PASSOVER CRIME FICTION

Passover starts tomorrow night and lasts for eight days. That should give you plenty of time to read these mysteries set during the holiday. This is an updated list, but, as always, let me know any missing titles/authors.

Passover Crime Fiction

Passover by Aphrodite Anagnost
Conspirators by Michael Andre Bernstein

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks   
The Passover Commando by Irving R. Cohen

The Passover Protocols by Ellen Frankel

The Passover Murder by Lee Harris 
All Other Nights by Dara Horn
Never Nosh a Matzo Ball by Sharon Kahn
Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home by Harry Kemelman 
The Fixer by Bernard Malamud

The Empty Hours by Ed McBain
The Wolf and the Lamb by Frederick Ramsay
The Samaritans' Secret by Matt Beynon Rees
Mrs Kaplan and the Matzo Ball of Death by Mark Reutlinger
Unleavened Dead by Ilene Schneider
The Passover Plot by Hugh J. Schonfield 
The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra

Poisoned Passover: Book 2 Torah Mystery Series by Susan Van Dusen

The Lord is My Shepherd by Debbie Viguie (on my Easter list, too!)
The Big Nap by Ayelet Waldman 

Passover by Frances Williams
The Fifth Servant by Kenneth Wishnia

Passover by Jeff Yocum

Passover Short Stories in the following collections:

Dying for Chametz & Other Mystery Stories for Passover by Libby Astaire

Criminal Kabbalah, edited by Laurie R. King
Murder Is No Mitzvah, edited by Abigail Browning
Mystery Midrash, edited by Rabbi Lawrence Raphael

Jewish Noir, edited by Kenneth Wishing

***

"Catching Elijah" by Jeri Westerson

There are several Children's and YA Passover Mysteries including:

Sherlock Mendelson and the Missing Afikomen by David Shawn Klein, Illustrated by Bridge Starr Taylor
Jodie's Passover Adventure by Anna Levine

Shira Detective: Chametz Detective by Galia Sabbag, Illustrated by Erin Taylor

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

Check out Molly Odintz's 10 Reasons Why Passover is the Noirest Holiday on CrimeReads.

Celebrating the holiday? Check out DyingforChocolate.com for Chocolate Passover Recipes.

ANDREW GROSS: R.I.P.

More sad news today. Thriller writer Andrew Gross passed away today at the age of 72. Andrew wrote 18 novels, his first six with James Patterson. When he struck out on his own, his novels instantly became NYT best sellers. His thrillers were filled with action, and also family relationships and themes of loss and betrayal. His taut writing takes you along on the adventure!

I got to know Andy better when he and Lynn were seated next to me at Larry Gandle's birthday party during Bouchercon in New Orleans in 2016. It was an exceptional evening -- the food, the celebration, and their conversation. We talked about life, writing, thrillers, and so much more. It was so fun and convivial. I felt like I knew Andy all my life. It was great to follow his and Lynn's travels and grandchildren on social media since then. And, of course, I read his latest books. 

In memory of Andy, I will reread some of his books. My heart and sympathy go out to his family and many friends. May his memory be a blessing. He will be missed.

PETER LOVESEY: R.I.P.

Peter Lovesey, an amazing author and Diamond Dagger winner,  passed away this morning. What an extraordinary talent, and what a loss to the mystery community. Peter Lovesey was a wonderful, supportive, warm, intelligent, and talented man. I started reading his books in the early 70s when they first appeared. His books were ones I sought out immediately on publication. Peter was one of the longest subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal. When we had an odd cost, Peter would throw American "cash" in an envelope and say to spend any extra on cat food for my longtime feline companion Dashiell Hammett...that was in the 90s.We shared a love of cats. 

I first met Peter in person at the Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay in 1991. The AC Festival was paired that year with the CWA conference. I took the train down from London. There we were met by Peter Lovesey on the platform, maneuvering  a 'trolley' to gather our bags. All he needed was a hat and a uniform, and we would have been transported back to Victorian England. I was lucky to meet with him at other times over the years. He was always so warm and genuine. 

For me, Peter Lovesey's books were the best of the best. Great characters, wonderful plots, terrific setting, excellent prose, and so much more. Last week my book group re-read and discussed an Inspector Cribb novel to rave reviews, of course. I also just read the monograph he wrote as 'Peter Diamond.'  Such fun!

Peter was so supportive of everyone in the mystery community--other writers, fans, editors, publishers. He was so willing to lend his expertise and help in any way. He was so dedicated to the genre.

My heart and sympathy go out to his family and many friends at this time.

I am reeling from the news of his death, but I will update this post at a later time. In the meantime, read a Peter Lovesey in his memory. I'm particularly fond of his Peter Diamond books. His final book in the series, Against the Grain, just came out in January. The end of an era. Rest in Peace, Peter. 

Read More here:

https://peterlovesey.com/about

His final article in the Mystery Readers Journal (London Mysteries I): 2024. "The Wobble in the Aggie"

"The World's Oldest Working Cop" in Mystery Readers Journal: Senior Sleuths, Fall 2020.

From Meredith Phillips:

What terrible news, which I learned from Janet Rudolph’s Mystery Fanfare: Peter Lovesey’s death, right after Kerry Greenwood’s. They are two of my favorite authors. 

He was a very funny man in addition to being a very good and prolific writer. I remember at a past Bouchercon, during the panel discussions I heard from down the hall several roars of really loud laughter; checking it out, I saw Lovesey regaling the packed crowd. And his contribution to the recent Crippen & Landru collection School of Hard Knox was an epic 7-page poem titled “Knox Vomica” that includes the names of dozens of mystery writers in hilarious couplets.

As Janet noted, Lovesey was a truly special writer, as well as person. I liked his series a lot, but enjoyed his stand-alones even more, especially The Reaper, Rough Cider, and On the Edge. But in addition to mourning Peter Lovesey, we have now lost Peter Diamond, just as we’ve lost Phryne Fisher and Corinna Chapman—at least, their future selves. What a sad week.

Meredith Phillips

Perseverance Editorial Services

Now editing/proofing for Crippen & Landru, 

and freelancing for various authors on request

Cartoon of the Day: Meet the Author

 From the fabulous Tom Gauld:

LIBRARY/LIBRARIAN MYSTERY SERIES: National Library Week

This is National Library Week! 

My most exciting library experience was getting my first library card. I could read by 4, and although I visited our local library on a weekly basis where my mother checked out books for me, I wanted my own library card. The rule was that you had to be able to sign your name to obtain a card. So my sister taught me to sign my name. After that, the world was my oyster! I spent many summers walking the mile from my home to the Cobbs Creek Library in Philadelphia to check out books, get recommendations from the librarians, and participate in the summer reading club (stars for books read). I quickly went from children's to adult books. Books became my best friends. Over the years I continued to visit my local public libraries. I have fond memories of going to the Penn Wynne Library with my Dad where he sought out American hardboiled mysteries. Because of my own love of mysteries, it was a wonderful bonding experience.

So today's list honors National Library Week with a list of Library/Librarian Mysteries series. This is not a complete list, so I welcome any additions. Note this is a list of Library/Librarian series and not stand-alone library books. There are so many of those, including Allen Eskens' The Quiet Librarian, Sulari Gentill's The Woman in the Library, Fiona Davis's The Lions of Fifth Avenue, and so many more. Alas, another post!

Let me know if I've missed any of your favorites library/librarian mystery series. Make a comment or send me a note. Thanks!

LIBRARY/LIBRARIAN MYSTERIES

Jeff Abbott: Jordan Poteet Series

Deborah Adams: Jesus Creek Mysteries 

Lydia Adamson: Lucy Wayles Series

Jenna Bennett: Art Crime Team (ACT) Series (Annika Holst, Librarian)

Claudia Bishop: Hemlock Falls Series 

Lawrence Block: The Burglar in the Library

Lillian Jackson Braun: The Cat Who Series 

Allison Brook: Haunted Library Mystery Series 

Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli: Little Library Mystery Series

B.B. Cantwell: Portland Bookmobile Mystery Series 

Elizabeth Lynn Casey: Southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series 

Laurie Cass: Bookmobile Cat Mystery Series

Genevieve Cogman: The Invistible Library

Elizabeth Spann Craig: Village Library Mystery Series

Shirley Damsgaard: Ophelia & Abby Series

Holly Danvers: Lakeside Library Mystery Series

Debbie De Louise: Cobble Cove Mystery Series

Jo Dereske: Miss Zukas mysteries

Laramee Douglas: Death in Culcinea

Umberto Eco: The Name of the Rose 

Jasper Fforde: Thursday Next Series

Amanda Flower: India Hayes Mystery Series 

Eva Gates: Lighthouse Library Mystery Series 

Victoria Gilbert: Blue Ridge Library Mystery Series 

Jeanne Glidewell: Lexie Starr Mystery Series 

Charles A. Goodrum: Dr. Edward George Series

Charlaine Harris: Aurora Teagarden Series

Zana Hart: Curious Librarian Cozy Mystery Series

Patricia Harwin: Catherine Penny/Far Wychwood series

Marion Moore Hill: Scrappy Librarian Mystery series

M. E. Hilliard: The Greer Hogan Series

Miranda James: Cat in the Stacks Series

Emma Jameson: Jemima Jago Mystery Series

Sofie Kelly: Magical Cats Mystery Series 

Nicholas Kilmer: Fred Taylor Art Collecting Series (Partner Molly Riley, Librarian)

Mary Lou Kirwin: Killer Librarian Mystery Series

Patricia Kirwin: Far Wychwood Mysteries

Nathan Larson: Dewey Decimal

Con Lehane: The 42nd Street Library Series

Amy Lilly: Ophelia "Phee" Jefferson Series

Ellen Jacobson: The North Dakota Library Series

Jess Lourey: Murder-by-the-Month Series

T.J. MacGregor: Alex Kincaid series

Charlotte MacLeod: Helen Marsh Shandy, Peter Shandy's wife, in the Balaclava series 

Olivia Matthews: Peach Coast Library Mystery Series

Jenn McKinlay: Library Lovers Mystery series

D.R. Meredith: Murder by the Yard series

Miriam Grace Monfredo: Seneca Falls Historical Mystery Series

Kate Morgan: Dewey James

Elizabeth Peters: Jacqueline Kirby series

Shirley Rousseau Murphy: Joe Grey Cat Series (Dulcie, the library cat)

Nora Page: Bookmobile Mystery Series

Meg Perry: Jamie Brodie Series

Ralp;h Raab: Biblio Files Trilogy

R.T. Raichev: Antonia Darcy Series

Nanci Rathbun: Angelina Bonaparte Series

Ian Sansom: Mobile Library Mystery Series

Angela Sanders: Witch Way Librarian Series

Sheila Simonson: Latouche County mysteries

J.B. Stanley: The Supper Club Mystery Series

Susan Steiner: Library, No Murder Aloud

Fran Stewart: Biscuit McKee Mysteries

Dorothy St. James: Beloved Bookroom Series

Emily Thomas: Secrets of Blue Hill Library Series

Judith Van Gieson: Claire Reynier Series (University of New Mexico Rare Books Librarian)

Gayle Wigglesworth: Claire Gulliver Mystery Series

Marty Wingate: First Edition Library Mystery Series

Eric Wright: Lucy Trimble Brenner Series

Sally S. Wright: Ben Reese Series

Non-fiction favorite: Susan Orlean's The Library Book

Other Non-Fiction:

Kathy Lee Peiss: Information Hunters; When Librarians, Soldiers, and Spies Banded Together in World War II Europe
***

Librarians who write mysteries: Check out Robert Lopresti's article on SleuthSayers. You'll be surprised!

Writing Magic Without Breaking the Spell: Guest Post by Gigi Pandian

During the Golden Age of detective fiction in the 1920s and 30s, fair-play puzzle plots gave readers all the clues they needed to solve the mystery. It was common to see a stage magician as the sleuth or other prominent character. Why? Because magicians use misdirection to create seemingly impossible illusions, so they’re the perfect characters to see through baffling puzzles. 

I adore those classic mysteries, and my favorites were the locked-room mysteries by authors like John Dickson Carr and Clayton Rawson, where the crime looks truly impossible. Their books and stories inspired me to try my hand at writing my own impossible crime puzzles—with a stage magician sleuth, of course.

Tempest Raj is a stage illusionist creating grand illusions on the stage, until her career is sabotaged and she’s forced to move home to work for the family business, Secret Staircase Construction. Now she creates a different type of illusion, building “magic” into people’s homes through sliding bookcases that lead to hidden libraries or sconces that reveal secrets when lifted. The sleight-of-hand methods might be different, but the idea behind the illusions are the same. Misdirection. While your attention is held elsewhere, you miss the mechanism creating magic. 

Just like I love magicians in mystery fiction, I love a well-crafted stage show, and I’ve learned a great deal about stage magic. But when I started writing novels about a magician character, I had to walk a fine line: I wanted to write authentically about magic without revealing trade secrets and I wanted to play fair with the reader, so they’d feel they’d read a satisfying mystery when all was revealed at the end. 

As I learned more about magic, I had my answer: Crimes in mystery fiction that look similar can have many different methods. The same is true of the illusions of a stage magician. When you see a trick performed, there are often multiple methods that could have been used to perform what looks to the audience like the same illusion. Therefore, I could use the methods of an illusionist to think about constructing Tempest’s acts as well as the illusions of the culprits in the Secret Staircase Mysteries—with my own methods I’d worked out for both Tempest’s illusions and the puzzle at the heart of the mystery. 

One more similarity between mystery fiction and magic: As with a novel, a key ingredient of stage magic is to tell a story. If a magician simply walks on stage and makes their assistant vanish, that’s not very interesting. But if there’s a story behind why a that person is vanishing, such as centuries-old curse that’s come to claim a victim, the illusion immediately becomes ten times more captivating. 

In my latest novel, The Library Game, Secret Staircase Construction is converting a charming old house into a community library devoted to classic detective fiction—until there’s a seemingly impossible murder in the library, the body vanishes, and a dead man with a connection to the house is heard calling for help. It’s like something right out of a magic act. It’s a good thing Tempest Raj is there.

 ***

Gigi Pandian is a USA Today bestselling author and locked-room mystery enthusiast who’s been awarded Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Derringer awards, and been a finalist for the Edgar. She writes the Secret Staircase mysteries, the Accidental Alchemist mysteries, and the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mysteries. Gigi lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and a gargoyle who watches over the backyard garden. Her new Secret Staircase mystery, The Library Game, was published in March 2025. Connect with Gigi and sign up for her email newsletter at www.gigipandian.com

 

KERRY GREENWOOD: R.I.P.

Sad news. Australian Kerry Greenwood, author of the Phyrne Fisher mysteries, died on March 26, at the age of 70. I really enjoyed all of her books. She will be missed. 

Kerry Greenwood published the first Phryne Fisher novel, Cocaine Blues, in 1989 and went on to write 22 novels featuring the glamorous 1920s detective. An adaptation of the series, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (2012), starred Essie Davis in the lead role and ran for three seasons.

Kerry Greenwood, who was also known for the Corinna Chapman mysteries, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2020.

Alongside her career as a professional writer, Greenwood worked as a legal aid solicitor in Melbourne, Australia.

From ABC Australia:
A new Phryne Fisher novel in the works. Greenwood's latest novel, Murder in the Cathedral — number 23 in the Phryne Fisher series — is due out late in 2025.
On March 18, in her last Facebook post, Greenwood shared an update about the forthcoming book.
"Murder in the Cathedral (the newest Phryne) is undergoing transformation from an extensively edited Word file into proper pages. This is a slow process, involving mysterious alchemy, scattering of rose petals, muttered incantations and the like, but it progresses," she wrote.

Fingerprint Award Shortlists: Capital Crime Festival

London’s Capital Crime Festival announced the Shortlists for the Fingerprint Awards. Here are two categories of interest to mystery readers.

Overall Best Crime Book of the Year:
• Murder on Lake Garda, by Tom Hindle (Century)
• All the Colours of the Dark, by Chris Whitaker (Orion)
• Midnight and Blue, by Ian Rankin (Orion)
• The Mercy Chair, by M.W. Craven (Constable)
• Nightwatching, by Tracey Sierra (Viking)

Thriller Book of the Year:
• One Perfect Couple, by Ruth Ware (Simon & Schuster UK)
• A Violent Heart, by David Fennell (Zaffre)
• The Woman on the Ledge, by Ruth Mancini (Century)
• Hunted, by Abir Mukherjee (Harvill Secker)
• The Missing Family, by Tim Weaver (Michael Joseph)

The full 2025 Fingerprint Award are here. 

Readers can vote at this link from now through Saturday, May 31. 

Winners will be announced at the Capital Crime Festival in London on Thursday, June 12.

HT: The Rap Sheet

MEMORIES #1

 

GRANTCHESTER, Season 10

Grantchester returns to MASTERPIECE Mystery! on PBS with Season 10!
 
As DI Geordie Keating (Robson Green) and Reverend Alphy Kottaram (Rishi Nair) continue to work together as a crime-solving duo in scenic Grantchester, they must also support each other through changing times, family struggles, and personal secrets. This season, Alphy feels like he’s found a home, but is forced to confront secrets he’s kept close to his chest. Will he be able to let anyone fully in, or must he confront truths about himself first?
 
Season 10 of Grantchester premieres on Sunday, June 15 at 9/8c. The eight-episode season will also be available to stream on the PBS app, PBS.org, and with PBS MASTERPIECE on Prime Video.

  

Cartoon of the Day: Cats

 

Short Mystery Fiction Society 2025 Derringer Award Finalists

The 2025 Short Mystery Fiction Society Derringer Award Finalists. Named after the popular pocket pistol, this award recognizes outstanding stories published during 2024. Results of membership voting are scheduled to be posted on May 1, 2025.
 
FLASH
 
Sweet Red Cherries by C.W. Blackwell
(Punk Noir Magazine, November 28, 2024)
 
Mob Mentality by James Patrick Focarile
(Shotgun Honey, June 20, 2024)
 
La Petite Mort by Susan Hatters Friedman
(Bristol Noir, February 16, 2024)
 
Kargin the Necromancer by Mike McHone
(Mystery Tribune, December 15, 2024)
 
Lockerbie, 1988 by Mary Thorson
(Cotton Xenomorph, October 13, 2024)
 
 
SHORT STORY 
 
"Skeeter's Bar and Grill" by Julie Hastrup
(Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense, Superior Shores Press)
 
"The Wind Phone" by Josh Pachter
(Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, September/October 2024)
 
"The Heist" by Bill Pronzini
(Shamus and Anthony Commit Capers: Ten Tales of Criminals, Crooks, and Culprits, Level Best Books)
 
"The Last Chance Coalition" by Judy Penz Sheluk
(Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense, Superior Shores Press)
 
"The Kratz Gambit" by Mark Thielman
(Private Dicks and Disco Balls: Private Eyes in the Dyn-O-Mite Seventies, Down & Out Books)
 
LONG STORY
 
"How Mary’s Garden Grew" by Elizabeth Elwood
(Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, January/February 2024)
 
"Heart of Darkness" by Tammy Euliano
(Scattered, Smothered, Covered & Chunked: Crime Fiction Inspired by Waffle House, Down & Out Books)
 
"Putting Things Right" by Peter W. J. Hayes
(Thrill Ride - The Magazine, December 21, 2024)
 
"Motive Factor X" by Joseph Andre Thomas
(Howls from the Scene of the Crime: A Crime Horror Anthology, Howl Society Press)
 
"Cold Comfort" by Andrew Welsh-Huggins
(Private Dicks and Disco Balls: Private Eyes in the Dyn-O-Mite Seventies, Down & Out Books)
  
NOVELETTE
 
"A Band of Scheming Women" by Joslyn Chase
(Thrill Ride - The Magazine, March 21, 2024)
 
"Christmas Dinner" by Robert Lopresti
(Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, November/December 2024)
 
"Barracuda Backfire" by Tom Milani
(Chop Shop Episode 4, Down & Out Books, April 1, 2024)
 
"Her Dangerously Clever Hands" by Karen Odden
(Crimeucopia - Through the Past Darkly, Murderous Ink Press)
 
"The Cadillac Job" by Stacy Woodson
(Chop Shop Episode 1, Down & Out Books, January 1, 2024

ANTHOLOGY

(Previously Announced)

Devil's Snare: Best New England Crime Stories 2024

Edited by Susan Oleksiw, Ang Pompano, Leslie Wheeler, Crime Spell Books

Friend of the Devil: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the Grateful Dead

Edited by Josh Pachter, Down & Out Books

Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense

Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk, Superior Shores Press

Murder, Neat: A SleuthSayers Anthology

Edited by Michael Bracken and Barb Goffman, Level Best Books

New York State of Crime: Murder New York Style 6

Edited by D.M. Barr and Joseph R.G. De Marco, Down & Out Books

The 13th Letter

Edited by Donna Carrick, Carrick Publishing

APRIL FOOL'S DAY CRIME FICTION // APRIL FOOL'S DAY MYSTERIES

April Fool's Day Mysteries: I love any chance to celebrate a 'holiday,' so even April Fool's Day fits the bill! Here's a short list full of foolish and not so foolish crime fiction that takes place on and around April Fool's Day! As always, let me know if I've forgotten a title!

The first of April, some do say,
Is set apart for All Fools' Day.
But why the people call it so,
Nor I, nor they themselves do know.
But on this day are people sent
On purpose for pure merriment.

--Poor Robin's Almanac, 1790 
 
APRIL FOOL'S DAY CRIME FICTION

The Marsh Madness by Victoria Abbott
Maple Fools' Day by Virginia K. Bennett

The Case of the April Fools by Christopher Bush
April's Fool by Edna May Ciesclwicz 
A Body on April Fool's Day by Steve Demaree

April Fool by William Deverell 
The April Fool by Robert J. Fields
April Fool's Day by John Greenwood
April Fools’ Day Murder by Lee Harris
April Fool Dead by Carolyn Hart 
A Remarkable Case of Burglary by H. R. F. Keating
April Fools by Jess Loury
The Confidence Man by Herman Melville
April Fool’s Day A Novel by Josip Novakovich (not quite a mystery but with mystery elements)
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
April Fool's Day by Jeff Rovin

Short Stories:
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 3: The April Fool’s Day Adventure and The Strange Adventure of the Uneasy Easy Chair by Anthony Boucher and Denis Green.

Children's:  
April Fool's Day by Carolyn Keene (Book #19 of Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew)

Meg Mackintosh and The April Fools' Day Mystery by Lucinda Landon

The April Fool's Day Mystery by Marion M. Markham,  illustrated by Pau Estrada

SLEUTHFEST 2025

Sleuthfest, a conference for mystery, thriller, and suspense fiction writers, was postponed because of bad weather (hurricane!), but here's the new date: May 15-18, 2025. Don't miss this fun conference!

Click here to register. 

KEN BRUEN: R.I.P.

Very sad news. Ken Bruen, Irish mystery author and poet, died yesterday. Way too young. I met Ken several years ago, and we struck up what became a most valued friendship. He was truly a Renaissance man. We'd talk at conventions, and he was my guest at a literary salon at my tiny home where 50+ stalwart mystery fans squashed in to listen to him. He regaled us with stories in his Irish brogue. I loved his books. He had such a lyrical way with words. Ken was only 74. He will be missed. 

From the Connacht Tribune

Best known as the man behind the Jack Taylor crime series, he was the author of more than 50 books over a stellar career that made him one of the most prominent Irish crime writers of the last two decades.  

He was a past winner of the prestigious Shamus Award for best crime novel of the year; he also won the Macavity Award, the Barry Award, the Edgar Award – an award he was also shortlisted for earlier in his career. 

Born in Galway in 1951, he was educated at Gormanston College in Co Meath and later at Trinity College Dublin, where he earned a PhD in metaphysics. 

Ken Bruen spent 25 years traveling the world before he began writing in the mid-1990s. As an English teacher, Ken worked in South Africa, Japan, and South America, where he once spent four months in a Brazilian jail. 

He has two long-running series; one starring Jack Taylor, the disgraced former policeman – with acclaimed actor Iain Glen in the title role – and the other, the London police detective Inspector Brant.  

Nine of the Jack Taylor novels were turned into the eponymous television series, all shot around Galway city, with a host of local actors and crew members. Set in Galway, the acclaimed series relates the adventures and misadventures of a disgraced former police officer working as a haphazard private investigator whose life has been marred by alcoholism and drug abuse. 

His Brants and Roberts novel Blitz was adapted into a 2011 film of the same name, starring Jason Statham, Paddy Considine and Aidan Gillen. Indeed Ken Bruen’s work was tailormade for the big screen on many fronts. Bruen’s 2014 novel Merrick was adapted for TV as the series 100 Code, starring Dominic Monaghan and Michael Nyqvist. His 2001 novel, London Boulevard, was adapted for the big screen in 2010 and starred Keira Knightley, Colin Farrell, David Thewlis and Ray Winstone. 

Ken Bruen lived and worked in Galway – and so much of his work was set in the streets, alleyways and pubs of Galway.

He passed away overnight at University Hospital Galway, and is survived by his wife Phyl Kennedy, and their daughter Grace who Ken once described, in a piece for the Connacht Tribune, as ‘the abiding light in my varied life’.

***

Mystery Readers Journal: Irish Mysteries (24:2: 2008): 

"No, Not the Blarney Stone" by Ken Bruen

And

        ghosts

                must

                        do

                                again...

Those lines by Auden- which continue with 

            

                    what gives them pain

--what brings those lines to the forefront of my mind are the posts by Dusty and Alex about sometimes hating writing. Oh horror, heresy etc. a writer not always loving their craft. Arthur Miller well in his 70s, said, every morning he sits in front of the blank page and feels...terror. I don't think any of the writers I respect ever said it was easy.

    There are mornings, when I see a ton of email, I give a sigh of relief as it means I can defer actual writing for a bit. If I skip a day, for whatever reason and don't actually write, I feel guilty and no rationale will eradicate it.

    There's no real mystery, pardon the bad pun, to writing. You just sit down and do it.

    Right.

    How hard can that be?

    And writers block...they say, think of your bank manager, and you'll be back on track.

    The days of blankness, when I really don't have a single thought in my head, I just barge and blaze through it. Blood from a stone. 

Birthday Crime Fiction // Birthday Mysteries

Today is my Birthday! Celebrate with me by reading one of these Birthday Themed Mysteries -- or, keep the list for your own Birthday! Every year I get older, and every year this list gets longer. Any titles missing? Make a comment below, and I'll add it to the list! Have a favorite? Let me know!

Birthday Crime Fiction

Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer

Happy Birthday, Turk! by Jakob Arjouni and Anselm Hollo
A Birthday to Die For by Frank Atchley
Cranberry Crimes by Jessica Beck

Birthdays Can be Deadly by Cindy Bell
The Birthday Murderer by Jay Bennett
The Birthday Party by Halini Boland

Birthday Can Be Murder by Joyce Cato

Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark
Berries and Birthdays by Leena Clover

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
A Catered Birthday Party by Isis Crawford
The Birthday Gift by Ursula Reilly Curtiss
The Birthday Party: Family Reunions Can Be Murder by Chari Davenport
The Whole Enchilada by Diane Mott Davidson

The Party by Elizabeth Day
The Birthday Girl by Melissa de La Cruz
There's Something about Mary by Wendy Delaney
A Birthday Secret by Nickolas Drake
The Birthday Party by Wendy Dranfield

Birthday Pie Burial by Diana Dumont
Murder Can Botch Up Your Birthday by Selma Eichler

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

The Birthday Girl by Sue Fortin
Birthday Cake and Bodies by Agatha Frost
Birthday Sprinkle Murder by Susan Gillard
Aunti Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano
The Nanny by Dan Greenburg
The Happy Birthday Murder by Lee Harris
They Found Him Dead by Georgette Heyer
Birthday Cake Waffle by Carolyn Q. Hunter
Birthday Girl by Matthew Iden

Death in the Garden by Elizabeth Ironside
Happy Birthday, Marge by Shari Hearn
The Birthday Treasure Mystery by Kaylee Huyser
Birthday Party by Marne Davis Kellogg
Murder with a Twist by Tracy Kiely
Birthday Party by C.H.B Kitchin and Adrian Wright
Spiced by Gina LaManna 

The Birthday Girl by Stephen Leather
The Birthday Murder by Lange Lewis
Creme Brulee Murder by Harper Lin
The Old Die Young by Richard Lockridge
The Birthday Killer by W. Kay Lynn
Birthdays for the Dead by Stuart McBride

False Scent by Ngaio Marsh
The Birthday Mystery by Faith Martin
The Birthday Party by Laurent Mauvignier
Birthday Party Murder by Leslie Meier 

Birthday Cake Bloodshed by Addison Moore

Many Deadly Returns by Patricia Moyes
The Body in the Casket by Katherine Hall Page
A Birthday Murder by Olivia Page

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett 

21st Birthday by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro 
Birthday, Deathday; The Cannibal Who Overate by Hugh Pentecost
The Birthday Club by Jack Peterson

Murder and Meringue Cake by Rosie A. Point
The Birthday Party by W. Price
Birthday Dance by Peter Robinson
Birthdays are Murder by Cindy Sample

The Birthday Bash by Elizabeth Sorrells
Don't Scream by Wendy Corsi Staub
Birthday Cake and a Murder by Kathleen Suzette

Sharpe Turn by Lisa B. Thomas
The Day After the Party by Nicole Trope

Fear in the Sunlight by Nicola Upson
The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell

The Birthday Present by Barbara Vine
Cakes for Your Birthday by C.E. Vulliamy

The Birthday Surprise by Clara Vulliamy (Children's) 
A Birthday Lunch by Martin Walker
The Birthday Girl by Sarah Ward

The Birthday by Elizabeth Wells
The Mortician's Birthday Party by Peter Whalley
Birthday Girl by Niko Wolf

The Fortieth Birthday Body by Valerie Wolzien
Happy Birthday Murder by Rachel Woods
The Birthday by Carol Wyer
The Birthday by Margaret Yorke

Short Story:

"The Birthday Dinner" by Donna Andrews in Death Dines In, edited by Claudia Bishop & Dean James

Children's: 

    Cam Jansen and the Birthday Mystery by David A. Adler, Illustrated by Susanna Natti
    The Birthday Party Mystery by Fran Manushkin

AUTHORS & THEIR CATS: P.D. JAMES

Happy Caturday! Today I'm continuing my Authors & their Cats feature. Here's a great photo of mystery author P.D. James and her cat!

LONDON MYSTERIES II: Mystery Readers Journal (41:1)

When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford

--Samuel Johnson.

Mystery Readers Journal: London Mysteries II (41:1)  is available as a PDF and Hardcopy. In this issue you’ll find author essays, reviews, and articles for mysteries set in London. 

London Mysteries II

Volume 41, No. 1, Spring 2025

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARTICLES

• The Lost Rivers of London by Aubrey Nye Hamilton
• London Mysteries and the First Armchair Detective by Ashley Bowden
• Charlie Chan in London: Beyond Earl Derr Biggers by Rush Glick
• R. Austin Freeman’s London- Based Detective, Dr. John Thorndyke by Andrew McAleer
• Mysterious London Walks by Linda Triegel

AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

• A Sherlock Holmes Pastiche? How Hard Could That Be? by J. F. Benedetto
• London Via Pepys by Ellis Blackwood
• Why I Write About London by Rhys Bowen
• There’s a Jumper in the Boot: Writing British Mysteries for an American Audience by Anne Cleeland
• The Main Stage by Daniel Cole
• So You Want to Write a London Mystery! by Susan Courtright
• Sherlock’s London by Leonard Goldberg
• Robbie’s Wife by Russell Hill
• Fake It Till You Make It, Then Fake It Some More by Alex Grecian
• Jason Davey’s London by Winona Kent
• London Mysteries: History and Crime in the Capital by Anna Sayburn Lane
• Victorian London: City of Mists, Shadows… and Murder by Patrice McDonough
• London’s Urban Armada by Melinda Mullet
• Christie’s Influence on a Victorian-Era Mystery by Neil Plakcy
• London Ghost Story by Lev Raphael
• London Calling by Katherine Reay
• Taking a Bite Out of Food Crime by Jennifer Slee
• The Big Smoke: A Dirty Crime Muse with Spangled Bangs and a Caustic Heart by Saira Viola
• A Long Con in London by Cathi Stoler
• Art, History and Galleries of Beauties at Hampton Court Palace by Nina Wachsman

COLUMNS

• Mystery in Retrospect: Reviews, by Martin Edwards, Aubrey Nye Hamilton, Lesa Holstine, Kathy Boone Reel, Margaret Morse, L.J. Roberts, Craig Sisterson, Lucinda Surber, Linda Triegel, Kate Derie
• Children’s Hour: London Mysteries by Gay Toltl Kinman
• Crime Seen: View from the London Eye by Kate Derie
• Creasey’s Cops by Jim Doherty
• From the Editor’s Desk by Janet A. Rudolph

***

We had so many articles and reviews that we divided the material into two issues. Mystery Readers Journal: London Mysteries I (40:4) is still available. 

Subscribe now in order to be sure to receive a copy of London Mysteries II--and the other three issues for 2025: Themes: London II; Retail Sales; Northern California; Cross-Genre Mysteries. 

If you're a PDF subscriber, you should receive download instructions shortly. Hard copy subscription copies should be received by the end of the week. International subscribers will receive their issues within two weeks. 

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

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

***

FYI: We had two other themed issues on London in 2011. Both are available as PDFs. 

London Mysteries I: Volume 27:1 (2011) 

 and 

London Mysteries II: Volume 27:2 (2011) 

I know you’ll order them all in order to find new books and authors to expand your reading!