When First We Met...

When First We Met…

By Helen Currie Foster October 31, 2022 In an online ad for her Master Class, writer Margaret Atwood (oh, what a magnificent face she has! Sardonic, wise, all-seeing…) declares this rule for fiction: “Hold my attention!” Like Margaret Atwood, mystery lovers demand of mystery writers, “Hold my attention!” I get tired of defending our genre. Mystery writers absolutely cater to their readers.…

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“Did you really think you could hide from me, darling?”

uhhh sleuth jesters eclipse but woamn prety colors were mostly based on @/just-a-drawing-bean 's sj eclipse sleuth jesters by @/naffeclipse @junyxper :3

(she is)

Negotiated Surrender

Hessler: “Please understand, Miss Dana - whereas I am willing to confess my guilt and surrender to you, on no account will I agree to be bound!”

Linda Dana: “But, Mr Hessler, if you surrender that means you become my prisoner. Therefore I simply have to tie you up!”

Hessler: “No, no, no, Miss Dana. I am a man and you are a young woman. To be tied up by you is quite unacceptable.”

Linda Dana: “What if I agree to leave your mouth uncovered providing we set off to see the sheriff straight away?”

Hessler: “Hm. Very well, but my hands must be bound in front of me and I must be permitted to sit in the passenger seat of your car.”

Linda Dana: “I am so sorry, Mr Hessler but your hands must be tied behind your back - that is non-negotiable and I was also intending to stow you in the trunk for the journey.”

Hessler: “Ok, you tie my hands behind my back but I get to sit in the back seat of your car?”

Linda Dana: “In the back seat of the car, no gag but bound hand and foot?”

Hessler: “Done!”

Linda Dana: “Excellent! It has been a pleasure capturing you, sir!”

AI image created via Microsoft Bing before its upgrade

the way im genuinely afraid to be attracted to any woman hyperfeminine or masculine appearing because i dont know if theyre an autogynephile or not.

The Clue Of The Stone Seat by Andrew G Paul (2024)

Chapter 15: The Stone Seat’s Secret Revealed!

“…and so you see, Mr Rogers,” Kannika explained, “the Stone Seat of Mahakala was never the hiding place of the treasure. That was the Temple of Nargarjuna, twenty miles from here. If you knew your Siamese history, you would know King Sanphet I transferred the jewels there in 1568, shortly before his death. You have been digging in the wrong place!”

Rogers glared the Chailai Academy sixth former, inwardly fuming at the girl detective’s precocious arrogance. “Don’t patronise me, young lady.” he said sourly. “The Pakrett Scrolls clearly identify the Seat of Mahakala as the hiding place. Sanphet was bluffing!” Kannika shook her head solemnly. “The university have already been to the Temple and retrieved the artefacts.” she told the exasperated man. “Your attempt to steal this vital part of my country’s heritage is over! The Antiques Division of the Bangkok police department wish to speak to you - especially after seeing the evidence of your wrong doing I sent them this morning.” The schoolgirl sleuth stood up then. “I suggest you confess your crimes to me, sir. It will go easier for you if you do.” The crooked archaeologist stared at the young woman, resentment blazing from his eyes. “Curse you, you interfering little wench!” he blurted out bitterly.

***

A broken man, Rogers confessed everything to Kannika, implicating not only himself but also the crooked dealers and researchers who had aided his theft attempt. After he had finished, the girl tied Rogers’ wrists together securely behind him with the length of rope she had brought for that very purpose, and then sat him down on the Stone of Mahakala. As the sound of wailing sirens drew closer, the Chailai Academy Detective folded her arms and looked down on her unhappy bound captive, who remained in miserable silence, staring at the ground. “This is as close as you will ever get to Sanphet’s treasure, Mr Rogers.” she told the captured man, a note of proud satisfaction in her voice.

Source: Pinterest; captions and book cover mock up mine.

Himari Ito, Japan Airlines Amateur Sleuth Gets Her Man

“You see, sergeant, this tyre absolutely matches the ones from the stolen car!” said Himari, smiling triumphantly through her mask at the bemused police officer. “The boy genius here had the vehicle resprayed all right, but didn’t think to change the tyres! How do you say it? He is banged to rights?”

Sergeant West smiled despite himself. “Hm.” he replied. “Probably enough to hold him, Miss Ito,” the man acknowledged looking over at the kneeling youth that the JAL stewardess had captured and handcuffed, miserably facing the wall. “Not like he doesn’t have previous.” The Japanese woman stood up, still smiling with satisfaction and glanced at her watch. “And I just have time to make my Tokyo flight!” she beamed. “I hate you, ma’am!” wailed her anguished and bound prisoner. “Yes,” the woman went on, “the little chap isn’t very happy with me!”

Sources: Alamy Stock Photos and Pinterest

The immense Jill Trent Science Sleuth and partner Daisy Smythe in action once again. Despite the ladies’ undeniable technological brilliance and their extraordinary sleuthing skills, sometimes victory is won by rather more basic means. When their light ray fails to deter a tough villain who then resorts to gunplay, the enterprising Jill goes to the opposite end of the scale and confuses the bad guy by simply smashing a light bulb and plunging the room where she and her partner are being held into darkness. Then it is simply a matter of the outraged ladies disarming the loser and overpowering him (“Try to kill us, will you?” POW! SOK! “Oww! Help! Let me go!”). Suitably disheveled and with his hands bound behind his back, the sullen looking Arthur is later handed over to the cops by the science detectives - who explain everything to the lieutenant while exonerating the falsely accused Jack Benson into the bargain. I think this is one of the most satisfying endings to a Jill Trent adventure - containing detecting skills, “science”, old fashioned female fisticuffs and everything coming together at the end - with even a hint of trash talk from the triumphant Daisy!

Source: The Case of the Black Sheep Murder, Jill Trent Science Sleuth, Gwandaland Comics #943

Digimon: Cyber Sleuth Spoilers

Enough “this nonhumanoid character takes an attractive human femme form to appeal to audiences” Discourse

More “This nonhumanoid agendered character turned into a girl once and now fking loves being girl” please

There is no fucking way you had strangers coming up to you more than once a week in public to compliment your face(? lol), zero chance, why the fuck are you lying on a tumblr poll.

the fan behavior…. people are nice to pretty teenage girls, idk what to tell you

I’ve barely watch rotmnt btw it’s just my polycruel that has gotten me into it I’ve sat down and watched like MAYBE 3 episodes if that. They also got me to watch the movie (yes I talked the whole time and didn’t pay attention) and it was not what I was expecting it to be. Anyways Leo and Donnie are like my boyfriends we’re having a spring wedding and no one’s invited we’re ordering pizza and balling

The Mystery of the 99 Steps, The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #43 (1966). Source: Alamy Stock Photos

Nancy and her companions travel to Paris and the Loire Valley in France, to see if they can solve the mystery of a staircase that appears in a friend’s frightening and recurring dream by locating the set of steps. Although this starts as a light hearted investigation, it becomes more serious when Nancy links it to a possible blackmail plot against Monsieur Leblanc, a financier friend of her father’s who is inexplicably selling stock in his company. As Nancy, George and Bess pursue their investigations, the 99 steps become more and more key to solving both the mystery of the dream and to catching Monsieur Leblanc’s possible blackmailer. The chief suspect is a Monsieur Neuf who warns Nancy not to investigate the steps and to stay out of Paris. Monsieur Neuf is eventually revealed to be a Louis Aubert, a scientist dabbling in alchemy who has persuaded Leblanc he can convert any substance into gold. The motive for this is eventually revealed when the girls do indeed discover the 99 steps and the fact that at the bottom of the stairs, Aubert/Neuf has hidden a cache of stolen gold to pass to Leblanc in exchange for a controlling interest in his company.

This is one of of the 1960s reboot stories and, with its foreign locations, mysterious villains with fake names, dream sequences and pursuits, clearly takes its cue from the camp espionage films of the time. It probably crams too much in for its own good and although the girls’ search for the steps throughout Paris until finally locating the real stairs in a Loire Valley country chateau is fun, the discovery of the gold and the unmasking of Aubert is a little tame.

You know who actually catches mistakes/fraud/manufactured stats/bad western blots in academic journals?

Not peer review.

Internet sleuths with a bone to pick.

Nancy Drew in California Dreaming, Part 5

Geoff Summers went running most mornings and worked out in the local gym, but he was no match for Nancy. The girl sleuth, used to pursuing bad guys no matter what the weather or terrain, swiftly overtook the art dealer fugitive. Before Geoff had even cleared his own street, he found himself suddenly seized from behind and hurled against the fence, only just stoping himself from tumbling over. An angry red haired detective stood looking at the young man as he tried to regain his breath, her arms folded. “Now are you going to talk to me, Mr Summers?” she demanded.

“Sure, sure..” stammered the breathless and nervous-looking man. “I don’t know what you think you have discovered, Miss Drew,” Geoff told the young woman earnestly, “but I promise you it won’t be what it seems!” Nancy looked at Summers as he leaned into her conspiratorially. “I’m all ears.” she replied.

To be continued.

AI image created via Microsoft Bing

Layan Chaiya, Head Girl of the sixth form and amateur sleuth had already ensured that the attempted heist of the college’s historic artefacts would be foiled. Having worked out that the external catering company setting up stalls for tomorrow’s prize day was no such thing, but a cover for Feng Ling’s gang of thieves, the enterprising student had already got word to the police. As the wailing sirens approached, Feng gazed in fury at the smiling schoolgirl who had ruined his plans and fled towards the dorms, crying “Curse you, you interfering busybody!” in Layan’s direction. The girl gave chase.

Layan finally cornered the gang leader hiding in one of the dormitories, trapped by locked windows and a dead end corridor. He still had fight however. His lips curled contemptuously as Layan stood before him. “You are brave, child I give you that!” he sneered. “What is stopping me taking you hostage?” The schoolgirl sleuth met his gaze, her brown eyes twinkling. “Common sense?” she ventured. “Do you really want to get shot?” There was a pause. The man looked at her, uncertainty creasing his brow. “It’s over, Mr Feng,” Layan rejoined. “Why not just give in?” The man’s eyes were full of fury. “To you?” he fumed derisively, but the girl noticed a touch of desperation in his voice. “The great Feng surrender to a short skirted vixen barely old enough to wear pantyhose?” The man’s voice rose to a pitch of anguish and despair at his situation, but at the last, he bowed to the inevitable. “Very well, you win, you female demon!” he almost sobbed in the bitterness of defeat.

Layan ignored the man’s insults, removed the cords from the blinds behind her and approached her distraught adversary. “Put your hands behind your back, Mr Feng.” the girl told him. “I am going to tie you.” With a final cry of “Curse you!” Feng reluctantly complied, feeling his ignominy even more keenly when the 17 year old elected to bind his wrists and arms shibari style. It took the young woman a full ten minutes to tie the humiliated criminal up. When it was done, her prisoner bowed his head in shame and discomfort, the cords visibly pressing into his wrists and arms. Studying her handiwork with satisfaction, the sixth former remarked with sarcastic smile: “So, Feng has been defanged!” As Layan led the miserable and bound thief back down the corridors towards the waiting police, she addressed her captive one last time. “Actually, Mr Feng, I haven’t worn ankle socks for over four years,” she told him, “Not since I got my first Nancy Drew book for my thirteenth birthday!”

Source: Pinterest

Incriminating Brake Light

“And so you see, Inspector,” Hikari Kato, the slightly irritating but undoubtedly brilliant Japanese Airlines stewardess and amateur sleuth, told me excitedly as she crouched next to the rear of the car, “this brake light has been replaced. Recently!” I sighed and put my hands on my hips, glancing briefly at Hikari’s prisoner who stood, hands cuffed behind his back, head bowed in shame and certainly looking guilty, up against the front passenger door. “It doesn’t prove Mr Jameson here is our murderer, Ms Kato,” I replied. “On the contrary,” the young woman beamed from behind her mask as she stood up, “I think you will find CCTV will reveal the car I spotted driving from the scene at the time of the killing did indeed swerve into a parked vehicle, shattering its brake light.” I looked at the black uniformed female a little sceptically, but had to admit she had a point. “Besides,” continued Hikari with a light laugh, “when I approached this gentleman to discuss the inconsistencies in his story, he ran away!” I smiled too. “But he didn’t get far?” The woman bowed slightly. “I was forced to restrain him, Inspector.” she agreed. I indicated to my men to arrest Jameson then turned again to the part time detective. “Haven’t you a JAL flight to catch, Ms Kato?” I asked the stewardess hopefully.

Sources: Alamy Stock Photos and Pinterest