Saturday, March 30, 2019

LEFT COAST CRIME LEFTY AWARD WINNERS 2019


Left Coast Crime announced the winners of the Lefty Awards tonight in Vancouver, B.C. during Left Coast Crime. Congrats to all!


Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel
  • Catriona McPherson, Scot Free (Midnight Ink)
Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel (Bruce Alexander Memorial) for books covering events before 1960. 
  • Sujata Massey, The Widows of Malabar Hill (Soho Crime)
Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel
  • Dianne Freeman, A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder (Kensington Books)
Lefty for Best Mystery Novel (not in other categories).
  • Lou Berney, November Road (William Morrow)

Thursday, March 28, 2019

NOIR CITY HOLLYWOOD

NOIR CITY: Hollywood Opens This Weekend!
NOIR CITY: Hollywood returns to the American Cinematheque's Egyptian Theatre, March 29-April 7. To celebrate the 21st anniversary of Los Angeles' longest-running film noir festival, programmers Eddie Muller, Alan K. Rode, and Gwen Deglise have gone deep into the archives to present a sizzling slate of sinister cinema. Muller and Rode will guide audiences through a program of "Film Noir in the 1950s" that offers many titles not seen in the fest's recent San Francisco and Seattle editions. Opening night, Friday, March 29, will feature the FNF's latest 35mm restoration—Richard Fleischer's Trapped, a 1949 noir from short-lived Eagle-Lion Films, starring Lloyd Bridges and scandal-plagued starlet Barbara Payton. There will be an opening night reception for all ticket buyers between Trapped and the 1950 "B" offering, Robert Siodmak's The File on Thelma Jordon. 
This year's program extends last year's chronological pairings of 1940s "A" and "B" films into the '50s, offering viewers a slate of films that tracks noir through the declining studio system and into a fresh cinematic landscape where noir was refashioned, both subtly and radically, for a new generation. The 2019 program features an eclectic mix of established classics like Orson Welles' Touch of Evil (1958), as well as rarely screened obscurities culled from studio vaults and film archives like Joe Pevney's 1954 Playgirl and John Auer's Hell's Half Acre (1954). Eddie Muller will introduce the festival screenings March 29-31 and April 5-7. Alan K. Rode will take the reins April 1-4. Schedule and tickets are now available at the Egyptian Theatre's website.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

SCOTT TUROW RECEIVES 2019 PARETSKY AWARD

SCOTT TUROW RECEIVES THE 2019 PARETSKY AWARD 

The Annual Award Honors Mysteries Set in the Midwest Chicago, IL

The Paretsky Award, an annual award that honors mysteries set in the Midwest, was presented to #1 New York Times bestselling author Scott Turow at the 3rd annual Murder and Mayhem in Chicago. The one-day conference dedicated to crime fiction is chaired by book publicist Dana Kaye and award-winning author Lori Rader-Day.

“We launched Murder and Mayhem in Chicago to celebrate the wealth of crime fiction talent in the Midwest,” says Kaye. “The Paretsky Award aims to further that mission.”

Scott Turow is the author of ten bestselling works of fiction, including IDENTICAL, INNOCENT, PRESUMED INNOCENT, and THE BURDEN OF PROOF, and two nonfiction books, including ONE L, about his experience as a law student. His books have been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and have been adapted into movies and television projects. He has frequently contributed essays and op-ed pieces to publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.

This year’s Murder and Mayhem in Chicago took place at Roosevelt University this past Saturday. Over 240 crime fiction authors, publishing pros, librarians, booksellers, and readers gathered for the one-day conference, which boasted five panels, plus interviews with Turow and international bestselling author, Sophie Hannah.

Kaye and Rader-Day are already planning next year’s event, which will take place in March of 2020 and will feature New York Times bestselling author, William Kent Krueger.

Cartoon of the Day: Detective


Monday, March 25, 2019

The Strange is Sometimes Right in Front of You: Guest Post by Randy Overbeck

RANDY OVERBECK:
THE STRANGE IS SOMETIMES RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU 

The minds of mystery writers work in mysterious ways.

I came upon this traditional, two-story, red-bricked school building with this perfect widow’s walk atop the second floor, complete with white railing around three sides. And I pictured a naked, dead body hanging from one cracked post. Weird, huh?

I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Randy Overbeck, and I’m the author of the new ghost story/mystery, Blood on the Chesapeake, which features—among other usual twists—you guessed it, a naked, dead body hanging from a widow’s walk atop a high school.

Have you ever visited a place, been so captivated by everything about the area, you thought you might’ve just found your perfect place? That was my response to the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Charming, quaint resort towns nestle into coves along miles and miles of undulating shoreline, the quiet blue-green waters of the Bay stretching out in all directions and, when you take time to watch, breathtaking sunsets over a multi-colored canopy of trees. Then, when I learned of the unusual duality of the history and culture of the area, I was hooked. The hallmarks of a proud New England heritage like fishing and shipping run deep throughout the Chesapeake area, but the region also with roots still very much in the south. The area was home to infamous slave plantations, where the freedom fighters Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman were both born. It is little wonder that the area’s loyalties were divided during the Civil War.

I thought it’d be interesting to explore this historical dichotomy in a work of fiction. I wondered, in this most peaceful and beautiful setting on the Chesapeake Bay, what if something happened in a small town, something so horrific and vile—like some kid being lynched from that widow’s walk—it was buried deep in a town’s memory, an ugly secret festering below the surface? This is the intriguing (though entirely fictional) premise of my new book, Blood on the Chesapeake, a ghost story/mystery about a thirty-year-old murder and the newcomer who uncovers the secret—with a little ghostly help.

Oh and the whole story did all start with a widow’s walk atop the school in the photo above. I actually encountered that school building in another small town, this one in an actual New England town in Maine. Okay, so I took some liberty in transplanting it to the Eastern Shore, but that’s what literary license is for, right?

Early reviews for the novel have started coming in and I’m thrilled the response the book is generating.

William Kent Krueger, Edgar Award winner and best-selling author of Ordinary Grace wrote: “Blood on the Chesapeake is a tale to be savored in a darkened room, with an eye to all the possibilities lurking just out of sight.”

Here’s what Hank Phillipi Ryan, best-selling author of Trust Me, thought of Blood on the Chesapeake: "Timely and original, this contemporary ghost story is genuinely entertaining! A terrific, one-sitting read.”

Blood on the Chesapeake has even garnered notice across the pond. UK thriller writer, Zoe Sharp, author of Fox Hunter, penned: "An absorbing and genuinely creepy debut tale that will have you gripped to the final chapter!"

As I travel, I keep my eyes and imagination open. When you possess the strange mind of a mystery writer, especially a weird ghost story/mystery writer, you never know where the next inspiration is going to come from. Perhaps a painstakingly restored Victorian mansion?

***

Dr. Randy Overbeck is a writer, educator, researcher and speaker in much demand. During his three plus decades of educational experience, he has performed many of the roles depicted in his writing with responsibilities ranging from coach and yearbook advisor to principal and superintendent. His new ghost story/mystery, Blood on the Chesapeake, will be released on April 10, 2019 by The Wild Rose Press. As the title suggests, the novel is set on the famous Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, home to endless shorelines, incredible sunsets and some of the best sailing in the world. Blood is first in a new series of paranormal mysteries, The Haunted Shores Mysteries. Dr. Overbeck’s first novel, Leave No Child Behind, a thriller about the terrorist takeover of a Midwest high school and one teacher’s stand against the intruders, won the 2011 Silver Award for Thrillers from ReadersFavorite.com. Dr. Overbeck is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and an active member of the literary community. You can follow him on Twitter @OverbeckRandy, friend him on Facebook at Author Randy Overbeck or check out his webpage, www.authorrandyoverbeck.com

Saturday, March 23, 2019

Cartoon of the Day: Creative Writing Job


IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards

The Independent Book Publishers Association announced finalists for the Benjamin Franklin AwardsThe IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, which include over fifty categories recognizing excellence in book editorial and design, are regarded as one of the highest national honors for independent publishers. See below for a list of the 31st annual finalists. Gold winners will be announced April 5, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois.

Here are some nominees of interest to Crime Fiction Readers.

Mystery/Suspense
An Accidental Corpse by Helen A. Harrison
Black Hearts White Minds: A Carl Gordon Legal Thriller by Mitch Margo
Burning Ridge: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Margaret Mizushima
Welcome to Sugarville: A Novel in Stories by J.J. Haas

Humor
Strange Crime: Oddball Crimes, Capers, Plots, Laws, and More: Editors of Portable Press

Audiobook: Fiction
The Benghazi Affair by Steven E. Wilson; Jeff Hoyt (narrator)

For all the Award Categories and Nominees, go HERE.

HT: In Reference to Murder via The Rap Sheet

Friday, March 22, 2019

Cartoon of the Day: Dogs


The British Book Awards Shortlists: The Nibbies

The British Book Awards - affectionately known as The Nibbies - are the leading awards for the UK's leading creative industry. They celebrate the best British writers, books, publishers and bookshops.

Here are the Shortlists in categories of special interest to readers of this blog:

Fiction: Crime & Thriller Book of the Year

Our House by Louise Candlish (Simon & Schuster)
The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn (HarperFiction)
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen (Pan Books)
Close to Home by Cara Hunter (Viking | Penguin Paperbacks)
Macbeth by Jo Nesbo (Hogarth)
In a House of Lies by Ian Rankin (Orion)

Début Book of the Year

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar (Harvill Secker)
Never Greener by Ruth Jones (Bantam Press)
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (Zaffre)
Dear Mrs Bird by A. J. Pearce (Picador)
Lullaby by Leila Slimani (Faber & Faber)
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (Raven Books)

Awards Ceremony Monday 13th May 2019

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Call for Submissions: 2019 Bouchercon Anthology

Call for Submissions: Bouchercon 2019Anthology

Carol Puckett and the 2019 Bouchercon Dallas Committee along with Eric E. Campbell, Publisher of Down & Out Books, and editor/author  Rick Ollerman are proud to announce a call for submissions to the 2019 Bouchercon anthology.

The Anthology will honor the memory of Bill Crider. All proceeds from its sales will benefit LIFT (Literary Instruction For Texas), which works to enhance and strengthen communities by teaching adults to read.

Stories must be original works (no reprints) of less than 5,000 words. The theme is the conference slogan: Denim, Diamonds, and Death.

The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2019. Please send submissions to rick@downandoutmagazine.com.
For additional information about the anthology, please contact rick@downandoutmagazine.com.

The Anthology will be published for distribution and signings at Bouchercon in Dallas.

***
A story entered in the Bill Crider Contest may be submitted to the Bouchercon anthology; however, if the story is selected and the author agrees to publication in the anthology, the story must be withdrawn from the Crider Contest because the contest rules require that submitted stories not be published before the end of Bouchercon 2019. For additional information about Crider Contest entries, please contact subs.deepintheheart@gmail.com, or Paula Gail Benson at pgbenson_4@msn.com.

Cartoon of the Day: Conju-gate


Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Cartoon of the Day: Booksigning


Lawrence Raphael: R.I.P.

Rabbi Lawrence W. Raphael, 74, on March 17 at his home in San Francisco.

Larry Raphael published articles on a broad range of topics, was an expert on Jewish science fiction, and was the editor of Mystery Midrash: An Anthology of Jewish Mystery Short Stories (Jewish Lights, 1999).

Rabbi Raphael played a vital role in the admission, education, and professional training of over a thousand Reform rabbis, cantors, and educators. He was instrumental in the founding and supervision of the Soup Kitchen, which has fed over 150,000 guests since its inception over 30 years ago, and implemented educational initiatives, using the latest computer technologies and the newly emerging Internet, for students, faculty, and alumni.

In 2003, Larry became the ninth senior rabbi of Sherith Israel in San Francisco, where he served until 2016. Since 2016, Rabbi Raphael continued to teach at several venues in San Francisco. He became an officer of the San Francisco Interfaith Council Board, was a hospice volunteer at the Jewish Home in San Francisco, served the North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation once-a-month, and was a part-time rabbi for the Santa Ynez Valley Jewish Community.

Larry completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz (1967), was ordained at HUC-JIR/Cincinnati in 1974, and earned a Ph.D. in higher education and leadership from New York University (1990) with a doctoral dissertation on “Leadership and Excellence in Theological Seminaries.”

Larry Raphael was a very special man with a good soul and warm heart. He will be missed.

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Cartoon of the Day: At the Canine Support Center

Good one from Scott Metzger:


Why I Write What I Write: Guest Post by Manjiri Prabhu

Today I welcome Manjiri Prabhu. Dr. Manjiri Prabhu is an award-winning Writer/ Novelist of mystery fiction, an independent short-filmmaker,  and also the Founder/ Director of two Festivals. She has directed over 200 children’s TV programmes,  more than 50 short fiction and travel films and has authored 15 books. Her latest mystery is Voice of the Runes.

Manjiri Prabhu:
Why I Write What I Write

When the stream skips by 
and the peaks seem shy, 
When twilight drapes 
the golden landscapes, 
The words and the verse 
light a path to the Universe… 
That’s when I take flight, 
That is why I write…. 

It was really early on in life when I discovered that I had a direct connection with the Universe’s creative energy. It was a unique relationship with the Universe, which revealed to me in a swoop that I had a job to do – I had to write. I was a writer at age seven and I have been a writer all my life.

But here is a simple answer to the question – Why do I write?

Because I can’t help writing! 

And why do I write what I write?

Because the mystery genre has found me and stayed with me and sought its expression through me. And I enjoy being the chosen one to represent this genre and discover newer ways to explore and experiment with the mystery, suspense and thriller format.

I write because I am self-absorbed, even self-obsessed, a universal entity in connect with the Universe. Because I am selfish and in deep love with what my imagination conspires, and love the spring of ‘surprise’ and because I connect more with fiction than reality. Fiction is my world, my characters are my companions and my ordained role is to narrate a story that would entertain, engross, engage and educate – in that specific order.

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” 

This quote by Benjamin Franklin features prominently on my website and has dominated my world of creation.

15 books to date, hopefully more to come…..what am I really proud of in this journey?

I write because I don’t feel the need to prove anything to anyone. I do not wish to prove that I am a woman in a man’s world. I do not wish to prove that I am better than another man or another woman or for that matter another writer. I don’t wish to prove anything.

And that is why I write what I write - Pure creative energy that stems from a prosperous source. Still. Non-turbulent. Undisturbed and happy. Stories that uncoil from an unadulterated love of the art, adventures and plots that my inventive energy attracts. I write because I think like a human being, not like a woman but like a person without gender. Being labeled as ‘Desi Agatha Christie’ and then compared to Dan Brown, is proof of this state of my mind and my writing.

I write not to deliberately break any glass ceilings, because I have encountered none in my life and believe in none. And yet I have broken moulds, opened paths to others by being the first Indian woman to write mysteries, suspense, and destination thrillers in main stream Indian fiction. My characters are strong, fierce, wise and empowered and in the journey of the book, become even more so - Inspiring and aspirational characters which lead you through life in the most amazing manner possible. I write because imagination is my focal point where ideas germinate, flourish and become reality.

I have given myself full freedom and permission to write what I wish, without the pressure of clichéd expectations and societal stereotypes, the pressure of womanhood and the sense of responsibility frequently and inevitably thrust on women writers, without being answerable to mental conditioning of decades, or entrapped into pleasing the dictates of sexist inhibitions.….Perhaps I have risked an emotional bonding with some readers by not adhering to the ready template of women’s fiction. My fiction stems from my need to be me, carefree and adventurous. And in that sense, I have remained true to myself and my creative energy.

Whether it is my destination mystery/thriller series with Re Parkar, or the Astro-Detective series with Sonia Samarth, both trend-setters and unique concepts in India or the dystopian Super-Dome Chronicles – another less-explored genre in India – I have always been different in the study of subjects. Perhaps it has more to do with what I wish to read and cannot find out there or simply that I am ahead of my times. Whatever it is, the bottom line is that I write what pleases me and what I please. Fortunately for me I have found support from many Publishers who were kind enough to help me find space in the world of publishing.

I realized early on that I am trying to play God, not a Saint. Trying to be a Creator, not a Reformer. I look at change as that which moves from one emotion to another emotion, from one moment to another moment like a slow delicious stirring of thought. An unconscious shedding of set notions, like the erosion of the soil or the melting of metal in heat. And I think mystery fiction has the capacity to do this, in its ability to encompass myriad issues within its genre. In the guise of a good plot, can hide the streams of political ideologies, socio-psychological upheavals, relationship and societal issues and you-name-it, thus initiating rather unobtrusively and intelligently, a pleasant excitement in the reader. I find this rather challenging, fascinating and inspiring – the subtle art of deception stirring a sense of contentment.

Mystery fiction to me is also Motivational Fiction. Where else would you learn that no matter what life throws at you – conflict, hassles, ups and downs – in the end, all is well. It redefines courage and encourages optimism and independent thinking. It demotes the evil in beings and uplifts compassion, love and what is good in humans. Mystery fiction tickles interest, perks the reader’s brain, inspires him or her to prod on against adversities, and offers hope as an eternal serving.

However, at no point in this writing journey, do I wish to take full credit for what I have written. Artists, I believe, are mere channels for the creative energy to flow through them. What you create is a gift from the Muse, from the Universe and you are an instrument in the process. Albeit an important instrument. But neither can you separate the creator from the created. Thank God for that!

When I am at the age to look back and question my choices, I hope that I can respond with candour and honesty, that the work I put out in the world, was the true expression of my beliefs and acts. That it was a genuine effort to fulfill the role assigned to me. That I did justice to the task undertaken – the task to entertain, engross, engage and educate through the art of telling stories that stimulated imagination and thought and created magic, memories and motivation. And in the process allowed myself the pleasure of being entertained! I hope that when I look back, I feel a complete sense of accomplishment and pride.

March Retro Reading Poster


Monday, March 18, 2019

Cartoon of the Day: Lie vs. Lay


2019 ELEANOR TAYLOR CRIME FICTION WRITERS OF COLOR AWARD: Call for Submissions

SISTERS IN CRIME OPENS SUBMISSIONS FOR THE 2019 ELEANOR TAYLOR CRIME FICTION WRITERS OF COLOR AWARD 

Emerging Writer of Color Will Receive $2,000 Grant to Support Career Development

Sisters in Crime is accepting applications for its sixth annual Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award, a $2,000 grant awarded to an emerging female or male writer of color. The award honors the late, pioneering African American crime fiction author Eleanor Taylor Bland. Candidates must apply by June 9, 2019 and the winner will be announced by July 1, 2019.

“Throughout her career, Eleanor Taylor Bland served as both advocate and inspiration to countless women and authors of color. Her legacy is still felt today,” said Sisters in Crime President Sherry Harris. “We've been thrilled with the response to the grant in her honor and are excited to expand it this year to help another writer of color follow Bland's lead and take the next steps in their publishing journey.”

The Eleanor Taylor Bland Award was created in 2014 with a bequest from Bland’s estate to support Sisters in Crime’s vision statement that the organization should serve as the voice for excellence and diversity in crime writing. The grant is intended for a writer beginning their crime writing career and will support activities related to career development including workshops, seminars, conferences, and retreats; online courses; and research activities required for completion of his or her work. This year, Sisters in Crime raised the grant amount from $1,500 to $2,000.

The 2019 winner will join past recipients Mia Manansala (2018), Jessica Ellis Laine (2017), Stephane Dunn (2016), Vera H-C Chan (2015), and Maria Kelson (2014).

Eleanor Taylor Bland was the author of fourteen crime fiction novels published between 1992 and 2007 which featured Marti MacAlister, an African-American female police detective and an enduring and beloved heroine who went against the grain of stereotypes related to African American women in much of U.S. popular culture. Bland also published several works of short crime fiction and edited a collection titled Shades of Black: Crime and Mystery Stories by African American Authors (2004). 

Sisters in Crime (SinC) was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Today, the organization boasts 4,200 members and 51 chapters worldwide and its initiatives also include other scholarships; grants for academic research into the roles of women and underserved voices in crime fiction; cash awards to libraries and bookstores; and surveys and monitoring projects which determine visibility and representation of women and diverse voices in the genre and across the marketplace. For more information on its programs and author members, visit the organization’s website at www.sistersincrime.org

Complete guidelines and the application can be found at SistersinCrime.org/etb.

Saturday, March 16, 2019

IRISH MYSTERIES: Mystery Readers Journal (24:2)

Erin Go Bragh! With St Patrick's Day tomorrow, you'll want to read up on Irish Mysteries. Mystery Readers Journal had a spectacular themed issue on Irish Mysteries in 2008. Download now for immediate satisfaction or order hardcopy. Buy this back issue! Available in hardcopy or as a downloadable PDF.

Irish Mysteries

Volume 24, No. 2, Summer 2008

Irish Mysteries
Buy this back issue! Available in hardcopy or as a downloadable PDF.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
AUTHOR! AUTHOR!
  • Shadows of Guilt: Ireland in the 1950s by John Banville, aka Benjamin Black
  • Distance Lends Perspective by Colin Bateman
  • Billy Boyle Goes to Ireland by James R. Benn
  • An Irish Heroine by Rhys Bowen
  • Crime Pays—On the Page by Declan Burke
  • No, Not the Blarney Stone by Ken Bruen
  • An Irishman’s Lot by Doug M. Cummings
  • The Importance of Being Irish by David Dickinson
  • When Irish Writing Roots Are Showing… by Carole Nelson Douglas
  • Where Fact Meets Fiction by Garbhan Downey
  • Killing the Peace Process by Ruth Dudley Edwards
  • The Roots of Murder by Tana French
  • Rachel O’Reilly’s Murder by Jenny Friel
  • Josephine Tey and Nuala Anne McGrail by Father Andrew M. Greeley
  • Finding Mythic Ireland by Lyn Hamilton
  • Foxes, Cabbages & the Ancient Laws of Ireland by Cora Harrison
  • Stumbling on a Body in the Bog by Erin Hart
  • How the Irish Created My Civilization by Jeremiah Healy
  • I Owe My Life to an Irish Criminal by Eoin Hennigan
  • Irish Soul by Tobsha Learner
  • A Literary Tour of One Dublin Author by Stephen Leather
  • The Irish in P.I. Frank Johnson’s Debut Outing by Ed Lynskey
  • Casting a Cold Eye on the Gloss of Modern Ireland by K.T. McCaffrey
  • Irish Connection by John McEvoy
  • Patrolling the Border by Brian McGilloway
  • The Absence of Death by Cormac Millar
  • Writing and Ireland by Pat Mullan
  • The Elusive Irishman by Teagan Oliver
  • An Arresting Tale by Ralph Robb
  • The Irish in Me by Les Roberts
  • Balancing the Book by Zoë Sharp
  • Lark and the Quaker Connection by Sheila Simonson
  • Interwoven Irish by Therese Szymanski
  • Irish Crime Writing: Truth Sells Better Than Fiction by Neville Thompson
  • Sister Fidelma, 7th-Century Supersleuth by Peter Tremayne
COLUMNS
  • In Short: Murder Most Irish by Marvin Lachman
  • Just The Facts: Mole To Manhunter by Jim Doherty
  • Children’s Hour: Irish Mysteries by Gay Toltl Kinman
  • An Irish Author in the Golden Age: Freeman Wills Crofts by Philip Scowcroft
  • MRI MAYHEM by Janet A. Rudolph
  • Letters to the Editor
  • From the Editor’s Desk by Janet A. Rudolph

Friday, March 15, 2019

Murder on the Beach Mystery Bookstore Move


Murder on the Beach will leave its current location at the end of this month.
Murder on the Beach Mystery Bookstore, in Delray Beach, Fla., will move next month to a retail space in the Delray Beach Public Library building. The bookstore and the library will have separate entrances, and store founder and manager Joanne Sinchuk said she's hoping for "synergy between the two." The new space is slightly smaller than the current store, Sinchuk said, but has more windows, and is located a few blocks away, on the main avenue through downtown (the current store is on a side street). Because of the smaller space, the store will stock slightly fewer titles, and the shipping/receiving area will be tight, she said. One of the bathrooms in the new space will be turned into her office.
Sinchuk and store owner David Wulf said, "We love Delray and are happy to be able to keep Murder on the Beach in the most fun small town in the USA." Delray Library director Karen Ronald added, "We have a lot in common and hope to make a difference in the community."
The bookstore had been on a month-to-month lease since its lease expired in December, and the site's owner plans to build a boutique hotel.
Murder on the Beach will be closed March 28-31 for the move, and will re-open at 104 West Atlantic Avenue on Monday, April 1. The store's phone number, e-mail, website and hours will remain the same.

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

ST. PATRICK'S DAY CRIME FICTION

Erin - Go - bragh! St. Patrick's Day figures in several mysteries, so here's my updated St. Patrick's Day Crime Fiction list. Irish aka Emerald Noir is very popular right now, so you can always add titles to your TBR pile from the many Irish crime writers available, although they may not take place specifically during St. Patrick's Day. Declan Burke had a great post on his blog CrimeAlwaysPays Overview: The St. Patrick's Day Rewind

Mystery Readers Journal had an issue that focused on Irish Mysteries. It's available as PDF or hardcopy.

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

ST. PATRICK'S DAY CRIME FICTION

Susan Wittig Albert: Love Lies Bleeding
Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman, & Marcia Talley (editors): Homicidal Holidays: Fourteen Tales of Murder and Merriment
Mary Kay Andrews (aka Kathy Hogan Trocheck): Irish Eyes
S. Furlong-Bollinger: Paddy Whacked
Harry Brandt (Richard Price): The Whites
Isis Crawford: A Catered St. Patrick's Day
Nelson DeMille: Cathedral
Janet Evanovich: Plum Lucky
Sharon Fiffer: Lucky Stuff 
S. Furlong-Bollinger: Paddy Whacked
Andrew Greeley: Irish Gold
Jane Haddam: A Great Day for the Deadly
Lyn Hamilton: The Celtic Riddle
Jonathan Harrington: A Great Day for Dying
Lee Harris: The St. Patrick's Day Murder
Dorothy Howell: Duffel Bags and Drownings 
Melanie Jackson: The Sham
Madison Johns: Lucky Strike
Diane Kelly: Love, Luck, and the Little Green Men 
Amanda Lee: The Long Stitch Good Night
Wendi Lee: The Good Daughter
Dan Mahoney: Once in, Never Out
Marion Markham: The St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Mystery (children's)
Leslie Meier: St. Patrick's Day Murder
Sister Carol Anne O’Marie: Death Takes Up A Collection
Ralph M. McInerny: Lack of the Irish
Janet Elaine Smith: In St. Patrick's Custody
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

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.

Read Lisa Alber's guest post on Travels to Ireland, or, Bah, I Scoff at "Write What You Know"

Some Irish crime writers you might want to read: Tana French, Erin Hart, Benjamin Black, Declan Hughes, Jane Casey, Brian McGilloway, Alan Glynn, John Brady, Stuart Neville, Adrian McKinty, John Banville (Benjamin Black), Ken Bruen, Jesse Louisa Rickard, Eoin Colfer.

Who are your favorite Irish authors?

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

***

And, if you want something CHOCOLATE to go along with your stout and Bailey's, have a look at my DyingforChocolate blog for some Killer St. Patrick's Day Recipes including:

Bailey's Irish Cream Chocolate Cheesecake
Bailey's Chocolate Truffles
Guinness Chocolate Pie
Chocolate Guinness Cake
Guinness Chocolate Stout Brownies
Chocolate Irish Soda Bread with Guinness Ice Cream
Bailey's Chocolate Trifle
You Make Me Want to Stout Cupcakes (Scharffen Berger)
Bailey's Irish Cream Fudge

Guinness Chocolate Cherry Bread & Guinness Brown Breads

Monday, March 11, 2019

MANHUNT WITH MARTIN CLUNES: AcornTV

Manhunt with Martin Clunes starts today on AcornTV. Don't miss this 3 part mini-series.

Acorn TV features the exclusive North American premiere of new British crime drama and Acorn TV Original miniseries MANHUNT on Monday, March 11, 2019. Based upon the memoirs of former London Metropolitan police detective DCI Colin Sutton, the new three-part ITV drama from Buffalo Pictures stars one of the most popular British actors on television in the United States,
Martin Clunes (Doc Martin, Vanity Fair, Shakespeare in Love). Clunes stars as DCI Sutton who determinedly and tenaciously pursued serial killer Levi Bellfield.

Written by Ed Whitmore (Silent Witness, Strike Back) and directed by Marc Evans (Trauma, Safe House, Hinterland), Manhunt is the real-life story of how the murder of French National, Amelie Delagrange, on Twickenham Green in August 2004 was eventually linked to two other murders. Hard working and instinctive, DCI Sutton was assigned to the case and dedicated himself to finding Amelie’s killer. With no forensics, motive or witnesses, his painstaking approach and the diligence of his fellow officers gradually led to breakthroughs in the case and to suspected serial killer Levi Bellfield. But now the hunt is on for enough evidence to arrest him and make sure he’s found guilty at trial. The miniseries co-stars Claudie Blakley (Granchester, Cranford) as Sutton’s wife, Louise.

Friday, March 8, 2019

Australian Book Industry Awards Longlist

The Australian Publishers Association is excited to announce the longlist for the 2019 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs). The longlist introduces the titles, publishers and authors in contention for a coveted 2019 ABIA.

Voted for by the ABIA Academy — a group of more than 250 publishers, booksellers, agents, media and industry representatives — have selected books published in 2018 across 12 categories.

The ABIAs showcase the collaborative efforts of publishers, editors, illustrators, marketers, designers, and authors in bringing quality books to Australian and international markets.

General Fiction Book of the Year:
Nine Perfect Strangers, Liane Moriarty (Pan Macmillan Australia, Macmillan Australia)
Scrublands, Chris Hammer (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Holly Ringland (HarperCollins Publishers, Fourth Estate)
The Lost Man, Jane Harper (Pan Macmillan Australia, Macmillan Australia)
The Nowhere Child, Christian White (Affirm Press)
The Other Wife, Michael Robotham (Hachette Australia Pty Ltd, Hachette Australia)
The Rúin, Dervla McTiernan (HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Publishers)
The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris (Echo Publishing, Echo Publishing)

For other categories, go HERE.

HT: Michael Robotham. Congrats on your nomination!

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Cartoon of the Day: Story Structures

From Grant Snider:


Lambda Literary Award Finalists 2019: The Lammys!


Lambda Literary, the nation’s oldest and largest literary arts organization advancing LGBTQ literature, announced the finalists of the 31st Annual Lambda Literary Awards – or the “Lammys,” as they are affectionately known.

This year’s finalist were selected by a panel of over 60 literary professionals from over 1,000 book submissions from over 300 publishers. We’re excited to announce the finalists in 24 categories (including new for this year, Bisexual Poetry). Finalists will be celebrated and winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony and Gala the evening of Monday, June 3, 2019 in New York City.

Here's a link to all the finalists in the 24 categories. Congrats to all!

For the purposes of this blog, here are the finalists in the MYSTERY CATEGORY:

Lesbian Mystery
A Matter of Blood, Catherine Maiorisi, Bella Books
A Study in Honor: A Novel, Claire O’Dell, HarperCollins / HarperVoyager
A Whisper of Bones: A Jane Lawless Mystery, Ellen Hart, Minotaur Books
Alice Isn’t Dead: A Novel, Joseph Fink, Harper Perennial
Gnarled Hollow, Charlotte Greene, Bold Strokes Books
The Locket, Gerri Hill, Bella Books
Secrets of the Last Castle, A. Rose Mathieu, Bold Strokes Books
Stolen: A Kieran Yeats Mystery, Linda J. Wright, Cats Paw Books

Gay Mystery 
Black Diamond Fall, Joseph Olshan, Polis Books
Boystown 11: Heart’s Desire, Marshall Thornton, Kenmore Books
Death Checks In, David S. Pederson, Bold Strokes Books
Dodging and Burning: A Mystery, John Copenhaver, Pegasus Books
The God Game: A Dan Sharp Mystery, Jeffrey Round, Dundurn
Late Fees: A Pinx Video Mystery, Marshall Thornton, Kenmore Books
Somewhere Over Lorain Road, Bud Gundy, Bold Stroke Books
Survival Is a Dying Art: An Angus Green Novel, Neil S. Plakcy, Samwise Books

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Cartoon of the Day: Oxford Comma


AUDIE AWARDS

Thanks to The Rap Sheet, I learned that the Audio Publishers Association (APA) announced the winners for the 24th annual Audie Awards® competition, the premier awards program in the United States recognizing distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment. Congratulations to all.

Of interest to mystery readers:

Mystery:

The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George, narrated by Simon Vance

Also Nominated:
The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen, narrated by Jonathan Keeble and Katy Sobey
Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves, narrated by Kenny Blyth.
Lethal White by Robert Galbraith, narrated by Robert Glenister
The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah, narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt
 
Thriller/Suspense: 

Crimson Lake by Candice Fox, narrated by Euan Morton

Also Nominated:
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware, narrated by Imogen Church
Macbeth by Jo Nesbo, narrated by Euan Morton
The Outsider by Stephen King, narrated by Will Patton
The Terminal List by Jack Carr, narrated by Ray Porter
Their Lost Daughters by Joy Ellis, narrated by Richard Armitage


Tuesday, March 5, 2019

MARDI GRAS MYSTERIES / MARDI GRAS CRIME FICTION

Today is Mardi Gras aka Fat Tuesday aka Carnivale. Whatever you call it, is a great setting for Murder! Busy streets, crowds, costumes, drinking ..  mix it all together, and you have a recipe for the perfect crime novel.

So in honor of the Day, here's my updated list of Mardi Gras Mysteries. As always, I welcome additional titles, additions and omissions.

MARDI GRAS CRIME FICTION

Mardi Gras Murder, edited by Sarah Glenn
The Mardi Gras Mystery by Henry Bedford-Jones
Death Visits Mardi Gras by J.J. Boortz
Cake on a Hot Tin Roof, A Sheetcake Named Desire by Jacklyn Brady
Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite
Fat Tuesday, Sunny Chandler's Return by Sandra Brown
Purple Cane Road, Dixie City Jam, The Tin Roof Blowdown, Creole Belle by James Lee Burke
Mardi Gras Murder: A Cajun Country Mystery by Ellen Byron
Gumbo Justice, Jambalaya Justice by Holli Castillo 
The Secret of the Other Mother by Laura Cayouette
Murder Comes to Mardi Gras, Death Swatch, Keepsake Crimes, Death by Design by Laura Childs
Fat Tuesday Fricassee by J.J. Cook (Children)
Havana Storm by Clive Cussler
Mardi Gras Murders by Nicole Daines and Robert Daines
The Mardi Gras Murders by Ricardo S. Dubois
No Mardi Gras for the Dead by D.J. Donaldson
Shelter from the Storm; Crooked Man by Tony Dunbar
Fat Tuesday by Earl Emerson
The Big Uneasy-Terror Strikes Mardi Gras by Murray C. Fincher
The Unknown Terrorist by Richard Flanagan
Carnaval Capers by Jody Ford
Carnival by Charlotte Foryan
Venetian Mask by Mickey Friedman
Jass, Rampart Street by David Fulmer
Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran
Mardi Grad Madness: Stories of Murder and Mayhem in New Orleans, edited by Martin Harry Greenberg
A Free Man of Color, Fever Season, Sold Down the River by Barbara Hambly
Mardi Gras Mambo; The Orion Mask by Greg Herren
A Thin Dark Line by Tami Hoag
The Assassin's Gift by Ian C.P. Irvine
Mind Games by Polly Iyer
The Mardi Gras Mystery; The Mardi Gras Masquerade by Carolyn Keene
Storm Damage by Ed Kovacs
Murder at the Mardi Gras by Linda Kozar
The Devil's Muse by Bill Loehfelm
The Mardi Gras Murders by Gwen Bristow & Bruce Manning
Mardi Gras Madness by Ken Mask
The Gay Mardi Gras Murders by Sylvia Massara
Mardi Gras Eyes by Phyllis Morris
Masques by Bill Pronzini
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts
Mardi Gras Murders by Phillip Scott
New Orleans Mourning by Julie Smith
New Orleans Noir, edited by Julie Smith (Akashic Books)
A Diamond Before You Die by Chris Wiltz

Carnivale in Brazil:
The Lost Manuscript by Rubem Fonseca

To celebrate Fat Tuesday, you might want to have some Chocolate Chip Pancakes or Chocolate  Pecan Pie or Chocolate "Cupped" Cakes with Coffee & Chicory or Chocolate Beignets. If you're celebrating Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama, or along the Gulf Coast, have a Moon Pie. Read more here. They're a favorite 'throw' in Mobile.

Sunday, March 3, 2019

2018 NERO AWARD & BLACK ORCHID NOVELLA AWARD WINNERS

Although I announced the Nero Award in December 2018, I omitted the winner of the Black Orchid Novella Award. Here are all the results for both from
The Wolfe Pack.

NERO AWARD WINNER
August Snow by Stephen Mack Jones (Soho)

The Nero Award is presented each year to an author for the best American Mystery written in the tradition of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe stories. It is presented at the Black Orchid Banquet, traditionally held on the first Saturday in December in New York City.

BLACK ORCHID NOVELLA AWARD WINNER:
Minerva James and the Goddess of Justice by Mark Bruce

The Black Orchid Novella Award is presented jointly by The Wolfe Pack and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine to celebrate the novella format popularized by Rex Stout.

Saturday, March 2, 2019

CHARLES MCCARRY: R.I.P.

Charles McCarry: R.I.P.

From the NYT:

Charles McCarry, a former C.I.A. agent who used his Cold War experiences to animate his widely admired espionage novels, notably The Tears of Autumn, a best seller about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, died on Tuesday in Fairfax, Va. He was 88. His son Caleb said the cause was complications of a cerebral hemorrhage caused by a fall.

The soft-spoken Mr. McCarry followed other former spies into writing fiction, a group that includes Graham Greene, Ian Fleming and David Cornwell, who writes under the pseudonym John le Carré. And over nearly 40 years, Mr. McCarry’s dense plotting, realistic detail and brisk writing style brought him a reputation as one of espionage fiction’s leading practitioners.

“McCarry is the best modern writer on the subject of intrigue — by the breadth of Alan Furst, by the fathom of Eric Ambler, by any measure,” the political satirist P. J. O’Rourke wrote in a review of Mr. McCarry’s “Old Boys” (2004) in The Weekly Standard.

Old Boy is the sixth of seven novels that center on Paul Christopher, an urbane agent for the Outfit (read: the C.I.A.), who first appeared in The Miernik Dossier (1973), an inventive tale told through letters, surveillance reports, diaries and transcripts of phone conversations. The Christopher character — Mr. McCarry’s equivalent of George Smiley — returned the next year in The Tears of Autumn.


The Tears of Autumn, Mr. McCarry’s biggest seller, reimagines the Kennedy assassination as payback by the South Vietnamese — using Cubans and the Mafia as go-betweens — for the White House’s role in the coup that led to the death of President Ngo Dinh Diem weeks before Kennedy was gunned down. Christopher travels the world to prove that his theory is correct.

McCarry’s years as an undercover operative served him well,” the critic Patrick Anderson wrote in The Washington Post in 2005, when Tears was reissued. “Some of the novel’s best moments show Christopher meeting with a variety of revolutionaries, rogues and killers.”

He added, “The Christopher novels are brilliant, but their flaw is that their hero has no flaw — he is too good to be true.”

Although he described his undercover work — the dead drops, the cover stories, the clandestine rendezvous — as unglamorous and tedious, Mr. McCarry said he had surrendered to it as the foundation of his intricately plotted novels.