Cartoon of the Day: Some Murder Methods for Modern Mystery Writers

From Tom Gauld:

St Patrick's Day Mysteries // St. Patrick's Day Crime Fiction

St. Patrick's Day figures in so many mysteries. Here's my updated St. Patrick's Day Crime Fiction list. And, since Irish aka Emerald Noir is very popular right now, you can always add more titles to your TBR pile from the many Irish mystery crime writers. Although they may not take place specifically on St. Patrick's Day.

Mystery Readers Journal has had two issues dedicated to Irish Mysteries. Irish Mysteries: 36:4 (2020) and  Irish Mysteries 24:2 (2008)  Both are still available as PDF download.

As always, I welcome comments and additions to this list. 

ST. PATRICK'S DAY CRIME FICTION

Susan Wittig Albert: Love Lies Bleeding
Jennifer S. Alderson: Death by Leprechaun 

Amy Alessio: Struck by Shillelagh
Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman, & Marcia Talley (editors): Homicidal Holidays: Fourteen Tales of Murder and Merriment
Mary Kay Andrews (aka Kathy Hogan Trocheck): Irish Eyes
Marlene Bierworth: Paddy's Mission

S. Furlong-Bollinger: Paddy Whacked

Linda Carroll-Brado: St Patrick's Shenanigans

Harry Brandt (Richard Price): The Whites
MW Burdette: The St. Patrick Day Murders

Lynn Cahoon: Corned Beef and Casualties
Isis Crawford: A Catered St. Patrick's Day
P. Creeden: Murder on Saint Patrick's Day
Kathi Daley: Shamrock Shenanigans
Maddie Day: Four Leaf Cleaver

Nelson DeMille: Cathedral
Tom Dots Doherty: ShamrockSnake
J.C. Eaton: Dressed Up 4 Murder

Peggy Ehrhart: Irish Knit Murder

Janet Evanovich: Plum Lucky
Sharon Fiffer: Lucky Stuff 
Bernadette Franklin: Shammed

S. Furlong-Bollinger: Paddy Whacked
Deborah Garner: A Flair for Shamrocks
Danielle Garrett: Lucky Witch
Andrew Gonzalez: St. Patrick's Day
Ani Gonzalez: Luck of the Witchy
Andrew Greeley: Irish Gold

Jane Haddam: A Great Day for the Deadly
Lyn Hamilton: The Celtic Riddle
Darci Hannah: Murder at the Blarney Bash

Jonathan Harrington: A Great Day for Dying

Lee Harris: The St. Patrick's Day Murder
Jennifer L. Hart: Sleuthing for the Weekend
Michelle Ann Holstein: End of the Rainbow

Dorothy Howell: Duffel Bags and Drownings 
Carolyn Q. Hunter: Shamrock Pie Murder
Melanie Jackson: The Sham
Madison Johns: Lucky Strike
Diane Kelly: Love, Luck, and the Little Green Men 
Linda Kozar: St. Patrick's Secret
Amanda Lee: The Long Stitch Good Night; Four-Leaf Clover
Wendi Lee: The Good Daughter
Dan Mahoney: Once in, Never Out
Marion Markham: The St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Mystery (children's)
Ralph M. McInerny: Lack of the Irish
Leslie Meier: St. Patrick's Day Murder; Irish Parade Murder

Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, & Barbara Ross: Irish Coffee Murder (novellas)
Sharon Michaels: St. Patrick's Day Puzzle

Carlene O'Connor: Murder in an Irish Bookshop, Irish Milkshake Murder
Sister Carol Anne O’Marie: Death Takes Up A Collection
Mark Parker: Lucky You
Jack Pachuta: Murder Most Green

Amy M. Read: St. Patrick's Fray

Christopher Ryan: Go Brath
Madelyn Scott: Suspicions and Shamrocks

Janet Elaine Smith: In St. Patrick's Custody
Kathleen Suzette: Death and a Peppermint Patty

JJ Toner: St. Patrick's Day Special

Kathy Hogan Trochek (aka Mary Kay Andrews): Irish Eyes

Debbie Viguié: Lie Down in Green Pastures

Noreen Wald: Death Never Takes a Holiday; The Luck of the Ghostwriter

J.A. Whiting and Nell McCarthy: Death in Dublin

Traci Wilton: Mrs. Morris and the Pot of Gold

Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, Liz Ireland (3 books in one)*

Check out Dublin Noir, a collection of short stories edited by Ken Bruen, published by Akashic Books in the US and Brandon in Ireland and the UK.

Read Val McDermid's take on the Popularity of Irish Crime Fiction.

Some Irish crime writers you might want to read: 

Tana French, Erin Hart, Benjamin Black, Conor Brady, Declan Hughes, Jane Casey, Brian McGilloway, Alan Glynn, John Brady, Stuart Neville, Adrian McKinty, John Banville (Benjamin Black), Ken Bruen, Jesse Louisa Rickard, Peter Tremayne, Gene Kerrigan, Stuart Neville, Liz Nugent, Eoin Colfer, John Connolly, Sinead Crowley, Olivia Kiernan, Brian McGilloway, Jo Spain, Jane Casey, Catherine Ryan Howard, Jess Kidd, Claire McGowan, Arlene Hunt, Michelle Duane, Zara Keane, Declan Hughes, Jess Kidd, Gemma O'Connor, Lisa McInerney, 

Who are your favorite Irish authors?

***

Crime Films set around St. Patrick's Day:

Between the Canals (2010), Irish crime film written and directed by Mark O'Connor
The Boondock Saints (1999) American crime film written and directed by Troy Duffy
State of Grace (1990) Neo-Noir Crime Film directed by Phil Joanou
The Fugitive (1993) American Crime Film directed by Andrew Davis

True Crime: 

9 Unbelievable St. Patrick's Day Crimes & Mishaps! 

May the road rise up to meet you, and the wind be always at your back!

LEN DEIGHTON: R.I.P.

Len Deighton, one of the best and most prolific spy novelists, passed away this week. He was 97.  Perhaps his best known work was The Ipcress File (1962). Deighton also authored a number of historical books about WWII, and as a cookbook writer, he helped to introduce French cuisine to the UK. 

Read more about Len Deighton, who reinvented the spy novel, in these obituaries. 

The Guardian obituary.   Written by Mike Ripley.

The NYT obituary.

The Washington Post obituary. 

The Times obituary. 

The Telegraph. 

The Barry Award Nominations: Deadly Pleasures Magazine

The Barry Award Nominations for 2026. 

The winners of the 2026 Barry Awards will be announced at the Opening Ceremonies of Bouchercon (Calgary, Canada) on October 22, 2026.  Congratulations to all those nominated. 

Best Mystery
THE IMPOSSIBLE THING, Belinda Bauer (Atlantic Monthly)
CROOKS, Lou Berney (William Morrow)
KING OF ASHES, S. A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)
THE BLACK WOLF, Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
THE WHITE CROW, Michael Robotham (Scribner)
PRESUMED GUILTY, Scott Turow (Grand Central)

Best First Mystery
LEVERAGE, Amran Gowani (Atria Books)
ALL THE OTHER MOTHERS HATE ME, Sarah Harman (Putnam)
DEAD MONEY, Jakob Kerr (Bantam)
THE VANISHING PLACE, Zoe Rankin (Berkley)
STILLWATER, Tanya Scott (Atlantic Monthly)
JULIE CHAN IS DEAD, Liann Zhang (Atria Books)

Best Paperback Original Mystery
CRIMSON THAW, Bruce Robert Coffin (Severn River)
SPLINTERED JUSTICE, Kim Hays (Seventh Street Books)
MAKING A KILLING, Cara Hunter (William Morrow)
IF TWO ARE DEAD, Rick Mofina (MIRA)
WOLF SIX, Alex Shaw (Boldwood Books)
THE DENTIST, Tim Sullivan (Atlantic Crime)

Best Thriller
WITNESS 8, Steve Cavanagh (Atria Books)
THE OLIGARCH’S DAUGHTER, Joseph Finder (Harper)
MIDNIGHT BLACK, Mark Greaney (Berkley)
CLOWN TOWN, Mick Herron (Soho Crime)
HEAD CASES, John McMahon (Minotaur Books)
THE MAILMAN, Andrew Welsh-Huggins (Mysterious Press)

YOUNG SHERLOCK: New series on Prime Video

So I had my doubts about Young Sherlock, but I am finding the production quite entertaining. Well, Guy Richie is the director, so why should I be surprised? 

Young Sherlock is a new mystery tv series created by Matthew Parkhill and developed by Peter Harness and Guy Ritchie. It is inspired by Andrew Lane's Young Sherlock Holmes book series, a pastiche of Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories. Hero Fiennes Tiffin stars as Holmes. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 4 March.

Basically, it's the story of 19-year-old Sherlock - not attending Oxford University - but it takes place there. Sherlock Holmes is not yet the master detective he grows up to be. He is raw and unfiltered, and he lacks discipline. This production is full of action with great acting and storyline. And, you'll be introduced to the future Sherlock Holmes 'cast'...

Sherlock Holmes is a disgraced young man – raw and unfiltered – when he finds himself wrapped up in a murder case that threatens his liberty. His first ever case unravels a globe-trotting conspiracy, culminating in an explosive showdown that changes his life forever. Unfolding in 1870s Oxford and adventuring abroad, the series will expose the early antics of the anarchic adolescent who is yet to evolve into Baker Street’s most renowned resident. 

Cartoon of the Day: Pi Day