Monday, July 13, 2026
THE MARLOW MURDER CLUB: Season 3 News
I've watched the first two episodes, and they're terrific. I love this series, and the first two episodes (one story) involve a poison garden. Well, that's right up my alley. As many of you know I have a great garden, divided into individual patches. Although I used to have a designated poison garden, I now have only some poisonous plants incorporated into my other garden plots. Still, I loved seeing a dedicated poison garden, replete with signage. So beautiful--and deadly. And, not a secret, but fun was the guest appearance of Peter Davidson. Such fun! Everything about The Marlow Murder Club appeals to me--the acting, the setting, the house, the river, the gardens. Mark your calendar for September 6!
Season 3: Returning to solve more complex and intriguing murders in Marlow are meticulous crossword-setter Judith Potts (Samantha Bond), pillar of the community and vicar’s wife Becks Starling (Cara Horgan), and no-nonsense dog walker Suzie Harris (Jo Martin). Working tirelessly alongside DI Tanika Malik (Natalie Dew) and her police team, our crime-solving trio put their unconventional methods into practice to catch the killers in six new episodes. There will be three two-part stories.
Friday, July 10, 2026
Thursday, July 9, 2026
The Chelsea Detective News
Just watched the first two episodes of Season 4 in advance, and they are really good. Great acting, good plots, and terrific Chelsea-centric ambiance. Hope you like the season. I only wish there were more than 4 episodes.
Season 4 sees DI Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough, Falling, Killing Eve, 1917) and DS Layla Walsh (Vanessa Emme, Dublin Murders, Three Families) return to tackle new murder cases within the elite world of Chelsea. The detective duo, together with their team, delve once more into the darker side of Chelsea that lurks beneath its glossy façade.
Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Macavity Award Nominations 2026
The Macavity Award is named after Macavity: The Mystery Cat, in T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats! Scroll down to read the poem.
The Macavity Awards are nominated and voted on by members of Mystery Readers International, subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal, and friends of MRI. Congratulations to all!
Ballots will be sent out next week to members of MRI, subscribers to MRJ, and to friends of MRI. Look for it in your email. Winners will be announced this Fall.
Want to be a member/subscriber, go here. Mystery Readers Journal themes for 2026: Fairs, Fetes, and Festivals; Mysteries set in France; Cross-Genre Mysteries; and Mysteries set in India.
Macavity Nominations 2026 (for works published in 2025)
Best Mystery Novel
Crooks by Lou Berney (William Morrow)
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)
Clown Town by Mick Herron (Soho Crime)
River of Lies by James L'Etoile (Oceanview Publishing)
The White Crow by Michael Robotham (Scribner)
All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Minotaur Books)
Best First Mystery
Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku (Minotaur Books)
Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (Bantam Books)
Voices of the Elysian Fields by Michael Rigg (Level Best Books)
Stillwater by Tanya Scott (Grove Atlantic)
History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook (Soho Press)
Best Mystery Nonfiction
Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover's Travel Guide to New England by Dawn M. Barclay (Level Best Books)
Blood and the Badge: The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked the Nation by Michael Cannell (Minotaur Books)
Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser (Penguin Press)
V Is for Venom: Agatha Christie's Chemicals of Death by Kathryn Harkup (Bloomsbury Sigma)
Edgar Allan Poe: A Life by Richard Kopley (University of Virginia Press)
Cooler than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard by C.M. Kushins (Mariner Books)
Best Mystery Short Story
“Six-Armed Robbery” by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier (in Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, edited by John Betancourt, Carla Coupe, and Michael Bracken, Wildside Press)
“Hollywood Prometheus” by Christa Faust (in Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West, Bywater Books)
“Finding Jimmy Baldwin” by Cheryl Head (in Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West, Bywater Books)
“The Devil Himself” by Vaseem Khan (in Double Crossing Van Dine, edited by Donna Andrews, Greg Herren, and Art Taylor, Crippen & Landru Publishers)
“The Skies Are Red” by Richie Narvaez (in On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology, edited by Curtis Ippolito, Rock and a Hard Place Press)
“Julius Katz Draws a Straight Flush” by Dave Zeltserman (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Sept/Oct 2025)
Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery
Bye Bye Blackbird by Elizabeth Crowens (Level Best Books)
A Daughter's Guide to Mothers and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Kensington Books)
City Lights by Claire M. Johnson (Level Best Books)
The Case of the Christie Conspiracy by Kelly Oliver (Boldwood Books)
The Case of the Missing Maid by Rob Osler (Kensington Books)
No. 10 Doyers Street by Radha Vatsal (Level Best Books)
***
Macavity: The Mystery Cat by T.S. Eliot
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime—Macavity’s not there!
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime—Macavity’s not there!
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime—Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air—
But I tell you once and once again, Macavity’s not there!
He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime—Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air—
But I tell you once and once again, Macavity’s not there!
Macavity’s a ginger cat, he’s very tall and thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed;
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake.
You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed;
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake.
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square—
But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!
For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square—
But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!
He’s outwardly respectable. (They say he cheats at cards.)
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard’s.
And when the larder’s looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke’s been stifled,
Or the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair—
Ay, there’s the wonder of the thing! Macavity’s not there!
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard’s.
And when the larder’s looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke’s been stifled,
Or the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair—
Ay, there’s the wonder of the thing! Macavity’s not there!
And when the Foreign Office find a Treaty’s gone astray,
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair—
But it’s useless to investigate—Macavity’s not there!
And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say:
‘It must have been Macavity!’—but he’s a mile away.
You’ll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs;
Or engaged in doing complicated long division sums.
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair—
But it’s useless to investigate—Macavity’s not there!
And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say:
‘It must have been Macavity!’—but he’s a mile away.
You’ll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs;
Or engaged in doing complicated long division sums.
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare:
At whatever time the deed took place—MACAVITY WASN’T THERE!
And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare:
At whatever time the deed took place—MACAVITY WASN’T THERE!
And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!
Monday, July 6, 2026
BRITISH CRIME WRITERS' ASSOCIATION (CWA) 2026 DAGGER AWARD WINNERS
The British Crime Writers' Association. (CWA) announced the winners of the 2026 Dagger Awards. Congratulations to All.
KAA Gold Dagger:
• The Death of Us, by Abigail Dean (Hemlock Press)Ian Fleming Steel Dagger:
• King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby (Headline)
ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-fiction:
• That Dark Spring, by Susannah Stapleton (Picador)
Historical Dagger:
• A Granite Silence, by Nina Allan (Riverrun)
Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger:
• The Winter Job, by Antti Tuomainen, translated by David Hackston (Orenda)
Whodunnit Dagger (for “cosy crime, traditional mysteries, and Golden Age crime” stories):
• A Murder for Miss Hortense, by Mel Pennant (Baskerville)
Twisted Dagger (for “psychological and suspense thrillers”):
• We Live Here Now, by Sarah Pinborough (Orion)
ILP John Creasey (First Novel) Dagger:
• The Peak, by Sam Guthrie (HarperCollins)
Short Story Dagger:
• “The Apple Falls Not Far,” by Ambrose Perry (Canongate)
Emerging Author (for unpublished novels):
• Blind Side of the Sun, by Michael Nikitin
Dagger in the Library (“for a body of work by an established crime writer that has long been popular with borrowers from libraries”):
• Tim Sullivan
Publishers’ Dagger (“awarded annually to the Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year”):
• Bitter Lemon Press
Diamond Dagger:
Mark Billingham
Saturday, July 4, 2026
May the Fourth be with You: Vintage Fireworks Fourth of July Postcards!
Fireworks have been a part of Independence Day celebrations for 250 years. Fireworks, though, can be dangerous, especially for children. That's why I find these Vintage Postcards so odd. Today this would be considered "child endangerment." Have a safe Fourth of July... with Liberty and Justice for All!
Friday, July 3, 2026
FOURTH OF JULY MYSTERIES//JULY 4 CRIME FICTION
The Fourth of July (Independence Day)
used to be one of my favorite holidays, maybe because I was born in
Philadelphia, the birthplace of our nation. 250 years is a big deal! Celebrate the Flag, the Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution. Celebrate this great group of mysteries that take place on the holiday! And don't miss my upcoming Summertime Mysteries List, Summer Sleuthing: Lazy, Hazy, Murderous Days of Summer! Be sure and check back.
As always, let me know if I've missed any titles. This is an updated list.
Fourth of July Mysteries
The Fourth of July Wake by Harold Adams
Sweet Tea and Secrets by Joy Avon
Murder on Parade by Donald Bain (as Jessica Fletcher)
Home of the Brave by Donna Ball
Bomb Pop Threat by Christy Barritt
Hair of the Dog by Laurien Berenson
Murder by Fireworks by Susan Bernhardt
Jealousy Filled Donuts by Ginger Bolton
Plot Boiler by Ali Brandon
The Cat Who Went Underground by Lilian Jackson Braun
Rockets' Red Glare by Lynn Cahoon
A Zoom with a View by Jess Cannon
Sweet Tea and Secrets by Joy Avon
Murder on Parade by Donald Bain (as Jessica Fletcher)
Home of the Brave by Donna Ball
Bomb Pop Threat by Christy Barritt
Hair of the Dog by Laurien Berenson
Murder by Fireworks by Susan Bernhardt
Jealousy Filled Donuts by Ginger Bolton
Plot Boiler by Ali Brandon
The Cat Who Went Underground by Lilian Jackson Braun
Rockets' Red Glare by Lynn Cahoon
A Zoom with a View by Jess Cannon
The Chocolate Frog Frame-Up by JoAnna Carl
Gone with the Whisker by Laurie Cass
Dead on the 4th of July by Meg Chittenden
Someone to Watch Over Me by Jill Churchill
Independence Day by Anne-Marie Clark
Twanged by Carol Higgins Clark
Independene Day by Ben Coes
Dead on the 4th of July by Meg Chittenden
Someone to Watch Over Me by Jill Churchill
Independence Day by Anne-Marie Clark
Twanged by Carol Higgins Clark
Independene Day by Ben Coes
Oh Say Can You Fudge by Nancy Coco
Star Tangled Murder by Nancy J. Cohen
BlackBuried Pie by Lyndsey Cole
Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle
The Carousel of Death by Elisabeth Crabtree
A Catered Fourth of July by Isis Crawford
Murder on the 4th of July by P. Creeden
Red, White, and Blue Murder by Bill Crider
Firework Fiasco; Fireworks in Paradise by Kathi Daley
BlackBuried Pie by Lyndsey Cole
Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle
The Carousel of Death by Elisabeth Crabtree
A Catered Fourth of July by Isis Crawford
Murder on the 4th of July by P. Creeden
Red, White, and Blue Murder by Bill Crider
Firework Fiasco; Fireworks in Paradise by Kathi Daley
Framed and Frosted by Kim Davis
Guilty as Charred by Devon Delaney
Blood Red, White and Blue by Kathleen Delaney
Dead on the Fourth of July by R. E. Derouin
Four Dog's Sake by Lia Farrell
Blackberry Burial by Sharon Farrow
One Fete in the Grave by Vickie Fee
Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Independence Slay by Shelley Freydont
Booneville Retribution by S. Furlong-Bollinger
Mistaken Identity by Patricia Gligor
Katelyn's Killer by John Gordon
Born on the 4th of July by Heather Graham
Born on the 4th of July by Heather Graham
Tool & Die, Triple Witch; Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake by Sarah Graves
Red, White and Blueberry Murder by Susan Gillard
Light my Firecracker by Carolyn Gregg
Act Of Darkness by Jane Haddam
Bowled Over by Victoria Hamilton
Yankee Doodle Dead; Dead, White and Blue by Carolyn Hart
Fourth of July Fatality by Kelly Hashway
Red, White and Blueberry Murder by Susan Gillard
Light my Firecracker by Carolyn Gregg
Act Of Darkness by Jane Haddam
Bowled Over by Victoria Hamilton
Yankee Doodle Dead; Dead, White and Blue by Carolyn Hart
Fourth of July Fatality by Kelly Hashway
Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson
Past Imperfect by Kathleen Hills
Death of a Cookbook Author by Lee Hollis
The Ghost Who Lied by Bobbie Holmes
The Falls: Fourth of July by George Jackson
Exit Wounds by J. A. Jance
Fourth of July Forgery by Tonya Kappes
Death of a Cookbook Author by Lee Hollis
The Ghost Who Lied by Bobbie Holmes
The Falls: Fourth of July by George Jackson
Exit Wounds by J. A. Jance
Fourth of July Forgery by Tonya Kappes
The Fourth of July by J.D. Kincaid
Murder Served Neat by Michelle Hillen Klump
4th of July in Sweetwater Country by Clara Knight
A Star-Spangled Mayfair by Kassandra Lamb
A Timely Vision; A Watery Death by Joyce and Jim Lavene
Silence of the Jams by Gayle Leeson
Die Like a Hero by Clyde Linsley
The July Girls by Phoebe Locke
A Timely Vision; A Watery Death by Joyce and Jim Lavene
Silence of the Jams by Gayle Leeson
Die Like a Hero by Clyde Linsley
The July Girls by Phoebe Locke
Knee High by the Fourth of July by Jess Lourey
Dahlias and Death by London Lovett
Death on Nantucket by Francine Mathews
Left Hanging by Patricia McLinn
Star Spangled Murder by Leslie Meier
Cold Hard News by Maureen Milliken
Dahlias and Death by London Lovett
Death on Nantucket by Francine Mathews
Left Hanging by Patricia McLinn
Star Spangled Murder by Leslie Meier
Cold Hard News by Maureen Milliken
Flag Cake Felonies by Addison Moore
Manic in Christmas River; Mayhem in Christmas River; Mutts & Murder by Meg Muldoon
Bats and Bones Karen Musser Nortman
A Fifth for the 4th of July by Doug Olsen and Julie Gollan
Foal Play by Kathryn O'Sullivan
Iron Ties by Ann Parker
4th of July by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
The Body in the Birches by Katherine Hall Page
4th of July by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
Manic in Christmas River; Mayhem in Christmas River; Mutts & Murder by Meg Muldoon
Bats and Bones Karen Musser Nortman
A Fifth for the 4th of July by Doug Olsen and Julie Gollan
Foal Play by Kathryn O'Sullivan
Iron Ties by Ann Parker
4th of July by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
The Body in the Birches by Katherine Hall Page
4th of July by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
4th of July by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
King Suckerman by George P. Pelecanos
Murder is No Picnic by Amy Pershing
Murder is No Picnic by Amy Pershing
Can't Never Tell by Cathy Pickens
Final Resting Place by Jonathan Putnam
Three Woofs for the Dead, White and Plus by Laura Quinn
Three Woofs for the Dead, White and Plus by Laura Quinn
Dead, White, and Blue by Amy M. Reade
Spilling the Spice by Sheri Richey
Firecrackered by Patricia Rockwell
Death by Deep Dish Pie by Sharon Short
We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter
Firecrackered by Patricia Rockwell
Death by Deep Dish Pie by Sharon Short
We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter
The Dam Committee by Earl H. Smith
Killing Grounds by Dana Stabenow
And Four to Go ("Fourth of July Picnic") by Rex Stout
Independence Day Plague by Carla Lee Suson
Doggone Dead by Teresa Trent
Prepped for the Kill by A.E. H. Veenman
The 4th of July Can Be MURDER! by Dianne Warth Vereen
Thread and Gone by Lea Wait
Killing Grounds by Dana Stabenow
And Four to Go ("Fourth of July Picnic") by Rex Stout
Independence Day Plague by Carla Lee Suson
Doggone Dead by Teresa Trent
Prepped for the Kill by A.E. H. Veenman
The 4th of July Can Be MURDER! by Dianne Warth Vereen
Thread and Gone by Lea Wait
A Medium's 4th of July by Chariss K. Walker and Marty Parker
Firework Kisses and Summertime Wishes by Linda West
Independence Day Murder by Linnea West
Kaboom by J.A. Whiting and Nell McCarthy
Some Welcome Home by Sharon Wildwind
Mrs. Morris and the Sorceress by Traci Wilton
Star Spangled Murder by Valerie Wolzien
Happy 4th of July Murder by Rachel Woods
Independence Day Murder by Linnea West
Kaboom by J.A. Whiting and Nell McCarthy
Some Welcome Home by Sharon Wildwind
Mrs. Morris and the Sorceress by Traci Wilton
Star Spangled Murder by Valerie Wolzien
Happy 4th of July Murder by Rachel Woods
Embarking on Murder by Sue Owens Wright
Short Stories
Rex Stout's "Fourth of July Picnic" in Century of Great Suspense Stories, Edited by Jeff Deaver.
S. Furlong-Bolliger's "Booneville Retribution: 4th of July Mystery Short Story" in Kings River Life.
A Sparrow Falls Fourth of July in A Sparrow Falls Holiday by Donna McLean.
Children’s and YA Mysteries
Fireworks at the FBI (Capital Mysteries Series #6) by Ron Roy, Timothy Bush (Illustrator)
Murder On The Fourth of July by Carolyn Keene
The Philly Fake by David E. Kelly
Calendar Mysteries: July Jitters by Ron Roy and John Steven Gurney
The Fourth of July Fiasco by Jim McNeal
The Case of the July 4th Jinx by Lewis B. Montgomery and Amy Wummer
Murder On The Fourth of July by Carolyn Keene
The Philly Fake by David E. Kelly
Calendar Mysteries: July Jitters by Ron Roy and John Steven Gurney
The Fourth of July Fiasco by Jim McNeal
The Case of the July 4th Jinx by Lewis B. Montgomery and Amy Wummer
True Crime
Death on the Fourth of July: The Story of a Killing, a Betrayal, and Hate Crime in America by David A. Neiwert
As always, I welcome additions and comments.
Thursday, July 2, 2026
Private Eye Writers Of America 2026 Shamus Award Finalists
Private Eye Writers Of America 2026 Shamus Award Finalists
The finalists for 2026 The Private Eye Writers Of America Shamus Awards, for private eye novels and short stories first published in the United States in 2025, have just been announced. The winners will be announced at the 2026 Bouchercon‘s Opening Ceremonies in Calgary, Alberta.
The 2026 Shamus Awards Finalists
BEST PI HARDCOVER
The Big Empty by Robert Crais (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
Photograph by Brian Freeman (Blackstone Publishing)
Hatchet Girls by Joe R. Lansdale (Little, Brown and Company)
Gray Dawn by Walter Mosley (Little, Brown and Company)
Mirage City by Lev AC Rosen (Minotaur Books)
BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
Chase Harlem by Elise Burke Brown (Rising Action Publishing)
Miles in Time by Lee Mathew Goldberg (Wise Wolf Books)
Where the Bones Lie by Nick Kolakowski (Datura Books)
Shadow of the Eternal Watcher by Josh Mendoza (Inkshares)
The Witch’s Orchard by Archer Sullivan (Minotaur Books)
BEST ORIGINAL PAPERBACK P.I. NOVEL
The Hook and the Eye by Raymond Benson (Ian Fleming Publications)
Sunday or the Highway by Cindy Fazzi (Thomas & Mercer)
City Lights by Claire M. Johnson (Level Best Books)
Midnight Streets by Phil Lecomber (Titan Books)
Catch Me on a Blue Day by M.E. Proctor (Shotgun Honey Books)
BEST P.I. SHORT STORY
“The Roosevelt Affair” by Adam Meyer (Crimeucopia – Not So Frail Detective Agency, Murderous Ink Press)
“The One Cry” by F.H. Batacan (Accidents Happen, Soho Crime)
“Dr. Bones” by Libby Cudmore (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May/June)
“Hours on the Phone” by Gregory Fallis (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July/August)
“The Shadows” by Charles John Harper (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May/June)
Monday, June 29, 2026
Mapback Monday: Lenore Glen Offord's The Glass Mask
Lenore Glen OffordThe Glass Mask (1944) by , Dell #198 mapback edition, 1947. A Todd McKinnon book.
Lenore Glen Offord was a mystery writer and mystery reviewer in the San Francisco Bay Area. She won an Edgar Award for Outstanding Criticism in 1952. She published 12 novels, 8 of which were mysteries.
Saturday, June 27, 2026
GAIL BOWEN: R.I.P.
Gail Bowen whose Joanne Kilbourn mystery series garnished multiple awards and very satisfied readers for more than three decades, died on June 2026 in Regina, Saskatchewan, following a brief battle with cancer. She was 83. Her death was announced on June 26.
Bowen launched the Joanne Kilbourn series with Deadly Appearances in 1990, introducing a widowed mother, political analyst, and university professor who keeps finding herself drawn into criminal investigations across Saskatchewan. The series ran for more than 20 novels, including A Colder Kind of Death, which won the Arthur Ellis Award, and continued into her final years with titles like The Legacy (2023) and The Solitary Friend (2025). Many of the books were adapted as Canadian television movies by Shaftesbury Films, bringing Kilbourn to a national audience.
Beyond the novels, Bowen was a prolific playwright. Several of her works premiered at Regina’s Globe Theatre, among them ‘Dancing in Poppies’ and adaptations of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Peter Pan’, the latter featuring singer-songwriter Fred Penner as Captain Hook in a 2000 production. Her radio work for CBC included an adaptation of ‘Dr. Dolittle’ and ‘The World According to Charlie D.’, a play built around a radio talk-show host from her Kilbourn novels, which later expanded into a series of mystery novellas.
Bowen also gave back to the literary communities that shaped her, serving as writer-in-residence at the Toronto Reference Library, Calgary’s Memorial Park Library, and the Regina Public Library. A member of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, she leaves behind a body of work that helped define the Canadian mystery for a generation of readers.
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
National Typewriter Day: Giant Typewriter
Yesterday was National Typewriter Day. I imagine there are some people out there who have never seen one. Hopefully not too many. So for this holiday, from one of my favorite websites, Retronaut, comes these archival photos of the Giant Typewriter at the World's Fair 1940.
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
What If? Guest Post by Larry & Rosemary Mild
As authors, all of us resort to brainstorming at one time or another, looking for our next great plot. We unshackle our minds and freely fantasize. One day, delighting in our high-rise view of the Pacific Ocean, we wondered…What if we pursued some of our most ridiculous ideas that gave us a smile and a snicker before we discarded them?
What if Adam, the first man, had erectile disfunction. Where would the rest of us be? Or not be? Would some other being step up, some master intelligence, and become the top being on Earth? Don’t pooh-pooh too quickly. Some prize-winning authors have already run away with intelligent animals.
What if Eve, the first lady, resisted the evil snake and didn’t partake of the apple of knowledge? Would we still be a bunch of goody-two-feet running around with fig leaves? Why did Adam and Eve wear fig leaves when they were the only ones around? How much does a fig leaf cover, anyway? Were fig leaves plentiful, or were they wash-and-dry reusable? Do you properly wear them stem up or stem down?
What if the Tower of Babel construction was halted mid-height by lack of oxygen instead of language diversity? Would there have been mass unemployment of the workers? Did they receive unemployment compensation? What was the existing portion of the building used for afterward?
What if Noah cheated on the length of the cubit and built his ark too small? Which animals would he have to leave behind? Would he feel guilty about them? Would he have to build a second ark to accommodate all the animals? Did Noah’s wife nag him about leaving some behind? Did he brood about it every one of the forty days and nights of rain?
What if Joseph, who wore the snazzy jacket of many colors, was never kidnapped by his brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt? Who would have built all those pyramids? Would he still be able to predict fourteen years into the future from his dreams?
What if Moses hadn’t killed the cruel guard with the loose whip? Would he have remained a prince of Egypt and one day become Pharaoh? Would today’s Promised Land be located in Egypt? How much rewriting of the holy books would this cause?
What if David, the kid with a slingshot, missed Goliath altogether with his last rock? Is that why we are overrun by so many Philistine-types today? Did he at least look around for more rocks? Would Dave be in the market for a sports trainer or did he really need an optometrist for a new pair of glasses?
What if Daniel of the Lion’s Den fame was actually eaten by the lions? Did the lions get indigestion? Was he tasty or did he need seasoning? Can you blame the lions for disobeying menu orders from Upstairs when they were confined to a den?
What if Solomon couldn’t pass the third-grade intelligence or logic tests? Would he have become king? Would he have become confused when he needed to make decisions? Which of the two women claiming to be the mother would he have awarded the child?
What if there was only one universal language in the world? How would parents keep secrets from their kids? Would we lose all the idioms, double-meanings, and hard-to-pronounce words? What would we do with all our extra books and videos? What would become of language teachers and translators?
What if the Messiah actually came, but took one look at the chaos on Planet Earth, turned around, and went home?
* * * *
Not all of our fantasies focus on the biblical domain. What if George Somebody, trying to assemble Junior’s bicycle, grumbled, “I need an extra hand.” And he received one. What would he do with it afterward? Which hand would he use to zip his trousers?
* * * *
Back to reality in our condo as we watch ships enter and leave Honolulu Harbor. What if we unleash our lovable golden retriever and welcome back her owner, our disabled ex-cop-turned-PI? Yes, indeed. We’re writing the sequel to Copper and Goldie, 13 Tails of Mystery and Suspense in Hawaii (2019). Sam Nahoe will continue to hobble on his two canes as he stalks criminals and orders Goldie to chase them down.
* * * *
Not all of our fantasies focus on the biblical domain. What if George Somebody, trying to assemble Junior’s bicycle, grumbled, “I need an extra hand.” And he received one. What would he do with it afterward? Which hand would he use to zip his trousers?
* * * *
Back to reality in our condo as we watch ships enter and leave Honolulu Harbor. What if we unleash our lovable golden retriever and welcome back her owner, our disabled ex-cop-turned-PI? Yes, indeed. We’re writing the sequel to Copper and Goldie, 13 Tails of Mystery and Suspense in Hawaii (2019). Sam Nahoe will continue to hobble on his two canes as he stalks criminals and orders Goldie to chase them down.
Our newest novel is Kauai Spies and Bald-faced Lies—sequel to Kent & Katcha: Espionage, Spycraft, Romance. Check us out at www.magicile.com.
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