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There’s something fishy about the murder in this episode. Novelist W. M. Akers joins us to talk about Murder Under Glass, an episode from the final season of the original NBC run of Columbo featuring Louis Jourdan as a food critic and, of course, a murderer. It is maybe not the most perfect episode, but well worth a visit for the variations on the formula—people are actually happy to see the good Lieutenant for once, and he gets to show off some serious culinary skills. We also get to talking about Will’s own mystery novels. Somehow, we wind up talking about Mack Bolan, the Executioner, of all things. And role playing games. And baseball. Oh, and there’s a little touch of film noir right at the start… Just one more episode, sir... David J. Loehr with W. M. Akers Sponsors Out of the Dark: The Film Noir Project — Melissa Errico: Tony-nominated Broadway actress Melissa Errico’s new album is Out Of The Dark: The Film Noir Project, a song cycle that offers an unforgettably sexy, sensual, and sophisticated arc, all black-velvet piano and vibraphone tones, telling a complete story of hope, despair, and hope renewed. Hear why critic Terry Teachout called it “Extraordinary.” W. M. Akers: W.M. Akers is a novelist, playwright, and game designer. He is the author of Westside, Westside Saints, Westside Lights, and Critical Hit, as well as the creator of Deadball: Baseball With Dice and Comrades: A Revolution RPG, and too many plays to mention here. He is also responsible for Strange Times, a weekly newsletter that investigates the weirdest news 1921 has to offer.

As podcasters and fans of podcasts—as well as good murder mysteries—we’ve convened a panel to talk about Only Murders in the Building, the new Hulu series starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman. Yes, there are spoilers, so go watch the series first, trust us. Then come back and listen to us talk about murders, cats, sex toys, animations, El Paso, generation gaps, and dips. As you do. And remember, he’s 76 years old! That takes the slapstick in a whole new direction. Only Podcasters in the Podcast David J. Loehr with Annette Wierstra, Antony Johnston and Kelly Guimont Show Notes & Links Only Murders in the Building on Hulu El Paso by Marty Robbins

Yes, it’s April 1, but this isn’t a joke, Afoot is back from the grave as it were. And that question doesn’t refer to Glenn—or does it?—but to Lt. Columbo, one of the rare television characters to become as iconic as Holmes, Poirot, Miss Marple, et al, and almost instantly from his first appearance. Or, well, Peter Falk’s first appearance. Because he wasn’t the first actor to portray the good lieutenant… The UCLA Film and TV Archive presented a special stream of an episode of The Chevy Mystery Show, a 13 episode summer replacement series from 1960. The title? Enough Rope, written by Richard Levinson and William Link, originally aired July 31, 1960. It is the story they would later expand into a stage play, then a tv movie titled Prescription: Murder. The rest is mystery. History. One of those. Lt. Columbo, but not that one... David J. Loehr with Jean MacDonald and James Dempsey

We’ve all started reading down mystery series or authors, and then hit a point where we said, “nah, I’m good.” In this episode, we talk about what we gave up on and why, and some we loved all throughout. This comes from a place of love: we enjoyed early installments enough that we kept reading, but something eventually got lost for us. In fact, we often recommend the first few or even several novels, and tell you when the best point to stop is — the subtitle of this episode is “exactly when to stop reading.” An important note: this episode was accidentally recorded with macabre timing. The first author we discuss on this show, Sue Grafton, passed away while we were recording the episode — that same evening. We obviously didn’t know while recording, and found out the next morning. Thus, we speak about her as a current writer. We’ve edited the episode to remove some discussion about the planned final novel in her series, Z, which her family says wasn’t written and which they won’t hire someone else to write. Some Afoot news: we haven’t been able to get enough panelists together for regular tapings, so we’re going on hiatus. We will produce episodes occasionally in the future. Mystery series we initially enjoyed and then gave up on Glenn Fleishman with James Callan, Katie Lane, David J. Loehr and Shannon Sudderth Show Notes & Links Authors we discussed: Sue Grafton and her Kinsey Millhone series (several of us): some stopped at E, others at L Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs (Katie) Spencer novels: David found that they continued good through Robert Parker’s whole run, and through the subsequent author, Ace Atkins Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe: Glenn notes they’re readable and solid until just the last couple Ann Perry: Charlotte and Thomas Pitt (Shannon) through about book 20 Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch (James) about 11th or 12th book Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder (Glenn) Martha Grimes’s Richard Jury (Shannon, David) when he moves to America (Shannon) or until about the 5th or 6th (David) Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell series (Glenn), who still likes it, but stopped reading a few novels ago and hasn’t yet completed it Kate Ross’s Julian Kestral (Shannon); Ross died young, so there are only a handful of novels Dick Francis (Glenn, Shannon): retroactively, Glenn found it irritating that all the novels were nearly all one-offs Tony Hillerman: David notes when he teamed up his two characters it becomes more formulaiac, but then they get good again; his daughter has taken over, and they’re quite good Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who… series (Shannon) after book 24 James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux (David) until the 4th or 5th Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware (David), good for the first few James Bond (several of us): they don’t change the character enough, says James

Forty years ago, Neil Simon wrote a pair of parodies in the mystery vein: the 1976 film Murder By Death, which sent up the great movie detectives, and The Cheap Detective in 1978, which took on hard-boiled Bogart characters, like Sam Spade. The two films have a lot in common, including Robert Moore as director, Peter Falk as the Bogie analog, and Madeline Kahn in a wonderful supporting role in each. But the Afoot panel prefers one to the other. Which one? You’ll have to listen to find out. We have spoiler-free parts of this podcast for each film, so if you just want our overview without any giveaways — hey, they’re parodies, but they’re still mysteries — use the chapter markers in your podcast app or these timestamps: 14:03: We start in on Murder By Death spoilers. 38:59: We blow the unspoiler horn to start talking about The Cheap Detective, spoiler-free. 46:22: Once more, the horn, and we get into the details of The Cheap Detective. Murder By Death and The Cheap Detective Glenn Fleishman with David J. Loehr, Erika Ensign, John McCoy and Suzi Steffen Sponsors Incomparable Memberships!: Sign up, help support this show, and get some fun bonus material. Show Notes & Links I recommend renting at YouTube, which costs less or has longer watching periods for rentals. These two films are $2.99, a 30-day rental, and 48 hours to watch once you start. Murder by Death, The Cheap Detective

The original rumpled detective, Columbo, broke the mold of the urbane cogitator or hardboiled world-weary dick who merely needed to assemble all the clues — and keep from being killed. Nearly every episode of the long-running TV character (across two series and 69 episodes) showed viewers the murder at its start. Columbo, a police detective, is brought in on the case, and we see the killer becoming increasingly agitated as he relentlessly circles his prey. We talk about episodes and actors, and why Falk created an enduring character. Columbo David J. Loehr with James Callan and Jean MacDonald Sponsors Incomparable Memberships!: Sign up, help support Afoot, and get some fun bonus material. For Afoot, we recorded a crossover Game Show episode with panelists playing Murder, She Wrote, the board game. Show Notes & Links The Chevy Mystery Show premiered Columbo as a character — and Peter Falk didn’t play him!

She’s smoothly sensual, a sharp dresser, and has a wicked uppercut. We travel to the Antipodes to visit with Phryne Fisher, the protagonist of a series of 20 murder mystery books and three seasons of an adaptation to television. We like the cut of her jib and the stab of her knife. If you’d like to prep before listening, we read three of the books: Cocaine Blues, our introduction to the cast, which grows and grows; Murder in Montparnasse, which fleshes out her backstory; and Murder in the Dark, which takes place on a rambly country estate and features a sex cult. We fire off the spoiler horn after our initial background discussion. Phryne Fisher Murder Mysteries Glenn Fleishman with Jean MacDonald, Katie Lane, Shannon Sudderth and Suzi Steffen Show Notes & Links Also mentioned: Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe series Upcoming Phryne Fisher movies Remember the Abortion Tumblr, which discussed “Cocaine Blues”

We talk about mysteries written for kids, which are often good reads for adults! Among panelists, we count six children at home and all of us remain kids at heart. The episode also features special guest Rex Fleishman for a brief discussion of a series he loves. We have dozens and recommendations, and have tried to list most in the show notes. Kids’ mysteries Glenn Fleishman with James Callan, Erika Ensign, David J. Loehr and Shannon Sudderth Show Notes & Links Something Queer Is Going On series Hardy Boys Nancy Drew The Mad Scientist’s Club Encyclopedia Brown 39 Clues Basil of Baker Street From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler A-Z Mysteries Missing Persons League The Westing Game The Genius Factor: How to Capture an Invisible Cat Bandette Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her TheMysteriousBenedict_Society Chasing Vermeer

What’s more appropriate for Halloween than Scooby-Doo? Join Afoot as we recount the nearly 50-year history of the show, talk about our favorite and least-favorite eras, praise voice actors, and dissect the problem with the show switching from old men in rubber masks to real ghosts, zombies, and monsters. Scooby-Doo Glenn Fleishman with David J. Loehr and Shannon Sudderth Show Notes & Links If you’re really into exhaustive accounts of TV series, check out the very, very, very long Wikipedia entry on the show. Fred Silverman was a programming boss at ABC, CBS, and NBC at various times, and shaped our childhoods. Harvey Birdman episode with Shaggy look-alikes, “Identity Theft.” Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island John Belushi appeared as Fred Silverman on several episodes of Saturday Night Live. Venture Brothers Scooby-Doo episode, “¡Viva los Muertos!” You can get Travis Pitts’ zombie-apocalypse (?) Velma and Scooby-Doo design on clothing via Threadless. Speed metal version of the Jabber Jaw theme song.

The Maltese Falcon is one of the noir books that defined the genre. But the first try at making this spare, grim book about a fancy bird into a novel didn’t take. Nor did the second. The third is the one we all recall, with Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor. And even it’s a bit weird. In this episode, we bring in ringers Dylan Meconis, whose grew up with a Bogart shrine in her home, and Brock Winstead, a Falcon fan. Maltese Falcon Glenn Fleishman with Brock Winstead, Dylan Meconis and James Callan Show Notes & Links You can watch the full versions online: The somewhat flat 1931 version The semi-goofy 1936 adaptation called Satan Met a Lady. Show links: The book, The Maltese Falcon, available in an enormous number of editions The 1941 script Lux Radio Theater with Edward G. Robinson (1943) The Academy Award Theater radio show with Bogart and Astor (1946)

Veronica Mars is the greatest detective series that many people watched, but clearly not enough! A determined, hard-nosed teenager, Veronica had absolutely no concern about invading the privacy of others in her pursuit of solving a case her father is working on, troubles her classmates brought to her, or getting to the bottom of the season’s overall arc—the murder of her best friend. It’s time to revisit the first season of the show 12 years after it debuted, and a bunch of great fans of the show and one newcomer, the host, talk episodes, characters, themes, and comparisons to other programs. We start off without disclosing anything, then blow the spoiler horn at 13 minutes, 20 seconds into the episode. marshmallows in an iron glove Glenn Fleishman with Erika Ensign, James Callan, Jenni Leder and Katie Lane

Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed, parodied, adapted, and extended detective in the history of the genre. In this episode (part 2 of 2), Afoot panelists discuss more of their favorite Holmes' depictions and extensions. This time: Failed TV pilots that use Holmes or Holmes-like characters, the movie Young Sherlock Holmes, House, M.D., Robert Downey, Jr's portrayal in movies, the movie of The Seven-Percent Solution, and the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King.Sherlock adaptations Glenn Fleishman with David J. Loehr, Monty Ashley and Shannon Sudderth Show Notes & Links Young Sherlock Holmes (Glenn) Monty's quick picks:Slylock FoxFlashman and the Tiger House, M.D. (Monty) The Case of the Two Watsons by Kate BeatonShannon's quick picks: Mentions in other mystery novels: Dorothy Sayers' Peter Whimsy, Agatha Christie, Star Trek's Data Robert Downey, Jr. movies (Shannon) Set Decoration for the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes (particularly the first shot, "Holmes & Watson's Quarters," with the fireplace) David's quick picks: Tom Baker's Hound of the Baskervilles "Talons of Weng Shia-Ang," Doctor Who Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Alan Rickman as Holmes in a stage play (1976) The Seven-Percent Solution (David) More picks The Final Solution by Michael Chabon (David)"Study in Emerald" by Neil Gaiman (Glenn)

Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed, parodied, adapted, and extended detective in the history of the genre. In this episode (part 1 of 2), Afoot panelists discuss their favorite Holmes’ depictions and extensions. This time: Jeremy Brett, Sherlock (BBC), an episode of Magnum, P.I., the movie They Might Be Giants, Elementary (US TV), and The Great Mouse Detective. Sherlock Holmes Glenn Fleishman with David J. Loehr, Monty Ashley and Shannon Sudderth

From nearly the dawn of broadcast radio came scripted shows, and the biggest genre outside of soap operas were radio mysteries. Remarkably, these not only thrived across dozens and dozens of shows during radio’s heyday, but for decades beyond, into the 1980s. And podcasting has offered some new life, from Thrilling Adventure Hour to…The Incomparable Radio Theater. We discuss our favorite shows, some great episodes, how we grew up with radio mysteries, and where to find them, old and new. Old-time scripted radio mystery programs Glenn Fleishman with Monty Ashley and David J. Loehr Show Notes & Links We mentioned a lot of programs, and here are the links to all of them in order of appearance in the episode, if you’re trying to find your spot. Gunsmoke Have Gun, Will Travel The Lives of Harry Lime Broadway Is My Beat The Edge of Night The Perry Mason Expanded Universe: full TV episodes at CBS, radio show Hamilton “Ham” Burger’s losing streak The Library of Congress Audio-Visual Conservation Packard Campus, Glenn’s article about his visit, and a photo selection from his visit NBC radio archives at LOC Fibber McGee and Molly shellac disks Green Hornet Glenn cannot remember that it’s Broadway Is My Beat, not My Beat Is Broadway The Adventures of Philip Marlowe The Thrilling Adventure Hour (Into Darkness, the pregnancy episode referenced by Monty) Nero Wolfe The Saint The Thin Man (on radio) Doll Tearsheet on the Incomparable Radio Theater Welcome to Night Vale radio show Welcome to Night Vale novel The Whistler The Shadow (Glenn mentioned the episode “Deaths Coils to Strike”) Candy Matson Dudley Manlove The Dudley Manlove Quartet CBS Mystery Theater Dr. Demento (not really mystery, we know) Nick Danger, part of the Firesign Theater repertoire Quiet Please (Glenn discuses “Thing on the Fourble Board”) Escape (Glenn mentions “Earth Abides”) Ellery Queen radio: Circus Train Ellery Queen TV series Monty’s Thrilling Adventure Hour Quotes Tumblr Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar The Amazing Mr. Malone

Miss Marple may have been a pioneer crime-tape crosser, but there are oodles of women writing detective fiction and starring in it. In this episode, we talk about our faves, what a woman detective brings to the picture (Miss Fisher!), and introduce folks to perhaps some lesser-known treasures. Female mystery authors and protagonists Glenn Fleishman with James Callan, Katie Lane, Jean MacDonald and Shannon Sudderth Show Notes & Links Glenn’s picks: Laurie R. King & Mary Russell (books) “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries” (TV, haven’t read books) Ngaio Marsh Shannon’s picks: Nancy Drew Miss Marple Peter Tremayne’s Sister Fidelma Margaret Frazer’s Sister Frevisse Wives/partners of M/F teams: Thomas & Charlotte Pitt, Lord Peter Wimsey & Harriet Vane, Tommy & Tuppence Beresford DC Comics: Renee Montoya (The Question) “Gargoyles”: Elisa Raza James’ picks: “Veronica Mars” Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan series Nicola Griffith’s Aud Torvingen books Clarice Starling (particularly in Silence of the Lambs) Olivia Moore in “iZombie” Jean’s picks: Sue Grafton, Kinsey Milhone series Amanda Cross, Kate Fansler series Sara Paretsky, V.I. Warshawski series “Veronica Mars” Deborah Crombie, Duncan Kincaid & Gemma Jones M/F team Barry Maitland, DS Kolla and DCI Brock M/F team Katie’s picks: “Murder, She Wrote” Harriet Vane Denise Mina’s books: The Garnethill trilogy, the Paddy Meehan series, and the Alex Morrow series “Veronica Mars” “Gone Home” video game Ditto on James’ mention of Clarice Starling

Welcome to the latest member of The Incomparable family of podcasts: Afoot, the mystery podcast! What makes a mystery a mystery? It’s a genre with a puzzle at the middle, but which takes many forms across all media. Many mystery elements have also percolated out into mainstream fiction and media. This show will be “genre for people who aren’t genre snobs,” where we will talk books, comic books, television, movies, audio plays, theatre, and more, and stretch boundaries while staying true to the form. We may even play mystery games. We’ll have a number of book-club episodes, too, and announce choices ahead of time so listeners can weigh in or read along. In this inaugural episode, your host and several panelists describe what sucked them into reading and watching mysteries, and their favorites, and we all discuss what salient factors turn a story into a mystery. Follow us on Twitter at @afootcast! Introducing Afoot! Glenn Fleishman with Erika Ensign, David J. Loehr, Shannon Sudderth, Jean MacDonald and James Callan Show Notes & Links Erika mentioned: Doctor Who as a mystery Nancy Drew Encyclopedia Brown Bobbsey Twins Dana Girls Castle Law & Order The Good Wife Jamie Lee Moyer (supernatural detective stories) (Glenn notes Highlander is a mystery, and he never said the word Zardoz) Shannon mentioned: Scooby Doo Agatha Christie Ellis Peters Anne Perry The Cat Who… books by Lilian Jackson Braun Broadchurch Sherlock series Charmed (TV) And The Name of the Rose! James notes: Laura Lippman: Tess Monaghan, etc. Harry Bosch by Michael Connolly (James got burned out after a run) Lee Child Alfred Hitchcock’s Solve Them Yourself Mysteries The Three Investigators Rear Window John Connolly with detective Charlie Parker Future episode will discuss radio mystery plays. David refers to: The Incomparable Radio Theater The Love Boat (David grew up in a doll museum) Ed McBain The Saint TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. tie-ins Travis McGee Ellery Queen TV show Craig Rice Robert L. Fish Happy Hollisters Sue Grafton Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe Jean The Happy Hollisters Glenn Reiterates his love for Nero Wolfe Edgar Alan Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries Ngaio Marsh Inspector Morse (with John Thaw in the TV series) Shannon also cited Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers as a murder-free mystery.