Elaine Flinn, R.I.P.

It was a sad day yesterday when the mystery community learned of the death of Elaine Flinn, author, antiques dealer, comedian, friend.

Elaine Flinn passed away Saturday night as the result of complications due to pneumonia and cancer. Elaine, a former Bay Area antiques dealer, created Molly Doyle, a Carmel, CA, aniques dealer in Dealing in Murder, her 2003 debut novel that was nominated for an Agatha, Gumshoe, Barry and Anthony (2003). Tagged for Murder (2004) won the Barry Award. Two more Molly Doyle novels--Deadly Collection and Deadly Vintage followed.

Flin was one of the founding members of Murderati. And, it was during her time at Murderati that Flinn developed the Evil-E persona for which she became so well-known.

I was lucky to have known Elaine, and we shared laughter and fun at conventions and bookstores over the years. I will miss her. I know she was looking forward to Left Coast Crime 2009 in Hawaii.

L.J. Roberts tells us more about Elaine in the Rap Sheet today. Mystery authors remember Elaine today in Louise Ure's blog at Murderati.

Agatha Christie's Egypt: Life on the Nile in the 1930s

San Francisco State University's Museum Studies Program announces a new exhibition "Agatha Christie's Egypt: Life on the Nile in the 1930s." Egypt held a special meaning for the career of the Agatha Christie: After traveling there and taking the trip up the Nile on a tourist steamer, she wrote one of her most successful books, Death on the Nile, which features the one and only Hercule Poirot solving the mystery murder in a group of British and American travelers.

The exhibition shows Egypt the way it would have looked to the eyes of Agatha Christie and other Western tourists of 1930s. Magnificent black and white photographs show archaeological excavations and the great Egyptian monuments - Sphinx of Giza and the temples of Karnak and Luxor. The photographers of the 1930s caught the last view of the island of Philae, which went under water after the Aswan Dam was opened. Next to these iconic images are pictures of the daily life of Egyptians: people making mats, molding bricks, and discussing everyday affairs.

The magazines and newspapers of 1930s provide an authentic atmosphere for the "period room," modeled after a luxury hotel lobby. Here, visitors get a chance to relax, leave their names in a guest book and try out the stereoscope and stereographs of Egypt. Those three-dimensional images were the first 'high definition' photographs, popular in 1930s.

A visit to Egypt could not be complete without going to the museum of antiquities to see mummies, statues of gods, and contents of tombs. The core of this part of the exhibition consists of the objects from the famous Sutro Egyptian Collection, purchased by former San Francisco Mayor Adolph Sutro in 1884. The treasures of the collection on display include the 3000-year-old mummy called Nes-Per-N-Nub with a rare triple-nesting sarcophagus set (one of the only 3 triple-nesting sarcophagi in the US!); other mummified remains; the stunning Amarna princess limestone statuette; jewelry and amulets that accompanied Egyptians to the afterlife.

For visitors of all ages, the exhibition provides a unique hands-on INTERACTIVE MUMMY. If you always wanted to learn more about the art of mummification, you can practice with our custom-made interactive mummy, which is equipped with lungs, liver, kidneys, and brains to be removed. Wrapping the mummy is the final stage of this adventure!

The exhibition is located at San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132-4030, in Humanities Building, 5th Floor, Room 510. It would be open to the public 11:00 to 4:00, Monday through Friday, November 3rd - December 12th, with a hiatus for the week of Thanksgiving. Admission is free.

"There are very wonderful things to be seen in Egypt, are there not?" - Hercule Poirot

Macavity Awards

I gave out the Macavity Awards at Bouchercon in Baltimore during opening ceremonies. What a great night. I followed the new CrimeSpree Awards. The Barry Awards were given out after the Macavity. They're the awards given out by readers of Deadly Pleasures and Mystery News.

So without further ado... the Macavity Award winners 2008. Congratulations.

The Macavity Award is named for the "mystery cat" of T.S. Eliot (Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats). Each year the members of Mystery Readers International nominate and vote for their favorite mysteries in four categories.

Best Mystery Novel: Laura Lippman: What the Dead Know (Morrow)

Best First Mystery: Tana French: In the Woods (Hodder & Stoughton*/Viking)

Best Mystery Short Story: Rhys Bowen: "Please Watch Your Step" (The Strand Magazine, Spring 2007)

Best Mystery Non-Fiction: Roger Sobin, editor/compiler: The Essential Mystery Lists: For Readers, Collectors, and Librarians (Poisoned Pen Press)

Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery: Ariana Franklin: Mistress of the Art of Death (Putnam)

Around the World with Mysteries/Akashic Noir Series

I just started an incredible collection of short stories, Istanbul Noir, edited by Mustafa Ziyalan & Amy Spangler. With this collection and with Paris Noir, Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of oriignal noir anthologies. Each book is comprised of all-new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or locations within the city of the book. So Istanbul Noir moves fearlessly to the city hosting the Euopean/Asian divide. This series launched in the Summer of '04 with the best-seller Brooklyn Noir, has put noir stories on the map!

Tana French's top 10 maverick mysteries

Check out the Guardian (UK) for Tana French's top 10 maverick mysteries. French's Top Ten: The Secret History by Donna Tartt. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. The Butcher Boy by Patrick McCabe. Innocent Blood by P.D. James. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. Hurting Distance by Sophie Hannah.The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey. A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read.

I haven't read Hurting Distance, so I'll put that on my TBR list. I really admire Tana French as an author who breaks the mold. Don't miss The Likeness.

Dracula, the Classic Vampire

Vampires are all the rage today, but the classic vampire novel of them all is Dracula by Bram Stoker. Leslie S. Klinger's New Annotated Dracula couldn't be more timely or more insightful. It's so enjoyable to read. Using the definitive edition of the 1897 text, this annotated edition contains examples of all the evidence, including contemporary travel books, scientific texts, Victorian encyclopedias, as well as Stoker's own notes for the narrative and the manuscript itself.

There are over 1500 annotations that provide incredible background on language, customs and history of Victorian England and end of century Europe. Maps, photographs, and illustrations round out this incredible book.

Leslie S. Klinger is the author of the 3 Volume New Annotated Sherlock Holmes which won the Edgar and was nominated for the Agatha, Quill, and Macavity Awards. Catch Les on TOUR now.