Monday, August 24, 2026

Marble Hall Murders news!

The final installment of the Susan Ryeland mystery series begins Sunday, September 6, 9/8c. It will be available on PBS, PBS Passport, and PBS Masterpiece on Prime Video. Marble Hall Murders will transport you to 1950s Greece for an amazing new story.  

I've seen the first two episodes, and they're wonderful: the acting, the mystery (mysteries), the setting. You'll get caught up in the time shifting as you immerse yourself on this wild ride. The series is based on bestselling author/screenwriter Anthony Horowitz's novels. Previous installments - Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders - can be streamed on the PBS app and via PBS MASTERPIECE on Prime Video. If you haven't seen them, you might want to watch them first. 

Editor Susan Ryeland (Lesley Manville) is hired to work on a continuation novel of the Atticus Pünd (Tim McMullan) series, written by a troubled young author. When the job leads Susan into another murder case, she unexpectedly finds herself a suspect. In the world of the novel, Atticus Pünd is visiting the Isle of Corfu when he becomes embroiled in the murder of Lady Margaret Chalfont, whose family he investigates with the assistance of a Greek detective. 

Highly recommend. 

Sunday, August 23, 2026

Malice with Friends: Virtual Conversations


Malice Domestic has always been one of my favorite mystery conventions. Held in Bethesda, Md every Spring, it's been harder for me to attend in recent years, so I was thrilled to see this announcement about  virtual conversations from the organizers for Malice with Friends.

Excitement is in the air! Get ready to be part of something extraordinary with Malice Domestic’s new virtual event, Malice with Friends, a unique virtual crime fiction experience. It's an event like no other, and we want you to be there! 
 
Join us virtually for lively conversations!

Sept. 20, 2026 - 3 p.m.  Mindy Quigley in conversation with Kathleen Marple Kalb
 
Nov 8, 2026 - 2 p.m.  Kelly Oliver in conversation with Alan Gordon/Allison Montclair
 
Dec. 6, 2026 - 2 p.m.  Adrian Andover in conversation with Catriona McPherson
 
Feb. 7, 2027 - 2 p.m.  Deborah Crombie in conversation with Connie Berry


Saturday, August 22, 2026

DEADLY PLEASURES MYSTERY MAGAZINE IS NOW FREE!


Wow! Editor George Easter just sent a note about Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine, one of my favorite review periodicals. He's now offering it free. No more subscribing. And, he will be adding free copies of back issues shortly. Thanks, George!

Here is the link to download the new issue of Deadly Pleasures #112 (August, 2026)
http://new.deadlypleasures.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/DP112.pdf

Click on the link and your computer or tablet should automatically open up the pdf file. Once open (on your computer) you can save the pdf to your computer or a thumb drive (for printing, if that is the course you wish to take). 

Want to get an email to alert you to each new issue? Send your name and email address to george@deadlypleasures.com 



Thursday, August 20, 2026

NGAIO MARSH AWARD LONGLIST FOR BEST NOVEL 2026


The 2026 Ngaio Marsh Award Longlist for Best Novel.  The Ngaio Marsh Awards celebrate the best New Zealand crime, mystery, thriller, and suspense writing. Congratulations to all:
LUCKY THING by Tom Baragwanath (Text Publishing)

CARVED IN BLOOD by Michael Bennett (Simon & Schuster)

SOFTLY CALL THE DEVIL by Chris Blake (Bonnier Echo)

THE BIRDS BEGAN TO SING by Jeffrey Buchanan (Text Publishing)

BLACK SILK & BURIED SECRETS by Deborah Challinor (HarperCollins)

THE DEADLY DISPUTE by Amanda Hampson (Penguin)

BELLA DONNA by Jill Johnson (Black & White/Bonnier)

THE GOOD FATHER by Liam McIlvanney (Bonnier)

WHEN THE DEEP DARK BUSH SWALLOWS YOU WHOLE by Geoff Parkes (Penguin)

THE VANISHING PLACE by Zoe Rankin (Moa Press)

HOOKED UP by Fiona Sussman (Bateman Books)

A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY by Jennifer Trevelyan (Allen & Unwin)

Finalists for all the 2026 categories - Best Novel, Best First Novel, and Best Kids/YA - will be announced later in Spring (Fall in the Northern Hemisphere).  


Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Call for Articles: DEADLINE EXTENSION: Mystery Readers Journal: Cross Genre Mysteries (42:3)


Extension Deadline: August 30

Mystery Readers Journal: (42:3) Cross-Genre Mysteries

Call for Articles:  Mystery Readers Journal (42:3): Cross-Genre Mysteries (Fall 2026)


For our next issue, we are looking for articles, reviews, and author essays focusing on cross-genre crime fiction.

DEADLINE EXTENSION: August 30, 2026

Cross-Genre Mysteries:  Cross-genre fiction blends the themes, tropes, and conventions of two or more distinct literary genres. It doesn’t fit neatly into one category. A Cross-Genre Mystery is a story that retains a central investigation or puzzle at its heart, but layers in other distinct genre such as science fiction, fantasy, true crime, and Westerns. For this next issue, we are not including historical mysteries, as we have had five Historical Mystery issues of Mystery Readers Journal on that theme. 


Have a question? Send me an email at: Janet @ mystery readers.org


Send submissions to Janet @ mystery readers . org

Deadline Extended: August 30, 2026. 

Subject Line: Cross-Genre Mysteries

Author Essays:  First person, about yourself, your books, and the "Cross-Genre" connection. 500-1000 words. Treat this as if you're chatting with friends and other writers in the bar or cafe (or on zoom) about your work and the cross-genre theme in your mysteries. Be sure and cite specific titles, as well as how you use both genres in your books. Add title and 2-3 sentence bio. 

Reviews: 50-250 words. 

Articles: 500-1000 words. 

Send to: Janet Rudolph, Editor.     janet @ mystery readers.org

Please let me know if you're planning to send an article, review, or author essay--or if you have any questions! 


We had a past issue on Cross-Genre Mysteries in 1999: (Volume 15: No. 1). Available as a PDF.   Check out the Table of Contents 



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