The winners of the 41st Los Angeles Times Book Prizes were announced this past weekend in a live-streamed virtual ceremony. The winner in the Mystery/Thriller Category was Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby. The other finalists included A Beautiful Crime, by Christopher Bollen; And Now She’s Gone, by Rachel Howzell Hall; Little Secrets, by Jennifer Hillier; and These Women, by Ivy Pochoda.
Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine announed the winners of this year's Reader's Choice Awards for the best short stories from the past year's issues. Barb Goffman took top honors for her story, "Dear Emily Etiquette," with John M. Floyd taking second place with "Crow’s Nest," and Gregory Fallis's "Terrible Ideas" in the third slot. Although EQMM doesn't have the complete winner's list available online just yet, Mystery Fanfare has a look at the other Top Ten finishers.
The Bodies From The Library conference is back after falling victim to COVID last year. The event has been held since 2015 in the British Library and is designed for lovers of all aspects of Golden Age crime fiction. This year, organizers are moving online via Zoom on the afternoon of May 15th from 1:30pm to 6:00pm. The free program includes Martin Edwards, Alison Joseph, Kate Ellis, Jake Kerridge and more with panels such as "Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by The Detection Club." (HT to In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel)
The virtual More Than Malice conference, which is taking place July 14 - 17 online instead of the usual in-person Malice Domestic event, keeps growing the roster of guest authors for panels. Among the most recent additions are Tasha Alexander, Deborah Crombie, Mia P. Manansala, Laura Joh Rowland, Brad Thor, Kate White, and DM Whittle. There will also be a virtual "speed dating" Malice-Go-Round zoom event that will take place during the festival weekend, open to registered authors who are not otherwise participating on panels. The latest announcement was made after other featured authors were recently listed as joining in the festivities, including Linda Castillo, Marcia Clark, William Kent Kruger, Sujata Massey, Lisa See, Victoria Thompson, PJ Vernon, Simon Brett, Leslie Budewitz, Sophie Hannah, Michael Koryta, Sara Paretsky, Chris Verner, David Heska Wanbli Weiden, and a special appearance by Louise Penny.
France is to honor renowned South African crime fiction author, Deon Meyer, with its most prestigious cultural award in recognition of his literary work and special relationship with the country. Meyer will have the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters) honor bestowed on him by France’s ambassador to SA, Aurélien Lechevallier, on behalf of the French president, at a ceremony at Glenelly Estate in Stellenbosch.
If you're a female Welsh writer, this call for submissions is for you: Welsh publisher Honno will publish an anthology of crime fiction in 2022, showcasing the talents of new and established women crime writers in Wales today. Co-editor Katherine Stansfield said, "Whether you’re a published author or a debutante, we want to hear from you."
Writing for the LA Review of Books, Gina Arnold talked about creating "The Chandler Project" during lockdown.
Which room is Agatha Christie most likely to kill you in? Find out here.
Speaking of Agatha Christie and rooms, if your dream is to live in her house, here's your chance: Winterbrook House, home to Dame Agatha for 40 years, is for sale in England’s Oxfordshire for only £2.75 million.
Literary prize scammers are on the loose, apparently. The organizers of at least five British awards received emails from cyber criminals asking them to transfer prize money to a PayPal account. One of them paid out.
This is pretty cool ... did you know there are hidden apartments in many of New York City's libraries?
This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "False Identity" by B. Sedgwick.
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