Wicked Little Letters: The True Story

Behind The New British Mystery Film

The true story behind a new British movie titled Wicked Little Letters begins in the early 1920s, when a small seaside town in Sussex, England was rocked by a scandal involving warring neighbors, miscarriages of justice, and a lot of swearing. Edith Swan [played in the film by Olivia Colman] was a young woman living under the thumb of her elderly parents, and was subjected to a series of disturbing, anonymous letters filled with “libelous name-calling” and graphic imagery. Edith suspected the letters were written by her neighbor, Rose Gooding [Jessie Buckley], with whom she had been friends. Another letter, sent to Edith’s fiancé Bert Boxall, a soldier stationed in Mesopotamia, claimed that Edith was “committing immorality” with a police constable and had fallen pregnant, causing Bert to end the engagement.

     In 1920, Edith obtained a summons against Rose, who subsequently was sentenced to ten days in prison. When more letters continued to circulate in 1921, Rose was arrested again and tried for "publishing obscene libels." Despite little concrete evidence, she was found guilty and sentenced to a year of hard labor; she was released after four months.

     That was not the end of the scandal, though. Edith produced a notebook, allegedly filled with Rose’s writing, which generated enough doubt that an inspector from Scotland Yard, George Nicholls, came to suspect Edith herself was the author, describing her “stony expression” and her “remarkable memory for filthy phrases.” Edith eventually was arrested and put on trial in late 1921; despite compelling evidence, however, the judge steered the jury to acquit her, which it did.

But the mystery didn’t end there…

Today’s Authors Are Reviving The

“Fair Play” Puzzle Plot Mystery

     In a “fair play” puzzle plot mystery, the author provides the reader with all the clues, allowing him or her to match wits with the detective, as all the pieces of the puzzle are hidden in plain sight. As Gigi Pandian recently wrote in Crime Reads, the genre was at its height in the Golden Age of detective fiction in the 1920s and ‘30s, and continued in popularity for decades. “On the most devious end of the puzzle plot spectrum, you’ll find locked-room mysteries and impossible crimes, where a crime isn’t just puzzling but looks as if it’s truly impossible,” she says. “Thanks to modern publishers reprinting out-of-print books, mysteries from around the world being translated into English for the first time, and wonderful podcasts including Shedunnit and All About Agatha, there’s been a resurgence in interest in puzzle plot mysteries.”

     Additionally, several modern authors are bringing back elements from classic puzzle plot mysteries, including clue-finders, sealed solutions, and narratives that directly challenge the reader. “Martin Edwards is one of the people helping to bring Golden Age mysteries back into print through the British Library’s Crime Classic series and his nonfiction, but he’s also leading the way through his Rachel Savernake Golden Age Mysteries,” Pandian notes. “Tom Mead’s Joseph Spector mysteries feature the most baffling type of puzzle: impossible crimes. His debut novel, Death and the Conjuror, gives all the clues to the reader—and the Japanese edition even includes a sealed solution section.”

    With all this in mind, Pandian highlights a handful of present-day authors who put their own spin on the classic genre. If you love classic puzzle plot mysteries, check out these writers, and others.

The CIA Spent Millions Of Dollars

Training Cats To Be “Cyborg” Spies

     If you’ve ever had a stealthy feline sneak up on you, you might have had the same idea the CIA once did: that cats would make good spies. In fact, as reported by History Facts, the intelligence agency spent millions of dollars on a program with just that in mind in the 1960s. But as any cat owner can tell you, it probably shouldn’t have bothered: However sneaky and/or intelligent cats might be, they know no masters but themselves. Operation Acoustic Kitty essentially was a disaster, with only one subject making it into the field before the ill-advised — and arguably cruel — program was scrapped.

     The idea was to create a sort of cyborg cat by implanting a microphone in the animal’s ear, a radio transmitter at the base of its skull, and an antenna in its fur — “a monstrosity,” in the words of Victor Marchetti, a former CIA employee who went on to write the tell-some book The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence.

     On paper, the Acoustic Kitty agent’s first test was simple enough: sit near a park bench and capture a conversation between two people. Instead, according to most accounts, the unfortunate feline was hit by a taxi and killed. Writing of the operation’s failure in a heavily redacted memo, the CIA concluded, “Our final examination of trained cats… convinced us that the program would not lend itself in a practical sense to our highly specialized needs.”

COLD CASE SOLVED

DNA Collected From Chewing Gum

Leads To Conviction In 1980 Murder

     DNA found in a piece of discarded chewing gum has led to the arrest and conviction of a suspect in a 1980 cold case murder in Oregon. Robert Plympton, 60, was found guilty last week on one count of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder, for the killing of Mt. Hood Community College student Barbara Tucker. Plympton was not convicted of rape or sexual abuse because prosecutors failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that such acts happened while she was still alive.

     Nineteen-year-old Tucker was “kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and beaten to death” on January 15, 1980, and several witnesses claimed to have seen a woman in apparent distress at that time. One said she saw a woman “waving her arms with a bloody face,” while another said she saw a man peeking through the bushes next to the college parking lot.

     In 2021, a genealogist with Parabon Nanolabs used DNA technology to identify Plympton as likely linked to the DNA in the case. Detectives with the Gresham Police Department found Plympton living in Troutdale, and began conducting surveillance; ultimately they collected a piece of chewing gum he had spit onto the ground, according to prosecutors. Police arrested him after the Oregon State Police Crime Lab determined the DNA profile developed from the gum matched the DNA profile developed from swabs taken from Tucker’s body, which had been preserved.

     Plympton is scheduled to be sentenced in June.

Nine Of The Most Romantic Historical

Mysteries To Take You To Another Time

     It’s been said that there is no greater mystery than those related to the heart. So, it makes sense that the best stories have both…and when you add in a historical setting, you have a hero and heroine often not just fighting their own attractions while investigating mysteries but also navigating complicated societal expectations. It ratchets up the tension and adds myriad problems to stand in their way.

     As Jena Brown wrote recently for Murder-Mayhem, “The historical mystery genre intertwines elements of history with the suspense and intrigue of a classic mystery novel. Set in various time periods and often featuring real historical figures or events, these novels transport readers to different eras, offering glimpses into the past while engaging them in captivating whodunits or thrilling investigations.

    “The historical backdrops are meticulously researched, with authors incorporating authentic details to create immersive settings,” she continues. “Characters, both fictional and sometimes based on historical figures, navigate through intricate plots filled with secrets, conspiracies, and enigmas to be solved. Whether set in ancient civilizations, medieval Europe, or more recent periods, historical mysteries provide readers with a compelling blend of insight and suspenseful storytelling.” If you’re looking to get swept off your feet and transported to a different time, here are nine dashing romantic historical mysteries.

Now Available!

Beyond All Doubt

[Reed Bunzel writing as Hilton Reed]

“Beyond All Doubt is an edge-of-your-seat fast-moving thrill-ride, kicked off by the reappearance of a dead man and propelling the reader along to the final bullet—and beyond.”— S.J. Rozan, best-selling author of The Mayors of New York

​

“Beyond All Doubt is a taut, smart, and emotionally rich thriller. Reed has a sharp eye for character and a screenwriter's feel for action. This tale is sleek as a mink and fast as a bullet.”— T. Jefferson Parker, author of The Rescue

“Beyond All Doubt is not a 'who done it,' but a twisty, compelling 'who did what.' Cameron Kane is a sympathetic, yet unrelenting bulldog in his pursuit of the truth about his wife's death. Intriguing and intense, Beyond All Doubt is a winner!”—Matt Coyle, bestselling author of the Rick Cahill crime novels

“In this action-packed and engrossing thriller, Reed masterfully balances between a husband’s drive to uncover the truth about his wife’s death and a father’s instinct to protect his family at all costs. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down!”— Matthew Farrell, bestselling author of The Woman at Number 6

“Beyond All Doubt has plenty of thrills—deadly snipers, false identities, shocking deaths—but at its heart, this book is about a grieving single father whose desperation propels the plot like a speeding car with its brake lines cut.”— Cayce Osborne, author of I Know What You Did