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Post by Michael Connolly on Nov 13, 2017 13:26:44 GMT
Haunted By True Crime: Nicola Upson on how M R James and the Cambridge Rapist inspired her new novel. Metro, Monday 13th November 2017. The Cambridge Rapist was Peter Cook!!!
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Nov 13, 2017 14:58:22 GMT
Haunted By True Crime: Nicola Upson on how M R James and the Cambridge Rapist inspired her new novel. Metro, Monday 13th November 2017. I wasn't aware of one of my all time favourite comedian's vile namesake and his horrible crimes in that other Peter Cook's old stomping grounds. On a lighter note, I wasn't aware of this book either, but a murderer committing crimes based on M.R. J's ghost stories means it's rocketed onto my reading list.
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Nov 13, 2017 15:01:38 GMT
The new Detectorists has hints of M R James, finding whistles in the Suffolk countryside This reminded me that I still had series 2 and the Christmas special - with its shades of A Warning to the Curious - waiting to be watched, so I had three and a half hours of extremely enjoyable viewing at the weekend before catching up with the new episode on iPlayer. What an utter joy of a series it is!
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Post by ropardoe on Nov 13, 2017 15:51:21 GMT
Haunted By True Crime: Nicola Upson on how M R James and the Cambridge Rapist inspired her new novel. Metro, Monday 13th November 2017. I wasn't aware of one of my all time favourite comedian's vile namesake and his horrible crimes in that other Peter Cook's old stomping grounds. On a lighter note, I wasn't aware of this book either, but a murderer committing crimes based on M.R. J's ghost stories means it's rocketed onto my reading list. Ooh, ooh - definitely something for me to cover in G&S. I see our county library has copies on order so I've put a hold on one. In fact I DID know about the Cambridge Rapist as we lived not far from the city at the time (in Huntingdon). It didn't make it any less horrendous, but there was something quaintly English about the fact that he used to cycle to his crimes.
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elricc
Devils Coach Horse
Posts: 100
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Post by elricc on Nov 13, 2017 17:45:32 GMT
I've really enjoyed the Josephine Tey novels by Nicola Upson, well written and stories full of so much tension from start to finish, I loved the one set in Port Merion with Alfred Hitchcock. Got this one to read over the coming weekend, no idea of the MRJ link so bonus !
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Nov 13, 2017 18:09:22 GMT
I raced off to Waterstones after work to pick up a copy of Nine Lessons, so will be slotting it in between stories in the latest anthology I'm reading - Sarob Press's Darkly Haunting. I wasn't aware of Nicola Upson or the previous Josephine Tey novels, but having skimmed a few details online, I think I may give the others a go if I find myself enjoying this one, as they sound intriguing.
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Post by ropardoe on Nov 16, 2017 13:28:20 GMT
I raced off to Waterstones after work to pick up a copy of Nine Lessons, so will be slotting it in between stories in the latest anthology I'm reading - Sarob Press's Darkly Haunting. I wasn't aware of Nicola Upson or the previous Josephine Tey novels, but having skimmed a few details online, I think I may give the others a go if I find myself enjoying this one, as they sound intriguing. I've just picked up the copy I ordered at the library. It'll be a week or so before I start it, as I'm in the middle of a Gladys Mitchell, and I don't want the plots to get confused. But I'm puzzled by this quote in the acknowledgements: "It's true that James failed to finish a new story for Christmas 1913, but his reasons were far less sinister than those I've given him..." I've hunted around and I can't find any references to a story not completed for Christmas 1913. Am I missing something obvious?
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Nov 16, 2017 17:08:07 GMT
I raced off to Waterstones after work to pick up a copy of Nine Lessons, so will be slotting it in between stories in the latest anthology I'm reading - Sarob Press's Darkly Haunting. I wasn't aware of Nicola Upson or the previous Josephine Tey novels, but having skimmed a few details online, I think I may give the others a go if I find myself enjoying this one, as they sound intriguing. I've just picked up the copy I ordered at the library. It'll be a week or so before I start it, as I'm in the middle of a Gladys Mitchell, and I don't want the plots to get confused. But I'm puzzled by this quote in the acknowledgements: "It's true that James failed to finish a new story for Christmas 1913, but his reasons were far less sinister than those I've given him..." I've hunted around and I can't find any references to a story not completed for Christmas 1913. Am I missing something obvious? I'm a few chapters in and enjoying it so far. Nowhere near to finding out what may or may not have occurred at Christmas 1913. I know that I've read or heard somewhere of MRJ not having a story finished in time and reading one of his older tales instead, but I can't remember which year (or years, if it happened more than once) this occurred. But it's certainly what I'd thought this referred to.
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Post by ropardoe on Nov 16, 2017 19:36:09 GMT
I've just picked up the copy I ordered at the library. It'll be a week or so before I start it, as I'm in the middle of a Gladys Mitchell, and I don't want the plots to get confused. But I'm puzzled by this quote in the acknowledgements: "It's true that James failed to finish a new story for Christmas 1913, but his reasons were far less sinister than those I've given him..." I've hunted around and I can't find any references to a story not completed for Christmas 1913. Am I missing something obvious? I'm a few chapters in and enjoying it so far. Nowhere near to finding out what may or may not have occurred at Christmas 1913. I know that I've read or heard somewhere of MRJ not having a story finished in time and reading one of his older tales instead, but I can't remember which year (or years, if it happened more than once) this occurred. But it's certainly what I'd thought this referred to. It would make sense that MRJ was too busy at Christmas 1913 to do a new story as he'd unexpectedly taken over as Vice-Chancellor of the University that October - a year before he expected. But I'm darned if I can track down the reference.
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Nov 16, 2017 21:29:46 GMT
But I'm darned if I can track down the reference. Found it! Or, at least a reference. It's in M.R. James: An Informal Portrait. Page 134.
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Post by ropardoe on Nov 17, 2017 10:28:46 GMT
But I'm darned if I can track down the reference. Found it! Or, at least a reference. It's in M.R. James: An Informal Portrait. Page 134. Gosh - how did you find that? I guess you must have read all through the chapter on the ghost stories. Of course, it's now in plain sight to me too, and I'm kicking myself. Glad I didn't make a fool of myself in G&S by claiming that she made it up!
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Nov 17, 2017 11:10:28 GMT
Found it! Or, at least a reference. It's in M.R. James: An Informal Portrait. Page 134. Gosh - how did you find that? I guess you must have read all through the chapter on the ghost stories. Of course, it's now in plain sight to me too, and I'm kicking myself. Glad I didn't make a fool of myself in G&S by claiming that she made it up! I saw that she'd acknowledged Michael Cox's book so I did a Google search, found it on Google Books which allows you to search inside the text, entered '1913' as my search term, and it was one of the three results that came up. Saved me having to wait till I got home then skimming all the way through the book, starting with the ghost stories chapter as you say. I had a feeling that if it hadn't been in G&S I'd read it, it was most likely in An Informal Portrait.
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Post by ropardoe on Nov 17, 2017 18:02:38 GMT
Gosh - how did you find that? I guess you must have read all through the chapter on the ghost stories. Of course, it's now in plain sight to me too, and I'm kicking myself. Glad I didn't make a fool of myself in G&S by claiming that she made it up! I saw that she'd acknowledged Michael Cox's book so I did a Google search, found it on Google Books which allows you to search inside the text, entered '1913' as my search term, and it was one of the three results that came up. Saved me having to wait till I got home then skimming all the way through the book, starting with the ghost stories chapter as you say. I had a feeling that if it hadn't been in G&S I'd read it, it was most likely in An Informal Portrait. Why didn't I think of that? Still, I'm glad the mystery is solved, and though not by me then at least by another member of the G&S 'staff'!
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Nov 18, 2017 18:26:35 GMT
member of the G&S 'staff'! Well, there's a job title I'll wear with pride. In other Jamesian 'news', in the forthcoming (due out on the 22nd November) Winter 2017 edition of Evergreen - subtitled Britain's Lovely Little Green Quarterly and A Miscellany of This & That & Things Gone By - there's a four page article by Bryan Woods on Christmas ghost stories as part of the the magazine's regular Literary Pilgrim slot which devotes a couple of paragraphs to M.R. James, alongside Dickens, Nesbit, Stoker, Walpole and the like. Nothing new, but good to see that 'No mention of ghost stories would be complete without reference to M.R. James.'
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Post by ropardoe on Nov 21, 2017 9:30:13 GMT
I'm a few chapters in and enjoying it so far. Nowhere near to finding out what may or may not have occurred at Christmas 1913. I know that I've read or heard somewhere of MRJ not having a story finished in time and reading one of his older tales instead, but I can't remember which year (or years, if it happened more than once) this occurred. But it's certainly what I'd thought this referred to. Did you finish it yet, Dan? I've just started it - chapter one this morning. So far it seems quite promising. Very nasty first murder! Do you think the book should be reviewed in Ghosts & Scholars, or does it just need the paragraph I've already drafted for the News section? If you think it deserves a full review, you know what my next question is going to be!
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