tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post350945011936216834..comments2024-03-27T22:32:02.739+01:00Comments on Beneath the Stains of Time: The Theft and the Prophecy: Two Fictional Impossible CrimesTomCathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-40140534369208320132018-04-21T13:01:57.169+02:002018-04-21T13:01:57.169+02:00Haha, oh, sure -- I didn't doubt that you knew...Haha, oh, sure -- I didn't doubt that you <i>knew about</i> them, it was more a question of whether I'd be the one to let you know if they were worth reading, or if you'd be the one to let me know. Between us we'll get them all, I'm pretty sure, so it doesn't really matter...!JJ @ The Invisible Eventhttps://theinvisibleevent.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-18872863732207673852018-04-20T14:53:56.118+02:002018-04-20T14:53:56.118+02:00I can't say I was "amazed" by the si...I can't say I was "amazed" by the similarities, but I certainly noticed them right away. As for a followup story, it depends entirely on whether I can come up with a premise. To date, obviously, I haven't. <br /><br />Thank you again for the thoughtful review.Barry Erganghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04305184548497082776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-61490094158520162732018-04-20T07:40:56.992+02:002018-04-20T07:40:56.992+02:00What do you think of the similarities between &quo...What do you think of the similarities between "The Stolen Romney" and <i>The Scented Room</i>? And will you ever write a follow up to this story? TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-3996061125140479212018-04-20T07:38:40.238+02:002018-04-20T07:38:40.238+02:00"...vexed that I didn't get to tell you a..."<i>...vexed that I didn't get to tell you about them first...</i>"<br /><br />Allow me to relief your mind. If I haven't read a certain impossible crime story or novel, I probably have heard about it. There's a reason why they call me the next Robert Adey. Well, nobody actually calls me that, but give it some time. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-50302774148410995332018-04-19T22:20:33.646+02:002018-04-19T22:20:33.646+02:00It turns out I had a copy of "The Stolen Romn...It turns out I had a copy of "The Stolen Romney" in 101 YEARS' ENTERTAINMENT, edited by Ellery Queen. (It's also available at Project Gutenberg, I discovered.) I read it this afternoon, after which I watched "The Scented Room" even though I remembered it and its solution. (The first time I saw it, I worried that people familiar with it and "The Play of Light and Shadow" might think I deliberately used the Creek episode as a springboard for my novelette. As mentioned earlier, I didn't and couldn't have because I'd never seen a Creek episode until years after the novelette was written and published.)<br /><br />As you point out in your review, there is definitely a common denominator to the solution of those stories and mine. There's another element that the solutions of "The Scented Room" and my novelette have in common. I can't get into any of them here lest I spoil things for potential readers and viewers. <br /><br />Should any of your blog followers care to read it, "The Play of Light and Shadow" is available in Kindle format at Amazon, and in multiple formats (including Kindle) at Smashwords.com. Barry Erganghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04305184548497082776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-49789221504862642952018-04-19T22:08:00.499+02:002018-04-19T22:08:00.499+02:00I, naturally, have had both of these on my radar f...I, naturally, have had both of these on my radar for a while, and I can't work out whether to be a) vexed that I didn't get to tell you about them first, or b) grateful for confirming that the Ergang story, at least, is definitely worth the time and money.<br /><br />Verner seems to've blown hot and cold -- I think his story 'The Strange Affair of the Dancing Parson' is very good indeed, but the other Lattimer Shrive stories I've read are merely substandard Holmes rip-offs. But then The Grinning Man (a novella) is...atmospheric if not exactly distinguished (I'll confess I actually can't quite remember what happens).<br /><br />Thanks, anyway, for the review of these; I shall get to the Ergang...eventually (still gotta read Christopher Bush yet), and I'll consider The Beard of the Prophet because I'm actually quite interested in Verner in spite (or possibly <i>because</i>) of his flaws.JJ @ The Invisible Eventhttps://theinvisibleevent.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-36111909925040187992018-04-19T08:00:53.839+02:002018-04-19T08:00:53.839+02:00That being said, I still think The Scented Room is...That being said, I still think <i>The Scented Room</i> is good JC episode. Just not a particular original one.TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-87711344151958793392018-04-19T07:59:49.335+02:002018-04-19T07:59:49.335+02:00Thanks for the heads up, Kevin! :) Thanks for the heads up, Kevin! :) TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-65366932282796929202018-04-19T07:55:43.899+02:002018-04-19T07:55:43.899+02:00That explains why premises were similar, but your ...That explains why premises were similar, but your solution differed from Creek/Wallace. <br /><br />However, I don't believe David Renwick, creator and writer of <i>Jonathan Creek</i>, has the same excuse. You should re-watch <i>The Scented Room</i> right after reading Wallace's "The Stolen Romney." You'll be amazed, I promise. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-6267318916692953982018-04-19T04:47:58.266+02:002018-04-19T04:47:58.266+02:00Thanks for your kind and positive review of my nov...Thanks for your kind and positive review of my novelette. I have to say for the record that I have not read either the Edgar Wallace or Robert Arthur stories, and that I first saw all of the Jonathan Creek episodes quite a few years after "The Play of Light and Shadow" was written. If I have "The Stolen Romney" in one of the anthologies on my shelf, I'll give it a read. Barry Erganghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04305184548497082776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-88632147653264652942018-04-19T00:36:03.689+02:002018-04-19T00:36:03.689+02:00You can find most of my friend, Barry Ergang's...You can find most of my friend, Barry Ergang's review on my blog, where he is a frequent contributor. <br /><br />Kevin<br />https://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/Kevin R. Tipplehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04170714419133752724noreply@blogger.com