Mystery Melange, Halloween Edition

Book page pumpkin by Kara

The Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2014 were broadcast last week on ITV in the UK, honoring work in both broadcasting and literature. Among the authors who received recognition were Peter May (Crime Thriller Book Club Best Read of the Year), Wiley Cash (Goldsboro Gold Dagger), Ray Celestin (John Creasey New Blood Dagger), and Robert Harris (Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of the Year). Denise Mina, Robert Harris and Midsomer Murders were also inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Library Journal chose its "Best Books of 2014," including those in the mystery and thriller categories.

The folks at Writers Who Kill picked some of their choices for "Best Halloween Books for Kids."

Kings River Life Magazine announced the winner of their Halloween mystery short story contest, "The Black Cat" by Nancy Adams.

The authors at Mystery Lovers Kitchen have some Halloween-themed recipes for you, including Candy Apples for Adults by Cleo Coyle, who also includes a Halloween "Treat" Prize Package giveaway opportunity. You can also try your hand at Itsy, Bitsy Spiders from Krista Davis or Boo Boo Brownies from Peg Cochran.

Smithsonian Magazine takes a "Trip Through Edgar Allan Poe's America," checking out places from Boston to Baltimore that were important to America's favorite author of the macabre.

Crime Factory issue #16 is out and includes interviews with two graphic novel geniuses, Garth Ennis and Josh Bayer, as well as several new, original short stories and the usual news and reviews.

Plus, just in time for Halloween, the horror anthology Blight hits the newstands, with ten new chilling tales edited by Bracken MacLeod and Jan Kozlowski.

In a deal forged at the London International Book Fair, Poisoned Pen Press has been granted North American rights to the British Library Crime Classics series and the British Library Spy Classics series. Poisoned Pen will begin publishing the series in spring 2015, with the release of Charles Kingston’s Murder in Piccadilly and John Bude’s The Sussex Downs Murder in May, and then release two titles a month through August and one a month through the rest of the year.

The Scandinavian Standard took a look at "Nordic Noir," choosing six writers who create gruesome murder mysteries that are available in English translation.

The Wall Street Journal also wrote about "Belfast: New Hotbed of Crime Fiction," with a look at authors including Stuart Neville, Adrian McKinty and others including Lee Child.

Several authors are banding together to raise money for Freedom from Torture, a charity that provides therapies and support to torture survivors. Margaret Atwood, Martina Cole, Ken Follett, and fourteen others will offer via auction a chance for readers to name characters in their next book.

As the Short Mystery Fiction blog reported, a donation campaign is being organized in memory of author Jeremiah Healy, who took his own life in August. Healey was also a veteran and dog lover, and the campaign is seeking donations in Healy's memory to the group Hero Dogs, a service dog organization in Maryland that trains dogs to assist wounded veterans.

The San Antonio airport is installing digital library kiosks for travelers. The kiosks will allow library patrons to browse the library's digital media content, check out titles, and download them onto a mobile device for a limited time.

If you're in the UK next year, After Dark Murder Mystery is bringing Interactive Murder Mystery Dinner Events themed around Agatha Christie's Tommy and Tuppence to tour various hotels and country house venues. 

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "King James" by Charles Rammelkamp, and the featured story at Beat to a Pulp is "The Angel Deeb" by Patti Abbott.

The Q&A roundup includes Betty Webb in conversation with Ominimystery News about her eighth mystery to feature Arizona-based private investigator Lena Jones; author Jonathan Woods has bought New Pulp Press and talks about his decision with The Mystery People; the lastest 99mm interview from Craig Sisterson at Kimi Crime is Elly Griffiths, creator of the Ruth Galloway series of novels set on the Norfolk Coast of England; and Sophie Hannah talks with the Gloucestershire Echo about her new Poirot novel The Monogram Murders.