
60 episodes

Shedunnit Caroline Crampton
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- Books
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4.9 • 411 Ratings
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Unravelling the mysteries behind classic detective stories
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Poison Pen
Nothing could bad could possibly happen here, the inhabitants of the peaceful English village say to each other. Until the first poison pen letter arrives.
No major spoilers about clues or endings in this episode. However, there is some mention or discussion of the books listed below. Also, be aware there is a very brief mention of suicide.
Books and sources:
—The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie
—“The Lernean Hydra” in The Labours of Hercules by Agatha Christie
—Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers
—Policemen in the Precinct by E.C.R. Lorac
—The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters by Enid Blyton
—Overture to Death by Ngaio Marsh
—Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers
—Poison in the Pen by Patricia Wentworth
—Details of the James Forster poison pen case in Manfield, Yorkshire
—"The Poison Pen Letter: the Early 20th Century's Strangest Crime Wave" by Curtis Evans
—Fear Stalks the Village by Ethel Lina White
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Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/poisonpentranscript.
Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details. -
A Christie for Christmas
The original golden age of detective fiction in the 1920s followed on from a devastating global pandemic. Is it any wonder, then, that we've read so much crime fiction in 2020? And why do we find murder mysteries a comforting choice for Christmas?
This festive season if you'd like to support the podcast and buy a gift for a murder mystery loving friend at the same time, you can purchase a discounted gift subscription for the Shedunnit Book Club at a href="https://shedunnitshow.com/giftoffer -
The Christie Completists
I've read a lot of Agatha Christie, but I've never read all of her books in order. What insights are there to be had by doing so? Christie completists Catherine Brobeck and Kemper Donovan of the All About Agatha podcast join me to talk about the Queen of Crime's clever way with characters, the "stuck in its time" elements of some of her plots, and how they rank her novels from best to worst.
This festive season if you'd like to support the -
Spoiler Warning (No Spoilers)
Is it still worth reading a whodunnit if you know... who done it?
Thanks to my guests Jim Noy of The Invisible Event and Kate Jackson of Cross Examining Crime. Jim is on Twitter @invisible_event and Kate is @ArmchairSleuth.
Thank you to everyone who supported the a href="https: -
Death Sets Sail On The Nile
To get to the bottom of why the Nile is a murder mystery location that has bewitched readers for decades, I decided to talk to an author who has just published an Egypt based whodunnit: Robin Stevens. We talk about how she finalised the plot of Death Sets Sail while on a Nile cruise, what it was about 1930s Egypt that held such a fascination for white British writers, and why the boat in Agatha Christie's Death on the
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Peace At Last
The day the First World War ended, 11 November 1918, marked the beginning of a new era in which detective fiction would flourish. How did Britain go from "peace at last" to "whodunnit"?
Thanks to my guest (and husband) Guy Cuthbertson. His book about Armistice Day is Peace At Last and he’s on Twitter as @guywjc.
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Customer Reviews
Great episode w/ All About Agatha
As a big fan of the All About Agatha podcast (and Shedunnit) I loved this episode. So used to hearing Catherine and Kemper interview others, and it was about time that the table was turned. The result was a really interesting “stock take” of their project to read and rank Christie’s entire output. Caroline’s considered interview style made for a fascinating 50 minutes.
Great for fictional detective buffs
A really interesting and informative podcast.
Good for the average mystery reader too
I’m not an obsessive reader of mysteries. I’ve read a few. Watched some adaptations. But I really enjoy the research and history and quality of this podcast. And there aren’t spoilers unless fully earned so I’m happy to listen even when I’ve not read but hope to read someday the books discussed.