What's New - 2005 Archive

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For What's New? for 2006, click here

12/30/05

It appears that some unsavory creatures have sent millions of spam emails purporting to be from the blackravenpress.com domain. If you received junk mail that looked like it came from us, please be aware that we do not spam and only contact you by email regarding your subscription if there is a problem or question.

Updated the Publishers page to include links to Bitter Lemon Press and Europa Editions. Added the excerpt to the James Sallis interview to the Sallis page and updated the Authors page. Updated the Calendar page to include the Arizona Book Festival, Hardboiled Heroes & Cozy Cats 2006 and the Ann Arbor Book Festival.

12/21/05

The December/January 2006 issue of Mystery News was mailed Monday, December 19, 2005. Our cover interview (by James Clar) is of James Sallis, whose newest work, Drive, is hitting the 10 best of 2005 lists of a slew of major newspapers and mystery mavens. Drive is published by Poisoned Pen Press. Other highlights of this issue include articles on Nancy Drew's 75 years of sleuthing (by Colleen Barnett) and L.A. Confidential's 15 years as a noir classic; and Steve Miller's "In the beginning" column on Chris Knopf, whose debut novel, The Last Refuge, came out earlier this year. Marv Lachman's "Out of the Past" column is on Dorothy B. Hughes, whose classic, In a Lonely Place, was republished by the Feminist Press a couple of years ago. Dave Magayna reviews audiobooks by Eileen Dreyer and James W. Hall in his "The Sound of Mystery" column. And our usual columns, reviews, previews and convention calendar. Updates to related pages on the site will come in a day or so...

The Wolfe Pack presented the 2005 Nero Wolfe award to Lee Child for The Enemy at the Black Orchid Banquet on December 3, 2005 in New York.

Updated the Calendar page to remove outdated info.

12/3/05

Eddie Muller has founded the Film Noir Foundation to find and preserve films in danger of being lost or irreparably damaged, and to ensure that high quality prints of these classic films remain in circulation for theatrical exhibition to future generations. According to the Foundation's website,

The Foundation is still in its early stages, but the future looks dark—a good thing as far as we're concerned. Anita Monga, one of the most respected film programmers in the nation, has signed on as the FNF's official Programming Director. Authors James Ellroy and Dennis Lehane—serious noir junkies—have joined the Board of Directors. So has Nancy Gertsman, co-president of Zeitgeist Films, who will work with us in developing and promotiing NOIR CITY as a traveling show. More intriguing names are sure to join the cadre as things develop.

While the San Francisco Film Noir Festival will remain the annual centerpiece of the Foundation's public activities, there are plans for expanding the scope of the NOIR CITY festivals, to include more special guests, seminars, publications, even musical events.

MWA has announced that Janet Evanovich has been elected President and will serve a one-year term beginning in February, 2006.

The Calendar page has been updated to correct the dates for the LA Times Festival of Books and to add the National Book Festival, which will take place in Washington DC on September 30, 2006. While perusing the Book Festival website, I discovered that there is a treasure trove of more than 300 videotaped webcasts of author presentations from previous festivals...many of them are mystery and crime fiction authors. I've only watched a couple of them (Dana Stabenow's is excellent!) and will be going back often to see and hear more.

Added Crime and Suspense ezine to the general mystery links page - this site is updated monthly with short stories and reviews, and also has a page of links to classic detective stories that are in the public domain...including stories by Anna Katherine Green, Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle and others. Also added Miss Snark - the blog of an anonymous literary agent who shares insights into the publishing business in an amusingly snarky way. She also is a big fan of mystery and crime fiction. And the Film Noir Foundation.

11/26/05

A few updates to the Calendar page and the Publishers pages. Also added a link to the George Kelley Paperback and Pulp Fiction Collection at the State University of NY at Buffalo on the General Mystery Links page.

11/24/05

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers! Here in the Northeast, it's quite brisk and there's a whisper of the "s" word, but no sign of the white stuff so far. In Door Country, where Lynn and Mack are celebrating the holiday, there's snow and they're lovin' it. We hope you're having a cozy day, wherever you may be. Now for some updates before I head out to have dinner with friends and family...

We told you a few weeks ago that Bonnie and Joe of the Black Orchid Bookshop will be the recipients of a Raven Award in the spring - since then, MWA has announced that Joan Hansen, who has organized the annual "Men of Mystery" event on behalf of the non-profit Literary Guild of Orange County in California, will also be honored with a Raven Award at the same time. MWA also announced that the Ellery Queen Award, which honors teams and outstanding people in the mystery-publishing field, will be presented to Kate Stine and Brian Skupin, publishers of Mystery Scene magazine.

The 2005 Ned Kelly Awards, presented annually by the Crime Writers' Association of Australia for outstanding works in the field of crime, both fiction and non-fiction, by Australian authors, were announced in Melbourne on Thursday, 25 August.

Best Crime Novel: Lost by Michael Robotham (Time Warner UK)
Best First Crime Novel: A Private Man by Malcolm Knox (Random House)
Best True Crime: Mr Big by Tony Reeves (Allen & Unwin)


Visit this page for more winners and nominees.

A couple of years ago, Steve Lewis revived his publication, Mystery*File. He recently ceased paper publication, but Mystery*File is alive and well on the web at this link. Check it out!

An update to the Dagger Award info below - the Debut Dagger Award was won by Ruth Dugdall for The Woman Before Me and a Special Citation was given to Susan Runholt for The Mystery of the Third Lucretia.

On Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25, public radio station KCRW (89.9 FM-Santa Monica and KCRW.com) debuts its newest original production, Mean Streets USA: A Collection of Short Crime Fiction.

Included in the series are short stories by Raymond Chandler, Michael Connelly, Sue Grafton, Dashiell Hammett, Elmore Leonard, Ross Macdonald, Walter Mosley, George Pelecanos and Jim Fusilli, whose "Serpent's Dance" is a prequel to "Closing Time," Jim's debut novel featuring private investigator Terry Orr. Robert Egan directs the series, and with longtime musical collaborator, Karl Lundeberg, establishes a moody noir tone, in a moral universe where black and white are not always what they seem. After the series is broadcast, it will be available on CD.

Noir City 4, the 4th annual San Francisco Film Noir Festival will be held January 13 - 24, 2006 at two venues in San Francisco. Once again hosted by Eddie Muller, this looks to be the best yet. Click here for more info.

Felony and Mayhem Press, the independent mystery publisher founded by Maggie Topkis (one of the owners of Partners & Crime bookstore), now has a website. Maggie is reprinting some wonderful books - do visit the site and check out Felony and Mayhem's lineup.

11/8/05

Stuart Kaminsky has been named the 2006 Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America's board of directors. The presentation will be made at the annual Edgar Awards dinner on April 27, 2006, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York.

Kaminsky is the author of 50 published novels, five biographies, four textbooks, and more than three dozen short stories. The six-time Edgar nominee, who won for his novel "A Cold Red Sunrise" in 1989, is a past president of the organization. He taught for 16 years at Northwestern University before becoming a professor at Florida State, where he headed the Graduate Conservatory in Film and Television Production until leaving to pursue his writing full-time.

Kaminsky will join Marcia Muller on a list of Grand Masters that includes Robert B. Parker, Elmore Leonard, Lawrence Block, Donald Westlake, Tony Hillerman, P.D. James, Joseph Wambaugh, Ira Levin, Ellery Queen, Daphne du Maurier, Graham Greene, James M. Cain, Rex Stout, Agatha Christie, and Raymond Chandler.

The Crime Writers Association announced the winners of the balance of the 2005 Dagger Awards, which were presented at the CWA Dagger Awards Lunch in London earlier today.

Dagger of Daggers Award: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carre (1963)
Gold Dagger for Fiction: Silence of the Grave
by Arnaldur Indridason (Harvill Secker)
Silver Dagger for Fiction: Deadly Web
by Barbara Nadel (Headline)
The John Creasey Memorial Dagger: Running Hot by Dreda Say Mitchell (Maia Press)
The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger: Brandenburg by Henry Porter (Orion)
The Short Story Dagger: "No Flies on Frank" by Danuta Reah from Sherlock Magazine (Issue 64)
The Dagger in the Library: Jake Arnott
Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction: On the Run by Greg & Gina Hill (Hutchinson)

For more information about the Dagger Awards, click here.

10/26/05

Our web site is back! It was down for about 2 days because our web hosting company's data center in South Florida lost power as a result of Hurricane Wilma. Service was restored in the early morning hours of October 26. We apologize if you tried to get to the page and were told it didn't exist. Our emails are routed through the same data center, so there may be brief delays in responses.

Updated the Calendar page to include the MWA Symposium and the Edgar Allan Poe banquet, both in late April 2006.

And here's info on another mystery writing contest with cash prizes ($10,000 Best New Play; $5,000 Most Promising New Writer; $2,500 Best New Screenplay or Teleplay). The River Park Center in Owensboro, KY is sponsoring “Discovering New Mysteries”, and is accepting submission of original plays, screenplays and teleplays. Deadline for submissions is November 30, 2005. The “Festival Final 12” will be selected in January 2006, in conjunction with their first annual mystery writers’ festival. According to the website, this will be the only new works festival in the English-speaking world specializing in “Discovering New Mysteries”. Click here for more info.

10/24/05

The October/November 2005 issue was mailed today. Click here or here for information about its contents.

Updated the Calendar page to include the International Conference on the Book, American Library Association Midwinter meeting, LA Times Festival of Books, Portland (OR) Wordstock Festival, Harriette Austin Writers Conference, and the Book Passage Mystery Writing Conference.

And now for something completely different. The Great Mustard Mystery Contest, a writing contest open to writers and aspiring writers of all ages. Chapter One of Murder at the Mustard Museum is complete and appears in the 2005-06 catalog of the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum and on this web site. Contestants will write their best Chapter 2 and a summary of how the story turns out for the opportunity to win the Grand Prize of $5,000. There's even a "Young Writers" division for high-school students, with its own Grand Prize of $250. Thank you to my pal Sara Blake for bringing this to my attention.

10/21/05

Tonight Noreen Wald, Executive VP of the Mystery Writers of America, announced that Bonnie Claeson and Joe Guglielmelli, proprietors of the Black Orchid Bookshop, will be recipients of the MWA's Raven Award at next year's Edgar Allan Poe banquet. The Raven is a special award given or outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing. Previous recipients include mystery bookstores/owners (including the Poisoned Pen, Rue Morgue, Mysterious Bookstore and Murder by the Book), readers of the year (including Bill Clinton and Dorothy Kilgallen), institutions (Poe Museum, Mercantile Library) and our own Marv Lachman, for his contributions to mystery fandom. Regular readers of Mystery News know that the Black Orchid is my home away from home and that Joe has been an occasional contributor to MN. Bonnie and Joe are wonderful ambassadors of the genre and dear friends. I am so pleased to see their efforts honored by the MWA Board.

Book news - Reed Farrel Coleman and Ken Bruen are collaborating on a novel that will be called Tower. According to Coleman, the book will be done early in the new year. It sounds like it will be terrific.

10/17/05

The Crime Writers' Association has announced that the winner of the The Ellis Peters Historical Dagger is Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom.

You may not be counting, but we've been! The October/November issue will be the 50th published by Black Raven Press. To celebrate, we are including several retrospectives in this over-sized issue that features in interview with Michael Connelly (by Chris Aldrich) on the front cover. The new issue will be in the mail a week from today - other highlights of this issue include an interview of Margaret Frazer by Virginia R. Knight. Frazer is the author of the popular series featuring Dame Frevisse set in the fifteenth century. Steve Miller's "In the beginning" column checks in with Edie Claire, Stan Jones and Marcia Talley - who were brand-new authors when Steve profiled in his first year. Marv Lachman's "Out of the Past" column takes a look at what he was reading 60 years ago. Reed Andrus interviews Jeff Abbott, whose eighth novel, Panic, is the first to be published in hardcover. Dave Magayna offers a change of pace with a "The Sound of Mystery" column focused on the sounds of Bouchercon. Pam Lawrence interviews Andrew Taylor, who's been called "the most underrated mystery writer in Britain today". Gary Warren Niebuhr interviews Terence Faherty, author of the Owen Keane and Scott Elliott series. And James Clar reflects on Raymond Chandler's essay, "The Simple Art of Murder". Of course, we include our usual columns, reviews, previews and convention calendar.

Updated the Back Issues and Authors pages to include info related to the new issue. Updated the Calendar page to add the Miami International Book Fair in mid-November, Love is Murder and Murder in the Magic City, which will both be held on the first weekend of February 2006, South Carolina Book Festival in late February, as well as the Virginia Festival of the Book, March 22-26. Also added links to the Crime Lab Project, founded by Jan Burke, to our home page and our General Links page.

10/3/05

Our Bouchercon photos are finally up, along with the photos I took in Chicago during my extra few days there. Lots of photos from the river, taken during an architectural cruise.

The Crime Writers' Association announced the nominees for its 2005 Dagger Awards, most of which will be presented at the CWA Dagger Awards Lunch in London on November 8, 2005.

Gold And Silver Daggers for Fiction

Calling Out to You by Karin Fossum (Harvill Secker)
In Matto's Realm by Fredrich Glauser (Bitter Lemon Press)
Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen (Bantam)
Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason (Harvill Secker)
Deadly Web by Barbara Nadel (Headline)
Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas (Harvill Secker)

The John Creasey Memorial Dagger

The Great Stink by Clare Clark (Viking Penguin)
Blood Harvest by Richard Kunzmann (Macmillan)
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay (Orion)
Grip by David Mckoewen (Hodder & Stoughton)
Running Hot by Dreda Say Mitchell (Maia Press)

The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger

A Blind Eye by G.M. Ford (Macmillan)
A Good Day to Die by Simon Kernick (Bantam)
An Apothecary's House by Adrian Matthews (Pan Macmillan)
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse (Orion)
Brandenburg by Henry Porter (Orion)
Double Cross Blind by Joel Ross (Hodder & Stoughton)
A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva (Penguin)

The Ellis Peters Historical Dagger

The God of Chaos by Tom Bradby (Bantam/Transworld)
The Palace Tiger by Barbara Cleverly (Constable & Robinson)
After The Armistice Ball by Catriona Macpherson (Constable & Robinson)
The Portrait by Iain Pears (Harpercollins)
Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom (Macmillan)
Mortal Mischief by Frank Tallis (Century)

The Short Story Dagger

"Miss Froom Vampire" by John Connolly from Nocturnes (Hodder & Stoughton)
"Test Drive" by Martin Edwards from Crime On the Move (The Do-Not Press)
"Top Deck" by Kate Ellis from Sherlock Magazine (Issue 64)
"No Flies on Frank" by Danuta Reah from Sherlock Magazine (Issue 64)
"The Wrong Hands" by Peter Robinson from Not Safe After Dark (Macmillan)

The Dagger in the Library

Jake Arnott
Mark Billingham
Joolz Denby
Nicci French
Mo Hayder
Martyn Waites

Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction

The Wreckers by Bella Bathurst (Harpercollins)
On the Run by Greg & Gina Hill (Hutchinson)
The Last Duel by Eric Jager (Century)
The Trial by Sadakat Kadri (Harpercollins)
A Serpent in Eden by James Owen (Little Brown)

CWA also announced the shortlist for the Dagger of Daggers Award. To celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the organization, the membership voted for the best of the best out of the past Gold Dagger winners. The nominees are:

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carre (1963)
Other Paths to Glory by Anthony Price (1974)
Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith (1981)
The False Inspector Dew by Peter Lovesey (1982)
A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine (1987)
Bones and Silence by Reginald Hill (1990)
The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid (1995)

 

The Wolfe Pack has announced the following nominees for the Nero Award, which will be presented at the group's annual Black Orchid banquet in New York on December 3, 2005.

A Spectacle of Corruption by David Liss (Random House)
The Enemy by Lee Child (Delacorte)
The Drowning Tree by Carol Goodman (Ballantine)


9/14/05

Along with others in the mystery fan community, we were incredibly saddened to learn that Sue Feder died September 9. Sue was already an icon in mystery fandom when I met her around in the late 1990s. She was known for being an expert on the works of Edith Pargeter (aka Ellis Peters, author of the Brother Cadfael series), and in more recent years she founded the Historical Mystery Appreciation Society. You can read her obituary here, She'd been battling lymphoma since 1998. We will miss her.

9/11/05

Here is some info on a few more awards from Bouchercon. Our Bouchercon photos will be posted in about a week.

In addition to the Barry Awards listed below, Deadly Pleasures presented the Don Sandstrom Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in Mystery Fandom to Bill Crider.

In addition to the Shamus Awards listed below, the Private Eye Writers of America presented The Eye, their lifetime achievement award, to Sara Paretsky.

The American Crime Writers League presented the Ellen Nehr Award for excellence in mystery reviewing to Hallie Ephron, a mystery writer who reviews for the Boston Globe.

Also updated the Calendar page with the Santa Barbara Book & Author Festival, Clive Cussler Convention, Sleuthfest 2006, Murder in the Grove, Of Dark and Stormy Nights, Bloody Words and and with guest of honor info for Bouchercon 2006 and Bouchercon 2007.

9/4/05

Oops! In my haste to post these Shamus winners, I got one wrong. Best First was won by Ingrid Black not Richard Aleas. My sincere apologies for having incorrect info up here for about 45 minutes on Sunday afternoon...

The Private Eye Writers of America announced the 2005 Shamus Award winners on Friday night during Bouchercon.

Best Novel: While I Disappear by Ed Wright (Putnam)

Best Paperback: Fade to Blonde
by Max Phillips (Hard Case Crime)

Best First: The Dead by Ingrid Black (St. Martin's)

Best Short Story: "Hasidic Noir" by Pearl Abraham (in Brooklyn Noir; Akashic Press)

9/3/05

The Anthony Awards were presented at Bouchercon 2005, the World Mystery Convention at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago.

Best Novel: Blood Hollow by William Kent Krueger (Simon & Schuster/Atria)

Best First Novel: Dating Dead Men by Harley Jane Kozak (Random House/Doubleday)
Best Non Fiction: Men's Adventure Magazines by Max Allan Collins et al (Taschen)

Best Paperback Original: Twisted City by Jason Starr (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

Best Short Story: "Wedding Knife" by Elaine Viets (Chesapeake Crimes;Quiet Storm)
Best Cover Art: Sohrab Habibion for Brooklyn Noir (Akashic)

9/2/05

The following awards were presented over the last 2 days at Bouchercon in Chicago.

The Hammett Prize, which is given each year for "a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing by a US or Canadian author" was presented to Chuck Hogan, author of Prince Of Thieves (Scribner).

The Macavity Awards 2005, which are nominated and voted on by members of Mystery Readers International.

Best Novel: The Killing of the Tinkers by Ken Bruen (St. Martin's Minotaur)

Best First Novel: Dating Dead Men by Harley Jane Kozak (Doubleday)

Best Nonfiction: Forensics for Dummies by D.P. Lyle, MD (Wiley Publishing)

Best Short Story
: "The Widow of Slane" by Terence Faherty (EQMM, March/April 2004)

The Barry Award, presented by Deadly Pleasures mystery magazine.

Best Novel: The Enemy by Lee Child

Best First Novel: The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Best UK Novel: Flesh and Blood by John Harvey

Best Paperback Original: Tagged for Murder by Elaine Flinn

Best Thriller Award:
Rain Storm by Barry Eisler

Best Short Story Award: "The War in Wonderland" by Edward D. Hoch (Green For Danger)

 

See the Awards page for a complete list of nominees.

8/30/05

The Quills Literary Foundation has announced the nominees for the first annual awards, which will be announced on October 11 in New York City and will be presented during an awards ceremony on October 22nd that will be televised by NBC -- maybe they are peacock quills? The nominees in the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category are:

The Closers by Michael Connelly (Little Brown and Co.)

Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's Press)

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (Little Brown and Co.)

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon)

With No One as Witness by Elizabeth George (HarperCollins)

You can find the lists of nominees in other categories, as well as an on-line ballot for the awards, at this link.

Updated the Bouchercon "Meet & Greet" schedule to add Peter Robinson and to correct the time for Jane Jakeman on Saturday.

Also added the 2006 Harrogate Crime Writing Festival to our Calendar page.

8/29/05

Modified the Bouchercon "Meet & Greet" schedule.

8/28/05

Our tentative signing schedule for Bouchercon 2005 is now posted here. Please join us at our table in the book dealer's room to meet & greet some of our (and your) favorite authors.

Also added Deadly Ink, which will be held June 23-24, 2006 in Parsippany NJ, to our Calendar page.

8/21/05

We just learned of the passing of Dennis Lynds, who also wrote under the pen name of Michael Collins, on Friday August 19. He was 81. Lynds was the highly respected author of more than 80 books including the Dan Fortune series. He won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel for Act of Fear, the first Fortune novel, published in 1967 and was also awarded the Marlowe Lifetime Achievement Award from MWA, SoCal Chapter, and the Eye Lifetime Achievement Award of the Private Eye Writers of America. We send our condolences to his wife, author Gayle Lynds, and to his family and colleagues.

Updated the Calendar page to add ThrillerFest and And Then There Were None and did some reformatting of the calendar.

8/15/05

The August/September 2005 issue of Mystery News was mailed Monday, August 15, 2005 [note: the cover calls it Volume 23 Issue 4.1 to distinguish it from the June/July issue erraneously labeled Issue4]. Our cover interview (by Pam Lawrence) is of Denise Mina, the writer from Scotland dubbed the "Crown Princess" by fellow Scot Val McDermid. Other highlights of this issue include an interview of Barbara Cleverly (by Virginia R. Knight); and Steve Miller's "In the beginning" column on David Terrenoire, whose debut novel featuring former CIA operative John Harper, Beneath a Panamanian Moon, came out earlier this year. Marv Lachman's "Out of the Past" column is on Hugh Pentecost, whose mystery-writing career spanned over 60 years. Dave Magayna reviews audiobooks by Rochelle Krich and William Lashner in his "The Sound of Mystery" column. And our usual columns, reviews, previews and convention calendar.

Updated the Back Issues and Authors pages to include info related to the new issue, and the Calendar page to add the Sierra Vista Book Fair, a mystery book fair sponsored by the Cochise County chaper of Sisters in Crime, and which will take place on March 25, 2006.

7/20/05

The Standing Committee of Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention, is happy to announce its permanent website: http://www.bouchercon.info.

Each individual Bouchercon will continue to have its own convention website with details of that particular year. For example: Bouchercon in Chicago this year remains at www.bouchercon.net.

The new permanent site provides links to the websites of each of these annual conventions, as well as histories of Bouchercons dating back to the first in 1970, including the names of organizers and guests of honor. The site also features a compilation of Anthony Award winners dating back to 1986, as well as current standing committee members, Bouchercon bylaws, and minutes of meetings.

The committee thanks Beth Tindall and Cincinnati Media for providing the site.

7/17/05

Lots more info about Bouchercon 2008 can be found at the official Bouchercon 2008 blog.

7/16/05

Bouchercon 2008 will be held October 9 - 12.

7/15/05

The Bouchercon Standing Committee has just announced that in 2008 the World Mystery Convention will take place in Baltimore, MD. The convention cochairs are Ruth Jordan and Judi Bobalik. We'll post more details as they are made available.

7/9/05

Today's NY Times has an appreciation of Evan Hunter by Frank J. Prial - click here to read it.

7/8/05

Spent some time updating the Calendar page to include: St. Hilda's Mystery & Crime Weekend in Oxford from 8/19/05 - 8/21/05; the South Dakota Festival of Books in Deadwood from 9/23/05 - 9/25/05; the National Book Festival in Washington, DC on 9/24/05; Cape Fear Crime Festival in Wilmington, NC 10/28/05 - 10/30/05; Book Expo America in Washington, DC 5/18/06 - 5/21/06; and - saving the one of the best for last - Mayhem in the Midlands, sponsored by the Omaha Public Library and featuring our own Sally Fellows as one of the organizers 5/25/06 - 5/28/06.

7/6/05

We just learned that Ed McBain passed away this afternoon after battling cancer for several years. Born Salvatore Lombino in 1926, he changed his legal name to Evan Hunter in 1952. He wrote more than 80 novels, including the acclaimed 87th Precinct series, as well as several teleplays and screenplays...including the screenplay for The Birds. He provided more than fifty years of reading pleasure and was an inspiration to two generations of crime writers. His last 87th Precinct book, Fiddlers is due to be published in September by Harcourt. May he rest in peace. [Update: click here to read the obituary from the NY Times or here to read the obituary from the Washington Post]

7/5/05

We got to know Steve Miller ten years ago and Lynn finally convinced him to write a column for us in 1999. His "In the beginning" column has profiled dozens of first-time crime fiction authors and now you can read his thoughts at his new blog, The Darkened Stacks - Musings About Books, Americana, Pop Culture. And Other Stuff. According to Steve, "Here, we celebrate the backlist -- books not displayed on the front tables, but rather, in The Darkened Stacks. I can't promise postings every day, but I'll try to keep the place interesting on a reasonably current basis." Check it out now!

Wordharvest Workshops for Writers has announced the second annual Tony Hillerman Conference: Focus on Mystery, which will be held November 3-6 in Albuquerque, NM.

Updated the General Links and Calendar pages with the above.

6/28/05

Fixed some problems with the most recently updated pages and updated the Calendar page to include the New England Crime Bake on November 12 & 13, 2005.

6/24/05

The June/July 2005 issue of Mystery News was mailed Monday, June 20, 2005 [note: the cover erroneously calls it Volume 23 Issue 4 - it is actually Issue 3]. Our cover interview (by James Clar) is of Ken Bruen, the Irish noir writer who has taken the US by storm this past year with his series featuring ex-Garda Siochana Jack Taylor. Other highlights of this issue include a remembrance of Barbara Burnett Smith (by Virginia R. Knight); and Steve Miller's column about the origins of, well. "In the beginning...", which he's been writing for us for the past six years! Marv Lachman's "Out of the Past" column is on Earl Derr Biggers, creator of Charlie Chan, and we also have an article by James Clar celebrating the 80th anniversary of the publication of Biggers' The House Without a Key. Dave Magayna reviews audiobooks by Margaret Truman and Ian Rankin in his "The Sound of Mystery" column. And our usual columns, reviews, previews and convention calendar.

Updated the Back Issues and Authors pages to include info related to the new issue.

6/12/05

The Crime Writers of Canada announced the winners of the 2005 Arthur Ellis Awards. See the full list of nominees on our Awards page.


Best First Novel:
Dark Places by Jon Evans (HarperCollins Canada)

Best Novel:
Fifth Son by Barbara Fradkin (RendezVous Press)

Best Short Story:
"Crocodile Tears" by Leslie Watts in Revenge: A Noir Anthology (Insomniac Press)

Best Non-Fiction:
The Irich Game: A True Story of Crime and Art by Matthew Hart (Viking Canada)

Best Juvenile:
The Beckoners by Carrie Mac (Orca Book Publishers)

Best Crime Writing in French:
Les Douze Pierres by Ann Lamontagne (Vents d'Ouest)

Derrick Murdoch Award:
Max Haines, for years of giving new life to old crimes


6/8/05

The Macavity Award Nominations 2005 (for works published in 2004) have been announced. The Macavity Awards are nominated and voted on by members of Mystery Readers International. Winners will be announced at Bouchercon in September 2005.

Best Novel

The Killing of the Tinkers by Ken Bruen (St. Martin's Minotaur)
Cold Case by Robin Burcell (Avon)
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay (Doubleday)
High Country Fall by Margaret Maron (Mysterious Press)
California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker (HarperCollins)
Playing with Fire by Peter Robinson (William Morrow)

Best First Novel

Uncommon Grounds by Sandra Balzo (Five Star)
Summer of the Big Bachi by Naomi Hirahara (Delta)
Whiskey Sour by J A Konrath (Hyperion)
Dating Dead Men by Harley Jane Kozak (Doubleday)
Misdemeanor Man by Dylan Schaffer (Bloomsbury)

Best Nonfiction

Famous American Crimes & Trials, Vol. 1 by Frankie Y Bailey & Steven Chermak, (Praeger Publishers)
Just the Facts: True Tales of Cops & Criminals by Jim Doherty (Deadly Serious Press)
The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories edited by Leslie S. Klinger (W.W.Norton)
Latin American Mystery Writers: An A-to-Z Guide by Darrell B. Lockhart (Greenwood Press)
Forensics for Dummies by D.P. Lyle, MD (Wiley Publishing)


Best Short Story


"Viscery" by Sandra Balzo (EQMM, December 2004)
"The Widow of Slane" by Terence Faherty (EQMM, March/April 2004)
"The Lady's Not for Dying" by Alana White (Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine, Winter 2004)

6/3/05

The Private Eye Writers of America announced the 2005 Shamus Award nominees. The Shamus will be presented in September in Chicago during Bouchercon.

Best Novel:

Fade to Clear by Leonard Chang (St. Martin's)
The Wakeup by Robert Ferrigno (Pantheon)
After The Rain by Chuck Logan (HarperCollins)
Choke Point by James Mitchell (St. Martin's)
While I Disappear by Ed Wright (Putnam)

Best Paperback:

Call the Devil by His Oldest Name by Sallie Bissell (Dell)
Shadow of the Dahlia by Jack Bludis (Quiet Storm Publishing)
London Blitz by Max Allan Collins (Berkley Prime Crime)
Island of Bones by P. J. Parrish (Pinnacle Books)
Fade to Blonde by Max Phillips (Hard Case Crime)

Best First:

Little Girl Lost by Richard Aleas (Five Star)
The Last Goodbye by Reed Arvin (HarperCollins)
The Dead by Ingrid Black (St. Martin's)
Aspen Pulp by Patrick Hasburgh (St. Martin's)
Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas (Simon & Schuster)

Best Short Story:

"Hasidic Noir" by Pearl Abraham (in Brooklyn Noir; Akashic Press)
"Burnt Wood" by Mitch Alderman (AHMM, July 2004)
"Trumpeter Swan" by John F. Dobbyn (AHMM, January/February 2004)
"Dog on Fire" by Gregory S. Fallis (AHMM, May 2004)
"Tricks" by Steve Hockensmith (AHMM, August 2004)

5/23/05

The Anthony Award Committe has announced the following nominees for the award, named for Anthony Boucher. The awards will be presented on Saturday, September 3, at Bouchercon 2005, the World Mystery Convention at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago.

Best Novel

The Killing of the Tinkers by Ken Bruen (St. Martins/Minotaur)
The Madman's Tale by John Katzenbach (Random House/Ballantine)
Blood Hollow by William Kent Krueger (Simon & Schuster/Atria)
By a Spider's Thread by Laura Lippman (HarperCollins)
California Girl by T. Jefferson (HarperCollins)
Out of the Deep I Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming (St. Martins/Minotaur)

Best First Novel
Uncommon Grounds by Sandra Balzo (Five Star)
Until the Cows Come Home by Judy Clemens (Poisoned Pen Press)
Retribution by Juliane P. Hoffman (Putnam)
Whiskey Sour by JA Konrath (Hyperion)
Dating Dead Men by Harley Jane Kozak (Random House/Doubleday)
Best Non Fiction
Famous American Crimes & Trials by Frankie Bailey & Steven Chermak (Greenwood Publishing)
Men's Adventure Magazines by Max Allan Collins et al (Taschen)
Blue Blood by Edward Conlon (Penguin Putnam/Riverhead)
The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes edited by Leslie S. Klinger (Norton)
The Ballad of the Whiskey Robber by Julian Rubinstein (TimeWarner/Little, Brown)
Best Paperback Original
Cold Case by Robin Burcell (HarperCollins/Avon)
Putt to Death by Roberta Isleib (Penguin/Berkley Prime Crime)
Blue Blood by Susan McBride (HarperCollins/Avon)
The Halo Effect by M.J. Rose (Harlequin/Mira)
Twisted City by Jason Starr (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

Best Short Story
"Voodoo" by Rhys Bowen (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Nov. 2004)
"The Widow of Slane" by Terence Faherty (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, March/April 2004)
"It's Crackers to Slip a Rozzer the Dropsey in Snide" by Ted Hertel, Jr. (Small Crimes; Betancourt/Wildside)
"Hunter Trapper" by Arthur Nersesian (Brooklyn Noir; Akashic Books)
"Wedding Knife" by Elaine Viets (Chesapeake Crimes;Quiet Storm)
Best Cover Art

Sohrab Habibion for Brooklyn Noir (Akashic)
Gregory Manchess for Fade to Blonde (Hard Case Crime)
Sal Barracca/Bradford Foltz Design for Whiskey Sour (Hyperion)
Robert Santora for Good Morning Darkness (TimeWarner/Mysterious)
Michael Kellner for Monkology (Dennis McMillan)

The Agatha Awards were presented on April 30th at a banquet in Arlington, VA. In addition to the awards listed below, H.R.F. Keating was given a Lifetime Achievement Award and Angela Lansbury was the recipient of the Malice Domestic Poirot Award, given to honor individuals other than writers who have made outstanding contributions to the Malice Domestic genre. See below or see our Awards page for the complete list of nominees.

Best Novel
Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear (Soho Press)
Best First Novel
Dating Dead Men by Harley Jane Kozak (Doubleday)

Best Nonfiction
Private Eye-Lashes: Radio's Lady Detectives by Jack French (Bear Manor Media)
Best Short Story
"Wedding Knife" by Elaine Viets (from Chesapeake Crimes, Quiet Storm Publishing)

Best Children's/Young Adult Novel
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (Scholastic Press)

The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers has announced the nominees for the Hammett Prize, which is given each year for "a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing by a US or Canadian author". The winner will be announced at Bouchercon in Chicago in early September.

The Havana Room by Colin Harrison (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
Prince Of Thieves by Chuck Hogan (Scribner)
The Madman's Tale by John Katzenbach (Ballantine)
California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker (William Morrow)
Playing With Fire by Peter Robinson (William Morrow)


Crime Writers of Canada is pleased to announce the nominees for the 2005 Arthur Ellis Awards. The winners will be announced at the gala 22nd anniversary Arthur Ellis Awards dinner on Thursday, June 9, at Mysteriously Yours…Dinner Theatre in Toronto.

Best Short Story

"The Robbie Burns Revival" by Cecilia Kennedy (The Robbie Burns Revival; Broken Jaw Press)
"Sound of Silence" by Dennis Murphy (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, December 2004)
"Death of a Dry-Stone Wall" by Dennis Murphy (Storyteller, Summer 2004)
"Sunnyside" by Coleen Steele (Storyteller, Summer 2004)
"Crocodile Tears" by Leslie Watts (Revenge: A Noir Anthology; Insomniac Press)

Best Nonfiction

Mobsters, Gangsters and Men of Honour by Pierre de Champlain (HarperCollins Canada)
Night Justice: The True Story of the Black Donnellys by Peter Edwards (Key Porter Books)
Instruments of Murder by Max Haines (Viking Canada)
The Irish Game: A True Story of Crime and Art by Matthew Hart (Viking Canada)
Crime School: Money Laundering by Chris Mathers (Key Porter Books)

Best Juvenile

Thread of Deceit by Susan Cliffe (Sumach Press)
The Hippie House by Katherine Holubitsky (Orca Book Publishers)
Kat's Fall by Shelley Hrdlitschka (Orca Book Publishers)
The Beckoners by Carrie Mac (Orca Book Publishers)
Sea Chase by Curtis Parkinson (Tundra Books)

Best Crime Writing in French

La Souris et le rat by Jean-Pierre Charland (Vents d'Ouest)
Le Transmetteur by Jacques Diamant (Stanké)
Les Douze Pierres by Ann Lamontagne (Vents d'Ouest)
Virgo intacta by Louise Lévesque (La Veuve noire)
La Femme de Berlin by Pauline Vincent (Libre Expression)

Best First Novel

Death in the Age of Steam by Mel Bradshaw (RendezVous Press)
Dark Places by Jon Evans (HarperCollins Canada)
Raw Deal by Rick Gadziola (ECW Press)
Mad Money by Linda L. Richards (MIRA Books)
The Border Guards by Mark Sinnett (HarperCollins Canada

Best Novel

The Last Good Day by Gail Bowen (McClelland & Stewart)
Fifth Son by Barbara Fradkin (RendezVous Press)
The Magyar Venus by Lyn Hamilton (Berkley Prime Crime)
Playing with Fire by Peter Robinson (McClelland & Stewart)
Sweep Lotus by Mark Zuehlke (Dundurn)


The Short Mystery Fiction Society has announced the winners of their 2005 Derringer Awards given for the best short mystery fiction published during the calendar year 2004.

Flash Story (Up to 500 Words)
"The Big Guys" by JA Konrath (Small Bites; Coscom Entertainment) 8/04

Short-Short Story (501-2000 Words)
"The Test" by Mike Wiecek (Woman's World, 11/30/04)

Midlength Story (2001-6000 Words)
"Viscery" by Sandy Balzo (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, 12/04)

Longer Story (6001 - 15000 Words)
"Secondhand Heart" by Doug Allyn (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Jan/Feb 2004)

 

The editor of Deadly Pleasures has announced the nominees for their Barry Award. The winners will be announced at Bouchercon in Chicago in September.

Best Novel

The Enemy by Lee Child
Alone at Night by K.J. Erickson
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Remembering Sarah by Chris Mooney
Little Scarlet by Walter Mosley
Hard Revolution by George Pelecanos

Best First Novel

Relative Danger by Charles Benoit
Walking Money by James O. Born
The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
Skinny-Dipping by Claire Matturro
Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas
The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Best UK Novel

The Burning Girl by Mark Billingham
The Dramatist by Ken Bruen
Flesh and Blood by John Harvey
Tokyo by Mo Hayder
The Crime Trade by Simon Kernick
First Drop by Zoe Sharp

Best Paperback Original

The Librarian by Larry Beinhart
Into the Web by Thomas H. Cook
Tagged for Murder by Elaine Flinn
Last Seen in Aberdeen by M.G. Kincaid
The Confession by Domenic Stansberry
Twisted City by Jason Starr

Best Thriller Award

Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly
Rain Storm by Barry Eisler
Bagman by Jay Maclarty
Whirlwind by Joseph Garber
A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva
Paranoia by Joseph Finder

Best Short Story Award


"Cold Comfort" by Catherine Aird (Chapter And Hearse And Other Mysteries)
"The War in Wonderland" by Edward D. Hoch (Green For Danger)
"Facing Up" by Melodie Johnson Howe (Eqmm July,2004)
"Rumpole And The Christmas Break" by John Mortimer (The Strand Magazine No. XIV)
"Murder, The Missing Heir And The Boiled Egg" by Amy Myers (Criminal Appetites)
"Ledgers" by Neil Schofield (EQMM July, 2004)


Updated our Awards page to include the above awards and nominations. Updated the Calendar page to add some new events and remove past events.

4/29/05

The Mystery Writers of America presented the Edgar awards at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York a few hours ago, on Thursday night. Here is the complete list of winners. See below or see our Awards page for the complete list of nominees.

BEST NOVEL
California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker (William Morrow)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Country of Origin by Don Lee (W.W. Norton & Company)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
The Confession by Domenic Stansberry (Hard Case Crime)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL
The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories edited by Leslie S. Klinger (W.W. Norton)

BEST FACT CRIME
Conviction: Solving the Moxley Murder: A Reporter and a Detective's Twenty-Year Search for Justice by Leonard Levitt (Regan Books)

BEST SHORT STORY
"Something About a Scar" by Laurie Lynn Drummond (from Anything You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You, HarperCollins)

BEST YOUNG ADULT
In Darkness, Death by Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler (Philomel Books)

BEST JUVENILE
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (Scholastic Press)

BEST PLAY
Spatter Pattern (Or, How I Got Away With It) by Neal Bell (Playwrights Horizons)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY
Law & Order: Criminal Intent: "Want", teleplay by Elizabeth Benjamin, story by René Balcer & Elizabeth Benjamin

BEST TELEVISION FEATURE OR MINI-SERIES TELEPLAY
State of Play by Paul Abbott (BBC America)

BEST MOTION PICTURE SCREENPLAY
A Very Long Engagement, screenplay by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, based on the novel by Sebastien Japrisot (2003 Productions)

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD
Thomas Morrissey for "Can't Catch Me" (from Brooklyn Noir (Akashic Books)

GRAND MASTER
Marcia Muller

ELLERY QUEEN AWARD
Carolyn Marino, Vice President/Executive Editor, HarperCollins

RAVEN AWARDS
Cape Cod Radio Mystery Theatre (founded by Steve Oney)
DorothyL listserv (founded by Diane Kovacs and Kara Robinson)
Murder by the Book, Houston, TX (Martha Farrington, Owner)

SPECIAL EDGAR AWARDS
David Chase (writer/producer - The Sopranos, The Rockford Files, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and many other breakthrough TV shows)
Tom Fontana (writer/producer - Homicide: Life on the Street, Oz, The Jury, and many other breakthrough TV shows)

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER-MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD (Awarded on Tuesday, April 26th)
Grave Endings by Rochelle Krich (Ballantine Books)

4/24/05

The April/May 2005 issue of Mystery News was mailed Monday, April 18, 2005 [date corrected 4/29]. Our cover interview (by Lynn Kaczmarek) is of PJ Tracy, the mother-daughter writing team of PJ Lambrecht and Traci Lambrecht, whose newest book, Dead Run, is just out. Other highlights of this issue include an interview with Sharon Kay Penman, author of Prince of Darkness, (by Virginia R. Knight); and Steve Miller's "In the beginning" column on Ray Banks, author of The Big Blind, published by Point Blank Press. Marv Lachman's "Out of the Past" column is on Thomas B. Dewey (no, not the politician!), who created private eyes Singer Batts and "Mac". Dave Magayna reviews audiobooks by Anne George in his "The Sound of Mystery" column. There's also a special article commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Mystery Writers of America. And our usual columns, reviews, previews and convention calendar.

Updated Back Issues and Authors pages to include info related to the new issue.

2/28/05

Congratulations to the Left Coast Crime 2005 committee for a very enjoyable convention these past few days in El Paso, Texas. The following awards were presented on Saturday, February 26 (for a full list of mystery awards and nominees, click here):

The DILYS, for the book that the members of the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association (IMBA) most enjoyed selling during the past year.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

The LEFTY, for the best humorous mystery novel published in 2004.

Blue Blood by Susan McBride
We'll Always Have Parrots by Donna Andrews


The BRUCE ALEXANDER HISTORY MYSTERY AWARD, or the best historical mystery (set anywhere and in any time period up to the end of World War II) published in 2004.

The Witch in the Well by Sharan Newman

The CALAVERA, like the Otter in 2004, for the best mystery set in the geographic area covered by Left Coast Crime and published in 2004.

Grave Endings by Rochelle Krich

2/22/05

The February/March 2005 issue of Mystery News was mailed today, Tuesday, February 22, 2005. Our cover interview (by Pam Lawrence) is of Ian Rankin, whose newest book, Fleshmarket Alley, is the fifteenth to feature detective John Rebus. Other highlights of this issue include interviews with Michael Z. Lewin, author of Eye Opener, (by Gary Warren Niebuhr); Caroline Roe, who also writes as Medora Sale, (by Virginia R. Knight); and Steve Miller's "In the beginning" column on James R. Winter, author of Northcoast Shakedown, published in January 2005 by Quiet Storm Publishing. Marv Lachman's "Out of the Past" column is on Stanley Ellin, who was named an MWA Grand Master in 1981. Dave Magayna reviews audiobooks by Catherine Coulter and Michael Palmer in his "The Sound of Mystery" column. A special feature is the list of Top 5 Books read in 2004 by each of our reviewers. And our usual columns, reviews, previews and convention calendar.

Updated Back Issues and Authors pages to include info related to the new issue

2/17/05

Malice Domestic has announced the nominees for the Agatha Awards for the best mystery works of 2004, which will be presented at the Agatha Banquet on April 30, 2005 in Arlington, Virginia.


Best Novel

We'll Always Have Parrots by Donna Andrews (Thomas Dunne Books)
By a Spider's Thread by Laura Lippman (HarperCollins)
High Country Fall by Margaret Maron (Mysterious Press)
The Pearl Diver by Sujata Massey (HarperCollins)
Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear (Soho Press)

Best First Novel

Till The Cows Come Home by Judy Clemens (Poisoned Pen Press)
Arson and Old Lace by Patricia Harwin (Pocket Books)
I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason by Susan Kandel (HarperCollins)
Dating Dead Men by Harley Jane Kozak (Doubleday)
The Clovis Incident by Pari Noskin Taichert (University of New Mexico Press)

Best Nonfiction

Private Eye-Lashes: Radio's Lady Detectives by Jack French (Bear Manor Media)
The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories edited by Leslie Klinger (W. W. Norton & Company)

Best Short Story

"The Butler Didn't Do It" by Maria Y. Lima (from Chesapeake Crimes, Quiet Storm Publishing)
"The Two Marys" by Katherine Hall Page (from Mistletoe and Mayhem, Avon Books)
"Wedding Knife" by Elaine Viets (from Chesapeake Crimes, Quiet Storm Publishing)

Best Children's/Young Adult Novel

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (Scholastic Press)
Betrayal at Cross Creek by Kathleen Ernst (American Girl)
Green Streak by Daniel J. Hale and Matthew LaBrot (Top Publications)

2/13/05

Updated the Calendar page, made minor corrections to list of Edgar nominees.

2/6/05

The Mystery Writers of America have announced the nominees for the Edgar Allan Poe Awards 2005, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, and film published or produced in 2004. The Edgar Awards will be presented at the 59th Gala Banquet, April 28, 2005 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York.

BEST NOVEL

Evan's Gate by Rhys Bowen (St. Martin's Minotaur)
By a Spider's Thread by Laura Lippman (William Morrow)
Remembering Sarah by Chris Mooney (Atria Books)
California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker (William Morrow)
Out of the Deep I Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming (St. Martin's Minotaur)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

Little Girl Lost by Richard Aleas (Hard Case Crime)
Relative Danger by Charles Benoit (Poisoned Pen Press)
Cloud Atlas by Liam Callanan (Delacorte Press)
Tonight I Said Goodbye by Michael Koryta (St. Martin's Minotaur)
Country of Origin by Don Lee (W.W. Norton & Company)
Bahamarama by Bob Morris (St. Martin's Minotaur)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

The Librarian by Larry Beinhart (Nation Books)
Into the Web by Thomas H. Cook (Bantam)
Dead Men Rise Up Never by Ron Faust (Dell)
Twelve-Step Fandango by Chris Haslam (Dark Alley)
The Confession by Domenic Stansberry (Hard Case Crime)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL

The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories edited by Leslie S. Klinger (W.W. Norton)
Latin American Mystery Writers: An A-to-Z Guide by Daniel B. Lockhart (Greenwood Press)
Booze and the Private Eye: Alcohol in the Hard-Boiled Novel by Rita Elizabeth Rippetoe (McFarland & Co.)
The Life of Graham Greene, Vol. 3: 1956-1991 by Norman Sherry (Viking Books)

BEST FACT CRIME

Ready for the People: My Most Chilling Cases as Prosecutor by Marissa N. Batt (Arcade Publishing)
Conviction: Solving the Moxley Murder: A Reporter and a Detective's Twenty-Year Search for Justice by Leonard Levitt (Regan Books)
Forensics for Dummies by D.P. Lyle, MD (Wiley Publishing - For Dummies)
Are You There Alone?: The Unspeakable Crime of Andrea Yates by Suzanne O'Malley (Simon & Schuster)
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts by Julian Rubinstein (Little, Brown)
Green River, Running Red: The Real Story of the Green River Killer - America's Deadliest Serial Murderer by Ann Rule (Free Press)

BEST SHORT STORY

"Something About a Scar" by Laurie Lynn Drummond (from Anything You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You, HarperCollins)
"The Widow of Slane" by Terence Faherty (EQMM - March/April 2004)
"The Book Signing" by Pete Hamill (from Brooklyn Noir, Akashic Books)
"Adventure of the Missing Detective" by Gary Lovisi (from Sherlock Holmes: The Hidden Years, St. Martin's Minotaur)
"Imitate the Sun" by Luke Sholer (EQMM - November 2004)

BEST YOUNG ADULT

Story Time by Edward Bloor (Harcourt Children's Books)
In Darkness, Death by Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler (Philomel Books)
Jude by Kate Morgenroth (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing)
The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgwick (Wendy Lamb Books)
Missing Abby by Lee Weatherly (David Fickling Books)

BEST JUVENILE

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (Scholastic Press)
Assassin: The Lady Grace Mysteries by Patricia Finney (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
Abduction! by Peg Kehret (Dutton Children's Books)
Looking for Bobowicz by Daniel Pinkwater (HarperCollins Children's Books)
The Unseen by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)

BEST PLAY

Spatter Pattern (Or, How I Got Away With It) by Neal Bell (Playwrights Horizons)
Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life by Max Allan Collins (The Art House)
An Evening of Murder and the Like by Edward Musto (Barrow Group Studio Theatre)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY

Law & Order: Criminal Intent: "Want", teleplay by Elizabeth Benjamin, story by René Balcer & Elizabeth Benjamin
Law & Order: Criminal Intent: "Conscience", teleplay by Gerry Conway, story by René Balcer & Gerry Conway
Law & Order: Criminal Intent: "Consumed", teleplay by Warren Leight, story by René Balcer & Warren Leight
Law & Order: Criminal Intent: "Pas De Deux", teleplay by Warren Leight, story by René Balcer & Warren Leight
Monk: "Mr. Monk and the Girl Who Cried Wolf", teleplay by Hy Conrad

BEST TELEVISION FEATURE OR MINI-SERIES TELEPLAY

State of Play by Paul Abbott (BBC America)
Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness by Peter Berry (Granada TV & WGBH Boston)
Death in Holy Orders by Robert Jones, based on the novel by P.D. James (BBC Worldwide)
Amnesia by Chris Lang (BBC America)
Wire in the Blood: "The Darkness of Light" by

BEST MOTION PICTURE SCREENPLAY

A Very Long Engagement, screenplay by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, based on the novel by Sebastien Japrisot (2003 Productions)
The Bourne Supremacy, screenplay by Tony Gilroy, based on the novel by Robert Ludlam. (The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Universal Pictures, Hypnotic)
Collateral, screenplay by Stuart Beattie (DreamWorks SKG)
I'm Not Scared, screenplay by Francesca Marciano, based on the novel by Niccolo Ammaniti. (Miramax Films)
Maria Full of Grace, screenplay by Joshua Marston (HBO Films)

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD

Thomas Morrissey for "Can't Catch Me" (from Brooklyn Noir (Akashic Books)

GRAND MASTER

Marcia Muller

ELLERY QUEEN AWARD

Carolyn Marino, Vice President/Executive Editor, HarperCollins

RAVEN AWARDS

Cape Cod Radio Mystery Theatre (founded by Steve Oney)
DorothyL listserv (founded by Diane Kovacs and Kara Robinson)
Murder by the Book, Houston, TX (Martha Farrington, Owner)

SPECIAL EDGAR AWARDS

David Chase (writer/producer - The Sopranos, The Rockford Files, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and many other breakthrough TV shows)
Tom Fontana (writer/producer - Homicide: Life on the Street, Oz, The Jury, and many other breakthrough TV shows)

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER-MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD

Perfect Sax by Jerrilyn Farmer (William Morrow/Avon)
The Drowning Tree by Carol Goodman (Ballantine Books)
Scent of a Killer by Christiane Heggan (MIRA Books)
Grave Endings by Rochelle Krich (Ballantine Books)
Murder in a Mill Town by P.B. Ryan (Berkley Prime Crime)

1/26/05

The organizers of Left Coast Crime have announced the nominees for various awards that will be presented at LCC in El Paso in about a month. LCC registrants may vote at the web site at this link by February 20, 2005.

The LEFTY is for the best humorous mystery novel published in 2004.

Blue Blood by Susan McBride
Carnage on the Committee by Ruth Dudley Edwards
Holy Guacamole by Nancy Fairbanks
Perfect Sax by Jerrilyn Farmer
We'll Always Have Parrots by Donna Andrews

The BRUCE ALEXANDER HISTORY MYSTERY AWARD is for the best historical mystery (set anywhere and in any time period up to the end of World War II) published in 2004.

Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear
Five for Silver by Mary Reed and Eric Mayer
Murder on Marble Row by Victoria Thompson
Tyrant of the Mind by Priscilla Royal
The Witch in the Well by Sharan Newman

The CALAVERA, like the Otter in 2004, is for the best mystery set in the geographic area covered by Left Coast Crime and published in 2004.

Family Claims by Twist Phelan
Grave Endings by Rochelle Krich
Shadow Play by David Cole
Snap Shot by Meg Chittenden
What Others Know by L.C. Hayden

1/24/05

Updated the Calendar page to include No Crime Unpublished, June 11 in Hollywood, CA (put on by the LA chapter of Sisters in Crime) and the Virginia Festival of the Book, March 16-20 in Charlottesville, VA.

1/19/05

Updated the Calendar page to include GenreCon 2005, which will take place in Sarnia, Ontario on April 30, 2005 and Of Dark and Stormy Nights, the longest-running (23 years!) workshop for mystery writers in the world, which will take place in Schaumberg, IL on June 11, 2005. It's sponsored by the Midwest chapter of the MWA and this year's Guests of Honor will be Laura Lippman and Charlaine Harris. They had so much fun last year that Manhattan Library Association is putting on The Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave II in Manhattan, Kansas September 30-October 2, 2005. And Book Passage bookstore has scheduled their annual Mystery Writers Conference for July 7-10 in Corte Madera, CA.

Also added Book 'Em, a book fair subtitled "Buy a Book and Stop a Crook" on October 22 and 23, 2005 in Waynesboro, VA. This event sounds pretty interesting - it's sponsored by the Waynesboro Police Department and the City of Waynesboro and all proceeds are used for increasing literacy rates, decreasing crime, and helping police solve unsolved crimes. Authors and Publishers, there's info on their site on how to donate books or set up an appearance at the event.

Hallmark Channel is running 3 sets of new mystery movries on alternating Friday nights: Mystery Woman starring Kellie Martin, Jane Doe starring Lea Thompson, and McBride starring John Larroquette. Find more info here.

1/15/05

The Mystery Writers of America has announced that they will be honoring television producers and writers Tom Fontana and David Chase with Special Edgar awards for their groundbreaking work in television crime shows.

HarperCollins Vice President and Executive Editor Carolyn Marino will receive the Ellery Queen award, presented to editors or publishers who have distinguished themselves by their generous and wide-ranging support of the mystery genre.

The Raven award, given to individuals and institutions who have made significant contributions to the mystery genre or to MWA, will go to four recipients: Martha N. Farrington, owner of Murder by the Book bookstore; Steven Oney, founder of Cape Cod Radio Mystery Theater; and Diane Kovacs and Kara Robinson, founders and owners of the DorothyL Internet list.


Click here for more information.

1/13/05

More news about Left Coast Crime 2007: the "pro" guests of honor will be Michael Collins (aka Dennis Lynds) and Gayle Lynds, the fan guests honor will be Diane Kovacs and Kara Robinson, the moderators/owners/founders of the DorothyL internet mailing list. And the toastmaster will be Gary Phillips.

News we missed in December: Marcia Muller has been named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. Click here for the press release.

1/2/05

This bit of good news just in from Andi Shechter:

"Happy 2005 friends. Just to let you know it's official; Left Coast Crime 2007 will be held in Seattle, Washington."

Tentative dates: Feb 1-4, 2007, more info to follow. I'm already looking forward to it. It's not too late to sign up for LCC 2005 in El Paso or LCC 2006 in Bristol, UK.

 

Return to the top of the 2005 What's New page

Go to the What's New page for 2004

Go to the What's New page for 2003

Read the What's New archive for 2001-2002

Return to Mystery News home page

 

The What's New? page is updated regularly by Chris Aldrich, one of the partners in Black Raven Press. Items of general interest to fans of mystery and crime fiction may be emailed to her at whatsnew@blackravenpress.com. Please do not send promotional announcements for individual authors or books - they will likely not be used and will likely only cause annoyance. Please refer to our submission guidelines for information on submitting books for review.