The Back Room: Cocktails & Conversation with Your Favorite Authors

Join Hank Philllipi Ryan and Karen Dionne for a fantastic evening of cocktails and conversation with your favorite authors!

March 6, 7 PM ET | Riveting Stories

Cara Black • Kellye Garrett • Catriona McPherson • Ben Mezrich

Cara Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 20 books in the Private Investigator Aimée Leduc series, which is set in Paris. Cara has received multiple nominations for the Anthony and Macavity Awards, a Washington Post Book World Book of the Year citation, the Médaille de la Ville de Paris—the Paris City Medal, which is awarded in recognition of contribution to international culture—and invitations to be the Guest of Honor at conferences such as the Paris Polar Crime Festival and Left Coast Crime. This riveting 20th installment entangles Parisian private investigator Aimée Leduc in a dangerous web of international spycraft and terrorist threats in Paris's 15th arrondissement. Purchase at an independent bookstore near you via indiebound.org. Purchase online at bookshop.org. Kellye Garrett’s first novel, Hollywood Homicide, was released by Midnight Ink in August 2017 and was named one of BookBub’s Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time. In addition to receiving starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, it won the Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Independent Publisher “IPPY” awards for best first novel. It was also nominated for the Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel and Barry award for Best Paperback Original. "Brimming with suspense and wit, Like a Sister is a tense, twisting mystery that explores the complex bonds within family and the elusive nature of truth. Smart, sharp, and completely engrossing—an absolutely can’t-put-it-down read!"—Megan Miranda, New York Timesbestselling author of All the Missing Girls and Such a Quiet Place Purchase at an independent bookstore near you via indiebound.org. Purchase online at bookshop.org.

National-bestselling and multi-award-winning author, Catriona McPherson (she/her), was born in Scotland and lived there until immigrating to the US in 2010. She writes historical detective stories set in the old country in the 1930s, featuring gently-born lady sleuth, Dandy Gilver. Despite efforts to create a safe environment to see out the pandemic, the residents of the Last Ditch Motel face more dangers than they imagined possible in this hilarious yet claustrophobic mystery. Purchase at an independent bookstore near you via indiebound.org. Purchase online at bookshop.org. The reigning cowboy of narrative non-fiction with a writing career spanning nineteen years, Ben Mezrich has authored twenty-four books – major international and NYT bestsellers, with more than ten million copies sold. He's best known for his book to movie pathway, including The Social Network, 21, and Bringing Down the House, which spent sixty-three weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Coming soon: his latest non-fiction title The Antisocial Network. Ben returned to his fiction roots with a serialized novella-to-book, published in the Boston Globe during the pandemic and becoming  a new hardcover from Grand Central Publishing: The Midnight Ride. “A plot to savor. Witty, smart, detailed, and highly entertaining. The Midnight Ride is exactly what you’d expect from a master storyteller.”—Steve Berry, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Cotton Malone series Purchase at an independent bookstore near you via indiebound.org. Purchase online at bookshop.org.

As always, Back Room events are free but space is limited, so sign up today!

REGISTER FOR MARCH 6 EVENT

Cartoon of the Day: PBS for Cats

This is one of my favorite Cat Cartoons. I cut it out of the paper (yes, real newspaper) years ago.

MARDI GRAS CRIME FICTION // MARDI GRAS MYSTERIES

Mardi Gras aka Carnivale. Whatever you call it, it's 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 Mardi Gras, here's my updated list of Mardi Gras Mysteries, mostly set in New Orleans, but skip to the bottom for other countries and cities (Carnival - Carnevale). As always, I welcome additional titles. Make a comment.

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
Thrill Kill by Don Bruns
Purple Cane Road, Dixie City Jam, The Tin Roof Blowdown, Creole Belle by James Lee Burke
Mardi Gras 1975 by Frank W. Butterfield

Mardi Gras Murder by Ellen Byron
Krewe of Souls by Elaine Calloway
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's)
Randolph Solves the Mardi Gras Mystery by Pat Hornsby Crochet (Children's)

Havana Storm by Clive Cussler
Mardi Gras Murders by Nicole Daines and Robert Daines
Bullets and Beads by Jana Deleon 

Ms. America and the Naughtiness in New Orleans by Diana Dempsey 

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

Dead Velvet Cheesecake by A. Gardner
Mardi Gras Murder, edited by Sarah E. Glenn
Mardi Gras Madness by Alison Golden with Honey Broussard
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
The Mardi Gras Murder by Jackie Griffey
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
Murder at the Mardi Gras by V. Hurst
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
Krewe by Jayson Livingston
The Devil's Muse by Bill Loehfelm
A Masquerade of Saints by Nicole Loughan
Voodoo Dreams by Alana Lorens 

Chaos by Judith Lucci

The Mardi Gras Murders by Gwen Bristow & Bruce Manning
Mardi Gras Madness by Ken Mask
Mardi Gras Gris Gris by A.C. Mason
The Gay Mardi Gras Murders by Sylvia Massara 

Rescued by a Kiss by Colleen Mooney
Mardi Gras Eyes by Phyllis Morris
The Chef by James Patterson with Max DiLallo
Krewe by Seth Pevey
Masques by Bill Pronzini
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts
The Long-Legged Fly by James Sallis
Mardi Gras Murders by Phillip Scott
Now Let's Talk of Graves by Sarah Shankman
Murder at the Mardi Gras by Elisabet M. Stone
A Hall of Mirrors by Robert Stone
New Orleans Mourning by Julie Smith
New Orleans Noir, edited by Julie Smith
The Mysterious Masks of Mardi Gras by Connie Trapp
Mardi Gras Marathon Murders by Diane L. Twilley

Mardi Gras Two-Step by Barry M. Vass
A Diamond Before You Die by Chris Wiltz

Carnivale in Brazil:

The Lost Manuscript: Vast Emotions and Imperfect Thoughts by Rubem Fonseca

Carnevale in Venice:

Carnival for the Dead by David Hewson
Venice Noir, edited by Maxim Jakubowski
The Venetian Masquerade by Philip Gwynne Jones
The Mascherari by Laura Rahme
Venice Black by Gregory C. Randall
Scerzo by Jim Williams

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 or Chocolate Filled King Cake! 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.

CANDICE RENOIR NEWS: Seasons 3 & 4

 I think the French TV series Candice Renoir is terrific. It features Candice Renoir (Cecile Bois), a French policewoman and single mother of four. You can watch the first two seasons on AcornTV, and now after a long wait and multi launch dates, AcornTV has premier dates for Season (February 28) and Season 4 (March 28). Can't wait.

Here's the Trailer

J.J. Lamb Memorial: February 27

Celebrate the life of Mystery Author J.J. Lamb, Sunday, February 27, at 2 pm, at Book Passage Bookstore, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd.,  Corte Madera, CA.

J.J. was the author of four books featuring PI Zach Rolfe. He and his wife Bette Golden Lamb collaborated on many novels, including the Gina Mazzio medical thriller series.

Memories of J. J. Lamb on Mystery Fanfare.

Please come if you're able.

2022 ITW THRILLER AWARD FINALISTS

2022 ITW Thriller Awards Finalists

ITW (International Thriller Writers) will announce the winners at ThrillerFest XVII on Saturday, June

4, 2022 at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, New York City.

Congratulations to all the finalists!

 

 

BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL

Megan Abbott – THE TURNOUT (Penguin/Putnam)

S. A. Cosby – RAZORBLADE TEARS (Flatiron Books)

Alice Feeney – ROCK PAPER SCISSORS (Flatiron Books)

Rachel Howzell Hall – THESE TOXIC THINGS (Thomas & Mercer)

Alma Katsu – RED WIDOW (Penguin/Putnam)

Eric Rickstad – I AM NOT WHO YOU THINK I AM (Blackstone Publishing)

 

BEST AUDIOBOOK

S. A. Cosby – RAZORBLADE TEARS (Macmillan)

Narrated by Adam Lazarre-White

Samantha Downing – SLEEPING DOG LIE (Audible Originals)

Narrated by Melanie Nicholls-King and Lindsey Dorcus

Rachel Howzell Hall – HOW IT ENDS (Audible Originals)

Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt

Gregg Hurwitz – PRODIGAL SON (Macmillan)

Narrated by Scott Brick

Nadine Matheson – THE JIGSAW MAN (HarperCollins)

Narrated by Davine Henry

 

BEST FIRST NOVEL

Abigail Dean – GIRL A (HarperCollins)

Eloísa Díaz – REPENTANCE (Agora Books)

Amanda Jayatissa – MY SWEET GIRL (Berkley)

David McCloskey – DAMASCUS STATION (W.W. Norton & Company)

Eric Redman – BONES OF HILO (Crooked Lane Books)

 

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL

Joy Castro – FLIGHT RISK (Lake Union)

Aaron Philip Clark – UNDER COLOR OF LAW (Thomas & Mercer)

C. J. Cooke – THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES (Berkley)

Jess Lourey – BLOODLINE (Thomas & Mercer)

Terry Roberts – MY MISTRESS' EYES ARE RAVEN BLACK (Turner Publishing Company)

 

BEST SHORT STORY

S.A. Cosby – "Not My Cross to Bear" (Down & Out Books)

William Burton McCormick – "Demon in the Depths" (Ellery Queen's

Mystery Magazine)

Scott Loring Sanders – "The Lemonade Stand" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine)

Jeff Soloway – "The Interpreter and the Killer" (Ellery Queen's

Mystery Magazine)

John Wimer – "Bad Chemistry" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine)

 

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

Maureen Johnson – THE BOX IN THE WOODS (HarperCollins)

Nova McBee – CALCULATED (Wolfpack Publishing LLC)

Ginny Myers Sain – DARK AND SHALLOW LIES (Penguin Young Readers)

Courtney Summers – THE PROJECT (Wednesday Books)

Krystal Sutherland – HOUSE OF HOLLOW (Penguin Young Readers)

 

BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL

Greig Beck – THE DARK SIDE: ALEX HUNTER 9 (Pan Macmillan)

John Connell – WHERE THE WICKED TREAD (John Connell)

Wendy Dranfield – LITTLE GIRL TAKEN (Bookouture)

E.J. Findorff – BLOOD PARISH (E.J. Findorff)

S. E. Green – MOTHER MAY I (S. E. Green)

Andrew Kaplan – BLUE MADAGASCAR (Andrew Kaplan)

Karin Nordin – LAST ONE ALIVE (HarperCollins)

 

 

Cartoon of the Day: Cats

HAPPY CATURDAY!

Cartoon of the Day: Sarcasm

Murder in Provence premieres March 1 on BritBox

Update to last year's announcement about Murder in Provence adapted from the books by M. L. Longworth.  Murder in Provence will premiere on March 1 on BritBox. Can't wait.

Murder in Provence follows Antoine Verlaque (Roger Allam, Endeavour), an Investigating Judge in Aix-en-Provence, and his romantic partner Marine Bonnet (Nancy Carroll, Father Brown) as they investigate the murders, mysteries and dark underbelly of their idyllic home.

BOUCHERCON SAN DIEGO: 2023

Mark Your Calendars for Bouchercon San Diego Murder at the Marina August 30 To September 3, 2023

Read the Crime Wave   We are excited to announce our website is up and registration is open for Bouchercon 2023.    We’ll be in beautiful downtown San Diego at the Marriott Marquis, on the marina of San Diego Bay. Located next to a trolley stop and the Gaslamp District (full of restaurants), you couldn’t ask for a better place to celebrate your love of mysteries, suspense, thriller, and other crime stories.

Join Toastmaster Naomi Hirahara in celebrating an amazing lineup of Guests of Honor.

Lifetime: David Baldacci

International: Ann Cleeves

National: C.J. Box

Regional:  Jacqueline Winspear

Cozy: Kate Carlisle

Fan: Dru Ann Love

Learn About Our Guests of Honor

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