Earlier this week Margot Kinberg at her excellent blog on her website, https://margot-kin-berg.com/, posted an imaginative post called Sleuth Olympics. In the post she created an Olympics for crime fiction sleuths. Here is a link -
Margot occasionally puts together posts featuring crime fiction sleuths of past and present. They are invariably witty and often thought provoking.
As I read the post I was caught up in the concept of the Sleuth Olympics and wrote a comment featuring Canadian sleuths participating in these Olympics.
The portion of the comment setting out competing Canadian sleuths I mentioned is:
Pub Crawl - Fred: Well, well, well, what a sight! Jed “Hammerhead” Ounstead (A.J. Devlin) is carrying a 2” x 4” board in his massive left hand while drinking a perfectly poured Guiness with his right. He’s putting down the Guiness. What’s going on?
Peggy: Oh my goodness gracious! He just broke the board over his own head! And now he has challenged the other contestants to break boards over their heads! Pub crawls in the colonies must be amazing!
Fred: I think I just heard Morse say somewhere will have to freeze over before he does something as daft as hitting his head with a board.
Outdoor skills - Joe: We have a late entrant. Mattessie Kitogitak (Scott Young) has just arrived with his team of huskies pulling him on his sled.
Brad: It is amazing since we have no snow!
Joe: Now Brad, Mattessie has one of those ultra new sleds with the frictionless runners designed to glide over all surfaces.
Gourmand Finals - Lisa: I am sorry to advise that Russell Quant (Anthony Bidulka) has just withdrawn. He thought the final event was drinking flights of acquavit instead of a fourth meal today (preliminaries, quarter finals, semi finals and now finals).
Paul: He should have known better. The Gourmand events are all about food.
Lisa: It always would have been hard for a youngster such as Quant. Gourmand is weighted to the seniors who have worked decades to expand their stomachs to accommodate the demands of four multi-course meals in one day.
Academics: Marlena: And don’t forget Canada’s second entrant, Randy Craig (Janice MacDonald) from Edmonton. I hear as an English professor she is a strong contender in the fastest reader event.
Seth: No surprise there. It is amazing how swiftly those professors flip through the pages of the designated essay.
Marlena: A cynical person might wonder if they are actually reading the essay.
Seth: I am shocked Marlena, just shocked, that you would think an academic might not fully read an essay.
I could see Sleuth Olympics being a regularly scheduled post for Margot. Being fiction she can hold the Olympics whenever a flight of fancy takes her. And there is almost endless variety of events that could be contested. Knitting, Pub Crawling, Outdoor skills, Eating and Academics are just a few of the areas in which crime fiction sleuths are talented. Other events could involve the Longest Book Marathon, Shortest Crime Fiction Story and Fewest Bodies Per Page (I refuse to recognize an event for Most Bodies Per Page though there would be far more entrants than for Fewest Bodies).
I consider it in bad taste to have Most Depressed or Dysfunctional Sleuth. Were it allowed I expect Scandinavians to sweep the medals.
While Margot did not describe the medals I expect they would be the traditional circle in shape with an embossed page bearing the words of the event. Not for crime fiction sleuths to have oddly shaped awards draped around their necks.
I am sure the living Canadian authors of my comment (A.J. Devlin, Anthony Bidulka and Janice MacDonald) are proud of their sleuths whom I am sure were all medal winners, except for Russell Quant. I am sure Russell, with some training in eating multiple big meals a day (his creator loves food), would be ready for the next Sleuth Olympics.
Please drop over to read Margot's post on the Sleuth Olympics and her other intriguing post.
Thank you, Bill, for the kind words about my blog and about the post. I'm so glad you enjoyed. You always make my posts better with your comments, and your comment on my Sleuth Olympics post was no exception. It was absolutely inspired, and added a lot to the post. I'm not sure how regular the Sleuth Olympics will be, but I may very well do a post like this again. You've got some great ideas for events, too. And I have to agree with you about Most Bodies and Most Depressed Sleuth. Certainly there are lots of books that could compete in those events, but I wouldn't want to add them in. As you say, there are lots of other great possibilities! Thanks again for making my blog better.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. Whether or not the Sleuth Olympics return they will remain in my memory. Should they be back I look forward to the new events. You are always an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI am preparing for the next games as we speak!
ReplyDeleteAnthony: Excellent. I expect you will be well prepared!
Delete