Poster of the Month: March

 

Purim: A Carnival of Secrets, Masks — and Murder? Guest Post by Neil Plakcy

Every mystery fan knows that intrigue often hides in unexpected cultural corners. One holiday that begs for its own whodunit — yet remains under-explored in crime fiction — is Purim, the Jewish festival of deliverance and disguise.

Celebrated on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar (usually in February or March), Purim commemorates the dramatic events recounted in the biblical Book of Esther. According to tradition, the Jewish people were marked for annihilation in ancient Persia until Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai exposed the villainous plot of Haman and secured their community’s survival. The holiday takes its name from the word pur, meaning “lots,” referring to the method Haman used to select the date of his planned atrocity.

What makes Purim especially intriguing is the way it’s celebrated. It’s one of the most joyful and theatrical holidays on the Jewish calendar: people don elaborate costumes and masks, parades and carnivals fill synagogues and community centers, and public readings of the Esther story are punctuated by raucous noisemakers whenever the villain’s name is mentioned.

At first glance, Purim may seem lighthearted. But look closer, and you’ll find a story tailor-made for mystery writers.

Masks and Hidden Identities

Purim’s central figure, Esther, hides her Jewish identity until the pivotal moment when revelation becomes her greatest weapon. The costumes worn during the holiday echo that theme of concealment. Mystery thrives on secrecy, and Purim’s embrace of hidden identities creates a perfect backdrop for plots in which characters are not who they appear to be.

Reversals and Irony
Purim celebrates a stunning reversal of fortune — from impending genocide to triumphant deliverance. In detective fiction, reversals are the engine of suspense: the trusted ally becomes the culprit, the overlooked clue shifts everything, power dynamics flip at the last possible moment.

Noise, Confusion … and Lawlessness?
Now imagine a Purim carnival: music, groggers, crowds in costume, streets pulsing with chaotic fun. In that environment, would anyone notice a single gunshot?

That image — violence swallowed by celebration — became the spark for my novel Dog of Deliverance.

In my story, the din of a Purim street fair masks something far darker. A key clue lies buried in a moment when everyone’s attention is fixed on revelry. Purim’s inherent contradiction — joyous noise overshadowing existential threat — became the structural heart of the mystery.

In the Book of Esther, the heroine has two names. Esther is her Persian name, used in the royal court. Her Hebrew name is Hadassah. She conceals her identity until revelation becomes an act of courage.
That duality inspired the young woman at the center of my novel.

My Hadassah has grown up in a highly restrictive Orthodox Jewish enclave, where an aging rabbi presides and his ambitious second-in-command keeps the community — especially its young women — on a tight leash. Like her biblical namesake, she lives within a system that limits her choices. When she refuses a marriage arranged for her and escapes, she flees to Stewart’s Crossing to stay with a cousin whose Orthodoxy is observant but less rigid, more open to the modern world.

But secrecy has consequences.

The man she refuses to marry follows her — and during the chaos of a Purim carnival, he is murdered. Amid costumes, music, and noisemakers, violence hides in plain sight. With so much joyful noise, who would hear a single gunshot?

Enter Steve Levitan and his resourceful golden retriever, Rochester. Steve may be the detective, but Hadassah is the true heroine of her story. Like Queen Esther, she must decide whether to remain silent or reveal the truth about the conditions she fled — exposing not only a killer, but the power structures that shaped her life.

Despite Purim’s narrative richness, few mainstream mysteries have placed their plots squarely within the holiday. One exception is The Purim Murder, a little-known book by Canadian Jewish educator Shulamis Yelin. Other writers of Jewish crime fiction — such as Harry Kemelman (the Rabbi Small series), Richard Bookbinder (the Rabbi Ilan series), and Rabbi Ilene Schneider (the Rabbi Aviva Cohen mysteries) — have incorporated Jewish life and other holidays into their work, but Purim itself remains surprisingly underused.

That gap highlights a larger truth: great mysteries don’t just require crimes; they need context — a setting where mood, ritual, and belief heighten tension. Purim delivers exactly that. Its traditions — reading the Megillah, exchanging gifts, giving charity — blend celebration with remembrance of a near-catastrophe.
In that blend lies narrative gold.

Purim reminds us that the line between joy and threat is thinner than we often think — and that sometimes the loudest celebrations conceal the darkest secrets.

Dog of Deliverance is currently available in Kindle Unlimited and free on Amazon through March 7.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FCD4DRD2

***

Neil Plakcy creates engaging mysteries and romances with humor and heart, celebrating love, identity, and found family (often with a loyal dog). Join my newsletter for free stuff! https://plakcy.substack.com/subscribe
 

LEFTY AWARDS: Left Coast Crime San Francisco Schemin'

Left Coast Crime 2026 San Francisco Schemin' presented the Lefty Awards in four categories at our 36th annual convention. The categories were: Humorous, Historical, Debut, and Best. Congratulations to all!

2026 Lefty Award nominees for books published in 2025:

Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel: Catriona McPherson, Scot’s Eggs 

Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel for books set before 1970. 
(The Bill Gottfried Memorial): Rob Osler, The Case of the Missing Maid 

Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel: Adrian Andover, Whiskey Business 

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel (not in other categories): James L’Etoile, River of Lies 

Left Coast Crime Conventions are annual events sponsored by mystery fans, both readers and authors. Held in the western half of North America, LCC’s intent is to host an event where readers, authors, critics, librarians, publishers, and other fans can gather in convivial surroundings to pursue their mutual interests. Lefty Awards have been given since 1996. 

Returning to The City, where Left Coast Crime held its first two conventions, the 36th Annual Left Coast Crime Convention took place in San Francisco, February 26 – March 1, 2026. This year’s Guests of Honor were authors Robin Burcell and Gary Phillips. Randal Brandt was the Fan Guest of Honor, and author Leslie Karst served as Toastmaster.

Left Coast Crime is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation holding annual mystery conventions in the West. Each LCC convention raises money to support a local literary organization, and is staffed entirely by volunteers. This year the charity was the San Francisco Public Library literacy program.

For more information on Left Coast Crime 2026, please visit www.leftcoastcrime.org/2026/

Dr Seuss's Birthday & Read Across America Day!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! March 2nd is not only Dr. Seuss's Birthday, but it's also National Read Across America Day, a national program to support and encourage children's reading. NEA's Read Across America is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of children's author Dr. Seuss. Having been a reading teacher in a former life, I know how important it is to get children reading when they're young. This is a fabulous day, and since I also have a Chocolate Blog, you can enhance the day with chocolate, but that's my bias.

The more that you read, the more things you will know. 

The more you learn, the more places you'll go." 

— Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

Even though Green Eggs & Ham is the most popular of the 'food' Seuss books, and, by all means read it and make some green eggs and ham, since it's Dr. Seuss's Birthday, read Happy Birthday to You and Bake a Cake!  Check out a copy from your library or buy a copy and read it to or with a child. To enhance the experience, bake a few chocolate cakes, cupcakes, or buy a chocolate Sheet Cake, and have the children decorate.

You could also read Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose and serve Chocolate Mousse sprinkled with red candy hearts.

Here's a classic recipe for Cat in the Hat Cookies: Melt white chocolate in the microwave. Dip a round cracker or cookie in the white chocolate, place on wax paper and top with a marshmallow. Allow to cool. Pipe bright red icing as rings around the marshmallow and cover the top.

And from Parents Connect, here's a recipe for  Dr. Seuss's Sneetch Treats. Perfect as a companion to reading The Sneetches.

Dr Seuss's Sneetch Treats

Ingredients
8 ounces butter, melted
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups uncooked, 1-minute oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup golden raisins
2 chocolate bars, chopped into squares
6 large marshmallows
Wooden skewers soaked in water or BBQ forks

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°
Combine melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a bowl. Mix well.
In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to butter mixture.
Add oatmeal, walnuts, and raisins. Mix well.
Drop batter (1 Tbsp at time) onto ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie slightly with the back of spatula.
Bake 12 minutes until golden and firm. Remove cookies to cake rack to cool.
Once cookies have cooled, put square of chocolate onto each cookie.
Heat up grill (or smoker... or fire pit... or oven).
Place marshmallows on skewers or BBQ forks. Slowly roast marshmallows over grill until golden on each side.
 Carefully slide marshmallows off forks and onto t chocolate-covered cookies.
Place another cookie on top of the Marshmallow.

Theodor Seuss Geisel (March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991) was an American writer and cartoonist best known for his classic children's books under the pen name Dr. Seuss. With millions of books in print, and nearly all of his titles still available for sale, Dr. Seuss was, up until his death in 1991, one of the most prolific living writer behind Barbara Cartland. His Green Eggs and Ham is the third largest selling book in the English language. He wrote 44 children’s books. His best-sellers included: Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Horton Hatches the Egg, Horton Hears a Who!, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Seuss’s first book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was published in 1937 after being rejected almost 30 times.

Check out this cute Cat in the Hat Birthday Cake from Christine Guzman, owner of The Quaint Cake Co in Boca Raton, FL.  It was a chocolate cake, of course! They're no longer making cakes, but be sure and check out their gallery...site is still up for your enjoyment!

Cartoon of the Day: Dogs

 

MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL NEWS FOR 2026: Subscribe now!

Mystery Readers Journal Subscription for 2026

It’s time to subscribe (or renew) your subscription to Mystery Readers Journal for 2026. 

Themes in 2026. Volume 42, Mystery Readers Journal. 

Fetes, Faires, and Festivals (Volume 42:1)
Mysteries set in France (42:2)
Cross-Genre Mysteries (42:3)
Mysteries set in India (42:4)

Each issue (80-100 pages) is filled with articles, author essays, and reviews on a specific theme!   

 

PDF SUBSCRIPTIONS:

Mystery Readers Journal (Volume 42) will be going digital (PDF) for all subscriptions. Price remains the same. $15/calendar year.

You will receive download instructions as each issue is published. First issue in 2026 will be out in late March.

SUBSCRIBE HERE

https://mysteryreaders.org/subscribe/

PRINT EDITIONS:

We know that many readers enjoy a PRINT COPY. We will be setting up Mystery Readers Journal, starting with Volume 42:1 (2026), offering print-on-demand. The quality of the print-on-demand issues will be exactly the same as the past printed issues with our same unique size and perfect binding.

As each issue is published, people who prefer print copies will receive an email with a link on how to order that individual issue. In addition, the website will have the links for each issue as published. 

You do not have to subscribe to the PDF subscription to order 2026 print-on-demand issues of MRJ. 

Of course, if you do subscribe for a PDF subscription and still want the print copy, you can always take the PDF to your local printer.

Hope you will support Mystery Readers Journal, now in our 42^nd year.

For more information on past themed issues of Mystery Readers Journal