Lighting the Pipes

We return to Wilkie Collins and early detective writing with a study of this comic story, originally published in the Atlantic Monthly back in April of 1858. Mr Yatman, a hard-working SoHo stationer, has been robbed at home and now faces financial ruin. Conditions and suspects in the crime point to a "closed circle" mystery. When the veteran Sergeant Bulmer is taken off the case, a young upstart named Matthew Sharpin takes over the investigation... in a manner of speaking. Sharpin is well-connected but absurdly self-confident and Collins leans into the popular form of epistolary writing to chart this young man's (not-so-tragic) fall.
Summary@7:50; PIPES@28:40.
For more on Wilkie Collins, check out our episode on "The Moonstone" from March 2022.

Fifteen years after the publication of "The Talented Mr Ripley", Patricia Highsmith returns her ambitious con-man to readers in "Ripley Underground", the first of four follow-up mysteries. Tom is married and living outside of Paris now, six years following the events of the first novel, and enjoying the quiet life of a wealthy man. His criminality has mellowed since escaping to Greece in the wake of the Dickie Greenleaf affair, characterised by some art forgery and a minor role in a fencing scheme. However, problems ensue for Tom when an American collector hollers "fake!" and starts an investigation. Lies need covered and bodies need buried as Tom is thrown back into the disguise game.
PlotSummary@05:00; PIPES@42:00
Check out our earlier episode on "The Talented Mr Ripley" (04/03/2022) for full author bio and publication history.

Ian Fleming's 007 novels changed the terrain of popular spy fiction for ever and gave birth to an empire of legacy for actors, artists, creatives and enthusiasts the world over. In 2015 we set up a recorder, arranged some Skype calls and trialled this podcast gig a little for posterity. By leaning into conversations around Fleming's work, our appreciation for something like LTP emerged.
Our initial Bond project took us a calendar year and change and it's taken us ten more just to get these older episodes cut, reconditioned and up to snuff. We think we've made the mark but you can be the judge! Starting here, with 1953's pulp thriller "Casino Royale", we are proud to present our original Fleming discussions, never before released, into the LTP 007 pipeline.
AuthorBio@12:45; PublicationInfo@44:00; Discussion@54:45; Scoring@1:39:15

In July of 1943, as Allied forces planned desperately for Mediterranean access into Europe, Britain's Naval Intelligence were spearheading an intrepid operation, a bait-and-switch of colossal consequence. Commander Ian Fleming, serving as personal assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence, helped to encourage the intricate planning for what would soon become Operation Mincemeat.
This episode is a special Summer treat, recut and newly presented from a July 2022 episode on Bond by Numbers. Jeff Chapman, our resident military expert, cracks cover and leads us through a tour of this remarkable operation and features of Ben McIntyre's 2010 book. We also offer our thoughts on the 2021 film adaption, directed by John Madden.
History&Operation@04:30; FilmReview@1:16:00

Faster than your Keurig, LTP is back and brewing up another rich blend of Film Noir analysis with the big reveal on Fritz Lang's 1953 classic, "The Big Heat", starring Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame. Beginning with its origins as a popular serial by crime fiction author, William P McGivern, and the real-life case that inspired the film, Josh goes deep cover into the life of the enigmatic Lang himself, his influence on the genre and on the film's production. What's with all the coffee talk? Check out the episode and see for yourself!

PlotSummary@11:00; Context&Production@34:00; Review@1:29:30