Murder Mysteries

Murder Mysteries
Publication information
Publisher	Midnight Graffiti, Dark Horse
Format	Short story, Graphic novel
Publication date	1992
Creative team
Writer(s)	Neil Gaiman
Artist(s)	P. Craig Russell
Creator(s)	Neil Gaiman

"Murder Mysteries" is a fantasy short story by Neil Gaiman first published in the 1992 anthology Midnight Graffiti and later collected in his collection Smoke and Mirrors.

Plot

The angel Raguel is called upon to solve a mystery in the Silver City - an angel has been murdered and he has to find the killer.

Adaptations

It was adapted by the author into an audio drama, which was produced by Seeing Ear Theater in 2000, starring Brian Dennehy and narrated by Michael Emerson. (Gaiman and Seeing Ear Theatre went on to collaborate on an adaptation of another story, "Snow, Glass, Apples", and the two adaptations have been released together on CD under the title Two Plays for Voices.)^[1]

In 2002 it was adapted into a comic book by P. Craig Russell, and published by Dark Horse Books.^[2]

Reception

Reception to the various incarnations of the story have been positive,^[3] with Publishers Weekly saying that the graphic novel's "crisp and vividly rendered drawings capture the haunting sense of loss and isolation Gaiman expresses in this mythic tale of love and jealousy." ^[4] Valentinelli of FlamesRising.com praised the casting for the audio drama, but said that the plot was "a bit too vague and almost leaves too much to the imagination."^[5]

Connection to other works

The angels and their city are also depicted in Gaiman's earlier Sandman series. S.T. Joshi argues suggests the events of this story provide a rationale for Lucifer's eventual revolt against the Presence.^[6] At the end of the story Lucifer leaves dissatisfied with the justice of the conclusion.

References