First Sight and Second Thoughts

Witches & Dicks

May 17 2022 • 1 hr 4 mins

In this episode: the Wash. Post detective bracket, who’s better - Nancy Drew or Sherlock Holmes, the fractal nature of Sherlock, why we have so many Holmeses and not as many Nancy Drews, a look at Barbara Neely's Blanche on the Lam, and lots and lots of book recs. Recorded Jul 14, 2021.

Tarot card: Wheel of Fortune

Evelyn Archer: askevelynarcher.com @evelynarches on IG & Twitter Modesty Brown books on Amazon

Lucy Neptune: @lucyneptunewnd on IG

Everything (we think) mentioned this episode:
Washington Post bracket

From Conan Doyle Sherlock canon:
Scandal in Bohemia, Five Orange Pips, Adventure of the Yellow Face

Michael Chabon Books:
Yiddish Policeman's Union
The Final Solution

Sherlock Holmes Versions on screen:
Jeremy Brett, Robert Downey Jr & Jude Law, Elementary with Jonny Lee Miller & Lucy Liu, Sherlock (BBC) with Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman, House MD, Mr. Holmes (We *say* it’s based on Chabon’s Final Solution,  but it’s not. It’s based on A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullen)

Frogwares Sherlock Holmes games
A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman
Shadows Over Baker Street (Lovecraft/Holmes anthology by John Pelan & Michael Reaves)

Nancy Drew on screen:
Bonita Granville in Nancy Drew, Girl Reporter (1939), Emma Roberts Nancy Drew (2007), Hidden Staircase (2019), Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977-79), CW Nancy Drew (2019- )
HerInteractive games including Curse of Blackmoor Manor
Retcon: short for “retroactive continuity”
Veronica Mars TV show & movie
Kelly Link’s "The Girl Detective" in “Stranger Things Happen”

Other Detectives from the Bracket:

Armand Gamache by Louise Penny

PD James Adam Dalgleish novels. Also on Acorn TV

Coffin Ed Johnson & Grave Digger Jones from Chester Himes’ Harlem Detective series

Inspector Alan Grant Mysteries, Josephine Tey

Barbara Neely, Blanche White novels

Tiffany Aching books by Terry Pratchett

No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Vera Stanhope novels by Ann Cleeves (CW: fatphobia)

Philip Marlowe by Raymond Chandler

Attica Locke and Darren Matthews, Texas Ranger novels

Isaiah Quintabe (IQ Novels) by Joe Ide

Henry Rios novels by Michael Nava

Agent Nina Guerrera novels by Isabella Maldonado

Tana French

Umbrella Academy TV show



Logo by Alex Zapata
Music by Prettysleepy on Pixabay
Transcript by Otter AI
Public Library Association

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