Mystery Melange

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) announced the winners of the 21st annual Audie Awards competition, the premier awards program in the United States recognizing distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment. Best Mystery audiobook went to Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith, read by Robert Glenister, and Best Thriller/Suspense audiobook was won by The Patriot Threat by Steve Berry, read by Scott Brick.

The ABA Journal and the University of Alabama School of Law announced the finalists for the 2016 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. The three books chosen to compete for the prize are: Allegiance by Kermit Roosevelt; Pleasantville by Attica Locke; and Tom & Lucky and George & Cokey Flo by C. Joseph Greaves.

The Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance has announced the finalists for the 2016 Maine Literary Awards, including the Book Award for Crime Fiction nods to The Precipice by Paul Doiron; The Fisherman by Vaughn C. Hardacker; and An Unbeaten Man by Brendan Rielly.

Columbia University's Butler Library is presenting a Symposium celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, to be held on September 30, Butler Library. A concurrent exhibit will run from September 26 to December 23 at the Butler Library and is free and open to the public. (HT to Mystery Fanfare.) 

CrimeFest has teamed up with publishers, authors, and libraries to give away 1,000 crime novels for free ahead of the crime fiction festival. Among the offerings are advanced reader copies from authors including Megan Abbott and Stefan Ahnhem months before they hit the shops, as well as titles from debut novelists Michelle Birkby and BBC screenwriter Simon Booker.

The TED-Ed team has crafted a lesson discussing the evolution of Sherlock Holmes. The online video examines some the sleuth’s most famous characteristics including his drug use, his partnership with Dr. Watson, and his enemy Professor Moriarty. Over at the TED-Ed website, viewers can access a quiz, a discussion board, and more resources.

Are you a John le Carre fan? You're not alone, as witnessed by recent movie and TV adaptations of his works. The Independent points out why the author continues to stay relevant in Hollywood with examples like Our Kind of Traitor and The Night Manager as filmmakers "have begun to get a handle on his digressions, flashbacks and jargon."

This week's new crime poem at the 5-2 is "Guilty" by Chad Haskins.

In the Q&A roundup, Con Lehane joined the Mystery People to discuss his new Ray Ambler novel; Criminal Element interviewed Diane Kelly, author of Against the Paw; jd daniels stopped by Omnimystery News to talk about her second mystery to feature amateur sleuth Jessie Murphy; the latest author to take the 9mm interview challenge at Crime Watch is JM Gulvin and his new series that introduces Texas Ranger John Quarrie.