Saturday, October 25, 2025
Friday, October 24, 2025
LEFT COAST CRIME 2027: THE BIG CHILE!
Breaking News!
Left Coast Crime 2027 Location Chosen
The Big Chile Returns, the 37th Left Coast Crime convention, will be held April 1–4, 2027, at the Eldorado Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Santa Fe, New Mexico was recently selected as the #1 city in the U.S. in Travel + Leisure's 2025 World’s Best Awards and placed #2 in Condé Nast Traveler's 2025 Best Small Cities in the U.S.
More information and registration coming later this fall on The Big Chile Returns website.
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And, don't forget to register for Left Coast Crime 2026: San Francisco Schemin'
https://leftcoastcrime.org/2026/
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Petrona Award 2025: Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year
THE CLUES IN THE FJORD by Satu Rämö translated from the Finnish by Kristian London and published by Zaffre.
Satu Rämö will receive a trophy, and both the author and translator will receive a cash prize.
The judges’ statement on THE CLUES IN THE FJORD:
THE CLUES IN THE FJORD is a sophisticated and atmospheric police procedural with a pleasingly unpredictable dark and twisty plot, set against the backdrop of the raw and untamed beauty of rural Iceland.
Providing the local detective with a Finnish side-kick allows the author to contrast Icelandic and Finnish traits, adding authenticity to an original story. The intriguing back-stories of both characters leave the reader anticipating the next instalments.
In the ever increasing Icelandic crime fiction scene, Satu Rämö has carved out a unique position between traditional mysteries and the darker end of crime fiction.
Statements from the winning author and translator:
Satu Rämö:
I am deeply honoured to receive this award, and I want to thank the jury and the organizers of the Petrona Award. I also want to acknowledge the incredible writers nominated alongside me. To be included among such talented writers is a reward in itself. Your words have inspired me a lot!
This award reminds me of a conversation I had with a reader, a ninety-five-year-old woman, who shared how the book, the first part in the Hildur crime book series, THE CLUES IN THE FJORD, made her feel. She told me that she knows she is getting very old but after reading this book, she hoped she would live long enough to read the sequel, to know what happened to the two little girls who got lost on their way from school. When the sequel came out, I sent it to her and called her after a few weeks. She was still as happy and joyful as last time, waiting for the next book in the series to come out...
It is the readers who keep stories alive. Thank you for reading. I want to thank you also, my British publisher Zaffre and my translator Kristian London. Great teamwork! Thank you jury from the bottom of my heart, this award means so much to me.
Kristian London:
When I first took on translating Satu Rämö’s THE CLUES IN THE FJORD, the book’s incredible success in Finland suggested it had a high chance of connecting with audiences abroad as well. I’m gratified to see this is the case. It has been a privilege to act as an intermediary between Rämö’s imagination and those of her English-speaking readers as they enter Hildur’s world of human quirks and foibles, familial traumas and inheritances. For me, the work’s slow power springs from its true protagonist: that isolated land in the North Atlantic that serves as the setting, and the terrain and culture and people we’re introduced to through an outsider’s keen eyes. Many thanks to the Petrona Award jury for this honor.
***
Pascal Engman - THE WIDOWS translated by Neil Smith (Sweden, Legend Press)
Malin Persson Giolito - DELIVER ME translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles (Sweden, Simon & Schuster)
Óskar Guðmundsson - THE DANCER translated by Quentin Bates (Iceland, Corylus Books)
Aslak Nore - THE SEA CEMETERY translated by Deborah Dawkin (Norway, MacLehose Press)
Satu Rämö - THE CLUES IN THE FJORD translated by Kristian London (Finland, Zaffre)
Gunnar Staalesen - PURSUED BY DEATH translated by Don Bartlett (Norway, Orenda Books)
***
Further information can be found on the Petrona Award website: http://www.petronaaward.co.uk.Wednesday, October 22, 2025
HALLOWEEN NON-FICTION
Halloween Non-Fiction
Halloween Merrymaking: An Illustrated Celebration Of Fun, Food, And Frolics From Halloweens Past by Diane C. Arkins
Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History; Halloween Nation: Behind the Scene's of America's Fright Night by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne
Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts: The Story of the Halloween Symbols by Edna Barth, Illustrated by Ursula Arndt
Halloween Merrymaking: An Illustrated Celebration Of Fun, Food, And Frolics From Halloweens Past by Diane C. Arkins
Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History; Halloween Nation: Behind the Scene's of America's Fright Night by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne
Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts: The Story of the Halloween Symbols by Edna Barth, Illustrated by Ursula Arndt
Sundays with Vlad: From Pennsylvania to Transylvania, One Man’s Quest to Live in the World of the Undead by Paul Bibeau
October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween edited by Richard Chizmar and Robert Moorish
The Pagan Book of Halloween by Gerina Dunwich
Frankenstein: A Cultural History by Susan Tyler Hitchcock
The Book of Halloween by Ruth E. Kelley
October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween edited by Richard Chizmar and Robert Moorish
The Pagan Book of Halloween by Gerina Dunwich
Frankenstein: A Cultural History by Susan Tyler Hitchcock
The Book of Halloween by Ruth E. Kelley
The True History of Halloween by Kurt LeRoy
The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween: Celebrating the Dark Half of the Year by Jean Markale
The Halloween Handbook by Ed Morrow
The Halloween Encyclopedia; Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween by Lisa Morton
The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula by Eric Nuzum
Halloween: Customs, Recipes & Spells by Silver RavenWolf
Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night by Nicholas Rogers
Death Makes a Holiday by David J. Skal
The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween: Celebrating the Dark Half of the Year by Jean Markale
The Halloween Handbook by Ed Morrow
The Halloween Encyclopedia; Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween by Lisa Morton
The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula by Eric Nuzum
Halloween: Customs, Recipes & Spells by Silver RavenWolf
Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night by Nicholas Rogers
Death Makes a Holiday by David J. Skal
The Better Days Books Vintage Halloween Reader by Various Authors.
And don't forget to check out my Halloween Mystery List!
And don't forget to check out my Halloween Mystery List!
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
BLOODY COCKTAILS & DEADLY WINES: Halloween!
DEADLY WINES
Chateau Du Vampire Wines Bordeaux Style Cabernet Blend (Vampire Vineyards – Paso Robles, California): blend of cabernet sauvignon (60%) with cabernet franc (30%), and 10% malbec to finish it off.
Vampire Cabernet Sauvignon (Vampire vineyards – Paso Robles, California): Vampire Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from several small-berry clones of this traditional Bordeaux varietal, grown in the Paso Robles region of California’s Central Coast.
Dracula Wines: Zinfandel and Syrah (originally the grapes for this wine were grown on the Transylvanian plateau, now they're made from California grapes).
Trueblood Napa Valley Syrah: This wine will "bruise your soul" with its palate crushing cherry, plum smoke and spice.
Ghost Block: 100% cabernet from Rock Cairn Vineyard in Oakville, next to Yountville's Pioneer Cemetery.
Twisted Oak 2011 River of Skulls in Calaveras County. Limited production vineyard mouvedre (red wine grape). Label has a bright red skull. English translation of calaveras is "skulls."
Ghostly White Chardonnay and Bone Dry Red Cabernet Sauvignon. Elk Creek Vineyards in KentuckyPoizin from Armida Winery in Healdsburg is a 'wine to die for..". This Zinfandel sold in little wooden coffins
Big Red Monster Red wine made from Syrah, Zinfandel and Petite Syrah.
Spellbound 2012 Merlot. Full Moon on the label.
Ravenswood 2013 Besieged Red Blend. Ravens on the label.
Michael David 2012 Freakshow Cab.
Other Wines, Beers and Ales: Witches Brew, Evil (upside down and backwards label), Sinister Hand, Toad Hollow Eye of the Toad, Zeller Schwarz Katz.
Want to give the personal touch to your Halloween wines? Add ghoulish labels or rebottle in cool jars with apothecary labels from Pottery Barn (or make them yourself). For a great article, go to Spooky Halloween Bottle & Glass Labels.
BLOODY COCKTAILS
And what about an awesome cocktail? Make Nick and Nora proud! They always loved a good party. Throw in some rubber spiders or eyeballs as garnish. Want to make your own Halloween Cocktail Garnish--some eyeballs and fingers? Click HERE.
Blood Bath1 Part Tequila Silver
1 Part Strawberry Liqueur
Shake with ice, and strain into shot glass.
Blood Test
1 Part Tequila Reposado
1 Part Grenadine
Shake with ice and strain into shot glass
Blood Shot
1 part Iceberg Vodka
1 part peach schnapps
1 part Jagermeister
1 part cranberry juice
Chill all ingredients. Combine in shaker with ice. Strain into shot glass. shoot!
Bloody-Tini
2 oz VeeV Acai Spirit
1 oz acai juice
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
Top with fresh champagne
lime wedge for garnish
Combine VeeV, Acai juice and fresh lime with fresh ice in a cocktail shaker and shake.
Strain into chilled martini glass and top with champagne.
Serve with fresh lime wedge.
Blood and Sand
3/4 ounce Scotch
3/4 ounce cherry liqueur
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
3/4 ounce orange juice
1 thin strip orange zest
In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the liquids. Strain into martini glass, then garnish with the strip of zest. (recipe from Bank Cafe & Bar in Napa)
Corpse Reviver
1 ounce gin
1 ounce Lillet (blanc)
1 ounce triple sec
Juice of half a lemon
5 drops of absinthe
1 thin slice orange
In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the liquids. Strain into martini glass, then garnish with the orange slice.
(Recipe from Epic Roasthouse in San Francisco)
Vampire Blood Punch
4 cups cranberry raspberry juice (or cranberry juice cocktail)
2 cups natural pineapple juice (100% juice)
2 cups raspberry-flavored seltzer water
wormy ice cubes (optional)
Mix all ingredients together, and pour into large, decorative punch bowl.
Serve punch with wormy ice cubes, if desired
Corzo Bite
1-1/2 parts Corzo Silver Tequila
1/2 parts Campari
1 part fresh blood orange juice
1/4 parts blood (aka home-made grenadine) **
2 parts Jarritos Tamarindo Soda
Build all ingredients into highball glass filled with ice. Add “blood” at the end.
Garnish: Blood orange wheel and strawberry syrup
** Home-made grenadine: Add equal parts white sugar and POM pomegranate juice together and dissolve sugar over high on stove-top
Midori Eye-Tini (from Rob Husted of Florida)
1-1⁄4 parts Midori Melon liqueur
3⁄4 parts SKYY Infusions Citrus
1⁄2 part Finest Call Agave Syrup
2 parts of Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale
2 parts Finest Call Sweet & Sour Mix
3 Orange Wedges
2 Fresh Ripped Basil Leaves
Strawberry Sundae Syrup
In shaker glass combine Midori Melon liqueur, SKYY infusions Citrus, Finest Call Agave Syrup, 3 Orange Wedges and 2 Fresh Ripped Basil Leaves.
Muddle ingredients together. Add ice and Finest Call Sweet & Sour Mix.
Shake for 10 seconds.
Add Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale and roll drink back and forth between your mixing tin and shaker glass.
Strain into a chilled martini glass drizzled with Strawberry Sundae Syrup to give an effect of a bloodshot eye.
Garnish: Chilled red seedless grape at bottom of glass (to look like an eyeball) and bruised basil leaf floated on top of cocktail for aroma.
Black Martini
The Black Martini replaces vermouth with either blackberry brandy or black raspberry liqueur.
3 1/2 oz gin or vodka1/2 oz blackberry brandy or black raspberry liqueur
lemon twist or black olive for garnish or gold flakes
Pour the ingredients into cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake vigorously.
Strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist or black olive or sprinkle in gold flakes.
Monday, October 20, 2025
HALLOWEEN CRIME FICTION
HALLOWEEN CRIME FICTION
Behind Chocolate Bars by Kathie Aarons
The Root of All Evil by Ellery Adams
The Pumpkin Killer by Stacey Alabaster
Green Water Ghost by Glynn Marsh Alam
Witches Bane by Susan Wittig Albert
Antiques Maul by Barbara Allan
The Pint of No Return; Catch Me You Candy by Ellie Alexander
In Charm's Way by Madelyn Alt
Lord of the Wings by Donna Andrews
Strange Brew by Mary Kay Andrews
A Roux of Revenge by Connie Archer
Double Jinx by Gretchen Archer
Killing Time by Amy Beth Arkaway
Far to Go by May Louise Aswell
Ghouls Just Want to Have Fun, Calamity Jayne and the Haunted Homecoming by Kathleen Bacus
A Haunting Homicide: Halloween Cozy by Kathy Bacus and Sally J. Smith
Closely Harbored Secrets by Bree Baker
Trick or Treachery: A Murder She Wrote Mystery by Donald Bain and Jessica Fletcher
The Ghost and Mrs Fletcher by Donald Bain, Renee Paley-Bain, & "Jessica Fletcher"
Punked by the Pumpkin by Constance Barker
Last Licks by Cynthia Baxter
Scary Sweets by Jessica Beck
In the Spirit of Murder by Laura Belgrave
The Long Good Boy by Carol Lea Benjamin
Spackled and Spooked by Jennie Bentley
Watchdog; Howloween Murder by Laurien Berenson
The Ginseng Conspiracy by Susan Bernhardt
The Halloween Pumpkin Spell by Morgana Best
A Haunting is Brewing by Juliet Blackwell
Dial Meow for Murder by Bethany Blake
Ghost of a Potion by Heather Blake (aka Heather Webber)
The Scent of Murder by Barbara Block
Under an English Heaven by Alice K. Boatwright
Witches of Floxglove Corners by Dorothy Bodoin
Death of a Wolfman by Susan Boles
Night of the Living Thread by Janet Bolin
Boston Scream Murder by Ginger Bolton
Death of a Trickster by Kate Borden
Bobbin for Answers by Melissa Bourbon
Boston Scream Murder by Ginger Bolton
Death of a Trickster by Kate Borden
Bobbin for Answers by Melissa Bourbon
Post-Mortem Effects by Thomas Boyle
A Graveyard for Lunatics; The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
Rebel without a Cake by Jacklyn Brady
The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts by Lilian Jackson Braun
A Graveyard for Lunatics; The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
Rebel without a Cake by Jacklyn Brady
The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts by Lilian Jackson Braun
15 Minutes of Flame by Christin Brecher
Death Overdue by Allison Brook
The Hunt Ball; The Litter of the Law by Rita Mae Brown
Death on All Hallowe'en by Leo Bruce
Dessert is the Bomb by Catherine Bruns
Scrapbook of the Dead by Mollie Cox Bryan
The Big Chili by Julia Buckley
Killer Takeout by Lucy Burdette
Halloween by Leslie Burgess
Wycliffe and the Scapegoat by W.J. Burley
Death Goes Shopping by Jessica Burton
Murder on All Hallows by Beth Byers
Murder in the Bayou Boneyard, French Quarter Fright Night by Ellen Byron
A Deadly Brew by Lynn Cahoon
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing by Ann Campbell
The Wizard of La-La Land by R. Wright Campbell
The Charm Stone by Lillian Stewart Carl
The Murders at Astaire Castle by Lauren Carr
Dark Loch by Sarah L. Carter
The Halloween Murders by John Newton Chance
Bad Neighbors by Maia Chance
Death with an Ocean View by Nora Charles
Frill Kill, Tragic Magic, Photo Finished, Bedeviled Eggs The Jasmine Moon Murder, Fiber and Brimstone, Bedeviled Eggs, Frill Kill, Gossamer Ghost, Ming Tea Murder by Laura Childs
Death by Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow
Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie
Jam Up and Jelly Tight by Donna Walo Clancy
Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie
Jam Up and Jelly Tight by Donna Walo Clancy
Hazelnuts and Halloween by Leena Clover
Fudge Bites by Nancy Coco
Haunted Hair Nights by Nancy J. Cohen
Poison Buried Punch; Boo Buried Cupcakes by Lyndsey Cole
A Holiday Sampler by Christine E. Collier
Lost Souls by Michael Collins
A Gala Event; Search for the Dead by Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell)
Under the Hill by Sheila Connolly
Witch Hunt: A Full Moon Mystery by Cate Conte
Not in My Backyard by Susan Rogers Cooper
Night of the Living Deed by E.J. Copperman
Crypt Suzette by Maya Corrigan
Night of the Living Deed by E.J. Copperman
Crypt Suzette by Maya Corrigan
The Ghost and Mrs. McClure; Decaffeinated Corpse by Cleo Coyle
Deadly Magic by Elisabeth Crabtree
Trick or Treat by Caroline Crane
Pumpkins are Murder by Kathy Cranson
A Catered Halloween by Isis Crawford
Spooky Business: Spooky Spider by Addison Creek
Newly Crimsoned Reliquary by Donna Fletcher Crow
Haunted House Ghost by James J. Cudney
Silver Scream, Bantam of the Opera, The Alpine Uproar by Mary Daheim
Halloween Hijinks, Pumpkins in Paradise, Haunted Hamlet, Legend of Tabby Hallow, Ghostly Graveyard, Costume Catastrope, Count Catula; Trick or Treason, Deja Diva by Kathi Daley
The Dracula Murders by Philip Daniels
Cake Popped Off by Kim Davis
The Diva Haunts the House, The Ghost and Mrs Mewer; Murder Outside the Lines by Krista Davis
Murder at Cape Costumers by Maddie Day
Fatal Undertaking by Mark de Castrique
The Diva Haunts the House, The Ghost and Mrs Mewer; Murder Outside the Lines by Krista Davis
Murder at Cape Costumers by Maddie Day
Fatal Undertaking by Mark de Castrique
Beggar's Night by Elizabeth Dearborn
And Murder for Dessert by Kathleen Delaney
Swamp Spook by Jana Deleon
No Gravestone Unturned by Debbie De Louise
Swamp Spook by Jana Deleon
No Gravestone Unturned by Debbie De Louise
Murder on Halloween by Steve Demaree
Farmcall Fatality by Abby Deuel
Throw Darts at a Cheesecake by Denise Dietz
Trick or Treat, The Halloween Murder by Doris Miles Disney
A Map of the Dark by John Dixon
Ghostly Murders by P. C. Doherty
Died to Match by Deborah Donnelly
Cat with an Emerald Eye by Carole Nelson Douglas
Cupcakes, Bats, and Scare-dy Cats by Pamela DuMond
Not Exactly a Brahmin by Susan Dunlap
Vampires, Bones and Treacle Scones by Kaitlyn Dunnett
A Ghost to Die For by Elizabeth Eagan-Cox
Be Careful What You Witch For; Do No Harm by Dawn Eastman
Mischief, Murder, and Merlot by J.C. Eaton
The Bowl of Night by Rosemary Edghill
The Frozen Shroud by Martin Edwards
Knit of the Living Dead by Peggy Ehrhart
The Frozen Shroud by Martin Edwards
Knit of the Living Dead by Peggy Ehrhart
Ghost Story by K.J. Emrick
Death by Pumpkin Spice by Alex Erickson
Door of Death by John Esteven
The Witchfinder by Loren D. Estleman
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich
Dark Tides by Chris Ewan
Dead Pig in the Sunshine by Penny Burwell Ewing
Dead Ends by Anne C. Fallon
Sympathy For The Devil by Jerrilyn Farmer
Five Dog Voodoo by Lia Farrell
Mulberry Mischief by Sharon Farrow
Dead in the Pumpkin Patch by Connie Feddersen
It's Your Party Die if You Want To by Vickie Fee
Blackwork, Hanging by a Thread, Blackwork by Monica Ferris
The Black Cat Sees his Shadow by Kay Finch
Scary Stuff by Sharon Fiffer
The Lawyer Who Died Trying by Honora Finkelstein
Trick or Treachery by "Jessica Fletcher" and Donald Bain
Halloween by D.M. Flexer
The Fudge Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Halloween Murder, Foul Play at the Fair, Trick or Deceit by Shelley Freydont
A Harvest of Bones by Yasmine Galenorn
The Spook in the Stacks by Eva Gates (aka Vicki Delany)
Broke by Kaye George
Stirring the Plot by Daryl Wood Gerber
Trouble Brewing by Heather Day Gilbert
Trick or Treat by Leslie Glaister
Mommy and the Murder by Nancy Gladstone
Haunted by Jeanne Glidewell
Blood & Broomsticks by Jean G. Goodhind (aka J.G. Goodhind)
A Few Dying Words by Paula Gosling
The Black Heart Crypt; Hell for the Holidays by Chris Grabenstein
Monster in Miniature by Margaret Grace
Deadly Harvest by Heather Graham
Pumpkin Ridge by Pamela Grandstaff
Nail Biter by Sarah Graves
Trick or Treat by Kerry Greenwood
Halloween by Ben Greer
Pumpkin Ridge by Pamela Grandstaff
Nail Biter by Sarah Graves
Trick or Treat by Kerry Greenwood
Halloween by Ben Greer
A Waffle Lot of Murder by Lena Gregory
The Snafued Snatch by Jackie Griffey
Quoth the Raven; Skeleton Key by Jane Haddam
A Crime of Poison by Nancy Haddock
Hallowed Bones; Bone to Be Wild; Clacking Bones by Carolyn Haines
Muffin but Murder by Victoria Hamilton
Black Light by Elizabeth Hand
Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant by Darci Hannah
Delicious Mischief by Marianne Harden
Southern Ghost, Ghost at Work by Carolyn Hart
Sweet Poison by Ellen Hart
Hide in the Dark by Frances Noyes Hart
Revenge of the Cootie Girls by Sparkle Hayter
Town in a Pumpkin Bash by B.B. Haywood
Digging Up the Remains by Julia Henry
A Streetcar Named Murder by T.G. Herren
Digging Up the Remains by Julia Henry
A Streetcar Named Murder by T.G. Herren
Samhain Secrets by Jennifer David Hesse
Dead Pirates of Cawsand by Steve Higgs
Asking for the Moon by Reginald Hill (SS)
The Fallen Man, The Wailing Wind by Tony Hillerman
Death of a Pumpkin Carver; Death by Haunted House; Death of a Wicked Witch by Lee Hollis
Delicious Mischief by Marianne Horden
The Color of Blood by Declan Hughes
A Vintage Death by Mary Ellen Hughes
Halloween Waffle Murder by Carolyn Q Hunter
Murder on the Ghost Walk by Ellen Elizabeth Hunter
From Bad to Wurst by Maddie Hunter
Already Dead by Charlie Huston
Long Time No See by Susan Isaacs
Murder on Old Main Street; Dirty Tricks;Dying Wishes by Judith K. Ivie
The Pumpkin Thief, The Great Pumpkin Caper by Melanie Jackson
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Murder Among Us by Jonnie Jacobs
A Murder Made in Stitches by Pamela James
The Widow's Walk League by Nancy Lynn Jarvis
Designed for Haunting by Sybil Johnson
The Devil's Cat, Cat's Eye, Cat's Cradle, The Devil's Kiss, The Devil's Heart, The Devil's Touch by William W. Johnstone
The Violet Hour by Daniel Judson
Muffins & Murder by Heather Justesen
A Stew to Kill by Jenny Kales
A Charming Voodoo; Decaffeinated Scandal by Tonya Kappes
The Sacrifice by Karin Kaufman
The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice by Donna Kauffman and Kate Angell
Death by Chance by Abigail Keam
A Charming Voodoo; Decaffeinated Scandal by Tonya Kappes
The Sacrifice by Karin Kaufman
The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice by Donna Kauffman and Kate Angell
Death by Chance by Abigail Keam
Day of Atonement by Faye Kellerman
Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry by Harry Kemelman
Wed and Buried, The Skeleton Haunts a House by Toni L.P. Kelner
Verse of the Vampyre by Diana Killian
Pumpkin Roll by Josi S. Kilpack
The Animal Hour by Andrew Klavan
Mischief Nights are Murder by Libby Klein
Paws for Murder by Annie Knox
The Spirit in Question by Cynthia Kuhn
Mean Girl Murder by Leslie Langtry
The Spirit in Question by Cynthia Kuhn
Mean Girl Murder by Leslie Langtry
Murder in the Neighborhood by Janis Lane
Ghastly Glass by Joyce and Jim Lavene
The Stitching Hour by Amanda Lee (aka Gayle Trent)
Death of a Neighborhood Witch by Laura Levine
Death Knocks Twice by James H. Lilley
The Legend of Sleepy Harlow by Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels)
All Saints' Secrets by Nicole Loughan
Picked Off by Linda Lovely
The Clock Strikes Nun by Alice Loweecey
The Body from the Past by Judi Lynn
Picked Off by Linda Lovely
The Clock Strikes Nun by Alice Loweecey
The Body from the Past by Judi Lynn
Smoke Screen by Marianne MacDonald
Pumpkin Pied; Deadly Brew by Karen MacInerney
Poisoned by Elaine Macko
Bear Witness to Murder by Meg Macy
Halloween Flight 77 by Debbie Madison
The Haunted Season by G.M. Malliet
Baby Doll Games by Margaret Maron
A Halloween Hookup by Jennie Marts
Satan's Silence by Alex Matthews
Tricks: an 87th Precinct Mystery by Ed McBain
Poisoned Tarts by G.A. McKevett
Dark Chocolate Demise; The Plot and the Pendulum by Jenn McKinlay
Death on All Hallows by Allen Campbell McLean
A Sparrow Falls Holiday by Donna McLean
Witch of the Palo Duro by Mardi Oakley Medawar
Trick or Treat Murder; Wicked Witch Murder; Candy Corn Murder by Leslie Meier
Dancing Floor, Prince of Darkness by Barbara Michaels
The October Boys by Adam Millard
Monster in Miniature by Camille Minichino
The Violet Hour by Richard Montanari
Bobbing for Bodies by Addison Moore
Death by Jack O'Lantern by Alexis Morgan
Stakes and Spells by Lynn Morrison
Cat Among the Pumpkins by Mandy Morton
A Biscuit, a Casket by Liz Mugavero
Send in the Clowns by Julie Mulhern
Bread of the Dead by Ann Myers
Dead End by Helen R. Myers
Nightmare in Shining Armor by Tamar Myers
Hatchet Job by J.E. Neighbors
Oink by Judith Newton
What Doesn't Kill Here by Carla Norton
Retribution by Patrick J. O'Brien
Halloween Cupcake Murder by Carlene O'Connor
Deadly Places by Terry Odell
Halloween House by Ed Okonowicz
Curried Away by Gail Oust
The Body in the Moonlight by Katherine Hall Page
Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge
The Witch Who Hated Halloween by Katie Penryn
Caught Dead Handed; Grave Errors; Be My Ghost by Carol J. Perry
The Skeleton Haunts a House by Leigh Perry
Flight of a Witch by Ellis Peters
Twilight by Nancy Pickard
Strange Halloween by Horace Poulin
Pumpkin Spice Murder by Summer Prescott
Charmed Again by Rose Pressey
Drawn & Butter by Shari Randall
Murder at Witches Bluff by Silver Ravenwolf
No Parm No Foul by Linda Reilly
Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking by Raquel V. Reyes
Poltergeist by Kat Richardson
Murder at Witches Bluff by Silver Ravenwolf
No Parm No Foul by Linda Reilly
Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking by Raquel V. Reyes
Poltergeist by Kat Richardson
Death Notice by Todd Ritter
Spook Night by David Robbins
A Hole in Juan by Gillian Roberts
Murder in a Nice Neighborhood by Lora Roberts
Magnolias, Moonlight, and Murder by Sara Rosett
Scared Stiff by Annelise Ryan
Death of Halloween by Kim Sauke
Mighty Old Bones by Mary Saums
Murder Ole! by Corinne Holt Sawyer
Tracking Magic by Maria E. Schneider
The Tenor Wore Tapshoes by Mark Schweizer
Trick or Treat or Murder by Kendall Scott
Devil's Day by Kyle M. Scott
A Corpse at the Witching Hour by Debra Sennefelder
Phantoms Can be Murder by Connie Shelton
A Killer Maize by Paige Shelton
Booked for Murder by Morgan W. Silver
Booked for Murder by Maggie W. Silver
Dance of the Scarecrows by Ray Sipherd
The Sterling Inheritance by Michael Siverling
Halloween in Cherry Hills by Paige Sleuth
The Lawyer Who Died Trying by Susan Smily
Recipe for Murder by Janet Elaine Smith
Halloween Season by Lucy A. Snyder
The Sterling Inheritance by Michael Siverling
Halloween in Cherry Hills by Paige Sleuth
The Lawyer Who Died Trying by Susan Smily
Recipe for Murder by Janet Elaine Smith
Halloween Season by Lucy A. Snyder
The Egypt Game by Zilch Neatly Snyder (YA)
Town Haunts by Cathy Spencer
Carbs and Cadavers by J.B. Stanley
Black Cats, Corpses and the Pumpkin Pantry by Rachael Stapleton
In the Blink of an Eye, Halloween Party by Wendy Corsi Staub
Halloween Party by R.L. Stine (YA)
In the Blink of an Eye, Halloween Party by Wendy Corsi Staub
Halloween Party by R.L. Stine (YA)
Tiaras & Terror by Anne Marie Stoddard
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
Ripping Abigail by Barbara Sullivan
Candy Coated Murder by Kathleen Suzette
Murder of a Royal Pain by Denise Swanson
Halloween Parade Peril by Victoria Tait
Mourning Shift by Kathleen Taylor
Halloween Parade Peril by Victoria Tait
Mourning Shift by Kathleen Taylor
The Darkness Deepens by S.D. Thames
Halloween Homicide by Lee Thayer
Inked Up; Inked Up by Terri Thayer
Halloween Homicide by Lee Thayer
Inked Up; Inked Up by Terri Thayer
Sharpe Point by Lisa B. Thomas
Charlie's Web by L.L. Thrasher
Gods of the Nowhere by James Tipper
Death in the Cotswolds by Rebecca Tope
A Room with a Brew by Joyce Tremel
A Dash of Murder by Teresa Trent
Strange Brew by Kathy Hogan Trochek
Bitter Harvest by Wendy Tyson
Masking for Trouble by Diane Vallere
Pineapple Mystery Box; Pineapple Halloween by Amy Vansant
I Will Fear No Evil by Debbie Viguié
Dangling by a Thread by Lea Wait
Haunted Hayride with Murder; In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace
How to Party with a Killer Vampire by Penny Warner
Murder by the Slice, Trick or Deadly Treat by Livia J. Washburn
Five-Minute Halloween Mysteries by Ken Weber
The Scarecrow Murders by Mary V. Welk
Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner
Gourd to Death; Never Say Chai by Kirsten Weiss
The Scarecrow Murders by Mary V. Welk
Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner
Gourd to Death; Never Say Chai by Kirsten Weiss
Killer Mousse by Melinda Wells
Ghoul of My Dreams by Richard F. West
Sweet Fire & Stone by J.A. Whiting
Blood Moon by J.A. Whiting and Nell McCarthy
All Hallow's Eve by Charles Williams
Mayhem, Marriage, and Murderous Mystery Manuscripts by J.L. Wilson
Ghoul of My Dreams by Richard F. West
Sweet Fire & Stone by J.A. Whiting
Blood Moon by J.A. Whiting and Nell McCarthy
All Hallow's Eve by Charles Williams
Mayhem, Marriage, and Murderous Mystery Manuscripts by J.L. Wilson
Mrs Morris and the Witch; Mrs Morris and the Vampire by Traci Wilton
A Stitch to Die For by Lois Winston
Killer See, Killer Do by Jonathan Wolfe
All Hallow's Evil by Valerie Wolzien
Trick or Murder?: Reading Between the Crimes by Debbie Young
Halloween Mystery Short Story Anthologies
Homicidal Holidays: Fourteen Tales of Murder and Merriment, edited by Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman, & Marcia Talley
Deadly Treats: Halloween Tales of Mystery, Magic and Mayhem, Edited by Anne Frasier
Trick and Treats edited by Joe Gores & Bill Pronzini
Asking for the Moon (includes "Pascoe's Ghost" and "Dalziel's Ghost") by Reginald Hill
Murder for Halloween by Cynthia Manson
The Haunted Hour, edited by Cynthia Manson & Constance Scarborough
Murder for Halloween: Tales of Suspense, edited by Michele Slung & Roland Hartman.
Mystery for Halloween (an anthology), edited by Donald Westlake
Halloween Horrors, edited by Alan Ryan
All Hallows' Evil, edited by Sarah E. Glenn
Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays, edited by Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman and Marcia Talley
Halloween Thirteen-a Collection of Mysteriously Macabre Tales, by Bobbi Chukran
Happy Homicides 4: Falling into Crime, edited by Joanna Campbell Slan et al.
A Very Cozy Halloween, Summer Prescott & 7 others
Midnight Mysteries: Nine Cozy Tales, Ritter Ames and others
Murder on Halloween by Steve Demaree
A Very Cozy Halloween, Summer Prescott & 7 others
Midnight Mysteries: Nine Cozy Tales, Ritter Ames and others
Murder on Halloween by Steve Demaree
***
Want some Halloween Chocolate Treats to accompany your reading? Head over to my Chocolate Blog DyingforChocolate.com. And here's a great article about Halloween, Cozies, and Fall Foodie Mysteries by Raquel V. Reyes: Pumpkins and Peril: Halloween Mysteries for US Scaredy Cats
Sunday, October 19, 2025
NOIR CITY: Philadelphia, November 14-16, 2025
Coming soon: NOIR CITY: Philadelphia
NOIR CITY: Philadelphia returns to The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, November 14-16, 2025, for a three-day extravaganza. Join Eddie Muller for a film noir lineup that shines the spotlight on women whose cinematic legacy is entwined with film noir. Several of this year’s films star additional actresses profiled in Muller’s Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir — Ella Raines, Ruth Roman, and Jan Sterling.
Festival highlights include three rarely screened films: tiki-noir Hell’s Half Acre(1954) with Evelyn Keyes and Marie Windsor, John Farrow’s Faustian tale Alias Nick Beal (1949) with Audrey Totter, and Max Ophüls’ suspenseful 1949 film The Reckless Moment featuring one of Joan Bennett’s finest performances.
A 35mm restoration performed by UCLA Film & Television Archive and funded by the FNF will also play: Joseph Losey’s The Prowler (1951), written by Dalton Trumbo with Van Heflin and Evelyn Keyes in the leads.
Festival program schedule, double-feature tickets, and weekend passes (includes all ten films) are available on The Colonial Theatre’s website.
Thursday, October 16, 2025
MISS SCARLET: SEASON 6
Miss Scarlet Season 6 makes its broadcast premiere on Sunday, January 11, 2026 at 8pm ET—launching a brand-new season of intrigue, wit, and Victorian sleuthing.
What Happens in Miss Scarlet Season 6?
When we last saw Eliza Scarlet, her life seemed out of balance. A new Detective Inspector had taken charge at Scotland Yard; one with no intention of enlisting her services. But true to form, Eliza didn’t back down. Through grit and brilliance, she earned the DI’s respect. And Eliza’s maternal housekeeper decided to marry coroner Barnabus Potts as Season 5 wrapped—what will that mean for the household? Now as a new chapter begins, we wonder: Will Eliza continue to pour everything into the job, or will she attend to her personal life?
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Monday, October 13, 2025
LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDS 2025
Even though I mentioned the finalists for the Lambda Literary Awards in an earlier post, along with the winner announcement date, I forgot to check. Thanks to B.V Lawson and J. Kingston Pierce for the update!
The Lambda Literary Society, a champion of LGBTQ+ books and their authors, has announced the 2025 Lambda Literary Awards (aka the Lammys) winners.
There are many categories, but here is the winner and the finalists in the mystery category:
Best LGBTQ+ Mystery:
Rough Trade // Katrina Carrasco. MCD
Finalists:
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
The Night of Baba Yaga // Akira Otani, Translated from Japanese by Sam Bett. Soho Crime
Saturday, October 11, 2025
Friday, October 10, 2025
ANNUAL HITCHCOCK FILM FEST: Bodega Bay, CA
11th Annual Hitchcock Film Festival, October 17 -18, 2025. Bodega Bay Grange Hall, 1370 Bodega Ave. Bodega Bay. 94923
For more information and tickets:
https://www.visitbodegabayca.com/hitchcock-film-fest
Frequently Asked Questions:
Fun Facts:
Photo ops, Student Art Show, memorabilia on display, posters, T-shirts and other items for sale.
Photo ops, Student Art Show, memorabilia on display, posters, T-shirts and other items for sale.
Tickets:
Reserve yours today at eventbrite.com. Seating is limited.
Location:
Reserve yours today at eventbrite.com. Seating is limited.
Location:
Grange Hall, 1370 Bodega Ave., Bodega Bay CA 94923. Highway 1 & Bodega Ave.
ADA Accessible.
Sponsored by the Bodega Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. Proceeds benefit the commercial kitchen renovation at the Bodega Bay Grange Hall and the Bodega Bay Elementary and Tomales Elementary arts programs. Event is operated by volunteers of the BBACC and community.
Contact Information: Chair, Shona Weir (707) 875-3002 • shona@bodegabaycopy.com
ADA Accessible.
Sponsored by the Bodega Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. Proceeds benefit the commercial kitchen renovation at the Bodega Bay Grange Hall and the Bodega Bay Elementary and Tomales Elementary arts programs. Event is operated by volunteers of the BBACC and community.
Contact Information: Chair, Shona Weir (707) 875-3002 • shona@bodegabaycopy.com
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Christopher Deliso: The Lessons of ‘Las Meninas’: Jeff Soloway’s EQMM Art-Heist Mystery and Literary Criticism
Since spring, I’ve been studying many books and magazines, including Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. I’ve done this partly for future review projects, and partly out of my literary curiosity. Being visually impaired, this reading experience has only been made possible by the mystery magazine’s inclusion in the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, and their distribution through the Perkins Library here in Massachusetts; I thank both institutions firstly for empowering my research.
While I’ve encountered many intriguing mystery stories in this way, I discovered a special connection with one in particular: Jeff Soloway’s “The Theft of Las Meninas” (EQMM November/December 2024). A past winner of the MWA’s Robert L. Fish Memorial award, Jeff Soloway also published (under Penguin’s Alibi imprint) the Travel Writer mystery series. It was this common interest in applying facets of the travel-writing experience (something I discussed in terms of the wider mystery genre, in my May blog post for Mystery Fanfare) that attracted my interest.
I listened to the story several times, each time more intrigued; its combination of travel and the philosophical, its smooth pacing, wry humor and well-plotted structure, all made “The Theft of Las Meninas” stand out compared with many genre stories. In short, it told a story, but its larger themes—of value, negotiation, friendship, honor and adventure—were all carefully expressed in a manner that did not overburden the reader. Soloway’s writing was deceptively light, but concealed larger themes that critics could interpret at length, a dimension not always found in commercial genre fiction.
This general observation—and another, very specific one—led me to delve into the story. The following three sections—which include quotes from the story, and comments kindly provided by the author himself—I will present what I got right, what I got wrong, and why it matters. (And of course, there will be no spoilers).
What I Got Right
“The Theft of Las Meninas” is an art-heist caper about the theft of a famous painting, one that has never actually been stolen. Housed in Madrid’s Museo Nacional del Prado, ‘Las Meninas’ (‘The Ladies-in-Waiting,’ 1656) by Diego Velázquez depicts not only the Spanish royal family and its attendants, but also the painter himself, gazing outward at the observer (us) from behind his canvas. This ironic self-inclusion (which writers, of course, have been known to do) added paradox and self-awareness to a complex piece of multiple perspectives, making the baroque work appeal to writers like Borges, according to Robert M. Philmus in DePauw University’s 1974 Science Fiction Studies. (That article discusses the influence of art on H.G. Wells and Borges).
Soloway’s tale is narrated by an art professor who moonlights as a sleuth/art appraiser for UNESCO and other international bodies, using his personal capacities and friendship with a certain art thief named Max. My ears pricked up, upon hearing the following description of Max; it seemed that Soloway was basing his character on a real art thief—and one whose remarkable career I had come across, in the research of my own detective novel. Soloway’s narrator states:
“I booked a flight to Paris to visit my friend Max Wolverton, a protagonist and source of several chapters of my best-seller, Beauty among Thieves: Art Heists through the Ages, upon whom I had bestowed the ridiculous pseudonym, ‘The Red Death.’ Max loved it, being blond as a Swede. His customary technique was to visit sleepy, underfunded village museums on weekday mornings, slash canvases from their frames with a modified box cutter he’d dubbed ‘Taylor’ (a name he had to both spell and explain for me), and smuggle them out under his blazer.”
To me, this was uncannily familiar; it reminded me of the real-life French art thief, Stéphane Breitwieser, whose story I had encountered a year or more before in the varied course of my own detective-fiction research. While I never used any element of this legendary figure from European arts heists of the 1990s, I assumed he must be the person on whom the author had based his character. I wrote to inquire. Much to my delight, Jeff Soloway replied that indeed, Stéphane Breitwieser was the basis for Max in “The Theft of Las Meninas.”
While Max works alone in that story, his real-life model was aided by a girlfriend who kept lookout duty when they would visit small, provincial museums in Switzerland and France. Breitwieser was adept at quickly cutting out the paintings—including invaluable Dutch Old Masters—from their frames with his knife, rolling them up, and concealing them under his coat before making a leisurely getaway. They did this scores of times, accumulating a large collection of works which the thief (as at least with one of Max’s stolen works depicted in the story) would keep at home for his own personal enjoyment. When finally the police caught on, the thief and his parents destroyed the stolen works by fire and water—a colossal loss for the art-loving public.
In my June email, I asked the author whether Stéphane Breitwieser had been the inspiration for Max, and if so, how Soloway had come across his story. My hunch about the first was correct. Soloway added in his reply:
"I read a profile of him in the New Yorker magazine, probably related to a book someone was writing about him,” Soloway replied. “I found his story both fascinating and hilarious. I love the idea that all you really need to pull off a major art theft is common sense, boldness, and a pocket-knife."
What I Got Wrong
While I was happy to hear that my guess had been correct, there were other analytical guesses that I’d made that turned out to be wrong. And this, I would argue, is why it is so important for writers, researchers and the general literary public to interview authors while they are still alive. In my experience of writing about the works of deceased authors, it becomes exponentially more difficult to correctly assess authorial intention, preferences or influences precisely. We are left with so many tantalizing questions about great works of literature that can unfortunately never be answered.
There are two specific examples of what I got wrong in my reading of “The Theft of Las Meninas,” and in both cases the replies I received from the author definitively clarified the issues. As noted, I took a very close read to the story, and this included scrutiny of the all-important opening line. In this case, it is:
“You may remember when the finest painting in the world was stolen.”
Aside from its introduction of memory and distancing (the whole story does a marvelous job of making time not seem to pass, or be ponderous), the tone of this sentence struck me as something from the Golden Age of detective fiction. And sure enough, after a little searching, I found some similar examples in the works of Arthur Conan Doyle. For example, "The Musgrave Ritual" is a frame story narrated in parts by Watson and Holmes. The example is one self-referential statement directly linking a past experience and his vocation: “You may remember how the affair of the Gloria Scott, and my conversation with the unhappy man whose fate I told you of, first turned my attention in the direction of the profession which has become my life’s work.”
Although “The Theft of Las Meninas” is not structurally a frame story, I imagined that the author might possibly be giving a nod here to Holmes because of both the general theme of paintings and frames and vocations in the ‘Las Meninas’, and because of specific early sentences in that story, after the narrator has been called in to the Prado to inspect the scene of the crime, where the painting has been neatly cut from its frame. Soloway writes:
“After examining the frame, I too could identify the thief, but not thhe reason.”
This line (and the entire story) is narrated by the academic/detective, Professor Laurence Morrow. Laurence has code-named his underworld friend Max as ‘the Red Death,’ in both his own book and when discussing the thief with another character, Coronado Mengual of INTERPOL’s Cultural Defense Department. From this code-name, and a later description of a sojourn of Max and Laurence in La Paz, I detected direct and indirect nods to Edgar Allen Poe.
After investigating the opening line and concept of frame stories in a self-referential story about a self-referential painting, I really started kicking the tires on it for anything else. At last, I thought I had found something intriguing, as at a crucial point of the mystery’s resolution, the extraction of paint chips becomes important. Given the Poe reference, I imagined, could it be possible that Soloway had made a hidden allusion to a rare word from “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”?
The word ‘stereotomy’ derives originally from an Ancient Greek geometrical concept of three-dimensional objects. In Poe’s tale ‘stereotomy’ appears in a dialogic section between detective C. Auguste Dupin and his visiting narrator, as a detail in his explanation of his deductive method.
I was curious about whether any of these literary influences might have been considered by the author, as it would certainly impact future analysis of it. Soloway answered the mystery for me succinctly in a follow-up email:
“First, I confess that, though I love the Dupin stories, and of course I thought of them as I was considering setting a mystery in Paris, I had completely forgotten about the concept of stereotomy. Second, and similarly, I wasn't really thinking of any Sherlock Holmes story when I chose to begin with the phrase ‘You may remember.’ It just seemed to fit the intellectually presumptuous narrator.”
Why It Matters
First: I do not regret having guessed wrongly about a couple of literary points; I am just happy that in researching them, I was introduced to new stories, new concepts, and new ideas. Perhaps, someday, I will even find some of these details of use in my own writing. That has always been the way it seems to go.
Second: I believe that the short story, and especially short genre tales like the mystery story, remain less appreciated than novels and as such, are less often reviewed. Yet anyone who has ever taken the time and effort to craft such a story knows very well how difficult it is to express a compelling and engaging story (and, one that hasn’t already been written) not to mention, in a relatively few words. This is the first lesson I draw from my present experience in reviewing Jeff Soloway’s fine story—that is, that short-story reviews are eminently worthwhile, and researching them should be encouraged and practiced.
The second lesson, and one which is applicable to research on literary works of any length, is the great advantage the researcher gains in interviewing authors while they are still alive to answer for themselves about questions of intention and influence. If nothing else, today’s article has explained definitively with the author’s own input his decisions and influences (or not), and this might be of use to future generations of researchers. Simply put, there is so much common benefit to the literary community, to fellow writers, readers and researchers, in contributing to a more comprehensive record of the literature being created in our time, its influences, innovations and expectations.
Author Bio
Christopher Deliso is an American author, former long-term contributor to The Economist Intelligence Unit, IHS Jane’s, and co-author of over twenty Lonely Planet travel guides for five Southeast European countries. He has been widely published in major global media, and his first Detective Grigoris story, "The Mystery of the Scavenging Crabs," was published in January 2025 in the Crimeucopia anthology, Hey! Don’t Read That, Read This! (Murderous Ink Press, UK). His intelligence-noir story, “The Mexico Job,” was published by King’s River Life in May 2025.
Subscribe to Christopher Deliso’s Substack for occasional articles on literature, history, travel and reviews.
While I’ve encountered many intriguing mystery stories in this way, I discovered a special connection with one in particular: Jeff Soloway’s “The Theft of Las Meninas” (EQMM November/December 2024). A past winner of the MWA’s Robert L. Fish Memorial award, Jeff Soloway also published (under Penguin’s Alibi imprint) the Travel Writer mystery series. It was this common interest in applying facets of the travel-writing experience (something I discussed in terms of the wider mystery genre, in my May blog post for Mystery Fanfare) that attracted my interest.
I listened to the story several times, each time more intrigued; its combination of travel and the philosophical, its smooth pacing, wry humor and well-plotted structure, all made “The Theft of Las Meninas” stand out compared with many genre stories. In short, it told a story, but its larger themes—of value, negotiation, friendship, honor and adventure—were all carefully expressed in a manner that did not overburden the reader. Soloway’s writing was deceptively light, but concealed larger themes that critics could interpret at length, a dimension not always found in commercial genre fiction.
This general observation—and another, very specific one—led me to delve into the story. The following three sections—which include quotes from the story, and comments kindly provided by the author himself—I will present what I got right, what I got wrong, and why it matters. (And of course, there will be no spoilers).
What I Got Right
“The Theft of Las Meninas” is an art-heist caper about the theft of a famous painting, one that has never actually been stolen. Housed in Madrid’s Museo Nacional del Prado, ‘Las Meninas’ (‘The Ladies-in-Waiting,’ 1656) by Diego Velázquez depicts not only the Spanish royal family and its attendants, but also the painter himself, gazing outward at the observer (us) from behind his canvas. This ironic self-inclusion (which writers, of course, have been known to do) added paradox and self-awareness to a complex piece of multiple perspectives, making the baroque work appeal to writers like Borges, according to Robert M. Philmus in DePauw University’s 1974 Science Fiction Studies. (That article discusses the influence of art on H.G. Wells and Borges).
Soloway’s tale is narrated by an art professor who moonlights as a sleuth/art appraiser for UNESCO and other international bodies, using his personal capacities and friendship with a certain art thief named Max. My ears pricked up, upon hearing the following description of Max; it seemed that Soloway was basing his character on a real art thief—and one whose remarkable career I had come across, in the research of my own detective novel. Soloway’s narrator states:
“I booked a flight to Paris to visit my friend Max Wolverton, a protagonist and source of several chapters of my best-seller, Beauty among Thieves: Art Heists through the Ages, upon whom I had bestowed the ridiculous pseudonym, ‘The Red Death.’ Max loved it, being blond as a Swede. His customary technique was to visit sleepy, underfunded village museums on weekday mornings, slash canvases from their frames with a modified box cutter he’d dubbed ‘Taylor’ (a name he had to both spell and explain for me), and smuggle them out under his blazer.”
To me, this was uncannily familiar; it reminded me of the real-life French art thief, Stéphane Breitwieser, whose story I had encountered a year or more before in the varied course of my own detective-fiction research. While I never used any element of this legendary figure from European arts heists of the 1990s, I assumed he must be the person on whom the author had based his character. I wrote to inquire. Much to my delight, Jeff Soloway replied that indeed, Stéphane Breitwieser was the basis for Max in “The Theft of Las Meninas.”
While Max works alone in that story, his real-life model was aided by a girlfriend who kept lookout duty when they would visit small, provincial museums in Switzerland and France. Breitwieser was adept at quickly cutting out the paintings—including invaluable Dutch Old Masters—from their frames with his knife, rolling them up, and concealing them under his coat before making a leisurely getaway. They did this scores of times, accumulating a large collection of works which the thief (as at least with one of Max’s stolen works depicted in the story) would keep at home for his own personal enjoyment. When finally the police caught on, the thief and his parents destroyed the stolen works by fire and water—a colossal loss for the art-loving public.
In my June email, I asked the author whether Stéphane Breitwieser had been the inspiration for Max, and if so, how Soloway had come across his story. My hunch about the first was correct. Soloway added in his reply:
"I read a profile of him in the New Yorker magazine, probably related to a book someone was writing about him,” Soloway replied. “I found his story both fascinating and hilarious. I love the idea that all you really need to pull off a major art theft is common sense, boldness, and a pocket-knife."
What I Got Wrong
While I was happy to hear that my guess had been correct, there were other analytical guesses that I’d made that turned out to be wrong. And this, I would argue, is why it is so important for writers, researchers and the general literary public to interview authors while they are still alive. In my experience of writing about the works of deceased authors, it becomes exponentially more difficult to correctly assess authorial intention, preferences or influences precisely. We are left with so many tantalizing questions about great works of literature that can unfortunately never be answered.
There are two specific examples of what I got wrong in my reading of “The Theft of Las Meninas,” and in both cases the replies I received from the author definitively clarified the issues. As noted, I took a very close read to the story, and this included scrutiny of the all-important opening line. In this case, it is:
“You may remember when the finest painting in the world was stolen.”
Aside from its introduction of memory and distancing (the whole story does a marvelous job of making time not seem to pass, or be ponderous), the tone of this sentence struck me as something from the Golden Age of detective fiction. And sure enough, after a little searching, I found some similar examples in the works of Arthur Conan Doyle. For example, "The Musgrave Ritual" is a frame story narrated in parts by Watson and Holmes. The example is one self-referential statement directly linking a past experience and his vocation: “You may remember how the affair of the Gloria Scott, and my conversation with the unhappy man whose fate I told you of, first turned my attention in the direction of the profession which has become my life’s work.”
Although “The Theft of Las Meninas” is not structurally a frame story, I imagined that the author might possibly be giving a nod here to Holmes because of both the general theme of paintings and frames and vocations in the ‘Las Meninas’, and because of specific early sentences in that story, after the narrator has been called in to the Prado to inspect the scene of the crime, where the painting has been neatly cut from its frame. Soloway writes:
“After examining the frame, I too could identify the thief, but not thhe reason.”
This line (and the entire story) is narrated by the academic/detective, Professor Laurence Morrow. Laurence has code-named his underworld friend Max as ‘the Red Death,’ in both his own book and when discussing the thief with another character, Coronado Mengual of INTERPOL’s Cultural Defense Department. From this code-name, and a later description of a sojourn of Max and Laurence in La Paz, I detected direct and indirect nods to Edgar Allen Poe.
After investigating the opening line and concept of frame stories in a self-referential story about a self-referential painting, I really started kicking the tires on it for anything else. At last, I thought I had found something intriguing, as at a crucial point of the mystery’s resolution, the extraction of paint chips becomes important. Given the Poe reference, I imagined, could it be possible that Soloway had made a hidden allusion to a rare word from “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”?
The word ‘stereotomy’ derives originally from an Ancient Greek geometrical concept of three-dimensional objects. In Poe’s tale ‘stereotomy’ appears in a dialogic section between detective C. Auguste Dupin and his visiting narrator, as a detail in his explanation of his deductive method.
I was curious about whether any of these literary influences might have been considered by the author, as it would certainly impact future analysis of it. Soloway answered the mystery for me succinctly in a follow-up email:
“First, I confess that, though I love the Dupin stories, and of course I thought of them as I was considering setting a mystery in Paris, I had completely forgotten about the concept of stereotomy. Second, and similarly, I wasn't really thinking of any Sherlock Holmes story when I chose to begin with the phrase ‘You may remember.’ It just seemed to fit the intellectually presumptuous narrator.”
Why It Matters
First: I do not regret having guessed wrongly about a couple of literary points; I am just happy that in researching them, I was introduced to new stories, new concepts, and new ideas. Perhaps, someday, I will even find some of these details of use in my own writing. That has always been the way it seems to go.
Second: I believe that the short story, and especially short genre tales like the mystery story, remain less appreciated than novels and as such, are less often reviewed. Yet anyone who has ever taken the time and effort to craft such a story knows very well how difficult it is to express a compelling and engaging story (and, one that hasn’t already been written) not to mention, in a relatively few words. This is the first lesson I draw from my present experience in reviewing Jeff Soloway’s fine story—that is, that short-story reviews are eminently worthwhile, and researching them should be encouraged and practiced.
The second lesson, and one which is applicable to research on literary works of any length, is the great advantage the researcher gains in interviewing authors while they are still alive to answer for themselves about questions of intention and influence. If nothing else, today’s article has explained definitively with the author’s own input his decisions and influences (or not), and this might be of use to future generations of researchers. Simply put, there is so much common benefit to the literary community, to fellow writers, readers and researchers, in contributing to a more comprehensive record of the literature being created in our time, its influences, innovations and expectations.
Author Bio
Christopher Deliso is an American author, former long-term contributor to The Economist Intelligence Unit, IHS Jane’s, and co-author of over twenty Lonely Planet travel guides for five Southeast European countries. He has been widely published in major global media, and his first Detective Grigoris story, "The Mystery of the Scavenging Crabs," was published in January 2025 in the Crimeucopia anthology, Hey! Don’t Read That, Read This! (Murderous Ink Press, UK). His intelligence-noir story, “The Mexico Job,” was published by King’s River Life in May 2025.
Subscribe to Christopher Deliso’s Substack for occasional articles on literature, history, travel and reviews.
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