Detective stories

Blogs about detective stories

Two Against the Underworld guidebook by Richard McGinlay, Alan Hayes, and Alys Hayes

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The “Two Against the Underworld” guidebook by Richard McGinlay, Alan Hayes, and Alys Hayes was published for the first time in 2015 and in a revised edition in 2017.

“The Avengers” is a show that made television history yet its origins are in some ways obscure, above all, because series 1 was almost completely lost. The authors did a considerable amount of research based on the source material and various sources to try to offer as complete a guide as possible to the creation of the show and the production of series 1, the reason for the subtitle “The Complete Unauthorized Guide to The Avengers Series 1”.

The City & the City by China Miéville (Italian edition)

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The novel “The City & the City” by China Miéville was published for the first time in 2009. It won the Hugo Award, the Locus Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the BSFA Award, and the Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis.

When the body of a disfigured woman is discovered in the slums of Beszel, the city police inspector Tyador Borlú is called to begin investigations into what is clearly a murder. Soon, the case turns out to be complicated because the victim is identified as Mahalia Geary, a foreign student engaged in controversial archaeological research because they concern the history of Beszel and Ul Qoma, the two cities that occupy the same geographical area.

Some clues suggest that Mahalia Geary was killed in Ul Qoma and this means that Inspector Tyador Borlú must invoke the Breach, the superior authority that has the power to investigate crimes involving both cities. However, the cities governments reach a different agreement leading to a continuation of the investigation, which brings further problems because it’s connected to decidedly unorthodox theories about the two cities and the existence of other entities.

Isaac Asimov in 1959 (Photo Phillip Leonian, from New York World-Telegram & Sun)

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Isaac Asimov was born in the village of Petrovichi, near Smolensk, Russia. His birth date is unknown: the reconstructions indicate that he was born between October 4, 1919, and January 2, 1920, and the latter date was adopted as his birthday.

Isaac Asimov’s writing career began in 1939, with the publication of the short story “Marooned off Vesta” in the magazine “Amazing Stories”. He soon became famous thanks to the first stories about positronic robots, which were followed in subsequent years by the ones that formed the then Foundation Trilogy.

Isaac Asimov was one of the writers who brought science fiction out of the world of magazines and a great scientific popularizer with his many articles and essays. A humanist and rationalist atheist, he brought many of his ideas into his literary works too, becoming one of the first great authors of hard science fiction, gaining a fame that spread worldwide. He left an legacy estimated in about 500 books of various genres.

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The news arrived that the writer and screenwriter Terrance Dicks died on August 29. No details were provided on his death, official statements indicate only that he suffered a brief illness.

Terrance Dicks is survived by his wife and their three sons. The condolences for his death were remarkable among people connected to the production of “Doctor Who”. He’s been part of the great family of this saga for over 50 years and he made a notable contribution to it especially during the classic series era and helping to keep it alive after its cancellation.

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Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born on August 13, 1899 in Leytonstone, Essex, England. The typical elements of Alfred Hitchcock’s work, from the creation of suspense to black humor, including his obsession with blondes and many other themes and mechanisms, have been the subject of in-depth analysis to understand the work process of a director who had a remarkable influence also beyond genre cinema.