Brandon Twp.- In 17th century England, criminals would often confess before they were hung during public executions and publishers would print the confession on a broadsheet.
‘They couldn’t always get the confession, so they would make it up and you got the beginnings of mystery,? said Jamie Agnew, who has co-owned Aunt Agatha’s New and Used Mystery, Detection, and True Crime Books in Ann Arbor for the past 15 years with his wife, Robin.
Agnew will read some examples of early broadsheets during ‘History of a Mystery? from 7-8:30 p.m., May 29, at the Brandon Township Library, 304 South St., Ortonville. He will also discuss mystery novels and authors and offer recommendations during the free program.
Agnew will begin by asking attendees to imagine a world without mysteries.
‘Mystery writing is some of the best writing being done now,? he said. ‘There is more plot and character development… It’s a very rich vein of writing and has evolved over the years. Three-quarters of the bestseller list are mysteries, and so are many TV shows, like CSI, Law and Order, and Monk, as well as lots of movies.?
The mystery aficionado’s favorite author is Edgar Allan Poe, who he said wrote the first mystery novel, ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue.?
Besides Poe, Agnew will discuss authors Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes), Agatha Christie (Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot), and Raymond Chandler, as well as current popular mystery authors Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, and Patricia Cornwell, and local authors.
He will talk about types of mysteries, including historical, traditional English, hardboiled (with toughened detectives) and ‘cozy? ones, which he describes as murders without blood, such as those written by Lillian Jackson Braun.
Register at www.brandonlibrary.org or by calling 248-627-1461.