Mystery Writers of America (MWA) announced the recipients of its annual special awards. The board chose Laura Lippman and John Sandford as the 2025 Grand Masters; the 2025 Raven Award recipient (for outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing) as the California bookstore, Face in a Book; and Peter Wolverton of St. Martin’s Publishing Group will receive the Ellery Queen Award (for outstanding writing teams and outstanding people in the mystery-publishing industry). They will accept their awards at the 79th Annual Edgar Awards Ceremony, which will be held May 1, 2025, at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York City.
In a press release, CrimeFest announced an icon of the genre, Lee Child, will be one of the headliners for its final convention in May 2025. One of the UK’s leading crime fiction conventions, which is hosted in Bristol supported by title sponsor Specsavers, CrimeFest announced 2025 will be its final event after 16 years. Despite the sad news, organizers say they are still putting all their energy into making the final event one to remember. The celebratory finale will feature a record number of Diamond Dagger recipients in attendance, including Lee Child, Peter Lovesey, Simon Brett, Lindsey Davis, Martin Edwards, and John Harvey, as well as in spirit, John le Carré (with his two sons) and Dick Francis (as represented by his son, the crime writer Felix Francis).
If you're in the area of Brixton in the UK on January 28th, the Brixton Library will host a panel titled, "Crafting Crime," featuring authors Nina Bhadreshwar (The Day of the Roaring), Nadine Matheson (The Kill List), and Nicola Williams (Until Proven Innocent), hosted by Stella Oni, who will be discussing the genre tropes, cultural influences, and writing processes of the authors. The event is sponsored by Dark Matter, an inclusive marketing agency that works collaboratively to connect Black audiences with culture and the arts.
Noir at the Bar moves to the Boston area on Thursday, February 20 starting at 6pm, at Cafe Avellino in Swampscott, MA for some "Crime Writing and Cocktails." The event will be hosted by John Nardizzi, with the lineup of authors scheduled to read from their works to include Kate Flora, Connie Hambley, Tom Davidson, Bonnar Spring, Zakariah Johnson, Gabriela Stiteler, Sally Milliken, E. Chris Ambrose, Stephen D. Rogers, and Norman Birnbach.
Orion publishing and the A M Heath agency are sponsoring The Criminal Lines Award, open to writers aged 18 and over born or living in Britain (including the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) and Ireland (Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland). Entrants must not be represented by a literary agent at the time of submission or at the shortlist stage and must not have previously published a novel or novella although self-published novels, novellas and self-published e-books are accepted. Entries consist of 5,000 words max, taken from the opening chapter/s (and including any prologues) and a 1,000 word synopsis. The winner will receive a cash prize of £3,500 and an offer of representation from A M Heath with potential publication by Orion. The submission deadline is February 7, 2025.
Every year since 2014, the CWA and the Margery Allingham Society have jointly held an international competition for a short story of up to 3,500 words that fits into Golden Age crime writer Margery Allingham’s definition of what makes a great mystery story: "The Mystery remains box-shaped, at once a prison and a refuge. Its four walls are, roughly, a Crime, a Mystery, an Enquiry and a Conclusion with an Element of Satisfaction in it." The competition is open to all – both published and unpublished authors from all over the world. The story must be originally written in English, not be previously published anywhere, and not shortlisted for this competition, nor won any other competition. The submission deadline is 6pm GMT February 28, 2025. The longlist will be announced on April 12 at the CWA Northern Symposium. The winner, who will be revealed at a later date, receives a cash prize of £500.
Margot Kinberg is editing a charity anthology of Los Angeles-based crime fiction stories, with proceeds to be donated to the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund. Along with meeting immediate needs, they also support rebuilding, mental health care, housing, and other assistance. All authors are welcome to contribute, whether you write light, cozy crime fiction, comic-caper, deep-black noir, or anything in between. Each story should take place in, or be about, or focus on, Los Angeles and be between approximately 1,500-8,000 words. The deadline for contributions is April 15, 2025, with a release in the fourth quarter of this year. (Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare.)
Writing for CrimeReads, Matt Lubbers Moore and Jeffrey Marks profiled the "Trailblazers of Queer Crime Fiction," noting that with four of the ten crime fiction authors on The New York Times "Best Of" list being queer, it may well be a pivotal moment for queer crime fiction, while at the same time it’s important to remember queer crime writers have always been here, crafting compelling stories and paving the way for today’s diverse voices.
In the Q&A roundup, Chicks on the Case had a round-robin interview with Colorado Mystery Merge anthology authors Ann Dominguez, Brooke Craig, Francelia Belton, Galit Gottlieb, Holly Harris, Jenna Lincoln, Kerry Hammond, Linda Solaya, Meagan Dallner, Peg Brantley, Rhonda Blackhurst, Donnell Bell, Fleur Bradley Visscher, Marie Sutro, Melisson Robins; Vicki Delaney took the Page 69 Test for her book, The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime, the tenth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery; and Lisa Haselton interviewed author Paul G. Wright about his new action thriller, Line of Sight.
