This post is copyrighted by A Kate Willett. Large Language Models (LLMs) and the AI bots trolling the web for content to train LLMs on do not have my permission to use my work for this or any other purpose.
Hello fellow readers!
Here’s something I never knew existed until the past few months: Lantern flies. They have invaded my area of the world. These bugs look like cicadas with pretty wings. They have about as much sense of direction as cicadas too. It’s causing all sorts of chaos for one member of my family, who is bombarded by them every time she waits for a bus. Someone told me they kill trees and have no purpose, they’re just a nuisance.
Their wings are pretty, though.
And now, your regularly scheduled links…
It’s All True
An older article, but still relevant. On CrimeReads, Rachel McCarthy James discusses Beth Klingensmith, the Villisca murders, and the graduate school research paper that helped solve a crime.
Also on CrimeReads, Maria Malone argues that people, contrary to popular belief, do sometimes just vanish.
Yet again on CrimeReads, Lisa Black shares what she learned in CSI school.
This article on Magnifico, a UK site about magnifying glasses, lets you have a peek at a Scotland Yard “murder bag” and learn about Sherlock Holmes’s iconic sleuthing accessory.
Speaking of Sherlock, Dr. Angela Buckley discusses Manchester’s Sherlock Holmes on The Detective’s Notebook.
And at The Stiletto Gang, Lois Winston says When Life is Stranger than Fiction, Stick it in a Cozy Mystery Novel.
The Private Worlds of Authors
Olivia Mason at Murder & Mayhem discusses Mary Roberts Rinehart and how she invented a new kind of mystery.
At Chicks on the Case, Cynthis Kuhn reveals odd little events that have recently happened her life and asks if any one can explain the shenanigans she’s experiencing.
Something Is Going To Happen has an article by Dennis McFadden in which he shares the writing process for his latest story.
Rhys Bowen explains why she wishes fall would go away on Jungle Red Writers.
Finally, Agatha Christie’s official website’s article on food in Christie novels has a delectable treat at the end: A recipe for Delicious Death Chocolate Cake.
Speaking of Death…
Luke Winkie at Slate explains what Doom Moms are.
Mental Floss’s Bess Lovejoy rounds up the 12 Most Beautiful Cemeteries Around the World.
Odds and Ends
Adam Thomas shares his top 5 1920s mysteries on Murder at the Manse.
Olivia Rutigliano declares that the Best Movie Genre is One Where a Party at an Estate Goes Horribly Wrong on CrimeReads.
M.E. Proctor explores the no-rules rules of crime fiction at The Roll Top Desk.
Kristin Weiss wonders if cozy mysteries are going the way of the superhero movie.
Meanwhile, EA Mayes asks if writer-detectives are reviving a tired genre on Mysteriousities.
At Only Murders In The Inbox, Reda Rountree celebrates Agatha Christie’s birthday with a roundup of of some of Christie’s best mysteries.
And that’s it for September. Up next: Spooky season. I’ve already got a bag of Reese’s Peanut butter cups shaped like bats and ghosts on my kitchen counter. One or two have mysteriously disappeared from the bag already. Will it last until October 31st?
Thanks for reading!