Showing posts with label sports mysteries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports mysteries. Show all posts

Monday, February 9, 2026

Murder at the Olympics: Crime Fiction set at the Olympics

I hope you're enjoying the Winter Olympics. I am.
If you're a mystery reader, it should come as no surprise that the Olympics have actually been filled with drug scandals, sexual intrigue, disappearing athletes, death, murder, and theft! Consequently, the
 Olympics have played a very important part in crime fiction and in true crime. Here's my updated Olympics Mystery List (both Summer and Winter Olympics). As always, let me know any titles/authors I've missed.

Murder at the Olympics

Skate Crime and On Think Ice by Alina Adams
Rush for the Gold by Susan Carol Anderson
End Game by Jeffrey Archer 
Olympic Sleeper by Tom Barling
Beneath the Rings by Joe Battaglia
Echo of the Reich by James Becker
2012 Olympic Sabotage by D.M. Blowers
Mrs Hudson's Olympic Triumph by Barry S. Brown
Rush for the Gold: Mystery at the Olympics by F.J. Campbell (YA)
A Game of Lies by Rebecca Cantrell
40 Days 40 Nights by Wen
dy Cartmell
Bear Pit by Jon Cleary
Gold by Chris Cleave
Sacred Games by Gary Corby
The Rat Catchers' Olympics by Colin Cotterill
No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie
Typhoon by Charles Cummings
See Delphi and Die by Lindsey Davis
Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver
Time Heals No Wounds by Hendrik Falkenberg
Rush for the Gold: Mystery at the Olympics by John Feinstein 
Beyond Gold by Elaine Forder
Trial Run by Dick Francis
Legacy by Michael Gillard
The Blue Fence by Jonathan Hales
Death on the Range by Nikki Haverstock
Olympic Sacrifice by John Hocutt
Terror-Olympic Size by George L. Hoffman
Flight from Berlin by David John
March Violets, If the Dead Rise Not by Phillip Kerr
Lights Out by Elise Hart Kipness
Going for the Gold by Emma Lathen
Golden Girl by Peter Lear (Peter Lovesey) 
Olympia '36 by John Lee
The Bomber by Liza Marklund
Peril is My Pay by Stephen Marlowe
The Runner by Peter May
One or the Other by John McFetridge
Nightmare in Nagano; Murder at the Winter Games by Roy MacGregor
Dragon Games by Stephen Mertz
An Olympic Death; Off Side by Manuel Vazquez Montalban

Olympic Nemesis by James Morley
A Medal of Honor by John Morton
A Private Business by Barbara Nadel 
The Judas Goat; Carol Heiss Olympic Queen by Robert B. Parker
Target America: Terror at the 2002 Olympics by Frederick W. Parkins
See How They Run by James Patterson 
Private Games by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan
Deadlock by Sara Paretsky
The Black Jersey by Jorge Zepeda Patterson
Death Spiral by Meredith Phillips
Olympic Fusion by Scott Pickard
The Runner by Christopher Reich
Whiz Tanner and the Olympic Snow Caper by Fred Rexroad
Death was in the Blood by Linda L. Richards
Hartliss Protector (Assignment: Prince William at the Olympics) by Mike Scantlebury
Kudo Kids: The Mystery of the Masked Medalist by Maia and Alex Shibutani (Middle School)
Black Rain by David Shone
Red Snow by Michael Slade
The Eighth Day by Alistair Smith
Geronimo and the Gold Medal Mystery by Geronimo Stilton  
Murder at the Olympics by Lee Strauss
Rogue Agent by Sean Sweeney
Lestrade and the Deadly Game by M.J. Trow
The Perfect Blindside by Leslea Wahl
Tess and the Olympic Rings Mystery by C. Wilson and Malcolm Turnbull
Summer Games: An Olympic Murder Mystery by Sabrina Wylly
Not Just a Game by Doug Zipes 

Short Stories: 
 “And Now, an Inspiring Story of Tragedy Overcome” by Joseph S. Walker in Three Strikes--You're Dead!)

Non-Fiction:  
Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team by George Jonas

Monday, February 1, 2016

Murder at the Super Bowl & Other Football Crime Fiction

There's a lot of real crime surrounding the Super Bowl: drugs, money, egos, etc. Lots of fodder for the crime writer. So in 'honor' of Sunday's Super Bowl Game, I've updated my short lists of Super Bowl and other Football Mysteries. This is in no way a definitive list--just some football crime fiction for you to enjoy in case you're not watching the Super Bowl! As always, I welcome additions!

If you're interested in other Sports Mysteries and essays on Football Mysteries, Mystery Readers Journal has had several Sports Mysteries issues. The last Sports Mysteries Issue of MRJ was Volume 25:4 (Winter 2009-2010). Available in Hardcopy and .pdf download

Super Bowl Mysteries

Cover-Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl by John Feinstein (YA)
The Hidden Key by George Harmon Coxe
Super-Dude by John Craig
Black Sunday by Thomas Harris
Paydirt by Paul Levine
The Last Super Bowl by Robin Moore & David Harper
4th and Fixed by Reggie Rivers
Murder at the Super Bowl by Fran Tarkenton and Herb Resnicow
Life's Work by Jonathan Valin
Killerbowl by Gary K. Wolf
 
Other Football Mysteries (not British Football, of which there are many titles)


The Professor by Robert Bailey
Rough and Tumble by Mark Bavaro
Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben
Coliseum by Barney Cohen
Et Tu Brady by Joseph Collum
Day of the Ram by William Campbell Gault
Murder at Cleaver Stadium by Douglas Lee Gibboney
Quarterback Trap by Dallas Gorham
Double Reverse; Ruffians by Tim Green
Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
Bleeding Maize and Blue by Susan Holtzer
The Prophet by Michael Koryta
Two-Minute Warning by George LaFountaine
Bump and Run by Mike Lupica
The Draft by Wil Mara
Dead Ball Foul by Kayla McGrady
A Cardinal Offense by Ralph McInerny
Parker's Blood by William Miller
The Jook by Gary Phillips
Winter and Night by S. J. Rozan
Sudden Death by David Rosenfelt
Marked Man; Red Card by Mel Stein
A Touch of Death by Charles Williams

Short Stories:  The Mighty Johns edited by Otto Penzler

Nonfiction: 
Scoreboard, Baby: A Story of College Football, Crime and Complicity by Ken Armstrong and Nick Perry

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Sports Mysteries: Mystery Readers Journal (Volume 25:4)


The latest issue of Mystery Readers Journal: Sports Mysteries (Volume 25:4) is now available. If you're a U.S. subscriber you should have received your issue by now. If you're an international subscriber, I'm still waiting for copies, and I will mail them out myself this weekend. We weren't happy with the overseas airmail service that our printer was using. I'll send an email when they go out. Thanks for supporting Mystery Readers Journal. Special thanks to Kate Derie, Associate Editor.

Go here for links to some of the articles in this issue: SPORTS MYSTERIES
To receive a hardcopy or full .pdf of this issue, go HERE.

Table of Contents: Sports Mysteries:

The Turf and the Gridiron in Detective Fiction by Gary Garner
Adventure Crime-A Wild Niche in Sports Crime by Jessica Simon
Four Legged Champions by M.E. Kemp
Crossword: Win, Place, and Show by Verna Suit
The Mystery of Sports by Mark Segal

AUTHOR! AUTHOR!
Where the Cameras Can't Follow by Deborah Atkinson
The Dark Side of Sports by Michael Balkind
Training To Write by Rachel Brady
How I Became a Ski Bum at Midlife by Wendy Clinch
How I Became a Biker by Julie Compton
Running the California Coast by Alan Cook
Why Golf? by John Corrigan
Sports and the Mystery of My Improbable Biceps by Diana Deverell
Dreams and Sports by Mary Cnnningham
Dead in the Water by Carola Dunn
The Wide World of Equine Sports by Kit Ehrman
Who Killed the American Baseball Dream? by Robert Elias
A Diehard Cub Fan by Robert Goldsborough
Show Me the Money: A Murderous Sports Connection by Robert Greer
Minnesota Games by Elizabeth Gunn
The Surfing Detective mystery series by Chip Hughes
How Bad Golf Changed My Life by Roberta Isleib
Murder in the Bullpen by N.J. Lindquist
Whowonit? by Peter Lovesey
From Sportswriting to Crimewriting by Brad Parks
Why Write About Sports? by Twist Phelan
Surfing and Detective Work by Neil Plakcy
Any Chance of a Game? by Edward Marston
Chariots and Curses and Crashes, Oh My by Mary Reed
When Sports History Is a Sports Mystery by Linda L. Richards
Bitsy, Baseball, and Life by Vonda Skelton
A Murderous Fastball and a Killer Curve by Eric Stone
A Puckhead Born Susan Swift
When Sports Are Pilikia by Mark Troy
Cold Winter Nights Can Be Murder by Anne White
Sports Mysteries and Me by Mark Zubro
Driven by Simon Wood

COLUMNS
Mystery in Retrospect: Reviews by Lesa Holstine
In Short: In Sport by Marvin Lachman
The Children's Hour: Sports Mysteries by Gay Totl Kinman
Letters to the Editor
From the Editor's Desk by Janet A. Rudolph

Monday, February 2, 2009

Super Bowl Mysteries

What a great game! Twists and turns throughout, supporting characters, good setting, action. Mystery Readers Journal's final issue in 2009 will focus on Sports Mysteries. In preparation for this issue, and with a salute to yesterday's Super Bowl, I went in search of Super Bowl Mysteries. Additions welcome.

Cover-Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl by John Feinstein (2007)
Reviewed by Lesa Holstine at Lesa's Book Critiques, January 22, 2008
Murder at the Super Bowl by Fran Tarkenton and Herb Resnicow (1988)

Any others?