Cartoon of the Day: Editor

 

Ned Kelly: Best Debut Crime Fiction Shortlist: Australian Crime Writers Association

The Australian Crime Writers Association announced its shortlist for the 2025 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction:

Down the Rabbit Hole, by Shaeden Berry (Bonnier Echo)
A Town Called Treachery, by Mitch Jennings (HarperCollins)
The Chilling, by Riley James (Allen & Unwin)
All You Took From Me, by Lisa Kenway (Transit Lounge)
Everywhere We Look, by Martine Kropkowski (Ultimo Press)
Those Opulent Days, by Jacquie Pham (Atlantic Monthly Press)

Other category shortlists have not been announced.

HT: TheRapSheet

CHARLIE CHAN CENTENNIAL: 1925-2025: August 15: Warren, OH

Lou Armagno tells us that members of  The Charlie Chan Family Home head to Warren, Ohio to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Author Earl Derr Biggers’ literary and film creation, Detective Charlie Chan. The following two public events are schedule for Friday, August 15th.

First, a three-person panel discussion “A Century of Charlie Chan,” followed by a Q&A: 2-4 PM at the Warren-Trumbull Country Public Library (free): Warren Library Event.

Then, the historic Robins Theatre will be the venue for one of the most intriguing of the 40-plus Chan films, Charlie Chan at Treasure Island, 1939; starring Sidney Toler, Cesar Romero, Pauline Moore, and Victor Sen Yung on the theatre’s 28 x 17ft BIG SCREEN (doors open at 7PM). The Robins Theatre Ticketing ($9.25).

And if you can't attend (and even if you can) follow https://thepostmanonholiday.com for more news on Charlie Chan and Earl Derr Biggers. 

LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD (LAMMYS): Best LGBTQ+ in Mystery

The Lambda Literary Society, a champion of LGBTQ+ books and their authors, has announced the 2025 Lambda Literary Awards (aka the Lammys) finalists. 

There are many categories, but here are the finalists for: 

 Best LGBTQ+ Mystery 

Charlotte Illes is Not a Teacher // Katie Siegel. Kensington 

One of Us Knows // Alyssa Cole. William Morrow 

Rough Pages // Lev AC Rosen. Tor Publishing Group 

Rough Trade // Katrina Carrasco. MCD 

The Night of Baba Yaga // Akira Otani, Translated from Japanese by Sam Bett. Soho Crime

Winners will be announced on October 4.

Call for Articles: Mystery Readers Journal: Northern California issue (41:3)

Call for Articles: Mystery Readers Journal: Northern California Mysteries! (41:3); Fall 2025

For our next issue, we are looking for articles, reviews, and author essays about crime fiction set in Northern California.

DEADLINE: September 1.

If you have a mystery that fits this theme, please consider writing an Author! Author! essay: 500–1500 words, first person, up-close and personal about yourself, your books, and the theme connection. 

We’re also looking for reviews and articles. 

Send submissions to janet @ mysteryreaders.org 

Deadline: September 1, 2025. 

Author Essays are first person, about yourself, your books, and the "NorCal" connection. 500-1000 words. Treat this as if you're chatting with friends and other writers in the bar or cafe (or on zoom) about your work and the "Northern California" setting in your mysteries. Be sure and cite specific titles, as well as how you use Northern California in your books. Add title and 2-3 sentence bio. 

Reviews: 50-250 words. 

Articles: 500-1000 words. 

Deadline: September 1, 2025  

Send to: Janet Rudolph, Editor. janet @ mysteryreaders . org  

Subject Line: NorCal Mysteries

Please let me know if you're planning to send an article, review, or author essay--or if you have any questions! 

Subscribe to Mystery Readers Journal. 

Themes in 2025: London Mysteries 2; Retail Mysteries; Northern California Mysteries; Cross-Genre Mysteries. 

Back issues available as PDF download 

Southern California: Mystery Readers Journal

Senior Sleuths: Mystery Readers Journal

Irish Mysteries: Mystery Readers Journal

Hobbies & Crafts in Mysteries: Mystery Readers Journal

And so many more... We are now in our 41st year. 4 themed issues a year! 

Have a look at our index of fabulous issues with articles, reviews, and essays from your favorite authors and reviewers. 

***

Love Mysteries? Love San Francisco? Left Coast Crime will be held in "Everybody's Favorite City" February 26-March 1, 2026.   Register Now! 

The Thursday Murder Club: Coming to Netflix

I really enjoyed Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club (and the other books in the series), and I'm quite excited about the movie set to  release on Netflix August 28. Just look at the line-up: Story by Richard Osman, Director: Chris Columbus, Producers: Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Todd, Cast: Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Celia Imrie, Ben Kingsley, and Daniel Mays! Wowza. 

FYI: This is a 2 hour movie, not a series.

Storyline: Four retirees spend their time solving cold case murders for fun, but their casual sleuthing takes a thrilling turn when they find themselves with a real whodunit on their hands.

Why not read The Thursday Murder Club before the premiere? You can also continue reading the series. 

And here's an article Richard Osman wrote for Mystery Readers Journal, Senior Sleuths (2020). 

 

MALTESE FALCON AWARD (Japan) 2025

S.A. Cosby was awarded the Falcon for best crime novel for All The Sinners Bleed by The Maltese Falcon Society of Japan. Congratulations, Shawn!

And, The Rap Sheet tells us that Netflix is adapting All the Sinners Bleed into a 9-episode TV series. Filming begins in November for a 2027 debut. 

Photo: S. A. Cosby with the award which is a hand carved falcon. (Photo from S. A. Cosby Facebook page)

Cartoon of the Day: Detective TV Series

 

Summer Camp Mysteries //Summer Camp Crime Fiction

I was not a big summer camp fan. I hated bugs and outdoorsy stuff -- the woods, the camp fire, the ghost stories, the mean girls. 

When I was young, my Dad would spend his 'summer vacation' as a camp doctor, thus affording my sister and me the 'pleasure' of 2-4 weeks at overnight summer camp. My sister loved it; I hated it. But when I was 13, I went to the best summer camp ever (my father was not camp doctor): The New Hope Academy of the Performing Arts at Ramblerny. Oh my. Great fun with like minds and talented peers. This was not a common overnight camp at the time. Ramblerny was an Arts Camp, a summer camp for the performing arts -- no counselors, little or no supervision, no sports, no bells, or taps. Rather, there were drama workshops, music classes, dance practices, play-writing. Case in Point: The large cracked swimming pool later became an amphitheater!  To be fair, there was archery and swimming and other sports avail, but nothing you 'had' to do. 

Ramblerny summer camp was a world to itself, as, most summer camps seem to be, but this one opened a new world for me. I cherished the amount of freedom, but I also learned a lot about various arts: Drama: I will never forget the well-known actors who came down from NYC to teach and encourage us 'misfits' ("Breathe through your diaphragm"), Art: famous artists who worked with us on various projects such as set design, as if we were peers; world famous playwrights who critiqued our work (gently). Wowza. And to date myself, this was a very long time ago, and way before the hippie era.

As I was writing this memory, I thought I should do some fact checking. Memory, as we all know, can be faulty. Thanks, Internet, for copies of the Ramblerny brochure. I wasn't too wrong..I didn't, though, remember ANY sports element. (I did find a further mention that teens could choose their own sports, if they wanted, at any time, with equipment found around the property! Yes! Be sure and check out the Policy statement re: rules. And, who knew that so much later in my life, after a multitude of careers and years of academic study, I would come full circle and establish a theatre company and write and produce plays? Back to my roots, as a 13 year old girl at Ramblerny!

But back to crime fiction. Since I had had a taste of the traditional summer camp, the kind that most of my friends attended for the entire summer (usually for 2 months!!!), I understand why summer camp would be the perfect place to set a mystery. I do realize I missed out on life-long friends who built memories as they reunited every summer. Traditional summer camp had its merits, but not for me at that time. Remember, there were no computer camps (there were no computers!), no French camps (that I knew of), no Writing camps, no CSI or Science Summer Camps. 

So in regards to mystery fiction, there are so many ways to commit crimes at summer camp, and some to those crimes never got reported and festered for years leading way to the unsolved crimes later in life. Summer camp was clearly not all S'mores and the Lake. I've separated out the YA and children's crime fiction from the adult summer camp mysteries on my Summer Camp List, but there really is a cross-over between YA and adult.

So while you're packing the kids up for camp, throw a few of these books into their trunk! They'll thank you for it. Or better still, ask them to write a mystery about their camp experience for you in their spare camp time!

As always, send me any missing titles/authors. Thanks!

Summer Camp Mysteries: Updated List

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kaylynn Bayron

The Camp by Nancy Bush

Summer Camp Culprit by C.K. Fyfe

The Counselors by Jessica Goodman
You Will Pay by Lisa Jackson

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka

Camp So-and-So by Mary McCoy

The Wild One by Colleen McKeegan
I'll Never Tell by Catherine McKenzie

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

The Lake by Natasha Preston

The Girl in the Mist by A.J. Rivers

Don't Lie to Me by Willow Rose

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

Summer Camp for Slasher Victims by Steve Simms

YA & Children's Books:

The Summer Camp Mysteries (Cam Jansen Mysteries) by David A. Adler

The Meadow-Brook Girls Under Canvas by Janet Aldridge

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

The Summer Camp Science Mysteries by Lynda Beauregard, Der-shing Helmer

Code Name Cassandra by Jenny Carroll (Meg Cabot)

The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan

Mystery at Camp Windingo by Lisa Eisenberg

The High School Boys in Summer Camp by H. Irving Hancock

The Girls from Hush Cabin by Marie Hoy-Kenny

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

Dig Two Graves by Gretchen McNeil

Detective Camp by Ron Roy (Scholastic)

Primal Animals by Julia Lynn Rubin

Lights Out; The Horror at Camp Jellyjam by R.L. Stine

The Summer Camp Mystery (The Boxcar Children) by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Scatter: Her Summer at Girls Camp by Leslie Warren

Camp Creepy by Kiersten White

Short Stories:

"Evil Little Girl" by Barb Goffman in Don't Get Mad, Get Even 

Cartoon of the Day: Bookstore

 

CHRISTMAS IN JULY: Mysteries set during the Holidays

If you read this blog, you know I post lists of crime fiction with all the holiday settings from New Year's Day through New Year's Eve (Halloween, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Presidents Day, and all the rest). Christmas, of course, has the most mysteries, so I divide this list into 5-6 posts. Well, clearly it's not Christmas time, but I thought I'd give you a running start by posting a Christmas in July list with links to last year's lists. I'll have updates in December, but if you know of any titles missing, let me know, and I can update now. Enjoy! Maybe reading a Christmas mystery will help you beat the heat!

Christmas Mysteries: Authors A-E

Christmas Mysteries: Authors F-L

Christmas Mysteries: Authors M-Z

Christmas Mysteries: Short Story Anthologies and Novellas

Boxing Mysteries: Boxing Day Crime Fiction

Winter Solstice Mysteries

Cartoon of the Day: Pet Psychiatrist

 

CODE OF SILENCE: New British crime series

Code of Silence is a British crime drama, now available on BritBox in the U.S. The series stars Rose Ayling-Ellis as Alison, a deaf police cafeteria worker, called upon by the police department to lip-read conversations of criminals. Deafness is definitely handled in a new way for tv, and Ayling-Ellis does a terrific job. 

My one objection in the storyline is that Alison is told not to do 'detective' work, but big surprise, she gets involved with one of the suspects of a big case. She's young and inexperienced. In the first episode that I watched, there were several  (too many?) mystery tropes, but the acting was quite good, and the overall premise is excellent. As someone who can lip-read, I really liked the way lip-reading was handled. It was almost a map of how to lip-read, and it got me thinking about how lip-reading is more than just reading lips. Alison, the main character, talks about other important things like looks and demeanor, and, for her, knowing something about the speakers (the suspects). It's all about context. In an interview Ayling-Ellis said lip reading is 'like a puzzle." She was born deaf and speaks and uses British Sign-Language. 

According to ITV where Code of Silence debuted in May, the debut episode brought six million viewers. Code of Silence has already been renewed for a second season.

Read the NYT review here. 

Cartoon of the Day: Baseball

Call for Articles: Mystery Readers Journal: Northern California Mysteries (41:3)

Call for Articles: Mystery Readers Journal: Northern California Mysteries! (41:3); Fall 2025

For our next issue, we are looking for crime fiction set in Northern California.

If you have a mystery that fits this theme, please consider writing an Author! Author! essay: 500–1500 words, first person, up-close and personal about yourself, your books, and the theme connection. 

We’re also looking for reviews and articles. 

Send submissions to janet @ mysteryreaders.org 

Deadline: September 1, 2025. 

Author Essays are first person, about yourself, your books, and the "NorCal" connection. 500-1000 words. Treat this as if you're chatting with friends and other writers in the bar or cafe (or on zoom) about your work and the "Northern California" setting in your mysteries. Be sure and cite specific titles, as well as how you use Northern California in your books. Add title and 2-3 sentence bio. 

Reviews: 50-250 words. 

Articles: 500-1000 words. 

Deadline: September 1, 2025  

Send to: Janet Rudolph, Editor. janet @ mysteryreaders . org  

Please let me know if you're planning to send an article, review, or author essay--or if you have any questions! 

Subscribe to Mystery Readers Journal. 

Themes in 2025: London Mysteries 2; Retail Mysteries; Northern California Mysteries; Cross-Genre Mysteries. 

Back issues available as PDF download 

Southern California: Mystery Readers Journal

Senior Sleuths: Mystery Readers Journal

Irish Mysteries: Mystery Readers Journal

Hobbies & Crafts in Mysteries: Mystery Readers Journal

And so many more... We are now in our 41st year. 4 themed issues a year! 

Have a look at our index of fabulous issues with articles, reviews, and essays from your favorite authors and reviewers. 

***

Love Mysteries? Love San Francisco? Left Coast Crime will be held in "Everybody's Favorite City" February 26-March 1, 2026.   Register Now! 

Cartoon of the Day: Vacation Books

 

Peter Lovesey Insider Writing Secrets: Guest Post by Andrew McAleer

While writing the 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists: Insider Secrets from Top Writers (Simon & Schuster), I had the honor of corresponding with some of the best mystery writers in the business – Diamond Dagger winner and Grand Master Peter Lovesey among them. 

Lovesey’s inimitable characters include Sergeant Cribb and Detective Peter Diamond. He is regarded as the, “[M]odern master of the historical mystery story.” (Encyclopedia Mysteriosa). I sweated out my oversees request to Lovesey asking for even a couple of writing tips or habits he might offer to emerging authors. I couldn’t have asked for a more thoughtful reply. Rather than supplying a couple of writing tips, Lovesey generously contributed tips for nine chapters. 

Below are a handful of his superb tips – all certain to inspire your next great mystery story. 

 

* * *

1. Being Creative and Original
 
PETER LOVESEY - Beware of the cliché. By this I mean not only the cliché phrase (“It’s an old trick, major, but it just might work.”), but the cliché plot (the murderer turns out to be the narrator) and the cliché style. Don’t try to be the second Raymond Chandler or J.K. Rowling. By all means learn from successful writers, but be yourself, and say it freshly.
 
2. Having Precise Goals, Not Just Wishes
 
PETER LOVESEY - Make your writing a regular duty. Remember that one page a day—say 300 words—each day for a year gives you a 109,500-word novel.
 
3. Being Open to Experiences 
 
PETER LOVESEY - Give your writing an authentic feel by using your own experience. Of course you don’t have to commit a murder to write about one, but you can give it a strong sense of place by choosing a setting you know. Dorothy L. Sayers worked in advertising and wrote Murder Must Advertise. Agatha Christie trained as a pharmacist and used her knowledge of poison in her books. P.D. James worked in the police department at the Home Office. Colin Dexter, the creator of Inspector Morse, is a champion crossword solver and a lover of real ale and Wagner. 
 
4. Getting the Basics Down
 
PETER LOVESEY - Don’t be afraid of breaking the rules of English you learned at school. Perfectly correct English can be a bore. So put the occasional sentence without a verb. Don’t worry if the sentence ends with a preposition. And start some sentences with And.
 
5. Plotting
 
PETER LOVESEY - This is a personal tip and may be controversial, but it saves me time and rewriting. Plot before you write. Make sure you have a satisfying story in outline form before you start chapter one. Using this method, I don’t put the book through a series of drafts. Each day’s output will appear on the printed page. I know plenty of writers who like the challenge of not knowing where they are heading, but this way works for me. 
 

* * *

Peter Lovesey passed away on April 10, 2025; he was 88. As Diamond Dagger winner Martin Edwards noted, “Lovesey…was often described as ‘prolific’. Although this was true, in his case the term never became a euphemism for ‘formulaic’ or ‘predictable.’ Lovesey possessed the gift of entertaining readers while setting a diverse range of stories at different times in the past as well as in the present.” (The Guardian)
            Or, as Peter Lovesey might have said, “I avoid the cliché.” 

***

Andrew McAleer is the author of the best-selling detective Henry von Stray classic British mystery series. The von Stray collection, A Casebook of Crime: Thrilling Adventures of Suspense from the Golden Age of Mystery was released in March 2025 (Level Best Books). Introduction by Edgar winner Art Tayor. Volume Two of A Casebook of Crime is scheduled for release in March 2026. Introduction by Derringer winner Stacy Woodson      
             

McIlvanney Prize Scottish Crime Novel of the Year Longlist

2025 McIlvanney Prize Scottish Crime Novel of the Year Longlist

• Whispers of the Dead, by Lin Anderson (Macmillan)
• The Midnight King, by Tariq Ashkanani (Viper)
• The Dying Light, by Daniel Aubrey (HarperNorth)
• Carnival of Lies, by D.V. Bishop (Macmillan)
• Unsound, by Heather Critchlow (Canelo)
• The Moon’s More Feeble Fire, by Allan Gaw (Polygon)
• The Good Father, by Liam McIlvanney (Bonnier)
• Paperboy, by Callum McSorley (Pushkin Press)
• The Good Liar, by Denise Mina (Vintage)
• Gunner, by Alan Parks (John Murray)
• Death of Shame, by Ambrose Parry (Canongate)
• Midnight and Blue, by Ian Rankin (Orion)
• A Thief’s Blood, by Douglas Skelton (Canelo)

The McIlvanney Prize, named in honor of author William McIlvanney, will be presented on Friday, September 12, during Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival. 

HT: The Rap Sheet

THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME AWARDS 2025

2025 AWARD WINNERS:

• WINNER of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2025: Hunted by Abir Mukherjee (Vintage; Harvill Secker)
• WINNER of the McDermid Debut Award: A Reluctant Spy by David Goodman (Headline)
• Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award: Elly Griffiths (Quercus)

 ***

Hunted by Abir Mukherjee is the winner of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2025, presented by Harrogate International Festivals at a special ceremony on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.

Abir Mukerjee receives a £3,000 prize, as well as an engraved beer cask handcrafted by one of Britain’s last coopers from Theakston’s Brewery.

The McDermid Debut Award, named in recognition of world-famous crime writer Val McDermid, was won by David Goodman for A Reluctant Spy, it was also announced.

David Goodman receives a £500 cash prize. The award was presented by Chair of Judges, Val McDermid, and Simon Theakston, Chairman of T&R Theakston.

Bestselling novelist Elly Griffiths received the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of her remarkable crime fiction writing career and “unwavering commitment to the genre.”

Elly Griffiths is the author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries; the Brighton Mysteries, the Detective Harbinder Kaur series and an exhilarating new series featuring time-travelling detective Ali Dawson. 

NGAIO MARSH AWARD BEST NOVEL LONGLIST

2025 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel Longlist: New Zealand

The longlist for this year’s Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel 

· RETURN TO BLOOD by Michael Bennett (Simon & Schuster)

· THE HITCHHIKER by Gabriel Bergmoser (HarperCollins)

· A DIVINE FURY by DV Bishop (Macmillan)

· LEAVE THE GIRLS BEHIND by Jacqueline Bublitz (Allen & Unwin)

· WOMAN, MISSING by Sherryl Clark (HQ Fiction)

· HELL’S BELLS by Jill Johnson (Black & White)

· THE MIRES by Tina Makereti (Ultimo Press)

· A FLY UNDER THE RADAR by William McCartney

· HOME TRUTHS by Charity Norman (Allen & Unwin)

· 17 YEARS LATER by JP Pomare (Hachette)

· OKIWI BROWN by Cristina Sanders (The Cuba Press)

· A HOUSE BUILT ON SAND by Tina Shaw (Text Publishing)

· THE CALL by Gavin Strawhan (Allen & Unwin)

· PREY by Vanda Symon (Orenda Books)

· THE BOOKSHOP DETECTIVES: DEAD GIRL GONE by Gareth & Louise Ward (Penguin)

The finalists for Best Novel, Best First Novel, and Best Non-Fiction will be announced in mid-August, with the finalists celebrated and the 2025 Ngaio Marsh Award winners announced as part of a special event in conjunction with WORD Christchurch and the Court Theatre on Thursday, 25 September.

For more information this year’s Best Novel longlist, or the Ngaio Marsh Awards in general, please contact ngaiomarshaward@gmail.com 

Agents of Change:The Women Who Transformed the CIA: Video of the Commonwealth Discussion

Agents of Change:The Women Who Transformed the CIA: Video of the Discussion is now available. Scroll down to watch.

Scroll down to watch the video of last week's discussion with Christina Hillsberg and Terry Shames at the Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California. 

Christina Hillsberg is the author of Agents of Change: The Women Who Transformed the CIA. 

Hillsberg is a former intelligence operative who has written a narrative exploration of the agency’s history, told through exclusive interviews with current and former female CIA officers, many of whom have never spoken publicly until now. The book fills a necessary gap in the agency’s history and takes a critical view of the agency’s indisputable record of suppressing the women who would become its most valued trailblazers—and its most vocal troublemakers. These were women who sacrificed their personal lives, risked their safety, defied expectations, and boldly navigated the male-dominated spy organization, routinely passed over for promotions, recruiting assets, and managing clandestine operations. 

Terry Shames, who worked at the CIA, is the award winning mystery writer of the Samuel Craddock mysteries. Terry provided additional energy and knowledge of both the CIA and writing. Her latest series features FBI dive instructor Jessie Madison. 

 

Cartoon of the Day: Showdown

 

RETAIL MURDER: Mystery Readers Journal (41:2): Summer 2025

Retail Murders is a versatile theme, as you’ll see by the variety of articles, reviews, and author essays in this issue. Retail Murders includes mysteries that feature coffee shops, bookstores, garden shops, and many other kinds of stores. We also have articles that focus on contractors, consultants, and others who sell their services. It seems likea lot of small business owners and customers are amateur sleuths. Enjoy! 

Upcoming themes. Plans for the remainder of this year include Northern California Mysteries and Cross-Genre Mysteries. We're still looking for articles, reviews, and author essays. If you'd like to contribute to either of these issues, send a note to: janet @ mysteryreaders . org

Mystery Readers Journal: Retail Murder: Volume 41, No. 2, Summer 2025

Buy this back issue! Available in hardcopy or as a downloadable PDF.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARTICLES

• Apprehending the Snatchers and Sneak-Thieves by Ashley Bowden
• Retail Means Shoplifting by Rona Bell
• Death in Department Stores by Aubrey Nye Hamilton

AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

• My Dead-End Retail Jobs by Elaine Viets
• Murder with Flowers by Rebecca Tope
• How Working Retail Enriched My Writing Life by Terri Thayer
• Experience as Inspiration by Karen Rose Smith
• Retail as a Character: How “The Treasure Chest” Shapes My Mystery Series by Joanna Campbell Slan
• My Contractor/Consultant Character by Dale T. Phillips
• Man’s Best Friend by Paul R. Paradise
• Hidden Rooms and Secret Passageways: Selling a Sense of Childhood Wonder by Gigi Pandian
• How a Real-Life Retail Shop Turned My Books with a Fictional Retail Shop into Best Sellers by J. Michael Orenduff
• Welcome to Suite and Savory—Can We Help You? by Donalee Moulton
• Von Stray and Mrs. Omloop’s Orderly Shop by Andrew McAleer
• Peter Fallon Sells History by William Martin
• The Shopping Center Cats by Sharon Marchisello
• A Shell of a Lot of Fun by Molly MacRae
• My Mysterious Connection to Retail by T. C. LoTempio
• Working Retail Can Be Murder by Dorothy Howell
• How a Camera Shop Led to Deadly Negatives by Russell Hill
• Learning the Spa Business with Aroma Wellness Mysteries by Daryl Wood Gerber
• Behind the Vintage Candy Series by Kaye George
• Small-Town Crime: Writing from Real Life by Trish Esden
• Finding Comfort in Bookstores and Cafés by Alex Erickson
• “Two-Eleven Just Prior” by Jim Doherty
• Serving Up the Urban Cozy by Cleo Coyle
• Come for the Mystery, Stay for the Shopping by Michael Cooper
• Flowers and Murder? by Kate Collins
• Donut Shop Drudgery by Nancy Coco
• Death of a Salesman by Lynn Cahoon
• Welcome to Deputy Donut by Ginger Bolton
• Taking a Bite Out of Crime—One Sale at a Time by Leslie Budewitz
• Murder, Mocha, and the Penny University by Ellis Blackwood
• A Cozy Shop in Omnipodge by Mike Befeler
• Selling in a Mystery by Anne Louise Bannon
• Shop Till You Drop … Dead by Tessa Aura

COLUMNS

• Mystery in Retrospect: Reviews, by Lucinda Surber and Lesa Holstine
• Children’s Hour: Retail Sales Mysteries by Gay Toltl Kinman
• Crime Seen: The Retail Murder Hallmark by Kate Derie
• From the Editor’s Desk by Janet A. Rudolph

***

Subscribe now in order to be sure to receive all 4 issues for 2025: Themes: London II; Retail Sales; Northern California; Cross-Genre Mysteries. 

If you're a PDF subscriber, you should have received download instructions. Print copy subscription copies should be received this week. International subscribers will receive their issues within two weeks. 

PDF Contributor PDF copies will go out in the next few days. 

Contributors: Thanks so much for your great articles, essays, and reviews!