I don't mind getting to know the victims - in fact, I rather like it. More impact with the murder.

What she did was to go something like this:

"I've worked out how the murder was committed," said Dalgliesh.

"Do tell," said Inspector Reckless.

The wind battered the tiny cottage during the conversation. Reckless leaned back in his chair when Dalgliesh was done.

"You're right," he said. "That will be hard to prove."

That's not exclusive to her, just FYI. I've seen that trick pulled in everything from Sherlock Holmes to Peter Wimsey.

I wasn't touting it as a rare new breed of storytelling never before seen in nature -- I've, you know, read books and seen it before. I'm just trying to avoid it if it's her characteristic. Hell, that's why I don't read as much Holmes as I might otherwise--that and the arcane twisted knowledge required to solve the crimes.

Honestly, I don't mind a character saying "I know how it's done." and it not being shared. It's references to conversations with actual information in them that's not shared.

For Good Omens fans. Gaiman and Pratchett came up with New Year's resolutions for Crowley and Aziraphale: [link]

I'm trying to track down the short story that "Brokeback Mountain" was based on. Any clue where it was published, what collection it might be in, or even if it was ever published online?

Anne, it was originally published in the New Yorker, and I thought I saw a link to the story on their website somewhere in my interbunny travels. Let me check the usual suspects.

Here's a cached version from Google: [link]

Thanks, Sue! If I can track this down, it will absolutely make my mom's Christmas. She's a huge Annie Proulx fan, and hasn't been able to find the story anywhere.

ETA: THANK YOU!!!!

Mom's getting gay cowboys for Christmas! Whee!

Brokeback Mountain from Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx.

::sniff:: Outgoogled.

Blows smoke off fingers.