Paranormal Mysteries: Mystery Readers Journal

The latest issue of Mystery Readers Journal: Paranormal Mysteries (Volume 26:2) is out. Take a look at the Table of Contents. Great Articles, Reviews and Author! Author! essays. Great cover photo by Mark Coggins. I'll be posting different articles on Mystery Fanfare, so you can get a taste of this issue. Here's the 

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Supernatural Sleuthing—What Dun It? by Alan J. Bishop
• Three Paranormal Mystery Series You Will Love by Sharon Schmidt Tyler

AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

• The Dark Behind the Door by Mignon Ballard
• Things That Go Bump in the Night by Lillian Stewart Carl
• Accidentally Paranormal by Judy Clemens
• True Confessions by E.J. Copperman
• I Love Cemeteries by Casey Daniels
• Something Is Moving in the Woods by Vicki Delany
• Paranormally Yours by Carole Nelson Douglas
• The Case for Detecstasy by Graham Edwards
• Paranormal? Perhaps... by Kathleen Ernst
• Into the Woo-Woo by Jack Fredrickson
• I Hope Ghosts Are Real by Chris Grabenstein
• Books That Go Bump in the Night by Deborah Grabien
• Swinging Around a Cloud by Carolyn Hart
• I See Undead People... by Sue Ann Jaffarian
• The Truth About Vampires... by Maria Lima
• Haunting—A Do-It-Yourself Guide by Paul McHugh
• The Supernatural and Deputy Tempe Crabtree by Marilyn Meredith
• The Mystery of the Paranormal by Kris Neri
• Mysterious Forces by Joyce and Jim Lavene
• The Spiritual Procedural by Phil Rickman
• By Ghosts Possessed by Elena Santangelo
• The Rowan Gant Investigations—Paranormal Suspense Thrillers by M. R. Sellars
• Ghost Wrangling: From One Who Knows by Clea Simon
• Whatdunit? by Alexandra Sokoloff
• Writing About the "Real" World by Roz Southey
• How a Psychic Entered My Life by Earl Staggs
• We're No Angels by Mary Stanton
• Anything's Possible by by S.D. Tooley
• Mysteries Go Beyond the Pale! by E. F. Watkins

COLUMNS

• Mystery in Retrospect: Reviews by Lesa Holstine, Marlyn Beebe
• True Crime: Paranormal Legal Thrillers by Cathy Pickens
• The Children’s Hour: Paranormal Mysteries by Gay Toltl Kinman
• Crime Seen: Paranormal and Supernatural by Kate Derie
• The Mystery Story and the Paranormal: Observations from an English Viewpoint by Philip Scowcroft
• From the Editor's Desk by Janet A. Rudolph

Summer Sleuthing: Lazy, Hazy Murderous Days of Summer

Summertime, and the living is easy. Or is it? I got to thinking about all those mysteries that take place during Summer--on the Beach, at the Lake, and in the City that are filled with murder and mayhem! What follows is a list of Summer Crime Fiction that exudes the heat and the accompanying crime of Summertime.  I've omitted Father's Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day from this list. I'll be updating the later two later in the Summer. As always I invite you to add any titles I've missed. This is far from a definitive list.

Summer Mysteries 

A Cat on a Beach Blanket by Lydia Adamson
Moon Water Madness by Glynn Marsh Alam
A Tangled June by Neil Albert
A Midsummer Night's Killing by Trevor Barnes
Milwaukee Summers Can Be Deadly by Kathleen Anne Barrett
Summertime News by Dick Belsky
Jaws by Peter Benchley (maybe not quite a mystery, but a good read, especially at the Beach)
The Down East Murders by J.S. Borthwick
The Cat Who Saw Stars, The Cat Who Went Up the Creek by Lilian Jackson Braun
Chill of Summer by Carol Brennan
Devils Island by Carl Brookins
Beach Music by Pat Conroy
A Shoot on Martha's Vineyard by Philip Craig
The Trouble with a Hot Summer by Camilla Crespi
The Gold Coast, Plum Island by Nelson DeMille
Murder Makes Waves by Anne George
Magic Hour by Susan Isaacs
Death in Holy Orders by P.D. James
A Summer for Dying by Jamie Katz
Midsummer Malice by M.D. Lake
Dark Nantucket Noon by Jane Langton
The Body in the Lighthouse by Katherine Hall Page
Beach House by James Patteron
Summer of the Dragon by Elizabeth Peters
In the Dead of the Summer by Gillian Roberts
Vacations Can Be Murder by Connie Shelton
An Old Faithful Murder by Valerie Wolzien
Orchid Beach by Stuart Woods
Sins of a Shaker Summer by Deborah Woodworth
Summer Will End by Dorian Yeager

Thanks to Suite101: Summer Sleuthing. Be sure to check this list for annotations of some of these titles.

Peter Temple wins 2010 Miles Franklin Award

Author Peter Temple has won the 2010 Miles Franklin Literary Award, Australia's premier literary prize. (Herald Sun). Temple’s crime fiction book, Truth, makes history for being the first work of genre fiction to win the award, which was established in 1957. Woo-hoo!


Truth follows Inspector Stephen Villani, the head of the Victoria Police Homicide Squad, and a series of grisly murders he is investigating in Melbourne.

Read about Peter Temple in January Magazine.

Hat Tip to Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise.

Summer Mystery Conferences & Conventions

Although Summer is often touted as being a lazy time to read mysteries at the beach or by the lake, this summer is actually filled with several mystery conferences and conventions. The following upcoming meetings will give fans and writers lots of time to gather and discuss their favorite subject: crime fiction.

June 24-27: Poisoned Pen Conference Scottsdale. AZ.

June 25-27: The Deadly Ink Conference. Parsnippity, N.J. Guest of Honor: Gillian Roberts.

July 7-10: Thrillerfest. 5th annual conference of the International Thriller Writers Association. New York City.

July 22-25: Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference. Co-Chairs: Sheldon Siegel and Jacqueline Winspear and Michael Connelly a host of fine mystery writers.

July 22-25: Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. Harrogate, England. Guest Authors include: Ian Rankin, Jeffery Deaver, Joanne Harris, Jeff Lindsay and Karin Slaughter.

July 30-August 1: PulpFest 2010. Columbus, OH. Guest of Honor: William F. Nolan.

August 13-14: St. Hilda's Mystery and Crime Weekend. Oxford, England. Andrew Taylor. Guest of Honor: Simon Brett. Colin Dexter will be the Saturday Dinner Speaker.

August 14-30: Scene of the Crime Mystery Writing Festival. Wolfe Island.

August 20-22: Killer Nashville. Guest of Honor: Jeffery Deaver.

Peter Robinson's Bad Boy: Thriller or Whodunit?

I just finished an ARC of Peter Robinson's Bad Boy, the latest in his Banks' series. It'll be out in August in the UK and September in the US. I thought it was terrific. Rather than say too much about it--yet, here's the trailer with Peter Robinson talking about Bad Boy. I'll be reviewing it closer to publication.



Hat Tip to Karen Meeks at Eurocrime -trailer

America's 20 Most Notorious Serial Killers

We're all horrified by serial killers, yet we're fascinated at the same time. What made these folks 'monsters"? There's always the need to know, especially for mystery readers. The answers, of course, are not always clear.

Forensic Colleges has put together a list of America’s 20 Most Notorious Serial Killers. Be sure and check out the site for comments and explanations about the following Serial Killers.

Jeffrey Dahmer
Ted Bundy
Charles Manson
Dennis RaderDavid Berkowitz
Gary Ridgway
John Wayne Gacy
Boston Strangler
Zodiac Killer (identity unknown)
Richard Ramirez
Coral Eugene Watts
Dean Corll
Richard Angelo
Albert Fish
Eddie Gein
Belle Gunness
Angel Maturino Resendiz
Derrick Todd Lee
John Allen Muhammad
Herman Webster Mudgett

Read More, HERE.

Father's Day Mysteries

I posted a list of mysteries last year for Father's Day and thought I'd update the post here with the addition of only two more titles and a few more comments. Let me know if I have forgotten a mystery.
***
Father's Day: another holiday, another list. Although not as many mysteries as for Mother's Day, there are a few. Not a lot of originality in the titles, but quite a variety in types of books.

Father’s Day by John Calvin Batchelor
Father’s Day by Rudolph Engelman
Father’s Day Keith Gilman
Dear Old Dead by Jane Haddam
The Father’s Day Murder by Lee Harris
Day of Reckoning by Kathy Herman
Dead Water by Victoria Houston
Father’s Day Murder by Leslie Meier
Father’s Day by Alan Trustman

Murder for Father, edited by Martin Greenberg (short stories)

I posted this list the other day, but as I was working on my DyingforChocolate Blog, I started to reminisce about my father. I think similar comments belong here. My father, Joseph Rudolph, passed away 8 years ago, but it seems like only yesterday. He encouraged and supported me throughout my varying careers and educational pursuits, and he always told me I could accomplish anything and succeed in whatever I tried.

One thing we shared in common was our love of mysteries. Over the years my taste in mysteries has changed. I read more hardboiled, dark mysteries now like he always did. You can't imagine how many times I finish a book and say to myself, "I have to send this to Dad. He'll love it." My father engendered a love of mysteries in me through his collection of mystery novels and Ellery Queen Magazines.

Here's to you, Dad, on Father's Day!

As his headstone reads,

Beloved husband, father, grandfather
Beloved physician, teacher, friend
A man who practiced chesed*
And loved his fellow men

*kindness, pure giving

Poisoned Pen presents ~"I came late to..." June 24-27, 2010

Poisoned Pen presents ~"I came late to..." June 24-27, 2010, Scottsdale, AZ

This fabulous event is absolutely FREE! How can that be? Because this is not a conference, it's an EVENT! Only possible expense would be for the June 25 Tea (limited to 30, contact will@poisonedpen.com). Events will take place at The Poisoned Pen and the Arizona Biltmore

Hotel: Arizona Biltmore. $89 plus taxes. email:VictoriaS@arizonabiltmore.com

Thursday: June 24, 7:00 p.m. The Poisoned Pen Bookstore. 
Edgy Characters: Three Dames and a Guy
Lisa Brackmann, Jodi Compton, Stefanie Pintoff, Zoe Sharp

Friday, June 25: Georgette Heyer/Regency Tea Tasting.  2p.m./First Seating. 3:30 Second Seating possible. 7150 Fifth Ave. $15. Registration Required.

Teas will be brewed and served, a short talk on teas follows, the slant being unusual English teas. Discussion leaders include: Jennifer Ashley, Stephanie Barron, Barbara Peters, Dana Stabenow, Lauren Willig.


Friday, June 25, 7:00 p.m. A Mash Up: Cozy and Noir at The Poisoned Pen
Three parts:
Bad girls (the characters, not the authors): Blackwell, Littlefield, Matthews
Blending the past and present: Cantrell, Carrell, Koryta

A Little Noir: Hendricks, Phillips, and new, John Shannon, interviewed by Patrick

Authors: Juliet Blackwell, Rebecca Cantrell, Jennifer Lee Carrell, Vicki Hendricks, Sophie Littlefield, Michael Koryta, Jeanne Matthews, Gary Phillips

Saturday June 26: Discussion groups: Arizona Biltmore, The History Room
2:00 pm Barron/Willig: Exploring Jane Austen
3:30 pm Carrell/Stabenow/Winspear, The Modern Historical

Note: both groups will discuss the author's most recent work in depth so there will be Spoilers! Read the new novels before you come.

Saturday June 26: A Walk on the Wild Side in Mystery 6:30 p.m. Arizona Biltmore Grand Ballroom, 2400 E Thunderbird Trail Phoenix (East off 24thStreet between Camelback Road and Lincoln Drive)

Barbara Peters writes: "Our night is still evolving. Look for Koryta to interview Hannah which should be a trip -- they are two irrepressible rising stars, highly individualistic, I put them together to see if sparks will fly.

A trip into Elizabethan noir with Chisholm, Stabenow, Gabaldon, and me
I have met PF Chisholm. You have not. She is a fantastic trip and generally wears remarkable hats, some with sweeping feathers just like those Elizabethan courtiers and rogues she writes about. The Tudors were definitely bad boys...and girls. So were their poets and playwrites and yes, spies. If you read The Other Boleyn Girl, here is what happened to her son and his kids.

More: Readings by the authors, questions, and our Drawing for the $100 Gift Certificate (each book by an attending author you purchase gives you a ticket to put into the drawing) plus $75 Gift Certificate for the person who writes the best completing line for

"I Came Late to _______"


Saturday June 26 Let's Read! 9:30 pm Arizona Biltmore Grand Ballroom

Nearly all the June 25/26 authors read from their work and take questions
Hit the bar. Wear street clothes or your pajamas. Mingle.

Sunday June 27 at 2:00PM - Karin Slaughter -at The Poisoned Pen

Author Bios: HERE

For all the info on this great EVENT, go HERE.

Ken Kuhlken & Susan Shea: Literary Salon

Join Mystery Readers International, NorCal chapter, in Berkeley, CA on Wednesday, June 23, at 7 p.m. for a Literary Salon with mystery authors Ken Kuhlken and Susan Shea.

Ken Kuhlken is a Shamus and Hemingway award winning author of historical novels, mysteries, suspense and short stories. His unique and genuine characters lead readers on an adventurous trip through the mysteries of 20th century California. His latest novel is The Biggest Liar in Los Angeles. Read an Interview with Ken Kuhlken about The Biggest Liar in Los Angeles on International Thriller Writers.

Susan Shea is a first time author making her debut with Murder in the Abstract that takes place within the fascinating world of fine art. She was a non-profit executive for more than two decades before quitting her day job in 2006 to become a full time fiction writer.

RSVP for address and directions or leave a comment.

MrEdDead: Obits of Famous Fictional Characters

I saw this video today and just had to share it. This is a collection of obituaries of famous fictional characters.

Alexander McCall Smith at Hay Book Festival

Found another video from the Guardian Hay Book Festival that I want to share.

The creator of Precious Ramotswe, Alexander McCall Smith, appears on the Sky Arts Book Show and talks to Mariella Frostrup about his detective's latest case, The Double Comfort Safari Club.

Alexander McCall Smith:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/video/2010/jun/07/hay-festival-alexander-mccall-smith

The Love Diet: Cookbook author accused of Murder for Hire

Again my worlds of Crime and Chocolate cross. This one belongs in the Truth is Stranger than Fiction category.

Amy Reiley, co-author of The Love Diet with Juan-Carlos Cruz, will be flying solo tonight at a launch party tonight for the cookbook which debuts next week. The Love Diet is a twist on weight loss with recipes that aim for health, decadence and love. Of interest to me, of course, is the recipe for Chocolate Truffles made with fat free half and half instead of cream.

Reiley's co-author Juan-Carlos Cruz of Santa Monica, and a former Food Network TV chef, is in custody for 'allegedly" trying to hire homeless men to strangle his wife. Another twist since love and sex are an important part of this new cookbook is that Cruz and his wife have reportedly been having fertility problems. Cruz has pleaded not guilty. Bail is set at $5 million. This 'truth is stranger than fiction' story will bear watching.

As they say, publicity is where you find it, and The Love Diet is getting a lot of publicity. It's independently published by Amy Reiley's publishing company (they also published Kiss My Bundt). Read Amy Reiley's blog about the situation, HERE. Her website is The Life of Reiley.

Another way to market a book? :-)

Recipe for Chocolate Smothered Brie from the cookbook Fork Me, Spoon Me by Amy Reilly.

Recipes from the new cookbook soon... but on my Chocolate Blog: DyingforChocolate.com

Barry Award Nominees 2010

The Barry Awards are nominated on and voted on by subscribers to Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine. 

BARRY AWARD NOMINATIONS 2010

BEST NOVEL
John Connolly, THE GATES, Atria
David Ellis, THE HIDDEN MAN, Putnam
Joe Gores, SPADE & ARCHER, Knopf
John Hart, THE LAST CHILD, Minotaur
Marcia Muller, LOCKED IN, Grand Central
S.J. Rozan, SHANGHAI MOON, Minotaur

BEST FIRST NOVEL
Josh Bazell, BEAT THE REAPER, Little, Brown
Alan Bradley, THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE, Delacorte
Rebecca Cantrell, A TRACE OF SMOKE, Forge
Sophie Littlefield, A BAD DAY FOR SORRY, Minotaur
Attica Locke, BLACK WATER RISING, Harper
Stuart Neville, THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST (THE TWELVE), Soho Crime

BEST BRITISH NOVEL
S. J. Bolton, AWAKENING, Bantam Press
John Connolly, THE LOVERS, HodderStoughton
Reginald Hill, MIDNIGHT FUGUE, HarperCollins
Philip Kerr, IF THE DEAD NOT RISE, Quercus
Denise Mina, STILL MIDNIGHT, Orion
Robert Wilson, IGNORANCE OF BLOOD, HarperCollins

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
Megan Abbott, BURY ME DEEP, Simon & Schuster
Max Allan Collins, QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE, HardCase Crime
Bryan Gruley, STARVATION LAKE, Touchstone
Heather Gutenkauf, THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE, Mira
Frank Tallis, FATAL LIES, Random House Mortalis
L. C. Tyler, THE HERRING-SELLER'S APPRENTICE, Felony & Mayhem

BEST THRILLER
Tom Cain, NO SURVIVORS (THE SURVIVOR), Viking
Jamie Freveletti, RUNNING FROM THE DEVIL, Morrow
Mark Greaney, THE GRAY MAN, Jove
Derek Haas, COLUMBUS: a Silver Bear Thriller, Pegasus
Mike Lawson, HOUSE SECRETS, Atlantic Monthly
Greg Rucka, WALKING DEAD, Bantam

MYSTERY/CRIME NOVEL OF THE DECADE
Ken Bruen, THE GUARDS, St. Martin's Minotaur
Michael Connelly, THE LINCOLN LAWYER, Little, Brown
Stieg Larsson, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, Knopf
Dennis Lehane, MYSTIC RIVER, Morrow
Louise Penny, STILL LIFE, St. Martin's Minotaur
Carlos Ruiz Zafon, THE SHADOW OF THE WIND, Penguin Press

BEST SHORT STORY
Barbara Callahan, "My Mother's Keeper" (EQMM June 2009)
David Dean, "Erin's Journal" (EQMM December 2009)
John H. Dirckx, "Real Men Die" (AHMM September 2009)
Brendan DuBois, "The High House Writer" (AHMM July-August 2009)
Melodie Johnson Howe, "A Hollywood Ending" (EQMM July 2009)
Morley Swingle, "Hard Blows" (THE PROSECUTION RESTS ) 

Congratulations to all. Lots of great reading if you've missed some of these!

Val McDermid Videos

Val McDermid is one of my favorite crime writers. She has won most of the crime fiction awards including the Macavity and the Cartier Diamond Dagger..and many, many others!

Here are two videos of Val McDermid that appeared in The Guardian.   

Jon Jordan, Editor of Crimespree and co-chair of Bouchercon 2011 in St. Louis, posted these on the Bouchercon blog today. I know he won't mind if I post them here, too.

Both of these videos were filmed at The Guardian Hay Book Festival.

First one of Val in a mystery bookstore.

Second one filmed at the Sky Arts Book Show.

Macavity Award Nominees 2010

Macavity Award Nominations 2010

The Macavity Awards are nominated and voted on by members of Mystery Readers International. The 2010 Macavity Nominations are for books and stories published in 2009. Mystery Readers Journal is MRI's publication. The winners will be announced at Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention, in October. Bouchercon will be held in San Francisco in 2010. This award is named for the "mystery cat" of T.S. Eliot (Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats).

Congratulations to all!

Best Mystery Novel
    •    Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott (Simon & Schuster)
    •    Tower by Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman (Busted Flush Press)
    •    Necessary as Blood by Deborah Crombie (Wm. Morrow)
    •    Nemesis by Jo Nesbø, translated by Don Bartlett (HarperCollins)
    •    The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
    •    The Shanghai Moon by S.J. Rozan (Minotaur)

Best First Mystery Novel
    •    The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (Delacorte)
    •    Running from the Devil by Jamie Freveletti (Wm. Morrow)
    •    A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield (Minotaur)
    •    The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville (Soho Crime)
    •    A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn (Picador)

Best Mystery Nonfiction
    •    L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America's Most Seductive City by John Buntin (Random House: Harmony Books)
    •    Talking about Detective Fiction by P.D. James (Alfred A. Knopf)
    •    Rogue Males: Conversations & Confrontations About the Writing Life by Craig McDonald (Bleak House Books)
    •    The Line Up: The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives, edited by Otto Penzler (Little, Brown & Co)
    •    Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo (Penguin Press)
    •    Dame Agatha’s Shorts: An Agatha Christie Short Story Companion by Elena Santangelo (Bella Rosa Books)

Best Mystery Short Story
    •    “Last Fair Deal Gone Down” by Ace Atkins in Crossroad Blues (Busted Flush Press)
    •    “Femme Sole” by Dana Cameron in Boston Noir (Akashic Books)
    •    “Digby, Attorney at Law” by Jim Fusilli, (AHMM, May 2009)
    •    “Your Turn” by Carolyn Hart in Two of the Deadliest (Harper)
    •    “On the House” by Hank Phillippi Ryan in Quarry: Crime Stories by New England Writers (Level Best Books)
    •    “The Desert Here and the Desert Far Away” by Marcus Sakey in Thriller 2: Stories You Just Can’t Put Down (Mira)
    •    “Amapola” by Luis Alberto Urrea in Phoenix Noir (Akashic Books)

Sue Feder Historical Mystery
    •    A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell (Forge)
    •    In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff (Minotaur)
    •    A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd (Wm. Morrow)
    •    Serpent in the Thorns by Jeri Westerson (Minotaur)
    •    Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear (Henry Holt)

New Alternative to Family Cemetery Plot: Freeze Dried Remains

I'm always coming across weird news.. this from Weird Asian News.

There’s a new controversial method of freeze drying your loved ones’ remains. The process called the promession technique was invented by Swedish biologist Susanne Wiigh-Masa  and presented at a recent Asian funeral expo. The process includes super freezing the deceased body with liquid nitrogen and then vigorously shaking until it becomes dust. “The body falls apart when it’s really cold and that was something that I felt was appealing and clean,” said the creator.

The new method of interment will soon launch in Sweden and South Korea. It it also expected to attract those in densely populated urban areas, especially those countries with full cemeteries.

Do you have any plans?

It's a Book! Trailer

Love this trailer from MacmillanChildrens: "It's a Book!"

Anthony Award Nominations

The Anthony Award 2010 Nominations were announced today. The Anthony Awards will be presented on Sunday, October 17, during Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention. Bouchercon will be in San Francisco October 14-17, 2010. To register, go HERE.

BEST NOVEL

THE LAST CHILD - John Hart [Minotaur Books]
THE MYSTIC ARTS OF ERASING ALL SIGNS OF DEATH - Charlie Huston [Ballantine Books]
THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE - Stieg Larsson, translated by Reg Keeland [Quercus/Knopf]
THE BRUTAL TELLING - Louise Penny [Minotaur Books]
THE SHANGHAI MOON - S.J. Rozan [Minotaur Books]

BEST FIRST NOVEL

THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE - Alan Bradley [Delacorte Press]
STARVATION LAKE - Bryan Gruley [Touchstone]
A BAD DAY FOR SORRY - Sophie Littlefield [Minotaur Books]
THE TWELVE/THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST - Stuart Neville [Harvill Secker/Soho Press]
IN THE SHADOW OF GOTHAM - Stefanie Pintoff [Minotaur Books]

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

BURY ME DEEP - Megan Abbott [Simon & Schuster]
TOWER - Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman [Busted Flush Press]
QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE - Max Allan Collins [Hard Case Crime]
STARVATION LAKE - Bryan Gruley [Touchstone]
DEATH AND THE LIT CHICK - G.M. Malliet [Midnight Ink]
AIR TIME - Hank Phillippi Ryan [Mira]

BEST SHORT STORY

"Last Fair Deal Gone Down" - Ace Atkins, CROSSROAD BLUES [Busted Flush Press]
"Femme Sole" - Dana Cameron, BOSTON NOIR [Akashic Books]
"Animal Rescue" - Dennis Lehane, BOSTON NOIR [Akashic Books]
"On the House" - Hank Phillippi Ryan, QUARRY: Crime Stories by New England Writers [Level Best Books]
"Amapola" - Luis Alberto Urrea, PHOENIX NOIR [Akashic Books]

BEST CRITICAL NONFICTION WORK

TALKING ABOUT DETECTIVE FICTION - P.D. James [Bodleian Library/Knopf]
THE LINE UP: The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives - Otto Penzler, ed. [Little, Brown and Co]
HAUNTED HEART: The Life and Times of Stephen King - Lisa Rogak [Thomas Dunne Books]
DAME AGATHA'S SHORTS: An Agatha Christie Short Story Companion - Elena Santangelo [Bella Rosa Books]
THE TALENTED MISS HIGHSMITH: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith - Joan Schenkar [St. Martin's Press]

Eleanor Taylor Bland: R.I.P.

Sad news. Eleanor Taylor Bland died this week at the age of 65. Bland was the author of 13 mystery novels featuring female African-American Chicago homicide detective Marti MacAlister, including Dead Time, Windy City Dying, Fatal Remains and her most recent, A Dark and Deadly Deception (2005)

Bland lived in Waukegan, IL, she was a 1981 graduate of University of Southern Illinois. During her career, she received an Pen Oakland Josephine Miles Award, a Chester Himes Mystery Fiction Award and was a 2001 Gold Pen Award nominee.

Share your memories of and tributes to Eleanor Taylor Bland at The Outfit: A Collective of Chicago Crime Writers.

Read Eleanor Taylor Bland's Author! Author! essay, "Marti MacAlister: Good Cop, Bad Cop--Fact vs. Fiction," in Mystery Readers Journal: The Ethnic Detective, Part I, (14:2), 1998.

Nero Wolfe Award Nominees 2010

The Nero Award is presented each year to an author for the best mystery written in the tradition of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe stories. It is presented at the Black Orchid Banquet, traditionally held on the first Saturday in December in New York City. The Nero Award celebrates literary excellence in the mystery genre.

This year, the nominees are:
1. THE FLEET STREET MURDERS. Charles Finch
2. CRACK IN THE LENS. Steve Hockensmith
3. FACES OF GONE. Brad Parks

All three titles are published by St. Martin's Minotaur.

The Wolfe Pack, the literary society that celebrates all things Nero Wolfe, also presents the Black Orchid Novella Award (BONA) in partnership with Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine to celebrate the Novella format popularized by Rex Stout. The BONA is also announced at the Black Orchid Banquet in December.

About the Wolfe Pack

The Wolfe Pack, founded in 1977, is a forum to discuss, explore, and enjoy the 72 Nero Wolfe books and novellas written by Rex Stout. The organization promotes fellowship and extends friendship to those who enjoy these great literary works of mystery through a series of events, book discussions, and a journal devoted to the study of the genius detective, Nero Wolfe, and his intrepid assistant, Archie Goodwin. The organization has more than 450 members worldwide.

To learn more, visit www.nerowolfe.org, or contact Jane K. Cleland.

2010 Hammett Prize: The Manual of Detection

The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers announced that The Manual of Detection, by Jedediah Berry (Penguin), has won the 2010 Hammett Prize for “literary excellence in the field of crime writing.” Berry received his award during a special ceremony at the Bloody Words X Mystery Conference in Toronto, Canada.

Nominees for the Hammett Prize included Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott (Simon & Schuster), Devil’s Garden by Ace Atkins (Putnam), The Long Fall by Walter Mosley (Riverhead), and The Way Home by George Pelecanos (Little, Brown).

Jedediah received a bronze trophy, designed by West Coast sculptor, Peter Boiger. Congratulations, Jedediah!