While I still search for my copy of Agatha Christie’s The Hound of Death–highly recommended by Jerry House!–I came across several copies of Christie’s Double Sin and Other Stories. Yes, I buy duplicate copies of books if I like the various covers.

There are many editions of Agatha Christie’s Double Sin and Other Stories but I decided to go with an image of one of William Teason’s covers. If you’d like to see more Teason covers and discover more about this wonderful artist, just click here.

My favorite story in Double Sin and Other Stories is The Theft of the Royal Ruby (also known as The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding). Not only is it one of my favorite All-Time Christmas mysteries, but it’s also one of my favorite Hercule Poirot short stories. A valuable ruby has been stolen and Poirot is hired to find it. The mystery is set in a traditional English mansion in a rural setting with a large number of suspects. Great fun!

I also enjoyed “The Double Clue” which was first published in the U.K. in 1923 and in the U.S. in 1925. Poirot tells Hastings that it was the double clue of the glove and the cigarette case which made him suspicious. Only one of the clues was genuine and the other was …

Double Sin and Other Stories provides classic, entertaining mystery stories. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Double Sin — 1
• Wasp’s Nest — 21
• The Theft of the Royal Ruby (also known as The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding) — 35
• The Dressmaker’s Doll — 93
• Greenshaw’s Folly — 119
• The Double Clue — 151
• The Last Seance –165
• Sanctuary — 185

While on our annual Easter trip to Ohio, Diane and I stopped in at Hartville Kitchen, a restaurant and bakery with plenty of homemade items. Diane always buys a few jars of Strawberry Jam. But, then Diane noticed a jar of Raspberry Jalapeño Jelly. Knowing I love spicy food, she bought a jar for me to try. It’s just pure heaven…with a little heat!

Which of these two delicious options would you choose?

Brian Moore (aka, Bernard Mara and Michael Bryan) is best known for writing the screen play for Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain. Several of Moore’s novels were adapted for the movies including Intent to Kill, The Luck of Ginger Coffey, Catholics, Black Robe, Cold Heaven, and The Statement. 

The Statement is Brian Moore’s 18th novel. The novel begins in southern France where Pierre Brossard is hiding out. Brossard, under the Vichy government during World War II, massacred fourteen Jews in the town of Dombey. Once the Allies retook France, Brossard went underground. For over 50 years, Brossard has been hiding from justice. Elements of the Government and the Catholic Church protect Brossard by moving him around France and allowing him to stay at monasteries and churches.

However, all that changes when Brossard learns he’s being hunted by a vigilante organization of Holocaust avengers. As Brossard tries to find a safe place to hide, he learns his allies are aging and lack the power to protect him. New forces in the Government and Church find no reason to shield a mass murderer from justice.

Moore captures the dangerous life of a man on the run for over 50 years. The chase is on and Brossard’s desperation and fear fuel this thriller. GRADE: B

Peter Berresford Ellis, a scholar of the ancient Celts and the Irish, writes as “Peter Tremayne” and specializes in complicated mystery novels. “Tremayne” is best known for his Fidelma of Cashel series featuring a 17th Century Irish sleuth who begins as a nun but after about 20 books decides to leave the religious life and pursue murderers as a powerful attorney whose brother just happens to be a King.

Atonement of Blood is the 24th book in the series and opens with an attempted assassination of the King, Fidelma’s brother, and Fidelma vows to investigate the crime while her brother is near death.

As in the dozen or so Fidelma mysteries I’ve read, the plot is tangled as Fidelma tries to discover the identity of the assassin. The search leads Fidelma into the politics of kingdoms–some unfriendly–that surround Cashel. Four years after Cashel won a local war, seeds of conspiracy and treachery lead Fidelma to probe into the deciding battle that resolved the conflict but left groups who planned vengeance. Fidelma interrogates both nobles and warriors to get to the bottom of what really happened.

For 30 years I’ve been enjoying Fidelma’s exploits as she discovers the truth and identifies murderers. Along the way, readers learn a lot about Irish history and the ways of Life in the 17th Century. Do you enjoy historical mysteries? GRADE: B+

Sister Fidelma series:

1. Absolution By Murder (1994)
2. Shroud for the Archbishop (1995)
3. Suffer Little Children (1995)
4. The Subtle Serpent (1996)
5. The Spider’s Web (1997)
6. Valley of the Shadow (1998)
7. The Monk Who Vanished (1999)
8. Act of Mercy (1999)
9. Our Lady of Darkness (2000)
10. Hemlock At Vespers (2000) (short stories)
11. Smoke in the Wind (2001)
12. The Haunted Abbot (2002)
13. Badger’s Moon (2003)
14. Whispers of the Dead (2004) (short stories)
15. The Leper’s Bell (2004)
16. Master of Souls (2005)
17. A Prayer for the Damned (2006)
18. Dancing with Demons (2007)
19. The Council of the Cursed (2008)
20. The Dove of Death (2009)
21. The Chalice of Blood (2010)
22. Behold a Pale Horse (2011)
23. The Seventh Trumpet (2012)
24. Atonement of Blood (2013)
25. The Devil’s Seal (2015)
26. The Second Death (2016)
27. Penance of the Damned (2016)
28. Night of the Lightbringer (2017)
29. Die Wahrheit ist der Lüge Tod (2018)
30. Bloodmoon (2018)
31. Blood in Eden (2019)
32. The Shapeshifter’s Lair (2020)
33. The House of Death (2021)
34. Death of a Heretic (2022)
35. The Revenge of the Stormbringer (2023)

Once again I can quibble with the “36 Classic Rock Hits” subtitle of this 3-CD collection. Maybe “Bang a Gong” by T. Rex might qualify as a “Classic Rock Hit” but I question whether “Long Train Running” by The Doobie Brothers fits the bill.

Of the three CDs in this set, I prefer Disc Three which includes Joe Cocker’s “The Letter,” “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” by Elton John, and “Ramblin’ Man” by the Allman Brothers.

You would think that a compilation set with a Motor Trend logo and titled Rockin’ Down the Highway might include “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane…but you would be wrong.

How many of these songs do you recognize? Any favorites here? GRADE: B

TRACK LIST:

Disc One:

“Hot Blooded” — Foreigner

“Bang a Gong (Get It On) — T. rex

“Smoke on the Water” — Deep Purple

“School’s Out” –Alice Cooper

“25 Or 6 to 4” — Chicago

“Truckin'” –Grateful Dead

“Stay With Me” — Faces

“Karn Evil 9/1ST Impression, Part 2” –Emerson, Lake and Palmer

“Roundabout” — Yes

“Long Train Running” — The Doobie Brothers

“Ride Captain Ride”– Blues Image

“Can’t Get Enough” — Bad Company

DISC TWO:

“I Want to be Sedated” — The Ramones

“Whip It” — Devo

“Love Shack” — The B-52s

“Back on the Chain Gang” — The Pretenders

“La Bamba” — Los Lobos

“What You Need” — Inxs

Medley: “Just a Gigolo”/”I Ain’t Got Nobody” — David Lee Roth

“My Best Friend’s Girl” –The Cars

“Keep Your Hands to Yourself” — Georgia Satellites

“That’ll Be the Day” –Linda Ronstadt

“Ride Like the Wind” –Christopher Cross

“Soul Man” — The Blues Brothers

DISC THREE:

“Radar Love” –Golden Earring

“Ramblin’ Man” –Allman Brothers

“All Right Now” — Free

“Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” — Elton John

“Rocky Mountain Way” — Joe Walsh

“I’m Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band” — The Moody Blues

“Taking Care of Business” — Bachman Turner Overdrive”

“In a Big Country” — Big Country

“Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)” — Robert Palmer

“Wild Thing” — The Troggs

“The Letter” –Joe Cocker

“Free Bird” — Lynyrd Skynyrd

Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (aka, The Mousetrap) includes some Miss Marple stories, some Hercule Poirot stores, and a Harley Quin story.

“Three Blind Mice” is the basis for the famous play, “The Mousetrap,” which opened in London in 1952 and became the longest running play in the English language.

But my favorite stories in Three Blind Mice and Other Stories are “Tape-measure Murder” and “The Third-Floor Flat” and “The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly.” In “Tape-measure Murder” Miss Marple solves the murder with a clever twist. Poirot investigates the murder of a woman in an apartment building and solves a tricky time-line problem to snare the killer. A wealth couple see Poirot after their young son is kidnapped. They receive letters before the kidnapping asking for 25,000 pounds. The couple refused to pay. The kidnapper sent another note giving the day and the time of the kidnapping. The couple contacted the police who staked out their estate at the appointed time. Nonetheless, the boy was kidnapped. Poirot uses his little gray cells to resolve the crime.

If you’re looking for some short stories with engaging crimes and puzzles, Three Blind Mice and Other Stories will answer your needs. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Three blind mice — 1
• Strange jest — 73
• Tape-measure murder — 87
• The case of the perfect maid — 103
• The case of the caretaker — 119
• The third-floor flat — 135
• The adventure of Johnnie Waverly — 157
• Four and twenty blackbirds — 173
• The love detectives –189

Diane wanted to see Nickel Creek so I bought the tickets and we drove over to the State University of New York at Buffalo’s Center for the Arts. Sadly, the venue was only half full for the performance.

Nickel Creek consists of mandolinist Chris Thile, violinist Sara Watkins, and guitarist Sean Watkins with bassist Jeff Picker. Over the years, the group revitalized bluegrass and folk in the early 2000s and popularized a new era of “Americana Music.”

After a nine year absence, the Platinum-selling, Grammy Award-winning group returned in 2023 with a highly-anticipated album, Celebrants, with 18 songs written collectively during the Pandemic while in Santa Barbara.

After Monica Martin’s short set opening the concert, Nickel Creek lit up the stage with some furious playing. I’ve always considered Sara Watkins a talented singer and fiddle player. Chris Thile knows how to tickle the strings of his mandolin, while guitarist Sean Watkins (Sara’s brother) and bassist Jeff Picker provide melodic accompaniment. All in all, an enjoyable musical experience. Are you a fan of blue-grass music? GRADE: B

SETLIST:

1. Where the Long Line LeadsPlay Video
2. The Lighthouse’s TalePlay Video
3. This SidePlay Video
4. Going Out…Play Video
5. CelebrantsPlay Video
6. DestinationPlay Video
7. Jealous of the MoonPlay Video
8. In the House of Tom BombadilPlay Video
9. Stone’s ThrowPlay Video
10. Thinnest WallPlay Video
11. When You Come Back Down(Tim O’Brien cover)Play Video
12. Elephant in the CornPlay Video
13. Somebody More Like YouPlay Video
14. Water Under the Bridge, Part 1 / The MeadowPlay Video
15. Out of the Woods(Sinéad Lohan cover)Play Video
16. Smoothie SongPlay Video
17. 21st of MayPlay Video
18. When in RomePlay Video
19. Sabra GirlPlay Video
20. Scotch & Chocolate?Play Video
21. The FoxPlay Video
22. Hayloft(Mother Mother cover)Play Video
23. Holding Patte

Rick Rubin is a nine-time GRAMMY-winning producer, named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time and the most successful producer in any genre by Rolling Stone. He has collaborated with artists from Tom Petty to Adele, Johnny Cash to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys to Slayer, Kanye West to the Strokes, and System of a Down to Jay-Z.

Rubin approaches creativity to show what works…and what doesn’t. Rubin’s lessons apply to every aspect of creativity— whether music, writing, painting, or, as Rubin says, even more pragmatic situations, such as starting a business, or solving personal problems. The Creative Act is as much a guide to life as it is a guide to art. In a series of short, pithy chapters, Rubin focuses on all the elements of the creative process and how they should be used and improved.

I was impressed by Rubin’s warnings about common mistakes in the creative process:

• Clinging to rules or guidelines that may stifle the childlike creative impulse.
• Trying to imbue art with too much intention rather than respecting a work of art’s own natural unfolding. The ultimate purpose or destiny of a work of art is almost never clear to the artist.
• Competing with collaborators, or other artists or creatives, rather than nurturing one’s own voice.
• Forcing art. The more it is forced, rather than allowed to unfold naturally, the more it loses its innate character.
• Prioritizing the criticisms or voices of others, rather than oneself and staying true to the work of art.
• Focusing on commercial outcomes— this can lead to a work of art that feels more artificial or compromised, and will likely not be as successful as it could be.
• Aspiring to perfection. There are no objective measures for the success or purpose of a work of art, and to obsess over achieving perfection is to play a game you can’t win — in fact, sometimes art that is flawed can be more emotionally resonant than something that is “flawless.” It’s a bit of a paradox. Even flawless art contains a flaw, that of a lack of humanity.

If you want to understand and enhance your creativity, check out Rick Rubin’s THE CREATIVE ACT: A WAY OF BEING. Highly recommended! Where does your creativity come from? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Everyone is a creator — 1

Tuning in — 5

The source of creativity — 13

Awareness — 19

The vessel and the filter — 25

The unseen — 31

Look for clues — 37

Practice — 43

Submerge (the great works) — 49

Nature as teacher — 51

Nothing is static — 55

Look inward — 59

Memories and the subconscious — 63

It’s always there — 67

Setting — 69

Self-doubt — 73

Make it up — 77

Distraction — 85

Collaboration — 89

Intention — 93

Rules — 97

The opposite is true — 107

Listening — 109

Patience — 113

Beginner’s mind — 117

Inspiration — 127

Habits — 133

Seeds — 143

Experimentation — 149

Try everything — 157

Crafting — 163

Momentum — 169

Point of view — 177

Breaking the sameness — 183

Completion — 191

The abundant mindset — 201

The experimenter and the finisher — 205

Temporary rules — 207

Greatness — 215

Success — 219

Connected detachment (possibility) — 225

The ecstatic — 229

Point of reference — 235

Non-competition — 237

Essence — 241

Apocrypha — 247

Tuning out (undermining voices) — 253

Self-awareness — 257

Right before our eyes — 263

A whisper out of time — 269

Expect a surprise — 273

Great expectations — 277

Openness — 283

Surrounding the lightning bolt — 289

24/7 (staying in it) — 295

Spontaneity (special moments) — 299

How to choose — 305

Shades and degrees — 309

Implications (purpose) — 313

Freedom — 317

The possessed — 323

What works for you (believing) — 325

Adaptation — 327

Translation — 331

Clean slate — 335

Context — 339

The energy (in the work) — 343

Ending to start anew (regeneration) — 349

Play — 353

The art habit (sangha) — 359

The prism of self — 363

Let it be — 369

Cooperation — 371

The sincerity dilemma — 379

The gatekeeper — 385

Why make art? — 391

Harmony — 397

What we tell ourselves — 403