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2025 was an amazing and tumultous year for Carolyn and Sarah, both of us making moves out of Denver. But we kept on reading (albiet at a slower pace!) and loved having conversations about it all. Join us for our take on 2025, and let us know yours!

Get your copy of all of our History of Mystery book selections here! (including even some 2027 selections)

History of Mystery book slections now in our Bookshop Storefront as well!

Watch clips from our conversations with guests!

Tea, Tonic & Toxin is a history of mystery book club and podcast. We’re discussing the best mysteries ever written and interviewing some of the world’s best contemporary mystery and thriller writers.

THE BIG SLEEP (1939) is a seminal work in the hardboiled detective genre, and it’s among the best of the Raymond Chandler books. It showcases Chandler’s masterful use of sharp dialogue, complex characters and his gritty depiction of 1930s Los Angeles.

Farewell, My Lovely (1940) by Raymond Chandler is a cornerstone of the noir genre and the Philip Marlowe books, showcasing Marlowe in one of his most memorable cases. The novel’s richly atmospheric prose vividly captures the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles, immersing readers in its gritty, dangerous world. Chandler’s exploration of moral ambiguity and flawed characters adds depth to the mystery, elevating it beyond a simple whodunit.

TRAITOR’S PURSE (1940) by Margery Allingham is a mystery thriller classic that masterfully combines psychological tension with a high-stakes plot. Suffering from amnesia, amateur sleuth Albert Campion races to stop a wartime national security threat.

The novel’s unique premise and tightly woven narrative create a sense of urgency and intrigue. Known for its psychological depth, it showcases Allingham’s skill at blending espionage with a classic whodunit. Allingham’s exploration of identity, loyalty, and duty cements the book’s status as a timeless classic in the genre.

Published in 1942, LAURA by Vera Caspary is a sophisticated mystery novel blending romance and psychological intrigue. Told through shifting perspectives, it follows a detective investigating the apparent murder of a glamorous ad exec. It remains a cornerstone of noir fiction.

Rear Window (1942) by Cornell Woolrich is a classic in the suspense genre for its masterful use of tension and claustrophobia. The story’s premise—a man confined to his apartment who becomes an unwitting witness to sinister events—brilliantly explores themes of isolation, voyeurism, and moral responsibility.

The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope (1943) by C. W. Grafton (the father of Sue Grafton) is a classic in the mystery genre for its clever fusion of humor, small-town charm, and hardboiled crime elements. Featuring Gil Henry, an unassuming and resourceful lawyer, the novel showcases an unconventional hero who unravels a web of corruption and intrigue with sharp wit and determination. Grafton’s skillful storytelling and engaging prose set a high standard for blending humor with suspense.

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Rear Window (1942) by Cornell Woolrich is a classic in the suspense genre for its masterful use of tension and claustrophobia. The story’s premise—a man confined to his apartment who becomes an unwitting witness to sinister events—brilliantly explores themes of isolation, voyeurism, and moral responsibility.

The book was inspired by “Through a Window” by H. G. Wells. The tight pacing and psychological depth create a gripping sense of unease. As the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic film, the story’s enduring legacy lies in its ability to turn an ordinary setting into a stage for extraordinary suspense, influencing many works in the thriller genre.

Get your copy of all of our History of Mystery book selections here! (including even some 2027 selections)

History of Mystery book slections now in our Bookshop Storefront as well!

Watch clips from our conversations with guests!

Voyeurism and the Confined Observer

Due to his injury, Jeff spends most of his time looking out the window, scrutinizing the lives of his neighbors. He has the “fevered concentration of a Peeping Tom. That wasn’t my fault. … what should I do, sit there with my eyes tightly shuttered?”

The story by Cornell Woolrich explores the idea of observing others’ lives from a distance and the potential for misinterpretation and obsession that can arise from such behavior.

The Daily Habits of the Rear Window Dwellers

“I didn’t know their names. I’d never heard their voices. I didn’t even know them by sight, strictly speaking, for their faces were too small to fill in with identifiable features at that distance. Yet I could have constructed a timetable of their comings and goings, their daily habits and activities.”

“The lights started to come on around the quadrangle. … The chain of little habits that were their lives unreeled themselves. They were all bound in them tighter than the tightest straitjacket any jailer ever devised, though they all thought themselves free. The jitterbugs made their nightly dash for the great open spaces, forgot their lights, he came careening back, thumbed them out, and their place was dark until the early morning hours. The woman put her child to bed, leaned mournfully over its cot, then sat down with heavy despair to redden her mouth.”

When Mrs. Thorvald doesn’t come out to greet her husband, the “first link, of the so-strong chain of habits, of custom, that binds us all, had snapped wide open.”

Cornell Woolrich Builds Empathy … and Breaks It

“I felt sorry for the couple in the flat below. I used to wonder how they stood it with that bedlam going on above their heads. To make it worse the wife was in chronic poor health, too; I could tell that even at a distance by the listless way she moved about over there, and remained in her bathrobe without dressing. Sometimes I’d see her sitting by the window,

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L. Wayne Hicks joins Tea, Tonic & Toxin to discuss The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope, published in 1943 by C. W. Grafton (father of Sue Grafton).

L. Wayne Hicks is a freelance writer who covered real-life crimes for newspapers in Florida and Colorado. He has written profiles of many mystery writers including Sara Paretsky, Michael Connelly, John Dunning, Robert B. Parker, Donald J. Sobol, Stephen White, and C. W. Grafton.

Get your copy of all of our History of Mystery book selections here! (including even some 2027 selections)

History of Mystery book slections now in our Bookshop Storefront as well!

Watch clips from our conversations with guests!

L. Wayne Hicks has been a lifelong fan of mysteries, beginning with The Hardy Boys and The Three Investigators books. As a newspaper reporter in Florida, he covered criminal trials and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for an investigative project that wound up helping to free a man wrongly convicted of murder after more than 20 years in prison.

He has interviewed and profiled such acclaimed mystery novelists as Jeffery Deaver, Michael Connelly, Ridley Pearson, John Dunning, Sara Paretsky, Stephen White, and Donald J. Sobol.

Hicks writes for various magazines and websites, including CrimeReads.com, where he profiled C.W. Grafton and explored the continuation of Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series.

Hicks’ first book, a nonfiction tale about the children’s television series Romper Room, will be published in 2026.

About The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope

The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope (1943) by C. W. Grafton (the father of Sue Grafton) is a classic in the mystery genre for its clever fusion of humor, small-town charm, and hardboiled crime elements. Featuring Gil Henry, an unassuming and resourceful lawyer, the novel showcases an unconventional hero who unravels a web of corruption and intrigue with sharp wit and determination. Grafton’s skillful storytelling and engaging prose set a high standard for blending humor with suspense.

Sue Grafton wrote the famous “alphabet series.” C.W. Grafton’s work also holds historical significance, reflecting a legacy of inventive storytelling in mystery fiction.

Discussion Questions for L. Wayne Hicks

1. You’ve profiled many mystery writers—from Sara Paretsky and Michael Connelly to John Dunning and now C. W. Grafton. What do you look for when deciding which authors to explore in depth?
2. You’ve covered both true crime and fictional crime throughout your career. How has reporting on real-life cases shaped the way you understand or interpret mystery fiction?
3. As a longtime journalist and storyteller, what draws you personally to the mystery genre—and what lessons from your reporting life do you bring to your literary profiles?

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