BLUE

Lucynka

@lucynka.bsky.social

Of the blog “Lucynka Reviews Obscure Bullshit.” Girls don’t want boys, girls want feminist analyses of Cornell Woolrich stories. Currently also reviewing stories from romance pulp magazines. lucynka.wordpress.com Book!: www.amazon.com/dp/B0D7759R68/

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Llucynka.bsky.socialSep 29, 2024 3:19am

Realizing that "Who Killed McNally?" is probably my favorite of these stories ("these stories" being my upcoming collection of Beulah Poynter mysteries), and I think a big part of that is because it has the most successful romantic subplot. #pulp #mystery #romancelandia?

The inspector had seen her several times before from the window of his office, the brightness of her hair and a certain buoyance in her walk distinguishing her from the rest of her fellow workers, then also she was better dressed than most of the girls who were employed in that neighborhood. In a vague sort of way, Donovan wondered who she was, if she were pretty at close range, and whether she were shop girl or stenographer. Women did not interest him enough, however, for him to conjecture long, and except for an occasional glimpse of her the girl would have passed out of his mind altogether.

Like moving toadstools, the scurrying throng moved along under open umbrellas, and the chug-chug of overworked taxicabs pierced the damp air. Donovan shivered.

Until then Donovan had fancied the girl a widow. There was an air of aloneness about her, a certain pathetic independence that had made him fancy she had nobody but herself to think about, then also the fact that she was employed downtown had led him to think so. Evidently, tho her husband might have his office in that section of the city, they did not work together, as he was not at home & she had come alone. He was conscious of being disappointed that she was not free & the feeling irritated him. He had no time for sentiment, nor need of women in his life. All his creature wants were taken care of by the little mother who adored every inch of his 6'3" of brawny sinew & muscle. Then, altho he would never admit it, Larry Donovan was diffident around women, almost bashful. He felt huge & awkward in the presence of a girl unless in his professional capacity & at those times he was brusque, almost rude in his manner, certainly doing nothing to encourage any tender feeling in their hearts.

"The murderer evidently came in through the window," ventured the doctor. Donovan merely grunted. As he turned back to the room he saw half hidden in the velour folds of an armchair the end of a gossamer bit of silk. Picking it up, he saw it was a woman's scarf such as are used with evening gowns. About it lingered the faint, illusive odor of an Oriental perfume that seemed vaguely familiar. With a distinct shock he remembered where he had smelled that perfume before. It had been worn by the red-haired girl, the wife of the murdered man. For a moment he was conscious of an acute pain; then he argued quickly that other women in the city probably used the same perfume, that Mrs. McNally was downtown at the time of the murder unless— He turned quickly to the physician.

"How long did you figure the man had been dead?"

"How long did you figure the man had been dead?"

"Several hours," was the reply. The medical man was examining the contents of the bottle, sniffing at the wine dregs left in the overturned glass with interest. "The body was stone-cold and rigid. But he was placed in the dumbwaiter before life had entirely left his body—before mortis had set in to stiffen his joints."

Mrs. McNally was jealous, she had a grievance against her husband—the scarf— Donovan thrust aside the thought angrily as though it were treachery to a new-born love. He held the fragile bit of silk in his hand, crushing it like a cobweb between his thumb and first finger. It was of peculiar pattern, a blending of all the orchid shades, the green predominating and shading into the delicate purple of the exotic plant.

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AWamandawtwong.bsky.socialSep 27, 2024 5:40pm

Maggie Smith in Night and Day by Al Hirschfeld, 1979

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RRrebeccaromney.bsky.socialSep 26, 2024 10:54pm

Thanks to AbeBooks and the ABAA for giving me space to talk about book collecting, and how anyone can be a collector (with a special feature of Amy Winehouse’s books!): www.abebooks.com/books/rarebo...

Paragraph from my article reading: “A collection can be anything you want it to be; you simply need a topic you want to explore, an idea of parameters (only first editions? only signed copies?), and an appreciation for books as historical artifacts. Every book is inescapably material, a product of its particular time and place, and a record of the lives it has lived since. Viewed this way, books become vehicles not just for their texts, but an entire capsule history in themselves—about how these books came to be, how they impacted the world, and whose lives they have influenced.”

Llucynka.bsky.socialSep 26, 2024 6:20pm

ICYMI. Vintage murder mysteries (from 1919-1922) with romantic subplots coming soon! Currently in the midst of proof-reading. 🧐 #pulp #mystery

Llucynka.bsky.socialSep 25, 2024 8:23pm

Cover reveal for IT LOOKED LIKE MURDER, my 2nd Beulah Poynter collection! Five loosely-connected vintage mysteries that are less "the Great Detective and his sidekick" and more proto-police procedurals. Check out the blog post for more info! #pulp #mystery lucynka.wordpress.com/2024/09/25/i...

The front cover, featuring two (cropped) illustrations from the original magazine covers. The color scheme is very black, white, and red, with a bit of beige thrown in.

Llucynka.bsky.socialSep 26, 2024 1:03am

Mrs. Gabby was a real one. I bet she was a huge fan of THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR when it eventually came out. 🫡👻 (From MYSTERY MAGAZINE, August 1, 1921). #pulp #ghosts

A little article entitled "WOMAN SWINDLED OUT OF GHOST." It tells of a young woman, Mrs. Gabby, who bought a house precisely BECAUSE it was supposed to be haunted, only to be extremely disappointed when it wasn't. The article is too long to quote in full, but the last paragraph reads:

"I never was so disappointed in anything in my life," Mrs. Gabby declared, with tears in her eyes. "They told me that the former owner, who had been murdered, walked about the place every night with his head in his hands. I lay awake night after night for a week and he never came once. It's a swindle, and I believe that agent started the story just so I would buy the old house."

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Llucynka.bsky.socialSep 25, 2024 8:23pm

Llucynka.bsky.socialSep 24, 2024 10:37pm

Front cover of IT LOOKED LIKE MURDER almost finished! Currently just futzing around with text colors. Will give my eyeballs a break, and with any luck the official reveal can happen tomorrow.

Llucynka.bsky.socialSep 24, 2024 10:25pm

:((( Best of luck to your healing, or at least getting the hang of workarounds!

Llucynka.bsky.socialSep 24, 2024 3:33pm

I'm not into Bridgerton, but reading up on the scammy clusterfuck that was the Bridgerton (keyword "Themed") Ball in Detroit is so tragic as to be unintentionally hilarious at times. Which is to say, I hope the stripper pole becomes the Bridgerton equivalent of the Tumblr ball-pit.

Lucynka

@lucynka.bsky.social

97 followers21 following1k posts