The Mystery Writers of America announced the Edgar Award nominations for 2018. Best Novel contenders include The Dime by Kathleen Kent; Prussian Blue by Philip Kerr; Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke; A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee; and The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti. For all the various categories and finalists, follow this link to the official MWA website.
Likewise, Deadly Pleasures Magazine announced the 2018 Barry Award finalists, who were voted on by readers of the publication. The award winners, named in honor of Barry Gardner, a well-known fan reviewer and American critic, will be announced at the St. Petersburg Bouchercon opening ceremonies on September 6. Criminal Element has a listing of all contenders for Best Novel, Best First Novel, Best Paperback Original, and Best Thriller.
On Wednesday, February 7, Heffers Bookstore in the UK will welcome two of the greats of the crime fiction genre, Ann Cleeves and Louise Penny, as they discuss their latest novels and their lives as bestselling writers. Ann Cleeves is the award-winning author of the Shetland and Vera series' of crime novels, both of which have been adapted for television, and Louise Penny is the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Gamache series, set in the fictional Canadian village of Three Pines.
Coming up on February 18 are two Noir at the Bar events, one in New York City (at the Shade Bar) and the other in Richmond (at McCormack's Irish Pub). The NYC lineup includes Scott Adlerberg, Jay Butkowski, Jen Conley, Laura K. Curtis, Nick Kolakowski, Nik Korpon, SJ Rozan, and Vincent Zandri. Richmond's "My Bloody Valentine" festivities will feature crime writers Marietta Miles, Phillip Thompson, Eryk Pruitt, LynDee Walker, Steve Weddle, Shawn Reilly Simmons, and Shawn A. Cosby.
If you're interested in finding a Noir at the Bar event closer to you, Do Some Damage has a listing of upcoming events in cities across the U.S., as Noir at the Bar celebrates the tenth anniversary of the very first literary funfest organized by Peter Rozovsky in Philadelphia back in 2008.
On February 26, the Orenda Roadshow returns to Waterstones Liverpool in the UK. The collection of 14 international crime authors includes Louise Voss, Michael Malone, Thomas Enger, Antti Tuomainen, Lilja Sigurdardottir, and more, for an evening of book readings and signings.
Club Book, the Metropolitan Library Service Agency’s free lecture series that brings notable writers to libraries throughout the greater St. Paul/Minneapolis area of Minnesota, will feature a slate of bestselling and award-winning authors including William Kent Krueger (March 1) and Laura Lippman (March 14).
This year’s Thriller School, a seven-week program that begins April 2nd, will offer up instruction for authors in all skill levels through a real-time, Facebook Live video. Students will also have an opportunity to ask questions during or immediately after the video presentation with of each week’s instructor. The expert lineup includes authors Steven James, Grant Blackwood, F. Paul Wilson, Hank Philippi Ryan, James Scott Bell, Gayle Lynds, and DP Lyle.
Registration is open for "A Scintillation of Scions," a symposium of fans of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which returns to Linthicum Heights, Maryland, June 8-9. The annual event draws attendees from around the U.S. and Canada and features speakers offering brief talks on subjects related to the famous sleuth of Baker Street, the era that spawned him, and the culture that continues to celebrate him.
In honor of Edgar Allan Poe's recent birth anniversary on January 19, Bustle's Cat Winters noted "10 Facts About Edgar Allan Poe That Will Completely Change How You Feel About The Mystery Writer."
If you like a spot of tea with your cozy mystery, Margot Kinberg has an overview of how crime fiction is steeped with tea and tea shops.
2017 was a good year for digital reading in libraries, according to Overdrive, which saw their 40,000 library and school partners circulating a quarter-of-a -billion eBooks and audiobooks through OverDrive-powered collections. The more than 225 million borrowed titles represent a 14% growth in checkouts from 2016, which was also a record-setting year.
The Swedish audiobook subscription service Storytel isn't doing all that badly, either, announcing it had surpassed 300,000 paying subscribers in its homeland and is aiming for distribution in thirty countries.
This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "A Real Doctor" by A.F. Knott.
In the Q&A roundup, Scottish author Christopher Brookmyre chatted with The National about technology in culture, which relates to his latest crime novel, Want You Gone; and the Indie Crime Scene interviewed Nick Dorsey, author of Bleeding Levee Blues.
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