Lighting the Pipes

Kami Garcia's "Agent of Chaos" is one of two X-Files origin novels published in 2017. The story is set in 1979 and follows a 17 year-old Fox Mulder. A soon-to-be High School graduate, Mulder is struggling to negotiate the choppy waters of his parents' recent divorce as a spate of child abductions casts an anxious cloud over the D.C. area. Mulder grows obsessed when he starts to piece together evidence missed by the authorities and soon sees the case as a chance to make amends for the loss of his own sister, Samantha, five years earlier. Garcia's novel offers an engaging and decisive snapshot of Fox Mulder before his transition into adulthood and employment with the FBI.

Hjalmar Söderberg's compelling novel caused quite a stir in Europe when it was published in 1905. His protagonist - a restless, brooding doctor in Stockholm at the turn of the century - grows obsessive when a patient comes to him with a delicate problem. Written in loose epistolary fashion, the inner monologues of Doctor Glas juxtapose beautiful reflections on life and morality with odious thoughts and scheming about the local minister, Pastor Gregorius. Oh, and did we mention the patient was the Pastor's wife? Yeah, it's all to play for here and tragic love is the trophy. Söderberg's narrative has a lot to offer: great beauty, dark trauma and hectares of fertile Freduian farmland to map!

In this episode we travel to the Land of the Rising Sun where master detective Akechi Kogoro plays a game of cat and mouse with the titular Black Lizard, a femme fatale unlike we’ve encountered so far! Serialized at the height of Imperial Japan, before its ill-fated bid at Pacific supremacy, this twisted tale by Edogawa Rampo (the pseudonym of Taro Hirai) weaves a narrative of jewelery-theft and kidnap-come-torture. Channeling the spirits of Poe's disturbed imagination and Conan Doyle's straight-ahead pacing, Rampo delivers a lively, memorable read. So join us as we take on "The Black Lizard"!

Our final episode of 2023 investigates Celia Fremlin's "The Long Shadow" from 1975. Fremlin's text spins an intricate domestic mystery surrounding the recently-widowed character of Imogen Barnicott. Strange things start happening around her home at Christmastime and her late husband's family arrive to spend the holidays with their own baggage weighing heavy. But house guests are only the start of Imogen's trouble: nightmarish visitors, misplaced books, anonymous letters, a stolen cat... oh, and accusations of murder - what holiday would be complete without them! So, stoke the fire and grab your favourite grog, it's time for a holiday mystery!

In this special episode we polish the dust off our first chat on "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" from 2017 and reintroduce the story just in time for the holidays! As the only Holmes story set firmly within the Christmas season, "Carbuncle" occupies a special place in the hearts of many readers. Published in the January 1892 edition of The Strand, it offers readers a fine mix of intrigue, mishap and fireside fuzzies.

1961's "Call for the Dead" was a striking premiere in spy fiction. Not only was it the careful, opening gambit in John le Carré's long and dominating career, it also marked the first appearance of George Smiley, the author's recurring intelligence officer of unlikely composition. Accented by a polite, unassuming conduct, Smiley is slightly overweight and a bit lovesick, too, all of which stood him in sharp contrast to the "known quantity" literary spy of the day. Drawing on his own experiences of work with Britain's intelligence services, John le Carré sculpts his inaugural text out of post-war mortar and emerging cold-war realism.

In this installment, Josh gets behind the wheel of "Detour" and takes listeners through the hairpin turns of Edgar G. Ulmer's "poverty row" production. When it was released in November 1945, "Detour" exceeded expectations, impressing post-war audiences and critics alike with inspired editing, nihilistic storytelling and a standout performance by Ann Savage as the vicious Vera. From Martin Goldsmith's source material to Leo Erdody's compelling post-production score, this special episode covers all tire-worn avenues of Ulmer's classic noir!

Batman first appeared in the May 1939 edition of "Detective Comics", the creation of Bill Finger and Bob Kane. Since then, the caped crusader and his story have been re-imagined through myriad themes and variations. Arguably the most compelling of these came In 1987, when artist and writer Frank Miller portrayed the first year of Bruce Wayne's activity as Batman. His four-part story runs in parallel to that of Police Lieutenant James Gordon, whose arrival and ascension in Gotham city is of equal importance. In this episode, Josh and Scott discuss Miller's graphic novel, starting with a detailed look at the origins of the character and its artists (6:25) before presenting a full plot summary (36:20) and finally reviewing the work in its entirety (54:00).

It's late in 1941. Honolulu basks in Hawaiian warmth and Battleship Row sparkles with military confidence, just weeks before the day that would live in infamy. Downtown, Police Detective Joe McGrady receives a brutal double murder case that's about to change his life. The first victim is the nephew of an Admiral; the second is a young Japanese woman. What do these killings have to do with the impending attack on Pearl Harbour and Imperial Japan’s grasp for Pacific supremacy? How far will McGrady go to uncover the truth and chase a killer? Find out more as we dive-bomb into extended discussion over James Kestrel’s Edgar Award winning war-time thriller, Five Decembers.

Boileau-Narcejac's novel D'entre les morts (The Living and the Dead) was published in 1954 and served as the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock's classic psychological thriller. Over the decades, however, the source material with its war-time setting has been largely subsumed by the influence of the Hollywood production. Here, Josh and Scott explore Jeffery Sainsbury's enduring translation of the original novel by the esteemed French crime-writing duo.

A brief crank call transforms into a lengthy nightmare for spinster Helen Clarvoe and her anxious orbit around family and friends in Los Angeles. By turns evasive and compelling, Margaret Millar proffers a unique psychological thriller with Beast in View, her Edgar Award winning novel from 1956. Working the case on behalf of Helen (and readers) is unlikely investigator, Paul Blackshear, who sails a sea of choppy emotional waters, characterised by obsession, personal trauma and vindictive love. So, leave your phone off the hook and join us for a look through this enduring narrative gem and its unassuming legacy.

Robert Siodmak's gem from 1949 goes under the microscope in this episode. Motivations for this classic plot involve an armoured car heist, an old flame and axes to grind. Good natured sap, Burt Lancaster, is the inside man on the job whilst making time with his ex, turned gangster’s moll, Yvonne De Carlo. Unfortunately for him, head-heavy Dan Duryea is as violent as he is jealous. Josh takes you through the beats of Criss Cross as LTP Noir continues its investigation into the world of Film Noir.

In this episode we hoist, brail and kedge our way through Erskine Childer's 1903 prophetic spy thriller, The Riddle of the Sands. Published in 1903 and foreshadowing the great conflict of nations only a decade away, "Riddle" has held its place among the pantheon of influential spy mysteries for well over a century now. We start our voyage with Josh navigating the short, tumultuous waters of the author's life, rise and eventual fall at the inception of Irish Civil War (8:00). We then bowse the main sail and get down to cruising through brass tacks in our discussion of the novel itself (48:12).

A staple of the first-person confessional, James M Cain's debut novel has really lasted the test of time. Now knocking on 90 years of age, "The Postman Always Rings Twice" delivers a ruthless plot at an unforgiving pace. Frank Chambers is an unemployed rambler possessed of a loose moral compass and an appetite for opportunity. Once he drifts upon the Twin Oaks Tavern and into the life of the restless Cora Papadakis things will never be the same again. So, flip the sign and lock the door - it's closing time at the diner but happy hour for another LTP literary investigation!

LTP Noir returns, this time to the mean streets of Samuel Fuller’s New York City at the height of the McCarthy era. Richard Widmark, Jean Peters and Thelma Ritter star in "Pickup on South Street", a brutish and caustic yarn where common criminals are considered heroes compared to those stinking Reds! Collect your tickets, friends, and hop aboard as Josh steadies the train through this underrated film's tracks and turns, with stops along the way through Fuller's prolific career in journalism and Hollywood.

"The Triumph of the Spider Monkey" is the chaotic narrative of Bobby Gotteson, whose repressive lust and murderous rage reach their fever-pitch following a hubris-led journey to California. All but disowned by its author, Joyce Carol Oates, we crack the covers on a new season of LTP with a look at this stylish, often brutal novel, recently resurrected from obscurity by Hard Case Crime. We also take a look at "Love, Careless Love", Oates' never-before collected companion novella.

In 1943, Alfred Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt" delivered a sinister sucker-punch of a conundrum to naïve North American audiences: What happens when the sleepy, mundane routine of a secure society unwittingly welcomes in maniacal, chaotic forces? Playing on one of Hitchcock's favourite themes, this microcosm of a film has aged exceptionally well. In this episode, Josh breaks down the complex film and considers its legacy.

“Dark Passage” is one of Film Noir's most unique thrillers. The 1947 film boasts an all-star cast, innovative use of first-person subjective camerawork and some remarkable on-location shooting. What's more, it was the inspiration for "The Fugitive" TV series of the 1960s as well as its 1993 feature film remake (...minus the plastic surgery of course!). In this episode of our cinematic side-series, Josh navigates the murky waters of Delmer Daves’s tense and visually compelling manhunt.

Our first Agatha Christie read takes us to Gossington Hall where the body of a young woman is found, dead and spread, upon the floor of Colonel Bantry's library. Invited to snoop and sleuth by the Colonel's wife, the quiet and calculating Miss Marple lends her expertise when the investigation moves from country manor to seaside hotel. Published in 1942 and featuring a complete set of supporting players and red-herrings, "The Body in the Library" is the fourth Marple investigation and one of her most celebrated. Before diving into the narrative we shed light on the author's fascinating life and share some equally fascinating links to the world of table-top gaming! Cluedo anyone?

In this episode Josh discusses the troubled and time-pressed production of George Marshall's "The Blue Dahlia". Penned by hard-boiled novelist, Raymond Chandler, and starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake and William Bendix, the story behind this gritty man-on-the-run thriller is as compelling as the adventure itself.