Monday, December 31, 2018
CHAMPAGNE IN CRIME FICTION: National Champagne Day
CHAMPAGNE IN MYSTERIES
Murder & Champagne by Ashok Banker
The Charlemagne Connection by R.M. Cartmel
Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie
Tug of War by Barbara Cleverly
The Champagne Conspiracy by Ellen Crosby
Murder Can Crash Your Party by Selma Eichler
Champagne Fuhrern by Kare Hallden (in Swedish)
Champagne: The Farewell by Janet Hubbard
Secret Lies and Champagne Highs by Jeanette Hubbard
The Curse of Tenth Grave by Darynda Jones
Champagne Blues by Ivan and Nat Lyons
Dry Bones by Peter MayChampagne and a Gardener by B.J. Morison
Design for Dying by Renee Patrick
Champagne for Buzzards by Phyllis Smallman
Murder by Champagne by Keith Spicer
Champagne and Cocaine by Richard Vetere
Champagne for One by Rex Stout
And here's a true mystery related story about Champagne, especially for history mystery folks. This was reported in The Daily Mail (UK) July 2010. Talk about a vintage that holds its own!
Divers have discovered what is thought to be the world's oldest drinkable champagne in a shipwreck in the Baltic Sea.
They have already tested out the contents of one bottle and claim it tastes 'fantastic' despite dating back to the late 18th century.
Diving instructor Christian Ekstrom said the bottles are believed to be from the 1780s and likely were part of a cargo destined for Russia.
'We brought up the bottle to be able to establish how old the wreck was. We didn't know it would be champagne. We thought it was wine or something,' he said.
Ekstrom said the divers were overjoyed when they popped the cork on their boat after hauling the bubbly from a depth of 200 feet (60 meters).
'It tasted fantastic. It was a very sweet champagne, with a tobacco taste and oak,' Ekstrom said.
The divers discovered the shipwreck near the Aland Islands, between Sweden and Finland. About 30 bottles are believed to be aboard the sunken vessel.
Read More Here.And, then, of course, there's always Sabering Champagne, as opposed to savoring Champagne. Sabering is opening the champagne bottle with a saber. A talent a mystery reader and writer might have or at the very least figure in a plot---sabering gone wrong!
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Friday, December 28, 2018
NEW YEAR'S Crime Fiction, Thrillers, and Movies!
I wish you a safe, healthy and prosperous 2019. May Mystery and Mayhem only happen in crime fiction!
Crime Fiction Set at the New Year
As always, let me know if I've missed any titles.
Marian Babson: Line up for Murder
Bain, Donald and Jessica Fletcher. Murder She Wrote: Death of a Blue Blood
T. L. Barnett: Murder for the New Year
George Baxt: The Marlene Dietrich Murder Case
George Bellairs: The Case of the Headless Jesuit
Nero Blanc: A Crossworder's Gift
Brazil, Paul: Guns of Brixton; Cold London Blues
Jon L. Breen: Touch of the Past
Rita Mae Brown: Full Cry
Alison Cairns: New Year Resolution
Lillian Stewart Carl: The Blue Hackle
C.S. Challinor: Murder at Midnight
Lee Child (ed): Killer Year: Stories to Die for
Anne Cleeves: Raven Black
Anna Ashwood Collins: Deadly Resolutions
Patricia Cornwell: Cause of Death
Mark Costello: Bag Men
Alisa Craig: Murder Goes Mumming
Jeffrey Deaver: The Devil's Teardrop
Colin Dexter: The Secret of Annexe 3
Carter Dickson: Death and the Gilded Man
Carole Nelson Douglas: Cat on a Hyacinth Hunt
Loren D. Estleman: Stress
Janet Evanovich: Plum New Year
J. Jefferson Fargeon: Death in Fancy Dress (aka The Fancy Dress Ball)
Quinn Fawcett: Siren Song
Jerrilyn Farmer: Dim Sum Dead
Frederick Forsyth: The Fourth Protocol
Janet Gleeson: The Grenadillo Box
J.M. Gregson: The Lancashire Leopard
Jane Haddam: Fountain of Death
Karen Harper: The Queene's Christmas
Lee Harris: The New Year's Eve Murder
Ellen Hart: Hallowed Murder, Merchant of Venus
Roy Hart: Seascape with Dead Figures
Lauren Henderson: Pretty Boy
Reginald Hill: Killing The Lawyers
J.A. Jance: Name Withheld
Rufus King: Holiday Homicide
Frances and Richard Lockridge: The Dishonest Murderer
Heather Dune Macadam: The Weeping Buddha
Ed McBain: Lullaby
Johnston McCulley: New Year's Pardon; New Year's Duty
Philip McLauren: Scream Black Murder
Elisabeth McNeill: Hot News
Leslie Meier: New Year's Eve Murder
James Melville: Body Wore Brocade
David William Meredith: The Christmas Card Murders
Miriam Ann Moore: Stayin' Alive
Tamar Myers: A Penny Urned
Leonardo Padura: Havana Blue (starts with a New Year's Eve hangover)
Elizabeth Peters: The Golden One
Edward O. Phillips: Sunday's Child
Ellery Queen: Calamity Town
Craig Rice: The Right Murder
Gillian Roberts: The Mummer’s Curse
Cindy Sample: Dying for a Date
Dorothy L. Sayers: The Nine Tailors (begins on New Year's Eve)
Catherine Shaw: Fatal Inheritance
Joan Smith: Don't Leave Me This Way, Why Aren't They Screaming
Meg Taggart: Murder at the Savoy
Kathleen Taylor: Cold Front
Charles Todd: A Long Shadow
Auralee Wallace: Ring in the Year with Murder
Patricia Wentworth: Clock Strikes Twelve
Valerie Wolzein: 'Tis the Season to be Murdered (aka And a Lethal New Year)
James Ziskin: Stone Cold Dead
Mark Richard Zubro: The Truth Can Get You Killed
Short Story:
Q. Patrick: "Murder on New Year's Eve"
You might also want to check out my Christmas list (Christmas Mysteries, Authors A-Z). Some of the books' action spills over into the New Year.
And here's a list of Mystery Movies that take place at the New Year.
Happy Viewing:
Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)
Entrapment (1999)
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Little Caesar (1931)
Money Train (1995)
New Year's Evil (1980)
Night Train to Paris (1964)
Ocean's 11 (1960)
Strange Days (1995)
Survivor (2015)
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Billie Sue Mosiman: R.I.P.
Billie Sue Mosiman wrote over 100 books in horror, suspense, thriller, memoir, mystery, and short story. She was also a columnist, writing instruction, and Editor. In a diary when she was thirteen years old she wrote, "I want to grow up to be a writer." Her books have been published since 1984, two of them nominated for an Edgar Award for best novel and a Bram Stoker Award for the most superior novel. In 2014 THE GREY MATTER received a Nomination for the Kindle Book Award. In 2016 she was nominated for a Stoker Award for the Anthology, FRIGHT MARE-WOMEN WRITE HORROR.
She has been a regular contributor to a myriad of anthologies and magazines, with more than 200-300 short stories published. Her work has been in such diverse publications as Horror Show Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Zippered Flesh 3, and Simple Things an anthology edited by Franklin Wales.
She taught writing for Writer's Digest and for AOL online and gave writing workshops locally in Texas. She was an assistant editor at a Houston literary magazine and co-edited several trade paperback anthologies with Martin Greenberg. Her latest work in paperback and Kindle digital is THE SORROWS, a story collection, and LOSTNESS, a novel. In 2015 her anthology FRIGHT MARE-WOMEN WRITE HORROR debuted with 20 chilling tales. Her latest novel is LOSTNESS, the sequel to BANISHED, a tale of a fallen angel in the human form of a little girl.
Recently she sold short fiction to JAMAIS VU magazine, and the anthologies BETTER WEIRD, edited by Paul F. Olson from Cemetery Dance, a story to SPECTRAL Volume 8, WORLD HORROR anthology, ALLEGORIES OF THE TAROT, edited by Annetta Ribken, FRESH FEAR, edited by William Cook, WRAPPED IN RED, edited by Jennifer Greene, and SOMEONE WICKED and INSIDIOUS ASSASSINS, edited by Weldon Burge, plus two more. Her latest suspense novel, THE GREY MATTER, was reprinted in a new edition this year.
Mosiman was born in 1947 in Alabama and lived in Texas.
BOXING DAY MYSTERIES
One Boxing Day Mystery is Nicholas Blake's Thou Shell of Death (1936). Nicholas Blake is the pseudonym of Cecil Day Lewis, the late British poet laureate.
Thou Shell of Death features Fergus O'Brien, WWI flying ace. Fergus receives four letters predicting that he will be murdered on Boxing Day. Despite this, or maybe because of this, he plans a party and invites all the suspects (there are several people who might want to do him in) plus private detective Nigel Strangeways. O'Brien does die, and it's up to Nigel Strangeways with the help of Inspector Blount of Scotland Yard to solve the crime. This is Blount's first appearance in the series. Thou Shell of Death is an oldie but goodie, especially if you like houseparty mysteries.
There are three other novels that focus on Boxing Day. A frozen body is found on Boxing Day in Viveca Sten's In Harm's Way. Another mystery is Gilbert Adair's The Act of Roger Murgatroyd that takes place entirely on Boxing Day. This is part of his series of novels about Evadne Mount, and is clearly a play on Agatha Christie novels. In another Boxing Day mystery, Death at Sandringham House by C.C. Benison, Her Majesty the Queen, along with her housemaid Jane Bee, investigates.
And, if you're unfamiliar with Boxing Day, it's the day after Christmas, when "servants and tradesmen traditionally would receive gifts from their superiors." Today it's a National Holiday in most of the British Commonwealth and former British colonies. As far as why it's called Boxing Day, there are several different theories:
A ‘Christmas Box in Britain is a name for a Christmas present.
Boxing Day was a day off for servants and when they received a ‘Christmas Box’ from the master. The servants would also go home to give ‘Christmas Boxes’ to their families.
A box to collect money for the poor was placed in Churches on Christmas day then opened the next day.
Great sailing ships when setting sail would have a sealed box containing money on board for good luck. If the voyage were a success the box was given to a priest, opened at Christmas and the contents given to the poor.
Are there any other Boxing Day Mysteries I've forgotten?
And, if you're not tired of cooking and baking, today is also Candy Cane Day. Here are some great ideas of What to do with Leftover Candy Canes!
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Monday, December 24, 2018
JANE LANGTON: R.I.P.
From Mystery Writers of America:
It is with profound sadness we announce the passing of Jane Langton, a 2017 Grand Master, on December 22, 2018.
In a writing career that spanned over four decades, Jane Langton had not only written multiple mystery series, but also illustrated them. Her first children’s book, The Majesty of Grace, was published by Harper in 1961. The first book of her Hall Family Chronicles series, The Diamond in the Window, was nominated for the Edgar for Best Juvenile. The Fledgling, fourth in the series, was a Newbery Honor Book. Langton had written 18 books in the Homer (and Mary) Kelly series, published between 1964 and 2005. The fifth in the series, Emily Dickinson Is Dead, was an Edgar nominee and received a Nero Wolfe award.
From Mysterious Press:
Winner of the Bouchercon Lifetime Achievement Award, Jane Langton (b. 1922) is an acclaimed author of mystery novels and children’s literature. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Langton took degrees in astronomy and art history before she began writing novels, and has set much of her fiction in the tight-knit world of New England academia.
She published her first novel, The Majesty of Grace, in 1961, and a year later began one of the young adult series that would make her famous: the Hall Family Chronicles. In The Diamond in the Window (1962) she introduced Edward and Eleanor, two New England children whose home holds magical secrets. Two years later, in The Transcendental Murder, Langton created Homer Kelly, a Harvard University professor who solves murders in his spare time. These two series have produced over two dozen books, most recently The Dragon Tree (2008), the eighth Hall Family novel. Langton continues to live, write, and illustrate in Massachusetts.
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Saturday, December 22, 2018
Friday, December 21, 2018
WINTER SOLSTICE MYSTERIES
Winter Solstice Mysteries
Fitt, Mary: Death and the Shortest Day
Joan Hess: A Holly Jolly Murder
Jane Langton: The Shortest Day: Murder at the Revels
Henning Mankel: Italian Shoes
Ngaio Marsh: Off with His Head
Gladys Mitchell: The Dancing Druids
And, if you want to celebrate your Winter Solstice in chocolate, check out these Yule Log (Buche De Noel) posts on my other blog, DyingforChocolate.com.
Ice Cream Yule Log aka Buche de Noel
Where to Buy Buches de Noel in the San Francisco Bay Area
Also, Trader Joe's has a new seasonal ice cream flavor: Buche de Noel.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
POISONED PEN PRESS / SOURCEBOOKS NEWS!
“It’s a privilege to integrate Poisoned Pen Press with an independent, innovative publisher that shares our core values and has raised teamwork to not just the way it operates but to an art,” said Barbara Peters, editor in chief of Poisoned Pen Press, and Robert Rosenwald, president and founder of Poisoned Pen Press, in a joint statement. “We know that what started small twenty-one years ago has, like Sourcebooks, continually grown. To enhance the experience of our authors and their readers, as well as of our staff, this is the right time, with a fantastic fit, for Poisoned Pen Press to become the mystery imprint at Sourcebooks. In conversations with our authors, they are equally thrilled to be moving forward this way.”
Sourcebooks will acquire the majority of Poisoned Pen Press titles as part of the deal. The Chicago-based publisher, which recently expanded into the mystery category, will add its own titles to form the Poisoned Pen Press imprint. The Poisoned Pencil young adult mysteries will move to Sourcebooks’s fast-growing Fire imprint, which currently accounts for 50 percent of sales reported by Bookscan in the young adult thriller category.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring Poisoned Pen Press’s illustrious name and roster of authors to Sourcebooks,” said Anna Michels, senior editor, Sourcebooks. “Over the past twenty-plus years, Robert and Barbara have curated a list that is unparalleled in terms of editorial excellence and appeal to the mystery reader, and our shared goal is to continue that tradition of publishing superb content while implementing a commercially oriented vision of wider distribution and increased marketing support. Sourcebooks and Poisoned Pen Press coming together really feels like a joining of powerful forces, and I can’t wait to work with Robert and Barbara to create amazing things for all the authors housed under this new imprint.”
Rosenwald founded Poisoned Pen Press two decades ago, inspired by new print-on-demand technology to bring books back into print, but it swiftly evolved into publishing new crime fiction. He named it Poisoned Pen Press in tribute to wife Barbara's legendary mystery bookstore of the same name. The press quickly evolved into an award-winning independent mystery press, publishing about sixty original books annually.
Poisoned Pen Press books have won or been nominated for every major award in the mystery genre. Peters and Rosenwald have been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bouchercon crime and mystery conference (2008), the Poirot Award bestowed by the Malice Domestic board of directors to honor individuals other than writers who have made outstanding contributions to the genre, and the Ellery Queen Award at the 2010 Mystery Writers of America’s annual dinner honoring writing teams and outstanding people in the mystery-publishing industry.
“We are thrilled to welcome Poisoned Pen Press’s extraordinary and diverse range of authors to the Sourcebooks family,” said Dominique Raccah, Sourcebooks publisher and CEO. “I love the way that Barbara and Robert think about mystery, and I look forward to doing what Sourcebooks does best—building big success for Poisoned Pen Press authors with broader sales distribution and innovative marketing. We love to support fellow entrepreneurs, and I can’t wait to work with Barbara, Robert, and our new Sourcebooks staff to expand their amazing impact in the world of mysteries, suspense, thriller, and horror.”
Peters will continue to acquire front list titles as editor in chief of Poisoned Pen Press, while Michels will also acquire new titles and oversee the imprint. Rosenwald will stay on as director of development of the imprint. Most Poisoned Pen Press employees will be retained and continue to work out of their Scottsdale office. The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona, will remain under its current ownership.
About Sourcebooks
Sourcebooks is a thriving entrepreneurial company that brings extraordinary authors to readers in the most dynamic, data-driven ways. We create books that transcend categories and defy odds and have been honored with hundreds of national bestsellers and awards. We are home to enthusiastic, book-loving employees who are dedicated to connecting books to readers in new and innovative ways. Story by story, book by book, we have touched over 100 million lives. Join us as we change 100 million more. Visit sourcebooks.com for more information.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
BILL CRIDER PRIZE at Bouchercon 2019
More details here.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Monday, December 17, 2018
LEFT COAST CRIME 2019: Whale of a Crime NEWS
Register for Left Coast Crime 2019 by December 31, 2018 for discount and to be considered for placement on a panel. There are only three more months until LCC in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada! March 28-31, 2019!
Guests of Honor:
American Guest of Honor: C.J. Box; Canadian Guest of Honor: Maureen Jennings: Fan Guests of Honor: Don & Jenn Longmuir; Local Legend: William Deverell; Lifetime Achievement Honoree: Sue Grafton; Ghost of Honor: L.R. Wright.
Left Coast Crime 2019 NEWS:
WRITING WORKSHOP:
Left Coast Crime 2019 is pleased to announce a Writing Workshop for writers, published or not, interested in learning about adapting work for the screen and screenwriting. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, March 27, 2019, from 9:00 AM to Noon, at the convention hotel, the Hyatt Regency Vancouver.
Cost: $75 CAD for LCC registrants, $100 CAD for non-LCC registrants
REGISTRATION LINK
Note: The workshop will be cancelled if the minimum is not met. Registration will be limited to 60.
Hollywood North
The film industry in Canada is alive and well and is often referred to as Hollywood North. How does a book become a TV series, a movie, a play or anything else people are turning “properties” into in the 21st century? How do you pitch a project? And would you rather pitch your book, option it or hide under the covers when a producer calls to ask about your baby? How “attached” do you want to be an adaptation of your work? And how attached can you be? Mark Leiren-Young explores the realities of navigating the media scene.
THE LEFTY AWARDS:
We hope you have been making lists of all your favorite mysteries published in 2018. If not, start looking back over your notes because your Lefty Nomination Form will be coming your way very soon! Registrants of the 2018 and 2019 Left Coast Crime Conventions will be able to nominate three titles in each Lefty Award category. Nominations will be accepted the first two weeks of January, for the four 2019 Lefty Awards:
- Best Mystery Novel
- Best Debut Mystery Novel
- Best Humorous Mystery Novel
- Best Historical Mystery Novel (The Bruce Alexander Memorial), covering events before 1960
Nomination forms will be emailed to all 2018 and 2019 LCC registrants in late December. The Lefty Award nominees will be announced around January 16, 2019. Final voting for the Lefty Awards will be by paper ballot at the convention in Vancouver.
Questions about the Lefty Awards? Email Awards Co-Chairs Lucinda Surber & Stan Ulrich
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
Left Coast Crime encourages organizations to sponsor a variety of events such as the Opening Reception, the Awards Banquet, the Friday “Meet the New Authors” breakfast, the Saturday breakfast, and the hospitality suite. Other options include sponsoring one of our Guests of Honor or supporting Left Coast Crime by sponsoring products such as the convention book bag.
Books for Book Bags
We are happy to accept crime fiction and non-fiction for distribution in the book bags. There is no charge, but you will need to ship the books to arrive in early 2019. For non-Canadian donations, we are negotiating with a Canadian company to accept shipments and transport them over the border with no additional cost to the shipper. We prefer not to have more than 200 copies of a single title; multiple titles are recommended if you would like to place a book in every bag. In order to make book distribution work for both the participants (who will love receiving your books) and the booksellers (who will plan to bring different books to sell), we ask that you provide the title(s) and number of books you would like to donate.
If interested in donating books or other sponsorship opportunities, please email Lucinda Surber for details.
ADVERTISE IN THE PROGRAM BOOK:
Attention Authors! Please encourage your publisher to advertise in the Left Coast Crime Program Book. There are sizes and prices for every budget. Don’t be left out! The deadline for reserving ad space is February 15, 2019. Details and Ad Form
And, so much more!!!
Sunday, December 16, 2018
MYSTERY BYTES: Quirky and Interesting Mystery-Related Links
18 of the Best Bookish Movies of 2018. BookRiot.
Last weekend I watched Dumplin‘ with my whole family and then after the kids were in bed my husband and I started watching Killing Eve and basically I will never again have such a great weekend of bookish viewing. Probably. Maybe. Although…2018 was so full of great adaptations (and other bookish movies and TV shows) that lightning could strike twice, or every weekend...
Emma Lathen: A Crime Reader's Guide to the Classics: Rediscovering the Queen (s) of Business Crime by Neil Nyren. CrimeReads.
Between 1961 and 1997, Lathen published 24 mysteries featuring John Putnam Thatcher, senior vice president of the Sloan Guaranty Trust, the “third largest bank in the world,” and the first fictional sleuth to spring from the world of Wall Street. The novels were witty, crisp, insightful, intricately plotted, and highly instructive about the ways of the financial universe and the myriad businesses and industries therein...
John le Carré is set to confront “the division and rage at the heart of our modern world” in a new novel set in London in 2018 that will be published next year. The Guardian.
Agent Running in the Field follows a 26-year-old “solitary” man who, “in a desperate attempt to resist the new political turbulence swirling around him, makes connections that will take him down a very dangerous path”, according to publisher Viking.
The novel, Le Carré’s 25th, will be published in October 2019...
The Crime Fiction of Galway by Paul French. CrimeReads.
Galway, on the west coast of Ireland, is the Republic’s sixth largest city, popular with tourists and backpackers and set to be Europe’s official Capital of Culture for 2020. It’s also emerged as a center of Emerald Noir—Irish crime writing that’s gritty, realistic, and concerned with contemporary Ireland. Of course some great examples of Emerald Noir can be found in Dublin, Cork and Limerick, as well as in Northern Ireland (see Crime and the City Belfast), but Galway’s giving them all a run for their money at the moment...
Mise-en-Scène’ and Fritz Lang: The Invaluable, Short-Lived Magazine’s Article on the Master of Darkness. Cinephilia & Beyond.
In 1979, Case Western Reserve University Film Society started publishing a magazine called Mise-en-Scéne, a 70-plus-page cinephilic treasure chest with a series of high-quality articles on some of the most important filmmakers of all time and their work that had left a deep mark on film both in terms of the industry and the art. The articles were accompanied by wonderful high-definition photographs, and even a quick look at the table of contents shows you what kind of an apprehensive and knowledgeable handbook these issues really were...
Not really mystery-related, but a great book article:
8 Old-Lady Novels That Prove Life Doesn't End at 80 by Heidi Sopinka. Electric Lit.
Meaningful roles dry up in Hollywood for women over 30, but for those over 80 it’s a wasteland. At best there is one of two grandmas: kindly or batshit. The same double-bind could be said for older women in literature, who arguably represent one of the most underwritten aspects of female experience. Even when they do manage to get into a book, they almost exclusively face sexism for being “unlikeable.” ...
Here's an article for all my friends:
How to Declutter some of the hardest things of All: Books. Realtor.com
When you're trying to declutter your home, there are always some easy wins. Old newspapers and a too-small sweater? Recycle one and donate the other to Goodwill. Done! But a French-language copy of "Madame Bovary" from college, or all those beloved "Nancy Drew" books from childhood? For book lovers, parting with these can be a whole lot harder...
Spain's First Book Town: Urueña. Atlas Obscura.
Urueña, Spain. In 2007, Urueña went one step further to enhance its charm, becoming the first villa del libro (Book Town) in Spain. It’s now home to 12 bookstores—and only about 200 people...
Val McDermid: Finding Inspiration After 32 Novels. Crime Reads via Atlantic Monthly.
Whenever a new book comes out, we writers have to find something to talk about. In interviews, at book signings, at literary festivals, we have to persuade readers that ours is the book they want to take home.
Broken Ground is my thirty-second novel. That’s thirty-two lots of questions and interviews, and thirty-two attempts at finding something fresh to say. Or at least, something I can manage to make sound fresh. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not fishing for pity or even sympathy, just trying to explain why you might have heard some of my anecdotes more than once...
And a review of a biography of Edward Gorey!
Posthumous: the Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey by Mark Dery. Review by Jennifer Szalai. NYT.
Writers are supposed to have a hard time killing their darlings, but there are a few who apparently thrill to the task. In “Born to Be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey,” the cultural critic Mark Dery explains how Gorey was always looking to pare things down. Right up until his death from a heart attack in 2000, at 75, he was relentlessly productive — staging plays, producing puppet shows, illustrating books and publishing a hundred or so little volumes of drawings paired with arch, taciturn texts — while taking care to keep it all “very brief,” as Gorey put it, in pursuit of what Dery calls “an almost haiku-like narrative compression.”
Take A Virtual Murder Tour of Medieval London by Matthew Taub. Atlas Obscura.
In late October 1323, on the eve of the feast of Saints Simon and Jude and in the shadow of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, a heist went awry. According to the coroner’s report, a Frenchman known as John de Chartres had just supped with his accomplices, William of Woodford and his wife Johanna, at their Milk Street residence. They crept over to Bread Street and broke into the home they had targeted, and systematically looted it as planned. But then William noticed that “John was then filled with remorse.” Unable to risk a rat, William politely asked John to light a fire in the kitchen. As John knelt over the flames William hit him with an ax, and then attempted to burn the evidence—namely, John.
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Friday, December 14, 2018
CHRISTMAS MYSTERIES: AUTHORS A-Z - Final Round-Up
And to all a Good Night!
Christmas Mysteries, Authors A-E
Christmas Mysteries, Authors F-L
Christmas Mysteries, Authors M-Z
Christmas Mystery Short Story Anthologies & Novellas
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
CHRISTMAS MYSTERY SHORT STORY ANTHOLOGIES & NOVELLAS
For the Christmas novel lists by author, go here: Authors A-E, Authors F-L, Authors M-Z,
SHORT STORIES & ANTHOLOGIES
Adrian, Jack: Crime at Christmas.
Andrew, Donna, Barb Goffman & Marcia Talley (editors): Homicidal Holidays: Fourteen Tales of Murder and Merriment.
Asimov, Isaac (ed.): Twelve Crimes of Christmas.
Benedict, Laura, Carolyn Haines, & Lisa Morton (ed): Haunted Holidays.
Browning, Abigail (ed.): Murder Most Merry.
Burton, Tony (ed.): By the Chimney with Care; Carols and Crimes, Gifts and Grifters; Dying in a Winter Wonderland.
Cornwell, Bernard: Sharpe's Christmas--Two Short Stories.
Bill Crider, Terence Faherty, Wendi Lee, & Aileen Schumacher: Murder, Mayhem, and Mistletoe
Dalby, Richard (ed.): Crime for Christmas; Mistletoe & Mayhem.
Doyle, Arthur Conan: "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle".
Edwards, Martin (ed.): Crimson Snow (British Library Crime Classics).
Floyd, John (ed.): The Gift of Murder.
Fowler, Christopher: "Bryant & May and the Secret Santa".
Gayford, Cecily (ed): Murder Under the Christmas Tree: Ten Classic Crime Stories for the Festive Season.
Godfrey, Thomas (ed.): Murder for Christmas--26 Tales of Seasonal Malice.
Goffman, Barb (et al., eds.): Chesapeake Crimes--Homicidal Holidays.
Greenberg, Martin H (ed.): Cat Crimes for the Holidays; Holmes for the Holidays; Santa Clues; More Holmes for the Holidays; Twelve Crimes of Christmas.
Halliday, Gemma (ed): Cozy Christmas Capers: 19 Holiday Short Stories.
Harris, Charlaine (ed.): Wolfsbane and Mistletoe.
Heald, Tim (ed.): A Classic Christmas Crime.
Hochensmith, Steve: Naughty: Nine Tales of Christmas Crime.
Holmes, Dee: Silent Night.
James, P.D.: The Mistletoe Murder and other stories.
Knight, Stephen (ed.): A Corpse at the Opera House; Murder at Home; Crimes for a Summer Christmas; More Crimes for a Summer Christmas.
Lovesey, Peter (Forward by): The Usual Santas: A Collection of Crime Christmas Capers.
MacLeod, Charlotte (ed.): Mistletoe Mysteries--Tales of Yuletide Murder; Christmas Stalkings--Tales of Yuletide Murder.
McCoy, Judi, Katherine Hall Page, Joanne Pence, et al: Mistletoe and Mayhem.
Manson, Cynthia (ed.): Christmas Crimes; Merry Murder; Murder Under the Mistletoe; Mystery for Christmas; Murder at Christmas.
Marks, Jeffrey (ed.): Canine Christmas.
Penzler, Otto (ed.).: Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop; The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries.
Slater, Susan: Crooks, Crimes and Christmas.
Soles, Caro (ed.).: Blood on the Holly.
Wilson, Gahan: Murder for Christmas: 26 Tales of Seasonal Malice.
Christmas Crimes: Stories from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchocok Mystery Magazine: stories by Ron Goulart, Edward D. Hoch, John Dickson Carr, Anne Cleeves, and more.
NOVELLAS
Allan, Barbara: Antiques Fruitcake.
Avocato, Lori (and others): Sugarplums and Scandal.
Baker, Deb: Murder Trims the Tree.
Barritt, Christy. Pranced.
Bennett, Jenna: Contingent on Approval.
Berry, Linda (and others): The Last Noel.
Block, Barbara (and others): Murder Most Merry.
Brewer, Steve (and others): The Last Noel; Sanity Clause (e-novella).
Burke, Christina: Queenie Baby: Pass the Eggnog.
Calhoun, Lynn: Santa Puppy.
Coco, Nancy: All I Want for Christmas is Fudge.
Collins, Kate: Missing Under the Mistletoe.
Coward, Mat (and others): The Last Noel.
Dane, Catherine (and others): The Last Noel.
Early, Barbara: Gold, Frankincense, and Murder.
Emrick, K.J.: The Ghost of Christmas.
Faherty, Terence (and others): Murder, Mayhem and Mistletoe.
Fluke, Joanne (and others): Candy Cane Murder; Gingerbread Cookie Murder.
Genova, Rosie: The Seven-Course Christmas Killer.
Hathaway, L.B.: A Christmas Case: A Posie Parker Novella.
Jaffarian, Sue Ann: The Ghost of Mistletoe Mary.
Kelly, Diane: Death, Taxes, and Mistletoe Mayhem.
Kelner, Toni L.P. (and others): Murder Under the Tree.
Martin, Nancy: Slay Belles.
Mitcheltree, Tom (and others): How Still We See Thee Lie.
O'Donohue, Clare: Cathedral Windows.
Pence, Joanne: Cook's Christmas Capers.
Raybourn, Deanna: Silent Night--A Lady Julia Christmas Novella.
Robb, J.D. (and others): Silent Night.
Shelton, Connie: Holidays Can Be Murder.
Walker, Martin: Bruno and the Carol Singers.
Ward, Tamara: Jade O'Reilly and the 12 Days of Christmas.
Winston, Lois: Elementary, My Dear Gertie.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
CHRISTMAS MYSTERIES: AUTHORS M-Z
Here are the links that complete this list:
Check out Christmas Crime Fiction, Authors A-E, Authors F-L
As always, let me know if I've forgotten an author and title. Happy Holiday Reading!
AUTHORS M-Z
Macbride, Stuart: Cold Granite; 12 Days of Winter.
MacDonald, John D.: Pale Gray for Guilt.
MacInerney, Karen: Mistletoe Murder; Mistletoe Murder
Macko, Elaine: Armed.
MacLeod, Charlotte: The Convivial Codfish; Murder Goes Mumming; Rest You Merry; Christmas Stalkings; Mistletoe Mysteries; Counterfiet Christmas.
MacPherson, Rett: A Comedy of Heirs; The Blood Ballad.
Malliet, G. M.: Death of a Cozy Writer.
Malmont, Valerie: Death, Snow, and Mistletoe.
Manos, Blanche: Moonlight Can Be Murder.
Marantz, Bill: Christmas Eve Can Kill You.
Markham, Marion: Christmas Present Mystery (juvenile).
Markowitz, Jeff: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder.
Marks, Jeffrey: Canine Christmas.
Maron, Margaret: Corpus Christmas; Rituals of the Season; Christmas Mourning.
Marsh, Carole: Haunted Christmas Tree Mystery.
Marsh, Ngaio: Tied Up in Tinsel
Matesky, Amanda: Murder is a Girl's Best Friend.
McBain, Ed: And All Through the House; Downtown; Ghosts; Sadie When She Died.
McClintick, Malcolm: Death of an Old Flame.
McCloy, Helen: Mr Splitfoot.
McClure, James: The Gooseberry Fool.
McConnon, Maggie: Bel, Book, and Scandal.
McCrumb, Sharyn: Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past.
McDonald, C.S.: Merry Murder.
McGinley, Patrick: Goosefoot.
McGowan, Claire: The Dead Ground.
McGown, Jill: Murder at the Old Vicarage.
McHugh, Mary: High Kicks, Hot Chocolate, and Homicides.
McKevett, G.A.: Cooked Goose; Poisoned Tarts; Murder in Her Stocking.
McKinley, Jenn: On Borrowed Time.
McLean, Donna: A Sparrow Falls Christmas.
McLintick, Malcolm: Death of an Old Flame.
McMullen, Mary: Death by Bequest.
McPherson, Catriona: The Reek of Red Herrings.
Mehl, Nancy: There Goes Santa Claus.
Meier, Leslie: The Christmas Cookie Murder; Mistletoe Murder; Mail Order Murder; A Winter Wonderland; Christmas Carol Murder; Eggnog Murder; Gingerbread Cookie Murder.
Meredith, Anne: Portrait of a Murderer.
Meredith, D. R.: Murder by Sacrilege.
Meredith, David W.: The Christmas Card Murders.
Michaels, Kasey: High Heels and Holidays; Bowled Over.
Miles, Terry: Dog Gone Christmas.
Milne, A.A.: A Table Near the Band; Christmas Party.
Mims, Jay: The Five Santas.
Miner, Valerie: Murder in the English Department.
Minichino, Camile: The Helium Murder; The Oxygen Murder.
Misto, Joh: The Devil's Companions.
Mitchell, Gladys: Dead Men's Morris; The Dancing Druids; Murder in the Snow; Groaning Spinney.
Monroe, Willow: Mall Santa Murder.
Moore, Christopher: The Stupidest Angel--A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror.
Moore, Judy: Murder in Vail.
Morgan, Lorna Nicholl: Another Little Christmas Murder.
Morrell, David: The Spy Who Came for Christmas.
Mortimer, John: A Rumpole Christmas.
Moyes, Patricia: Season of Snows and Sins; Who Killed Father Christmas?.
Muldoon, Meg: Murder in Christmas River; Madness in Christmas River.
Muller, Marcia: There's Nothing to be Afraid Of.
Murphy, Shirley Rousseau: Cat Deck the Halls; Cat Coming Home; Cat Bearing Gifts.
Myers, Ann: Feliz Navidead.
Nabb, Magdalen: Death of an Englishman.
Nash, Anne: Said with Flowers.
Neel, Janet: Death's Bright Angel.
Nelson, Hugh: The Season for Murder.
Nesbo, Jo: The Redeemer.
Nesser, Hakan: Woman with Birthmark.
Nixon, Joan: The Christmas Eve Murder.
Norden, Robert: Death Beneath the Christmas Tree.
Norton, Jemima: The Mistletoe Bride.
O'Connell, Carol: Judas Child.
O'Marie, Sr. Carol Anne: Advent of Dying; Murder in Ordinary Time; A Novena for Murder.
O'Nan, Stewart: Last Night at the Lobster.
Oust, Gail: Ginger Snapped.
Page, Katherine Hall: The Body in the Big Apple; The Body in the Bouillon; The Body in the Sleigh.
Paige, Shelton: Merry Market Murder.
Painter, Kristen: Miss Frost Solves a Cold Case.
Pajer, Bernadette: The Edison Effect.
Palmer, William: The Dons and Mr Dickens.
Papazoglou, Orania: Rich, Radiant Slaughter; Charisma.
Parker, Gary E.: Death Stalks a Holiday.
Parker, Robert: The Widening Gyre.
Parra, Nancy J: Flourless to Stop Him.
Patterson, James: Merry Christmas, Alex Cross.
Paul, Barbara: A Chorus of Detectives.
Pearl, Jack: Victims.
Pearson, Carol Lynn: A Stranger For Christmas.
Pence, Joanne: Two Cooks A-Killing; The Thirteenth Santa.
Penhallow, Sara: The Christmas Tree Farm Murders.
Penny, Louise: A Fatal Grace; How the Light Gets In.
Perry, Anne: A Christmas Beginning; A Christmas Grace; A Christmas Guest; A Christmas Journey; A Christmas Secret; A Christmas Visitor; Silence in Hanover Close; A Christmas Promise; A Christmas Garland; A Christmas Odyssey; A Christmas Secret; A Christmas Hope... and more.
Perry, Carl J.: Bells, Spells, and Murders.
Peters, Elizabeth: He Shall Thunder in the Sky; Trojan Gold.
Peters, Ellis: A Rare Benedictine; The Raven in the Foregate.
Philips, Scott: The Ice Harvest.
Plakcy, Neil: Dog Have Mercy.
Pomidor, Bill: Mind Over Murder.
Pronzini, Bill: Snowbound.
Pryce, Malcolm: Don't Cry For Me Aberystwyth.
Pulver, Mary Monica: Original Sin.
Purser, Ann: Murder on Monday.
Quashie, Colin: Spirits in a Material World.
Queen, Ellery: The Finishing Stroke; Cat of Many Tails; Calamity Town; The Egyptian Cross Mystery; Murder at Christmas.
Quentin, Patrick: Follower.
Quilford, Sally: Mistletoe Mystery.
Raphael, Lev: Burning Down the House.
Rawlins, Linda. Misty Winter.
Rawls, Randy: Jingle's Christmas.
Ray, Robert J.: Merry Christmas, Murdock.
Reilly, Linda: Claws for Celebration.
Reinsmith, Richard: Body for Christmas.
Richards, Emilie: Let There be Suspects.
Rickman, Phil: Midwinter of the Spirit.
Riggs, John R.: Haunt of the Nightingale.
Riley, Kelly Ann: Homespun Holidays.
Ripley, Ann: The Christmas Garden Affair.
Ripley, J.R.: How the Finch Stole Christmas.
Rizer, Fran: A Corpse Under the Christmas Tree.
Rizzolo, S.K.: The Rose in the Wheel.
Robb, J.D.: Holiday in Death; Apprentice in Death; Brotherhood in Death.
Roberts, Gillian: The Mummer's Curse; Philly Stakes.
Roberts, Sheila: On Strike for Christmas; The Nine Lives of Christmas.
Robinson, David W: Christmas Crackers, A Murder for Christmas.
Robinson, Peter: Past Reason Hated; The Price of Love and Other Stories (collection).
Rockwell, Patricia: Papoosed.
Roosevelt, Elliott: The White House Pantry Murder.
Roper, Gail: Caught in the Act.
Rosenfelt, David: The Twelve Dogs of Christmas; Deck the Hounds.
Rosett, Sara: Mistletoe, Merriment and Murder; Menace at the Christmas Marker.
Rotch, Lawrence: Mistletoe and Murder.
Rowe, Jennifer: Death in Store; Love Lies Bleeding.
Rubino, Jane: Fruit Cake; Homicide for the Holidays.
Ruell, Patrick: Red Christmas.
Russell, Alan: St. Nick.
Russell, Michael: The City in Darkness.
Ryan, Annelise: Lucky Stiff.
Ryan, Jenna: Mistletoe and Murder.
Sample, Cindy: Dying for a Dance.
Salonen, Debra. Montana Secret Santa.
Sanders, Lawrence: The Fourth Deadly Sin.
Santangelo, Elena: Poison to Purge Melancholy; Double Cross.
Saums, Mary: When the Last Magnolia Weeps.
Sawyer, Corinne Holt: Ho Ho Homicide.
Sayers, Dorothy L.: The Nine Tailors.
Scherf, Margaret: The Gun in Daniel Webster's Bust.
Schneider, Maria: Executive Sick Days.
Schumacher, Aileen: Framework for Death.
Schweizer, Mark: The Alto Wore Tweeds; The Christmas Cantata.
Scott, Laura: Her Mistletoe Protector.
Sedaris, David: Holidays on Ice.
Sedley, Kate: The Christmas Wassail.
Sefton, Maggie: Fleece Navidad.
Sellars, M.R.: Perfect Trust.
Serafin, David: Christmas Rising.
Shaber, Sarah: Shell Game (aka Burying Ground).
Shannon, Dell: No Holiday For Crime.
Shaw, J.D: Yule Be the Death of Me.
Shaw, M.B.: Murder at the Mill.
Shea, Susan: Dressed for Death in Burgundy.
Shelton, Connie: Sweet Holidays; Holidays Can Be Murder.
Shelton, Paige: Merry Market Murder; A Christmas Tartan.
Sibley, Celestine: Spider in the Sink.
Simenon, Georges: Maigret's Christmas.
Slan, Joanna Campbell: Handmade, Holiday, Homicide.
Sleeman, Susan: The Christmas Witness; Christmas Conspiracy; High-Caliber Holiday.
Smith, Barbara Burnett: Mistletoe From Purple Sage; Tis the Season for Murder (with Fred Hunter).
Smith, Frank: Fatal Flaw.
Smith, George Harmon: The Christmas Angel.
Smith, Joan: Don't Leave Me This Way.
Smith, Karen Rose: Slay Bells Ring.
Smith, Terrence: The Devil and Webster Daniels.
Smoak, Amanda: Generals' Row.
Sprinkle, Patricia: A Mystery Bred in Buckhead.
Stagge, Jonathan: The Yellow Taxi.
Stanley, J. B.: The Battered Body.
Stout, Rex: And Four to Go.
Strohmeyer, Sarah: Bubbles All the Way.
Swanson, Denise: Murder of a Barbie and Ken; Murder of a Stacked Librarian.
Symons, Julian: The Detling Secret.
Talley, Marcia: Occasion of Revenge.
Taylor, Elizabeth Atwood: The Cable Car Murder.
Taylor, Hudson: Death of a Christmas Tree Man.
Taylor, Sarah Stewart: O' Artful Death.
Temple, Lou Jane: Death is Semisweet.
Tesh, Jane: Mixed Signals.
Tesler, Nancy: Slippery Slopes and Other Deadly Things.
Thames, Nancy: Waiting for Santa.
Theorin, Johan: The Darkest Room.
Thomas, Billie: Murder on the First Day of Christmas.
Thomas, Lisa: Sharpe Edge.
Thompson, Carlene: The Way You Look Tonight.
Thompson, Victoria. Murder on St Nicholas Avenue.
Todd, Charles: The Walnut Tree.
Tooke, John: On the Twelfth Day of Christmas.
Tope, Rebecca: Trouble in the Cotswolds.
Tourney, Leonard D.: Knaves Templar.
Tremayne, Peter: The Haunted Abbot.
Trent, Gayle: Clause of Death.
Trent, Teresa: The Deadliest Christmas Pageant Ever.
Trocheck, Kathy: A Midnight Clear.
Trocheck, Kathy Hogan (as Mary Kay Andrews): Fatal Fruitcake; Blue Christmas; Christmas Bliss.
Tyson, Wendy: Seeds of Revenge.
Underwood, Michael: A Party to Murder.
Unsworth, Barry: Morality Play.
VanLeeuwen, Jean: The Great Christmas Kidnapping Caper.
Verburg, C.J.: Silent Night Violent Night.
Victor, Cynthia: What Matters Most.
Viets, Elaine: Murder With All the Trimmings.
Wait, Lea: Shadows on a Maine Christmas; Thread the Halls.
Wainwright, Noreen: Crime at Christmas.
Walker, Persia: Darkness and the Devil behind Me.
Waller, Gail & Jim Gilber: A Kudzu Christmas.
Walsh, Thomas: The Resurrection Man.
Ward, Donald: Our Little Secret.
Washburn, Livia: The Gingerbread Bump-Off; The Christmas Cookie Killer.
Webb, Peggy: Elvis and the Blue Christmas Corpse.
Webber, Heather: Trouble Under the Tree.
Weir, Charlene: A Cold Christmas.
Weiss, Kirsten: Deja Moo.
Welk, Mary: Deadly Little Christmas; A Merry Little Murder.
Wenger, Christine: It's a Wonderful Knife.
Wentworth, Patricia: The Clock Strikes 12.
White, Anne: Cold Winter Nights.
Wildwind, Sharon: First Murder in Advent.
Willan, Jane: The Hour of Death.
Williams, David: Murder in Advent.
Willig, Lauren: The Mischief of the Mistletoe.
Windsor, Patricia: The Christmas Killer.
Wingfield, R.D.: Frost at Christmas.
Winston, Lois: Drop Dead Ornaments.
Wishart, David: Last Rites.
Wolzien, Valerie: Deck the Halls With Murder; 'Tis the Season to be Murdered; We Wish You a Merry Murder.
Wright, Eric: The Man Who Changed His Name.
Yaffe, James: Mom Meets Her Maker.
Young, Suzanne: Murder by Yew; Murder by Christmas.
Zelvin, Elizabeth: Death Will Get You Sober.
Zoltack, Nicole: Mistletoe, Marriage, & Murder.