Speaking of long-ago books, did anyone ever read any of the Berry series? So very determinedly an example of their time, and so hilarious. I literally wore out the one where they built a concrete house on a mountainside, and to this day I mentally blame them for my interest in off-the-beaten-path architecture. I also have a tendency to recall their incident with the bear in the woods when I'm hiking and come across blackened stumps. For some reason it makes other hikers nervous when an old lady sees the humpy remains of a lightening-struck stump and begins to guffaw. And memory so often is feline, disappearing when most wanted. I have a poor memory for authors and it's worse for titles, but let me read the first page and --if I've read it before-- I can give you a summary of the contents. I have boxes of books in the attic, waiting for me to forget their existence. I went up the other day and rummaged through a few of the dustiest boxes, and discovered that while I couldn't quote word for word, I still remember the full story line and characterizations of most of them. I guess I'll let them rest undisturbed for another decade or so. A vineyard of books, may not become champagne but hopefully will age into a delightful rosé.

Well, M. M. Kaye was born and raised in India, but of English parents. Ngaio Marsh is from New Zealand, although her detective is British I found this when I googled "Japanese mystery writers": Another very well known and admired writer is Shizuko Natsuki who has gained an international reputation for her work. Many of her novels reflect Japanese family life. A number of her books have been translated and published in English including, Murder at Mount Fuji (Ballantine, N.Y., 1987) and The Obituary Arrives at Two O'clock ( Ballantine, N.Y., 1988). Miyake Miyabe is a younger, distaff writer whose novel, All She was Worth (Kodansha International, Tokyo, 1997) is a fascinating examination of a murder in a consumer-crazed society. The late Takagi Akimitsu was enormously popular for his mysteries focused on corruption in the business world - The Informer (Anthos Publishers, Queensland, Australia) and No patent on Murder (Playboy Press, 1977). He also wrote The Tattoo Murder Case (Soho press, N.Y., 1999) and Honeymoon to Nowhere (Soho press, N.Y., 1999), both rather grim and bloody tales. One of the more prolific writers is Masako Togawa who specializes in psycho-sexual suspense stories. A number of her books are available in English including Slow Fuse (Pantheon, N.Y., 1995); The Master Key (Simon Grove, N.Y., 1985); and The Lady Killer (Simon Grove, N.Y., 1986). Ms. Togawa is also a nightclub singer and entertainer. An example of a bloody and ghostly murder mystery that is well written and riveting can be found in the Togakushi Legend Murders (Charles Tuttle, Vt., 1994) by Yasuo Uchida.

I seem to be doing my Hallowe'en reading early this year, having this month finished two rather large books, both dealing with supernatural themes. I absolutely lovedThe Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, and recommend it to anyone interested in "haunted house" stories. The book also paints a very interesting picture of how life in rural England changed after World War II. A few days ago I finished Peter Straub's sprawling (and quite gruesome) Floating Dragon. I am sorry to report I found it a bit disappointing, especially compared to his earlier novel Ghost Story, which is one of my favorite scary books. I prefer quiet, unnerving scares to gore. Also, the two books were very similar in their themes, which makes a comparison of the two inevitable. Hopefully my next reading choice will be a bit more suitable for summer. The brutal heat has settled on us, unfortunately. I am being a stubborn goat and not turning on my air conditioner until June.

Well, Ellery Queen kind of used it in The American Gun Mystery and that was written back in the mid-30s. Go read this one -- and see if you can find ALL the red herrings! ;-) I'm pretty sure I've also read a Nero Wolfe mystery (I'm thinking it was one of his short stories or novellas) with the same plot device. I'd also check out the movies Deathtrap with Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve and Sleuth with Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier. Those two movies, I'm pretty sure, deal with that plot device as well. Oh, and they're also a great fun to watch! Of course, there's also the situation with Brandon Lee, Bruce Lee's son. If I'm not mistaken, he died while filming The Crow when he was shot by a blank gun with a piece of something in the barrel -- the details are in the FAQ for the movie in IMDB.