I have watched hundreds of hours of mystery TV shows. I've seen every episode of the original 7 seasons of Columbo at least 4 times. Every episode of Murder She Wrote at least twice, every Episode of Poirot, Marple, Rosemary & Thyme, Father Brown, Sherlock Holmes, Hetty Wainthrop, Death in Paradise, most of Midsummer Murders, …
A thriller novel in 1600 words
Here is a novel I wrote in 1600 words. It's a 'page turner'! Prologue In a dark warehouse a Helpless Woman limps away from a shadowy figure. “Help! Help!” she cries, but no one is there to help her. The figure holds a gleaming blade in a red-gloved hand. “No!” cries the woman. Blood splashes …
Character quirks
I've been listening to my first Raymond Chandler novel, The Big Sleep, and it's a lot better written and a lot less sexist than I'd expected. What has stood out to me so far is how good he is at quickly putting a clear picture of a new character in your head. All of the …
Sharp Objects blunted by twist ending
This post contains spoilers. If you haven't seen HBO's Sharp Objects, you're in for a treat, go watch it. Then come back and read. Sharp Objects is a show you have to pay attention to. It's smart, and subtle, and you can miss entire plot points if you look away for even a few …
Foucault’s Pendulum, by Umberto Eco
This one was a bit of a trial. It took me several months to read because it got so bogged down in historical details that I don't care about. In this story, a group of editors decide to create their own conspiracy theory about the Templars in order to sell books. They go about it …
Jonas David 