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 animalsDid 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. 

Our newest novel is Kauai Spies and Bald-faced Liessequel to Kent & Katcha: Espionage, Spycraft, RomanceCheck us out at www.magicile.com.  

Monday, June 22, 2026

FINGERPRINT AWARD WINNERS 2026


The Capital Crime Festival  (London, UK) announced the winners of its annual Fingerprint Awards, which champion the very best in crime writing from the past year across the globe, as voted for by readers. The shortlists were selected by the festival’s board members from a longlist curated by the Tastemakers Committee, a panel of leading independent bloggers and reviewers, who championed their standout titles across each category. 
 
Audiobook of the Year
  • Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell 
True Crime Book of the Year
  • Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abue and Fighting for Justice by Virginia Roberts-Guiffre 
Debut Crime Book
  • Deadline by  Steph McGovern 
Genre-Busting Book
  • Kill Them with Kindness by Will Carver 
Historical Crime Book of the Year
  • Burning Grounds by Abir Mukherjee
Thriller Book of the Year
  • Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell.   

  • Overall Crime Book of the Year
  • The Final Vow by M W Craven



Sunday, June 21, 2026

INSPECTOR ELLIS: Season 2



Inspector Ellis, Season 2,  premieres on Acorn TV, Monday, July 6, 2026. Starring Sharon D Clarke as Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Ellis and Andrew Gower as Detective Sergeant (DS) Harper, this four-episode season follows the duo as they work through failing murder investigations across the UK. 

I really like this series. Be sure and watch series 1. It's still available on Acorn. 

Friday, June 19, 2026

THE THIN MAN Martini Montage: National Martini Day!


Today is National Martini Day! Nick & Nora are icons of the martini. Enjoy this Thin Man Martini Montage while drinking a Thin Man Martini. 

Be sure to scroll down and watch "The Thin Man Martini Montage"

Thin Man Martini

Ingredients 
1 1/2 ounces gin 
1/2 ounce dry vermouth 
Garnish: Spanish olive (with stuffed pimento) 

Directions
Add gin and vermouth to mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. 
Strain into  chilled martini glass. 
Garnish with small Spanish olive with stuffed pimento.

Thursday, June 18, 2026

FATHER'S DAY MYSTERIES // FATHER'S DAY CRIME FICTION

Father's Day: A day to celebrate Dad. 
My father was the ultimate reader. His idea of a great vacation was sitting in a chair reading a mystery. It didn't mattered that he was home, the book took him miles away -- and he was comfortable!

Even now after he's been gone these many years, I find myself finishing a mystery and saying to myself, "I have to send this to Dad. He'll love it." It always makes me sad to remember I can't. My father engendered my love of mysteries through his collection of mystery novels and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazines. I like to think he's up there somewhere in a comfortable chair surrounded by books, reading a good mystery.

This year I've included True Crime, as well as fiction, on my Father's Day list. I've also included more Short Stories and a Graphic Novel. And, of course, I've updated the list. Let me know if I've missed any titles/authors.

FATHER'S DAY MYSTERIES

Father’s Day by John Calvin Batchelor
The Forgotten Man by Robert Crais
Father’s Day by Rudolph Engelman
Father's Day: A Detective Joe Guerry Story by Tippie Rosemarie Fulton
Father’s Day Keith Gilman 
Dear Old Dead by Jane Haddam
The Father’s Day Murder by Lee Harris
Day of Reckoning by Kathy Herman
Dead Water by Victoria Houston
Father's Day Fugitive by Tonya Kappes
Father's Day by Richard Madeley
Father’s Day Murder by Leslie Meier
On Father's Day by Megan Norris
Father’s Day by Alan Trustman

Murder for Father, edited by Martin Greenberg (short stories)
"Father's Day" by Patti Abbott --short story at Spinetingler
Collateral Damage: A Do Some Damage Collection  e-book of Father's Day themed short stories.
"Where's Your Daddy?" by Sue Ann Jaffarian

**
And a list of Crime Fiction that focuses on Fathers and Sons and Fathers and Daughters. Have a favorite Father / Son Father/Daughter Mystery? Post below in comments or send me a note.



FATHERS AND SONS and FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS in CRIME FICTION

The Stay at Home Dad series by Jeffrey Allen
Carriage Trade by Stephen Birmingham
His Father's Son by Tony Black
Her Father's Secret by Sara Blaedel
The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian
The Lonely Witness by William Boyle
The Controller by Matt Brolly
All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage
Secret Father by James Carroll
The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter
The President's Daughter by Bill Clinton & James Patterson
The Hasidic Rebbe's Son by Joan Lipinsky Cochran
The Girl Can't Help It (and others in the series) by Max Allan Collins
Hot Plastic by Peter Craig
The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne 
The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron
Killings by Andre Dubus
The Perfect Father by Charlotte Duckworth
Lars and Little Olduvai by Keith Spencer Felton
The Dead Daughter by Thomas Fincham
Unsub by Meg Gardner   
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
The Dead Fathers Club by Matt Haig
Gnosis by Rick Hall
Atticus by Ron Hansen
King of Lies by John Hart
Damage by Josephine Hart
The Good Father by Noah Hawley
1922; The Shining by Stephen King
Revival Season by Bharti Kirchner    
Cold in July by Joe R. Lansdale
A Perfect Spy by John LeCarre 
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Charlie Chan Returns by Dennis Lynds
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Darksight by D.C. Mallery
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
Blood Grove by Walter Mosley 
The Son by Jo Nesbo
Beijing Payback by Daniel Nieh
Ali Cross: Like Father, Like Son by James Patterson
The President's Daughter by James Patterson & Bill Clinton
Sherlock Holmes Dark Son, Dark Father by John Pirillo
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
The Roman Hat Mystery; other novels by Ellery Queen (Manfred B. Lee and Frederic Dannay)
My Son, the Murderer by Patrick Quentin
Paperback Original by Will Rhode
The Senior Sleuths: Dead in Bed by Marcia Rosen
Baby's First Felony by John Straley
The Father by Anton Swenson
City on the Edge by David Swinson
To Die in California by Newton Thornburg
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti
Father's Day by Simon Van Booy
The Second Son by Jordan Wells
The Ones Who Do by Daniel Woodrell 

True Crime: So very, very dark! Disturbing...but a new category on the list!

Incident at Big Sky by Johnny France and Malcolm Mcconnell
Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss
Murder in Little Egypt by Darcy O'Brien
If I Can't Have Them by Gregg Olsen
The Poison Tree by Alan Prendergast
Above Suspicion; Death Sentence by Joe Sharkey
Fred & Rose by Howard Sounes

Short Stories: 

"Father's Day" by Michael Connelly in Blue Murder
A Holiday Sampler by Christine Collier
Where's Your Daddy? (Holidays from Hell Short Story Series) by Sue Ann Jaffarian
Murder for Father, Edited by Martin Greenberg, stories by Ruth Rendell, Ed Gorman, Max Allan Collins, Bill Crider and more

Graphic Novels:

Father's Day by Mike Richardson, Illustrated by Gabriel Guzman




Monday, June 15, 2026

Mapback Mondays: Leslie Ford's The Philadelphia Murder Story

Today, I'm revising Mapback Mondays

Dell Mapback Books 
were printed in the 1940s and 50s, and they were something really special! They were great paperbacks, not only for the books themselves, but for the sturdy laminated covers that also had maps of the scene of the crime on the back! How cool is that? 

For a history of Dell Mapbacks, read J. Kingston Pierce's Dell Mapbacks: a History in CrimeReads

So to begin Mapback Mondays, here's the cover and mapback from Leslie Ford's The Philadelphia Murder Story! I'm from Philadelphia originally, so I'm drawn to everything Philly! This Mapback features lots of my haunts--well maybe not the Police Station. And the mystery is a 'bibliomystery'. What's not to love?

"The Death of an Author Upsets Society and The SatEvePost in "the Philadelphia Murder Story"  



Saturday, June 13, 2026

SUMMER CAMP MYSTERIES


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

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

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

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


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

So in regards to mystery fiction, there are so many ways to commit crimes at summer camp, and some to those crimes never got reported and festered for years leading way to the unsolved crimes later in life. Summer camp was clearly not all S'mores and the Lake. I've separated out the YA and children's crime fiction from the adult summer camp mysteries on my Summer Camp List, but there really is a cross-over between YA and adult. I didn't include a bunch of horror summer camp mysteries. Sorry..just not my thing. And, FYA, there are a lot of them. No surprise there!

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

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

Summer Camp Mysteries: Updated List

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kaylynn Bayron
If You Tell a Lie by Lucinda Berry
The Camp by Nancy Bush
A Murder Most Camp by Nicolas DiDomizio
Summer Camp Culprit by C.K. Fyfe
The Counselors by Jessica Goodman
You Will Pay by Lisa Jackson
The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson
Fatal Glitch: Camp Zero by Erin Estrada Kelly
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka
Camp So-and-So by Mary McCoy
The Wild One by Colleen McKeegan
I'll Never Tell by Catherine McKenzie
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
The Lake by Natasha Preston
The Girl in the Mist by A.J. Rivers
Don't Lie to Me by Willow Rose
The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
Summer Camp for Slasher Victims by Steve Simms

YA & Children's Books:

The Summer Camp Mysteries (Cam Jansen Mysteries) by David A. Adler
The Meadow-Brook Girls Under Canvas by Janet Aldridge
You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
The Summer Camp Science Mysteries by Lynda Beauregard, Der-shing Helmer
Camp Murder Face by Josh Berk & Saundra Mitchell
Code Name Cassandra by Jenny Carroll (Meg Cabot)
The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan
Mystery at Camp Windingo by Lisa Eisenberg
The High School Boys in Summer Camp by H. Irving Hancock
The Girls from Hush Cabin by Marie Hoy-Kenny
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
Dig Two Graves by Gretchen McNeil
Detective Camp by Ron Roy (Scholastic)
Primal Animals by Julia Lynn Rubin
Lights Out; The Horror at Camp Jellyjam by R.L. Stine
The Summer Camp Mystery (The Boxcar Children) by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Scatter: Her Summer at Girls Camp by Leslie Warren
Camp Creepy by Kiersten White

Short Stories:

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

Thursday, June 11, 2026

New Hercule Poirot Series featuring the young Hercule Poirot


Edward Bluemel has been cast as the youngest Hercule Poirot for a new series starting in 2027. The BBC shared that it plans to run for three seasons, with the first season slated for release in 2027 with six episodes.  

The iconic detective, who once described himself as "the greatest detective in the world" in Agatha Christie's The Mystery of the Blue Train, will get its youngest iteration, with the BBC making it clear that the younger generation is who to turn to for successful TV shows. The  new series will follow Poirot's earlier years. The idea is that it will be "an intimate study of Hercule," looking at the character's growth between the wars. With the time period, it means we're getting a look at the sleuth before he became the well-known detective everyone turned to for help with solving crimes. 

There have been many great actors in this role before Bluemel, with David Suchet being the man everyone immediately thinks of. Suchet took on the role in 1989 and continued for 24 seasons across a total of 70 episodes. Most recently, Kenneth Branagh has played the iconic character, and before him, Peter Ustinov played the role for the 1978 movie Death on the Nile and the 1982 release Death Under the Sun. David Suchet played the Belgian detective for nearly 25 years in the ITV series; Kenneth Branagh, Albert Finney, and Peter Ustinov, among others, have also played Poirot. 

Whether the new series asks Bluemel to adopt Poirot’s appearance —  waxed moustaches and a fastidious sense of fashion — remains to be seen. 

BritBox and the BBC have titled the new production 'Hercule'. The new six-part series will follow the the young Hercule Porot as he solves his first-ever cases before becoming the world’s most iconic sleuth. Filming begins this summer with a 2027 air date. 

Friday, June 5, 2026

PRINT EDITION NOW AVAILABLE: Fairs, Fêtes, & Festivals in Mysteries- Mystery Readers Journal

Mystery Readers Journal: Fairs, Fêtes, & Festivals in Mysteries (42:1) is now available in print. 

Purchase the Print Edition here.

This issue is also available as a PDF. 

Fairs, Fêtes, & Festivals in Mysteries

Volume 42, No. 1, Spring 2026

Fairs, Fetes and Festivals cover

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLES

  • May Day, Maypoles, and Morris Dancing Mysteries (and a Recipe for Maypole Chocolate Cake) by Janet Rudolph
  • The Fête of Mortals—The Trigger for Crime by Alan Cassady-Bishop
  • Graham Greene: The Man for a White Elephant Stall by Moira Redmond
AUTHOR! AUTHOR!
  • Murder Can’t Stop de Carnival—or Writing About It! by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier
  • Spectacles, Sangria, and Selkies by Rowan Dillon
  • Celebrating Crime on the Page, with the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries by Leslie Budewitz
  • There is Nothing Better Than a Fair or Festival by Nancy Coco
  • Searching for Carnevale by Yves Fey
  • Faire at a Fire Station Sparks a Mystery Plot by Nancy Lynn Jarvis
  • Summer Festivals Are Hot in a Wintry City by Janice MacDonald
  • Why I Set My Murder Mystery at an English Literary Festival by Mark McCrumb
  • World’s Fairs as Bookends to a Mystery Series by Frances McNamara
  • Asian Festivals & Fairs by Larry and Rosemary Mild
  • Murder Under the Bunting: Festivals as Crime Scenes by Neil S. Plakcy
  • Round and Round: Why We Can’t Resist a Carousel by Bernard O’Keefe
  • Murder Midst the Bunting by Ann Sutton
  • Mardi Gras State of Mind by Martha Reed
  • Come Taste My Wine: The Balmetto Festival in Borgofranco d’Ivrea by D.R. Ransdell
  • What’s Fair About It? by Nancy Wikarski
  • Comic Cons Make Murder Mysteries More Fun! by Melissa Westemeier
COLUMNS
  • Mystery in Retrospect: Reviews by Lesa Holstine and Aubrey Nye Hamilton
  • Children’s Hour: Fairs, Fêtes, & Festivals in Mysteries by Gay Toltl Kinman
  • Real Crime at Fêtes and Festivals by Cathy Pickens
  • From the Editor’s Desk by Janet Rudolph
***

Going to a State Fair this summer? Will you be in D.C?  Don't miss the State Fairs: Growing American Craft at the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian. Through September 7. 

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

2026 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Writers of Color Award: Jackie Yap


Sisters in Crime, an inclusive international community for all who write and love crime fiction, announced the winner of the Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color, which is bestowed by the organization annually.
 
The winner of the 2026 Award is Jackie Yap, a self-described “neurodivergent Australian-born, Malaysian-Chinese-Filipina emerging writer on Gadigal Country (Sydney), Australia.” Her winning submission, “Isabelle Gomez is Innocent, She Swears!,”  is a YA cozy murder mystery set in Manila. The story is part-murder mystery, part-fish-out-of-water, part coming-of-age—with universal themes of humor, heart, and belonging.
 
Established in 2014, The Eleanor Taylor Bland Award is strongly aligned with SinC's mission to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of current and prospective members and intends to support a recipient at the beginning of their crime writing career. The grantee may choose to apply the grant toward workshops, seminars, conferences, retreats, online courses and research activities to assist in completion of their work. 
 
The award is named after beloved crime writer Eleanor Taylor Bland, who was a trailblazer in the genre - giving voice to complex and diverse characters in her many acclaimed novels and works. 
 
“This grant is a game-changer,” Yap said. “It allows me to invest deeply in my craft and development through SinC, with its world-class workshops and amazing community, and to more deeply engage with Australian and international crime and mystery organisations.”
 
Yap described her story as a “ love letter to diaspora kids everywhere—to those who live in the liminal space between worlds, still discovering who they are, where they fit, and what 'home' truly means. I hope for Izzy Gomez to become a fresh, modern-day Filipina-Aussie Nancy Drew for readers everywhere, offering a protagonist who reflects their experiences against the backdrop of a (cozy) YA murder mystery.”
 
In addition to Yap's achievement, Sisters in Crime also named five runners-up. The recipients were Uju Asika of London, United Kingdom; Billie Hanson-Dupree of Oakland, CA; Nina Michiko Tam of Houston, Texas; D. S. Mori of Orange County, California; and DeAnna Yvette of Chicago, IL.