Flavia, the Movie!

And this news from BV Lawson's In Reference to Murder, one of my favorite mystery sites. We've been waiting a long time for this. I'm so excited--to see the film--and for Alan Bradley, author of the Flavia books! Congratulations, Alan! What a great cast! I'll keep you posted!

Can't wait for the movie, catch up on Alan Bradley's Flavia series. 13 books so far!

The upcoming feature film, Flavia, based on the books by Alan Bradley, has started principal photography and released a first-look image. The project features Sherlock star Martin Freeman opposite Molly Belle Wright (Deep Water) as the precocious 11-year-old detective, Flavia, Toby Jones (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Karan Gill (The Decameron), Annette Badland (Ted Lasso), and Jonathan Pryce (Slow Horses) also star. 

The storyline is set in motion when Flavia finds a dead body at her decaying British manor house and her father is accused of the murder. Flavia dives into her own wild and fearless investigation, unearthing long held family secrets and pitting herself against the true killer.

DALGLIESH, SEASON 3 News!

DALGLIESH, SEASON 3, PREMIERES MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, ON ACORN TV

I'm looking forward to series 3. 

The six-episode season includes three two-part stories: Death in Holy Orders, Cover Her Face, and Devices and Desires. Each story is based on a novel by the Queen of Crime, British author P.D. James.

Dalgliesh Season 3 starts on Acorn TV on December 2. Detective Adam Dalgliesh, played by Bertie Carvel, is back to solve complicated crimes in England in the 1970s, ranging from a murder in a seminary to a plot to attack a terrorist target. 

New cast members and well-known ones, like Carlyss Peer’s Kate Miskin, join him. 

CRIME FICTION LOVER AWARDS 2024 SHORTLISTS

Crime Fiction Lover and its readers are celebrating the best in the genre with their awards. Following are the shortlists for 2024. Crime fiction lovers everywhere can vote. Congratulations to all!

CRIME FICTION LOVER AWARDS SHORTLISTS

Best Crime Novel of 2024 Shortlist 

Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin 

The Mercy Chair by MW Craven 

Guide Me Home by Attica Locke 

The Examiner by Janice Hallett 

The Death Watcher by Chris Carter 

All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker 

Best Crime Debut of 2024 Shortlist 

 

Helle and Death by Oskar Jensen 

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey 

Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin 

Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney 

Crow Moon by Suzy Aspley 

A Reluctant Spy by David Goodman 

Best Crime Novel in Translation of 2024 Shortlist 

 

Black Wolf by Juan Gómez-Jurado, translated by Nicolas Caistor 

The Snow Angel by Anki Edvinsson, translated by Paul Norlen 

The Lover of No Fixed Abode by Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini, translated by Gregory Dowling Death at the Sanatorium by Ragnar Jonasson, translated by Victoria Cribb 

The Kitchen by Simone Buchholz, translated by Rachel Ward 

The Night of Baba Yaga by Akira Otani, translated by Sam Bett 

Best Indie Crime Novel of 2024 Shortlist 

 

The Corpse with the Pearly Smile by Cathy Ace 

A Killer of Influence by JD Kirk 

Bronco Buster by AJ Devlin 

Westerwick by George Paterson 

Namaste Mart Confidential by Andrew Miller 

Dying For Crystal by Katherine Black 

Best Crime Show of 2024 Shortlist 

Bad Monkey 

Ludwig 

Slow Horses, Season 4

Nordic Murders, Season 5 

Rebus 

True Detective, Season 4 

 

Best Crime Author of 2024 Shortlist 

Tana French 

Ian Rankin 

Attica Locke 

Ace Atkins 

Janice Hallett 

Abir Mukherjee

An Post Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year Shortlist

The shortlists have been announced for the An Post Irish Book Awards. There are multiple categories, but here's the 

2024 Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year

Shortlist

A Stranger in the Family, by Jane Casey (Hemlock Press)

Witness 8, by Steve Cavanagh (Headline)
Where They Lie, by Claire Coughlan (Simon & Schuster)
Someone in the Attic, by Andrea Mara (Bantam)
Somebody Knows, by Michelle McDonagh (Hachette Ireland)
When We Were Silent, by Fiona McPhillips (Bantam)

Winners will be announced during in Dublin on Wednesday, November 27. 

HT: The Rap Sheet

INSPECTOR ELLIS: New series

I really enjoyed Episode 1 of Inspector Ellis, a new series, on AcornTV. Put it on your list. Great acting, interesting plot, new twist. 3 Episodes (1 1/2 each), being dropped weekly. Hope there's a Season 2 in the future.

Acorn TV’s new three-part series Inspector Ellis (Ellis in the UK) challenges our preconceptions of a female detective. DCI Ellis (Sharon D Clarke) is a Black woman, no longer young, whose long black coat and brightly colored scarf are a statement of strength and power. She is neither pleasingly eccentric nor eager to reveal a softer side, although we know she has an estranged daughter. She is not to be messed with. Her toughness and tenacity make her the ideal candidate for a new position; a senior officer sent to handle cases that have stumped the local team. 

VETERANS DAY MYSTERIES // VETERANS DAY CRIME FICTION

Today is the start of Veterans Day Weekend. Veterans Day, originally known as Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day), is November 11. Veterans Day commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front, that took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning — the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" 1918.

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed Armistice Day on November 11, 1919. The U.S.  Congress passed a concurrent resolution seven years later on June 4, 1926, requesting the President issue another proclamation to observe November 11 with appropriate ceremonies. The 11th of November is"a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'." It was later changed to Veterans Day.

I love to read mysteries that reflect regions and holidays, so I'm reposting my Veterans Day list with some new additions. 

Julia Spencer-Fleming's Once Was a Soldier,  Jacqueline Winspear, Renie Airth, and Charles Todd's mystery series are at the top of my list of Veterans Day Mysteries. There's also the Joe Sandilands series by Barbara Cleverly. And Bulldog Drummond is a WWI veteran in the Sapper/H.C. McNeile books. Add to that Walter Mosley's WWII Vet Easy Rawlins. Don't miss Marcia Talley's All Things Undying in which Hannah Ives helps to locate the grave of a WWII serviceman. James Lee Burke is another great mystery author whose Cajun detective Dave Robicheaux is a Vietnam Veteran. And, of course, the Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers where the mystery turns on the poppy in the lapel. (and so many more below)..

BV Lawson's 2007 post of Veteran's Day Mysteries is great. No need to duplicate her efforts. Be sure and read her blog, as well as all the comments. 

 

I also did a Memorial Day post here on Mystery Fanfare that covers some of the same territory. It is  a good resource, as many of the books overlap.

You'll want to read J. Kingston's Pierce's article 9 Mysteries Set in the Immediate Aftermath of WWI on CrimeReads.

Wikipedia has an entry about Veterans Day Mysteries. Several hardboiled heroes have been war veterans. Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer and many others from World War II, and John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee from the Korean War. "The frequent exposure to death and hardship often leads to a cynical and callous attitude as well as a character trait known today as post-traumatic stress characterizes many hardboiled protagonists."

ADDITIONAL VETERANS DAY MYSTERIES with Veteran Protagonists

River of Darkness by Rennie Airth

Mark of the Lion by Suzanne Arruda

Billy Boyle series by James R. Benn

Dying in the Wool by Frances Brody

Tom Clancy Oath of Office by Marc Cameron

The Bee's Kiss by Barbara Cleverly

Quarry; The Million Dollar Wound by Max Allan Collins

Long Shot by Jack Coughlin

Foul Trade by B.K. Duncan

One Killer Force by Dalton Fury
Young Blood by Matt Gallagher

The Man Who Won the Medal of Honor by Len Giovannitti

The Sleepwalkers by Paul Grossman

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

Direct Hit by Mike Hollow

A Gentleman's Murder by Christopher Huang

Operation Burning Candle by Blyden Jackson

Berlin Noir: March Violets, The Pale Criminal, A German Requiem by Philip Kerr

Lone Jack Trail by Owen Laukkanen

After the Rain by Chuck Logan

Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal

Hystopia by David Means

First Blood by David Morrell

Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley

A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee

The Odd Angry Shot by William Nagle

The Sympathizer by Viet Than Nguyen

A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn

Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien

The Given World by Marian Palaia

The Drifter by Nick Petrie (and others in the Peter Ash series)

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

Whose Body? by Dorothy L Sayers

Dog Day Afternoon by Vern E. Smith

The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller

Dog Soldiers by Robert Stone

A Test of Wills and others; A Duty to the Dead and others by Charles Todd

Dragonfish by Vu Tran

Maisie Dobbs; Messenger of Truth; The Mapping of Love and Death; and others by Jacqueline Winspear

For the young set, one of the first Veteran-related mysteries: 
Cherry Ames: Veterans' Nurse by Helen Wells. 

As always, let me know any Veterans Crime Fiction that you recommend.

Read a Veterans Day mystery today and remember the men and women who have served our country. Thank you for your service.

In Memory of Veteran - Major Joseph Rudolph, M.D., WWII

Cartoon of the Day: Toxic Ingredient

 

LEFT COAST CRIME 2026 NEWS!

Special Guests forLeft Coast Crime 2026 in San Francisco, California
February 26 – March 1, 2026

The 36th annual Left Coast Crime Convention will be held at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco — on the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building — from February 26 through March 1, 2026. We are finally going back to where Left Coast Crime began in 1991.
 

Registration is now open!

Visit the LCC 2026 website for more information about the convention.
 

Death in Paradise: Christmas Special and Series 14 News!

Don Gilet will play the new lead Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson on Death in Paradise that will debut on the BBC on Christmas. 

This is one of my favorite detective shows, and I've liked all the past DIs. The BBC has a tradition of releasing a Christmas special to mark the end of the current season and the start of a new one. 2024's special will introduce a new detective in Saint Marie after the departure of Ralf Little's DI Neville Parker. DI Mervin Wilson makes his debut in a feature-length Death in Paradise Christmas special this December, before series 14 broadcasts in 2025. Mervin arrives on the island of Saint Marie from his home in London. 

Don Gilet says: “I am delighted to have returned to the wonderful island of Guadeloupe and this time to be stepping into the well-worn shoes of the Detective Inspector. It’s been a real pleasure filming such a beloved series alongside the hardworking cast and crew. I can’t wait for the fans to see how DI Mervin Wilson fares on the island, how he fits within the Saint Marie police team and what secrets may unfold..."

Gilet will be joined by series regulars Don Warrington, Shantol Jackson, Ginny Holder, Élizabeth Bourgine and Danny John-Jules who will continue playing Commissioner Selwyn Patterson, DS Naomi Thomas, Officer Darlene Curtis, Catherine Bordey, and Officer Dwayne Myers, respectively.

Death in Paradise returns with the 2024 Christmas Special on BBC One, and Season 14 will be released in early 2025. Previously, Death in Paradise aired in the U.S. on BritBox. No news yet, but I'm assuming the Christmas Special and series 14 will be available here in early 2025, based on former releases. I'll keep you posted.

PRESIDENTIAL MYSTERIES // PRESIDENTIAL CRIME FICTION

I usually post a Presidential Mysteries list for Presidents Day, but with the Presidential election today, I thought I'd post now. I'm just too nervous to do much else! And, if you haven't already, get out and vote! Your country depends on YOU!

This list features the U.S. President in mysteries, thrillers, and crime fiction. I've divided the list into categories, but added more at the end under 'other' and a separate list of Abraham Lincoln Mysteries. Of course, there are many overlaps, so scroll through them all. This is not a definitive list, and I welcome any additions. Post your favorites in the comments section or send me a note.
 
Books by Presidents: 

The President is Missing and The President's Daughter by former President Bill Clinton with James Patterson. 

The Presidents Mystery Story (propounded to be by Franklin D. Roosevelt) 1935. 

The President's Mystery Plot by Franklin Delano Roosevelt - and others (Short Stories)-although he didn't write any.

Political Election and Thrillers

Rubicon by Lawrence Alexander
Saving Faith by David Baldacci
Political Suicide and Touched by the Dead by Robert Barnard
Capitol Conspiracy by William Bernhardt
Collateral Damage by Michael Bowen
Three Shirt Deal by Stephen J. Cannell
Executive Orders by Tom Clancy
Impaired Judgement by David Compton
Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon
Term Limits; Protect and Defend by Vince Flynn
The Scandal Plan by Bill Folman
The Power Broker by Stephen W. Frey
Spook Country by William Gibson
Fast Track, Sleeping Dogs by Ed Gorman
The Fourth Perimeter by Tim Green
The People's Choice by Jeff Greenfield
Hazardous Duty by W.E.B. Griffin
The Pelican Brief by John Grisham
The Second Revolution by Gary Hansen
The President's Daughter and The White House Connection by Jack Higgins
The Enemy Within  by Noel Hynd
First Daughter by Eric Lustbader
Drone Threat by Mike Maden
Executive Privilege by Philip Margolin
Presidents' Day by Seth Margolis
The Race, Protect and Defend, Balance of Power by Richard North Patterson
Politics Noir: Gary Phillips, Editor
Missing Member by Jo-Ann Power
Dark Horse by Ralph Reed
Dead Heat, The Last Jihad by Joel C. Rosenberg
Dead Watch by John Sandford
State of the Union by Brad Thor
Capital Crimes by Stuart Woods

Assassination Attempts

American Quartet by Warren Adler
Shall We Tell the President? by Jeffrey Archer
Sherlock Holmes in Dallas by Edmund Aubrey
The 14th Colony by Steve Berry
All American Girl by Meg Cabot (YA)
The President is Missing by Bill Clinton/James Patterson
Primary Target by Max Allan Collins
Campaign Train (Murder Rides the Campaign Train) by The Gordons
Glass Tiger by Joe Gores
The President's Assassin by Brian Haig
Potus by Greg Holden
Marine One by James W. Huston
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Murder at Monticello by Jane Langton
The Surrogate Assassin by Christopher Leppek
Gideon's March by J.J. Marric
The Kidnapping of the President by Charles Templeton
Pursuit by James Stewart Thayer
Primary Target by Marilyn Wallace
Watchdogs by John Weisman

Kidnappings

We are Holding the President Hostage by Warren Adler
The Camel Club, First Family by David Baldacci
Line of Succession by Brian Garfield
Madam President by Anne Holt
Oath of Office by Steven J. Kirsch
Presidential Deal by Les Standiford
The Kidnapping of the President by Charles Templeton
The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor

Presidential Disappearances

The President Vanishes by Anonymous (1934)
Missing! by Michael Avallone
The President is Missing by Bill Clinton & James Patterson
Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante by Susan Elia MacNeal
The President's Plan is Missing by Robert J. Serling
The President Vanishes by Rex Stout

Fixing the Election

The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon
The 13th Directorate by Barry Chubin
Atropos by William DeAndrea
The Red President by Martin Gross
The Ceiling of Hell by Warren Murphy
The Trojan Hearse by Richard S. Prather
 President Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer
The Big Fix by Roger L. Simon

Presidential Crisis

Seven Days in May by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II
Vanished; Night of Camp David by Fletcher Knebel
A Fine and Dangerous Season by Keith Raffel

The President as Detective

Speak Softly by Lawrence Alexander
Lincoln for the Defense by Warren Bull
Mr President, Private Eye, edited by Martin Greenberg & Francis M. Nevins
Bully by Mark Schorr
Hope Never Dies: An Obama Biden Mystery; Hope Rides Again by Andrew Shaffer

The JFK Plot

Too many to list, but...
Mongoose, RIP by William F. Buckley
Executive Action by Mark Lane, Donald Freed and Stephen Jaffe
The Tears of Autumn by Charles McCarry

Presidential Families

Exclusive by Sandra Brown
The President's Daughter by Bill Clinton and James Patterson
Deadly Aims by Ron L. Gerard
The First Lady by E.J. Gorman
First Daughter series by Susan Ford & Laura Hayden
The President's Daughter by Jack Higgins
Alice and the Assassin; The Body in the Ballroom by R.J. Koreto
The Devil's Bed by William Kent Krueger
Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante by Susan Elia MacNeal
The First Lady Murders, edited by Nancy Pickard
Murder and the First Lady; Murder at the President's Door (and other novels) By Elliot Roosevelt
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld 
The Murder of Willie Lincoln by Brad Solomon
Murder in the White House (and other novels) by Margaret Truman
They've Shot the President's Daughter by Edward Stewart

Other

The Big Stick by Lawrence Alexander
The President's Mind, The 20th Day of January by Ted Allbeury
Absolute Power by David Baldacci
Father's Day by John Calvin Batchelor
The Turncoat's Widow by Mally Becker
Warriors by Ted Bell
The Kennedy Connection by Dick Belsky
Enslaved by Ron Burns
The Plan by Stephen J. Cannell
Killing Time by Caleb Carr
The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen L. Carter
First Strike by Ben Coes
Ex Officio by Timothy Culver (Donald Westlake)
Advise and Consent by Allen Drury
The Whole Truth by John Ehrlichman
The President's Vampire, Blood Bath by Christopher Farnsworth
FDR's Treasure, Lincoln's Hand by Joel Fox
The President's Henchman, The Next President by Joseph Flynn
Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
By Order of the President by W.E.B. Griffin
White House Chef series by Julie Hyzy
The Last President by Michael Kurland
Spin Doctor by M.C. Lewis
Die Like a Hero by Clyde Linsley
Jack 1939 by Francine Matthews
The Better Angels by Charles McCarry
The Inner Circle; The President's Shadow by Brad Meltzer
The First Patient by Michael Palmer
Treason at Hanford by Scott Parker
Blow Back by James Patterson & Brendan Dubois
No Safe Place by Richard North Patterson
Keeping House by Tucker and Richard Phillips
The Only Thing to Fear by David Poyer
The Night Agent by Matthew Quirk
Acts of Mercy by Bill Pronzini and Barry Malzberg
Love, Lust, and Loyalty by Greg Sandora
White House Gardener series by Dorothy St. James
The President's Daughter by Mariah Stewart
Ghosts of War by Brad Taylor
Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut
Put a Lid on It by Donald Westlake
President Lincoln's Spy by Steven Wilson

An Anthology

Mr President, Private Eye, edited by Martin H. Greenberg. Different historical presidents in the role of sleuth

Abraham Lincoln Mysteries

Abraham Lincoln: Detective by Allen Appel
A Night of Horrors: A Historical Thriller about the 24 Hours of Lincoln's Assassination by John C. Berry
The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen L. Carter
Lincoln's Hand by Joel Fox
The Lincoln Letter by Gretchen Elassani and Phillip Grizzell
Lincoln's Diary by DL Fowler
Murder in the Lincoln White House; Murder in the Oval Library, Murder at the Capitol by C.M. Gleason
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
The Assassin's Accomplice by Kate Clifford Larson
The Lincoln Letter by William Martin
The Lincoln Secret by John A. McKinsey
The First Assassin by John J. Miller
The Lincoln Conspiracy by Timothy L. O'Brien
The Cosgrove Report by G.J.A. O'Toole
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
The Murder of Willie Lincoln by Brad Solomon
Margaret Truman's Murder on the Metro by Margaret Truman: Jon Land. John Land continues the series.
President Lincoln's Secret, President Lincoln's Spy by Steven Wilson
Franklin D. Roosevelt.. The President's Mystery Plot (short stories-it was his idea, although he didn't pen any of the stories)

And not about (it's about the Secretary of State) or by a President (she should have been): 
State of Terror by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny

Want to know what the Presidents read? Read Camille LeBlanc's areticle: American Presidents Can't Stop Reading Thrillers, Just Like Us: A Century of Crime Fiction Readers in the White House that appeared on CrimeReads a few years ago. 

Another great article on Presidents and Crime fiction is "The Mystery Buffs in the White House" by Craig Fehrman. 

Be sure and check out BV Lawson's article FFB: The President's Mystery Plot on her blog In Reference to Murder. 

 Children's Mysteries

Who Cloned the President by Ron Roy

Loving Eleanor by Susan Wittig Albert

Roosevelt's Beast by Louis Bayard

Deep State by Chris Hauty

Squeeze Me by Carl Hiassen

The Cosgrove Report: Being the Private Inquiry of a Pinkerton Detective into the Death of President Lincoln by G.J.A. O'Toole

Mary America, First Girl President of the United States by Carole Marsh

Cartoon of the Day: Books

 

DAY OF THE DEAD CRIME FICTION // DAY OF THE DEAD MYSTERIES

What holiday could be more fitting to Crime Fiction than El Dia de los Muertos: Day of the Dead? You'll love this list. Be sure and check my updated Halloween Crime Fiction list for other mysteries that start on Halloween and include Day of the Dead. Let me know if I'm missing any titles/authors.

Day of the Dead Crime Fiction

Day of the Day by Victoria A. Brownworth

Day of the Dead by R. Allen Chappell

The Day of the Dead by John Creed
Trick or Treason by Kathi Daley
A Cemetery, a Cannibal, and the Day of the Dead by CC Dragon 

Day of the Dead by Drew Golden

Days of the Dead by Barbara Hambly
Sugar Skull by Denise Hamilton
Dios De Los Muertos by Kent Harrington
The Wrong Goodbye by Chris Holm
Death Arts by Melanie Jackson
Day of the Dead by J.A. Jance
Depth of Winter by Craig Johnson
In Big Trouble by Laura Lippman

Devil's Kitchen by Clark Lohr
Weave Her Thread with Bones by Claudia Long
Day of the Dead by Manuel Luis Martinez
Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore

Bread of the Dead by Ann Myers

Day of the Dead by Mark Roberts
The Day of the Dead by Bart Spicer

Children and YA:

Loulou and Pea and the Mural Mystery by Jill Diamond; Illustrations by Lesley Ramos

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier  (Graphic Novel)

Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas

The Day of the Dead Mystery (The Boxcar Children Mysteries) by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Any titles missing?

And an episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries: Day of the Dead, Season 10, Episode 2.