In Reference to Murder

Mystery Melange

The Women’s National Book Association of New Orleans announced this year's winners of the Pinckley Prizes for Crime Fiction. The award was established in 2012 for women writers to honor the memory of Diana Pinckley (1952-2012), a longtime crime fiction columnist for The New Orleans Times-Picayune, and her passion for mysteries. The Pinckley Prize for Distinguished Body of Work goes to C.S. Harris ( aka C.S. Graham and Candace Procter), while the Pinckley Prize for Debut Fiction goes to Angie Kim for her Edgar winning novel, Miracle Creek. New this year is the Pinckley Prize for True Crime Writing, won by Emma Copley Eisenberg for The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia. The prizes will be presented during the 2021 Bouchercon which takes place in New Orleans in August.

The Short Mystery Fiction Society announced the finalists for this year's Derringer Awards for excellence in short crime fiction (Flash Fiction; Short Story; Long Story; Novelette). The announcement was made in the group's membership forum and as of the press time for this blog post hadn't been posted on the SMFS website just yet. But you can follow this link to my list of Recent Awards for the details.

The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) announced finalists in the prestigious IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award program, the association’s flagship book award program recognizing excellence and innovation in independent publishing. In the Mystery/Thriller category, the three finalists include: A Child Lost: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox (She Writes Press); Hanging Falls: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Margaret Mizushima (Crooked Lane); and Things to Do When You'd Rather Be Dead by Michael Guillebeau (Madison Press). One finalist in each of the various categories will be named a Gold winner during a set of four online ceremonies the evenings of May 11-14, 2021. The remaining finalists in each category will become Silver winners.

Mystery Readers Journal: Historical Mysteries is now available as a PDF and hardcopy. There are numerous Author! Author! essays, including two available online, "Why I Write Historical Mystery" by Rhys Bowen and "Quo Vadis, Mr. Saylor?" by Steven Saylor; articles including "Thomas Pynchon’s Take on 1970s California Noir" by Sean Day and "Crimes of Authority in Pious 19th Century Poland" by Jay Gertzman; and columns such as "Just the Facts: History’s First Detectives" by Jim Doherty.

Writing for the New York Times, Edmund White discussed the "Talented Mr. Ripley: a Shape-Shifting Protagonist Who’s Up to No Good," and how author Patricia Highsmith embedding her own repression, snobbery and sense of chaos into her psychological thrillers. This essay is part of T’s Book Club, a series of articles and events dedicated to classic works of American literature and will include a virtual conversation about "The Talented Mr. Ripley," to be led by Edmund White on April 22.

Janet Rudolph's Mystery Fanfare blog has seasonally themed mysteries for Passover (this year, March 27-April 4) and Easter (April 4).

Criminals are getting more creative all the time it seems; now they can pick your locks just by listening.

The latest crime poem at the 5-2 Weekly is "Wheelie Queen" by Charles Rammelkamp.

In the Q&A roundup, Allison Brennan chatted with the Wishful Endings blog about her latest thriller, Tell No Lies, centering on an edgy young female LAPD detective and an ambitious special agent, both part of a mobile FBI unit that is brought in to investigate the unsolved murder of a college activist and its alleged ties to high stakes crime in the desert Southwest; and Stephen Mack Jones was the latest 9mm interview for Craig Sisterson's blog, talking about his award-winning series featuring former marine sniper and Detroit cop, August Snow.

Mystery Melange

Chris Whitaker’s We Begin at the End was crowned Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2021 at the recent Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival – presented by Harrogate International Festivals at the Old Swan Hotel. Brian McGilloway's The Last Crossing was also given a "Highly Recommended" commendation.

Also at the Theakston convention, Scottish author Ian Rankin was presented with the festival's outstanding contribution to crime fiction award. Rankin said, "It’s such a privilege and an honour to receive this award, and especially to be in Harrogate to receive it in person. I’ve been a published writer for over 30 years but this past year has been uniquely challenging – for writers, readers and booksellers." He was awarded the prize on the opening night of the festival, for which he was also this year's festival programming chair.

The Private Eye Writers of America announced the Shamus Award Winners for 2021 (for works published in 2020). Best Private Eye Novel went to Blind Vigil by Matt Coyle (Oceanview); Best Original Private Eye Paperback was won by Brittle Karma by Richard Helms (Black Arch Books); Best First Private Eye Novel was The Missing American by Kwei Quartey (Soho); and Best Private Eye Short Story, was "Mustang Sally" by John M. Floyd (in Black Cat Mystery Magazine). In addition, "The Eye," the PWA Life Achievement Award, was given to Michael Z. Lewin.

Open Road Integrated Media announced that it’s acquiring the United Kingdom’s Bloodhound Books, based in Cambridge. Bloodhound Books specializes in ebooks and print-on-demand for paper lovers with a focus on crime fiction. Bloodhound is a submissions house, actively welcoming authors’ queries, agented or not, in "crime fiction, women’s fiction, suspense, mystery, romantic comedies, historical fiction, cozy crime, domestic noir, psychological thrillers, romance, and chillers."

Sadly, we lost a couple of crime authors this week. George Weir, author of the Bill Travis Mystery series, passed away from cancer (here's an interview with the Mystery People from 2016), and Clare Dunkel, a/k/a Mo Hayder, has died from a motor neurone disease. Hayder's novel, Gone, won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2012.

This is a promising development in forensic science.

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "Teeter Totter" by Tom Barlow.

In the Q&A roundup, LJ Ross shared her experiences with The Bookseller of engaging readers in the northeast region of the UK, and of weaving its settings and sights into her novels; and Author Interviews chatted with Hilary Davidson about her new standalone thriller, Her Last Breath.

Mystery Melange

David Joy’s When These Mountains Burn (Putnam) has won the 2020 Hammett Prize from the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers. The award is handed out annually to a book originally published in the English language in the U.S. or Canada, "That best represents the conception of literary excellence in crime writing." The other finalists included: Murder in Old Bombay, by Nev March (Minotaur); The Mountains Wild, by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Minotaur); Three Hours in Paris, by Cara Black (Soho Crime); and Winter Counts, by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Ecco).

Craig Sisterson, founder of the Ngaio Marsh Award for excellence in crime writing by New Zealand authors, announced on Facebook the longlist for 2021. This year there will also be an inagural commendation presented to a novel written specifically for younger readers. The finalists for Best Novel, Best First Novel, and Best Non-fiction are scheduled to be announced on Saturday, August 28, during the WORD Christchurch Festival, with winners to be revealed during a special WORD Christchurch event in October. (HT to The Rap Sheet and Craig Sisterson)
 

Submissions are open through August 3 for the Capital Crime and Amazon Publishing contest to discover new voices in the crime and thriller fiction community, and to further their writing careers. The competition is open to unpublished mystery, thriller, and crime fiction manuscripts in English from writers around the world. The winner will receive £1000, complimentary registration to the next Capital Crime Festival, a trophy, and a potential offer of publication from Thomas & Mercer, the mystery and thriller imprint of Amazon Publishing.

On Wednesday, August 4th at 7pm ET both live and online, the Mystery Writers of America's reading series returns to the KGB Bar (85 E 4th St, New York, NY 10003). Authors currently scheduled to participate in readings include Annamaria Alfieri, Ann Aptaker, D.M. Barr, Carole Bugge, Philip Cioffari, R.L. Crossland, Jeff Markowitz, and James McCrone.

The U.S. Postal Service issued a "Mystery Message" stamp at the International Spy Museum in Washington. According to the USPS, this Forever stamp has been designed by Antonio Alcalá to "put your sleuthing skills to the test!" If you want try your hand at solving the riddle, follow this link.

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "Stegosaurus swallows man! Read all about it!!" by Tony Dawson.

In the Q&A roundup, Lisa Haselton interviewed mystery author, Michael Devendorf; and over at Writers Who Kill, Grace Topping chatted with Ginger Bolton about her Deputy Donut mystery series.

Mystery Melange

 

Mystery Writers of America has established a new scholarship program in honor of the late Barbara Neely, a trailblazing Black crime novelist who was named a Grand Master by MWA in late 2019. A novelist, short story writer, and activist, Ms. Neely was best known for creating the distinctive amateur sleuth Blanche White. Ms. Neely was to be publicly honored by her colleagues and presented with the Grand Master award at the 2020 Edgar Awards banquet, but sadly, Ms. Neely passed away in March 2020 before she could be feted and honored as she deserved. After her unfortunate passing, the organization’s board of directors received permission from Ms. Neely’s family to establish an annual scholarship in her memory for a Black crime writer. After some discussion, the MWA Board of Directors decided to give out two scholarships of $2000 each per year: one for an aspiring Black writer who has yet to publish in the crime or mystery field, and another for Black authors who have already published in crime or mystery.

Bastille Day was yesterday, but you can still celebrate with this list from Mystery Fanfare of crime fiction books set in France.

Ahead of this month's Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, the Daily Express gathered some of the world's leading thriller writers to reveal the inspirations behind their much-loved sleuths, from Vera to Inspector Rebus and more.


In a sign that things are returning to normal, the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona, hosted its first live author event since March 2020, a publication day party for T.J. Newman and her debut thriller, Falling. Owner Barbara Peters said, "We were touched and thrilled to welcome a limited number of readers into the store for our conversation which can be viewed on our FB video page."

Summer travel conjures up dreams of global vacations (at least before the pandemic). To help ease your wanderlust, Book Trib profiled "8 Historical Thrillers From Around the World."

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "A Daughter Remembers Her Father" by Charles Rammelkamp.

In the Q&A roundup, Lisa Haselton chatted with Monique Gliozzi about her new thriller, Facets of the Past; over at the Shots Magazine blog, John Parker spoke with John Connolly about his latest adventure featuring his troubled detective, Charlie Parker; speaking with The Guardian, Christopher Fowler explained why it was hard to let go of his detective duo of Arthur Bryant and John May who have solved their last case after twenty outings; and thriller author Karin Slaughter spoke with The Orange County Register about her new book, False Witness, and cooking with Coca-Cola.

Mystery Melange

The Maltese Falcon Society of Japan has announced that C.J. Box is the winner of the 2021 Maltese Falcon Award for Breaking Point, the 13th in the Joe Pickett series, as the best hardboiled/private eye novel published in Japan in the previous year. Mr. Box will receive a wood-crafted Falcon statuette. (HT to The Gumshoe Site) Previous winners have included Walter Mosley, Don Winslow, Robert Crais, Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly, and more.

Musician-turned-mystery-writer Corey Lynn Fayman took top honors in the 2021 San Diego Book Awards for Ballast Point Breakdown, a wisecracking novel that features a guitar-playing detective, Navy SEALs, and trained dolphins. This is the fourth book by Fayman, who has also worked day jobs as a keyboard player, sound-designer, and college instructor. All the stories feature Rolly Waters, an eccentric detective the author created out of "boredom and a warped sense of literary ambition."

The long-running Colorado Authors League (CAL) writing competition announced finalists this week in various categories. Those of interest to the crime fiction community include:

Best Novel: Mystery (Cozy)

Judilee Butler and GaGa Gabardi: The Last Hurrah: A Phoebe Korneal Mystery
Kate M. Lansing: Killer Chardonnay
Irv Sternberg: The Mervin Gardens Murders

Bets Novel: Mystery (Crime, Suspense)

Margaret Mizushima: Hanging Falls: A Timber Creek Mystery
Barbara Nickless: Gone to Darkness
Sheri Cobb South: Brother, Can You Spare a Crime?

Best Novel: Action, Adventure

Jodi Bowersox: The Diamond Diva Vendetta
Sheri Cobb South: Brother, Can You Spare a Crime?
Robert G. Williscroft: Operation Ice Breaker: A Mac McDowell Mission

 

Comma Press is calling for submissions to the Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction, an award run in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire. The competition is open to both published and unpublished writers in the UK, and aims to seek out the best established or up and coming voices in the form. This year's theme is crime stories. The winning writer will receive £500 and will have their story published online by Northern Soul, while all shortlisted authors will be featured in an e-book anthology, published by Comma Press and sold online.


Sad news in the publishing world: Perseverance Press is closing its doors after long run. In a statement by Meredith Phillips, originally sent to the Dorothy-L Listserv, she announced that "Perseverance Press/John Daniel & Co. will be going out of business soon, with the recent sad demise of John Daniel [in December 2020]. We ended our 22-year publishing history this spring on a high note: the starred PW review for Lev Raphael’s DEPARTMENT OF DEATH.
In the last two decades we’ve published over 80 books by more than 30 authors. Some of them continued longstanding series; others started new ones or wrote stand-alones; two were nonfiction writing guides. Several were award-nominated (Edgar, Shamus, Ellis, Anthony), and some of them won awards as well (Agatha, Barry, Willa). In every case, our relationships with our authors have been rich and rewarding. John and Susan Daniel’s motto for their publishing company (which was almost twice as old as the Perseverance division) was always 'Our authors are our friends' and PP/JD has maintained that. We’ve also continued the high standards and visual quality of the books, largely due to Eric Larson, our designer/typesetter/ebook magician. Susan Daniel will gradually close down the company throughout this year, but Lev’s new book will be obtainable from the usual retail venues and via our website through Dec. 31. The remaining books will be returned to their authors, along with their publishing rights...so anyone who wants to purchase should contact them directly." (HT to Sisters in Crime)

The modernist landmark Isokon Building, aka London's Lawn Road Flats—which served as Agatha Christie's wartime flat—offers a short film on Agatha Christie's residence there from 1941 to 1947. It also is presenting an exhibition on Christie in its gallery. Christie lived and wrote there while her second husband, Max Mallowan, was on assignment in the Middle East and while she was working in the dispensary of University College Hospital. (HT to Elizabeth Foxwell at The Bunburyist blog)

Speaking of Dame Agatha, since it's summer, CrimeReads has an appropriate article on how the author helped popularize surfing. Cowabunga, dame!

The Spectator also took a look at "How a mysterious Harrogate hotel became a Mecca for crime fiction fans." (Hint: Agatha Christie again)

Wondering what the "most bookish" cities in the world are these days? This list might surprise you.

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "Heloise's Epistle" by Jennifer Lagier.

In the Q&A roundup, Deborah Kalb chatted with Hilary Davidson, author of the Lily Moore series, about her new novel, Her Last Breath; Deborah also featured interviews with Susan Elia MacNeal, author of the new mystery novel, The Hollywood Spy, the 10th in her World War II-era Maggie Hope series, and Carol Goodman, author of the new thriller, The Stranger Behind You.

Mystery Melange

Bloody Scotland announced the shortlist for the Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2021. This year's titles include The Silent Daughter by Emma Christie; No Harm Done by AJ Liddle; Edge of the Grave by Robbie Morrison; and Waking the Tiger by Mark Wightman. Three of the books are also on this year’s longlist for the McIlvanney Prize for Best Crime Fiction Novel.

Slaughterfest is returning once again. Now in its second year, the event celebrates crime writing with a weekend of programs curated by author Karin Slaughter with HarperFiction. Covering the broad spectrum of crime fiction, from historical to courtroom thrillers, organized crime gangs to the return of serial killers, SlaughterFest will offer a diverse slate for readers in the genre. The festival will feature a mix of live and pre-recorded content, hosted on Zoom and the Killer Reads Facebook page, and will take place on the 3rd and 4th of September.

On Wednesday, July 7, the Toronto Star is sponsoring a Q&A with Kathy Reichs, author of the crime novels featuring Temperance Bones that were adapted into the TV series, Bones. Fans can submit their questions ahead of time for Reichs to answer during the online event.

The journal Genre en séries : cinéma, télévision, medias has put out a call for papers for a special themed issue reexamining gender representations in film noir. Proposals (abstract of 500-800 words along with a short bio-bibliography) are due before September 15. The issue itself will be published in fall 2022. Shots Magazine's Ayo Ontade has additional information including some suggested topic areas.

Writing for Criminal Element, Tracy Clark offered a brief "Roundup of Black Detective Novels from Then Until Now." Clark also provided her take on the subject for Crime Reads, with an article on "The PI of Color: When It's About More Than the Crime."

Over at The Rap Sheet, Jeff Pierce wondered where all the literary heirs to Agatha Christie's Poirot had vanished. In true sleuthing fashion, he digs deeper into the mystery.

Here's a fun idea for a theme park: Storyville Gardens, a new interactive park that aims to instil a love of reading in visitors.

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "Eastside Shakedown" by C.W. Blackwell.

In the Q&A roundup, Connie Berry, author of The Art of Betrayal, talked about craft over for the Dark Phantom blog; and Lucy Burdette chatted with Terrie Farley Moran about taking over the Murder She Wrote novel series and her inspiration behind the first title, Killing in a Koi Pond.

Media Murder for Monday

It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news:

THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES

Jesse Eisenberg, Adrien Brody and Riley Keough will star in Manodrome, a thriller from South African director, John Trengrove, as he makes his English-language directorial debut. The film is described as a "nihilistic thriller" about an Uber driver and aspiring bodybuilder (Eisenberg) who is inducted into a libertarian masculinity cult and loses his grip on reality when his repressed desires are awakened.

Following her breakout role as Daphne in the hit Netflix series, Bridgerton, Phoebe Dynevor has found her next big film role in Sony Pictures’s I Heart Murder, with Matt Spicer directing. The screenplay is written by Tom O’Donnell and Spicer, and although the plot is being kept under wraps, it’s described as a "female-driven thriller."

David Patrick Kelly (Twin Peaks) has been tapped as a lead in the upcoming Ray Donovan feature-length film for Showtime. Star Liev Schreiber returns in his titular role and co-writes the script along with series showrunner David Hollander, who also directs. The film picks up where Season 7 of the popular series left off following the series’ surprise cancellation last year. Kelly will play Matty Galloway, a long-time friend of Mickey’s (Jon Voight).

Open Road Films has set a release date of September 17 for its Gerard Butler action movie, Copshop, from Joe Carnahan. Written by Carnahan and Kurt McLeod, Copshop follows a wily con artist who is on the run from a lethal assassin. He devises a scheme to hide out inside a small-town police station—but when the hitman turns up at the precinct, an unsuspecting rookie cop finds herself caught in the crosshairs.

TELEVISION/STREAMING SERVICES

Colin Callender’s Playground and Red Arrow Studios International are joining forces to co-develop a series based on Georges Simenon’s classic Inspector Maigret novels and short stories. The character of Jules Maigret is a French cop who solves murders, using his understanding of human motives and emotional makeup, from the back alleys of Paris to the glamorous beaches of the South of France and beyond. His reputation is so highly regarded that officers come to shadow him and observe his uncanny ability to get under the skin of the criminals he is chasing. A previous screen adaptation starred Rowan Atkinson and aired on ITV

Film and TV rights for Faith Martin’s DI Hillary Greene crime series have been optioned by LA-based Southwell Neal Entertainment (SNE). The DI Hillary Greene book series currently has 18 novels and has sold over two million copies. Green is a "flinty, brilliant" detective living in Oxfordshire, and the titles follow Greene as she is partnered with former LAPD detective, John Sullivan.

Coming off her Oscar-nominated role in Hillbilly Elegy, Glenn Close has joined Tehran as a lead in Season 2 of Apple TV+’s international espionage thriller series. Close will play the new series role of Marjan Montazeri, a British woman, living in Tehran. The drama tells the story of Mossad agent, Tamar Rabinyan (Niv Sultan), who goes deep undercover on a dangerous mission in Tehran that places her and everyone around her in dire jeopardy. Close joins an ensemble cast that includes stars Sultan, Shaun Toub and Shervin Alenabi.

Remi Adeleke, the actor, filmmaker, and former Navy SEAL, has joined the cast of Amazon’s thriller series, Terminal List, in a recurring role. The project follows James Reece (Chris Pratt) after his entire platoon of Navy SEALs is ambushed during a high-stakes covert mission. Reece returns home to his family with conflicting memories of the event and questions about his culpability. However, as new evidence comes to light, Reece discovers dark forces working against him. Adeleke will play Terrell "Tee" Daniels, a member of the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team, now operating on U.S. soil.

Big Sky’s Patrick Gallagher is set for a recurring role in Joe Pickett, the Spectrum Originals drama based on C.J Box’s novels. The ten-part series follows a game warden (Michael Dorman) and his family as they navigate the changing political and socio-economic climate in a small rural town in Wyoming. Surrounded by rich history and vast wildlife, the township hides decades of schemes and secrets that are yet to be uncovered. Gallagher, who plays Sherriff Walter Tubb on Big Sky, is playing another Sheriff in Joe Pickett – this time Sheriff Barnum, who clashes with the warden’s involvement in his murder case and doesn’t take kindly to the implication that he isn’t doing his job.

The CBS venerable drama series NCIS is adding two new regular cast members for the upcoming 19th season, Gary Cole and Katrina Law. Cole will play a new character, FBI Special Agent Alden Park. Law plays Special Agent Jessica Knight, who was introduced in the last two episodes of Season 18 as a recurring guest star with an option to become a series regular if the show got renewed. Law’s promotion follows the recent exit of longtime series regular Emily Wickersham, and a reduced on-screen presence for Mark Harmon’s Special Agent Gibbs next season.

Brian Tyree Henry and Kate Mara are set to lead Class of ’09, a limited drama series that will air on FX/Hulu. The eight-part series, which follows a class of FBI agents set in a near future where the U.S. criminal justice system has been transformed by artificial intelligence, comes from Tom Rob Smith, Nina Jacobson, and Brad Simpson. Spanning three decades and told across three interweaving timelines, the series examines the nature of justice, humanity, and the choices we make that ultimately define our lives and our legacy.

PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO/AUDIO

Laura McHigh returned to Writer Types to co-host with Eric Beetner as they talked with award-winning writer SA Cosby (Razorblade Tears); Maureen Johnson (The Box In The Woods); and a had a discussion about LGBTQI+ authors with Greg Herren and Dharma Kelleher.

Bestselling author James Patterson stopped by Suspense Radio to talk about his latest book with President Clinton, The President's Daughter.

Queer Writers of Crime welcomed Dean Klinkenberg, a former academic turned author of a mystery series featuring an openly gay travel writer named Frank Dodge.

Over at Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine's podcast, Art Taylor read his Derringer-winning novella, The Boy Detective & The Summer of '74, from the January/February 2020 issue, which has been nominated for the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards.

Meet the Thriller Author spoke with Robyn Gigl, an attorney, speaker, and activist who has been honored by the ACLU-NJ and NJ Pride. Her debut legal thriller is By Way of Sorrow.

It Was a Dark and Stormy Book Club featured Eric Dezenhall's False Light.

Jane Thynne (CJ Carey) spoke with Crime Time FM's Paul Burke about her new thriller, Widowland, and the personal inspiration behind the novel; as well as Philip Kerr; feminism; and editing history.

The Red Hot Chili Writers spoke with Alex Michaelides, author of the global hit, The Silent Patient, about his new book, The Maidens; and also chatted with barrister-writer Imran Mahmood, whose new book, I Know What I Saw, delves into the realities of the court system including judges with a wicked sense of humor.

Mystery Melange

Foreword Reviews announced the winners of this year's INDIES Book of the Year Awards. In the Thriller/Suspense Category, The Leonardo Gulag by Kevin Doherty was the Gold Winner, followed by Tokyo Traffic by Michael Pronko, which took the Silver Award, and Dead Air by Michael Bradley, which took the Bronze. The Spiderling by Marcia Preston also received an Honorable Mention. In the Mystery Category, the Gold Winner was A Child Lost by Michelle Cox, followed by Silver Winner, The Burn Patient by Sue Hinkin, and Bronze Winner, Glass Eels, Shattered Sea by Charlene D'Avanzo. An Honorable Mention also went to Red Canavas by Andrew Nance.

The UK's Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) has announced the winner of its Margery Allingham Short Mystery Prize. Camilla Macpherson beat out strong competition with her short story, "Heartbridge Homicides." The competition celebrates the classic mystery story, and entries had to adhere to Allingham’s definition of a mystery.

A 12-title longlist has been released for the 2021 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, which celebrates "a compelling novel with brilliant characterization and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realized." The shortlist will be announced August 5 and the winner on September 30. This year's longlisted titles include the crime-themed novels The Sin Eater by Megan Campisi; Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby; The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel; The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant; Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton; The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman; Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi; The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton; and People of Abandoned Character by Clare Whitfield.

The New Blood with Val McDermid 2021 panel will return at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, July 22-25 at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate. McDermid revealed her top four new authors to watch, all of whom will join her coveted "New Blood" panel at the festival on July 24. The chosen titles/authors include: Sixteen Horses by Greg Buchanan; One Night, New York by Lara Thompson; The Colours of Death by Patricia Marques; and Tall Bones by Anna Bailey. Previous "New Blood" alumni include Clare Mackintosh, SJ Watson, Stuart MacBride, Liam McIlvanney, and Belinda Bauer, as well as two of the authors vying for the title of Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2021: Abir Mukherjee and Trevor Wood.

Sisters in Crime will award research grants of $500 for the purchase of books to support research projects that contribute to our understanding of the role of women or underrepresented groups in the crime fiction genre. This may include but is not limited to research on women mystery writers, on the position of women writers in the crime fiction marketplace, or on gender, race, or ethnicity as an aspect of crime fiction. Grant proposals must be received by July 15, 2021, and the recipient(s) will be notified by August 15, 2021.

One bit of sad news, especially for the younger set, that I missed back in May: Robert Quackenbush, creator of Animal Detective Stories, has died at the age of 91. His many characters included Detective Mole, Sherlock Chick, and Miss Mallard, an inquisitive duck who solves crimes around the world in plots that resemble Agatha Christie capers and also got her own television series. For his work on Detective Mole, who wears a trench coat and houndstooth deerstalker hat, he received an Edgar Allan Poe Award for best juvenile mystery in 1982.

John Murray Press is establishing a "distinctive new crime and thriller imprint" titled Baskerville, and has hired Jade Chandler away from Harvill Secker to head up the new division. Chandler has worked with bestselling author Jo Nesbo, award-winning Abir Mukherjee, Costa Prize-shortlisted Denise Mina and Emily Koch, whose debut If I Die Before I Wake was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month. In 2018, Chandler also set up the Harvill Secker/Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Award to find the most exciting new crime fiction by writers of color.

Mystery Readers Journal editor, Janet Rudolph, issued a call for submissions for an upcoming issued of crime fiction themed around Texas. As always, short reviews and articles focusing on the theme of the issue are welcome, as well as author essays. Reviews of a single book should be 200 words or less, articles around 1000 words, author essays 500-1000 words.
 

Featured at the Page 69 Test - Dream Girl: A Novel by Laura Lippman

UK libraries and museums unite to save an "astonishing" lost library from private buyers.

One of the newsletters that arrive in my inbox reminded me of a study back in 2016 that provided another reason to read books: there is an association between book reading with longevity (with a survival advantage significantly greater than that observed for reading newspapers or magazines). Even just thirty minutes a day can stimulate the two cognitive processes the study found affected by reading, "deep reading" and empathy, social perception, and emotional intelligence.

I found this story rather sweet and amusing: award-winning author William Kent Krueger was recently given the distinct honor of being tapped to be the Grand Marshal for Perham, Minnesota’s annual Turtle Fest Parade.

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "A Split Mind is Convenient to Hide the Axe" by Richard Krause.

In the Q&A roundup, Lisa Haselton chatted with novelist Hugh Fritz about his new fantasy thriller, Mystic Rampage Part 2: Public Display of Aggression; and S.A. Cosby joined Angel Luis Colon at Do Some Damage to chat about what he's up to, his thoughts on his recent success, and the challenge of writing cops in crime fiction in the very current (and historical) climate of the American police state.

Mystery Melange

Finalists were announced for the Harrogate International Festival's Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award. The 2021 nods go to The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths; Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton; The Last Crossing by Brian McGilloway; Death in the East by Abir Mukherjee; We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker; and The Man on the Street by Trevor Wood. Fans can now vote on the shortlisted titles, with the winner to be crowned during the Harrogate Festival, this year held in person once again from July 22-25.

Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has announced that the twisty psychological thriller, Denizen by James McKenzie Watson, has won the 2021 Penguin Literary Prize. Watson receives $20,000 as an advance against royalties, with Denizen to be published by PRH Australia publisher Meredith Curnow in 2022.

London-based independent bookstore, Goldsboro Books, announced the longlist for its fifth annual Glass Bell Award. A shortlist of six titles to be voted upon by booksellers is expected August 5 and a winner’s announcement will arrive on September 30. The listed titles include the crime-related novels The Sin Eater by Megan Campisi; Blacktop Wasteland by S.A Cosby; The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel; The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant; Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton; The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman; Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi; and The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton.

The Friends of the Ferguson Library and Mystery Writers of America/NY Chapter are presenting CCX2 - CrimeCONN Express 2, Connecticut's Own (Virtual) Mystery Lovers' Conference, tonight from 7-8 pm ET. This is the third of three events this month, with tonight's titled "We Gotta Get Out of This Place. How Changing Up Settings Can Free Your Imagination," and featuring Scott Adlerberg, Timothy Hallinan, Cara Black, and Johnny Temple. Registration is free.

Noir at the Bar has expanded around the globe since Peter Rozovsky organized the first event in Philadelphia back in 2008. Most of these have gone virtual during the pandemic, and one of the next upcoming events will be from Toronto on June 24th at 7 pm. Hosts Rob Brunet and Hope Thompson will emcee readings from authors Mark Govin, Madeleine Harris-Callway, Terrence McCauley, Hannah Mary McKinnon, C.S. O'Cinneide, David Rotenberg, and Robert Rotenberg.

If you missed a couple of other recent virtual events, you're in luck because they're available online: the NorCal Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and San Francisco Public Library sponsored a Queer Mystery Writers panel with Michael Nava (moderator), and authors Cheryl A. Head, Greg Herren, Dharma Kelleher, and P.J. Vernon. Also, the New York Society Library and the New York Chapter of Mystery Writers of America co-sponsored a panel on "How to Write a Mystery," with authors Jeffery Deaver, Laurie King, and Charles and Caroline Todd.

The Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime (based in Columbia, South Carolina) is once again sponsoring Murder in the Midlands, an annual conference which will be virtual on Saturday, June 26, from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm ET. The special guest is Dr. Kathy Reichs (bestselling author of the Temperance Brennan series, which was the basis for the TV series, BONES). There will also be panels on "Scorching Short Stories"; "Hot for Historicals (British mysteries by American authors)"; and "Searing Suspense." Authors scheduled to appear include Dana Kaye (moderator), Paula Gail Benson, Frankie Bailey, Michael Bracken, Barb Goffman, Laurie R. King, Lori Rader-Day, Caroline Todd, Yasmin Angoe, Robert Dugoni, and Alex Segura.

Hachette UK is launching a series of free virtual events, "Opening the Book," later this month, aiming to demystify publishing. Its event series marks the fifth anniversary of its diversity and inclusion program, Changing the Story, "with a renewed drive to make publishing more transparent and accessible to underrepresented groups." The first events will focus on sharing the realities of working in publishing with people who want to break into the industry, while another will focus on aspiring authors. The series will launch on June 28th at 1 p.m with tickets to the events free via Eventbrite.

On June 8, mystery pioneer, Anna Katharine Green (1846-1935), was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame in a ceremony that included an appearance by Rebecca Crozier, Green's great-great granddaughter. Green's The Leavenworth Case is one of the first mysteries penned by an American woman, and she is credited with developing the series detective in the form of Ebenezer Gryce of the New York Metropolitan Police Force (although in three novels he is assisted by the nosy society spinster, Amelia Butterworth, the prototype for Miss Marple). (HT to Elizabeth Foxwell)

Kittling Books kicked off a series featuring books with a "a strong sense of place," broken down by regions of the world. First up is a look at Africa and Australasia.

Agatha Christie fans are plotting via the Save Agatha's Home campaign to turn the legendary crime writer's home into an arts and events venue. Time, however, is short:  Christie's house has been listed since April and the Save Agatha's Home campaign is competing with private buyers to secure the historic five-bedroom house - which covers 6,256 square feet and comes with five acres of land, a study, library, adjoining one-bedroom cottage, and stunning landscaped gardens leading down to the River Thames.

If you're a fan of "old school" writing and LEGO and have $199 to spare, this might be for you.

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly is "Pins" by David Cranmer.

In the Q&A roundup, Deborah Kalb spoke with Maureen Johnson, author of the new young adult mystery novel, The Box in the Woods; Lisa Haselton chatted with Michael Campeta about his new mystery/suspense, The Late Mr. Cary; and Author Interviews welcomed Martine Bailey to dicsuss The Prophet, a historical crime novel in which a new mother, Tabitha Hart, investigates a cold-blooded murder and a utopian sect in an ancient forest. 

Mystery Melange

Looks like your TBR (to be read) pile just got a bit bigger. Amazon released its list of "Best Books of the Year So Far," with a few crime titles making the Top 20: Why We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker; The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz; The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris; and The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth; plus there are twenty picks in the Best Mysteries and Thrillers list. Meanwhile, over at the Rap Sheet blog, Jeff Pierce compiled a preliminary list of more than 360 crime, mystery, and thriller works, all scheduled for release between now and September 1 on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean that are worth investigating. They run the gamut from hard-boiled detective novels to traditional mysteries and crime-related non-fiction titles.

Virtual Noir at the Bar Los Angeles returns on June 25 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET with host, Eric Beetner. Authors scheduled to read from their works include Tracy Clark, Andrew Graff, Kris Calvin, Cate Holahan, Stephen Mack Jones, and Tori Eldridge. Register for free via this link.

Harrogate International Festivals revealed the Special Guest line-up for the world’s largest crime writing event. The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival will actually be the UK's first major literary event to take place in person following the removal of government-mandated lockdowns due to the pandemic (although there is some concern those lockdown lifts may be delayed). Festival Programming Chair (and Inspector Rebus author), Ian Rankin, has lined up Richard Osman, Mick Herron, Elly Griffiths, Ann Cleeves, Mark Billingham, Clare Mackintosh, CL Taylor, Val McDermid, and many more for four days of talks and panels at Harrogate’s Old Swan Hotel July 22 – 25.

The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) has appointed author Elly Griffiths to the role of booksellers champion, as National Crime Reading Month begins across the UK. Griffiths, pen-name of author Domenica de Rosa, will be tasked with building better connections between crime authors and bookshops. She will be supported in the new role by fellow crime authors Vaseem Khan and William Shaw.

Most people (myself included) probably weren't aware that Edgar Allan Poe’s bestselling book during his lifetime wasn't a suspense, thriller, horror or crime work - it was a guide to seashells. Speaking of Poe, the Washington Post's Michael Dirda calls him "our nation’s most influential writer."

Well, this is a certainly a sad turn of events.

The featured story this week at Pulp Modern Flash is "The Heaviness of Time" by Nils Gilbertson.

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "I Have to Warn You" by Tad Tuleja.

In the Q&A roundup, Criminal Element's John Valeri interviewed Lisa Unger, whose latest project, House of Crows is a four-part serial from Amazon Original Stories; over at the Writers Who Kill blog, E.B. Davis interviewed Connie Berry about the latest book in her series featuring American antique dealer Kate Hamilton; and Criminal Element spoke with New York Times bestselling author, Alex Michaelides, about his new novel, The Maidens, a tale of psychological suspense that weaves together Greek mythology, murder, and obsession.

Mystery Melange

The winners of the 33rd Annual Lambda Literary Awards were announced, chosen from finalists selected by a panel of over 60 literary professionals from more than 1,000 book submissions and over 300 publishers. I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan (Albert Whitman & Company) won top honors as this year's Best LGBT Mystery Novel. The other finalists in that category include: Death Before Dessert, A.E. Radley (Heartsome Publishing); Find Me When I’m Lost, Cheryl A. Head, (Bywater Books); Fortune Favors the Dead, Stephen Spotswood (Doubleday); and Vera Kelly Is Not a Mystery, Rosalie Knecht (Tin House Books).

Sisters in Crime announced the winner of its inaugural Pride Award for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers, which includes a grant of $2,000 to a new crime fiction author who identifies as LGBTQIA+. This year’s debut prize goes to C.J. Prince of West Orange, New Jersey. Prince will receive a manuscript critique from Crooked Lane Books editor, Terri Bischoff. In addition, five runners-up will be paired with established Sisters in Crime member authors for manuscript critiques: Sandy Bailey; Alix Freeman; A.L. Major; Mary Lewis Pierce; and Jamie Valentino.

The 2021 Bony Blithe Award for Canadian light mystery was announced, and the winner is Iona Whishaw for A Match Made for Murder. The honor shines the spotlight on cozies, capers, satires, and humorous books – in short, "anything from laugh-out-loud books to gentle humor to good old-fashioned stories with minimal overt violence or gore." The Bony Blithe Award was created ten years ago as part of the Bloody Words conference in Canada and continued to be presented even after the demise of the conference in 2014. However, organizers announced that 2021 will be the last Bony Blithe as they transition to a "light mystery newsletter" going forward.

The 2021 Maine Crime Wave takes places this Saturday via Zoom, with panels, a keynote talk, virtual book room, a contest, and much more. Highlights include a Keynote Talk from inside the crime publishing world by award-winning Minotaur editorial director, Kelley Ragland, panels with award-winning and best-selling crime writers Lou Berney, Paul Doiron, Tess Gerritsen, Alexia Gordon, Chris Holm, Michael Koryta, Jess Lourey, Isabella Maldonado, Carla Neggers, and James Ziskin, as well as a Two Minutes in Quarantine reading, and Noir at the Bar event in the evening.

Harvill Secker and Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival have relaunched their joint award to find the most exciting new crime fiction by writers of color. The winner of the Harvill Secker-Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Award will have their book published under the Harvill Secker imprint, in a publishing deal with an advance of £5,000. Entries opened yesterday and will run until the August 4, following a hiatus last year over lockdown. The winner will be announced in September and will feature in a panel appearance at the Bloody Scotland festival.

The Curtis Brown writing school is launching an annual novel-writing scholarship in honor of late thriller writer, John le Carré, seeking out "compelling storytelling and political engagement." Applications for the first scholarship are now open and will provide full funding for one talented writer of limited financial means to join Curtis Brown Creative’s three-month online Writing Your Novel course running from September 6 to December 13.

Anthony Horowitz will write his third official James Bond novel, to be published by Jonathan Cape in 2022 on behalf of Ian Fleming Publications. Horowitz is the fourth author in recent years to be invited by Ian Fleming Publications to write an official Bond novel, and the only one to have been invited back to write successive ones. Trigger Mortis was published in 2015, followed by Forever and a Day in 2018. Previous authors have included William Boyd, Jeffery Deaver, and Sebastian Faulks.

Elizabeth Foxwell, editor of the McFarland Companions to Mystery Fiction, made note of the next edition in that series, the eleventh, which will be Dorothy L. Sayers: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction by Eric Sandberg. As Foxwell aptly notes, previous installments in the series have garnered Edgar nominations (Ellroy companion, Rankin companion), an Agatha nomination (Paretsky companion), and a Macavity Award (Paretsky companion).

Indie bookstores in the US are “on the rise again” but face challenges as the country opens up after a roiling 15 months, according to the American Booksellers Association. While association CEO Allison K. Hill and others had feared that hundreds of stores could go out of business during the 2020-21 holiday season, the ABA has tallied only 14 closings in 2021 so far, along with more than 70 last year. “It’s fair to say that it could have been much, much worse,” Hill said, describing the independent community as “bruised” but standing.


Sixty-three percent of authors and illustrators in the UK, responding to a quick-fire survey from The Bookseller this week, said they had seen a fall in income in pandemic-hit 2020 compared with 2019, including squeezes on author advances and the loss of earnings from live events. The Society of Authors (SoA) has said 250 people have applied to its hardship fund this year, on top of nearly 1,200 applicants in 2020, indicating the “desperation” of many.

Maybe this is a trend that will help.

This is another trend I'd like to see more of: book butlers.

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "Hillside Stranglers" by Peter Mladinic.

In the Q&A roundup, James Patterson and Bill Clinton spoke with Time Magazine about The President’s Daughter, the follow-up thriller to their bestselling co-written debut; Terrie Farley Moran stopped by the Writers Who Kill blog to talk about picking up the mantle for the popular Murder, She Wrote continuation novel series; and Lisa Haselton chatted with international thriller author, William McGinnis, about his new suspenseful sea adventure, Cyclops Conspiracy: An Adam Weldon Thriller, and also with mystery author Susanne M. Dutton, about her latest novel, Sherlock Holmes and the Remaining Improbable.