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! 

LONDON MYSTERIES I: Mystery Readers Journal (40:4)

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 I (40:4)  is available as a PDF and Hardcopy. In this issue you’ll find author essays, reviews, and articles for mysteries set in London. 

We had so many articles and reviews that we had to divide the material into two issues. Mystery Readers Journal: London Mysteries II will be our Spring issue for 2025 (41:1). 

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: If you don't see your article or review in this issue, it will be in London Mysteries II (Spring 2025, 41:1). 

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this amazing issue.

***

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! 

Volume 40, No. 4, Winter 2024

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARTICLES

• From Londinium to London: A City with a Criminal History by Alan Cassady-Bishop
• Reporting from London, WWII by Rona Bell
• Bow Street Runners: London’s First Police Force by Aubrey Nye Hamilton
• London Between the Wars by G.M. Malliet
• London’s Finest: Magic, Spies and the Arcane by Ayo Onatade
• Recollections of a London Detective by Ashley Bowden

AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

• Celebrating London and a Love of Shakespeare by Cathy Ace
• London, a Character on Its Own by S. L. Beaumont
• The Kamil Rahman Series and East London by Ajay Chowdhury
• Gertrude Bell at Whitehall by Michael Cooper
• Gemma Doyle Follows the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes Through London by Vicki Delaney
• Ruined Abbey—More History Than I Ever Expected! by Anne Emery
• Weaving a Tale From Those Childhood Memories of London by Elizabeth Elwood
• London: The Perfect Backdrop for the Crime Writer by David Fennell
• An American Lost in London by Alan Gordon, aka Allison Montclair
• My London: Real and Imagined by Narrelle M. Harris
• London: Spies and Titles by Gay Toltl Kinman
• All Roads Lead From London by Christopher Huang
• Henry von Stray: John McAleer’s Classic London Detective by Andrew McAleer
• The Wobble in the Aggie by Peter Lovesey
• The Game’s Afoot! Writing the Sherlock Holmes Mystery by Ken Pelham
• Mind the Killer by Gary Powell
• Wrong Turn—Write Path by Joanna Campbell Slan
• Mr. Campion’s London by Mike Ripley
• The Walking Guide Wars by Wendall Thomas
• Writing a Sherlockian Pastiche Set in Victorian London by Jeri Westerson
• London for Everyone by Marty Wingate

COLUMNS

• Mystery in Retrospect: Reviews
• True Crime: The London Barrister & His Fictional Counterpart by Cathy Pickens
• The Law in London—Part 2 by Jim Doherty
• From the Editor’s Desk by Janet A. Rudolph

---

Call for Articles: Mystery Readers Journal: London Mysteries Part II (41:1)

Call for Articles: Mystery Readers Journal: Mysteries Set in London, Part II! (41:1); Spring 2025

We received so many articles, reviews, and author essays that we have divided the London Mysteries issue of Mystery Readers Journal into two issues. We have space for more articles, essays, and reviews, so if you'd like to contribute, please let me know. 

janet @ mysteryreaders . org 

Deadline for Part II, London Mysteries: January 20, 2025. 

We're looking for articles, reviews, and Author essays about Mysteries that focus on Mysteries set in London. 

Author Essays are first person, about yourself, your books, and the "London" connection. 500-1000 words. Treat this as if you're chatting with friends and other writers in the bar or cafe (or on zoom) about your work and the "London" setting in your mysteries. Be sure and cite specific titles, as well as how you use London in your books. Add title and 2-3 sentence bio. 

Reviews: 50-250 words. 

Articles: 500-1000 words. Deadline for London Mysteries (41:1) articles, reviews, author essays: 

January 20, 2025  

Send to: Janet Rudolph, Editor. janet @ mysteryreaders . org  

Please let us know if you're planning to send an article, review, or author essay! 

***

Subscribe to Mystery Readers Journal for 2025: 

Themes: London Mysteries II; Retail Murder; Northern California; Thrillers.

CALL FOR ARTICLES: Mystery Readers Journal: London; Extended Deadline Monday, November 18, 2024

EXTENDED DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 18, 2024

While the Deadline for the London issue of Mystery Readers Journal (40:4) is actually November 15, some of you might need the weekend to polish off your articles, reviews, and author essays. Therefore, we have extended the deadline for Articles, Reviews, and Author essays for the London issue of Mystery Readers Journal (40:4) until November 18, 2024. Send to  janet @ mysteryreaders. org

Mystery Readers Journal is looking for Articles, Reviews, and Author essays about Mysteries set in London. 

Author Essays: First person, about yourself, your books, and the "London" connection. Reviews and articles can include books both in and out of print that are set in London. 500-1000 words. Treat this as if you're chatting with friends and other writers in the bar or cafe (or on zoom) about your work and the London setting in your mysteries. Be sure and cite specific titles, as well as how you use the London setting in your books. Add title and 2-3 sentence bio. 

Reviews: 50-250 words/each. 

Articles: 500-1000 words.

Deadline for Mysteries in London (40:4) articles, reviews, author essays: November 18, 2024: Send to: Janet Rudolph, Editor.  janet @ mysteryreaders . org

Please let us know if you're planning to send an article, review, or author essay! Subject Line: London Mysteries

SUBSCRIBE TO MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL for 2024: Mysteries set in Southern California; Murder Takes a Holiday (Mysteries that take place while on vacation); Partners in Crime; London.

2025 Themes: Retail Mysteries; Northern California; Thrillers; one more theme TBA.

Many back issues of Mystery Readers Journal are available as single copies in hardcopy or PDF. 

Historical Mysteries I: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Murder in Wartime: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Animals in Mysteries I: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Animals in Mysteries II: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Private Eyes I & Private Eyes II : Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Extreme Weather Mysteries: Available as PDF or Hardcopy

Italian Mysteries:  Available as PDF or Hardcopy

Senior Sleuths: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Gardening Mysteries: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Have titles, articles, or suggestions for upcoming issues? Want to write an Author! Author! essay? contact:   janet @ mysteryreaders . org

BLOGS
Mystery Fanfare
Dying for Chocolate

Extended Deadline (11/15): Call for Articles: Mysteries set in London: Mystery Readers Journal (40:4)

EXTENDED DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 15, 2024

We have extended the deadline for Articles, Reviews, and Author essays for the London issue of Mystery Readers Journal (40:4) until November 15, 2024. Please let us know if you intend to send an article. janet @ mysteryreaders. org

Mystery Readers Journal is looking for Articles, Reviews, and Author essays about Mysteries set in London. 

Author Essays: First person, about yourself, your books, and the "London" connection. Reviews and articles can include books both in and out of print that are set in London. 500-1000 words. Treat this as if you're chatting with friends and other writers in the bar or cafe (or on zoom) about your work and the London setting in your mysteries. Be sure and cite specific titles, as well as how you use the London setting in your books. Add title and 2-3 sentence bio. 

Reviews: 50-250 words/each. 

Articles: 500-1000 words.

Deadline for Mysteries in London (40:4) articles, reviews, author essays: November 15, 2024: Send to: Janet Rudolph, Editor.  janet @ mysteryreaders . org

Please let us know if you're planning to send an article, review, or author essay! Subject Line: London Mysteries

SUBSCRIBE TO MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL for 2024: Mysteries set in Southern California; Murder Takes a Holiday (Mysteries that take place while on vacation); Partners in Crime; London.

2025 Themes: Retail Mysteries; Northern California; Thrillers; one more theme TBA.

Many back issues of Mystery Readers Journal are available as single copies in hardcopy or PDF. 

Historical Mysteries I: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Murder in Wartime: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Animals in Mysteries I: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Animals in Mysteries II: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Private Eyes I & Private Eyes II : Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Extreme Weather Mysteries: Available as PDF or Hardcopy

Italian Mysteries:  Available as PDF or Hardcopy

Senior Sleuths: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Gardening Mysteries: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Have titles, articles, or suggestions for upcoming issues? Want to write an Author! Author! essay? contact:   janet @ mysteryreaders . org

BLOGS
Mystery Fanfare
Dying for Chocolate

London Mysteries: Call for Articles: Mystery Readers Journal (40:4)

Mystery Readers Journal is looking for Articles, Reviews, and Author essays about Mysteries set in London. 

Author essays are first person, about yourself, your books, and the "London" connection. Reviews and articles can include books both in and out of print that are set in London. 

Author Essays: 500-1000 words. Treat this as if you're chatting with friends and other writers in the bar or cafe (or on zoom) about your work and the London setting in your mysteries. Be sure and cite specific titles, as well as how you use the London setting in your books. Add title and 2-3 sentence bio. 

Reviews: 50-250 words/each. 

Articles: 500-1000 words.

Deadline for Mysteries in London (40:4) articles, reviews, author essays: November 1, 2024: Send to: Janet Rudolph, Editor.  janet @ mysteryreaders . org

Please let us know if you're planning to send an article, review, or author essay! Subject Line: London Mysteries

SUBSCRIBE TO MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL for 2024: Mysteries set in Southern California; Murder Takes a Holiday (Mysteries that take place while on vacation); London Mysteries; and Partners in Crime.

2025 Themes: Retail Mysteries; Northern California; Thrillers; one more theme TBA.

Many back issues of Mystery Readers Journal are available as single copies in hardcopy or PDF. 

Historical Mysteries I: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Murder in Wartime: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Animals in Mysteries I: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Animals in Mysteries II: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Private Eyes I & Private Eyes II : Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Extreme Weather Mysteries: Available as PDF or Hardcopy

Italian Mysteries:  Available as PDF or Hardcopy

Senior Sleuths: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Gardening Mysteries: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Have titles, articles, or suggestions for upcoming issues? Want to write an Author! Author! essay? contact:   janet @ mysteryreaders . org

BLOGS
Mystery Fanfare
Dying for Chocolate

CALL FOR ARTICLES: LONDON. Mystery Readers Journal (40:4)

Call for Articles: Mystery Readers Journal (40:4): Mysteries set in London

We're looking for articles, reviews, and Author essays about Mysteries set in London. Author essays are first person, about yourself, your books, and the "London" connection. Reviews are for books both in and out of print that are set in London. 

Author Essays: 500-100 words. Treat this as if you're chatting with friends and other writers in the bar or cafe (or on zoom) about your work and the London setting in your mysteries. Be sure and cite specific titles, as well as how you use the London setting in your books. Add title and 2-3 sentence bio. 

Reviews: 50-250 words. 

Articles: 500-1000 words.

Deadline for Mysteries in London (40:4) articles, reviews, author essays: November 1, 2024: Send to: Janet Rudolph, Editor.  janet @ mysteryreaders . org

Please let us know if you're planning to send an article, review, or author essay! Subject Line: London Mysteries

SUBSCRIBE TO MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL for 2024: Mysteries set in Southern California; Murder Takes a Holiday (Mysteries that take place while on vacation); London Mysteries; and Partners in Crime.

Many back issues of Mystery Readers Journal are available as single copies in hardcopy or PDF. 

Historical Mysteries I: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Private Eyes I & Private Eyes II : Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Extreme Weather Mysteries: Available as PDF or Hardcopy

Italian Mysteries:  Available as PDF or Hardcopy

Senior Sleuths: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Gardening Mysteries: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Have titles, articles, or suggestions for upcoming issues? Want to write an Author! Author! essay? contact:   janet @ mysteryreaders . org

BLOGS
Mystery Fanfare
Dying for Chocolate

2024 GLASS BELL AWARD

London’s Goldsboro Books announced its Shortlist for the 2024 Glass Bell Award, which “celebrates the very best in contemporary fiction.” 

In Memoriam, by Alice Wynn (Viking)
Clytemnestra, by Costanza Casati (Michael Joseph)
Strange Sally Diamond, by Liz Nugent (Sandycove)
Lady Macbethad, by Isabelle Schuler (Bloomsbury Raven)
The Square of Sevens, by Laura Shepherd Robinson (Mantle)
The Turnglass, by Gareth Rubin (Simon & Schuster)

The winner will be announced September 26, at Goldsboro Books’ 25th birthday party. 

Sad to say, I have only read Strange Sally Diamond. It's brilliant. I'm looking forward to reading the others on the list. 

MAP BACK MONDAY: Delano Ames's She Shall Have Murder

Today is Map Back Monday. Today's Dell Map Back is She Shall Have Murder by Delano Ames  (1948). This is the first in the Dagobert Brown and Jane Hamish series. This one is set in London, so the London map is so appropriate! I love these old Map Backs.  And, in case you're just tuning in to this Monday feature, Dell Map Backs were a series of paperbacks, published in the 1940s and 1950s with a map of the scene of the crime on the back cover. 

Read Gary Lovisi's article Dell Map Back Mysteries: "They Don't Make 'Em Like that Anymore!" in Mystery Scene. 

The Fingerprint Awards: Capital Crime Festival

Capital Crime Festival in London announced the festival's inaugural Fingerprint Awards. Congratulations to all.

Crime Book of the Year:
The Sanatorium, by Sarah Pearse (Transworld)

Also nominated: 1979, by Val McDermid (Little, Brown); The Appeal, by Janice Hallett (Viper); Girls Who Lie, by Eva Björg Ægisdottir (Orenda); and Slough House, by Mick Herron (John Murray Press)

Thriller Book of the Year:
Razorblade Tears, by S.A. Cosby (Headline)

Also nominated: A Slow Fire Burning, by Paula Hawkins (Transworld); Dead Ground, by M.W. Craven (Little, Brown); The Night She Disappeared, by Lisa Jewell (Cornerstone); and Last Thing to Burn, by Will Dean (Hodder & Stoughton)

Historical Crime Book of the Year:
The Shape of Darkness, by Laura Purcell (Bloomsbury)

Also nominated: A Net for Small Fishes, by Lucy Jago (Bloomsbury); Daughters of Night, by Laura-Shepherd Robinson (Pan Macmillan); The Shadows of Men, by Abir Mukherjee (Vintage); and A Comedy of Terrors, by Lindsay Davis (Hodder & Stoughton)

Debut Book of the Year:
Girl A, by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins)

Also nominated: Greenwich Park, by Katherine Faulkner (Bloomsbury); Welcome to Cooper, by Tariq Ashkanani (Thomas & Mercer); How to Kidnap the Rich, by Rahul Raina (Little, Brown); and Edge of the Grave, by Robbie Morrison (Pan Macmillan)

Genre-Busting Book of the Year:
The Burning Girls, by C.J. Tudor Penguin)

Also nominated: The Other Black Girl, by Zakiya Dalila Harris (Bloomsbury); How to Kill Your Family, by Bella Mackie (HarperCollins); Eight Detectives, by Alex Pavesi (Penguin); and What Abigail Did That Summer, by Ben Aaronovitch (Orion)

Audiobook of the Year: The Girl Who Died, by Ragnar Jónasson, narrated by Amanda Redman (Orenda)

Also nominated: People Like Her, by Ellery Lloyd (Pan Macmillan); True Crime Story, by Joseph Knox (Transworld); A Line to Kill, by Anthony Horowitz (Cornerstone); and I Know What I Saw, by Imran Mahmood (Bloomsbury)

Industry Award of the Year: HarperCollins for Girl A, by Abigail Dean

Lifetime Achievement Award (Posthumous): Thalia Proctor

Books eligible for the Fingerprints were all published in Great Britain in 2021.

HT: The Rap Sheet