Mystery Melange

Brian Lindenmuth of Spinetingler Magazine announced that the zine is sponsoring a Best Novella of 2011 Award. The top 10 finalists will be announced on Monday, and a poll open to the public will allow voting until the end of the month.

The latest issue of Crime Factory zine is up, with exclusive content from Tom Piccirilli, Scott Phillips, Johnny Shaw, Daniel B. O'Shea, Ray Banks, Benjamin Whitmer and Paul D. Brazill; fiction from Kenneth Loosli, Chris Benton and Chris Deal; and features from Matthew C. Funk, Peter "Nerd of Noir" Dragovich, Andrew Nette and Noel King.

The January 2012 issue of Suspense is also out with the latest book and movie reviews, as well as new releases from Neal Baer and Jonathan Green, Andrea Cremer, Toni Anderson, Robert Fitzpatrick and Jon Land and some sneak peaks of coming attractions.

Pablo D'Stair has created a crime noir flash fiction challenge (with voting open through the end of the month) and talked to the Booked Podcast about the contest and his thoughts on flash fiction in general.

As the Rap Sheet reported, editor Otto Penzler announced on Facebook that his Mysterious Press imprint with Grove/Atlantic will publish a book called The Return of the Thin Man. The project will include two new novella-length stories featuring Nick and Nora Charles, with notes by Dashiell Hammett scholar Richard Layman and Hammett's granddaughter, Julie Rivett.

Killer Nashville announced its guests of honor for the upcoming 2012 conference August 24-26: Peter Straub and C.J. Box. In addition to some great tracks for authors (e.g., Writing, Getting Published, Forensics), the conference sponsors the Silver Falchion Award for the best book published in the current or previous year by a registered Killer Nashville attendee and the Claymore Award for the best unpublished manuscript not currently under contract (and winners/finalists will be considered for a contract with Five Star).

Bitter Lemon Press launched the internet's first collaborative crime fiction map and are looking for additions for the map. Contact them at map@bitterlemonpress.com or tweet the relevant details by using the hashtag #intcrimeficmap. (Hat tip to Ayo Onatade at Shotsmag.)

Want to know how to buy eBooks from an Indie bookstore? GalleyCat tells you how.

Thinking of becoming a private eye or just want to write about one in your next novel? Here are some iPhone app suggestions for private investigators, courtesy of Guns, Gams and Gumshoes.

The Guardian reviews the latest attempt, by the BBC, to finish Charles Dickens' last novel, the unfinished Mystery of Edwin Drood, with a little history of previous attempts to take on the task.