Mystery Melange

At the Wolfe Pack's annual Black Orchid Banquet (an event held each year to honor the birth anniversary of Rex Stout), the Nero Wolfe Award for the best American mystery novel was handed out to David C. Taylor for Night Life, the first novel in a series of historical mysteries set in 1954 NYC. Also announced was the winner of the Black Orchid Novella Award, which this year went to author Steve Liskow for "Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma."  (HT to Classic Mysteries.)

Goodreads announced the winner of this year's Goodreads Choice Awards, with Stephen King's End of Watch winning in the Mystery/Thriller category. For the other finalists, click on over here.

Noir at the Bar returns to Glasgow on January 19, hosted by Jay Stringer and Russel D McLean. The lineup of participating authors announced thus far include Louise Welsh (The Bullet Trick and The Girl on the Stairs) and ES Thomson (Dark Asylum).

Also on January 19 in the UK, the Crime Writers Association's Forensic Outreach program will present its very first Candlelit Crime Writing Salon. For the inaugural event, Jade Chandler, the Editorial Director of Crime Thriller Fiction at Vintage, Penguin Random House UK, and Hellie Ogden, a literary agent at Janklow & Nesbit UK, will be on hand to share their expertise and insights into the world of publishing. Participants will also be able to enter a Two Sentence Crime Fiction Story Competition. For more information, check out this link.

Continuing the lists of end of the year "best books," The Library Journal posted its picks for the best mystery and thriller novels of 2016.

Mike Ripley's December issue of his Getting Away with Murder column for Shots Magazine has a recap of The Winter Lunch of the Margery Allingham Society; a look at crime fiction set against the backdrop of the Second World War; a mini-profile of author Walter Satterthwait who uses historical figures in his crime fiction such as the recent two-book series featuring Lizzie Borden; a look at international crime fiction, some holiday offerings, and much more.

Writer Vikas Datta profiled Sir Basil Home Thomson (1861-1939), who served as a colonial administrator, prison governor, intelligence officer, head of the CID at New Scotland Yard in the early 20th century — and was one of the first victims of an alleged sting. He was also among the first individuals to pen police procedurals.

Criminal Element took a look at the brutal real-life crime in Salem, Massachusetts, which inspired author Edgar Allan Poe to write his famous psychological murder mystery, "The Tell-Tale Heart."

The C.E.'s Dave Richards also profiled "5 Current Crime Comics You Should Be Reading."

The new issue of Crime Scene, the UK’s only glossy magazine devoted to crime fiction, includes a preview of the upcoming installment of the BBC's Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman; interviews with author Lee Child, creator of Jack Reacher, and Jamie Dornan, who played Paul Spector in the BBC’s TV series The Fall, and much more. (HT to Crime Fiction Lover.)

The latest issue of the online 'zine Mysterical-E is out, with 11 new short stories; a new Crime Chronicles column by F. G. Thorsen; a look at Fargo by Anita Page; Gerald So's TV wrap-up; Edward W. L. Smith's character study of Nero Wolfe; author interviews, and more.

Patti Abbott has a new flash fiction story at Shotgun Honey, titled "Chemo Demo."

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "The Citation" by Jay Frankston.

In The Q&A roundup, The Strand Magazine interviewed Hank Phillippi Ryan about her Charlotte McNally series and the exact moment when she told her husband she wanted to write novels; the Mystery People welcomed author Adi Tantimedh to talk about his latest book, Her Nightly Embrace; and Criminal Element chatted with Duane Swierzynski about his painkiller-addicted, vigilante series, The Black Hood and what it's like writing novels vs. comics.