Week 3: What's a What the Butler Saw machine? + Peter's short story + book recommendations & answers to your burning questions
June 19, 2025
I recently watched my email inbox fill with messages telling me I should do something, do it better, or stop doing it altogether. Not long after that another email popped up, and I felt my body tense. “Oh, what now?” I heard myself mumble aloud.
That’s when it hit me. Spellbound Mystery Magazine isn’t like that. When it shows up in your email, you don’t have to do anything but enjoy. Enjoy the book recommendations. Enjoy the Author Insider Chat. Enjoy comments from your fellow readers. And especially enjoy finding a good* book!
WHAT THE BUTLER SAW
They say the biggest challenge the author of a successful first novel faces is … the second book.
So, after Headline Murder came out to flattering reviews, I was initially stumped about what to do next. My plan was to write a series about a crime reporter in the “swinging sixties” seaside town of Brighton, England. To anchor the first book to that theme, I’d based the story around the fate of the owner of a “crazy golf” course.
I needed another familiar seaside icon to anchor the second book and drive the plot. And I found it on Brighton’s Palace pleasure pier. One of the more dubious attractions in the 1960s was a row of “What the Butler Saw” machines in the amusement arcade. It's the theft of a film from one of these machines that triggers the action in Stop Press Murder. CONTINUE READING …
I LOVE THIS BOOK: Duane’s Pick
Big Red by John Haase is a book about a real man, who is a fictional character, in a book that’s been out of print for 40 years.
(So why are you writing about it?)
Because it is my favorite book of all time. I’ve read it dozens of times and given away every copy I could find in used books stores and online searches. CONTINUE READING …
AND NOW ABOUT THAT SINGLE RED SOCK …
Peter’s short story, “The Mystery of the Single Red Sock” concludes with a surprising twist. CONTINUE READING …
TBR … Lynda’s Pick
I love this series set in the 1970s in the Red River Valley between North Dakota and Minnesota. The characters are complex, the mysteries avoid in-your-face violence, and the author’s insights are thought-provoking. CONTINUE READING …
AN ANGLOPHILE WALKS INTO A CINEMA … Emma takes us on a tour
I’ve been a Brit movie and TV buff since I was about nine, watching Masterpiece Theater and reruns of comedies like Fawlty Towers on our local PBS channel. I can’t possibly narrow down all the possibilities into one “essential” list, so I intend to do many. This one shares four movies you might have missed. CONTINUE READING …
YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS
We’ve got a good one this week from a reader who questions saggy middles! CONTINUE READING …
BONUS PROMO:
Duane’s Lou Fleener Box Set (Books 4-6) is free through June 20. (And Missing Amanda is free through the 23rd!) GO GET ‘EM …
NEXT WEEK:
We’re premiering a new feature, spotlighting a favorite old-timey birthday cake, more book recommendations, and of course, delivering Duane’s puns (three of ‘em!).
Until then, happy reading,
Emma, Lynda, Peter, Duane
The Spellbounders
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