitt's performance in Snatch just might have been the highlight of what was an awesome film.
Seana
I do like Murder, but more for ironic reasons I think.
Liam
Havent seen Snatch, no, I'm referring to Pitt's disastrous Belfast accent in The Devil's Own. I think his dialogue coach may have been Mickey Rourke fresh from his own travesty in A Prayer For the Dying.
Brian
So Snatch is a good film then. Ok I'll check it out.
Velma still qualifies even after her faux pas a couple of posts ago?
I read your detectives piece on Wednesday! I was wondering when you were going to mention it on your blog. Very funny.
marco
we all make mistakes, even the brilliant Velma.
everyone remembers the Scooby Doo episode when they met the Harlem Globetrotters, but what about the one when they met Sonny and Cher - that just didnt work at all.
Ian
Would have given everyone a head's up but I didn't know about it until yesterday. I think The Times may have had other things on its mind than keeping me up to date.
Adrian,
Yeah, def check out Snatch. Brad's a "pikey," or basically an bare-knuckle brawling Irish gypsy named One-Punch Mickey. Maybe mister Pitt at his finest.
Yeah, his accent was pretty bad in The Devil's Own. Mickey Rourke in Prayer for Dying as well.
Liam
I shall do so sir. I liked the one about the shotguns with Sting in it.
Hey and check my piece in The Times you may like it.
That was a wonderful list, Adrian, and I'm pretty impressed that you have so much familiarity with the distaff side of detection. I've read or seen a lot of them of course, but that's not so remarkable. Scooby Doo is a bit outside my ken, and oddly enough, I am one of those few people who haven't read the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency or its sequels, which as you can imagine can be a bit awkward. They sell themselves, though, at this point, so it's not really a problem.
I'm not sure that I would personally have chosen Miss Marple as the very top of the list, though you're right about Hickson--she revealed Miss Marple in a way that makes that plausible to me. And Jane Tennison is one of those rare characters who probably appeals equally to men and women, though probably for different reasons, or at least from different angles.
I loved those Sarah Caudwell novels, and it's a great shame for all of us that she died prematurely. Being the not close reader that I am, it never occured to me to read Hilary as anything but the gender I unconsciously assigned him/her--had to have the ambiguity pointed out to me by someone, as per usual.
I like the serial killer hypothesis on Jessica. My only real quibble with the show, I mean by its own lights, was that you usually only had to decide which was the most famous actor on the show to figure out who the killer was going to be.
I liked those television Cordelia Gray's well enough, but she did not really fit my image of her, and my mother, who probably would put An Unsuitable Job for a Woman on her own top ten list, absolutely hated them. I think it works out, though, if you're willing to make them two different trajectories from one initial premise.
I wouldn't have said Kinsey Milhone was a plain Jane--I always thought that she was probably pretty hot, just underdressed, fashionwise.
Only gap I can think of off the top of my head is no mention of Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawsky. I would have substituted her in for Scarpetta. I'm not sure that Cornwell's series held up as solidly as Paretsky's, though of course the easier thing to do would be to just make it 11.
Oh, well, Detective Mercado too, but she really needs to be more than a one book wonder. It is really a shame about that dingo.
RAI 1 has had reruns of Murder she Wrote in its summer programming for the last 11 years or so. Weekdays from 12 to 1:30 Pm, just before the news.
Adrian,
Yeah, if you liked Lock Stock, you'll probably enjoy Snatch.
Nice list in The Times too.
Apparently Sonia Sotomayor was also a Nancy Drew fan as was I. Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone is who Sue Grafton based her books on. They take place in the Bay Area and California as well. You might also like the Dana Stabanow Kate Shugak series that are Alaska based. Agree on Joan Hickson (can't watch anyone else) and also would substitute Paretsky for Cornwell.
Susan
Seana
Yeah there's a lot I like about VIW. The characters, the setting... Maybe that would be #11 on my list.
Sometimes they would fool you on Murder She Wrote, I remember one episode when Major Winchester from MASH appeared and he wasn't the killer. I liked the way Columbo handled that problem, they showed you the murder in the first five minutes. Poor Patrick McGoohan he had no chance...
Brian
Ok, I'll try it but I'm not watching that one where Madonna gets washed up on a desert island.
Marco
I think I'd enjoy seeing that dubbed. I remember watching an episode of Xena Warrior Princess in Jordan in Arabic - it was truly fantastic.
If I was touring New York City, I wouldn't mind having Lydia Chin for a guide...
Having been to a few mystery conventions, that Mallory is a popular character. Not sure why, I guess that whole sociopath thing is a bit of a trend these days.
The only Lydia Chin I've read is the one where she leaves the city and meets up with S.J. Rozan's other detective in Maine or somewhere. I liked it, but I think I missed some of what makes this series so strong in terms of popularity. It's maybe not a West Coast thing, too.
I know people who like Carol O'Connell's Mallory series a lot, but I only managed the first one. I'm not sure it works for me to have a sociopathic detective, though more discerning eyes than mine find the writing excellent.However, I don't really feel that I've given them a fair chance yet.
Susan, I thought of Sharon McCone too--though of course I couldn't remember her name. Marcia Muller had a big revival at one point where the series was really going gangbusters, well-packaged and marketed. But of course this stuff peters out after awhile. And we even had a local favorite who flourished for awhile in the era of the reinvention of the female detective. Lia Matera wrote this late eighties, early nineties series starring the lawyer Willa Jansson. They were funny, and had a lot to do with law. The first one was Where Lawyers Fear to Tread.
The real omission on my own list, though, is Janet Evanovich. Stephanie Plum is a great addition to the female detective list, even if she usually succeeds by sheer luck and not after a lot of mishaps. Evanovich seems able to play infinite variations on what have become stock characters and situations. I do think she is a bit like P.G. Wodehouse in this regard. Stock characters that somehow never go stale.
Adrian, yes, I know that Murder She Wrote did sometimes manage to mix it up a bit. Still, you're right, Columbo was on to a better formula. I don't know if it's a shame or a blessing that you can't tell that Peter Falk story.
Only marginally related , but, interesting nonetheless.
Marco, that was very interesting. It was sort of a true test of bias, wasn't it?
I'm beginning to have doubts concerning the autorship of Adrian's novels. It's difficult to imagine a guy from Carrickfergus convincingly writing from the perspective of the opposite sex, describing Nature in Colorado or Wyoming, or using all those fancy words. Not to mention the introspective moments! The novels are probably ghostwritten by his sisters. Or Adrians is really also a female name and the guy we see in the photo is an actor.
It's the elegance that's the dead giveaway, don't you think?
I was going to say, but how do you explain Michael Forsythe, but then I thought, oh yeah--what man is going to add all that observation to tough guy fiction at its gory, heartstopping best?
You may have noticed that gb said that his 'mother', 'sister' and 'aunt' were all there at the reading. Probably standing at the back giving that actor some last minute coaching. I wonder if he was even Irish. I'm beginning to think that "Adrian McKinty" is actually some sort syndicate.
Adrian,
Any video from your reading at No Alibis?
Josh
Marco
Good linkage. I suppose this is the collateral I get from being a sensitive guy. I'll have to take up rugby again.
Actually, playing Australians... on second thought, no.
Seana
And dont forget that I have two daughters and in fact both my sisters were at the No Alibis reading and at last year's event two of my nieces as well. Add that to your conspiracy.
Its funny as I write this its a Sunday morning and my oldest daughter had some of her friends sleep over so the house is brimming with little girls and their vibe. I'm having flashbacks to that World of Barbie thing.
Josh
Dave Torrans took a lot of photos but I dont remember him shooting any video. Ger Brennan might have shot some video from his camera phone. I dont know. Here's the link to CSNI
Someone should have shot some footage of the pub later though. We were all sitting rather comically on comfy chairs about a big round table much too high for the seats - it was like kids at a wedding. Anyway Colin Bateman had a lot of funny stories about writers he had met and other things, Stuart Neville had a great story about a famous writer whose name I cant mention and I told my one story about a famous writer who big footed me at an event. It sounds like a whinge fest but it was pretty enjoyable.
Seana
BTW you're the only person I know who has read Sarah Caudwell. They prove, I think, too esoteric for most people. She breaks every single rule that writing teachers teach and they're all the better for it.
No Ken room at your house then?
Sarah Caudwell did have some popularity here, particularly after Bantam put some great Edward Gorey drawings on the front. I think they're all out of print, though. Anyone who likes dry British humor would like them, I think.
I'm noticing that there hasn't been too much assent or dissent on the content of that article. Is it just because most men don't read women or what exactly? Jump on board here and tell me I'm wrong, anyone.
I saw Snatch by the way and thought it was very good, Brad Pitt included. Unfortunately I went to it because of Benicio del Toro. It's not much of spoiler to say he reaches a premature end.
For all those who think that my 'syndicate' theory sounds implausible, consider this: "I've been out of the country for some time" and "I am suffering from severe jetlag" can be made to cover quite a variety of gaffes. Including a not so Irish Northern Irish accent. Right?
True, it takes real brass to try this stunt at a place called 'No Alibis', but I would say that this combination of at least 7 women--okay, some of them may be children, but so what? "Adrian McKinty" also writes children's novels--is capable of pulling it off.
Cherchez la femme, as they say. Although if I knew how to make that plural, I would.
Stuart Neville had a great story about a famous writer whose name I cant mention and I told my one story about a famous writer who big footed me at an event.
Oh, come on! At least the initials and a broad outline of the stories!
Seana
We here at the syndicate are still smarting at the fact that we didnt spot that Jane Austen zombie franchise. We may have to "kill off" Adrian McKinty and switch to a different genre.
Marco
No and no. I'll tell you in person and I'll bet Stuart will too, but neither of us will dare in print. Powerful people that you dont want to piss off in both cases.
Dear Syndicate--
Oh, don't kill him off--we've all grown rather attached to him as a persona. Tell you what--keep him as your blogwriter and use him to promote all your new ventures! For instance, I'm sure you could contract with Mattel or whoever and do a whole line of World of Barbie books. And then "Adrian McKinty" could report on each one, maybe give a few fashion tips and even some recipes! Throwing in a few vampires or zombies or whatever would probably work too. I'd leave out the sea monsters, though.
You know, I find myself wondering what writers are actually that powerful anymore, or who would even consider themselves to be. I'm not talking about the quality of their work, I'm talking about the power of their clout. Marco, I think it narrows the field of suspects to something almost manageable.
Adrian,
Nice write-up in The Times. Nice to see Mariska Hartigay at least nearly made your list, and Velma from Scooby-Doo. Grew up watching that little brainiac. You forgot Cagney and Lacey. Maybe. I dunno. Maybe they weren't that good anyway. I was too busy watching Starsky and Hutch and CHIPS and Dukes of Hazzard.
Liam
Thanks man. Yup I remember Cagney or was it Lacey from their days as Dirty Harry's sidekick.
Nice that you spelled Hazzard with two Z's. You can always spot the northerner when they spell it with one.
Seana
Dont even get Marco started on that route. Seriously I dont want to be squashed in this business even more than I already am and Stuart's only starting out. Why dont we all meet up in Bouchercon SF 2010 and trade stories then? I'm sure you've got a few "they were monsters" tales from book readings, I know I have a few from my Barnes and Noble days.
I'm already zooming on the possible culprits.
Yesterday my parents went to a murder party organized by the local church (the victim was the priest). The murderer was one of the candidates in our list, while his wife interpreted Jessica Fletcher (she dressed the part and arrived cycling) and solved the case.
That was Cagney was Dirty Harry's sidekick. Lacey went on to become the constantly fretting chain-smoking mother of Michael Westen on Burn Notice.
Being that I was born in Tennessee, spent several years in Alabama, and ended up in South Carolina for most of my life, it'd be pretty bad if I didn't get the spelling on Hazzard right. Especially since I grew up loving that Dodge Charger so much.
Although I'd love to see you all at Boucheron SF if it works out, I doubt that that would be the safest environs to swap tales either. Aren't you possibly going to be in Italy before then? That would seem pretty riskfree.
Liam, how does your regional accent hold up out west? Or can you tell?
Marco, I haven't had my coffee yet, so it's a little hard to get my head around an Italian interpretation of Murder She Wrote, but it sounds like it would be worth the price of the entry fee or whatever.
I just watched a new production of Miss Marple last night, "They do it with Mirrors". Although this latest Jane seems really a non-entity (perhaps that's the point), it was very well done, and I was impressed all over again with Dame Agatha's plotting.
Seana,
I'm told it doesn't hold up well at all. I don't hear it, but apparently everyone out west hears it cleary. Nothing I can really do but embrace it.
And why shouldn't you?
Need recipe for toffee shortbread. Can you post it?
I'm afraid that secret has never been revealed to me. I believe that its matrilineal only.
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