120 episodes

Unravelling the mysteries behind classic detective stories

Shedunnit Caroline Crampton

    • Arts
    • 4.9 • 598 Ratings

Unravelling the mysteries behind classic detective stories

    The Evolution of Margery Allingham

    The Evolution of Margery Allingham

    The parallel lives of a writer and her detective.
    Thanks to my guest, Julia Jones. Her biography of Margery Allingham is available now through all good bookshops.
    Mentioned in the episode:
    — Margery Allingham: A Biography by Julia Jones
    — The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham
    — Blackkerchief Dick by Margery Allingham
    — Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham
    — Dancers in Mourning by Margery Allingham
    — Coroner's Pidgin by Margery Allingham
    — The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham
    — The China Governess by Margery Allingham
    — Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham
    — The Beckoning Lady by Margery Allingham
    — The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham
    — Traitor's Purse by Margery Allingham
    — The Oaken Heart by Margery Allingham
    — The Relay by Margery Allingham
    — Hide My Eyes by Margery Allingham
    — The Mind Readers by Margery Allingham
    — Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham
    — Death of a Ghost by Margery Allingham
    — Fifty Years in the Fiction Factory by Julia Jones
    Related Shedunnit episodes:
    — Margery Allingham Waits for the Invasion
    NB: Links to Blackwell's are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you). Blackwell's is a UK bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.
    To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.
    The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.
    Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/theevolutionofmargeryallinghamtranscript
    Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 23 min
    The Murder Mystery Hotline

    The Murder Mystery Hotline

    If you need a golden age detective fiction recommendation, we are at your service.
    To take part in future interactive episodes, become a member of the Shedunnit Book Club now at shedunnitbookclub.com/join.
    Books mentioned in the episode:
    — A Grave Mistake by Ngaio Marsh
    — Common or Garden Crime by Sheila Pim
    — Unholy Dying by RT Campbell
    — The Death Cap by RT Campbell
    — Black Orchids by Rex Stout
    — Up the Garden Path by John Rhode
    — False Scent by Ngaio Marsh
    — A Rum Affair: A True Story of Botanical Fraud by Karl Sabbagh
    — Dead Man's Quarry by Ianthe Jerrold
    — The Murder of My Aunt by Richard Hull
    — Death on Tiptoe by RC Ashby
    — Noonday and Night by Gladys Mitchell
    — The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
    — Death of Mr Dodsley by John Ferguson
    — Death of an Author by ECR Lorac
    — The Mysterious Mr Badman by WF Harvey
    — Murder in the Bookshop by Carolyn Wells
    — Bodies in a Bookshop by RT Campbell
    — Murder by the Book, edited by Martin Edwards
    — Bibliomysteries: Stories of Crime in the World of Books and Bookstores, edited by Otto Penzler
    — The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
    — A Case of Books by Bruce Graeme
    — The Widening Stain by W. Bolingbroke Johnson
    — Mystery at Geneva by Rose Macaulay
    — The Death of a Diplomat by Peter Oldfeld
    — Murder at School by Glen Trevor
    — "Manx Gold" by Agatha Christie, featured in The Harlequin Tea Set and While the Light Lasts
    — These Names Make Clues by ECR Lorac
    — The Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen
    — The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
    — Enter A Murderer by Ngaio Marsh
    — Opening Night by Ngaio Marsh
    — Vintage Murder by Ngaio Marsh
    — Overture to Death by Ngaio Marsh
    — Final Curtain by Ngaio Marsh
    — Death at the Dolphin by Ngaio Marsh
    — The Bungalow Mystery by Anne Haynes
    — Dancers in Mourning by Margery Allingham
    — Quick Curtain by Alan Melville
    — Black Express by Conyth Little
    — The Norths Meet Murder by Frances and Richard Lockridge
    — The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett
    — Murder on Safari by Elspeth Huxley
    — The Penguin Pool Murder by Stuart Palmer
    — Twice Round the Clock by Billie Houston
    NB: Links to Blackwell's are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you). Blackwell's is a UK bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.
    To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.
    The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.
    Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/themurdermysteryhotlinetranscript.
    Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 25 min
    Death Under Par

    Death Under Par

    Golf and murder have been close companions for a whole century.
    To support the podcast, be part of a superb bookish community, and get two bonus episodes a month, become a member of the Shedunnit Book Club now at shedunnitbookclub.com/join.
    Mentioned in the episode:
    — The Murder on the Links (1923) by Agatha Christie
    — “The Murder on the Golf Links” (1907) by Matthias McDonnell Bodkin, featured in Resorting to Murder: Holiday Mysteries, edited by Martin Edwards
    — A Lost Leader (1906) by E. Phillips Oppenheim
    — Hints on the Game of Golf by Horace G Hutchinson
    — The Book of Golf and Golfers by Horace G Hutchinson
    — The Lost Golfer (1930) by Horace G Hutchinson
    — Tish Plays the Game (1921) by Mary Roberts Rinehart
    — The Viaduct Murder (1925) by Ronald Knox
    — The Bunker at the 5th (1927) by Marcus Dods
    — “The Red Golf Ball” by Gerald Verner, featured in Settling Scores: Sporting Mysteries, edited by Martin Edwards
    — Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (1934) by Agatha Christie
    — The Murder on the Sixth Hole (aka The Strange Death of Martin Green) by David Frome
    — Tragedy at the Thirteenth Hole (1933) by Miles Burton
    — Fer-de-Lance (1934) by Rex Stout
    — Murder in the Mews (1937) by Agatha Christie
    — “The Sweet Shot” (1939) by EC Bentley
    — Trent’s Own Case (1936) by EC Bentley
    — Trent's Last Case by EC Bentley
    — Mr. Malcolm Presents (1932) by Gerard Fairlie
    — The Case of the Green Felt Hat (1937) by Christopher Bush
    — Unexpected Night (1940) by Elizabeth Daly
    — The Body in the Bunker by Herbert Adams
    — Death Off the Fairway by Herbert Adams
    — Nineteenth Hole Mystery by Herbert Adams
    — Death on the First Tee by Herbert Adams
    — The Secret of Bogey House (1924) by Herbert Adams
    — Unfinished Portrait (1934) by Mary Westmacott
    — My Late Wives (1946) by Carter Dickson
    — An Awkward Lie (1952) by Michael Innes
    — Fair Prey (1956) by William Campbell Gault
    — The Big Gamble (1958) by George Harmon Coxe
    — Murder at the Open (1965) by Angus MacVicar
    — Deadly Putter (1979) by Ted Dexter and Clifford Makins
    — Death of a Low-Handicap Man (1974) by Brian Ball
    — A Hole in One (2005) by Catherine Aird
    — Administration Can Be Murder (2000) by Richard L. Baldwin
    — Death from the Ladies' Tee (1992) by James Y Bartlett
    — Murder in the Rough, collection edited by Otto Penzler
    — Open Season (2005) by Jim Moriarty
    — Par for the Corpse by Kathleen Kelly Sprissler
    Other golf-related titles not mentioned:
    — The Heart of a Goof (1926) by PG Wodehouse
    Related Shedunnit episodes:
    — The Death of the Country House
    — Murder on Holiday
    — The Many Afterlives of Hercule Poirot
    NB: Links to Blackwell's are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you). Blackwell's is a UK bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.
    To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.
    The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.
    Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/deathunderpartranscript Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 26 min
    The Golden Age Autopsy

    The Golden Age Autopsy

    Step inside the mortuary.
    Thanks to my guest, Carla Valentine, for joining me. Her book, Murder Isn't Easy: The Forensics of Agatha Christie, has lots more on this subject, as does her previous appearance on Shedunnit, Murder Isn't Easy.
    Mentioned in the episode:
    — Murder Isn't Easy by Carla Valentine
    — The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
    — The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
    — 4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie
    — Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers
    — "The Lernean Hydra" by Agatha Christie, featured in The Labours of Hercules
    — Notable Trials books (Shedunnit episode on the subject linked below)
    — One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie
    Related Shedunnit episodes:
    — Murder Isn't Easy
    — Notable Trials
    NB: Links to Blackwell's are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you). Blackwell's is a UK bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.
    To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.
    The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.
    Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/thegoldenageautopsytranscript
    Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 27 min
    At Home With Agatha Christie

    At Home With Agatha Christie

    Come with me on a tour of Greenway.
    Special thanks to Clive and everyone at the National Trust for making me and my microphone welcome at Greenway, and to Sarah Thrift for arranging it. I'm also grateful to my friend Elizabeth Minkel, who spent the afternoon doing this even though she has only read one Christie novel in her whole life. She has her own podcast, Fansplaining, which I highly recommend.
    Books mentioned in this episode:
    — Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie
    — Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie
    — Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie
    — Towards Zero by Agatha Christie
    — Agatha Christie An Autobiography by Agatha Christie
    — Tied Up In Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh
    Related Shedunnit episodes about Agatha Christie:
    — Agatha Christie Writes Alone
    — Agatha's Archaeologists
    — The Dispenser
    NB: Links to Blackwell's are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you). Blackwell's is a UK bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.
    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/shedunnit.
    To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.
    The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.
    Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/athomewithagathachristietranscript 
    Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 22 min
    The Trials of Madeleine Smith

    The Trials of Madeleine Smith

    What if you are found neither innocent nor guilty?
    Books mentioned in this episode
    — The Law and the Lady by Wilkie Collins
    — The House in Queen Anne Square by William Darling Lyell
    — Madeleine Smith: A Tragi-Comedy in Two Acts by Winifred Duke
    — Trial of Madeleine Smith (Notable British Trials), appraisal by F. Tennyson Jesse
    — Murder and Morality in Victorian Britain by Eleanor Gordon and Gwyneth Nair
    — The Strange Affair of Madeleine Smith by Douglas MacGowan
    — Letty Lynton by Marie Belloc Lowndes
    — Alas, for Her That Met Me! by Mary Ann Ashe (Christianna Brand)
    Previous Shedunnit episodes mentioned
    — Florence Maybrick I and Florence Maybrick II, originally published 15 May and 12 June 2019
    — Edith Thompson, originally published 9 January 2019
    NB: Links to Blackwell's are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you). Blackwell's is a UK bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.
    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/shedunnit.
    To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter.
    The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.
    Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/thetrialsofmadeleinesmithtranscript
    Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 25 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
598 Ratings

598 Ratings

Chester Lady ,

Really Good

I don’t know why it has taken me so long to find this podcast. Really well researched and beautifully presented. I also really appreciate the show notes.

Lindos1963 ,

Brilliant and addictive podcast

Discovered this podcast shortly before Christmas and am absolutely hooked. Caroline Crampton takes an interesting angle on Golden Age detective fiction in each episode which always feels thoroughly researched. Trouble is I have a growing pile of unread books through following her recommendations and references. Am working my way through the back catalogue at the rate of one or two episodes a day. Not sure how I’ll cope when I’m up to date and have to wait for the next episode - read those books I suppose!

Samuelwhiskers ,

Loving these podcasts

I found these one night when looking for a Peter Wimsey story to listen to. Started with the Dorothy L Sayers podcasts - I’m a DLS fan - found them fascinating. Now working through the other authors. Excellent find!

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