Brad Friedman
@ahsweetmystery.bsky.social
Blogger and lifelong student of the mystery genre, seeking fellow devotees of classic crime in literature, film, and TV. Find me at ahsweetmystery.com
Miss Marple is back, and while she definitely inhabits a Lucy Foley mystery, she's still the steely but amiable, sweater-knitting, village analogy-spouting spinster sleuth we know and love! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/10/03/s...
SHE’S BAAAAAAACCKK! The New “Miss Marple” Mystery
For a moment in 1935, it looked like there could have been, not twelve, but thirteen Miss Marple novels. If you pull out your volume of Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks and turn to the …
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I'm back from my delightful trip to the 2026 Agatha Christie Festival. Here are the highlights: ahsweetmystery.com/2026/10/01/i...
I’M BAAAAAAACCKK! My Sojourn to the 2026 Agatha Christie Festival
Two years ago, as the 2024 Agatha Christie Festival came to a close, a trio of California lads who had bonded over their passion for the Queen of Crime vowed then and there that they would meet up …
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In our salute to "Perry Mason and Girls! Girls! Girls!" we've seen our hero confront models, nymphs and coquettes - but it's the agency stenographers he really has to look out for! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/09/07/r...
RISING TEMP-ERATURES! The Case of the Terrified Typist
“‘The typist is here, Mr. Mason.’ Mason nodded and stretched back in his chair. Della started to pick up his brief, but hesitated as Gertie came in and carefully closed the door behind her.“‘W…
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Mostly they played country boys. But these two actors definitely showed their range in multiple episodes of Perry Mason. ahsweetmystery.com/2026/09/05/b...
BUCOLICS ANONYMOUS: The Perry Mason Connection, Part 2
We’re talking about some of the great actors who excelled in playing country folks and who appeared all over the TV screen in Western dramas and comedies. Last time, we examined Parley Baer, Ben Co…
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"Thank God I'm a country boy!" said lots of Hollywood character actors. And so many of them appeared in Perry Mason that we're doing a two-parter about it! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/09/03/b...
BUCOLICS ANONYMOUS: The Perry Mason Connection, Part I
Ask me if I’m a town mouse or a country mouse, and there’s no doubt about it: I’ve always favored the city. I’d rather stay in an Air B&B in the heart of London or a nice hotel in New York City…
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I'm heading off to Torquay for the Agatha Christie festival - thus, a brief hiatus from my blog (with a couple of stored-up treats to be shared this week to tide you over!) See you in October with the full report! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/09/01/h...
HIYA, HIATUS!
hiatus (n.) – a temporary break, pause or interruption in an ongoing activity, work or series Hello, my fellow mystery lovers! This month marks eleven years of Ah Sweet Mystery! I can’t believ…
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The final chapter in our Perry Mason/Alfred Hitchcock discussion concerns the six actors who survived THE BIRDS in order to be grilled by the world's greatest defense attorney! (Or vice versa!) ahsweetmystery.com/2026/08/26/t...
THE PERRY MASON/ALFRED HITCHCOCK CONNECTION, PT. 4: The Birds
Leave it to Alfred Hitchcock to take a Daphne Du Maurier short story about an ornithological Armageddon and turn it into a love story about family healing. By the end of 1963’s The Birds, Melanie D…
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Two for the price of one: an apocalyptic thriller and a serial killer mystery. In Murder at the End of the World, each element of this hybrid honkaku manages to elevate the other! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/08/24/c...
CUCKOO HONKAKU: Murder at the End of the World
“So. What d’you think your last words will be?” Twenty-three-year-old Haru is having a rotten year. She finally found a job, and the company went under. Her mother deserted the family, and her fath…
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We continue to connect Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Perry Mason with a look at the men who appeared in both! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/08/21/t...
THE PERRY MASON/ALFRED HITCHCOCK CONNECTION, PT. 3: The Men of Psycho
When Alfred Hitchcock decided to adapt Robert Bloch’s 1959 horror novel Psycho for the big screen, he faced a mountain of objections from the heads of Paramount Studios, who were appalled…
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It has been a fun eight-month journey examining the theatricality found in Agatha Christie's novels. I'm taking a pause for now, but only after looking at the theatrics of Christie's sleuths! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/08/19/a...
ALL HER WORLD’S A STAGE: Theatricality in the Novels and Stories of Agatha Christie, Chapter 8: Spotlight on the Sleuths
We’ve spoken at length about criminals utilizing dissembling and disguise in order to (sometimes literally) mask their guilt – but what of the detective? The history of fictional sleuths donning a …
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In the world of Perry Mason and Girls! Girls! Girls!, it's only natural that Della Street might not approve of a client. Lucky for us, Perry takes on this green-eyed dame! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/08/17/m...
MASON IN THE EMERALD CITY: The Case of the Green-Eyed Sister
Since time immemorial – well, say the last hundred years – a detective’s secretary has been the front line of information about new clients. Her first impression says everything! “’There’s a girl w…
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Let's continue our connection between Alfred Hitchcock's films and the Perry Mason series with a look at some of the great "biddies" who appeared in both! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/08/14/t...
THE PERRY MASON/ALFRED HITCHCOCK CONNECTION, PT. 2: The Biddies
I’m a big fan of screen biddies, those wonderful older women who always steal the scene from the big stars with their sarcastic eye-rolling and witty shenanigans. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers wer…
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Good eeeeveniiing! Join me as we begin a multi-part exploration into the connection between one of my favorite TV shows (Perry Mason) and my favorite director, the Master of Suspense! THE PERRY MASON/ALFRED HITCHCOCK CONNECTION, PT. 1: Rear Window ahsweetmystery.com/2026/08/10/t...
THE PERRY MASON/ALFRED HITCHCOCK CONNECTION, PT. 1: Rear Window
My favorite author is Agatha Christie. My favorite director is Alfred Hitchcock. And never the twain shall meet. And why should they? Hitchcock wasn’t much interested in whodunnits, and goodn…
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According to author Douglas Clark, the English village of 1960's crime fiction is a cold, depressing place - and not a sharp spinster to be found! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/08/09/s...
SAYONARA TO ST. MARY MEAD: Death After Evensong
Knowing full well that my favorite mystery author got her start after working in the pharmaceutical business (dispensing drugs, don’t ya know!), you would think that another writer with a similar r…
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When you get to explore the great actors who appeared both in a favorite film (The Maltese Falcon) and a favorite TV show (Perry Mason), well . . . it's the stuff that dreams are made of! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/08/05/t...
“The stuff that dreams are made of, Della” – The Perry Mason/Maltese Falcon Connection
It should come as no surprise to you how much I love and admire The Maltese Falcon. It seems I’m always ranking the book or the film on one list or another. Why, only recently, I named it the best …
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How do you take a character designed for quirky short stories and make them work in a novel? Agatha Christie faced that challenge with The Murder at the Vicarage, the first Miss Marple novel. As you'll read in my most recent post, I think she handles this brilliantly. #BookSky #ClassicCrime ⚡️📚
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
How do you take a character built for a series of short stories and turn them into the protagonist of a novel? That is the challenge Agatha Christie gave herself with The Murder at the Vicarage. Miss Marple would, of course, go on to become a character who rivals her other major detective, Hercule Poirot, in appeal. That she did is a reflection of the clever choices and design found in this, her first full-length outing.
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tippingmyfedora.bsky.social, nickcardillo.bsky.social and I have another draft coming this fall, and we want YOUR feedback: which of the film noirs represented in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is the best?Send us your choice and be counted! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/08/03/c...
CHECK OUT THE FALL ENSEMBLE: The Three Amigos Will Be Wearing Plaid
Despite our busy schedules, as author and podcaster (Sergio Angelini), author and actor (Nick Cardillo) and author, blogger, cat herder and book club moderator (yours truly), the Three Amigos frequ…
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Peyton Place, America's first nighttime soap, was a hotbed of murder and sin for five seasons, and it owed at least some of its success to the fact that many of its stars cut their teeth on Perry Mason! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/07/31/t...
THE FAMILY THAT SLAYS TOGETHER: The Perry Mason/Peyton Place Connection
In the early days of television, serialized programming was rarely to be found in prime-time. This might seem odd because people like long sagas with character arcs and cliffhangers. (Think of all …
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In the second part of our look at the connection between Perry Mason and Bewitched, we examine the shocking truth about Darrin's two dads and Larry Tate's second wife! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/07/27/d...
DARRIN’S GOT TWO DADS! The Perry Mason/Bewitched Connection, Pt. 2
In our exploration of the original teleplays developed for Perry Mason and all the terrific character actors who appeared on that show, we’ve been looking at the crossover these performer…
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Who of a certain age doesn't remember Bewitched?!? Well, seven actors from that show also appeared on Perry Mason! (Calling Doctor Bombay!!!) ahsweetmystery.com/2026/07/23/a...
ABNER, DURWOOD, DELLA AND PAUL: The Perry Mason/Bewitched Connection, Pt. 1
Before witches became petulant teenagers on Netflix or haunted multiple seasons of American Horror Story, there was Samantha Stephens. Premiering (after a long period of development) on S…
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Three unsung divas - Elvia Allman, Eleanor Audley and Betty Lou Gerson - all appeared on Perry Mason after playing iconic Disney characters. Read on . . . ahsweetmystery.com/2026/07/20/t...
THE PERRY MASON CONNECTION: Dick, Disney, and Three Divine Divas
Perhaps I’m getting a little obsessive in my game of linking the dots between classic TV shows with actors who certainly achieved success but maybe never received their just due. I’ve covered histo…
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Can you help me come up with some ideas for my new book club? ahsweetmystery.com/2026/07/19/t...
THE BOOK CLUB CONUNDRUM
Every month, you fellow mystery lovers who scan the blogosphere for news come upon the same refrain: “My Book Club met, and . . . oy, this book!!!” As you may have deduced from the occasional …
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This month, for "Perry Mason and Girls! Girls! Girls!", we have a delectable damsel, a daring escape, and a darling Doberman. No, really! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/07/17/t...
THE 50’S BEGIN SWIMMINGLY: The Case of the Negligent Nymph
“This is the sort of stuff that drives you nuts in this business,” Drake said. “I have two dozen men on the job. It gets around to the slack time and I start calling them in. Then something like th…
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Sweet Spot, the latest case for Ghostwriter Belle Currer from author Kemper Donovan, is a real butte, er, beaut! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/07/16/t...
THIS ONE’S A BUTTE! Sweet Spot by Kemper Donovan
Author Kemper Donovan has made no secret of the influence that Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime, has had on his own writing. You can hear it in every episode of his podcast, All About Agath…
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Our salute to the Perry Mason/Batman connection reaches a colorful conclusion with a salute to Victor Buono, whose roles in film and television made up a charming rogue's gallery! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/07/15/t...
THE PERRY MASON/BATMAN CONNECTION, PT. 3: Victor Buono
It’s interesting to consider the all-too-short life of Victor Charles Buono, whose career included Shakespearean stage roles, an Oscar-nominated turn in the movies, and some colorful villains on mu…
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Two late highlights of actor Neil Hamilton's long career were BATMAN (as Commissioner Gorden) and seven appearances on PERRY MASON! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/07/13/t...
THE PERRY MASON/BATMAN CONNECTION, PT. 2: Neil Hamilton
Of all the actors who we are fortunate enough to have seen on both Batman and Perry Mason, the most prolific of them all was Neil Hamilton. He played Police Commissioner James G…
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The theatricality found in Agatha Christie's stories is never more brilliantly manifested than in the twisted scene study between her Deadly Duos! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/07/12/a...
ALL HER WORLD’S A STAGE: Theatricality in the Novels and Stories of Agatha Christie, Chapter 7: Scene Study: The Deadly Duos
It is a truth universally acknowledged that in a murder mystery everybody lies. They lie about their motives, and they lie about their alibis because they don’t want to appear guilty in the eyes of…
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During the 1960's, many actors appeared on both Perry Mason and Batman! Over the next week, we're going to look at some of the best!!! KERPOW!! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/07/09/h...
HOLY ACQUITTAL!! The Perry Mason/Batman Connection
I’ve been having so much fun exploring all the actors who appeared on multiple episodes of Perry Mason. Since I’m covering the adaptations of the novels as I read them, here I’m focusing on t…
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Today we celebrate Dennis Patrick played Jason Maguire, the best of the early villains on the soap opera Dark Shadows. He also appeared four times on Perry Mason. Lots to talk about! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/07/06/t...
THE PERRY MASON/DARK SHADOWS CONNECTION, PT. 3: Dennis Patrick
In the early, pre-Barnabas Collins, days of Dark Shadows, the show tried to behave like a normal soap opera, albeit with Gothic trappings. The main storylines centered around Victoria Win…
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There's a whole bunch of craziness going on in the latest Seishi Yokomizo mystery, She Walks at Night, involving sleepwalkers and hunchbacks and a killer with a fondness for beheading their victims. It's a lot! ahsweetmystery.com/2026/07/01/t...
THE HONKAKU OF NOTRE DAME: She Walks at Night by Seishi Yokomizo
Reading Seishi Yokomizo’s work, you’d think you would know, seven volumes in, what to expect of this most famous of honkaku authors: a seemingly cursed and highly dysfunctional family, a seri…
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