Saturday, July 5, 2025

British CWA Dagger Awards


The British Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) a
nnounced the winners of the 2025 Dagger Awards. Congratulations to all!

Gold Dagger:
The Book of Secrets, by Anna Mazzola (Orion)

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger:
Dark Ride, by Lou Berney (Hemlock Press)

ILP John Creasey Dagger (New Blood):
All Us Sinners, by Katy Massey (Sphere)

Historical Dagger:
The Betrayal of Thomas True, by A.J. West (Orenda)

Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger:
The Night of Baby Yaga, by Akira Otani, translated by Sam Bett (Faber & Faber)

ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-fiction:
The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place, by Kate Summerscale (Bloomsbury Circus)

Short Story Dagger:
 “A Date on Yarmouth Pier,” by J.C. Berthal (from Midsummer Mysteries)

Twisted Dagger (for psychological and suspense thrillers):
Nightwatching, by Tracy Sierra (Penguin)

Whodunnit Dagger (for cosy crime, traditional mysteries, and Golden Age crime stories):
The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl, by Lisa Hall (Canelo Hera)

Dagger in the Library (for a body of work by an established crime writer that has long been popular with borrowers from libraries):
Richard Osman

Publishers’ Dagger (Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year):
Orenda Books

Emerging Author Dagger (for the opening of a crime novel by an unpublished writer):
Joe Eurell

Nick Herron previously received the CWA Diamond Dagger.

Friday, July 4, 2025

VINTAGE FOURTH OF JULY POSTCARDS: May the Fourth be with You!

Fireworks have been a part of Independence Day celebrations for more than 200 years. Fireworks, though, can be dangerous, especially for children. That's why I find these Vintage Postcards so odd. Today this would be considered "child endangerment." Have a safe Fourth of July... with Liberty and Justice for All!







Thursday, July 3, 2025

Silver Falchion Award Nominees: Killer Nashville


Founder Clay Stafford of the Killer Nashville International Writers' Conference  announced this year's Silver Falchion Award Finalists. The Silver Falchion Award is given for the Best Book in each category for the previous year (2024). Winners in each category will be announced at the annual Killer Nashville Awards Dinner taking place on August 23rd in Franklin, TN. 

For the complete category and nominee lists, go Here.

Best Action Adventure 
 
JERICHO BURNING  by T.G. Brown
 
THE GENERAL’S GOLD by Bruce Robert Coffin and LynDee Walker
 
DESPERATE MEASURES by Ley Esses
 
WHERE LOVE MEANS NOTHING by Howard Gimple 
 
THE NORTH LINE  by Matt Riordan 
 
Best Comedy

THE PRINCESS SHOPPE 
Kerry Blaisdell
 
SWIPED by L.M. Chilton
 
GET GRIBNITZ by Howard Gimple 
 
MODEL GHOST  by TK Sheffield 
 
SORRY, KNOT SORRY by Lois Winston 
 
Best Cozy

BEESWAX BEWITCHMENT  by S.E. Babin 
 
ELIZABETH SAILS by Kristin Owens 
 
STUDY GUIDE FOR MURDER by Lori Robbins 
 
FRAMED FOR MURDER  by Marla White 
 
WHEELING AND DEALING  by Becki Willis 
 
Best Historical 
 
EMPOWERED BY THE DREAM: A JOURNEY OF RESILIENCE
Gladys A. Barrio 
 
THE PARIS MISTRESSb y Mally Becker 
 
A KILLING ON THE HILL  by Robert Dugoni 
 
FIND YOUR WAY TO MY GRAVE by Chris Keefer 
 
WHAT ONCE WAS PROMISED by Louis Trubiano 
 
Best Investigator
 
THE THINGS THAT CANNOT BE FORGOTTEN  by Peter W.J. Hayes
 
LAST DOG OUT  by Candace Irving 
 
BLACK & WHITE  by Justin M. Kiska 
 
TIGER CLAW by Michael Allan Mallory 
 
MURDER OUTSIDE THE BOX by Saralyn Richard 
 
Best Juvenile / Y.A.
 
BEYOND THE CEMETERY GATE: THE SECRET KEEPER’S DAUGHTER by Valerie Biel 
 
DEAD GIRL  by Kerrie Faye 
 
STEALING TIME  by Norman Birnbach and Tilia Klebenov Jacobs 
 
SNOWED by Twist Phelan 
 
STAR BROTHER by Maxine Rose Schur 
 
 
Best Mystery 
 
DROP DEAD SISTERS by Amelia Diane Coombs 
 
OBEY ALL LAWS by Cindy Goyette 
 
AT FIRST I WAS AFRAID  by Marty Ludlum 
 
A WORLD OF HURT  by Mindy Mejia 
 
SCORCHED: BURN ME ONCE…by Cam Torrens 
 
 
Best Short Story Collection / Anthology

NEVER TELL COLLECTION, edited by Kjiersti Egerdahl
 
DAY, edited by Patrick Kitson (author)
 
DEEDS OF DARKNESS, William Burton McCormick (author)
 
6-LANE HIGHWAY, Sean Mitchell (author)
 
LARCENY & LAST CHANCES: 22 STORIES OF MYSTERY & SUSPENSE, edited by Judy Penz Sheluk
 
Best Suspense
 
A FRIEND IN THE DARK by Samantha M. Bailey
 
IF YOU TELL A LIE by Lucinda Berry
 
THE NEXT MRS. PARRISH  by Liv Constantine
 
LOST TO DUNE ROAD by Kara Thomas
 
THE LAST PARTY by AR Torre
 
Best Thriller
 
RICH JUSTICE by Robert Bailey
 
THE DREDGE by Brendan Flaherty
 
THE MECHANICS OF MEMORY  by Audrey Lee
 
A FORGOTTEN KILL by Isabella Maldonado
 
THE ASCENT  by Adam Plantinga
 

 

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Fourth of July Mysteries // Fourth of July Crime Fiction

The Fourth of July (Independence Day) used to be one of my favorite holidays, maybe because I was born in Philadelphia, the birthplace of our nation. Despite what's happening in the U.S. this year, I decided to post my Fourth of July Crime Fiction list. Maybe in spite of it. I claim this holiday and what it stands for. It's so important to this nation, and I don't want to lose sight of and the meaning of the flag, the Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution. Even if you're not celebrating Independence Day, you can celebrate this great group of mysteries that take place on the holiday

And don't miss my Summertime Mysteries List, Summer Sleuthing: Lazy, Hazy, Murderous Days of Summer

As always, let me know if I've missed any titles. This is an updated list.

Fourth of July Mysteries

The Fourth of July Wake by Harold Adams
Sweet Tea and Secrets by Joy Avon
Murder on Parade by Donald Bain (as Jessica Fletcher) 
Home of the Brave by Donna Ball
Bomb Pop Threat by Christy Barritt 
Hair of the Dog by Laurien Berenson 
Murder by Fireworks by Susan Bernhardt
Jealousy Filled Donuts by Ginger Bolton
Plot Boiler by Ali Brandon 
The Cat Who Went Underground by Lilian Jackson Braun
Rockets' Red Glare by Lynn Cahoon
The Chocolate Frog Frame-Up by JoAnna Carl

Gone with the Whisker by Laurie Cass
Dead on the 4th of July by Meg Chittenden
Someone to Watch Over Me by Jill Churchill
Independence Day by Anne-Marie Clark
Twanged by Carol Higgins Clark
Independene Day by Ben Coes
Oh Say Can You Fudge by Nancy Coco
Star Tangled Murder by Nancy J. Cohen
BlackBuried Pie by Lyndsey Cole
Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle
The Carousel of Death by Elisabeth Crabtree
A Catered Fourth of July by Isis Crawford
Murder on the 4th of July by P. Creeden
Red, White, and Blue Murder by Bill Crider
Firework Fiasco; Fireworks in Paradise by Kathi Daley

Framed and Frosted by Kim Davis
Guilty as Charred by Devon Delaney
Blood Red, White and Blue by Kathleen Delaney
Dead on the Fourth of July by R. E. Derouin
Four Dog's Sake by Lia Farrell
Blackberry Burial by Sharon Farrow
One Fete in the Grave by Vickie Fee
Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Independence Slay by Shelley Freydont
Booneville Retribution by S. Furlong-Bollinger
Mistaken Identity by Patricia Gligor

Katelyn's Killer by John Gordon
Born on the 4th of July by Heather Graham
Tool & Die, Triple Witch; Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake by Sarah Graves
Red, White and Blueberry Murder by Susan Gillard
Light my Firecracker by Carolyn Gregg
Act Of Darkness by Jane Haddam
Bowled Over by Victoria Hamilton
Yankee Doodle Dead; Dead, White and Blue by Carolyn Hart
Fourth of July Fatality by Kelly Hashway

Past Imperfect by Kathleen Hills
Death of a Cookbook Author by Lee Hollis
The Ghost Who Lied by Bobbie Holmes
The Falls: Fourth of July by George Jackson
Exit Wounds by J. A. Jance
Fourth of July Forgery by Tonya Kappes
The Fourth of July by J.D. Kincaid
Murder Served Neat by Michelle Hillen Klump
4th of July in Sweetwater Country by Clara Knight
A Star-Spangled Mayfair by Kassandra Lamb
A Timely Vision; A Watery Death by Joyce and Jim Lavene
Silence of the Jams by Gayle Leeson
Die Like a Hero by Clyde Linsley
The July Girls by Phoebe Locke
Knee High by the Fourth of July by Jess Lourey
Dahlias and Death by London Lovett
Death on Nantucket by Francine Mathews
Left Hanging by Patricia McLinn
Star Spangled Murder by Leslie Meier
Cold Hard News by Maureen Milliken
Flag Cake Felonies by Addison Moore
Manic in Christmas River; Mayhem in Christmas River; Mutts & Murder by Meg Muldoon
Bats and Bones Karen Musser Nortman
A Fifth for the 4th of July by Doug Olsen and Julie Gollan
Foal Play by Kathryn O'Sullivan 
Iron Ties by Ann Parker
4th of July by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
The Body in the Birches by Katherine Hall Page
4th of July by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
King Suckerman by George P. Pelecanos
Murder is No Picnic by Amy Pershing
Final Resting Place by Jonathan Putnam
Three Woofs for the Dead, White and Plus by Laura Quinn
Dead, White, and Blue by Amy M. Reade

Can't Never Tell by Cathy Pickens
Spilling the Spice by Sheri Richey
Firecrackered by Patricia Rockwell
Death by Deep Dish Pie by Sharon Short
The Dam Committee by Earl H. Smith
Killing Grounds by Dana Stabenow
And Four to Go ("Fourth of July Picnic") by Rex Stout
Independence Day Plague by Carla Lee Suson
Doggone Dead by Teresa Trent
Prepped for the Kill by A.E. H. Veenman
The 4th of July Can Be MURDER! by Dianne Warth Vereen
Thread and Gone by Lea Wait
A Medium's 4th of July by Chariss K. Walker and Marty Parker
Firework Kisses and Summertime Wishes by Linda West
Independence Day Murder by Linnea West
Kaboom by J.A. Whiting and Nell McCarthy
Some Welcome Home by Sharon Wildwind
Mrs. Morris and the Sorceress by Traci Wilton
Star Spangled Murder by Valerie Wolzien
Happy 4th of July Murder by Rachel Woods
Embarking on Murder by Sue Owens Wright

Short Stories

Rex Stout's "Fourth of July Picnic" in Century of Great Suspense Stories, Edited by Jeff Deaver.
S. Furlong-Bolliger's "Booneville Retribution: 4th of July Mystery Short Story" in Kings River Life.
A Sparrow Falls Fourth of July in A Sparrow Falls Holiday by Donna McLean. 

Children’s Mysteries

Fireworks at the FBI (Capital Mysteries Series #6) by Ron Roy, Timothy Bush (Illustrator)
Murder On The Fourth of July by Carolyn Keene
The Philly Fake by David E. Kelly
Calendar Mysteries: July Jitters by Ron Roy and John Steven Gurney
The Fourth of July Fiasco by Jim McNeal
The Case of the July 4th Jinx by Lewis B. Montgomery and Amy Wummer

True Crime  

Death on the Fourth of July: The Story of a Killing, a Betrayal, and Hate Crime in America by David A. Neiwert

As always, I welcome additions and comments.

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

CANADA DAY: Mystery Readers Journal: Canadian Mysteries

Happy Canada Day! Hope my friends up North are having a great day!

FYI: Mystery Readers Journal had an issue devoted to Canadian Mysteries (30:1), 
Spring 2014. This issue is still available for purchase as a PDF, but I've included links to two articles by Canadian mystery writer,s Vicki Delany and Louise Penny.

Buy this back issue! Available as a downloadable PDF.


MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL: CANADIAN MYSTERIES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARTICLES
AUTHOR! AUTHOR!
  • Murder, Eh? by Lou Allin
  • Becoming Canadian by Cathy Ace
  • Setting Out From Saskatoon by Anthony Bidulka
  • Land of Ice and Snow, Smoggy Steeltown, and the Italian Mob! Or, how to write mob comedies… by Melodie Campbell
  • Mysteries in the Canadian North by Brenda Chapman
  • An Insider’s Take by Miriam Clavir
  • A Quiet Courage by Peter Clement
  • Writing Canadian Cops by Vicki Delany
  • Sleeping With an Elephant by Ruth Donald
  • Research Made Fun With Vancouver’s Police Dogs by Elizabeth Elwood
  • Mystery Is in the Mind by A.R. Grobbo
  • Exploring the Canadian Wilds with Meg Harris by R.J. Harlick
  • France on Berlin Time, Part II: The Canadian Connection by J. Robert Janes
  • Canadian From Coast to Coast by Amber Harvey
  • The Canadian Conundrum by Tim Heald
  • Left Coast Noir by Dietrich Kalteis
  • The Canadian Mystery Writer’s Wardrobe by Linda Kupecek
  • Ordinary People, Like You and Me, Interrupted by Murder by J. A. Menzies
  • Thoughts About Killing the Canadian Way by John Moss
  • Canadianese by Louise Penny
  • The Canadian Who Came in From the Cold (But Just for a Short Time) by Steve Shrott
  • The Inferiority Complex of a Canadian Mystery Author by Cathy Spencer
  • From Rangers to Red Serge by Kay Stewart
  • Canadian as Maple Murder Pie by Robin Timmerman
  • APOK? by Mike Walton
COLUMNS
  • Mystery in Retrospect: Reviews by Madeleine Harris-Callway, Lesa Holstine, Gay Toltl Kinman, L.J. Roberts, Lou Allin, Margaret Blair
  • Children’s Hour: Canada by Gay Toltl Kinman
  • In Short: Canadian Capers by Marv Lachman
  • Crime Seen: North of the Border by Kate Derie
  • From the Editor’s Desk by Janet Rudolph