Cartoon of the Day: Dogs

I know Reign thinks this:

LEFT COAST CRIME 2021: ALBUQUERQUE, NM

Registration Open for Left Coast Crime 2021: Albuquerque, New Mexico
 

Registration is now open for LCC 2021 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 8-11, 2021. Registration includes a Welcome Reception, two special Breakfasts, the Awards Banquet, and admission to all panels and interviews. The early registration fee of $195 extends through March 15, 2020, the close of LCC San Diego.

Online Registration for LCC 2021 Albuquerque
 

Hyatt Regency Albuquerque

Located in downtown Albuquerque, the hotel’s rooms provide beautiful views of the mountains and the city. At 20 stories, the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque is the 2nd tallest building in the state of New Mexico! Albuquerque has a high desert climate — in April, the average temperature is 68°/42° with very low humidity. Albuquerque’s elevation is 5,312 feet. Our convention rate of $134 is also available three days before and after the convention if registrants choose to extend their stay and explore Albuquerque. Registrants will receive the hotel code when reservations open in early April 2020.
 
More information about LCC 2021

Cartoon of the Day: Children's Lit

MCILVANNEY PRIZE LONGLIST: Scottish Crime Book of the Year

The Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival (September 20-22, 2019) organizers announced the shortlists for the McIlvanney Prizes. 

McIlvanney Prize Longlist:
• All the Hidden Truths, by Claire Askew (Hodder)
• No Man’s Land, by Neil Broadfoot (Little, Brown)
• Fallen Angel, by Chris Brookmyre (Little, Brown)
• Breakers, by Doug Johnstone (Orenda)
• All That’s Dead, by Stuart MacBride (HarperCollins)
• In the Silence, by M.R. Mackenzie (Bloodhound)
• Broken Ground, by Val McDermid (Little, Brown)
• A Breath on Dying Embers, by Denzil Meyrick (Polygon)
• Conviction, by Denise Mina (Vintage)
• The Way of All Flesh, by “Ambrose Parry” (Canongate), aka Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman
• In a House of Lies, by Ian Rankin (Orion)
• A Treachery of Spies, by Manda Scott (Transworld)
• Thunder Bay, by Douglas Skelton (Polygon)

McIlvanney Debut Prize Shortlist:
• All the Hidden Truths, by Claire Askew (Hodder)
• From the Shadows, by G.R. Halliday (Vintage)
• Black Camp 21, by Bill Jones (Polygon)
• In the Silence, by M.R. Mackenzie (Bloodhound)
• The Peat Dead, by Allan Martin (Thunderpoint)

The winners of both awards will be announced on Friday, September 20, during the opening reception at the Bloody Scotland convention in Stirling.

These annual awards recognize “excellence in Scottish crime writing,” are named in honor of William McIlvanney, author of the novel Laidlaw.

HT: The Rap Sheet

SUMMERTIME MYSTERIES // SUMMER CRIME FICTION

Summertime, and the living is easy. Or is it? So many mysteries taking place during Summer are filled with murder and mayhem -- on the Beach, at the Lake, and in the City! What follows is a list of Summer Crime Fiction that exudes the heat and accompanying crime of Summertime. I've omitted most Fourth of July and Labor Day Mysteries from this list, but I'll be updating those lists later this Summer. As always I invite you to add any titles I've missed. This is far from a definitive list, but it's updated since last year.

Summer Mysteries 

Foxglove Summer by Ban Aaronovitch
The Corpse with the Garnet Face by Cathy Ace
A Cat on a Beach Blanket by Lydia Adamson
A Deadly Cliche by Ellery Adams
Moon Water Madness by Glynn Marsh Alam
A Tangled June by Neil Albert
Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander
Gone Gull by Donna Andrews
Sunset Beach; High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews
Tiger's Eve by Barbara Annino
Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea by Nancy Atherton
Sweet Tea and Secrets by Joy Avon
Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker
Gold Medal Threat by Michael Balkind (Kids: 7-15)
A Midsummer Night's Killing by Trevor Barnes
Milwaukee Summers Can Be Deadly by Kathleen Anne Barrett
Hot Murder by Lorraine Bartlett
Love, Lies and Liquor by M.C. Beaton
Summertime News by Dick Belsky
Pups, Pilots and Peril by Cindy Bell
The Summer School Mystery by Josephine Bell
Jaws by Peter Benchley (maybe not quite a mystery, but a good read, especially at the Beach)
Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Murder by Fireworks by Susan Bernhardt
A Death in Summer by Benjamin Black
Another Man's Ground by Claire Booth
The Down East Murders by J.S. Borthwick
Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen
Deadly Readings by Laura Bradford
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Pot Boiler by Ali Brandon
The Cat Who Saw Stars, The Cat Who Went Up the Creek by Lilian Jackson Braun
Chill of Summer by Carol Brennan
Death by the Sea by Kathleen Bridge
Devils Island by Carl Brookins
Killer in Crinolines; Braking for Bodies by Duffy Brown
Tall Tail by Rita Mae Brown
Scrappy Summer by Mollie Cox Bryan
Magic and Macaroons by Bailey Cates
Wonton Terror by Vivien Chien
Twanged; Zapped by Carol Higgins Clark
Footprints in the Sand by Mary Jane Clark
Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark
Thin Air by Ann Cleeves
Dead and Berried by Peg Cochran
All You Need is Fudge, To Fudge or not to Fudge by Nancy Coco
BlackBuried Pie by Lyndsey Cole
Beach Music by Pat Conroy
Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
Death on a Summer Night by Matthew Costello
Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle
A Shoot on Martha's Vineyard by Philip Craig
The Trouble with a Hot Summer by Camilla Crespi
Never Say Pie by Carol Culver
Barkley's Treasure, Bikinis in Paradise; Beach Blanket Barbie; Camp Carter; Maui Madness; Bikinis in Paradise by Kathi Daley
The Alpine Recluse; The Alpine Zen; Clam Wake; Dune to Death by Mary Daheim
The Diva Steals a Chocolate Kiss by Krista Davis
A Summer in the Twenties by Peter Dickinson
The Gold Coast, Plum Island by Nelson DeMille
Dead & Buried by Leighann Dobbs
Kilt at the Highland Games by Kaitlyn Dunnett
Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein
Four Dog's Sake by Lia Farrell
Blackberry Burial, Dying for Strawberries; Killed on Blueberry Hill by Sharon Farrow
One Fete in the Grave by Vickie Fee
Murder Sends a Postcard by Christy Fifield
The Angel of Knowlton Park by Kate Flora
Lord James Harrington and the Summer Mystery by Lynn Florkiewicz
Apple Turnover Murder, Blackberry Pie Murder, Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Beneath the Skin by Nicci French
A Dish Best Served Cold by Rosie Genova
Murder Makes Waves by Anne George
The Caleb Cove Mystery Series  (3 in the series) by Mahrie Reid Glab
The Cats that Watched the Woods by Karen Anne Golden
A Fatal Fleece, Angora Alibi: Murder at Lambswool Farm by Sally Goldenbaum
Sunflower Street by Pamela Grandstaff
Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake; Knockdown by Sarah Graves
Bowled Over by Victoria Hamilton
Dead Days of Summer; Dead Man's Island by Carolyn Hart
Town in a Lobster Stew; Town in a Strawberry Swirl by B.B. Haywood
A Stitch in Crime by Betty Hechtman
Tilling the Truth by Julia Henry
The Summer of Dead Toys by Antonio Hill
The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Summer of the Big Bachi by Naomi Hirahara
Death of a Cookbook Author; Death of a Lobster Lover by Lee Hollis
Cracked to Death by Cheryl Holton
Beach Bags and Burglaries by Dorothy Howell
Murder at Wrightsville Beach by Ellen Elizabeth Hunter
Magic Hour by Susan Isaacs
Death in Holy Orders by P.D. James
One Feta in the Grave by Tina Kashian
A Summer for Dying by Jamie Katz
The Foxglove Killings by Tara Kelly (YA)
Rainy Day Women by Kay Kendell
Murder in the Past Tense by E.E. Kennedy
Death and a Pot of Chowder by Cornelia Kidd
Banana Split by Josi S. Kilpack
Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch
A Timely Vision; A Watery Death by Joyce and Jim Lavene
Midsummer Malice by M.D. Lake
Dark Nantucket Noon by Jane Langton
The Bottoms by Joe Lansdale
You Only Witch Once by Amanda M. Lee
Death of a Bacherlorette by Laura Levine
A Tale of Two Biddies by Kylie Logan
Murder on the Ile Sordou by M.L. Longworth
August Moon, June Bug by Jess Lourey
Nun But the Brave by Alice Loweecey
A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry
The Body in the Wetlands by Judi Lynn
Berried to the Hilt, Death Runs Adrift; Claws for Alarm; Murder on the Rocks by Karen MacInerny
A Demon Summer by G.M. Malliet
Swimming Alone by Nina Mansfield (YA)
Death in a Mood Indigo by Francine Mathews
Murder at Beechwood by Alyssa Maxwell
Till Death Do Us Bark by Judi McCoy
Killer Honeymoon by G.A. McKevitt
Left Hanging by Patricia McLinn
Tippy Toe Murder by Leslie Meier
Murder Most Finicky by Liz Mugavero
Bats and Bones; Peete and Repeat, The Lady of the Lake, To Cache a Killer by Karen Nortman
Murder at Kildare Mensa by Clare O'Beara
Foal Play; Murder on the Hoof by Kathryn O'Sullivan
The Body in the Lighthouse; The Body in the Birches; The Body in the Wake by Katherine Hall Page
Mercury's Rise by Ann Parker
The Heat of the Moon by Sandra Parshall
Mrs. Bundle's Dog Days of Summer: A Case of Artful Arson by Allison Cesario Paton
Beach House by James Patterson
Summer of the Dragon by Elizabeth Peters
5 Dan Marlowe/Hampton Beach, NH mysteries by Jed Power
Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel by Rose Pressey
Still Life in Brunswick Stew by Larissa Reinhart
In the Dead of the Summer; How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Gillian Roberts
Calamity@the Carwash by Sharon Rose
Mint Juleps, Mayhem, and Murder; Milkshakes, Mermaids and Murder by Sara Rosett
Boiled Over, Clammed Up by Barbara Ross
Field of Prey by John Sandford 
Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom
Hang My Head & Cry by Elena Santangelo
Miss Lizzie by Walter Satterthwait
Purl Up and Die by Maggie Sefton
Vacations Can Be Murder by Connie Shelton
Bushel Full of Murder, If Onions Could Spring Leeks by Paige Shelton
Summer in the Woods by Steven K. Smith
Pick Your Poison; The Cat, The Vagabond and The Victim by Leann Sweeney
Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
A Fine Summer's Day by Charles Todd
Deception in the Cotswolds by Rebecca Tope
Trouble in the Tarot by Kari Lee Townsend
Rooted in Deceit by Wendy Tyson
Board Stiff by Elaine Viets
Shadows of a Down East Summer; Thread and Gone by Lea Wait
The Great Chili Kill-Off; Killer Crab Cakes by Livia J. Washburn
A Sense of Entitlement by Anna Loan Wilsey
Trail of Secrets by Laura Wolfe (YA)
An Old Faithful Murder, Remodelled to Death; Death in a Beach Chair by Valerie Wolzien
Orchid Beach by Stuart Woods
Sins of a Shaker Summer by Deborah Woodworth
Summer Will End by Dorian Yeager
Heart of Stone by James Ziskin

Any titles you'd like to add?

Cartoon of the Day: At Home with Jane Austen

Foreword Indies Book Awards

Thanks to BV Lawson's In Reference to Murder, we have the winners of this year's Foreward Indies Book Awards 'honoring the very best of Indie publishing" for 2018. Congratulations to all!

Mystery:
Gold: One for the Rock by Kevin Major (Breakwater)
Silver: A Gentleman’s Murder by Christopher Huang (Inkshares)
Bronze: Burning Ridge by Margaret Mizushima (Crooked Lane)
Honorable Mention: Uncivil Liberties by Bernie Lambek (Rootstock)

Thriller & Suspense:
Gold: The Eighteenth Green by Webb Hubbell
Silver: Speed the Dawn by Philip Donlay
Bronze: The Astronaut's Son by Tom Seigel

Also: HT to The RapSheet

Cartoon of the Day: Books on Tape

Cartoon of the Day: When Cats Inherit the Earth

Happy Caturday!

Cartoon of the Day: Take Your Dog to Work Day

Every Day is Take Your Dog to Work Day here!

Cartoon of the Day: Working at Home

From the talented Maria Scriven:

Shaken Not Stirred: The Vesper Martini

Today is National Martini Day, and perhaps the most iconic Martini is that of James Bond aka 007! The Vodka Martini is as synonymous with 007 as the Walther PPK and the Aston Martin DB5. James Bond first ordered his trademark drink  in Ian Fleming's debut novel Casino Royale (1953):

'A dry martini,' he said. 'One. In a deep champagne goblet.'
'Oui, monsieur.'
'Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel. Got it?'
'Certainly, monsieur.' The barman seemed pleased with the idea.
'Gosh, that's certainly a drink,' said Leiter.
Bond laughed. 'When I'm . . . er . . . concentrating,' he explained, 'I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink's my own invention. I'm going to patent it when I can think of a good name.'

Having invented his own signature drink for Bond, Fleming left the reader hanging for the name for the drink until Vesper Lynd entered the novel. Bond thought her name was perfect for his preferred drink:

'Vesper,' she said. 'Vesper Lynd.'... She smiled. 'Some people like it, others don't. I'm just used to it.'
'I think it's a fine name,' said Bond. An idea struck him. 'Can I borrow it?'
He explained about the special martini he had invented and his search for a name for it. 'The Vesper,' he said.
'It sounds perfect and it's very appropriate to the violet hour when my cocktail will now be drunk all over the world. Can I have it?'
'So long as I can try one first,' she promised. 'It sounds a drink to be proud of.'

The 'Vesper' Martini created by Bond in Casino Royale and liked by Fleming:

Add 3 measures Gordon's Gin
Add 1 measure Vodka
Add 1 measure blond Lillet vermouth
Shake very well until it's ice cold
Garnish with a slice of lemon peel

The medium-dry Vodka Martini preferred by James Bond in the films:

4 measures Vodka (use a tbsp or an oz as a measure to fill one cocktail glass)
Add 1 measure dry Vermouth
Shake with ice. Do not stir. (Shaking gives the misty effect and extra chill preferred by Bond)
Add 1 green olive ( James Bond prefers olives)
Garnish with a thin slice of lemon peel
Serve in a cocktail glass

Thanks to MI6-HQ.com for the citations

FAN AND NOT-SO FAN EMAIL: Guest post by J.A Konrath

Hi, Mystery Author JA Konrath here.

As a semi-popular writer, I'm lucky to get occasional fan emails. I think it's terrific when a reader reaches out to say nice things.

But sometimes what they say isn't so nice.

I think I like those emails even more.

Here's one of my recent favorites:

Mr Kornarth (sic)

I recently read your free ebook WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI BOOK 1 and I hated it. It sucks. I hated the punctuation and that new punctuation you made up was distracting and stupid. Your characters were all unsympathetic jerks with secrets to hide. The sex scene was to explicit. You had all of this weird interesting stuff happening but didn't explain any of it because you want to force people to buy BOOK 2. I know you warned readers it would end on a cliff hanger but the cliffhanger made me so angry I will never read another book by you.

(Name Deleted to Protect Privacy)

PS I pre-ordered BOOK 2 anyway because it was only 99 cents but only to find out what happens. I'm positive I won't enjoy it.

End of fan mail.

Joe sez: You can get WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI BOOK 1 everywhere, for free. I apologize that it sucks. :)

*** 

New Novel from JA Konrath… and it’s free! 

In a previous newsletter I referred to a super-secret project that I've been working on for over a year. It's fun. It's crazy. It's unpredictable. It's an epic gearshift thriller duology 

BOOK 1 is currently free on Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play, and Apple Books 

Or you can get Book 2 for FREE!... if you write a review of Book 1 and link to it on social media. 

Here's what you need to do if you want BOOK 2 for free. 

1. Read BOOK 1 (it's already free), and then write an honest review somewhere. A review on the ebook platform where you bought it, or on Goodreads, is perfect. It's okay if you hate the book, but if you post spoilers, make sure you mark them as spoilers. Also mark any predictions you may have as spoilers (you'll understand what that means when you get to the end.) 

2. After you review it, post a link to your review on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Blogger, WordPress). 
3. Email me the link to your social media post with the email header LORI REVIEW. If you do that, you'll get BOOK 2 for free, before it is officially released on August 30. You get to read it first, without paying for it. 

This new two-book series is unlike anything I've ever done, and unlike anything that anyone else has ever done. It's massive, and I wrote it to be the ultimate beach-read page-turner. Lots of mystery and intrigue, a dash of violence, a pinch of sex, and a bunch of mindblowing twists that no one will ever see coming. 

So let's do a quick Q&A. 

Q: What if I'm not on social media? 
A: I need folks willing to post their reviews as many places as possible. Folks willing to spread the word. Folks willing to shout about this insane new book they've just read. If you aren't on Facebook, Twitter, or Tumbler, or don't blog, let me know where you want to post your review instead, and I'll consider it on a case-by-case basis. 

Q: What if I don't like the book? 
A: I still want you to post a review. A negative review is perfectly cool. 

Q: Why are you giving away new releases? 
A: My new super-secret project is the most buzzworthy book I've ever written, and I want to get the word out, and that's why BOOK 1 is free, and BOOK 2 is cheap. I want to see how many people I can reach. I'll be blunt and heartfelt: I need you. Does Stephen King ever tell you he needs you? How about JK Rowling? Nope. But I need you. And you'll be able to tell everyone you read LORI first before it goes viral. "I read that before it was even published!" you can say to your friends and family as they stare, wide-eyed, full of venomous envy. 

Q: Is there a deadline? 
A: Yes! I need you to post your review by July 31 if you want to get BOOK 2 for free. So grab BOOK 1 for free and read it. If you write a review, link to it on social media, send me the link, and you'll get BOOK 2 for free as well. If you don't want to bother writing a review, go ahead an pre-order BOOK 2. I'm fine with that. 

Thanks for reading! Joe

Cartoon of the Day: Alexa

NERO AWARD FINALISTS

O.K. This is a bit of an enigma. I've seen two stories about specific nominees for the Nero Award. I'm hoping you can help. I'm sure there are other nominees but I haven't seen a press release from The Wolfe Pack or any other mentions in social media. If you know who else was nominated, please let me know, and I'll update this post. Thanks. I should have the update on Monday.

The Nero Award is sponsored by The Wolfe Pack, the official Nero Wolfe society, named after the fictional character in the mystery series by Rex Stout. The Nero Award is presented annually for the best American mystery. The award is given to those books that are written in the tradition of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe stories. The award winner will be presented at the Black Orchid Banquet in December in NYC.

NERO AWARD FINALISTS (incomplete list --soon to be updated)
The Fallen Architect by Charles Belfoure
The Man Who Couldn't Miss by David Handler
(more nominees to be posted)

Cartoon of the Day: Cats

Happy Caturday!

Cartoon of the Day: Writing

HARPER LEE PRIZE FOR LEGAL FICTION FINALISTS: You can vote!

The Finalists for the 2019 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction have been announced, and now readers will have a chance to weigh in. The books nominated for the ninth annual award are:

The Boat People by Sharon Bala
Class Action by Steven B. Frank
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey

Vote HERE:
http://www.abajournal.com/polls/2019HarperLeePrize

From The ABAJournal
“This year’s Harper Lee Prize was particularly difficult to judge,” said Molly McDonough, editor and publisher of the ABA Journal. “We were evaluating so many gripping and compelling reads.”

The prize, which was authorized by the late Harper Lee, was established in 2011 by the University of Alabama Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law and the ABA Journal to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird. It is given annually to a book-length work of fiction that best illuminates the role of lawyers in society and their power to effect change.

“The finalists represent the diversity of this year’s submissions, from a novel about Sri Lankan refugees seeking a new start, to the story of a trailblazing woman lawyer fighting for her clients in 1920s India, and finally a charming middle school book featuring a spunky student who goes to court after he’s suspended for protesting homework,” said McDonough. “The characters are as inspiring as they are engaging.”

The Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction will be awarded at an August ceremony at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the National Book Festival. The winner will receive a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird signed by Harper Lee. The authors whose books have previously won the prize are John Grisham (in 2011 and 2014), Michael Connelly, Paul Goldstein, Deborah Johnson, Attica Locke, James Grippando and C. E. Tobisman.

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. CT on Sunday, June 30.

VOTE HERE!
http://www.abajournal.com/polls/2019HarperLeePrize

FATHER'S DAY, Fathers and Sons, & Fathers and Daughters in Crime Fiction

Father's Day. My father passed away 16 years ago, but I still think about him every day. He encouraged and supported me throughout my many careers and educational pursuits, and he always told me I could accomplish anything and succeed in whatever I chose to do.

My father was the ultimate reader. His idea of a good vacation was sitting in a chair, reading a good mystery. It didn't mattered where he was, the book took him miles away.

So many times when I finish a book, I say to myself, "I have to send this to Dad. He'll love it." My father engendered my love of mysteries through his collection of mystery novels and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazines. I like to think he's up there somewhere in a chair surrounded by books and reading a good mystery.

Here's to you, Dad, on Father's Day!

The following are updated lists! As always let me know any titles that you think should be included.


FATHER'S DAY MYSTERIES

Father’s Day by John Calvin Batchelor
Father’s Day by Rudolph Engelman
Father's Day: A Detective Joe Guerry Story by Tippie Rosemarie Fulton
Father’s Day Keith Gilman 
Dear Old Dead by Jane Haddam
The Father’s Day Murder by Lee Harris
Day of Reckoning by Kathy Herman
Dead Water by Victoria Houston
Father’s Day Murder by Leslie Meier
On Father's Day by Megan Norris
Father’s Day by Alan Trustman

Murder for Father, edited by Martin Greenberg (short stories)
"Father's Day" by Patti Abbott --short story at Spinetingler
Collateral Damage: A Do Some Damage Collection  e-book of Father's Day themed short stories.

Let me know if I missed any titles.  

**
And a very short list of Crime Fiction that focuses on Fathers and Sons and Fathers and Daughters. Have a favorite Father / Son Father/Daughter Mystery? Post below in comments.

FATHERS AND SONS and FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS in CRIME FICTION

Carriage Trade by Stephen Birmingham
His Father's Son by Tony Black
The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian
All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage
Secret Father by James Carroll
The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter
Hot Plastic by Peter Craig
The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne 
The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron
Lars and Little Olduvai by Keith Spencer Felton
Unsub by Meg Gardner   
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
King of Lies by John Hart
Damage by Josephine Hart
The Good Father by Noah Hawley
1922 by Stephen King
A Perfect Spy by John LeCarre 
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh 
The Son by Jo Nesbo
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
The Roman Hat Mystery; other novels by Ellery Queen (Manfred B. Lee and Frederic Dannay)
Paperback Original by Will Rhode
The Senior Sleuths: Dead in Bed by Marcia Rosen
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti
The Father by Anton Swenson

Cartoon of the Day: A Writer's Routine

From Grant Snider:

The Men of Mystery: Endeavor & Grantchester Coming soon to Masterpiece!

Coming soon to Masterpiece! on PBS: New seasons of Endeavor and Grantchester!

Endeavour, Season 6, premieres Sunday, June 16, 2019, 9/8c on MASTERPIECE on PBS. 
Shaun Evans charms audiences with his portrayal of the cerebral and solitary Detective Constable Morse in Endeavour, written by Inspector Lewis creator and Inspector Morse writer Russell Lewis.

In Endeavour, Season 6, Shaun Evans has a new look as DS Endeavour Morse. The latest installment of Endeavour is set in 1969. Evans will also be putting his directorial mark on the show, heading behind the camera for the second 90-minute episode of the season. Endeavour will also be facing new challenges, with Morse having started a new role as a uniformed officer at the Woodstock police department and embracing the fashion of the period by growing a mustache. Alongside Evans, the new series will see celebrated stage and screen actor Roger Allam return as DI Fred Thursday, alongside Anton Lesser as CS Reginald Bright, Sean Rigby as DS Jim Strange, James Bradshaw as Dr Max DeBryn, Sara Vickers as Joan Thursday, Abigail Thaw as Dorothea Frazil and Caroline O’Neill as Win Thursday. Following the dissolution of the Oxford City Police and the merging with Thames Valley Constabulary at the end of the last season, the new season picks up with the team dispersed as they find their feet in their various new roles.

Grantchester Season 4 premieres Sunday, July 14, 2019, 9/8c on MASTERPIECE on PBS.

Grantchester returns to MASTERPIECE with a new vicar: Tom Brittney (Outlander, Call the Midwife) who joins the cast of Season 4 as Reverend Will Davenport — man of the people and crime-solving partner to Robson Green’s Geordie Keating in 1950s Grantchester. James Norton, who plays the charismatic, jazz-loving clergyman Sidney Chambers, makes his final appearance during the series. Confident, caring and self-assured, Grantchester’s new young parish priest channels his boundless energy into a quest for social justice. He is a man of God, but with the devil inside of him. As Geordie draws him into righting the wrongs of criminal Cambridge, Will’s own troubled past is unearthed. About his character, Brittney says, “Will has a very strong moral compass with a thirst to change things, but underneath, there is a dark and troubled past that drives him in what he does.”

Watch a Preview Here

Cartoon of the Day: The Beloved Book

2019 Killer Nashville Claymore Award Top 20

The Killer Nashville Claymore Award goes to authors of the best 50 pages of an unpublished manuscript. The top 3 finalists and the winner will be announced at Killer Nashville on August 24.

Cartoon of the Day: Cats

Happy Caturday!

NGAIO MARSH AWARD BEST NOVEL LONGLIST

Longlist for the 2019 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel

The Ngaio Marsh Awards have celebrated the best New Zealand crime, mystery, thriller, and suspense writing since 2010, and this year’s longlist runs the gamut of settings from rural New Zealand to New York City, time periods from the 1940s to modern day, and themes ranging from teen bullying to societal discrimination and the verisimilitude of memory.

The longlist for the 2019 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel:

• NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU by Nikki Crutchley (Oak House Press)
• CASSIE CLARK: OUTLAW by Brian Falkner (OneTree House)
• THIS MORTAL BOY by Fiona Kidman (Penguin)
• MONEY IN THE MORGUE by Ngaio Marsh & Stella Duffy (HarperCollins)
• THE QUAKER by Liam McIlvanney (HarperCollins)
• CALL ME EVIE by JP Pomare (Hachette)
• THE STAKES by Ben Sanders (Allen & Unwin)
• MAKE A HARD FIST by Tina Shaw (OneTree House)
• THE VANISHING ACT by Jen Shieff (Mary Egan Publishing)
• RAIN FALL by Ella West (Allen & Unwin)

The longlist is currently being considered by a judging panel of crime, thriller, and suspense writing experts from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

The finalists will be announced on 2 August, along with the finalists for the Ngaio Marsh Awards for Best First Novel and Best Non-Fiction. All the finalists will be celebrated, and the winners announced, as part of a special WORD Christchurch event on 14 September. 

For more information on this year’s longlist, or the Ngaio Marsh Awards in general, please contact founder and judging convenor Craig Sisterson,craigsisterson@hotmail.com