The First Lord Peter Wimsey Book

Carolyn did not expect Lord Peter Wimsey to be so complex. He suffers from PTSD, and Dorothy Sayers does a bang-up job of conveying the otherworldly disconnect some experience during panic attacks. He won Carolyn over. The always insightful Sarah liked him all along.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Sarah, Carolyn, and special guest Jill Carstens would like to spend some time at Styles Court. Strolls around the grounds, hours spent reading each day, afternoon tea, evening libations … An outlier among a cast of selfish characters, Hercule Poirot is sympathetic, smart, and, of course, THE foremost master of detection.

Introducing Poirot and Hastings!

Special guest Jill Carstens returns to talk more about The Mysterious Affair at Styles, where we meet Hercule Poirot. He’s a methodical marvel who’s nonplussed by the affairs, awkward proposals, loveless marriages, and privileged egotism of the various suspects. Poirot is delightful. Much like Sarah, Carolyn, and Jill.

The 39 Steps (Part II)

Sarah and Carolyn and special guest Wendi Anderson discuss approximately 492 topics related to but not directly about John Buchan’s short, fast-paced espionage thriller The Thirty-Nine Steps. We learn that both Sarah and Wendi will open the door when a stranger knocks. Sarah will even let that someone use her phone.

The Thirty-Nine Steps

Sarah and Carolyn and special guest Wendi Anderson love The Thirty-Nine Steps, a fast-paced man on the run thriller published in 1915. Warning: Listening to this episode will make you want to become a freelance spy and move to Scotland. If you’re already a freelance spy and live in Scotland, we’re jealous.

The First Golden Age Detective Story

Carolyn dislikes Trent, and she would not invite him to her dinner party. Sarah, on the other hand, would probably bring Trent as her guest to Carolyn’s dinner party, putting Carolyn in an awkward hostess-ly position. The Golden Age begins here, folks, and we are too excited to type more words.

Trent’s Last Case

Trent’s Last Case is one of the best mystery stories of all time according to Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and The New York Times. What do YOU think? Does the book live up to the hype? Carolyn and Sarah have some strong opinions to share. You’ll want to listen in!

Golden Age of Detective Fiction

Oh, yeah, Sarah and Carolyn are unreasonably excited about the books we’ll be reading and discussing in 2023. We’re diving head first into the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, dear listeners. We’re talking Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Dashiell Hammett … It’s gonna be a wild ride. Join us, won’t you?

Lord Peter Wimsey: Whose Body?

Introducing the irrepressible Lord Peter Wimsey, Golden Age amateur detective extraordinaire. In this 1923 novel, Dorothy Sayers features a gentleman sleuth who will appear in many books to come. Sarah and Carolyn enjoyed this book immensely. Now, tell us what YOU think!

Poe and Conan Doyle

Holy moly, we read and discussed some amazing mysteries and detective stories in 2022: “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allan Poe, The Moonstone and The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, and loads more. Check out our 2022 retrospective!