LABOR DAY & LABOR UNION CRIME FICTION

Labor Day!  I'm only aware of a few mysteries set during the Labor Day Holiday, and I've updated my list accordingly: 

Lee Harris's Labor Day Murder
Sharyn McCrumb's Highland Laddie Gone
Sandra Balzo's Running on Empty
Meg Macy's Bearly Departed
Tonya Kappas' Forests, Fishing, & Forgery
Nancy Coco's Forever Fudge
Mary Jane Maffini's The Devil's in the Details (Labour Day Weekend-Canada). 
There's also the short story "Labor Day" by R.T. Lawton in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. 
There are a few other "Summer Mysteries" that include Labor Day, but not as the main subject.

Labor Unions, on the other hand, are rife with settings and situations for crime fiction. This is an UPDATED Crime Fiction list involving Labor Unions with links to two great articles. Please let me know any books that should be added to this list.

LABOR UNION CRIME FICTION

The Knife Behind You by James Benet (Department Store Union Organizer)
For the Love of Mike by Rhys Bowen (Garment Workers Union)
White Hot by Sandra Brown (Labor Dispute)
Big Boned by Meg Cabot (Graduate Student Union)
Double Indemnity by James M. Cain (Insurance)
All Men Fear Me by Donis Casey (IWW)
Beneath It All by Lee Conrad

Cactus Blood by Lucha Corpi (Farm Workers' Union)
Airframe by Michael Crichton (Union Trouble)
Red Herring by Jonothan Cullinane (Waterfront Strike)- coming out this Fall
The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle (Union Group called the Scowrers)
Third Strike by Philip Craig and William Tapply (Steamship Authority Strike)
October Heat by Gordon DeMarco (1934 San Francisco General Strike-Longshoremen)
Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle (The Scowrers)
The Bramble Bush (aka Worse than Murder) by David Duncan (San Francisco General Strike)
American Tabloid by James Ellroy (Teamsters)
LA Quartet by James Ellroy (Movie Unions)
The Man Who Changed Colors by Bill Fletcher Jr. (investigative reporter -shipyards)

A Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett (Coal Mines)
The Peripheral Son by Dorien Gray
Dead Reckoning by Patricia Hall (Union Strike)
Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett (IWW organizer & Copper Workers; Strike Breaking)
"Busting Red Heads" by Richard Helms in EQMM (short story)
A More Perfect Union by J.A. Jance (Iron Workers' Union)
As Dead As it Gets by Cady Kalian (Creative Artists' Union)
The Longer the Thread by Emma Lathen (Garment Workers)
Death at the Old Hotel by Con Lehane (Hotel Workers' Union)
Through a Glass Darkly by Donna Leon (not a union exactly but unsafe working conditions and pollution in the Venetian glass industry)
The Given Day by Dennis Lehane (Police Union)
Through a Glass Darkly by Donna Leon (Unsafe environmental pollution in Venetian glass factories effecting workers)
Black Water Rising by Attica Locke (Long Shoremen's Union)
Deadly Dues by Lulu Malone (Actors' Union)
Stiff by Shane Maloney (Meat Packing)
Lorraine Connection by Dominique Manotti  (Union rep in Cathode-ray Tube industry)
Champawat by Lia Matera A Novella in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (Labor Unions & the Clash between Anarchists & Democrats)
Organize or Die by Laura McClure (Union organizing)
Conferences are Murder by Val McDermid (Journalists' Union); Darker Domain (UK Miners Strike)
Death at Pullman by Frances McNamara (American Railway Union)
The Viewless Winds by Murray Morgan (Murder of a Labor Leader's wife)
A Red Death by Walter Mosley (Aircraft Manufacturer and Labor Union organizer)

Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely (Domestic Workers)
Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky
Mr Campion's Fault by Mike Ripley (Mineworkers)
Death and Blintzes by Dorothy and Sidney Rosen (Garment Workers Union)
A Bitter Feast by S. J. Rozan (Restaurant Workers' Union)

Waterfront by Budd Schulberg
Some Cuts Never Heal, All Bleeding Stops Eventually, One Foot in the Grave, This Won't Hurt a Bit and others (The Shop Steward Series) by Timothy Sheard (Shop Steward)
Judas Incorporated by "Kurt Steel" (Rudolf Kagey) (Pro-Union)
The Big Both Ways by John Straley (Lumber)
The Labor Union Murder aka Fourth of July Picnic by Rex Stout (novella)
Absolute Rage by Robert K. Tanenbaum (Coal Miners' Union)
Fallout by Paul Thomas
The Porkchoppers, Yellow Dog Contract by Ross Thomas (Politics & Unions)
Killy by Donald Westlake (Manufacturing Union)

Short Story: Richard Helms's Busting Red Heads (EQMM)

For further reading:

The Strange Connection Between Detective Fiction and Union Busting by Erica Eisen

Radical Noir: 26 Activist Crime Novels by Molly Odintz

Have a great Labor Day Holiday!

ANTHONY AWARDS: Bouchercon

Bouchercon 2023: San Diego Anthony Awards Winners. Congratulations to all.

Non-Fiction: THE LIFE OF CRIME by Martin Edwards

Short Story: “Beauty and the Beyotch” by Barb Goffman

Best Short Story Anthology: CRIME HITS HOME, edited by SJ Rozan

Best YA/Childrens: ENOLA HOLMES by Nancy Springer

Best Debut: THE MAID by Nita Prose

Best Historical: ANYWHERE YOU RUN by Wanda Morris

Best Humorous: SCOT IN A TRAP by Catriona McPherson

Best Paperback, E-book, Audiobook Origional: THE QUARRY GIRLS by Jess Lourey

Best Hardcover: LIKE A SISTER by Kellye Garrett

UNFORGOTTEN, Season 5, Starts Sunday, September 3

Just a reminder, Unforgotten, Season 5, starts Sunday, September 3 at 9:00 p.m.  on MASTERPIECE  on PBS. Watch on air, online, and on the free PBS app.

This award-winning cold case crime drama follows veteran London detectives who uncover the truth behind tangled, complicated murders from the past. The new season sees DI Sunny Khan’s (Sanjeev Bhaskar) loyal and hard-working investigations team back to work and attempting to get along with a new and all too business-like DCI Jessica James (Sinéad Keenan). Jess’s first case is the discovery of human remains in a newly renovated period property in Hammersmith, London. But how long have they been there and is this a murder dating back to the 1930’s or has the body been disposed of in more recent times?

You can catch up with full episodes of Seasons 1 through 4 streaming now on PBS Passport.

Of course, I'll miss Nicola Walker, but I'm sure it will be a great season. 

Here's the trailer.

BARRY AWARDS: Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine

George Easter, Editor of Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine, announced the winners of the Barry Awards 2023 during Opening Ceremonies at Bouchercon San Diego. Congratulations to all! 

Best Mystery or Crime Novel

DESERT STAR, Michael Connelly (Little,Brown)

Best Debut Mystery or Crime Novel

THE MAID, Nita Prose (Ballantine)

Best Thriller

KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE, Deanna Raybourn (Berkley)

***

Don Sandstrom Award for Lifetime Achievement in Mystery Fandom

"Mystery" Mike Bursaw

LES EDGERTON: R.I.P.

Sad news. Crime Writer Les Edgerton passed away yesterday at the age of 80.

Les Edgerton published 23 books, including Adrenaline Junkie from Down&Out Press, Bomb! from Gutter Press and the black comedy crime novel, The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping from Down & Out Press. One of his most popular books is the writer's text, Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them Go. His own favorite in his collection was Monday's Meal.

Les taught creative writing for the UCLA Extension Writer's Program, Trine University, St. Francis University, a class via Skype for the New York Writer's Workshop, and was Writer-in-Residence for the University of Toledo for three years.

O.K, if you knew Les or hear him speak, you'll remember that he mentioned that he usually mentioned that he was an ex-con, having served two years of a 2-5 sentence at Pendleton Reformatory in the sixties for second-degree burglary. The sentence was the result of a plea bargain where it was reduced to a single charge from 82 burglaries, two strong-arm robberies, an armed robbery, and a count of possession with intent to deal. Prior to this little "trouble," Les served 4 years in the U.S. Navy as a cryptographer who had "up close and personal" experience with the Cuban Crisis and the beginning of the Vietnam War.

After making parole from Pendleton, Edgerton obtained his B.A. from Indiana University (Honors of Distinction), where he was elected Student Body President, and then received his MFA in Writing (Fiction) from Vermont College. He taught workshops nationwide on writing, specializing in classes and seminars on the writer's voice and story beginnings. He also coached writers on their novels.

His fiction has been nominated for or won: the Pushcart Prize, O. Henry Award, Edgar Allan Poe Award (short story category), Derringer Award, the Texas Institute of Letters Jesse Jones Book Award, the Violet Crown Book Award, The Spinetingler Magazine Award for Best Thriller, and others. His screenplays placed as a Semifinalist in the Nicholl's Foundation Competition and as Finalists in the Writer's Guild and Best of Austin competitions.

He will be missed.

Why Are We So Fascinated with Thrillers about Marriage and Relationships? Guest Post by Samantha Downing

After Gone Girl became a smash hit in 2012, the “marriage thriller” genre exploded in popularity. Eleven years later, it is still going strong. But why? 

My first book was a thriller called My Lovely Wife, so this is something I have thought about a lot. The marriage thriller genre has evolved quite a bit, now we call these books domestic thrillers. They have expanded to include stories about neighbors, coworkers, nannies, and friends. But marriage and romantic relationships always play a role…and usually not a good one. 

One way or another, betrayal makes an appearance in every domestic thriller. Someone cheats, lies, hides something in their past, and this betrayal becomes a driving force in the story. We are fascinated and horrified by the idea that someone we are so close to might do this. Is it because it makes us breathe a sigh of relief that we aren’t married to someone so horrible? Or are these books a cautionary tale, a warning to make sure you know someone—really know them—before building a life together? Or maybe it’s just entertaining to read about horrible, doomed relationships that are filled with so much deception. 

I think it’s all of the above. 

I also think there’s more to it. Few things in life can be as fulfilling as sharing your life with another person. Your whole life. Someone you live with, wake up to, and have children with. You may own a house, cars, have a joint retirement account, along with health insurance, credit cards, even your Netflix account. Piece by piece, your lives have become so intertwined, there isn’t a single thing in your name only. 

This can be the safest place to live. It is also the most vulnerable place. 

There is nothing else quite like it. Even with children, we don’t share at this level. Their name isn’t on the mortgage and every bank account. Sharing every little thing is unique to marriage or a longtime partner. 

For a thriller writer, it’s irresistible. A lot of readers agree. 

Readers are the only reason why these books are still being written and still being published. Every reader is unique, and each one has had their own relationships. Some good, some bad. Thankfully, most don’t include literal skeletons in the closet, murderous coverups, or false identities. But what readers have gone through, and the relationships they’ve had, can come into play as they read these books. 

My latest thriller, A Twisted Love Story, is about a couple who have had a tumultuous, up-and-down relationship for ten years. Wes and Ivy have broken up and gotten back together many times, and each one is more dramatic than the last. 

I’ve already heard from early readers who have a lot of thoughts about this relationship. People have told me it brings up a lot of old feelings—not necessarily good ones—about their past. Others have said they have never been in a relationship like Wes and Ivy’s and can’t imagine it, but they’ve seen their friends go through it. At one level or another, a lot of people can relate to it. 

This, I believe, is the true draw of marriage and relationship thrillers. People who have been in a serious relationship can relate to these books. Not the specifics of them, but the emotions. On one hand, the security. But it’s also the wondering, the guessing, the suspicion that maybe they’ve made a mistake. All of this is common, even normal, when you make the decision to share your entire life with another human being. 

Most importantly, it’s about the fear. This is the strongest emotion we have, surpassing both love and greed to take the top spot. Fear is what provokes our flight-or-fight response when we feel like we’re in danger. Fear is what keeps us alive. 

And fear is what keeps a lot of us reading these thrillers. The idea that we could be so wrong about someone, that we could have been so completely blind to who they really are, is endlessly fascinating. And horrifying. It makes us grateful that there are no bodies in our basements. 

Probably.

***

SAMANTHA DOWNING, the author of unforgettable, twisty novels including the instant USA Today bestseller My Lovely Wife, He Started It, and For Your Own Good, is back with another compulsive thriller that gives dangerous new meaning to modern dating. Downing has been called a thriller writer to watch, and for good reason. Her novels take what’s “normal” and turn it on its head, with deliciously fun results. Her previous titles put a killer spin on American marriage, family road trips, and private school teaching.
 
A TWISTED LOVE STORY (Berkley Hardcover) ups the ante, with a story about the not-so-sweet side of young love and the malignant side of modern dating. Wes and Ivy are madly in love. But their love is dangerous. When it’s good, it’s great: they’re on top of the world, and everything else disappears. And when it’s bad, it’s really bad: they get into violent fights, make spiteful comments—and even commit crime. But that cycle is about to end, fast—because now there’s a detective hot on their tails…
 
With her combination of edgy humor, wickedly clever twists, and so-bad-they’re-good characters, Downing has nailed her newest and most delicious thriller.