FFB: The Long-Legged FLy, James Sallis

 

The Long-Legged Fly is the debut novel by James Sallis, featuring Black private detective Lew Griffin in New Orleans. It was followed by several more novels, all having an insect in the title. (And many other novels like DRIVE that did not)

It follows Griffin as he searches for missing persons across four different time periods (1964, 1970, 1984, 1990), with the cases serving as a backdrop to explore his own struggles with alcoholism, loneliness, and a troubled past. The book is praised for its lyrical, blues-like prose and its focus on character over traditional plot, making it more a story about a detective than a standard mystery. 

 There are similarities between this series and Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlings books, which are set in L.A. 

Sallis died not long ago. Before his death, he published an anthology of his many fine short stories. 

Short Story Wednesday; Agatha Christie's Short Story Collection (Kerrie Smith from the archives

 

Forgotten Story Collections: Agatha Christie

This post is a contribution to Pattinase's Friday's Forgotten Books. This week the focus is on forgotten short story collections.

Many people who read Agatha Christie novels ignore the fact that she wrote some terrific short stories.
In my quest to read the works of Agatha Christie (novels and short stories) in the order in which they were written, I have identified 21 short story collections. So far I've read 82 short stories in this particular reading challenge.

Agatha Christie used many of the short stories to introduce, and develop the character of, a person who would later feature in novels.

Most of the short stories appeared in magazine format and then were later collected for publication.

This was certainly the case of Miss Marple who first appeared The Thirteen Problems- publ. 1932.

The first of these short stories was The Tuesday Night Club - Sir Henry Clithering, until recently Commissioner of Scotland Yard, tells a tale about tinned lobster that caused a fatal case of food poisoning. It was first published in December 1927. Miss Marple appeared in her first full length novel THE MURDER AT THE VICARAGE in 1930.

While Hercule Poirot first appeared in THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES in 1920, by 1924 Agatha Christie had written (and mostly published separately) 11 short stories that elaborated his character and his abilities with the "little grey cells" that were then published as Poirot Investigates.

On the other hand some characters appear only in short stories, such as Mr Parker Pyne (Parker Pyne Investigates publ.1934), and Mr. Harley Quin (The Mysterious Mr Quin publ. 1930).

If you'd like to follow up on Agatha Christie short stories, then check my latest update post.
I am about to read the next The Listerdale Mystery

If you'd like to find out more about the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge and the accompanying monthly blog carnival check here.

George Kelley

Kevin Tipple 

Not A Day Goes BY

Viengsamai Fetters - Associate Editor 10:56 PM (37 minutes ago) I get a letter like this about once every two weeks. Is it AI? I am assuming so. What does it mean? This fellow seems to exist, are they just using his name? to me Hello Patricia, I hope you’re having a great week. My name is Viengsamai Fetters, and I serve as an Associate Editor at Erewhon Books. I recently spent some time looking into your work, particularly your novel Shot in Detroit, and I found the concept and execution quite compelling. The way the story explores Violet Hart’s journey as a photographer navigating the darker corners of Detroit while wrestling with ambition, morality, and the psychological weight of her choices creates a very striking and memorable narrative. The premise alone immediately stood out as something both bold and thought-provoking. I was especially intrigued by how the novel blends psychological suspense with artistic obsession, placing the protagonist in increasingly difficult situations as she pushes the boundaries of her work. That tension between creativity, desperation, and the ethical consequences of Violet’s decisions gives the story a distinctive voice that is hard to ignore. Because of that, I would be very interested in learning more about your current writing projects and any forthcoming work you may have in development. I’m also curious to know whether you are currently represented by a literary agent. If you do have representation, I would of course be happy to continue any conversation through your agent. If not, I would be glad to outline how the process typically works should there be mutual interest in exploring the conversation further. Subject to reviewing additional material, there may be room for a broader discussion regarding potential alignment with the type of adult fiction we continue to explore and develop within our publishing program, particularly works with strong psychological depth and distinctive narrative perspectives. If this sounds of interest, I would be very glad to hear back from you and continue the conversation. Best regards, Viengsamai Fetters - Associate Editor at Erewhon Books Kensington Publishing Corp. www.kensingtonbooks.com/erewhonbooks kensingtonbooks@vfetters.co.site

Monday, Monday

Kevin came home for spring break with two assignments: attend a live poetry event and a live fiction reading event. We went to hear The Moth (an NPR live program) and the readers were doing non-fiction stories about sus, which I thought was suspicion but it turned out to be shady behavior. None of the stories were great but none were terrible either. The audience favored sad stories rather than violent ones. The poetry slam was in Ann Arbor.

Also went to Pompeii: Under the Clouds.  Every review was extremely positive but the four of us were a tad bored. 

The weather is still ugly mostly.

Watched Michigan beat Arizona.  Watched THE PITT, DTF ST LOUIS, THE ROOSTER

Listened to Bill Nighy's podcast "Ill-Advised"

What about you? Is it nice there yet?  

Happy Easter Weekend

 

On the Street Where You Live, from Wednesday's Child, Yiyun Li

 

This story reminded me a lot of the recent movie with Rose Byrne, "IF I HAD LEGS I COULD KICK YOU." It is also about a mother with a troubled child. In this case, her child is autistic and his disease is growing worse. She, and to a lesser extent her husband, is trying to find ways to help him: music lessons, art, etc. He is fearful of being alone in the world yet does nothing to prevent this (though he is only six). The mother is keeping a journal of people she meets that have an oddity too. When a burglar confronts her, she lets him take everything but asks him to return the journal. 

George Kelley 

Kevin Tipple 

Steve Lewis 

Casual Debris