Dean Gilbert's Enigma Explorer Blog

What could be better on a long commute than a mystery story audiobook? For me, not a lot. Since I have been making this commute for years I like to justify part of my listening as research, rather than strictly entertainment. My latest choice was worth passing on, so maybe this time it justified my rationale. The book was Shop Til You Drop by Elaine Viets, read by Sarah Pesek. The book is a cosy, with an interesting set of characters, enough plot to keep your brain busy, a sympathetic main character, and quite a few surprises along the way. There is a very satisfying wrapup at the end, although this book is a first-in-series. On the run from the legal system, our amateur sleuth, Helen Hawthorne, is forced to take a series of low-end jobs that pay cash and keep her off the grid. This gets her into some troubling situations beyod her own past, and she must extricate herself by solving crimes without law enforcement knowing who she really is, or showing up in the media as a hero. Add to a...

Today I would like to fill you in on a few authors that have been around for a while, for two reasons. They are both rooted in the fact that most days I drive an hour and a half each way for work. I fill the time with audio books, almost always from the mystery or thriller genres. Two things make good criteria for me. The books have to be easy to get on lending apps like Hoopla or Libby, for one thing, and I would like them to be part of a series. This allows me to spend very little and know that I am usually getting something I like, based on experience. The series that meet these two requirements are usually older series, some started in the 1980's and several still going strong today. So here are my picks for some easy to find series that will get you hours entertainment. One note about the Beaumont and Doc Ford novels: for several of the first books in each series, the sex scenes are failrly explicit. I recommend them but with that caveat. If that's not something you want, ...

When I found out that Lego was coming out with a bookshelf diorama featuring 221B Baker Street I was itching to get my hands on it. It was a bit pricey but came to me as a Father's Day gift. The set features Lego minifigs based on the Conan Doyle characters Professor Moriarty, Irene Adler, Dr. John Watson, and of course Sherlock Holmes himself. There is a bit of mystery about the set itself, however. Why did Lego introduce their own juvenile character instead of depicting Wiggins, of the Baker Street Irregulars. Some Holmes fans will recognize the art that adorns one wall of the apartment, but I will leave the rest of you to discover the connection to the history of the stories.

So far I haven't written much about my books themselves. This blog should b a place you can visit for tips on entertainment, mostly related to mysteries, magic tricks and snows, and puzzles. But I do need to work through something, and I thought getting it all in type in front of me might help.  I am working well beyond full time with a second job and a small business. That means when I sit down to write I like to be ready with the next part of my story. I have the outline worked out, and the first draft is about 75-80 finished. But I am a bit stuck. This is not exactly writer's block. I have just written a scene in which my main character has to sneak around a mansion to collect some evidence. As I wrote the crucial moments I realized that I forgot to make it difficult for him. The majority of my time plotting the book so far has been thinking up nearly impossible situations and then thinking up ways my hero can get out of them. But this time I hadn't got that together, so...

When I decided to include puzzles in the scope of this blog I began thinking of the various types of puzzles I was aware of. I have a few in possession, but there are some others that I have lost or never owned. One of the ways I intend to make up the deficit is to build some of the ones I want to add to my collection. To be worthwhile they should be attractive enough to sit on a desk in an office space as a decoration. This means I will likely use wood as often as possible. I don't intend to figure out my own designs, but find suitable plans on the Internet. This works best if you know what kind of puzzles you are searching for. I started by searching for a particular type whose name I know because I do own it, then expanded. The puzzle is called a yoke puzzle, which is based on its shape, and it is a type that challenges the player to manipulate string that has been run through various shapes of wood. The idea is to move or release a steel ring that is trapped on the string. As I...

If you have enjoyed the Kenneth Branagh films based on Agatha Christie's classic mysteries, I have great news for you. Even if you have read everything Christie wrote, more mystery in the same vein awaits. I am referring to the works of Ngaio Marsh. Of course die-hard mystery fans are probably aware of Marsh and her sleuthing team of Scotland Yard detectives, Alleyn and Fox. But if the events on the Orient Express were your gateway murder you may not know who to turn to after Poirot's Last Case.    My short list is to start with Marsh, then move on to Patricia Wentworth, whose stories    feature a Miss Marple-like Miss Silver, who always seems to be at the right place at the right crime, and has cordial relations with Scotland Yard. I am not suggesting that these three are the only great mystery writers, nor even that the classic cozy-style is better than any other crime writing. I am recommending that if you like Christie and haven't read Marsh or Wentworth you have...

I had to post a short entry as a bit of celebration. Last week I completed a draft of a non-fiction work for my employer. It is a robotics training manual designed in a modular fashion, based on a slide deck. It consists of about 250 slides, many with multiple screenshots from simulator software that show the exact steps in an operation. The modular design will let me adapt it quickly to custom courses. I consider this a milestone for myself because it proved to me that I could write a longer work of nonfiction. Yes, not as exciting for you as for me, but it did help me understand my own writing process and that means more content for you. Look for more content related to mysteries and magic in the next entry. Sent from my iPhone