Podcasts by Classic Mysteries

"The Murders Near Mapleton," by Brian Flynn from 2021-05-25T00:11:39

A local hero is kidnapped, and a shocking murder is only one of many unexpected results. Investigator Anthony Bathurst uncovers the ugly truths that someone is willing to commit murder to hide.

"The Case of the Seven Sneezes," by Anthony Boucher from 2021-05-03T00:39:21

A private detective and a small group of survivors from a murderous wedding find themselves trapped with an apparently psychotic killer on a remote island, cut off from the world at large.

"The Condamine Case," by Moray Dalton from 2021-04-27T17:43:10

It sounded like the perfect story for a movie - a curse still working after 300 years. A macabre twist to a powerful drama - or simply brutal murder?

"Murder in Married Life," by Anne Morice from 2021-04-19T16:57:31

"Death in the Grand Manor," by Anne Morice. from 2021-04-12T21:31:39

Clever plotting, pointed dialogue and murder - what more could a reader want?

"The Lost Gallows," by John Dickson Carr from 2021-04-05T12:13:45

A car driven by a dead man with a cut throat...a lost gallows on a missing London street...John Dickson Carr's second mystery starring Henri Bencolin, "The Lost Gallows," reviewed:

"Tuesday the Rabbi Took Off," by Harry Kemelman from 2021-03-28T20:00:01

Rabbi Small needed a break in his routine. An international bombing incident wasn't what he had in mind.

"The Case of Sir Adam Braid," by Molly Thynne from 2021-03-22T00:55:46

Nearly everyone in his family hated Sir Adam Braid. Only the old man's granddaughter loved him - and the old miser was cutting her out of his will. A motive for murder? Or did someone else hate ...

"A Key to Death," by Frances and Richard Lockridge from 2021-03-15T01:35:39

On the Classic Mysteries podcast this week, Mr. and Mrs. North only want to draw up a new will, but it's their lawyer who gets murdered.

"Helen Passes By," by E.R. Punshon from 2021-03-08T01:00:49

Newly appointed to Scotland Yard, Bobby Owen finds himself weighing motives, politics and amazing beauty as he hunts for a murderer who might just be an "untouchable" British aristocrat. E.R. Pu...

"The Mystery of the Blue Train," by Agatha Christie from 2021-03-01T01:19:13

Another, earlier pre-Orient-Express train ride for Hercule Poirot comes complete with jewel robberies, blackmail, and murder on a luxury train across France.

"The Laughing Dog," by Francis Vivian from 2021-02-22T21:00:38

On the Classic Mysteries podcast this week, you might call it a portrait of the artist as a young...dog? Inspector Knollis had to decipher the secret of Francis Vivian's "The Laughing Dog." 

"Murder in Vienna," by E.C.R. Lorac from 2021-02-15T18:10:47

On the Classic Mysteries blog, Scotland Yard Inspector Macdonald thought he was going on holiday in Vienna. So how did he wind up helping local police investigate some nasty murders? E.C.R. Lora...

"The Orange Axe," by Brian Flynn from 2021-02-09T02:17:36

A grim solution to a grim problem: how to deal with a loathsome blackmailer who may also be a serial killer? For half-a-dozen young Englishmen, the answer appears to be a well-plotted murder, on...

"Death of a Doxy," by Rex Stout from 2021-02-02T14:04:54

In Archie Goodwin’s world view, the word that best fits Isabel Kerr is a four-letter word: doxy. The dictionary says, it defines "a woman who is regarded as sexually promiscuous." Only trouble w...

"Some Die Eloquent," by Catherine Aird from 2021-01-24T21:47:05

The dead woman was a humble chemistry teacher at a girls' school. So, wonders Detective Inspector C.D. Sloan, why did she have a quarter-million pounds in her bank account? And was she murdered?...

"Unusual Suspects: Selected Non-Fiction," by Joseph Goodrich from 2021-01-18T01:42:06

On the Classic Mysteries podcast this week, a review of some non-fiction - a book of essays about mysteries and the people who make them. "Unusual Suspects: Selected Non-Fiction," by Joseph Good...

"A Maigret Christmas and Other Stories," by Georges Simenon from 2021-01-11T00:11:59

Maigret stars in one of these holiday stories, while other associates of Maigret feature in two more tales of holiday crime and redemption.

"Halfway House," by Ellery Queen from 2021-01-04T17:41:48

Too bad about Joe Wilson. The itinerant traveling salesman had a secret. And it’s only fair to point out that it turned out to be a deadly secret indeed – a secret which apparently led to his mu...

"The Spiked Lion," by Brian Flynn from 2020-12-07T03:15:04

The victim's body turned up under a tree in a park, the body unusually battered and bruised – but that’s not what killed him; he appeared to have had potassium cyanide sprayed into his nose. Wha...

"It Walks By Night," by John Dickson Carr from 2020-11-29T20:27:09

It couldn't have been suicide - the victim was beheaded inside a watched and locked room - but the room was empty, except for the victim. French police director Henri Bencolin stars in the first...

"The Case of the Leaning Man," by Christopher Bush from 2020-11-23T01:35:11

A theatrical and criminal problem for Ludovic Travers to solve.

"It Might Lead Anywhere," by E.R. Punshon from 2020-11-16T01:13:45

Right from the start, it was clearly going to be an interesting case – the murder of an inoffensive little man with no apparent enemies, not much in the way of physical clues. And that kind of c...

"Crossed Skis, by Carol Carnac from 2020-11-08T22:20:20

What connection could there be between a gruesome fire in a London house and a ski holiday in Lech Am Arlberg in the Austrian Alps? The answer may conceal a ruthless murderer.

"The Christmas Egg," by Mary Kelly from 2020-11-02T15:59:14

Princess Olga Karukhin escaped from Russia after the revolution. Was she murdered for her supposed collection of art objects? 

"Death and the Dutch Uncle," by Patricia Moyes from 2020-10-26T00:32:39

The death of a two-bit hustler was just the tip of the iceberg – that iceberg being a delicate international dispute over a contested strip of land – a dispute which may have involved no fewer t...

"The Glimpses of the Moon," by Edmund Crispin from 2020-10-19T13:20:26

a mystery with artfully rearranged bodies & missing heads & eccentric characters & assorted mayhem - and funny as well.

"The French Powder Mystery," by Ellery Queen from 2020-10-14T00:00:30

Passersby watching the daily advertising show in French's Department Store window got a lot more than they expected when a dead body fell out of the display's bed.

"Tread Softly," by Brian Flynn from 2020-10-07T00:41:40

Claude Merivale admits he strangled his wife - but he says he did so while in a sleep so deep that everything he did, he did in a dream. Will the jury buy it? Or can Anthony Bathurst find eviden...

"Lord Edgware Dies," by Agatha Christie from 2020-10-02T00:07:33

Lord Edgeware's wife threatened to kill him. Now His Lordship has been murdered - but his wife has an unbreakable alibi! Hercule Poirot is on the case!

"The Adventures of Dagobert Trostler," by Balduin Groller from 2020-09-23T22:06:18

Trostler was described by Ellery Queen as "the first important Teutonic sleuth." These early stories find Dagobert using logic and reason to solve crimes.

"Poets and Murder," by Robert Van Gulik from 2020-09-14T12:54:39

Set in ancient China, Judge Dee must solve a couple of murders  involving very powerful individuals - and some black-haired foxes.

"Cécile is Dead," by Georges Simenon from 2020-09-07T00:14:27

Cécile had come to the Parisian police headquarters to tell her secret to Inspector Maigret. But Maigret, in the course of a busy day, lost track of Cécile – until she disappeared. And when Maig...

"The Book of the Crime," by Elizabeth Daly from 2020-08-31T00:52:10

What was the deadly secret of the book that forced Rena Austen to flee her home and husband and seek help from biblio expert Henry Gamadge?

"Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home," by Harry Kemelman from 2020-08-24T00:17:06

Amid the turmoil of the late 1960s, Rabbi David Small deals with synagogue politics and the civil rights struggle within his Conservative congregation, not to mention solving a couple of murders...

"Death Comes to Cambers," by E.R. Punshon from 2020-08-16T19:36:55

Bobby Owen was spending the weekend at Cambers, planning to advise Lady Cambers on ways to keep her valuable jewelry safe. But when he woke up the next morning, Lady Cambers had been murdered - ...

"The Three Taps," by Ronald A. Knox from 2020-08-09T22:27:17

Mr. Mottram's life insurance would pay handsomely, whether he was murdered or died by accident. But they wouldn't pay for a suicide. So insurance investigator Miles Bredon was sent to uncover th...

"Case Pending," by Dell Shannon. from 2020-08-02T23:12:44

It was the kind of murder Los Angeles saw all too often. But this time, Homicide Detective Mendoza had a hunch that he had worked on a similar crime before. Would he be able to solve both murder...

"The Black Mountain," by Rex Stout from 2020-07-27T00:09:20

Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin travel to Montenegro, in the heart of Europe, to find the person who murdered Wolfe's longest and closest friend.

"The Box Office Murders," by Freeman Wills Crofts from 2020-07-19T14:12:17

Inspector French hears a young woman's plea for help too late to save her - but when she is murdered, French must find out why a gang seems to be targeting low-level clerks.

"The Collected Short Fiction of Ngaio Marsh," edited&introduced by Douglas G. Greene from 2020-07-13T01:17:37

Ngaio Marsh is best known for her novels about Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn. This collection features short fiction - some with Alleyn, some with other characters, and most are likely to ...

"The Triple Bite," by Brian Flynn from 2020-07-06T01:22:34

On the Classic Mysteries podcast this week, a mysterious cryptogram, sudden death - and a shocking way to commit murder.

"Death and Letters," by Elizabeth Daly from 2020-06-28T23:57:24

Henry Gamadge puts together a daring rescue for a woman held a virtual prisoner by her family. What was the secret worth killing for?

"Sinister Stones," by Arthur Upfield from 2020-06-21T23:59:33

a murder in the Australian outback - and DI Napoleon Bonaparte - Bony - is on the case. Arthur Upfield's "Sinister Stones" reviewed.

"The Body Politic," by Catherine Aird from 2020-06-15T12:20:20

Another of Catherine Aird's witty 'Calleshire Chronicles" mysteries with Inspector Sloan and company.

"Murder Within Murder," by Frances and Richard Lockridge from 2020-06-07T17:30:14

Miss Amanda Gipson was a fine researcher to investigate old murders.  But what if an old killing made a new one necessary?  Pam and Jerry North investigate a possible murder within a murder.

"Judge Dee at Work," by Robert Van Gulik from 2020-05-31T23:44:07

Eight fascinating short stories about cases investigated and solved by Judge Dee, a magistrate (and later court official) in T'ang Dynasty China during the 7th century.

"The Night of the Wolf," by Paul Halter from 2020-05-25T14:12:12

"But that's impossible!" Or maybe not. Not when the story you're reading comes from Paul Halter, a modern French author with a gift for impossible crime stories. Ten short stories by Halter, tra...

"The Sybil in Her Grave," by Sarah Caudwell from 2020-05-18T15:18:04

When a small group of neighbors is getting successful stock tips from a self-styled "psychic," sudden death may not be quite as accidental as you think. 

"The Case of the Counterfeit Colonel," by Christopher Bush from 2020-05-10T23:03:27

Henry Clandon wanted to hire Ludovic Travers to find the war hero who saved his life. But there were a few obstacles - including murder.

"The Case of the Flowery Corpse," by Christopher Bush from 2020-05-03T23:32:30

Ludovic Travers was nearly run off the road by a car driven by a man dying of atropine poisoning. But Ludo - and the police - found that the deeper they dug into a case of murder, the more bizar...

"Death in Fancy Dress," by Anthony Gilbert from 2020-04-26T23:44:14

A blackmailer is driving victims to suicide when they cannot meet payment demands in this classic country house mystery from a top author of the Golden Age.

"Evil Under the Sun," by Agatha Christie from 2020-04-19T19:19:54

The beauty of Arlena Stuart Marshall moved nearly everyone she met either to love her or to hate her. When passion exploded into murder, only Hercule Poirot could explain what had happened.

"Inspector French and the Starvel Hollow Tragedy," by Freeman Wills Crofts from 2020-04-13T13:55:57

When a fire destroys Starvel House, trapping and killing three people, it seems like a terrible accident. But when Inspector French arrives from Scotland Yard, he finds evidence that points to m...

"Maigret and the Saturday Caller," by Georges Simenon from 2020-04-05T23:32:43

The man who followed him home was a stranger to Maigret - but his secret could lead to murder.

"Puzzle for Players," by Patrick Quentin from 2020-03-30T00:52:47

The show must go on - but will it be overshadowed by the murders offstage?

"Death in Captivity," by Michael Gilbert from 2020-03-23T15:14:31

A man is found murdered in a hidden escape tunnel being built under an Italian POW camp during World War II.

"Four Strange Women," by E.R. Punshon from 2020-03-15T23:59:50

Young men were dying for no apparent cause. But each had told friends they were deeply in love with someone. Was that love leading those men to a lonely and unexplained death?

"Murder en Route," by Brian Flynn from 2020-03-09T00:39:51

The victim was all alone on the upper deck of a double decker bus, despite the pouring rain. But when they got to the end of the line, the victim was dead - strangled. Impossible? Maybe not...

"Death of a Frightened Editor, by E.&M.A.. Radford from 2020-03-02T02:41:58

The editor of a gossip-filled newspaper is murdered - but how did the killer manage to poison him?

"Good by Stealth," by Henrietta Clandon from 2020-02-24T01:21:47

Miss Edna Alice only wants to improve her neighbors' morals and behavior. How could those ignorant local authorities believe her anonymous notes to those neighbors, pointing out their moral fail...

"The Art School Murders," by Moray Dalton from 2020-02-17T02:24:43

At first, it looked like red paint on the floor of the artists' studio - until the first body was discovered.

"The Case of the Housekeeper's Hair," by Christopher Bush from 2020-02-13T00:37:14

Investigator Ludovic Travers was uneasy about that promised murder - but could he keep it from coming true?

"Curtains for Three," by Rex Stout from 2020-02-04T20:04:17

Three puzzling cases to be solved by the sedentary Nero Wolfe and his right-hand, wisecracking assistant, Archie Goodwin.

"The Measure of Malice," ed. by Martin Edwards from 2020-01-26T23:44:59

Meet the masters of the scientific skills essential for investigating crime. Fourteen short stories, selected and introduced by Martin Edwards.

"The Death of Mr. Lomas," by Francis Vivian from 2020-01-19T17:10:08

Mr. Lomas told the police that he was being poisoned. The Chief Constable thought it was nonsense - until Mr. Lomas's body was discovered the next morning.

"The Phantom of the Opera," by Gaston Leroux from 2020-01-12T18:49:18

Who is the mysterious "Angel of Music" living underneath the Paris Opera House? And why is he obsessively fascinated with Christine Daaè and her beautiful voice? The original novel that led to t...

"Fell Murder," by E.C.R. Lorac from 2020-01-06T16:39:13

"This crime is conditioned by the place. To understand the one you've got to study the other."

"Bodies From the Library 2," ed. by Tony Medawar from 2019-12-30T00:07:05

Another collection of little-known mystery stories by such icons of Golden Age mystery fiction as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Marjorie Allingham and Edmund Crispin

"The Monkey and the Tiger," by Robert Van Gulik from 2019-12-22T20:43:22

Two stories, "The Morning of the Monkey" and "The Night of the Tiger," mysteries resolved by Judge Dee involving theft, banditry and murder.

"Saturday The Rabbi Went Hungry," by Harry Kemelman from 2019-12-15T23:28:03

On Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Rabbi David Small finds the hidden key to trapping a killer. 

"A Six-Letter Word for Death," by Patricia Moyes from 2019-12-09T02:06:32

Written well after the end of the British Golden Age of Detection, "A Six-Letter Word for Death" manages to combine a puzzle-plot mystery (with a real crossword puzzle to be solved), a classic "...

"Fer-de-Lance," by Rex Stout from 2019-12-02T01:33:29

It took Nero Wolfe to demonstrate to police that a mysterious death was actually a case of murder. And that's when life became dangerous for Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.

"The Body in the Dumb River," by George Bellairs from 2019-11-24T19:50:36

James Teasdale was living a second life running a carnival game when he was murdered - and his respectable family knew nothing about it until it ended with a knife in the back.

"A Surfeit of Suspects," by George Bellairs from 2019-11-18T00:08:07

The explosion that killed 3 men had plenty of possible suspects. What it seemed to lack was any reason for the explosion. Superintendent Littlejohn and Inspector Cromwell would have to chase dow...

"The Allingham Minibus," by Margery Allingham from 2019-11-10T18:52:06

Eighteen stories, including a few starring Allingham's regular detective, Albert Campion. All the stories have the wit and style readers have come to enjoy in Allingham's books.

"The Chinese Orange Mystery," by Ellery Queen from 2019-11-05T00:52:32

The murder was apparently impossible, taking place in a locked and bolted room. And when they broke into that room, everything in the room - including the victim's clothes - had been turned back...

"Nine Times Nine", by Anthony Boucher from 2019-10-27T21:05:47

The charismatic cult leader was seen through a window apparently murdering his victim - but when police broke in, only the body of his victim was there.

"Death Has Deep Roots," by Michael Gilbert from 2019-10-21T13:31:54

As a Resistance fighter, Victoria Lamartine escaped from the Gestapo during World War II. Could she now escape from a charge of murder?

"Murder in the Mill-Race," by E.C.R. Lorac from 2019-10-05T20:02:49

Why were the town's residents so determined not to reveal the secrets about Sister Monica to the strangers investigating the murder?

"The Mystery of the Peacock's Eye," by Brian Flynn from 2019-10-04T23:25:34

The Crown Prince was being blackmailed, a young woman was murdered while at the dentist's - and a mysterious gem known as the Peacock's Eye  Different threads leading to an unknown destination.

"The Christmas Card Crime," Martin Edwards, ed. from 2019-09-28T00:56:46

Martin Edwards selects eleven classic short mystery stories, most from the Golden Age of English Detective Fiction, to provide some sinister holiday fare.

"A Puzzle for Fools," by Patrick Quentin from 2019-09-22T18:51

Hearing a warning of murder can be unnerving. Hearing it in your own voice could push you into insanity.

"The Case of the Fighting Soldier," by Christopher Bush from 2019-09-15T21:50:13

Did tension between regular army officers and "fighting" officers lead to murder?

"Death in Dark Glasses," by George Bellairs from 2019-09-08T18:18:06

It began with a minor embezzlement - but it ended with disappearances and multiple murders.

"N or M?" by Agatha Christie from 2019-09-01T15:55:40

In this Agatha Christie thriller, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford must identify two Nazi spies known only as "N" and "M" who are plotting the German invasion of England during World War II.

"Rocket to the Morgue," by Anthony Boucher from 2019-08-25T20:14:12

The victim was stabbed inside a locked and bolted room, and witnesses insisted nobody could have entered - or left - the room. Police Lt. Marshall needs help from an inquisitive nun, Sister Ursu...

"The Case of the Careless Kitten," by Erle Stanley Gardner from 2019-08-18T20:46:22

Banker Franklin Shore had run away from his wife a decade ago. Now somebody claiming to be Franklin Shore was on the phone, asking a family member to help him meet with lawyer Perry Mason. Unfor...

"The Two Tickets Puzzle," by J. J. Connington from 2019-08-11T18:37:35

Oswald Preston was a very unpleasant man. But was that sufficient reason to murder him on the train?

"The Dutch Shoe Mystery," by Ellery Queen from 2019-08-01T17:44:07

The millionaire philanthropist died on her way to the operating room - strangled while waiting for the surgery. Ellery Queen realized that in order to determine the WHO, he'd need to uncover bot...

"The Case of the Kidnapped Colonel," by Christopher Bush from 2019-07-28T17:35:08

The head of a critical military research team disappears, followed by murder. But there's more to Colonel Brende's abduction, and it could affect Britain's chances for survival in World War II.

"Maigret and the Headless Corpse," by Georges Simenon from 2019-07-21T22:35:55

The body of a headless corpse turns up in a Parisian canal, and Inspector Maigret must find out who was killed - and why.

"The Mad Hatter Mystery," by John Dickson Carr from 2019-07-15T13:44:17

Someone is stealing hats and other headgear - top hats, barrister's wigs and such - and leaving them in strangely appropriate places. Surely leaving one on top of a murder victim's body was not ...

"An Author Bites the Dust," by Arthur Upfield from 2019-07-07T01:08:24

The great Australian author Mervyn Blake is dead - and nobody knows what killed him. But DI Napoleon Bonaparte will find a most unusual way for a determined murderer to kill.

"The Return of Mr. Campion," by Margery Allingham from 2019-06-30T13:40:49

More than a dozen short stories, many featuring Margery Allingham's most popular character, Albert Campion, including several of her earliest tales.

"Charity Ends at Home," by Colin Watson from 2019-06-24T11:12:35

There’s an awful lot going on behind the closed doors of Flaxborough – lots of greed and corruption, and the usual assortment of sexual peccadilloes not to mention possible fraud on the part of ...

"A Knife for Harry Dodd," by George Bellairs from 2019-06-07T22:01

Inspector Littlejohn knew he had to find a solution quickly before a determined murderer could strike again.

"Bodies from the Library," ed. by Tony Medawar from 2019-05-29T22:29:29

Sixteen short stories, all virtually unknown, by some of the finest and best-known writers of Britain's Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

"Music Tells All," by E.R. Punshon from 2019-05-26T15:36:45

Did the powerful piano music played by their neighbor hold the secret of two murders?

"Maigret Goes to School," by Georges Simenon from 2019-05-19T15:07:04

Maigret takes time off from work to investigate a murder on his own, to help a schoolteacher who traveled to Paris to enlist Maigret's aid.

"Beware of the Trains," by Edmund Crispin from 2019-05-13T19:34:31

Short mysteries, most featuring Crispin's Oxford Don professor, Gervase Fen.

"Challenge the Impossible," by Edward D. Hoch from 2019-05-06T14:16:59

The fifth and final collection of Edward D. Hoch's marvelous stories featuring Dr. Sam Hawthorne, who delights in solving crimes that seem to be impossible.

"The Case of the Haven Hotel," by Christopher Bush from 2019-04-28T16:45:18

Private investigator Ludovic Travers and his friend and frequent colleague, Scotland Yard Superintendent George Wharton, uncover strange and deadly doings at an English seaside resort.

"Pass the Body," by Christopher St. John Sprigg from 2019-04-21T18:50:12

Sensational and murderous doings at the residential Garden Hotel in Kensington.

"And Death Came Too," by Richard Hull from 2019-04-15T16:58:14

Death was the uninvited guest at the late-night party.

"Death of a Doll," by Hilda Lawrence from 2019-04-08T02:50:34

Who turned Ruth Miller's dream of Hope House into a deadly nightmare?

"Portrait of a Murderer," by Anne Meredith from 2019-03-24T00:42:23

An "inverted mystery" classic study of a killer despite himself.

"Five Little Pigs," by Agatha Christie from 2019-03-22T19:35:33

Sixteen years after her father's murder, a young woman seeks the truth.

"Maigret Enjoys Himself," by Georges Simenon from 2019-03-18T12:06:36

On vacation, Maigret can't resist trying to solve a murder.

"Who Killed Dick Whittington?," by E. & M.A. Radford from 2019-03-10T23:49:54

The whole audience saw the murder, but who saw the murderer?