by Jackie Houchin
After reading Maggie King’s intriguing post last week about writers and an old movie, I realized that many of the mysteries we watch on cable (Acorn and others) are based on books by mystery writers.
We have watched many of The Murdoch Mysteries, set in late 1800s Toronto. The original writer of the books is British Canadian author Maureen Jennings. Her most recent book (2019) is HEAT WAVE, which introduces Murdoch’s son as a police detective in 1936. It has not been made into a TV show (as yet.) She is 86.
We enjoy most of the episodes, and although they have evolved into semi-comedic, some are absolutely silly. We stopped watching them for a while!
How much can an author control content once the series is bought? (Probably none.)
.
We have also enjoyed many, many episodes of The Midsomer Murders. Caroline Graham is the British author of the Inspector Barnaby mysteries. Her first five Barnaby books formed the basis of the Midsomer episodes.
The plots are complex and sometimes dark but have a touch of comedy, primarily as Barnaby interacts with his wife, dog, and sergeant. As of Oct. 2024, Graham was still alive at age 93.
Can an author still write books after her books are bought for television? Would they automatically be a part of the filmed series? Hmm.
.
P.D. James is the author of the darker Adam Dalgleish mystery series, which has 14 books and a few TV episodes we have just begun watching. She (Phyllis Dorothy James) was an English Baroness. She wrote 14 books about the Poet/Detective and was planning a 15th when she died at age 94.
If you have watched them, have you ever noticed how they frame his face with a peculiar expression for the last few seconds of the episode? I like it.
.
Of course, Dorothy L. Sayers wrote the clever and popular Lord Peter Whimsey novels adapted into a TV series. Along with mystery, there was the added pleasure of a romance. (Such a handsome and wealthy sleuth!) Sayers lived 64 years.
My absolute favorite Lord Peter Whimsy book was THE NINE TAILORS. I wonder if it was ever made into a TV episode or film?
.
Very recently on PBS, we watched the 4-season adaptation of Frank Tallis’ book, Death in Vienna, the diary of Dr. Max Liebermann (based on Sigmund Freud), a fictional Viennese crime solver, with his pal Detective Oskar Rheinhardt, in the series Vienna Blood.
They were well-written, had strong plots and vivid characters, and were very cinematic. The setting (Vienna and Istanbul) was gorgeous.
They say there will not be another season because the story in Tallis’s book is finished. Hey, that didn’t stop Midsummer Murders….
.
Two more present-day shows follow.
Dark Winds is a new series on Acorn (4 episodes so far) based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee novels.
It is on my list to begin watching. I’ve read many of Hillerman’s mysteries, so I hope these are good.
.
And lastly, we have also tried the new series on Acorn, Case Histories, based on Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie private investigator books, also set in England.
The first one was pretty good. Brodie investigated and unraveled several cases, either distinct or entwined with each other. There was a sex scene, however, which I didn’t enjoy watching.
We will try another and decide.
.
Of course, we have watched many old and newer adaptations of Agatha Christie’s and Arthur Conan Doyle’s Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and Sherlock Holmes novels.
And I know YOU can name many more shows that you watch.
.
My first question is, which do you enjoy more, books or screen adaptations? And what is the “why?” for your choice?
I enjoy the books, but I must admit that my decreasing vision makes reading fine print daunting these days. I get more involved in watching the actors (especially the settings) in the series’ episodes.
My second question for authors is, other than the monetary reward, why would you like (or dislike) to have your books made into a TV series?
The Writers in Residence 
You must be logged in to post a comment.