Two very different Agatha Christie mysteries have in common the guilty party’s choice of digitalis as the method of dispatch for the victims. (Was there any poison Agatha Christie did not reach for at one time or another?) Appointment with Death (1938) begins with Hercule Poirot, on holiday in Jerusalem,…

The sixth Kate Shackleton novel, Death of an Avid Reader, was published on 2 October. On Saturday, 4 October, we had a celebration in the Leeds Library, where much of the story is set. This is a grand old library, established by private subscription in 1768 and occupying its present…

Once in a great while comes a perfect holiday. Earlier this month, I spent one of the sunniest weeks of the year walking the North Yorkshire coastal paths while based at Sneaton Castle, Whitby, combining my stay with visits to bookshops and libraries. At Whitby library I had the pleasure…

The launch of Death of an Avid Reader will be on Saturday, 4 October at 11 a.m. in the historic Leeds Library, 18 Commercial Street, Leeds LS1 6AL. The oldest surviving subscription library in the country, it was established in 1768 and has made its home on Commercial Street since…

Last weekend I had the pleasure of staying in Dinan, a medieval walled town in Brittany, France, during the biennial medieval festival. Having hired a costume from the West Yorkshire Playhouse wardrobe department (what a fabulous selection) I was able to enter into the spirit of the celebrations. The small…

One of the pleasures of writing is being able to stop sometimes and take a jaunt. The recent jaunt was to London to meet my agent, editor and publicist on Monday last. I arrived early, two days early, so as to do a little swanning about town, otherwise known as…

The Malice Domestic Convention in Bethesda, Maryland provides a watering hole for readers, writers and fans and of the traditional mystery to gather, celebrate this broad genre and generally have a good time. It’s always a pleasure to meet readers and since mystery fans like to travel, there were friends…

A National Trust pamphlet describes Coleton Fishacre as ‘the spirit of the Jazz Age on a Devon cliff.’ Light, airy and spacious with fabulous gardens that lead down to Pudcombe Cove, the house was built in 1923-6 for Rupert D’Oyly Carte and his wife Lady Dorothy. He was the son…

Last week, I visited Devon. One of the places I wanted to see was Agatha Christie’s holiday home, Greenway, bought in 1938. Locations around Greenway Estate feature in several of her novels. Dead Man’s Folly, the final episode of Poirot, was filmed there. The estate is owned by the National…

In May, I’ll be attending the Malice Domestic Convention in Bethesda, Maryland. This year, Malice remembers Reginald Hill who died on 12 January, 2012. Special guest Martin Edwards has been invited to accept the commemorative award. Reginald Hill was such a good writer that unless one has read everything he…