MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL NEWS FOR 2026: Subscribe now!

Mystery Readers Journal Subscription for 2026

It’s time to subscribe (or renew) your subscription to Mystery Readers Journal for 2026. 

Themes in 2026. Volume 42, Mystery Readers Journal. 

Fetes, Faires, and Festivals (Volume 42:1)
Mysteries set in France (42:2)
Cross-Genre Mysteries (42:3)
Mysteries set in India (42:4)

Each issue (80-100 pages) is filled with articles, author essays, and reviews on a specific theme!   

 

PDF SUBSCRIPTIONS:

Mystery Readers Journal (Volume 42) will be going digital (PDF) for all subscriptions. Price remains the same. $15/calendar year.

You will receive download instructions as each issue is published. First issue in 2026 will be out in late March.

SUBSCRIBE HERE

https://mysteryreaders.org/subscribe/

PRINT EDITIONS:

We know that many readers enjoy a PRINT COPY. We will be setting up Mystery Readers Journal, starting with Volume 42:1 (2026), offering print-on-demand. The quality of the print-on-demand issues will be exactly the same as the past printed issues with our same unique size and perfect binding.

As each issue is published, people who prefer print copies will receive an email with a link on how to order that individual issue. In addition, the website will have the links for each issue as published. 

You do not have to subscribe to the PDF subscription to order 2026 print-on-demand issues of MRJ. 

Of course, if you do subscribe for a PDF subscription and still want the print copy, you can always take the PDF to your local printer.

Hope you will support Mystery Readers Journal, now in our 42^nd year.

For more information on past themed issues of Mystery Readers Journal

 

Call for Articles: Mysteries set in Africa: Mystery Readers Journal

Call for Articles: Mystery Readers Journal (39:1): 

Africa (Mysteries Set in Africa) 

We're looking for articles, reviews, and Author essays about mysteries set in Africa. 

Author Essays: 500-100 words. Treat this as if you're chatting with friends and other writers in the bar or cafe about your work and your unique African Mystery connection. Add title and 2-3 sentence bio/tagline. 

Reviews: 50-250 words. 

Articles: 500-1000 words.

Deadline for African Mysteries (39:1) articles, reviews, author essays:  January 5, 2023: Send to: Janet Rudolph, Editor. janet@mysteryreaders.org. Let me know if you need more time.

Our line-up has changed slightly. We will have only one Legal Mysteries issue (38:4) that will be out in late December. First issue in 2023: African Mysteries. 

Mystery Readers Journal: Art Mysteries (38:3) is available: https://mysteryreaders.org/journal-index/art-mysteries/

SUBSCRIBE TO MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL: 2022 (New England 1; New England II; Art Mysteries; Legal Mysteries; 2023: African Mysteries; Hobbies & Craft Mysteries; Animals in Mysteries; Southern California.

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.

Environmental 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.

Call for Articles for 2023 (Volume 39): African Mysteries; Hobbies & Crafts; Animals in Mysteries; Southern California

Have titles, articles,  or suggestions for these upcoming issues? Want to write an Author! Author! essay?  email: janet @ mystery readers . org 

BLOGS
Mystery Fanfare
Dying for Chocolate

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Left Coast Crime Convention: Trouble in Tucson 

Mystery Readers Journal: Cold Case Mysteries (37:4): Winter 2021/2022

Mystery Readers Journal: Cold Case Mysteries (Volume 37:4// Winter 2021/2022) is now available as PDF and hardcopy. If you're a PDF subscriber, you will receive download instructions shortly. Hard copy subscription copies should arrive later this week. PDF Contributor copies will go out tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue.

Cold Case Mysteries

Mystery Readers Journal: Volume 37, No. 4, Winter 2021/2022

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARTICLES

• The Warm Heart of the Cold Case by Rona Bell
• Chandler’s Legacy: A Cold Case That’s Still Hot by Sean Day
• Just What Is a Cold Case? by Sandra Murphy
• Val McDermid’s Cold Case Series: Karen Pirie by Chris Stuart

AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

• The Lover’s Lane Bandit by J. L. Abramo
• The Amato Family Murder Mystery by Carmen Amato
• Cold Cases and the Human Connection by Nicole Baart
• What’s the Weight of a Cold Case? by Dr. Charley Barnes
• Even If You Can’t Solve a Cold Case, You Can Make Up an Ending… by R.G. Belsky
• Cold Cases and Ancient History? by Albert Bell
• Heating Up a Cozy Series With a Cold Case by Leslie Budewitz
• Cold Cases and Deep Waters by Martin Edwards
• True Crime and the Fiction Writer by Eve Elliot
• Cold Case in a Cold Land by R.E. Donald
• Old Crimes that Tie into New Ones by Kathy Lynn Emerson
• Solving Cold Cases in Fiction by Laurie Fagen
• Blowing the Dust Off by Kate Fellowes
• Why I Hate Serial Killers by Eve Fisher
• Help Me! by Russell Hill
• A Lifetime Ago by Marni Graff
• The Adventures of Writing a Cold Case Cozy by Nancy Jarvis
• What A Cold Case Taught Me About Mysteries by Stephanie Kane
• The Coldest Cases Are Solved (Incorrectly) by Ron Katz
• A Snitch in Time by James L’Etoile
• Out of the Past: When Cold Cases Meet Old Books by Jeffrey J. Mariotte
• Writing a Mystery with a History by Marilyn Levinson
• Striking Range: Tracking the Elusive Cold Case Killer by Margaret Mizushima
• Fact + Fiction: Personal Experience and True Crime Inspire a Mystery Novel by Marcy McCreary
• Cylinder Seals, the Bronze Age Rubber Stamp by M.A. Monnin
• Why Cold Cases? by Amy Myers
• Genealogy and Cold Cases: A Perfect Mystery Match by S. C. Perkins
• An Old San Francisco Mystery Is Unburied, and Inspiration Strikes by Ann Parker
• A Network of Friends by Neil S. Plakcy
• Three Questions by Lissa Marie Redmond
• Whatever Happened to Baby Alice Spenser? by Martha Reed
• The Marketville Mysteries: Cold Case Cozies by Judy Penz Sheluk
• Life After the Badge by Danny R. Smith
• I Leave a Trail of Whack-Jobs in My Wake by Gabrielle St. George
• Who Killed Jane Stanford? A Gilded Age Tale of Murder, Deceit, Spirits, and the Birth of a University by Richard White
• Covering a Cold Case in Facts and Fiction by Andrew Welsh-Huggins
• Too Cold to Touch? Poe and the Girl Behind the Wall by Bruce Wetterau
• Cold Case, Aloha Style by Steve Zettler

COLUMNS

• Mystery in Retrospect: Reviews by Lesa Holstine, Roberta Rood, Lucinda Surber, Alison McMahan
• Children’s Hour: Cold Cases by Gay Toltl Kinman
• Crime Seen: Cases That Come In From the Cold by Kate Derie
• Real Cold Cases by Cathy Pickens
• Just the Facts: Frank Hamer—Cold Case Detective by Jim Doherty
• From the Editor’s Desk by Janet A. Rudolph

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SUBSCRIBE to Mysteries Readers Journal for 2022.

Themes in 2022: New England Mysteries; Art Mysteries; African Mysteries; Legal Mysteries

Call for articles: We're looking for reviews, articles, and Author! author! Essays. Reviews: 50-150 words, articles, 500-1000 words. Author Essays: 500-1000 words, first person, upclose and personal about yourself, your books, and the "theme" connection. Deadline for New England Mysteries: January 15, 2022.  

Send queries to Janet Rudolph: janet @ mysteryreaders . org

MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL: SENIOR SLEUTHS (36:3)

Mystery Readers Journal: Senior Sleuths (Volume 36: 3, Fall 2020) is available as a PDF and hardcopy. Subscriber copies should arrive this week. PDF Contributor Copies went out. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue.

MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL:
SENIOR SLEUTHS (Volume 36:3)
Buy this back issue! Available in hardcopy or as a downloadable PDF.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLES

• I Want to Be Mrs. Pollifax When I Grow Up by Patricia Cook
• Marlowe’s Last Bow by Jonathan Woods
• Supreme Senior Sleuths by Robert J. Stern

AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

• Difficult Endings by John Harvey
• Yooper Sleuthing in the Golden Years by Deb Baker
• Senior Sleuths Can Be Geezers or Geezerettes by Mike Befeler
• The Silvering Sleuth by Baron R. Birtcher
• Cat Caliban and M.J. Smith by D. B. Borton
• My Senior Sleuth by Garry Disher
• Observations Lead to Older Detective Duo by Carl Brookins
• Sixty is the New Forty by Robert Dugoni
• Write the Age You Know by Kaitlyn Dunnett
• How Quickly Does Your Detective Age? by Martin Edwards
• Subjected to History’s Judgment by Daniel Friedman
• A Conversion with Bronson by L.C. Hayden
• Detectives of a Certain Age by Richard Helms
• A Different Kind of Sleuth by Russell Hill
• Confronting Golden Ageism by Helen Jacey
• From the Golden Girls to Jessica Fletcher: The Road to Poppy Harmon by Lee Hollis
• Where Age Is an Edge by Ron Katz
• Senior Sleuths and Older Writers: A Conversation by Ellen Kirschman and Terry Shames
• Rancho de Taos by Gay Toltl Kinman
• White-Haired Love by Chris Knopf
• Who You Calling Senior? by Vicki Lane
• Why I Wrote the Gladdy Books by Rita Lakin
• “See You Later” But Not “Goodbye” by Gayle Leeson
• The World’s Oldest Working Cop by Peter Lovesey
• My Senior Sleuths Are Still on the Case by Ed Lynskey
• Sleuths of a Certain Age by Annette Mahon
• Old Age Can Be Deadly, Unless You Are the Fog Ladies by Susan McCormick
• A Senior Author Tries Sleuthing by Rosemary Mild
• Molly and the Inspector by Larry Mild
• Sneaking Into the Life of My Protagonist by Radine Trees Nehring
• Better than a Homicide Detective by Richard Osman
• Considering Writing a Senior-Themed Cozy Mystery? I Did. Here’s What I Learned by Carol Novis
• Senior Sleuths: Not Dead Yet! by Ang Pompano
• A Much Younger Sleuth by Cynthia Riggs
• Murder and Mayhem in a Modern Noir Style by M. Glenda Rosen (aka Marcia Rosen)
• Old Folks Are Just Neat by Nancy Swing
• Why My Protagonist Is a “Woman of a Certain Age” by Ilene Schneider
• Edward Gorey, Detective by C J Verburg
• Mysteries After Sixty by Livia Washburn

COLUMNS

• Mystery in Retrospect: Reviews by Sandie Herron, Lesa Holstine, L.J. Roberts, Lucinda Surber
• In Short: You’re Never Too Old by Marvin Lachman
• Just the Facts: A Cop for Three Quarters of a Century! by Jim Doherty
• Real Italy Mysteries by Cathy Pickens
• Crime Seen: Miss Marple and Beyond by Kate Derie
• POV: The First Hundred Years Are the Hardest by Rita Lakin
• From the Editor’s Desk by Janet A. Rudolph

MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL: Back Issues Available

Mystery Readers Journal is its 36th year of production. What an achievement. Thanks to everyone who has contributed over the years. Mystery Readers Journal is a thematic quarterly with reviews, articles, and author essays. Most of our back issues are available as PDF downloads or hardcopy. I thought I'd post a list of most of the back issues. Be sure and click to see the table of contents and sample articles from each issue.

Mystery Readers Journal Index

Follow the links to find the Table of Contents and sample articles from selected issues. To purchase back issues and subscribe to the Journal, visit the subscription page.

2020

Volume 36, No. 1: Environmental Mysteries
Volume 36, No. 2: Italian Mysteries

2019

Volume 35, No. 1: Mystery in the American South II
Volume 35, No. 2: Mystery Down Under
Volume 35, No. 3: Private Eyes I
Volume 35, No. 4: Private Eyes II

2018

Volume 34, No. 1: Gardening Mysteries (2018)
Volume 34, No. 2: Spies and Secret Agents
Volume 34, No. 3: Mystery in Asia
Volume 34, No. 4: Mystery in the American South I

 

2017

Volume 33, No. 1: Midwestern Mysteries
Volume 33, No. 2: Murder in Wartime
Volume 33, No. 3: Big City Cops I
Volume 33, No. 4: Big City Cops II

2016

Volume 32, No. 1: New York City Mysteries I
Volume 32, No. 2: New York City Mysteries II
Volume 32, No. 3: Small Town Cops I
Volume 32, No. 4: Small Town Cops II

 

2015

Volume 31, No. 1: Culinary Crime I
Volume 31, No. 2: Culinary Crime II
Volume 31, No. 3: Scottish Mysteries
Volume 31, No. 4: Forensic Mysteries

2014

Volume 30, No. 1: Canadian Mysteries
Volume 30, No. 2: Extreme Weather Mysteries
Volume 30, No. 3: Bibliomysteries
Volume 30, No. 4: Scandinavian Mysteries

 

2013

Volume 29, No. 1: Environmental Mysteries
Volume 29, No. 2: Chicago Mysteries
Volume 29, No. 3: Murder in Transit
Volume 29, No. 4: Medical Mysteries

2012

Volume 28, No. 1: Mysteries Set in France
Volume 28, No. 2: Legal Mysteries I
Volume 28, No. 3: Legal Mysteries II
Volume 28, No. 4: Florida Mysteries

 

2011

Volume 27, No. 1: London Mysteries I
Volume 27, No. 2: London Mysteries II
Volume 27, No. 3: Animal Mysteries
Volume 27, No. 4: Shrinks and Other Mental Health Professionals

2010

Volume 26, No. 1: African Mysteries
Volume 26, No. 2: Paranormal Mysteries
Volume 26, No. 3: Island Mysteries
Volume 26, No. 4: Hobbies, Crafts & Special Interests

 

2009

Volume 25, No. 1: Crime for the Holidays
Volume 25, No. 2: Los Angeles Mysteries I
Volume 25, No. 3: Los Angeles Mysteries II
Volume 25, No. 4: Sports Mysteries

2008

Volume 24, No. 1: History Mysteries II
Volume 24, No. 2: Irish Mysteries
Volume 24, No. 3: San Francisco Mysteries I
Volume 24, No. 4: San Francisco Mysteries II

 

2007

Volume 23, No. 1: The Ethnic Detective, Part I
Volume 23, No. 2: The Ethnic Detective, Part II
Volume 23, No. 3: Scandinavian Mysteries
Volume 23, No. 4: History Mysteries I

2006

Volume 22, No. 1: Mysteries Set in Italy (Secondo)
Volume 22, No. 2: Murder in the Far East
Volume 22, No. 3: Academic Mysteries 101 (available only as a PDF)
Volume 22, No. 4: Academic Mysteries 202 (available only as a PDF)

 

2005

Volume 21, No. 1: Art Mysteries I
Volume 21, No. 2: Art Mysteries II (available only as a PDF)
Volume 21, No. 3: Bibliomysteries (available only as a PDF)
Volume 21, No. 4: Mysteries Set in Italy (Primo)

2004

Volume 20, No. 1: Religious Mysteries, Part 1
Volume 20, No. 2: Religious Mysteries, Part 2
Volume 20, No. 3: Gardening Mysteries (available only as a PDF)
Volume 20, No. 4: Murder Down Under

 

2003

Volume 19, No. 1: Mysteries South of the Mason-Dixon Line, Part II
Volume 19, No. 2: Music and Mysteries: Overture
Volume 19, No. 3: Music and Mysteries: Finale
Volume 19, No. 4: Cool Canadian Crime (available only as a PDF)

2002

Volume 18, No. 1: Pacific Northwest Mysteries
Volume 18, No. 2: Culinary Crime: First Course (available only as a PDF)
Volume 18, No. 3: Culinary Crime: Second Seating (available only as a PDF)
Volume 18, No. 4: Mysteries South of the Mason-Dixon Line, Part I

 

2001

Volume 17, No. 1: New England Mysteries (unavailable)
Volume 17, No. 2: Partners in Crime I
Volume 17, No. 3: Partners in Crime II
Volume 17, No. 4: Oxbridge (unavailable)

2000

Volume 16, No. 1: Legal Mysteries
Volume 16, No. 2: Mysteries Set in France
Volume 16, No. 3: The Senior Sleuth
Volume 16, No. 4: Southwestern Mysteries

 

1999

Volume 15, No. 1: Cross-Genre Mysteries
Volume 15, No. 2: Chicago Mysteries
Volume 15, No. 3: The Short Mystery
Volume 15, No. 4: Florida Mysteries

1998

Volume 14, No. 1: The Big Apple: New York Mysteries II
Volume 14, No. 2: The Ethnic Detective Part I (unavailable)
Volume 14, No. 3: The Ethnic Detective Part II (unavailable)
Volume 14, No. 4: Animal Mysteries

 

1997

Volume 13, No. 1: Medical Mysteries
Volume 13, No. 2: Mysterious Wilderness
Volume 13, No. 3: Murder in Transit
Volume 13, No. 4: The Big Apple: New York Mysteries I

1996

Volume 12, No. 1: Technological Mysteries (unavailable)
Volume 12, No. 2: New Orleans Mysteries
Volume 12, No. 3: Sports Mysteries
Volume 12, No. 4: Academic Mysteries
Volume 11, No. 1: Suburban Mysteries
Volume 11, No. 2: San Francisco Mysteries
Volume 11, No. 3: Regional British Mysteries I (unavailable)
Volume 11, No. 4: Regional British Mysteries II (unavailable)

ENVIRONMENTAL MYSTERIES: Mystery Readers Journal (36:1)

Mystery Readers Journal: Environmental Mysteries (Volume 36:1, Spring 2020) is available as a PDF and hardcopy. Subscriber and contributor copies will be sent later this week. PDF Contributor Copies went out today. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue. Sadly, so timely. Be safe! Be well!

MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL:
ENVIRONMENTAL MYSTERIES

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

• Can Snakes Be Heroes? by Glynn Marsh Alam
• We Are the Wild by Sandi Ault
• Toss in a Bear or a Snake by Pamela Beeson
• Environmental Mysteries and Public Debate: Can One Enhance the Other? by Dave Butler
• Wild and Commanding Settings: Striking the Right Balance for Readers by Christine Carbo
• Calypso Saves the Climate by D. Z. Church
• From Addiction to Fiction—in the African Bush by Jenny Carless
• Why the Road Is Dark by Philip Cioffari
• A Background in the Birding World by Ann Cleeves
• The Man in the Doorway and Other Writing Mysteries by Donna Cousins
• Mysteries With A Climate Change Message by Charlene D’Avanzo
• The Old-Fashioned Way by William Deverell
• Write What You Know: Wilderness Thrillers by Karen Dionne
• Natural Crimes by Janet Dawson
• It’s All About the Birds… and Murder by Jan Dunlap
• The Mystery of the Missing Mountain by Toni Dwiggins
• Natural Inspiration by Gerald Elias
• The Common Threat by Kate Fellowes
• The Heart of the Matter by Christine Goff
• Murder and Mayhem For Our National Parks by Scott Graham
• Fruit of the Devil by Vinnie Hansen
• Boots in Dirt: Protecting Wildlife and Natural Resources by Joseph Heywood
• Wildfire and Murder in the Woods by Dave Hugelschaffer
• Shark Allure by Sara Johnson
• A Captivating Story by Diane Kelly
• The Mystery as Environmental Soapbox by William Kent Krueger
• Does the Message Overshadow the Murder? by Stephen Legault
• Saving the Planet, One Novel at a Time by Robert Lopresti
• Wolf Man by Michael Allan Mallory
• Burying the Evidence by Larry Maness
• Novels from the Garden of Good and Evil by Keith McCafferty
• The Bright Side of Environmental Devastation by Jon McGoran
• A Caution on Environmental Research by Skye Moody
• I Never Intended to Write Environmental Mysteries, But… by Michael Norman
• “Stork Trek”—The Story Behind the Story by Josh Pachter
• A Thrilling Environment by Katherine Prairie
• Murder in a Damaged Environment by Kwei Quartey
• Resolving to Write Novel by Ben Rehder
• Off Road by Kirk Russell
• Is Any Refuge Certain? by Carolyn J. Rose
• On the Trail of a New Environment by Mark Stevens
• Finding My Voice in Wildlife by Jessica Speart
• Writing from the African Bush: What a Pleasure! by Stanley Trollip
• Writing About the Environment in the West by Judith Van Gieson
• When Cozies Can’t Be All That Cozy by Betty Webb
• The House of the Monk’s Spring by Robert Wilson
• Partners in Crime: My Link to the EPA by Kenneth Wishnia
• Interesting Times for Mystery Writers by John Yunker
• Nature and Mystery by Gregory Zeigler

COLUMNS

• Mystery in Retrospect: Reviews by L.J. Roberts
• Real Environmental and Wildlife Crimes by Cathy Pickens
• From the Editor’s Desk by Janet A. Rudolph

Call for Articles: Environmental & Wildlife Mysteries

CALL FOR ARTICLES: ENVIRONMENTAL & WILDLIFE MYSTERIES

The next issue of Mystery Readers Journal (Volume 36:1) will focus on mysteries featuring Environmental & Wildlife Mysteries.

We're looking for Reviews, Articles, and Author! Author! essays.

Reviews: 50-250 words; Articles: 250-1000 words; Author! Author! essays: 500-1500 words.

Author essays are first person, about yourself, your books, and your unique 'Wildlife and/or Environmental' connection. Think of it as chatting with friends and other writers in the bar or cafe about your work and your  Environmental/Wildlife connection. Add title and 2-3 sentence bio/tagline.

Deadline: February 1, 2020

Here's a link to Mystery Readers Journal. Past themed issues.

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

Please forward this request to anyone you think should be included.

Mystery Readers Journal: Subscribe for 2018 and receive a Bonus Issue

Mystery Readers Journal: Subscribe to Mystery Readers Journal for '18 by January 15, 2018 and receive a bonus issue (Volume 33:4). 

MRJ is going into its 34th year of publication! Themes in '18: Gardening; The Far East; Spooks & Spies; The American South! 

Mystery Readers Journal: Quarterly themed review periodical. 80-120 pages each issue: Reviews, News, and Author! Author! essays

Call for Articles! 
We're looking for articles and Author! Author! essays for the 2018 issues: Author! Author! essays are 500-1000 words, first person, upclose and personal about yourself, your books, and the "theme" connection. Themes in '18: Gardening; The Far East; Spooks & Spies; The American South.

For more info, email: janet@mysteryreaders.org

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

UPCOMING LITERARY SALONS IN BERKELEY, CA. 
RSVP for address and TO ATTEND.

January 18: Jeff Siger. 7 p.m. 
January 29: Sujata Massey. 7 p.m. 

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Holiday Mystery Lists

I love lists, and I post holiday themed lists on my blog Mystery Fanfare. It's a great place to look for the most up-to-date list -- from Halloween to Mother's Day to Veteran's Day to Christmas (which is actually split into 5 posts).

Find all the Holiday Mystery Lists in one place on the Mystery Readers International website. Find any titles or authors missing? email me at: janet@mysteryreaders.org ***

BLOGS 

Mystery Fanfare 
Dying for Chocolate