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11/9/09

»› The October/November 2009 issue of Mystery News, aka "The Last One", was mailed today, Monday, November 10, 2009. The marvelous Louise Penny, author of the Chief Inspector Gamache series, interviews newcomer Alan Bradley, whose first novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, garnered the British Crime Writers' Debut Dagger (and much acclaim for the voice of its nearly-eleven-year-old narrator, Flavia de Luce) in 2007. Marv Lachman's Out of the Past column zeroes in on William Krasner, whose series featuring detective Sam Birge spans the years from 1949 to 1985. Regular columnists Stephen Miller and Virginia R. Knight provide retrospectives on their years of writing for Mystery News, while former publisher/editor Harriet Stay provides a "Last Letter" taking us back to the beginning of her (and Larry's) association with Mystery News. We sail off into the sunset as Roger M. Sobin takes us on a cruise from New York to England with his Real to Reel column on the movie Dangerous Crossing, which first came to life as the radio play "Cabin B-13" in 1943. Dave Magayna contributes a final audio review of Swan Peak by James Lee Burke (one of the authors whose books prompted the discussions that brought some of us together 14 years ago), along with an appreciation of Mystery News. And, of course, our usual columns, reviews, previews and calendar. Updated the Back Issues, Authors, and Calendar pages.

»› Lynn and Chris will be taking a hiatus to rest up and revive - keep an eye out for us...we're not quite sure where we'll be appearing next, but we'll be keeping this website up while we figure it out!

»› Click on a link to see the fall mystery award winners: Barry Awards, Anthony Awards, Macavity Awards

10/12/09

»› Here's the tentative Meet & Greet schedule of authors who'll be schmoozing and signing with us at our table in the dealer's room at Bouchercon in Indianapolis later this week:

Thursday, Oct 15

9:00 am Please come to the Fanzine panel in the "Network" room with Larry Gandle, Andrew Gulli, Jon Jordan, Janet Rudolph (Chris is moderating). We'll be talking a little about the publications and A LOT about recommended reads.

2:00 pm ........ Laurie R. King
2:30 pm..........Charles Todd

6:00 pm .........Presentation of the Barry Awards, co-sponsored by Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine & Mystery News

Friday, Oct 16

10:00 am....... Suzanne Arruda
11:30 am....... Louise Penny, Jason Starr
2:00 pm..........Katherine Hall Page, SJ Rozan
3:00 pm..........Stefanie Pintoff
4:00 pm..........Donna Andrews

Saturday, Oct 17

10:00 am........Vicki Lane, William Kent Krueger
11:30 am........Leighton Gage
12:30 pm........Jeri Westerson
1:00 pm..........Megan Abbott, Craig McDonald
2:00 pm..........Chris Knopf
3:00 pm..........Barb D'Amato

We are still hoping to add a couple more, so check at our table for additions or changes.

We hope you'll stop by to say hello!

Chris and Lynn

»› My apologies for the long gap since the last updates. Crazy times. We hope to see some of you at Bouchercon in Indianapolis later this week. There will be one more issue of Mystery News that we're targeting to mail in mid-November. We thank everyone that has written to tell us how much they'll miss MN, and we hope you'll read our article in the Fall 2009 issue of Mystery Scene.

»› The August/September 2009 issue of Mystery News was mailed Monday, August 24, 2009. Lynn Kaczmarek interviews the wonderful Louise Penny, author of the Chief Inspector Gamache series; we've been fans of Louise's work from the very beginning, and number 5, The Brutal Telling, might just be the best yet! Marv Lachman's Out of the Past focuses on
Marjorie Carleton, whose novels are sadly out of print. Steve Miller tells of Robert Rotenberg, whose first novel, Old City Hall, opens with a radio celebrity confessing to the murder of his wife...and takes off from here. Virginia R. Knight interviews Donna Andrews, author of the Meg Langslow series as well as the very appealing series featuring Artificial Intelligence Personality Turning Hopper.
Roger M. Sobin brings us the reel story of The Lady in the Lake in his Real-to-Reel column. Dave Magayna contributes audio reviews of The Accidental Florist by Jill Alexander and Mourners by Bill Pronzini in The Sound of Mystery. And, of course, our usual columns, reviews, previews and calendar. Updated the Back Issues, Authors, and Calendar pages.


6/28/09

»› The June/July 2009 issue of Mystery News was mailed Monday, June 22, 2009. Cindy Tambourine makes her cover debut interviewing Earlene Fowler, author of the Benni Harper quilting series (the newest of which is Love Mercy) as well as a non-series book, The Saddlemaker's Wife. Marv Lachman tells us of the Golden Age mysteries of Elizabeth Lemarchand, author of a series featuring Scotland Yard Inspector Tom Pollard. Steve Miller introduces Stefanie Pintoff, author of In the Shadow of Gotham, winner of the Minotaur Books/MWA First Crime Novel Award. Virginia R. Knight interviews Caro Peacock who writes a series featuring Liberty Lane, an independent young woman, at the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign. Roger M. Sobin's Real-to-Reel column focuses on Hopscotch, the movie made from the novel by Brian Garfield. Dave Magayna gives us audio reviews of A Killer's Kiss by William Lashner and Dark Fire by C.J. Sansome in The Sound of Mystery. And, of course, our usual columns, reviews, previews and calendar. Updated the Back Issues, Authors, and Calendar pages. Subscribers to Mystery News, please take note of the Barry Awards ballot included in this mailing. The deadline is midnight CDT on September 7, 2009.

»› Time to catch up on some awards nominations and winners from the past few months:

»› Mystery News and Deadly Pleasures are pleased to announce the 2009 Barry Award nominations. The Barry Awards are named for of one of the most ardent and beloved ambassadors of mystery fiction, Barry Gardner, and are voted on by the readers of Mystery News and Deadly Pleasures. The 13th Annual Barry Awards presentation will take place at Bouchercon in Indianapolis, Indiana in mid-October. Winners in blue below.

Best Novel (Published in the U.S. in 2008)
Trigger City by Sean Chercover
The Draining Lake by Arnaldur Indridason
Envy the Night by Michael Koryta
Red Knife by William Kent Krueger
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow
Best First Novel (Published in the U.S. in 2008)
The Kind One by Tom Epperson
Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer
City of the Sun by David Levien
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley
Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn D. Wall
Best British Crime Novel (Published in the U.K. in 2008, not necessarily written by a British writer nor set in the U.K.)
A Simple Act of Violence by R.J. Ellory
Ritual by Mo Hayder
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Shatter by Michael Robotham
Bleeding Heart Square by Andrew Taylor
Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker
Best Thriller

Collision by Jeff Abbott
The Deceived by Brett Battles
The Survivor by Tom Cain
The Finder by Colin Harrison
Night of Thunder by Stephen Hunter
Good People by Marcus Sakey

Best Paperback Original

The First Quarry by Max Allan Collins
Money Shot by Christa Faust
State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy
The Black Path by Asa Larsson
Severance Package by Duane Swierczynski
Echoes from the Dead by Johan Theorin

Best Short Story

"The Drought" by James O. Born (The Blue Religion)
"The Fallen" by Jan Burke (EQMM August 2008)
"A Trace of a Trace" by Brendan DuBois (At the Scene of the Crime)
"A Killing in Midtown" by G. Miki Hayden (AHMM January/February 2008)
"Proof of Love" by Mick Herron (EQMM September/October 2008)
"The Problem of the Secret Patient" by Edward D. Hoch (EQMM May 2008)

»› The organizers of Bouchercon 2009 have announced this year's Anthony Award nominations. The Anthony Awards are named for Anthony Boucher, the renowned reviewer and author. The winners will be announced during a gala awards ceremony on Saturday, October 17, 2009. Winners in blue below.

Best Novel

Trigger City by Sean Chercover (William Morrow)
The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Company)
Red Knife by William Kent Krueger (Atria)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (Minotaur)

Best First Novel

Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris (Minotaur)
Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer (Doubleday)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
Death of a Cozy Writer by G. M. Malliet (Midnight Ink)
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Grand Central)

Best Paperback Original

The First Quarry by Max Allan Collins (Hard Case Crime)
Money Shot by Christa Faust (Hard Case Crime)
State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy (Berkley)
In a Dark Season by Vicki Lane (Dell)
South of Hell by P. J. Parrish (Pocket Star)

Best Short Story

"The Night Things Changed" by Dana Cameron from Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (Ace)
"A Sleep Not Unlike Death" by Sean Chercover from Hardcore Hardboiled (Kensington)
"Killing Time" by Jane K. Cleland from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (November)
"Skull and Cross Examination" by Toni L. P. Kelner from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (February)
"Scratch a Woman" by Laura Lippman from Hardly Knew Her (William Morrow)
"The Secret Lives of Cats" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (July)

Best Critical Nonfiction Work

African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey (McFarland)
How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries by Kathy Lynn Emerson (Perseverance Press)
Anthony Boucher: A Biobibliography by Jeffrey Marks (McFarland)
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale (Walker & Company)

Best Children's/Young Adult Novel

The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein (Random House)
Paper Towns by John Green (Dutton Juvenile)
Kiss Me, Kill Me by Lauren Henderson (Delacorte)
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart (Little, Brown)
Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash by Wendelin Van Draanen (Knopf)

Best Cover Art

Death Was the Other Woman designed by David Rotstein and written by Linda L. Richards (Minotaur)
Death Will Get You Sober designed by David Rotstein and written by Elizabeth Zelvin (Minotaur)
The Fault Tree designed by David Rotstein and written by Louise Ure (Minotaur)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo designed by Peter Mendelsund and written by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
Money Shot designed by Steve Cooley and written by Christa Faust (Hard Case Crime)

Special Service Award

Jon and Ruth Jordan
Ali Karim
David Montgomery
Gary Warren Niebuhr
Sarah Weinman

»› The Mystery Readers International (Mystery Readers Journal) has announced the Macavity Award nominations for works published in 2008. The awards will be presented at Bouchercon in Indianapolis in October. Winners in blue below.

Best Mystery Novel

Trigger City by Sean Chercover (Morrow)
Where Memories Lie by Deborah Crombie (Morrow)
The Dying Breed (UK)/ The Price of Blood (US) by Declan Hughes (John Murray/Morrow)
The Draining Lake by Arnaldur Indridason (Minotaur)
Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz (Simon & Schuster)
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
The Fault Tree by Louise Ure (Minotaur)

Best First Mystery

Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet (Midnight Ink)
Calumet City by Charlie Newton (Simon & Schuster)
An Innocent Client by Scott Pratt (Onyx)
A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley (Harper/Headline)
The Blood Detective by Dan Waddell (Minotaur)

Best Nonfiction/Critical

African American Mystery Writers: A Historical & Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey (McFarland)
Hard-Boiled Sentimentality: The Secret History of American Crime Stories by Leonard Cassuto (Columbia Univ.)
How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries by Kathy Lynn Emerson (Perseverance Press)
Scene of the Crime: The Importance of Place in Crime and Mystery Fiction by David Geherin (McFarland)
Edgar Allan Poe : An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories by Harry Lee Poe (Metro)
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale (Walker)

Best Mystery Short Story

"The Night Things Changed" by Dana Cameron (Wolfsbane & Mistletoe, Penguin)
"A Sleep Not Unlike Death" by Sean Chercover (Hardcore Hardboiled, Kensington)
"Keeping Watch Over His Flock" by Toni L. P. Kelner (Wolfsbane & Mistletoe, Penguin)
"Scratch a Woman" by Laura Lippman (Hardly Knew Her, Morrow)
"Between the Dark and the Daylight" by Tom Piccirilli (EQMM, Sep/Oct 2008)

Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery

A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen (Berkley)
Stealing Trinity by Ward Larsen (Oceanview)
The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss (Thorndike/Random House UK)
Veil of Lies by Jeri Westerson (Minotaur)
Company of Liars by Karen Maitland (Michael Joseph/Delacorte)
Nox Dormienda by Kelli Stanley (Five Star)

 

4/26/09

»› The April/May 2009 issue of Mystery News was mailed Monday, April 20, 2008. Reed Andrus interviews John Sandford, author of the long-running Prey series, whose protagonist Lucas Davenport returns in outing number 19 in Wicked Prey this fall. Virginia R. Knight introduces debut author Cassandra Clark and the story of Hildegard, a nun in 1382 Yorkshire, in our In the beginning column. Marv Lachman writes about John D. MacDonald, best knows for the Travis McGree series but also a prolific author of standalones. Elizabech Daly, author of the series featuring antiquarian book expert Henry Gamadge. Roger M. Sobin's Real-to-Reel column looks at Harper, the Paul Newman movie, based on Ross Macdonald's first Lew Archer novel, The Moving Target. Dave Magayna listens to City of Fire by Robert Ellis, and to Savage Season and Mucho Mofo by Joe R. Lansdale in The Sound of Mystery. And, of course, our usual columns, reviews, previews and calendar. Updated the Back Issues, Authors, and Calendar pages. [entry corrected on 6/30/09]

»› Click here to see the winner of the LA Times Book Prize in the Mystery/Thriller category.

»› Crime Writers of Canada is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2009 Arthur Ellis Awards. The winners will be announced at a dinner on Thursday, June 4, in Ottawa. (updated 6/28/09, winners in blue below)

Best Novel:

Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay (Bantam)

The K Handshape by Maureen Jennings (Dundurn)
Transgression by James W. Nichol (MacArthur & Company)
The Murder Stone by Louise Penny (MacArthur & Company)
The Tsunami File by Michael E. Rose (MacArthur & Company)

Best First Novel:

Buffalo Jump by Howard Shrier (Vintage Canada)

Iced Under by Nadine Doolittle (Bayeux Arts/Gondolier)
Talking to Wendigo by John C. Goodman (Turnstone)
Headline: Murder by April Lindgren (Second Story Press)
Margarita Nights by Phyllis Smallman (McArthur & Company)

Best Juvenile Novel:

War Brothers by Sharon E. McKay (Penguin Canada)

Res Judicata
by Vicki Grant (Orca)
Getting the Girl by Susan Juby (HarperCollins)
Royal Murder by Elizabeth MacLeod (Annick Press)
Dead Silence by Norah McClintock (Scholastic Canada)

Best Crime Writing in French:

Le Chemin des brumes by Jacques Côté (Alire)

Le Poids des illusions by Maxime Houde (Alire)
La Tendresse du serpent by Andre Jacques (Québec Amérique)
L'Homme qui détestait le golf by Sylvain Meunier (La courte échelle)
Meurtre au Soleil by Antoine Yaccarini (VLB éditeur)

Best Non-fiction:

Mafiaboy: How I Cracked the Internet and Why It's Still Broken by Michael Calce and Craig Silverman (Penguin Canada)

The Secret Lives of Saints: Child Brides and Lost Boys in Canada's Polygamous Mormon Sect by Daphne Bramham (Vintage Canada/RHC)
The Girl in Saskatoon: A Meditation on Friendship, Memory, and Murder by Sharon Butala (Phyllis Bruce Books/HarperCollins)
Befriend and Betray: Infiltrating the Hells Angels, Bandidos, and Other Criminal Brotherhoods by Alex Caine (Vintage Canada/RHC)
Dark Days: The Story of Four Canadians Tortured in the Name of Fighting Terror by Kerry Pither (Penguin Canada)

Best Short Story:

"Filmsong" by Pasha Malla, Toronto Noir (Akashic Books)

"Clay Pillows" by James Powell, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (June 2008)
"Walking the Dog" by Peter Robinson, Toronto Noir (Akashic Books)
"An Ill Wind" by Amelia Symington, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (Sept/Oct 2008)
"Thinking Inside the Box" by Kris Wood in Going Out with a Bang (RendezVous Crime)

Best Unpublished Novel (the Unhanged Arthur):

Louder by Douglas A. Moles

This Cage of Bones
by Pam Barnsley
Cheat the Hangman by Gloria Ferris
Salvage by Stephen Maher
Condemned by Kevin Thornton

»› The International Thriller Writers have announced the nominees for the Thriller Awards, which will be presented at a banquet in New York on July 11.

Best Thriller Of The Year

Hold Tight by Harlan Coben
The Bodies Left Behind by Jeffery Deaver
The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver
The Dark Tide by Andrew Gross
The Last Patriot by Brad Thor

Best First Novel

Calumet City by Charlie Newton
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
Criminal Paradise by Steven Thomas
Sacrifice by S. J. Bolton
The Killer's Wife by Bill Floyd

Best Short Story

"Between the Dark and the Daylight" by Tom Piccirilli Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
"Last Island South" by John C. Boland, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
"The Edge of Seventeen" by Alexandra Sokoloff, The Darker Mask
"The Point Guard" by Jason Pinter, Killer Year
"Time of the Green" by Ken Bruen, Killer Year

»› The Strand Magazine has announced its nominees for the 2008 Strand Magazine Critics Awards, recognizing excellence in the field of mystery fiction, which will be presented on July 8,
2009, in New York City. A lifetime achievement award will be given posthumously to English author John Mortimer.

Best Novel:

When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson (Little, Brown and Company)
Master of the Delta by Thomas H. Cook (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Company)
Lush Life by Richard Price (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Hollywood Crows by Joseph Wambaugh (Little, Brown and Company)

Best First Novel:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
City of the Sun by David Levien (Doubleday)
A Cure for Night by Justin Peacock (Doubleday)
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Grand Central Publishing)
A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley (Harper)

 

3/21/09

»› The Los Angeles Times has announced the following nominees in the Mystery/Thriller category of the LA Times Book Prizes, which will be presented April 24, 2009, in a privat e ceremony at the Los Angeles Times building. (updated 4/26/09 - winner in blue below)

Envy the Night by Michael Koryta (Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur)

The Finder by Colin Harrison (Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
Bad Traffic: An Inspector Jian Novel by Simon Lewis (Scribner)
The Age of Dreaming by Nina Revoyr (Akashic Books)
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Grand Central Publishing)

3/20/09

»› Click here to see the winners of the Lefty, and Hawaii Five-O Awards, and here to see the winner of the Dilys Award - all of which were presented at Left Coast Crime earlier this month.

»› The organizers of Malice Domestic have announced the nominees for the 2008 Agatha Awards. The awards will be presented at the 2008 Agatha Awards banquet to be held on Saturday, May 2, 2009. (updated 6/28/09, winners in blue below)

Best Novel:

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)

Six Geese A-Slaying by Donna Andrews (Minotaur Books)
A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen (Penguin Group)
Buckingham Palace Gardens by Anne Perry (Random House)
I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Minotaur Books)

Best First Novel:

Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet (Midnight Ink)

Through a Glass, Deadly by Sarah Atwell (Berkley Trade)
The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis (Penguin Group)
Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris (Minotaur Books)
Paper, Scissors, Death by Joanna Campbell Slan (Midnight Ink)

Best Non-fiction:

How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries by Kathy Lynn Emerson (Perseverance Press)

African American Mystery Writers: A Historical & Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey (McFarland & Co.)
Anthony Boucher: A Biobibliography by Jeff Marks (McFarland & Co.)
Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories by Dr. Harry Lee Poe (Metro Books)
The Suspicions of Mr. Whitcher, or The Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale (Walker & Co.)

Best Short Story:

"The Night Things Changed" by Dana Cameron, Wolfsbane & Mistletoe (Penguin Group)

"Killing Time" by Jane Cleland, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine - November 2008
"Dangerous Crossing" by Carla Coupe, Chesapeake Crimes 3 (Wildside Press)
"Skull & Cross-Examinations" by Toni L.P. Kelner, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine - February 2008
"A Nice Old Guy" by Nancy Pickard, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine - August 2008

Best Children's/Young Adult:

The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein (Random House Children's Books)

Into the Dark by Peter Abrahams (Harper Collins)
A Thief in the Theater (A Kit Mystery) by Sarah Masters Buckey (American Girl Publishers)
The Great Circus Train Robbery by Nancy Means Wright (Hilliard & Harris)

»› Calendar page updated

2/22/09

»› The February/March 2009 issue of Mystery News will be mailed tomorrow Monday, February 23, 2008. Craig McDonald interviews Megan Abbott, author of the forthcoming Bury Me Deep, and winner of the 2008 Best Paperback Original Edgar for Queenpin. Marv Lachman writes about Elizabeth Daly, author of the series featuring antiquarian book expert Henry Gamadge. Stephen Miller is back at the helm of the In the beginning column with an introduction to Meredith Cole, whose recently released debut, Posed for Murder, was the winner of the St. Martin's Press/Malice Domestic competition. Roger M. Sobin's Real-to-Reel column features The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton, who recently passed away. Dave Magayna's The Sound of Mystery looks at the audio versions of Biggie and the Poisoned Politician by Nancy Bell and Little Saigon, one of T. Jefferson Parker's early works. This first issue of the year includes our popular feature in which our reviewers tell us their 5 (or so) favorite books read last year...with an added bonus of a mini-essay on one of their favorite writers. And, of course, our usual columns, reviews, previews and calendar. Updated the Back Issues, Authors, and Calendar pages.

2/2/09

»› The organizers of Left Coast Crime 2009 announced the nominees for the Lefty, Bruce, and Hawaii Five-O Awards, which will be presented at a brunch during Left Coast Crime in March in Hawaii. (updated 3/20/09 - winners in blue below)

Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award

Nox Dormienda, A Long Night Sleeping by Kelli Stanley (Five Star)

A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander (HarperCollins)
A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen (Berkeley Prime Crime)
Tell Me Pretty Maiden by Rhys Bowen (St. Martin's)
Touchstone by Laurie R. King (Bantam)

Hawaii Five-O Award: (best police procedural)

Mahu Fire by Neil S. Plakcy (Alyson Books)

Angel Falls by Baron Birtcher (Iota)
The Angel of Knowlton Place by Kate Floral (Five Star)
The Black Path by Asa Larsson (Delta)
Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet (Midnight Ink)
Fractured by Karin Slaughter (Delacorte Press)

Lefty Award: (funniest mystery)

Greasing the Pinata by Tim Maleeny (Poisoned Pen Press)

Six Geese a-Slaying by Donna Andrews (St. Martin's)
It Happened One Knife by Jeffrey Cohen (Berkeley Prime Crime)
Thugs and Kisses by Sue Ann Jaffarian (Midnight Ink)
Murder at the Bad Girl's Bar and Grill by N.M. Kelby (Shaye Areheart Books/Random House)
Getting Old is To Die For by Rita Lakin (Dell/Bantam)

d The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers is pleased to announce nominees for their annual HAMMETT PRIZE for a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing by a US or Canadian author. The prize will be presented during the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Fall Conference, in Baltimore, October 4-5, 2009. The winner will receive a bronze trophy, designed by sculptor Peter Boiger. The nominees are as follows:

Leading Lady by Heywood Gould (Five Star)
The Finder by Colin Harrison (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
City of the Sun by David Levien (Doubleday)
The Turnaround by George Pelecanos (Little, Brown)
South by South Bronx by Abraham Rodriguez (Akashic)

»› Calendar page updated to include 5 new events.

1/20/09

»› Calendar page updated to include new events in April 2009.

»› Mystery Writers of America is proud to announce, as we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, its Nominees for the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television and film published or produced in 2008. The Edgar® Awards will be presented to the winners at our 63rd Gala Banquet, April 30, 2009 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City. (updated 6/28/09, winners in blue below)

Best Novel

Blue Heaven by C.J. Box (St. Martin's Minotaur)

Missing by Karin Alvtegen (Felony & Mayhem Press)
Sins of the Assassin by Robert Ferrigno (Simon & Schuster - Scribner)
The Price of Blood by Declan Hughes (HarperCollins - William Morrow)
The Night Following by Morag Joss (Random House - Delacorte Press)
Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz (Simon & Schuster)

Best First Novel by an American Author

The Foreigner by Francie Lin (Picador)

The Kind One by Tom Epperson (Five Star, div of Cengage)
Sweetsmoke by David Fuller (Hyperion)
Calumet City by Charlie Newton (Simon & Schuster - Touchstone)
A Cure for Night by Justin Peacock (Random House - Doubleday)

Best Paperback Original

China Lake by Meg Gardiner (New American Library - Obsidian Mysteries)

The Prince of Bagram by Alex Carr (Random House Trade)
Money Shot by Christa Faust (Hard Case Crime)
Enemy Combatant by Ed Gaffney (Random House - Dell)
The Cold Spot by Tom Piccirilli (Random House - Bantam)

Best Fact Crime

American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century by Howard Blum (Crown Publishers)

For The Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb and the Murder that Shocked Chicago by Simon Baatz (HarperCollins)
Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It To The Revolution by T.J. English (HarperCollins - William Morrow)
The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Hans van Meegeren by Jonathan Lopez (Harcourt)
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale (Walker & Company)

Best Critical/Biographical

Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories by Dr. Harry Lee Poe (Sterling Publishing - Metro Books)

African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey (McFarland & Company)
Hard-Boiled Sentimentality: The Secret History of American Crime Stories by Leonard Cassuto (Columbia University Press)
Scene of the Crime: The Importance of Place in Crime and Mystery Fiction by David Geherin (McFarland & Company)
The Rise of True Crime by Jean Murley (Greenwood Publishing - Praeger)

Best Short Story

"Skinhead Central" - The Blue Religion by T. Jefferson Parker (Hachette Book Group - Little, Brown and Company)

"A Sleep Not Unlike Death" - Hardcore Hardboiled by Sean Chercover (Kensington Publishing)
"Skin and Bones" - Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine by David Edgerley Gates (Dell Magazines)
"Scratch of a Woman" - Hardly Knew Her by Laura Lippman (HarperCollins - William Morrow)
"La Vie en Rose" - Paris Noir by Dominique Mainard (Akashic Books

Best Juvenile

The Postcard by Tony Abbott (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Enigma: A Magical Mystery by Graeme Base (Abrams Books for Young Readers)
Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff (Random House Children's Books - Wendy Lamb Books)
The Witches of Dredmoore Hollow by Riford McKenzie (Marshall Cavendish Children's Books)
Cemetary Street by Brenda Seabrooke (Holiday House)

Best Young Adult

Paper Towns by John Green (Penguin Young Readers Group - Dutton Children's Books)

Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd (Random House Children's Books - David Fickling Books)
The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo (Harry N. Abrams Books - Amulet Books)
Getting the Girl by Susan Juby (HarperCollins Children's Books - HarperTeen)
Torn to Pieces by Margo McDonnell (Random House Children's Books - Delacorte Books for Young Readers)

Best Play

The Ballad of Emmett Till by Ifa Bayeza (Goodman Theatre, Chicago, IL)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, based on the story by Robert Lewis Stevenson (Arizona Theatre Company)
Cell by Judy Klass (International Mystery Writers' Festival)

Best Television Episode Teleplay

"Prayer of the Bone" - Wire in the Blood, teleplay by Patrick Harbinson (BBC America)

"Streetwise" - Law & Order: SVU, teleplay by Paul Grellong (Wolf Films/NBC Universal)
"Signature" - Law & Order: SVU, teleplay by Judith McCreary (Wolf Films/NBC Universal)
"You May Now Kill the Bride" - CSI: Miami, teleplay by Barry O'Brien (CBS)
"Burn Card" - Law & Order, teleplay by David Wilcox (Wolf Films/NBC Universal)

Best Motion Picture Screenplay

In Bruges, screenplay by Martin McDonagh (Focus Features)

The Bank Job, screenplay by Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais (Lionsgate)
Burn After Reading, screenplay by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (Focus Features)
Tell No One, screenplay by Guillaume Canet, based on the book by Harlan Coben (Music Box Films)
Transsiberian, screenplay by Brad Anderson & Will Conroy (First Look International)

Robert L. Fish Memorial Award

"Buckner's Error" - Queens Noir by Joseph Guglielmelli (Akashic Books)

Grand Masters

James Lee Burke
Sue Grafton

Raven Awards

Edgar Allan Poe Society, Baltimore, Maryland
Poe House, Baltimore, Maryland

The Simon & Schuster - Mary Higgins Clark Award

The Killer's Wife by Bill Floyd (St. Martin's Minotaur)

Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton (St. Martin's Minotaur)
Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer (Random House - Doubleday)
A Song for You by Betsy Thornton (St. Martin's Minotaur)
The Fault Tree by Louise Ure (St. Martin's Minotaur

»› The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association (IMBA) is pleased to announce this year's nominees for the Dilys Winn award, given annually to the mystery titles of the year which the member booksellers most enjoyed selling. The Dilys Award is named in honor of Dilys Winn, the founder of the first specialty bookstore of mystery books in the United States. The award will be presented at Left Coast Crime in March. (updated 3/20/09 - winner in blue below)

Trigger City by Sean Chercover (William Morrow)

The Victoria Vanishes by Christopher Fowler (Bantam)
Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn (Mira)
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Grand Central)
Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow (Alfred A. Knopf)

1/10/09 -- oops, just realized I did an update right before Christmas and completely forgot to upload it! So here goes:

12/23/08

»› The December/January 2009 issue of Mystery News was mailed Monday, December 22, 2008. Reed Andrus interviews Suzanne Arruda, author of the ongoing series featuring American adventuress Jade del Cameron whose newest story is told in The Leopard's Prey, due out in early January. Marv Lachman tells of Ben Benson, onetime hobo and author of a couple of series about the Massachusetts State Police in the 1950s. Virginia R. Knight introduces Jeri Westerson and her debut novel, Veil of Lies, sub-billed as Medieval Noir. Lynn Kaczmarek writes about Stieg Larsson, whose The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo made a huge splash in Europe and the US. Regrettably, Larsson died soon after having this first of three works accepted for publication. Roger M. Sobin's Real-to-Reel column features Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, published in 1939, produced on stage in 1943 and filmed for the first of about a dozen times in 1945. Dave Magayna's The Sound of Mystery looks at the audio versions of Head Games and The Monkey's Raincoat. And, of course, our usual columns, reviews, previews and calendar. Updated the Back Issues page and the Calendar page.

11/1/08

»› Updated Calendar page. Corrected link to Bouchercon photos on Photo Gallery page.

10/20/08

»› Uploaded excerpt from Ann Cleeves interview.

10/19/08

»› The October/November 2008 issue of Mystery News is being mailed tomorrow, October 20, 2008. Lynn Kaczmarek's cover interview with Ann Cleeves introduces us to the winner of the 2006 Duncan Lawrie Dagger winner for the best crime novel, Raven Black. Marv Lachman digs deep into the 19th century, which is when E. Phillips Oppenheim wrote the first of his 116 novels. Reed Andrus takes a turn at our "In the beginning" feature, with his interview of Ian Vasquez, whose first novel, In the Heat takes place in Belize, where Vasquez grew up. Virginia R. Knight interviews Will Thomas, author of The Black Hand, fifth in the series featuring Victorian-era private inquiry agents Barker and Llewelyn. Roger M. Sobin's Real-to-Reel column features Ken Follett's Eye of the Needle, which won an Edgar for Best novel in 1979 and was made into a film in 1981. Dave Magayna is back with The Sound of Mystery, with reviews of the audio versions of Perfect Poison and Strangers in Death. And, of course, our usual columns, reviews, previews and calendar. Updated the Back Issues page, the Publishers page and added several new events to the Calendar page.

» Awards, awards, awards! Our congratulations to all of the winners!

Click here for the Anthony Award winners, here for the Barry Awards, here for the Macavity Awards, here for the Shamus Awards, and here for our Bouchercon 2008 photos.

10/1/08

»› Our preliminary Bouchercon "Meet and Greet" schedule is now up at this link.

8/25/08

»› The August/September 2008 issue of Mystery News is being mailed today, August 25, 2008. Lynn Kaczmarek has a cover interview with Vicki Lane, whose newest Elizabeth Goodweather paperback original novel, In a Dark Season, was published in May. Marv Lachman's "Out of the Past" column focuses on Gerald Sinstadt, who wrote 2 of the best spy novels Marv has ever read, back in the sixties. Pam Lawrence picks up the "In the beginning" baton with an interview with Sharon Bolton, author of Sacrifice, a thriller set in the wild and remote Shetland Islands. Virginia R. Knight interviews Charles Finch, Agatha-nominated author of The September Society. Roger M. Sobin takes a look at In a Lonely Place, penned by Dorothy Hughes and directed by Nicholas Ray, in his Real to Reel column. And, of course, our usual columns, reviews, previews and calendar. Updated the Back Issues and added several new events to the Calendar page.

»› The Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) has announced the nominees for the 27th annual Shamus Awards, given annually to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction. The 2008 awards cover works first published in the U.S. in 2007. The awards will be presented at the PWA banquet, to be held Friday evening Oct. 10, 2008, in Baltimore, Maryland, during the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. Banquet details will be announced later in August. (10/19/08 update: winners in blue below)

Best Hardcover

Head Games by Thomas B. Cavanagh
Soul Patch by Reed Farrel Coleman
The Color of Blood by Declan Hughes
A Welcome Grave by Michael Koryta
A Killer’s Kiss by William Lashner

Best Paperback Original

Songs of Innocence by Richard Aleas
Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong

Stone Rain by Linwood Barclay

Deadly Beloved by Max Allan Collins

Blood of Paradise by David Corbett

Best First Novel

The Cleaner by Brett Battles
Keep It Real by Bill Bryan

Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover

When One Man Dies by Dave White

The Last Striptease by Michael Wiley

Best Short Story

"Kill the Cat" by Loren D. Estleman in Detroit Noir
"Trust Me" by Loren D. Estleman in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, June 2007
"Open Mike" by James Nolan in New Orleans Noir

“Hungry Enough" by Cornelia Read in A Hell of a Woman

"Room for Improvement" by Marilyn Todd in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Dec. 2007

The Eye Award for lifetime achievement: Joe Gores

»› On July 14, 2008, the 2007 Strand Magazine Critics Award winners (in blue below) were announced at an invitation-only cocktail party in Manhattan.

Best Novel

What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman

The Watchman by Robert Crais
Down River by John Hart
The Shotgun Rule by Charlie Huston
The Strangler by William Landay

Best First Novel

The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey

Missing Witness by Gordon Campbell
In the Woods by Tana French
The Mark by Jason Pinter

When One Man Dies by Dave White

7/13/08

»› The International Thriller Writers presented the 2008 Thriller Awards at a banquet in New York on July 12, 2008. Click here for full list of nominees

2008 ThrillerMaster: Sandra Brown

Silver Bullet Awards: David Baldacci and Macys

Best Novel: The Ghost by Robert Harris

Best First Novel: Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Best Paperback Original: The Midnight Road by Tom Piccirilli

7/12/08

»› The UK Crime Writers' Association has announced the winners of the 2008 Dagger awards, which were presented at a dinner in London on Thursday 10th July. Click here for full list of nominees

Duncan Lawrie Dagger for Best Novel: Blood From Stone by Frances Fyfield

Duncan Lawrie International Dagger: Lorraine Connection by Dominique Manotti (translated from the French by Amanda Hopkinson and Ros Schwartz)

Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction: Nationality: Wog - The Hounding of David Oluwale by Kester Aspden

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger: Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

Short Story Dagger: "The Bookbinder's Apprentice" by Martin Edwards (The Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries)

John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger: The Bethlehem Murders by Matt Rees (US title The Collaborator of Bethlehem)

The Dagger in the Library (given to the author whose work is currently giving the greatest enjoyment to library users): Craig Russell

Debut Dagger Competition (for unpublished novelists, based on opening chapter(s) and a short synopsis of a proposed crime novel): Amer Anwar (UK) for Western Fringes

»› The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers has announced the winner (in blue below) of the annual Hammett Prize at a ceremony on June 7, 2008 in Toronto, during the Bloody Words mystery convention.

The Outlander by Gil Adamson (House of Anansi Press)

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins)
End Games by Michael Dibdin (Pantheon)
Dahlia's Gone by Katie Estill (St. Martin's)
Stalin's Ghost by Martin Cruz Smith (Simon & Schuster)

»› The Wolfe Pack has announced the finalists for the 2008 Nero Wolfe Award, which will be presented at the Black Orchid banquet in New York on December 6, 2008.

Glass Houses by Jane Haddam (St. Martin's Minotaur)
The Burnt House by Faye Kellerman (William Morrow)
In This Rain by S. J. Rozan (Delacorte)
Anatomy Of Fear by Jonathan Santlofer (William Morrow)
In Secret Service by Mitch Silver (Touchstone)

7/6/08

»› Posted the Barry Awards ballot on the Barry page. If you are a reader of Mystery News and you have not received a ballot, you can print and mail this one.

»› Updated the Calendar page with 5 new events and restored a few that mysteriously went missing with our last update.

6/29/08

»› Waterstone's and the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival have announced the shortlist for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2008, which will be announced on Thursday 17 July at the opening of the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.

The Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett
Buried by Mark Billingham
A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil by Christopher Brookmyre
The Death of Dalziel by Reginald Hill
One Under by Graham Hurley
Not Dead Enough by Peter James
Relentless by Simon Kernick
Dying Light by Stuart MacBride
Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
Piece Of My Heart by Peter Robinson
Sovereign by C.J. Sansom

»› The June/July 2008 issue of Mystery News was mailed on June 23, 2008. Pam Lawrence's cover interview is of Jim Kelly, whose fifth novel featuring journalist Philip Dryden and his sidekick Humph was published in North America earlier this spring. Marv Lachman writes about Josephine Tey, an author perhaps best known for The Daughter of Time, whose books remain in print after 50+ years. Virginia R. Knight takes a turn writing our In the beginning column with a feature on Rose Melikan, whose first novel The Blackstone Key is set in 1795 on England's Suffolk coast. Tim Davis reveals the writing duo behind the pseudonym Michael Gregorio, authors of Days of Atonement and Critique of Criminal Reason. Roger M. Sobin's Real to Reel column shines a light on 1932's The Mask of Fu Manchu and Sax Rohmer's series featuring the diabolical doctor. Dave Magayna listens to Anne Perry's Buckingham Palace Gardens and to Daniel Silva's The Messenger. And, of course, our usual columns, reviews, previews and calendar. Updated the Back Issues and added nearly a dozen new events to the Calendar page.

»› Click here to see the winner of the Hammett Award. Click here to see this year's Edgar Award winners.

»› Bouchercon 2008 has announced the nominees for the 2008 Anthony Awards as follows. The awards will be presented at a banquet in Baltimore in early October. (10/19/08 update: winners in blue below)

Best Novel:

Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke
Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child
The Watchman by Robert Crais
Thunder Bay by William Kent Krueger
What the Dead Know by
Laura Lippman

Best First Novel:

Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover
In the Woods by Tana French
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
Head Games by Craig MacDonald
The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey

Best Paperback Original:

Queenpin by Megan Abbott
Slide by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr
Blood of Paradise by David Corbett
Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues by Robert Fate
A Thousand Bones by P.J. Parrish

Short Story:

"Please Watch Your Step" by Rhys Bowen (The Strand Magazine, Feb-May 2007)
"Dear Dr. Watson" by Steve Hockensmith (EQMM, February 2007)
"How Stella Got her Grave Back" by Toni L. P. Kelner (Many Bloody Returns)
"Hardly Knew Her" by Laura Lippman (Dead Man's Hand)
"Uncle" by Daniel Woodrell (A Hell of A Woman)

Critical Work:

Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters by Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower & Charles Foley
The Essential Mystery Lists Compiled by Roger Sobin
The Triumph of the Thriller: How Cops, Crooks and Cannibals Captured Popular Fiction by Patrick Anderson
Deviance in Contemporary Crime Fiction by Christiana Gregoriou

Special Services:

Jon and Ruth Jordan - CrimeSpree Magazine
Ali Karim - Shots Magazine
Maddy Van Hertbruggen - 4 Mystery Addicts
Sarah Weinman - Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind
Judy Bobalik - for being one of the best friends and supporters of mystery writers anywhere

Web Site:

Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind - Sarah Weinman
Rap Sheet/January Magazine - J. Kingston Pierce
Murderati - A Writer's Blog
Stop You're Killing Me - Stan Ulrich & Lucinda Surber
Crime Fiction Dossier - David Montgomery


»› The Mystery Readers International (Mystery Readers Journal) has announced the Macavity Award nominations for works published in 2007. The awards will be presented during opening ceremonies at Bouchercon in Baltimore in October 2008. (10/19/08 update: winners in blue below)

Best Mystery Novel

Soul Patch by Reed Farrel Coleman
The Unquiet by John Connolly
Blood of Paradise by David Corbett
Water Like a Stone by Deborah Crombie
What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman

Best First Mystery
In the Woods by Tana French
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
Stealing the Dragon by Tim Maleeny )
The Collaborator of Bethlehem by Matt Beynon Rees
Best Mystery Short Story
"A Rat's Tale" by Donna Andrews (EQMM, Sep-Oct 2007)
"Please Watch Your Step" by Rhys Bowen (The Strand Magazine, Spring 2007)
"The Missing Elevator Puzzle" by Jon L. Breen (EQMM, Feb 2007)
"Brimstone P.I." by Beverle Graves Myers (AHMM, May 2007)
"The Old Wife's Tale" by Gillian Roberts (EQMM, Mar-Apr 2007)
Best Mystery Non-Fiction
Rough Guide to Crime Fiction by Barry Forshaw
Chester Gould by Jean Gould O'Connell
Arthur Conan Doyle edited by Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower & Charles Foley
Police Procedure and Investigation by Lee Lofland
The Essential Mystery Lists compiled and edited by Roger Sobin
Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery
Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
The Snake Stone by Jason Goodwin
Consequences of Sin by Clare Langley-Hawthorne
The Gravediggers Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates

 

»› The Crime Writers of Canada awarded the Arthur Ellis Awards on Thursday, June 5 in Toronto. Winners in blue below.

Best Novel

Trumpets Sound No More by Jon Redfern

No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay
Snow Candy by Terry Carroll
A Journeyman to Grief by Maureen Jennings
The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny

Best First Novel

García's Heart by Liam Durcan

The Line Painter by Claire Cameron
Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover
Blood of Dreams by Susan Parisi
The Silk Train Murder by Sharon Rowse
Sucker Punch by Marc Strange

Best Short Story

"Turners" by Leslie Watts (Kingston Whig-Standard, July 7, 2007)

"Eight Lords A'Leaping" by Vicki Cameron (Locked Up)
"Wreckwood" by Maureen Jennings (Blood on the Holly)
"The Hounds of Winter" by D.J. McIntosh (Blood on the Holly)
"As Long as We Both Shall Live" by Rick Mofina (Blood on the Holly)
Best Crime Writing in French
Tsiganes by Mario Bolduc

Le Cercle des Pénitents by Johanne Seymour
GHB: Grossier, Horrible et Bête by Pierre H. Richard
Epidermes by Diane Vincent
Scènes de Crimes: Enquêtes sur le Roman Policier Contemporain by Norbert Spehner

Best Non-Fiction

One Child at a Time by Julian Sher

Enter the Babylon System by Rodrigo Bascunan & Christian Pearce
The Last to Die by Robert J. Hoshowsky
The War on Women by Brian Vallée
Where War Lives by Paul Watson

Best Juvenile

Eye of the Crow by Shane Peacock

Racing for Diamonds by Anita Daher
Spider's Song by Anita Daher
I.D. by Vicki Grant
The Night Wanderer by Drew Hayden Taylor

Best Unpublished First Crime Novel: the Unhanged Arthur

D.J. McIntosh for The Witch of Babylon

Patricia Flewwelling for Mummer's the Word
Amy Tector for The Paris Letters
Kevin Thornton for Condemned

»› The UK Crime Writers' Association has announced the 2008 shortlists for the Dagger awards. The awards will be presented at a dinner in London on Thursday 10th July.

Duncan Lawrie Dagger for Best Novel

The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke
The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
Blood From Stone by Frances Fyfield
Night Work by Steve Hamilton
What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman
A Vengeful Longing by R.N. Morris
Duncan Lawrie International Dagger
The Patience of the Spider by Andrea Camilleri
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Lorraine Connection by Dominique Manotti
A Deal With the Devil by Martin Suter
This Night's Foul Work by Fred Vargas
Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction
Nationality: Wog - The Hounding of David Oluwale by Kester Aspden
The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed Bishop Gerardi by Francisco Goldman
Violation by David Rose
The Lost Boy by Duncan Staff
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale
Into the Darkness by Peter Zimonjic
Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
Ritual by Mo Hayder
I See You by Gregg Hurwitz
Shatter by Michael Robotham
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
The Echelon Vendetta by David Stone
Short Story Dagger
"Provenance" by Robert Barnard (The Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries)
"One Dollar Jackpot" by Michael Connelly (Dead Man's Hand)
"The Bookbinder's Apprentice" by Martin Edwards (The Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries)
"One True Love" by Laura Lippman (Best American Mystery Stories 2007)
"Glazed" by Danuta Reah (Getting Even)
John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger
The Night of the Mi'raj by Zoë Ferraris (US title Finding Nouf)
Die With Me by Elena Forbes
The Bethlehem Murders by Matt Rees (US title The Collaborator of Bethlehem)
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
The Dagger In the Library (given to the author whose work is currently giving the greatest enjoyment to library users)
Elizabeth Corley
Andrew Martin
Denise Mina
Craig Russell
CJ Sansom
Chris Simms
Debut Dagger Competition (for unpublished novelists, based on opening chapter(s) and a short synopsis of a proposed crime novel)

Amer Anwar (UK) for Western Fringes
Belinda Bauer (UK) for Blacklands
Russell Colman (Canada) for Desert Storm
Peter Dewar (UK) for The Eclipse of Lilith
Bill Harrison (Canada) for Nite Lite
Alison Marlow (UK) for The Stench of Lilies
James Oswald (UK) for The Book of Souls
Susan Schaab (USA) for Wearing the Spider
Ian Simpson (UK) for Devils and Disciples
PJ Watson (USA) for All the Wrong People

»› International Thriller Writers, Inc. has announced the following nominees for the Thriller Awards, which will be announced at ThrillerFest in NY in July.

Best Novel

No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay
The Watchman by Robert Crais
The Ghost by Robert Harris
The Crime Writer by Gregg Hurwitz
Trouble by Jesse Kellerman

Best First Novel

Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell
Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover
From the Depths by Gerry Doyle
Volk's Game by Brent Ghelfi
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Best Paperback Original

The Last Nightingale by Anthony Flacco
A Thousand Bones by P.J. Parrish
The Midnight Road by Tom Piccirilli
The Queen of Bedlam by Robert McCammon
Shattered by Jay Bonansinga

5/31/08

»› Mystery News and Deadly Pleasures are pleased to announce the nominations for the 2008 Barry Awards. George Easter, founder and editor of DP, created the Barrys 11 years ago as a way of honoring Barry Gardner, who had recently died rather suddenly at a fairly young age. Barry had come to mystery fandom relatively recently and had become a prolific and highly respected reviewer and ambassador of mystery and crime fiction. The Barry Awards will be presented at Bouchercon in Baltimore, Maryland in early October 2008

Best Novel (Published in the U.S. in 2007)
Soul Patch by Reed Farrel Coleman (Bleak House)
The Unquiet by John Connolly (Atria)
Down River by John Hart (St Martin's Minotaur)
Dirty Martini by J.A. Konrath (Hyperion)
What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman (Morrow)
Red Cat by Peter Spiegelman (Knopf)
Best First Novel (Published in the U.S. in 2007)
Missing Witness by Gordon Campbell (Morrow)
Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover (Morrow)
In the Woods by Tana French (Viking)
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz (Simon & Schuster)
The Collaborator of Bethlehem by Matt Beynon Rees (Soho Press)
The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey (St. Martin's Minotaur)

Best British Crime Novel (Published in the U.K. in 2007, not necessarily written by a British writer nor set in the U.K.)
A Quiet Belief in Angels by R.J. Ellory (Orion)
Pig Island by Mo Hayder (Bantam Press)
One Under by Graham Hurley (Orion)
The Death List by Paul Johnston (Mira)
The 50/50 Killer bySteve Mosby (Orion)
Damnation Falls by Edward Wright (Orion)

Best Thriller
No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay (Bantam)
The Cleaner by Brett Battles (Delacorte)
The Watchman by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster)
Volk's Game by Brent Ghelfi (Henry Holt)
Silence by Thomas Perry (Harcourt)
Midnight Rambler by Jim Swain (Ballantine)

Best Paperback Original

Queenpin by Megan Abbott (Simon & Schuster)
Black Widow Agency by Felicia Donovan (Midnight Ink)
Choke Point by Jay MacLarty (Pocket)
The Mark by Jason Pinter (Mira)
Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand by Fred Vargas (Penguin)
Who Is Conrad Hirst? by Kevin Wignall (Simon & Schuster)


Best Short Story

"Dead As a Dog" by Doug Allyn (EQMM July 2007)
"The Book Case" by Dale C. Andrews and Kurt Sercu (EQMM May 2007)
"The Missing Elevator Puzzle" by Jon L. Breen (EQMM February 2007)
"Bump" by Jeffery Deaver (Dead Man's Hand)
"The Problem of the Summer Snowman" by Edward D. Hoch (EQMM November 2007)
"The Old Wife's Tale" by Gillian Roberts (EQMM March-April 2007)
"Murder: A User's Guibe" by Neil Schofield (AHMM July-August 2007)


»›
Updated the Calendar page with 8 new events


4/22/08

»› The April/May 2008 issue of Mystery News is being mailed on April 23, 2008. The cover interview, by Lynn Kaczmarek is of Katherine Hall Page, the author of The Body in the Gallery, seventeenth in the Faith Fairchild series, featuring the New England caterer who finds bodies in the most interesting places. Marv Lachman tells us of Helen Reilly, whose series featuring Inspector Christopher McKee of the Manhattan Homicide Division predates the subgenre of police procedurals. Steve Miller writes about Leighton Gage, whose Blood of the Wicked takes us into the land wars and liberation theology of Brazil. W.E. Reinka gives us a warmly heartfelt tribute to Edward D. Hoch, master of the mystery short story who died in January of this year. Virginia R. Knight talks to Ariana Franklin, whose Mistress of the Art of Death won the 2007 Ellis Peters Award. Roger M. Sobin's Real to Reel column brings us back to the heyday of the 007 films with From Russia, With Love. Dave Magayna's The Sound of Mystery features a review of the audio version of J.A. Konrath's Dirty Martini. We've got a mini-feature of some more of our reviewers' 5 favorite books read in 2007. And, of course, our usual columns, reviews, previews and calendar. Updated the Back Issues and Calendar page.

2/23/08

»› The February/March 2008 issue of Mystery News was mailed on February 19, 2008. The cover interview, by Lynn Kaczmarek is of Steve Hockensmith, whose series featuring the Amlingmeyer brothers, Old Red and Big Red, puts a western spin on the historical and detective mystery. Marv Lachman covers Stuart Palmer, perhaps best known as the author of the Hildegard Withers series, and also a prolific screensriter. Steve Miller introduces us to Craig McDonald, whose debut work, Head Games, takes a gamble or two along the way. We've got a cool conversation in which veteran writer Ken Bruen talks to relative newcomer Marcus Sakey about pleasure-delaying and the algebra of story. Roger M. Sobin's Real to Reel column focuses on The Petrified Forest, and the author of the play on which is is based, Robert E. Sherwood. Dave Magayna is back with The Sound of Mystery, featuring reviews of the audio versions of Matthew Klein's Con Ed and Greg Rucka's Patriot Acts. This is the issue in which our reviewers tell us their 5 (or so) favorite books read in 2007. And, of course, our usual columns, reviews, previews and calendar. Updated the Back Issues, Authors, and Calendar pages.

»› The Mystery Writers of America have announced the nominees for the Edgar Allan Poe Awards, which will be presented at a banquet at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York on May 1. Update: winners are noted in blue below.

Best Novel:

Down River by John Hart (St. Martin's Minotaur)

Christine Falls by Benjamin Black (Henry Holt)
Priest by Ken Bruen (St. Martin's Minotaur)
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins)
Soul Patch by Reed Farrel Coleman (Bleak House Books)

Best First Novel by an American Author:

In the Woods by Tana French (Viking)

Missing Witness by Gordon Campbell (William Morrow)
Snitch Jacket by Christopher Goffard (Rookery Press)
Head Games by Craig McDonald (Bleak House Books)
Pyres by Derek Nikitas (St. Martin's Minotaur)

Best Paperback Original:

Queenpin by Megan Abbott (Simon & Schuster)

Blood of Paradise by David Corbett (Random House/Mortalis)
Cruel Poetry by Vicki Hendricks (Serpent's Tail)
Robbie's Wife by Russell Hill (Hard Case Crime)
Who is Conrad Hirst? by Kevin Wignall (Simon & Schuster)

Best Fact Crime:

Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy by Vincent Bugliosi (Norton)

The Birthday Party by Stanley Alpert (Putnam)
Chasing Justice: My Story of Freeing Myself After Two Decades on Death Row for a Crime I Didn't Commit by Kerry Max Cook (William Morrow)
Relentless Pursuit: A True Story of Family, Murder, and the Prosecutor Who Wouldn't Quit by Kevin Flynn (Putnam)
Sacco & Vanzetti: The Men, The Murders and the Judgment of Mankind by Bruce Watson (Viking)

Best Critical/Biographical:

Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters by Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower and Charles Foley (Penguin Press)

The Triumph of the Thriller: How Cops, Crooks and Cannibals Captured Popular Fiction by Patrick Anderson (Random House)
A Counter-History of Crime Fiction: Supernatural, Gothic, Sensational by Maurizio Ascari (Palgrave Macmillan)
Deviance in Contemporary Crime Fiction by Christiana Gregoriou (Palgrave Macmillan)
Chester Gould: A Daughter's Biography of the Creator of Dick Tracy by Jean Gould O'Connell (McFarland & Company)

Best Short Story:

"The Golden Gopher" by Susan Straight (in Los Angeles Noir, edited by Denise Hamilton; Akashic Books)

"The Catch" by Mark Ammons (in Still Waters, edited by Kate Flora, Ruth McCarty & Susan Oleksiw; Level Best Books)
"Blue Note" by Stuart M. Kaminsky (in Chicago Blues, edited by Libby Fischer Hellman; Bleak House Books)
"Hardly Knew Her" by Laura Lippman (in Dead Man's Hand, edited by Otto Penzler; Harcourt)
"Uncle" by Daniel Woodrell (in A Hell Of A Woman, edited by Megan Abbott; Busted Flush Press)

Best Juvenile:

The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh (Hyperion)

The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch (Little, Brown)
Shadows on Society Hill by Evelyn Coleman (American Girl Publications)
Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn (Clarion Books)
Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things by Wendelin Van Draanen (Knopf)

Best Young Adult:

Rat Life by Tedd Arnold (Dial)

Diamonds in the Shadow by Caroline B. Cooney (Delacorte Press)
Touching Snow by M. Sindy Felin (Atheneum Books)
Blood Brothers by S.A. Harazin (Delacorte Press)
Fragments by Jeffry W. Johnston (Simon Pulse)


Best Play:

Panic by Joseph Goodrich (International Mystery Writers' Festival)

If/Then by David Foley (International Mystery Writers' Festival)
Books by Stuart M. Kaminsky (International Mystery Writers' Festival)

Best Television Episode teleplay:

"Pilot" - Burn Notice, teleplay by Matt Nix (USA Network/Fox Television Studios)


"It's Alive" - Dexter, teleplay by Daniel Cerone (Showtime)
"Yahrzeit" - Waking the Dead, teleplay by Declan Croghan & Barbara Machin (BBC America)
"Pie-Lette" - Pushing Daisies, teleplay by Bryan Fuller (ABC/Warner Bros Television)
"Senseless" - Law & Order: Criminal Intent, teleplay by Julie Martin & Siobhan Byrne O'Connor (Wolf Films/NBC Universal)

Best Motion Picture Screenplay:

Michael Clayton, screenplay by Tony Gilroy (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Eastern Promises, screenplay by Steven Knight (Focus Features)
The Lookout, screenplay by Scott Frank (Miramax)
No Country for Old Men, screenplay by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, based on the book by Cormac McCarthy (Miramax)
Zodiac, screenplay by James Vanderbilt, based on the book by Robert Graysmith (Warner Bros. Pictures)


Robert L. Fish Memorial Award:

"The Catch" by Mark Ammons (in Still Waters, edited by Kate Flora, Ruth McCarty & Susan Oleksiw; Level Best Books)


Grand Master:

Bill Pronzini

Raven Awards:

Center for the Book in the Library of Congress
Kate's Mystery Books (Kate Mattes, owner)

The Simon & Schuster - Mary Higgins Clark Award:

Wild Indigo by Sandi Ault (Penguin Group/Berkley Prime Crime)

In Cold Pursuit by Sarah Andrews (St. Martin's Minotaur)
Inferno by Karen Harper (Harlequin/MIRA Books)
The First Stone by Judith Kelman (Penguin Group/Berkley Prime Crime)
Deadman's Switch by Barbara Seranella (St. Martin's Minotaur)

»› The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers has announced the nominees for the Hammett Prize, which is given for a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing by a US or Canadian author. The Hammett will be presented at Bloody Words in Toronto in early June. Update: winner noted in blue below.

The Outlander by Gil Adamson (House of Anansi Press)

The Yiddish Policemen's Union
by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins)
End Games by Michael Dibdin (Pantheon)
Dahlia's Gone by Katie Estill (St. Martin's Press)
Stalin's Ghost by Martin Cruz Smith (Simon & Schuster)


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The What's New? page is updated regularly by Chris Aldrich, one of the partners in Black Raven Press. Items of general interest to fans of mystery and crime fiction may be emailed to her at whatsnew@blackravenpress.com. Please do not send promotional announcements for individual authors or books - they will likely not be used and will likely only cause annoyance. Please refer to our submission guidelines for information on submitting books for review. Please report any broken links to webmaster@blackravenpress.com