Misheard Mysteries

And now for something in a lighter vein.

I like wordplay. I don't know whether the following is a formal game, but I had the idea to take a title, maintain the sound of its syllables but change the spelling so that the same sounds gives another meaning.

This follows the rules of pronunciation. For example, a consonant at the end of a word can be shared with the next word. "I scream" can become "ice cream." Or, in reverse, the consonant sounds are compacted and "ice cream" can become "I scream." However, a vowel sound at the end of a word cannot be repeated. So, "Rocky Road" can become "Raw Key Rowed" or "Rock Erode" but not "Raw Key Erode."

Homonyms are encouraged. Alternative pronunciations tolerated. "A pair" can be "ape air" or "up air."

The best have a sort of sense, rather than random words. In fact, I tossed away quite a few.

With that introduction, here are the misheard mysteries. The titles were taken from the top-voted mysteries via Goodreads and from other classics. The "solutions" are below.

1. Gong Earl
2. Thud of In-Cheek Ode
3. Fur-Stewed, I
4. Boar Nigh Den Titty
5. Thus Urge On
6. Not Sand Craw Says
7. Ape Red Utter Remind (one of my novels)
8. Dan, Saul Love the Dead
9. Soon A Meek On Neck Shun
10. The Caw-Finned Answer
11. The Trait or Tomb, M or E
12. In Purse Suit of the Prop Purse Inner
13. When Thus Ache, Red Djinn Milk Low Says
14. Thug Riffed Terse
15. Mare Ream Airy
16. I Scold
17. Farce, Sigh Ted
18. Sigh Lent in Thug Rave
19. Fair Whelm Isle of Lee.
20. Prix Zoomed In No Scent
21. Teen Curtail or Sold Yours Pie
22. Gore Keep Ark
23. Thug Lass Ski
24. The Fall Sin-Specked Urdu
25. Da Bull In Dem Nitty
26. Thuck Iller Rinse Sighed Me.
27. Smile Ease Pee Pull
28. Ate. I'm Took Ill.
29. Craw Code Dial Lawn Thus And Bank.
30. The Sunk-'Em Mist
31. Tie Manned Egg In
32. Shoe-Teen's Crypt
33. Rose Marries Bay Bee

The Translated Titles

1. Gone Girl
2. The DaVinci Code
3. First to Die
4. Borne Identity
5. The Surgeon
6. Knots and Crosses
7. A Predatory Mind
8. Dance Hall of the Dead
9. Tsunami Connection
10. The Coffin Dancer
11. The Traitor to Memory
12. In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner
13. When the Sacred Gin Mill Closes
14. The Grifters
15. Mary, Mary
16. Ice cold
17. Farsighted
18. Silent in the Grave
19. Farewell, My Lovely
20. Presumed Innocent
21. Tinker, Tailor, Solider Spy
22. Gorky Park
23. The Glass Key
24. The False Inspector Dew
25. Double Indemnity
26. The Killer Inside Me
27. Smiley's People
28. A Time to Kill
29. Crocodile on the Sandbank
30. The Sun Chemist
31. Time and Again
32. Shooting Script
33. Rosemary's Baby

Martin Hill Ortiz is the author of Never Kill A Friend, Ransom Note Press.

Never Kill A Friend, Ransom Note Press

Never Kill A Friend is available for purchase in hard cover format and as an ebook.
The story follows Shelley Krieg, an African-American detective for the Washington DC Metro PD as she tries to undo a wrong which sent an innocent teenager to prison.

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