POSTER OF THE WEEK: A Library Champ

 Love this Vintage Library Poster!

Cartoon of the Day: House Hunting

 People like me!

Authors & their Cats: Edward Gorey

Happy Caturday! Authors & their Cats: Edward Gorey!

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

Buy this print edition! Also available as a downloadable PDF.

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!

• The Welsh Have a Word for It… by Cathy Ace

• 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

• It Takes a Village Fair: Setting the Stage for Murder by Paula Munier

• 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

• Crime Seen: Fun—and Fear—at the Fair by Kate Derie

• 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. 

Cartoon of the Day: The Perp

 

Cartoon of the Day: The Stacks

From Rhymes with Orange

 

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.

Cartoon of the Day: Happiness

 

CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE 2026

Crime Writers of Canada announced the winners of the 2026 Awards of Excellence

The Peter Robinson Award for Best Crime Novel (With a $1000 prize)

Louise Penny, The Black Wolf, Minotaur Books

Best Crime First Novel (Sponsored by Melodie Campbell with a $1000 prize)

Ray Critch, The Beltane Massacre, Breakwater Books

Best Crime Novel Set in Canada  (Sponsored by Shaftesbury with a $500 prize)

C.S. Porter, Salt on Her Tongue, Vagrant Press

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery (Sponsored by Jane Doe with a $500 prize)

Iona Whishaw, The Cost of a Hostage, TouchWood Editions

Best Crime Short Story (Sponsored by Crime Writers of Canada with a $200 prize)

Sylvia Maultash Warsh, “Polly Wants a Freaking Cracker”, Malice Domestic: Murder Most Humorous, Wildside Press

Best French Language Crime Book (Sponsored by Carrick Publishing with a $500 prize)

Maureen Martineau, Une nuit d’été à Littlebrook, Héliotrope

Best Juvenile / YA Crime Book (Sponsored by Superior Shores Press with a $250 prize)

Charis Cotter, The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall, Tundra Books

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book  (Sponsored by David Reid Simpson Law Firm (Hamilton) with a $300 prize)

Julian Sher & Lisa Fitterman, Hitman: The Untold Story of Canada’s Deadliest Assassin, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Best Unpublished Crime Novel manuscript written by an unpublished author  (Sponsored by ECW Press with a $500 prize)

Anne Burlakoff, Val's Story

CWA Dagger Shortlists

2026 Dagger Shortlists: British Crime Writers' Association. Congratulations to All.

KAA Gold Dagger:

• King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby (Headline)
• The Death of Us, by Abigail Dean (Hemlock Press)
• Not Quite Dead Yet, by Holly Jackson (Michael Joseph)
• The Girl in Cell A, by Vaseem Khan (Hodder Fiction)
• The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon (River Swift Press)
• The Art of a Lie, by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Mantle)

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger:
• The Midnight King, by Tariq Ashkanani (Viper)
• King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby (Headline)
• The Big Empty, by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster UK)
• A Sting in Her Tale, by Mark Ezra (No Exit Press)
• Such Quiet Girls, by Noelle Ihli (Pan)
• The Good Father, by Liam McIlvanney (Zaffre)
• We Are All Guilty Here, by Karin Slaughter (HarperCollins)

ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-fiction:
• Shadow of the Bridge: The Delphi Murders and the Dark Side of the American Heartland, by Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee (Pegasus Crime)
• The Spy in the Archive: How One Man Tried to Kill the KGB, by Gordon Corera (William Collins)
• The Murder Game, by John Curran (HarperCollins/Collins Crime Club)
• Murderland, by Caroline Fraser (Fleet)
• That Dark Spring, by Susannah Stapleton (Picador)
• The Illegals, by Shaun Walker (Profile)

Historical Dagger:
• A Granite Silence, by Nina Allan (Riverrun)
• Barvick Falls, by Rob McInroy (Tippermuir)
• The Devil’s Draper, by Donna Moor (Fly on the Wall Press)
• Gunner, by Alan Parks (Baskerville)
• The Art of a Lie, by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Mantle)
• A Case of Life and Limb, by Sally Smith (Raven)

Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger:
• Murder Mindfully, by Karsten Dusse,
translated by Florian Duijsens (Faber & Faber)
• The Lake, by Jørn Lier Horst,
translated by Anne Bruce (Penguin Random House)
• Red Water, by Jurica Pavičić,
translated by Matt Robinson (Bitter Lemon Press)
• Big Bad Wool, by Leonie Swann,
translated by Amy Bojang (Allison & Busby)
• The Winter Job, by Antti Tuomainen,
translated by David Hackston (Orenda)
• Strange Pictures, by Uketsu,
translated by Jim Rion (Pushkin Press)

Whodunnit Dagger (for “cosy crime, traditional mysteries, and Golden Age crime” stories):
• The Christmas Cracker Killer, by Alexandra Benedict (Simon & Schuster UK)
• Little Secrets, by Victoria Goldman (Three Crowns Publishing UK)
• Etiquette for Lovers and Killers, by Anna Fitzgerald Healy (Fleet)
• A Queer Case, by Robert Holtom (Titan)
• A Murder for Miss Hortense, by Mel Pennant (Baskerville)
• Bad Influence, by C.J. Wray (Orion)

Twisted Dagger (for “psychological and suspense thrillers”):
• What Happens in the Dark, by Kia Abdullah (HQ Fiction)
• Her Many Faces, by Nicci Cloke (Harvill Secker)
• Some of Us Are Liars, by Fiona Cummins (Macmillan)
• Scenes from a Tragedy, by Carole Hailey (Corvus)
• The Bodies, by Sam Lloyd (Bantam)
• We Live Here Now, by Sarah Pinborough (Orion)

ILP John Creasey (First Novel) Dagger:
• The Peak, by Sam Guthrie (HarperCollins)
• The Lost Detective, by Elspeth Latimer (Story Machine)
• The Wolf Tree, by Laura McCluskey (Hemlock Press)
• The Vanishing Place, by Zoë Rankin (Viper)
• Coram House, by Bailey Seybolt (Raven)
• Holy City, by Henry Wise (No Exit Press)

Short Story Dagger:
• “Split Your Silver Tongue,” by S.A. Cosby (from Birds, Strangers and Psychos: New Stories Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock, edited by Maxim Jakubowski; No Exit Press)
• “The Karpman Drama Triangle,” by Denise Mina (from Birds, Strangers and Psychos)
• “Full Circle,” by Abir Mukherjee (from Playing Dead: Short Stories in Honour of Simon Brett by Members of the Detection Club, edited by Martin Edwards; Severn House)
• “The Apple Falls Not Far,” by Ambrose Perry (Canongate)
• “Strangers on a School Bus,” by Peter Swanson (from Birds, Strangers and Psychos)
• “Waiting,” by Michael Wood (from Criminal Pursuits: This Is Me, edited by Samantha Lee Howe; Telos)

Emerging Author (for unpublished novels):
• Ill Met by Murder, by Rod Cookson
• The Man Who Fit the Case, by Sophia Georghiou
• Just a Simple Wedding, by Kate Koester
• The Fixer, by Lorna Mathew
• The Madam of Morningside, by Rebecca McFarland
• Blind Side of the Sun, by Michael Nikitin
• The Pattern of Absence, by Melisssa Tonkin

Dagger in the Library (“for a body of work by an established crime writer that has long been popular with borrowers from libraries”):
• Paula Hawkins
• J.D. Kirk
• Clare Mackintosh
• Freida McFadden
• Abir Mukherjee
• Tim Sullivan

Publishers’ Dagger (“awarded annually to the Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year”):
• Bitter Lemon Press
• Faber & Faber
• No Exit Press (Bedford Square)
• Pan Macmillan
• Simon & Schuster
• Viper (Profile)

Winners will be announced at the CWA gala in July.

HT: The Rap Sheet

Cartoon of the Day: Behind my Garden Gate

This comic from Rhymes with Orange definitely reflects my garden and my photography. I post a 'flower model'  (especially the roses) every day on Facebook with the caption: Behind my Garden Gate. 

  

The White Wolf: Novel and Origins - Guest Post by E.M. Westbrook

The Novel – Origins:  

My new wilderness adventure novel features a young wolf. This interest is in some ways not new since before I could even walk I’ve loved canines. I still have a photo with our family’s first dog, Jocko, a rag tag bundle of fun border collie. In those days we lived in the country and our parents knew that when my sister, cousin and me played outdoors we’d always be safe with Jocko by our side.  After I learned to read I was especially fond of animal novels – stories by Albert Payson Terhune about Lad, A Dog, Jack London’s White Fang, Farley Mowat’s Never Cry Wolf. Then, by a stroke of great good fortune, internationally celebrated wildlife artist, Robert Bateman was my high school home room teacher. One Thanksgiving he took some of his students with a special interest in nature up to Algonquin Park. Visiting the Algonquin wolf research unit was the highlight of the weekend. Imagine how thrilled we were to be allowed into one of the pens with a litter of wolf pups! For me, that experience ushered in a life-long love not just for domestic pets but for all wild animals. 

There is another way the past has influenced my new book. My parents divorced when I was thirteen years old. And as if losing my father was not enough, we also had to move away from a home I treasured. Now I realize that one of the major themes in this novel – the yearning for home – has echoed those early feelings. Niko, is a rare white eastern wolf snatched from his den by a hunter when he was barely a week old. He’s raised by Jade, a young woman. When the pup reaches four months of age, the hunter returns, promising he’ll take Niko to a sanctuary, instead, he sells Niko to a hunting preserve and Jade risks everything to rescue the wolf as trophy hunters track Niko through the shimmering beauty of the Adirondack mountains. The deep attachment we all feel to home entwines the fates of three principal individuals:  Jade, grieving the loss of her family farm, Conrad Lang, a hunting guide who could lose his ranch as it teeters on the edge of bankruptcy, and Niko raised in captivity, who finds the early trust he placed in humans threatens to become a curse. The young wolf too, longs for home - his birthplace high up on Mount Seymour. But to survive, he must learn how to be wild again. The White Wolf story is a testimony to the passion and courage of all three.

“Much of the novel is from the wolf’s point of view, but he is not anthropomorphized in any way, and Westbrook has done a sterling job of representing him as he grows, determined to set his own fate. The human characters he encounters are fully realized, both the good and the bad, those wanting to help the wolf, those wanting to make money off him, and those fixated on hunting him. A thriller like no other, with a deep heart, compelling message, brilliant writing, and a deep seated love of nature in all its complications.”
--Vicki Delany, National Bestselling Mystery Author

The Story Behind the Story: 

Another strong influence came through my research: In the late 19^th century, after winning a novel competition held by the American Humane Society, Margaret Marshall Saunders changed the world with her novel Beautiful Joe, a book that by the late 1930’s had sold more than seven million copies - an unheard of number for those times. Her novel helped shift public attitudes toward animal harm. Inspired by this legacy, The White Wolf continues the tradition of storytelling that sparks awareness and change by confronting a modern threat – trophy hunting. Eleven years after the shooting of Cecil the Lion, public concern over that issue has only grown. 

***

E.M. Westbrook is the pen name of Dorothy McIntosh, author of four thrillers published by Penguin Random House. Her debut, The Witch of Babylon, was named one of Amazon’s ‘best mysteries and thrillers of the year.’ CNN recognized it among “six enduring historical thrillers” alongside works by Agatha Christie, Umberto Ecco, Dan Brown, Wilbur Smith and Kate Mosse. The White Wolf brings her trademark suspense to the untamed wilderness. 
  

Cartoon of the Day: Memorial Day

Memorial Day Mysteries // Memorial Day Crime Fiction

Memorial Day aka Decoration Day is a day of remembrance of those men and women who died protecting us, for those who didn't return home. Many people go to cemeteries and memorials on the last Monday in May, and there's a tradition to fly the flag at half mast. In the U.S. Memorial Day is part of a three day holiday weekend. Many think of this weekend as the beginning of Summer, a time for Barbecues, the Beach, the Cabin, and S'mores. 

In memory of all who served their country, here's an updated list of Mysteries set during Memorial Day Weekend. Let me know if I've forgotten any titles. 

Memorial Day Mysteries

Death is Like a Box of Chocolates by Kathy Aarons
Double Blast by Gretchen Archer

Last Man Standing by David Baldacci
The Twenty Three by Linwood Barclay
The Fallen of Foulweather Bluff by D.D. Black

Murder's No Votive Confidence by Christin Brecher

The Block Party by Jamie Day

Treble at the Jam Fest by Leslie Budewitz
The Decoration Memorial Day War by David H. Brown
Memorial Day by Sandra Thompson Brown and Duane Brown
Flowers for Bill O'Reilly: Memorial Day by Max Allan Collins

Black Echo by Michael Connelly  

Absolute Certainty by Rose Connors
A Poisonous Pour by Maddie Day
Memorial Day by Vince Flynn

Silenced in Salem by Cat Green

She Left by Stacie Grey

Memorial Day's Escape by A.E. Howe

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger
Mulch Ado About Murder by Edith Maxwell

Memorial Day by Harry Shannon
Beside Still Waters by Debbie Viguie
Who Killed the Neanderthal by Cheryl Zelenka

Children's Mysteries:

Trixie Belden: The Mystery of the Memorial Day Fire by Kathryn Kenny
Sam's Top Secret Journal: Memorial Day by Sean Adelman, Siri Bardarson, Dianna Border & Andrea Hurst

Short Stories:

"The Day After Memorial Day," Gerald Elias

 "Memorial Day," R. T. Lawton, AHMM, March/April 2026

Rosemary is for Remembrance. Check out the recipe for Rosemary Chocolate Chip Cookies on my other blog: DyingforChocolate.com

BARBECUE MYSTERIES

I missed the official National Barbecue Day on May 16, but it's never too late. For me, barbecue season starts with Memorial Day, the beginning of summer and barbecue season.  So to celebrate, here's my updated Barbecue Mysteries list. So many ways to murder someone at a barbecue, from the sauce to the skewers to the grill, not to mention the tiny wires on the barbecue brush (true crime!). 

Let me know if I've forgotten any of your favorite authors/titles!

Barbecue Mysteries

Delicious and Suspicious; Hickory Smoked Homicide; Finger Lickin' Dead; Rubbed Out by Riley Adams  (Elizabeth Craig Spann) - The Memphis BBQ Mystery Series

The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone Omnibus 4 (books 19-22): Road Trip: BBQ and a Brawl, BBQ Delivered with Attitude, BBQ With a Side of No Apologies, BBQ and STFU by Michael Anderle

Bad Move by Linwood Barclay
Murder, Roasted and Barbecued by Constance Barker

Honey BBQ Murder by Patti Benning 

Murder Well-Done by Claudia Bishop
Nice Day for a Murder by C.A. Broadribb

Crime Rib by Leslie Budewitz

Topped Chef by Lucy Burdette

Body on the Bayou by Ellen Byron
Low and Slow: Sweet and Savory Murder at the BBQ Cookoff by Randy Cade 
A Bullet at the BBQ by SL Calder 

A Hopeless Barbecue by Daniel Carson
Several Dan Rhodes books by Bill Crider

Murder at the Blue Ridge Barbecue Festival by Gene Davis
The Grilling Season by Diane Mott Davidson
Grilled for Murder by Maddie Day

Memphis Ribs by Gerald Duff

Hot Wings and Homicide by Carmela Dutra

Grilled 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton

Murder Can Singe Your Old Flame by Selma Eichler
Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
Barbecues & Brooms by Bella Falls

The Politics of Barbecue by Blake Fontenay
Grilling the Subject by Daryl Wood Gerber
Barbecue, Bourbon and Bullets by M.E. Harmon
A Trunk, a Canoe, and all the Barbecue by A. W. Hartoin

Cotton Comes to Harlem by Chester Himes
Death of a Grill Master by Lee Hollis

The Big Barbecue by Dorothy B. Hughes
Barbeque Bedlam by Lizzie Josephson 

Close to Home by Cara Hunter

Full Slab Dead by Em Kaplan

Blossoms, Barbeque, & Blackmail by Tonya Kappes
Bonfires, Barbeques and Bodies by Susan Keene 
Spare Ribs and Cold Cuts by Kamaryn Kelsey 
Barbecue Blues: A Professor Doug Wilson Mystery (Professor Doug Wilson Mysteries Book 3) by Duke Kuehn

Murder in Mesquite Springs by Glenda Stewart Langley

Hot in December by Joe R. Lansdale

Bad News Barbecues: by Maisy Marple 

Bullets & Barbecue by Mary Maxwell

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Thou Shalt Not Grill by Tamar Myers 

Barbecue and Bad News by Nancy Naigle

Hush My Mouth by Cathy Pickens
The BBQ Burger Murder by Rosie A. Point

Hawg Heaven Cozy Mysteries; Killer Barbecue; BBQ, Bikers, and Murder by Summer Prescott 

Barbecue Can Be Deadly by Ryan Rivers 

Say You're Sorry by Michael Robotham

The Sheriff and..  (series) by D. R. Meredith

The King is Dead by Sarah Shankman

Stiffs and Swine by J.B. Stanley
Barbecue and Murder by Kathleen Suzette

Revenge of the Barbecue Queens by Lou Jane Temple
Murder at the Barbecue by Liz Turner
Murder, Basted and Barbecued by Constance Turner

Barbecue by A. E.H. Veenman
Death on a Platter by Elaine Viets

Teaberry Blues, Brew & BBQ by R. A. Wallace

Burnt Ends by Laura Wetsel

Smoked Secrets, Grilled Corruption by Erica J. Whelton

A Bad Day for Barbecue by Jonathan Woods
Books, Barbecue, and Murder by Lori Woods  

Short Stories: 

"Gored" by Bill Crider
"A Bad Day for Barbecue" by Jonathan Woods

Young Readers:  

The Barbecue Thief by Starike

Want a little chocolate on the barbie today? 
Check out recipes on my other blog: DyingforChocolate.com

S'mores on the Grill  
Savory Chocolate Barbecue Sauces
Chocolate Ancho Chile Rub
Cocoa Spiced Salmon Rub 
Scharffen Berger Cacao Nib Rub for Tri Tip
SaveSaveSaveSave

Alan Bradley: R.I.P.

Such sad news. Mystery writer, creator of the Flavia de Luce mysteries, Alan Bradley died yesterday at the age of 87. I loved his Flavia de Luce series, and along with so many people, am looking forward to the screen adaptation. I know Alan was looking forward to this, and we corresponded over the years about it. So glad he was able to see an advance screening of the film. Alan won the Macavity Award for The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Alan Bradley will be missed by family, friends, and fans.  

From the Canadian Press:

Alan Bradley, the Canadian mystery writer whose tales of a precocious 11-year-old super-sleuth charmed readers worldwide, has died.

His publisher, Doubleday Canada, says he died in the Isle of Man at age 87.

Bradley earned global acclaim with his debut novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and the character at its centre — kid detective Flavia de Luce — won a devoted fan base.

He was 70 when he published that novel in 2009, the first of 11 in the Flavia series, with a twelfth due to be published in November.

His education was in electronic engineering, and he spent the bulk of his career at the University of Saskatchewan, where he was director of television engineering for 25 yearsHe took an early retirement and moved to Kelowna, B.C., to write full time, which is when he dreamed up Flavia.

Doubleday says a film adaptation of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie featuring Martin Freeman is due to be released later this year.

The publisher says Bradley got a chance to see the finished cut of the film before he died, and visited the set while the film was in production.

The company says Bradley "noted it as a highlight of his life."