B.V. Lawson's Blog, page 88

Happy Bouchercon News

This, from the Bouchercon committee, which was posted online today:

SAVE THE DATE! SAVE THE TIME!
 


Get Ready! Get Set! A two-night blockbuster Bouchercon New Orleans 2021 extravaganza is coming to a screen near you.
 


We couldn’t let Blood on the Bayou: Postmortem vanish into thin air. So we found a way to offer something everyone will remember forever. We are creating two extraordinary online/virtual events, free and open to everyone.
 


On Friday, August 27


7 pm ET / 6 pm CT / 5 pm MT / 4 pm PT / Midnight GMT Bouchercon 2021 presents Alafair Burke in conversation with James Lee Burke, hosted by Heather Graham and Introductions from Rachel Howzell Hall.
 


On Saturday, August 28


7 pm ET / 6 pm CT / 5 pm MT / 4 pm PT / Midnight GMT we are excited to bring you the 52nd 2021 Anthony Awards Ceremony! Only previously registered attendees will receive an Anthony ballot.


 
On August 28, join us online for a spectacular evening (black tie optional…or watch in your PJs!) featuring the Anthony nominees and our Award Presenters, Michael Connelly, Tess Gerritsen, Dennis Lehane, Caroline (Charles) Todd, Charles Todd, Jonathan Maberry, and a special welcome from Craig Johnson.
 


Having to cancel the in-person New Orleans Bouchercon was one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make, but, as the saying goes, the show must go on!
 


These events will be free and open to everyone (so please tell your friends!). Please watch for details on how to watch online in upcoming emails from bloodonthebayou@bouchercon2021.com.


 


From our hearts to yours, turn on your computer (or whichever device you prefer) and enjoy two nights of Blood on the Bayou: Postmortem New Orleans Bouchercon 2021. We hope to see you there!
 


Sincerely,


Mike Bursaw, Heather Graham and Connie Perry


Blood on the Bayou: Postmortem New Orleans Bouchercon 2021 Co-Chairs

          

FFB: Murder Ink

In June 1972, Dilys Winn opened the first specialty bookstore devoted to mysteries and crime fiction. Titled Murder Ink, the store stood on its original spot in Manhattan for 34 years before it had to close in 2006. Winn continued to serve the mystery community even after selling the store in the '70s, with the occasional essay in publications like the New York Times and also by writing reference books. In fact, the bio in one of her NYT pieces indicated she was the author of 17 books, but sadly, most of those are apparently not available.



What is available is the most popular of those books, appropriately titled Murder Ink: the Mystery Reader's Companion, dating from 1977. Once again, it was a Winn-trailblazing-project by being the first of its type, combining a compendium of information on crime fiction with a very large dose of humor. It was so popular, that Winn came out with the revised version in 1984. Whereas the first edition was subtitled "Perpetrated by Dilys Winn," the update is subtitled "Revised, revised, still unrepentant AND perpetrated by Dilys Winn."



The 1984 version contains many of the same features from the original, with a host of essays on Plots, Trouble Spots (settings), Suspicions (suspects), Crimes, Victims, Bloodhounds (detectives), Motives, Justice and some miscellaneous fun in Side-Tracked and Complications. Contributors to the book include reviewers like Marilyn Stasio with the New York Times; authors including Ed McBain, Martha Grimes, PD James; publishers like Otto Penzler; and dozens of other "first-time offenders," recidivists," and "imposters."



Also new to this edition is a "book within a book." It's a story titled "The Tainted Tea Tragedy," told on the first three pages of each chapter, with two clues to a chapter and additional clues scattered throughout the book. There's even a mirror-image recap of the aftermath one year later in the Index, although "those who peek are "despicable beyond words."



Fun interstitials are sprinkled throughout the book, too. You'll find cartoons like an illustration of the authentic classic private eye trenchcoat, appropriately labeled; sidebars galore filled with trivia, quotes and poems; bibliographies; glossaries and lots of literary eye candy. There's also a section on the crime fiction awards categories, although there is one award missing:  the Dilys Award. From 1992 (well after this book was published) through 2014, the Independent Booksellers Association created an award for the mystery titles of the year that member booksellers most enjoyed selling. They named it after—who else? Dilys Winn.

          

Mystery Melange

After I began to notice hordes of people talking on social media about deciding to cancel their registrations to the upcoming Bouchercon conference in New Orleans later this month - due to the skyrocketing number of COVID cases there - I figured the handwriting was on the wall. The Bouchercon organizing committee (chaired by Mike Bursaw, Connie Perry, and Heather Graham) made it official yesterday by announcing they were making the difficult decision to cancel the entire event when a virtual Bouchercon at this late date was deemed untenable. This is truly heartbreaking for all those involved since it takes an incredible amount of time and effort to put one of these events together. The silver lining is that Bouchercon will be held in New Orleans in 2025, and this year's Guests of Honor will remain the same, including Michael Connelly, Steph Cha, Craig Johnson, Charles and Caroline Todd, Alafair Burke, Ali Karim, and Jonathan Maberry. The Anthony Awards ceremony will also now take place at a future date.

The Killer Nashville Conference announced the longlists for its Silver Falchion Awards in twelve different categories. For all the various lists and honorees, click on over to this link.

The Killer Nashville conference also announced the longlist for its Claymore Award, designed to assist new and rebranding English-language fiction authors to get published, including possible agent representation, book advances, editor deals, and movie and television sales. Any manuscripts considered of exceptional merit above the Top 20 will also be forwarded to agents and/or editors. The Top 3 Killer Nashville Claymore Award Winners will be announced at the annual Killer Nashville Awards Dinner during the Killer Nashville Conference being held this year in person from August 19-22.

The eight-day Agatha Christie Festival is being held in person from September 11 to 18 at venues all over Torbay in the UK (barring any COVID related changes). Events include a performance of The Stranger at the Palace Theatre in Paignton on September 17. The play, a psychological drama rather than a crime story, is based on an Agatha Christie short story and has never been performed before.

Looking ahead to conferences of the farther future, Left Coast Crime, to be held in Tucscon in March of 2023, has announced its lineup of special guests. They include a Lifetime Achievement Award to J.A. Jance; Guest of Honor Glen Erik Hamilton and Sujata Massey; Fan Guest of Honor, Dru Ann Love; and Toastmaster Ellen Byron.

Goldsboro Books's Glass Bell shortlist was announced after whittling the list down from the 12 finalists. Now in its fifth year, the award recognizes the best storytelling across contemporary fiction, regardless of genre, featuring a prize of £2,000 and a handmade, engraved glass bell. Among this year's shortlist honorees are the crime fiction titles Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi; People of Abandoned Character by Clare Whitfield; and The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton.

At 2 pm ET today, Houston's Murder by the Book will feature Mark Billingham in a virtual conversation with Laura Lippman as they discuss Billingham's latest crime title, Rabbit Hole and Lippman's new thriller, Dream Girl.

Denver's Tattered Cover Bookstore is sponsoring a virtual conversation with thriller author, Sandra Brown, today at 5 pm MT (7 ET). Brown is the author of seventy-one New York Times bestsellers and will be discussing her latest, Blind Tiger. Brown will also be in conversation with fellow bestselling thriller author, Kate White, on Tuesday, August 10 at 7:00 P.M. PT via Book Carnival. For more information and to register, follow this link.

The Poisoned Pen bookstore also has some virtual events coming up this weekend. On Saturday, August 7, there'll be a Kensington Coffee and Cozies panel with Vicki Delany, Daryl Wood Gerber, Emmeline Duncan, and Karen Rose Smith in conversation with John Charles; and also a Historicon Group Event with Dianne Freeman, Clara McKenna, and Stephanie Graves, hosted by Barbara Peters.

Recently, we heard the sad news that bestselling crime fiction author, Mo Hayder (the pen name of Clare Dunkel), had died from motor neurone disease. Her husband, Bob Randall, has announced that the funeral will take place on August 12 and be streamed live and made available for 28 days after the funeral. He asked that no flowers be sent but anyone wishing to give a donation can contribute to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Kensington Publishing is launching Kensington Cozies, an imprint dedicated to the cozy mystery genre, which usually have "little-to-no violence, profanity, or sex; likeable amateur sleuths; tight-knit communities; and series arcs that allow the protagonists to grow in their professions and relationships." The first titles go on sale December 28. Over time, backlist titles that fit the cozy criteria will be folded into the imprint. Historical mysteries will remain under the Kensington Books imprint. All Kensington editors will acquire for the imprint, which includes hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market max releases from established authors like Joanne Fluke, Carlene O'Connor, Ellery Adams, Leslie Meier, and Lee Hollis, as well as new voices such as Emmeline Duncan, Frank Anthony Polito, Gabby Allan and Christin Brecher. Digital first cozies will remain in Kensington's e-original imprint, Lyrical Underground. (HT to Shelf Awareness)

The latest issue of The Strand Magazine features a lost work by Raymond Chandler and fiction by Alexander McCall Smith, John Floyd, and Thomas Burns. There's also an exclusive interview with Michael Koryta, plus all the latest book reviews.

Suspense Magazine's Summer 2021 issue is out, featuring interviews with authors James Patterson, Meg Tilly, Riley Sager, Lisa Regan, and a special panel of writing pros: Christine Feehan, Sheila English and C.L Wilson. There's also an exclusive short story written by Kris Polaha, where he brings to life his character Orson Holt. Ken Brosky is back with his latest Rules of Fiction: "We people love celebrity crime." Plus, Joseph Badal talks to Robert Dugoni, in an "inspired by actual events article."

Malice Domestic is looking for a few people to join the Board for the next three-year term which would end on June 30, 2024. As a general rule, they are seeking individuals who are local to the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area who are available to attend live or Zoom meetings at least once a month, usually on a Sunday afternoon. They haven't yet put together a live meeting schedule due to the COVID upsurge and the Delta variant. They're seeking a secretary, hotel liaison, dealer liaison, programming chair, and publications/ads chair.

NPR's Science Friday program had a fascinating look at "How Edgar Allan Poe Exposed Scientific Hoaxes—And Perpetrated Them."

This is more of a Media Murder for Monday item, but I'd missed it earlier: Turner Classic Movies is having a "murder" night tonight with four Miss Marple movies from the 1960s featuring Margaret Rutherford - from 8 pm ET into the wee hours of Friday morning. The four include "Murder She Said," "Murder at the Gallop," "Murder Most Foul," and "Murder Ahoy."

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "The Uninvited" by Bruce Robinson.

In the Q&A roundup, Sherry Harris chatted with E.B. Davis over at Writers Who Kill about A Time to Swill, the second book in the Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon mystery series; Lisa Haselton spoke with Elizabeth Price about her new paranormal mystery, Haunted Ends 3 – Disco Inferno; Jenny Milchman spoke with CrimeReads about first thriller and the "world's longest book tour"; The Real Book Spy blog snagged Landon Beach for "Five Questions" about his latest thriller, The Hike; and Author Interviews welcomed Richard Lange, whose novel, Angel Baby, won the Hammett Prize from the International Association of Crime Writers.

         Related StoriesMystery Melange 

Media Murder for Monday

It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news:

THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES

Bridgerton's Regé-Jean Page looks to have found his first major starring role since his breakout part in the Netflix series. He's been tapped to executive produce and star in a "new, reimagined version" of The Saint for Paramount Pictures. Based in part on Leslie Charteris’s 1920s book series and subsequent 1960s UK TV series starring Roger Moore, The Saint follows Simon Templar, better known as "The Saint," a Robin Hood-esque criminal and thief-for-hire who goes on a globetrotting adventure. While plot details for this pic are being kept under wraps, insiders say this will be a completely new take that reimagines the character and world around him.

Searchlight Pictures has titled its previously untitled murder mystery as See How They Run, and released its first image from the project with stars Saoirse Ronan and Sam Rockwell. Besides Ronan and Rockwell, the all-star ensemble includes David Oyelowo, Adrien Brody, and Ruth Wilson, with Tom George directing. The film is set in the West End of 1950s London, where plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered. When world-weary Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and eager rookie Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) take on the case, the two find themselves thrown into a puzzling whodunit within the glamorously sordid theater underground, investigating the mysterious homicide at their own peril.

Alexis Ostrander, who has directed episodes of the M. Night Shyamalan series, Servant, is set to direct Screen Gems’s Delilah, from the writing team of Harrison Query and Tommy Wallach. The psychological thriller is said to be in the spirit of Gone Girl, with Movie Insider adding the tagline, "To escape her violent past, a young woman takes on the identity of a family's long-lost daughter, only to discover the dangerous truth behind the girl's disappearance."

MGM has unveiled the first official trailer for House of Gucci, an anticipated crime pic from director Ridley Scott, which United Artists will release in the U.S. on November 24. The film stars Lady Gaga and Adam Driver and tells the story of how Patrizia Reggiani (Gaga), the ex-wife of Maurizio Gucci (Driver), plotted to kill her husband, the grandson of renowned fashion designer Guccio Gucci. The script is based on the book, The House Of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Forden. The all-star cast also includes Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, Jack Huston, and "an unrecognizable" Jared Leto. (On a side note, Leto has long been associated with the Guccis, having featured in a number of their ad campaigns, starting in 2016.)

Focus Features released the trailer for The Card Counter, the latest from writer-director Paul Schrader. Oscar Issac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan, and Willem Dafoe star in the revenge thriller, which hits theaters September 10. The story follows William Tell (Isaac), a military interrogator-turned-card player haunted by his past. His spartan existence on the casino trail is shattered when he is approached by Cirk (Sheridan), a vulnerable and angry young man seeking help to execute his plan for revenge on a military colonel (Dafoe) from both of their pasts.

TELEVISION/STREAMING SERVICE

Producers Heather Mitchell and Jenna Bans have boarded a one-hour drama in the works at Fox based on Joshilyn Jackson’s bestselling suspense novel, Never Have I Ever. The project, from Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson’s Appian Way and Universal Television, centers on Amy Whey, who is living the life of an average-if-unfulfilled housewife in suburban Florida when a female grifter named Roux drifts into town…and wastes no time infiltrating the network of local women. As Deadline notes, "When Roux learns that Amy’s the Big Fish she needs for her last big score, the hustler and her mark become locked in a deadly battle: How far is Amy willing to go, to keep her secrets hidden in the past? How dangerous is Roux when she zeroes in on her prey? And how could either of these women ever have known that this swindler picked the wrong suburban housewife to mess with."

Disney+ has greenlit the genre-busting marriage murder series, Wedding Season. The project is penned by Oliver Lyttelton, the breakout writer behind BBC Studios’ upcoming short-form scripted series Cheaters, and centers on Katie, a beautiful bride whom we meet on her wedding day surrounded by the dead bodies of her new husband and every member of his family. The police think Katie’s lover Stefan did it. Stefan thinks Katie did it. Katie thinks her ex-husband did it. No one knows what the truth is.

Anonymous Content is partnering with Robert Baer to develop a Cold War series based on research by the author, himself a former CIA case officer. Baer is known for penning See No Evil, the 2002 book which was later adapted into Syriana. That geopolitical thriller from director Stephen Gaghan starred George Clooney, Matt Damon and more, winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (Clooney), among other accolades.

Jai Courtney is set for a key recurring role opposite Chris Pratt on Amazon’s conspiracy-thriller series, The Terminal List, based on Jack Carr’s bestselling novel. Riley Keough, Constance Wu, Taylor Kitsch, and Jeanne Tripplehorn also star in the series. The Terminal List follows James Reece (Pratt) after his entire platoon of Navy SEALs is ambushed during a high-stakes covert mission. Reece returns home to his family with conflicting memories of the event and questions about his culpability. However, as new evidence comes to light, Reece discovers dark forces working against him, endangering not only his life but the lives of those he loves.

Matt Bomer is set as a male lead opposite Michelle Monaghan in Echoes, Netflix’s limited series from 13 Reasons Why showrunner, Brian Yorkey. Echoes is a mystery thriller about identical twins Leni and Gina, both portrayed by Monaghan, who share a dangerous secret. Since they were children, Leni and Gina have swapped lives, culminating in a double life as adults: They share two homes, two husbands and a child, but everything in their perfectly choreographed world is thrown into disarray when one of the sisters goes missing. Bomer will play Jack Beck, Leni’s husband. When his wife disappears mysteriously, it’s Jack who has the most to lose as her secret life comes to the surface.

Bodyguard and Line Of Duty star Keeley Hawes has been set to headline and executive produce Crossfire, a major BBC One miniseries about a hotel shooting from the producer behind The Salisbury Poisonings. The three-part series is set in a luxurious resort in the Canary Islands and centers on Jo (Hawes), who is enjoying a dream vacation with her family and friends. Sunbathing on her balcony, the tranquility is thrown into turmoil when shots ring out across the complex from gunmen wreaking revenge. With the unsuspecting and vulnerable holidaymakers and hotel staff forced to make split-second life or death decisions, regrets will linger long after the final shots are fired.

Dylan McDermott has closed a deal to reprise his role in a major recurring arc in the upcoming second season of Dick Wolf’s crime drama, Law & Order: Organized Crime, which is headlined by Law & Order: SVU alum Chris Meloni. McDermott originally signed on as a series regular with a one-year deal to play Stabler’s (Meloni) Season 1 nemesis. McDermott’s Richard Wheatley is a businessman with close ties to the Mafia. In the Season 1 finale, Wheatley is last seen being taken into custody to await trial for the murder of Stabler’s wife, Kathy.

Joe Cobden is set for a recurring role opposite Bill Pullman and Jessica Hecht on the fourth season of USA Network’s crime anthology series, The Sinner. In Season 4, still reeling from the trauma of a previous case a year ago, the now-retired Harry Ambrose (Pullman) travels to Hanover Island in Northern Maine for a recuperative getaway with his partner, Sonya (Hecht). When an unexpected tragedy occurs involving the daughter of a prominent island family, Ambrose is recruited to help the investigation, only to be thrown into a mystery of mounting paranoia that will turn this sleepy tourist island, and Ambrose’s life, upside down. Cobden will play Lou Raskin, the beloved Chief of Police on Hanover Island who enjoys the simple life and knows most residents by name.

PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO/AUDIO

The new Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast features the mystery short story, "Killer Clue," written by Guy Belleranti and read by actor Paddy Myers

Read or Dead looked at mystery reads for Disability Pride Month.

Meet the Thriller Author chatted with Eva Lesko Natiello, the award-winning author of The Memory Box.

Queer Writers of Crime welcomed Garrick Jones, a former opera singer turned author of a crime series featuring private eye, Clyde Smith.

My Favorite Detective Stories spoke with Mark Edward Langley, whose novel, When Silence Screams, the third installment in the Arthur Nakai Mystery Series, will be released in August of 2021

On CrimeTime FM, Chris Whitaker (We Begin at the End) & Dominic Nolan (After Dark) discussed creating strong characters, getting dialogue right, and the importance of place.

The CozyInk podcast featured an interview with mystery author Martha Geaney, discussing her Star O’Brien cozy mystery series.

         Related StoriesMedia Murder for Monday 

FFB: The President's Mystery Plot

This is a rather timely nod to a "forgotten book," considering former president, Bill Clinton, has partnered with crime author James Patterson for a couple of thrillers to date.

Long before Elliott Roosevelt wrote murder mysteries featuring his mother Eleanor Roosevelt as a super sleuth, and even before first daughter Margaret Truman penned her crime fiction (despite rumblings of ghostwriting), President Franklin Delano Roosevelt came up with his own idea for a mystery novel. When he was Governor of New York he once said of detective stories, "Hundreds of such novels are published every year, but only a few are really worth the time and attention of intelligent readers. Even in the good ones there is often a sameness. Some one finds the corpse and then the detective tracks down the murderer. I do not believe that such stories have to follow an inevitable pattern or formula."



Apparently, even after he became President, FDR couldn't stop thinking about detective novels. He discussed with his friend, magazine editor Fulton Oursler, his thoughts that such stories appealed to the detective instinct in all of us and were a literary game, an intellectual recreation less purely intellectual than chess but more dramatic. He also told Oursler he'd been carrying around in his mind the plot for a mystery novel for years. His idea? "How can a man disappear with five million dollars in any negotiable form and not be traced?" Oursler suggested they ask the leading writers in the U.S. to collaborate on such a story, to which FDR replied, "Go ahead. See what you can all do with it."



Oursler did just that, contacting various authors and challenging them to take "the President's mystery plot" and contribute a chapter to the story by plonking the protagonist, Jim Blake, in a dire situation and then leaving him for the next author in line. The work of the first authors, Rupert Hughes, Samuel Hopkins Adams, Anthony Abbot, Rita Weiman, S. S. Van Dyne, and John Erskine, were serialized in Oursler's Liberty Magazine in 1935, and the book was published in 1936. However, poor Jim Blake was left hanging for thirty years until Erle Stanley Gardner (creator of Perry Mason) came along and tied everything up in a final chapter when the book was reprinted in 1967 and retitled The President's Mystery Plot.



More a literary curiosity than high literature, the book has a bit of camp and zaniness, and true mystery fans may be disappointed in the thin, zigzagging plot and weak characterizations that sometimes accompany collaborative ventures. Still, it was popular enough that a movie was made of the story in 1936, directed by Phil Rosen and starring Henry Wilcoxon as hapless Jim Blake (Marc Antony in Cecil B. DeMille's Cleopatra). It's an interesting period piece, if you can get past the first chapter. Writer Rupert Hughes gave Blake a scheming Russian wife and writes out her dialogue with "phoenetic precision," as Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., aptly notes in his introduction ("Jeem, how you can't see it is beecose I loaf you so dear I cannot deevide your loaf with even some babies?").



More telling may be what the book reveals about Roosevelt himself. When he proposed the idea to Oursler, the hero was conceived as "hating the falsity of his existence, the meaninglessness of his career, the sameness of his middle-aged routine, the absence of purpose and the boredom with his marriage."

          

Mystery Melange

Chris Whitaker’s We Begin at the End was crowned Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2021 at the recent Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival – presented by Harrogate International Festivals at the Old Swan Hotel. Brian McGilloway's The Last Crossing was also given a "Highly Recommended" commendation.

Also at the Theakston convention, Scottish author Ian Rankin was presented with the festival's outstanding contribution to crime fiction award. Rankin said, "It’s such a privilege and an honour to receive this award, and especially to be in Harrogate to receive it in person. I’ve been a published writer for over 30 years but this past year has been uniquely challenging – for writers, readers and booksellers." He was awarded the prize on the opening night of the festival, for which he was also this year's festival programming chair.

The Private Eye Writers of America announced the Shamus Award Winners for 2021 (for works published in 2020). Best Private Eye Novel went to Blind Vigil by Matt Coyle (Oceanview); Best Original Private Eye Paperback was won by Brittle Karma by Richard Helms (Black Arch Books); Best First Private Eye Novel was The Missing American by Kwei Quartey (Soho); and Best Private Eye Short Story, was "Mustang Sally" by John M. Floyd (in Black Cat Mystery Magazine). In addition, "The Eye," the PWA Life Achievement Award, was given to Michael Z. Lewin.

Open Road Integrated Media announced that it’s acquiring the United Kingdom’s Bloodhound Books, based in Cambridge. Bloodhound Books specializes in ebooks and print-on-demand for paper lovers with a focus on crime fiction. Bloodhound is a submissions house, actively welcoming authors’ queries, agented or not, in "crime fiction, women’s fiction, suspense, mystery, romantic comedies, historical fiction, cozy crime, domestic noir, psychological thrillers, romance, and chillers."

Sadly, we lost a couple of crime authors this week. George Weir, author of the Bill Travis Mystery series, passed away from cancer (here's an interview with the Mystery People from 2016), and Clare Dunkel, a/k/a Mo Hayder, has died from a motor neurone disease. Hayder's novel, Gone, won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2012.

This is a promising development in forensic science.

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "Teeter Totter" by Tom Barlow.

In the Q&A roundup, LJ Ross shared her experiences with The Bookseller of engaging readers in the northeast region of the UK, and of weaving its settings and sights into her novels; and Author Interviews chatted with Hilary Davidson about her new standalone thriller, Her Last Breath.

         Related StoriesMystery Melange 

Ned Kelly Awards

The Ned Kelly Awards, Australia’s oldest and most prestigious recognition honoring published crime fiction and true crime writing, announced the 2021 shortlists today. Australian Crime Writers Association chair Robert Goodman noted there was a record number of entries this year and added, "The large increase in entries this year demonstrates that Australian crime writing and reading has never been stronger...This is not just evident in the number of submissions but in the diversity and quality of the entries. Congratulations to all our entry authors." The winners will be announced at an award ceremony next month.

BEST CRIME FICTION

Consolation by Garry Disher (Text) (on my TBR!)

Gathering Dark by Candice Fox (Penguin Random House)

A Testament of Character by Sulari Gentill (Pantera Press)

The Survivors by Jane Haepwe(Pan Macmillan)

The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan (Harper Collins) (on my TBR!)

Tell Me Lies by J.P. Pomare (Hachette) (on my TBR!)

When She Was Good by Michael Robotham (Hachette)

White Throat by Sarah Thornton (Text) (on my TBR!)

BEST DEBUT CRIME FICTION

The Good Mother by Rae Cairns (Bandrui Publishing)

The Second Son by Loraine Peck (Text)

The Bluffs by Kyle Perry (Penguin Random House) (abandoned this one)

The Night Whistler by Greg Woodland (Text)

BEST TRUE CRIME

The Husband Poisoner by Tanya Bretherton (Hachette)

Stalking Claremont: Inside the hunt for a serial killer by Bret Christian (Harper Collins) (on my TBR!)

Public Enemies by Mark Dapin (Allen and Unwin)

Hazelwood by Tom Doig (Penguin Random House)

Witness by Louise Milligan (Hachette)

BEST INTERNATIONAL CRIME FICTION

The Guest List by Lucy Foley (Harper Collins)

The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman (Allen and Unwin)

Take Me Apart by Sara Sligar (Text)

We Begin at the End by Chris Whittaker (Allen and Unwin)

Broken by Don Winslow (Harper Collins)

 

          

Davitt Delights

Sisters in Crime Australia has announced a rather long shortlist – 25 – for its 21st Davitt Awards for the best crime and mystery books by Australian women: nine adult novels, five young adult (YA) novels, six children’s novels and five non-fiction books. Twelve books from all categories are competing for the debut award. Altogether, 127 books have been in contention. Here are all this year's finalists:

Best Adult Crime N ovel:

B M Allsopp, Death Beyond the Limit (Fiji Islands Mysteries #3) (Coconut Press)
Sarah Barrie, Deadman’s Track (Calico Mountain #3) (HQ Fiction, an imprint of Harlequin Australia)
Candice Fox, Gathering Dark (Penguin Random House Australia)
Sulari Gentill, A Testament of Character (Rowland Sinclair #10) (Pantera Press)
Sally Hepworth, The Good Sister (Pan Macmillan Australia)
Karina Kilmore, Where the Truth Lies (Simon & Schuster Australia) Debut
Suzanne Leal, The Deceptions (Allen & Unwin) Debut
Mirandi Riwoe, Stone Sky Gold Mountain (University of Queensland Press)
Kimberley Starr, Torched (Pantera Press)

Best Young Adult Crime N ovel:

Davina Bell, The End of the World Is Bigger than Love (Text Publishing) Debut
Sarah Epstein, Deep Water (Allen & Unwin Children’s)
Ellie Marney, None Shall Sleep (Allen & Unwin Children’s)
Christie Nieman, Where We Begin (Pan Macmillan Australia) Debut
Lisa Walker, The Girl with the Gold Bikini (Wakefield Press) Debut

Best Children’s Crime N ovel:

Jackie French, The Ghost of Howlers Beach (Butter O’Bryan Mysteries #1) (HarperCollins Publishers Australia) Debut
Amelia Mellor, The Grandest Bookshop in the World (Affirm Press) Debut
Julianne Negri, The Secret Library of Hummingbird House (Affirm Press) Debut
Pamela Rushby, The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin Castle (Walker Books Australia)
Lian Tanner, A Clue for Clara (Allen & Unwin Children’s) Debut
Sue Whiting, The Book of Chance (Walker Books Australia)

Bet Non-f iction Crime Book:

Stephanie Convery, After the Count: The death of Davey Browne (Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia) Debut
Melissa Davey, The Case of George Pell: Reckoning with child sexual abuse (Scribe Publications) Debut
Louise Milligan, Witness: An investigation into the brutal cost of seeking justice (Hachette Australia)
Caroline Overington, Missing William Tyrrell (HarperCollins Publishers Australia)
Angela Williams, Snakes and Ladders: A memoir (Affirm Press) Debut

Best Debut Crime Novel:

Sonya Bates, Inheritance of Secrets (HarperCollins Publishers Australia)
Davina Bell, The End of the World Is Bigger than Love (Text Publishing)
Melissa Davey, The Case of George Pell: Reckoning with child sexual abuse (Scribe Publications)
Anna Downes, The Safe Place (Affirm Press)
Mary Jones, Troubled Waters (Green Olive Press)
Karina Kilmore, Where the Truth Lies (Simon & Schuster Australia)
Amelia Mellor, The Grandest Bookshop in the World (Affirm Press)
Kate Mildenhall, The Mother Fault (Simon & Schuster Australia)
Julianne Negri, The Secret Library of Hummingbird House (Affirm Press)
Leah Swann, Sheerwater (4th Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Australia)
Lian Tanner, A Clue for Clara (Allen & Unwin Children’s)
Lisa Walker, The Girl with the Gold Bikini (Wakefield Press)

          

Media Murder for Monday

It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news:

THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES

A sequel to the 1996 TV movie, Gotti, about mobster John Gotti, is in the works, with Nick Vallelonga and George Gallo signed on to write the script. Armand Assante, who won an Emmy for a Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for his portrayal in the original, is set to reprise his title role in Gotti 2: The Final Chapter, Facts Undisputed. (FYI, the 1996 film Gotti is not to be confused with the 2018 John Travolta film of the same name which famously scored a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes and stands as one of the review aggregator's worst reviewed movies of all time.)

Cory Hardrict is set to star in the indie thriller, Die Like a Man. Eric Nazarian is writing and directing the pic which is the first part of a street trilogy revolving around themes of masculinity, violence, and gentrification in 21st century America. Hardrict portrays a recently paroled west side gangster who, after serving a decade behind bars, returns to his old west LA neighborhood, now gentrified and redeveloped. All his friends are dead or have moved on, and his only anchor is training his best friend’s son in the ill-fated codes of masculinity on the street that lead to devastating consequences.

Succession star, Brian Cox, is set to star opposite Kate Beckinsale in the Catherine Hardwicke-helmed family drama, Prisoner’s Daughter. The film tells the story of a tough but proud ex-con who’s struggling to find a way to reconnect with his only daughter and grandson; once he begins an attempt at reconciliation, his violent past once again catches up to him.

TELEVISION/STREAMING SERVICE

Netflix has greenlighted The Night Agent, a political conspiracy thriller series based on author Matthew Quirk’s 2019 New York Times bestseller. The Night Agent is described as "a sophisticated, character-based action-thriller" centering on a low-level FBI agent who works in the basement of the White House, manning a phone that never rings — until the night that it does, propelling him into a fast moving and dangerous conspiracy that ultimately leads all the way to the Oval Office.

Natalie Chaidez (The Flight Attendant; Queen of the South) has acquired the film and TV rights to Oscar "Zeta" Acosta's novels, Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo and The Revolt of the Cockroach People, and will executive produce and supervise writing for an upcoming TV series. Acosta was a Mexican-American attorney, politician, novelist, and activist in the Chicano Civil Rights Movement who disappeared in Mexico in 1974—a year after his second novel was released—and is presumed dead. He's also famously known for his friendship with Hunter S. Thompson, who characterized Acosta as being like "Samoan attorney Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."

Michelle Monaghan has been cast in the dual lead role in Netflix's upcoming thriller series, Echoes. Described as a mystery thriller, the seven-episode series centers on two identical twins, Leni and Gina, who have secretly swapped lives since they were children. They share two homes, two husbands, and a child but everything in their perfectly choreographed world is thrown into disarray when one of the sisters goes missing.

Danielle Deadwyler and Whoopi Goldberg are set to star in Till, a drama about the aftermath of the murder of Emmett Till, from Clemency director Chinonye Chukwu. Till centers on Mamie Till-Mobley, who led a pursuit for justice for her 14-year-old son Emmett Louis Till, choosing to have an open casket at her son's funeral following his gruesome murder in 1955 after he was accused of offending a white woman in a grocery store. Mamie chose to have Jet magazine publish the horrific photos at the funeral, which became a galvanizing moment that helped lead to the creation of the civil rights movement. Deadwyler in the film will play Mamie, while Goldberg will portray Emmett's grandmother, Alma Carthan.

Emmy Award nominee Phillipa Soo has joined the cast of the AppleTV+ time traveling murder mystery series, Shining Girls, based on the 2013 best-selling novel by Lauren Beukes. Soo will portray the intelligent and sure-footed Jin-Sook who works in the research department at the Adler planetarium. She will star opposite Elisabeth Moss, who portrays a Chicago reporter who survived a brutal assault only to find her reality shifting as she hunts down her attacker. The star-studded cast also includes Wagner Moura (Narcos) as a veteran journalist breaking the widening story of a copycat attack, and Jamie Bell as a mysterious loner with a surprising connection to Kirby.

Michael Chernus is set as a lead opposite Rachel Weisz in Amazon’s Dead Ringers series, a reimagining with a gender swap of David Cronenberg’s cult classic 1980s film. Dead Ringers is a modern take on Cronenberg’s thriller (which starred Jeremy Irons), featuring Weisz playing the double lead role of Elliot and Beverly Mantle, twins who share everything: drugs, lovers, and an unapologetic desire to do whatever it takes, including pushing the boundaries on medical ethics in an effort to challenge antiquated practices and bring women’s healthcare to the forefront. Chernus will play the series regular role of Tom, a brilliant scientist, working with Elliot (Weisz) on a groundbreaking but perilous new project.

ITV’s adaptation of Louise Candlish’s Sunday Times best-selling novel, Our House, has cast Martin Compston (Line Of Duty), Tuppence Middleton (Downton Abbey), and Rupert Penry-Jones (The Drowning) in headline roles. Our House tells the four-part story of Fi Lawson (Middleton), who arrives home one day to find a family of strangers moving into her house and her husband, Bram (Compston), has vanished. As the nightmare takes grip, both Bram and Fi try to make sense of the events that led to a devastating crime and how they each are going to survive the chilling truth.

Corbin Bernsen and Alexis Valdés have been tapped for roles opposite Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux in The White House Plumbers, HBO’s five-part limited series that revisits Watergate, one of the biggest political scandals in American history. White House Plumbers is based in part on public records and the book, Integrity, by Egil "Bud" Krogh and Matthew Krogh. It tells the true story of how Nixon’s own political saboteurs and Watergate masterminds, E. Howard Hunt (Harrelson) and G. Gordon Liddy (Theroux), accidentally toppled the presidency they were zealously trying to protect. Bernsen will play Richard Kleindienst, the Harvard-educated attorney general that is tainted by the ITT scandal and a contentious confirmation process. He refuses to use his power to shield the Plumbers from investigators. Valdés plays Felipe De Diego, a Cuban-American real estate broker and yachtsman who participates in every Plumbers operation except the one which ends in their arrest.

German actress Christiane Paul (Counterpart) and Carter Redwood (The Long Road Home) round out the series regular cast of FBI: International, the upcoming third series in Dick Wolf’s hit FBI drama franchise on CBS. FBI: International follows the elite operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Fly Team. Headquartered in Budapest, they travel the world with the mission of tracking and neutralizing threats against American citizens wherever they may be. Not allowed to carry guns, the Fly Team relies on intelligence, quick thinking and pure brawn as they put their lives on the line to protect the U.S. and its people. Paul will play a Europol agent, while Redwood plays a member of the FBI Fly Team in Budapest.

CBS has dropped a first-look teaser for CSI: Vegas, a sequel to the mothership CSI series, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The sequel features returning CSI stars William Petersen, Jorja Fox, and Wallace Langham, who are joined by new series regulars Paula Newsome, Matt Lauria, Mel Rodriguez and Mandeep Dhillon. CSI: Vegas opens a new chapter in the city where it all began. Facing an existential threat that could bring down the Crime Lab, a brilliant team of forensic investigators must welcome back old friends and deploy new techniques to preserve and serve justice in Sin City.

Showtime has released the first trailer for American Rust, the upcoming series adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Philipp Meyer starring Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney. Set to premiere on Sept. 12, the series is described as a "story of survival and transcendence" centered on Del Harris (Daniels), the chief of police of a Pennsylvania Rust Belt town. When news of a murder rips through the town, Harris must decide what lengths he is willing to take to protect the son of the woman he loves. Tierney stars opposite Daniels as Grace Poe, whose son is accused of murder. The cast also includes Bill Camp, David Alvarez, Alex Neustaedter, Julia Mayorga, Mark Pellegrino, and Rob Yang.

PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO/AUDIO

Writer Types host, Eric Beetner, chatted with mega-bestsellers Karin Slaughter (False Witness), Brad Parks (Unthinkable), and Glen Erik Hamilton (Island of Thieves).

Meet the Thriller Author welcomed M. J. Polelle, who is a Harvard Law School graduate, an emeritus professor of the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, and an award-winning legal writer. The Mithras Conspiracy was his first novel, and his latest, American Conspiracy, will be published on July 27.

The latest guest on Queer Writers of Crime was Chris Holcombe, an author of LGBTQ+ historical crime fiction. The Double Vice is the first novel in his Hidden Gotham series, which showcases New York’s lively but criminally under-represented queer world of the 1920s.

Writer's Detective Bureau host, veteran Police Detective Adam Richardson, tackled the topics of who investigates money laundering and gun trafficking; proving your main character's innocence; and the parallels between the courtroom and show business.

In the latest episode of Red Hot Chili Writers, Vaseem Khan discussed his new book, The Dying Day; there was a discussion of racism in sports films; and Tracy Fenton of TBC (The Book Club) talked about her favorite novels of the year so far.

         Related StoriesMedia Murder for Monday 

FFB: Poison for the Prince

Historical myseries have been around for awhile, but really began to grace the bestseller lists in the 1980s and 90s with the books of Anne Perry (Victorian England), Elizabeth Peters (Victorian and Edwardian England and Egypt) and Ellis Peters (Brother Cadfael in Norman England). Around that era, two women who were former classmates, Jill Staynes and Margaret Storey, decided to pen their own historical mystery series under the pen name Elizabeth Eyre.



There were a total of six books, published once per year from 1991 to 1996:



Death of the Duchess 

Curtains for the Cardinal 

Poison for the Prince 

Bravo for the Bride 

Axe for an Abbot 

Dirge for a Doge 



Poison for the Prince (1993) is a middle installment in this series set in the Italian Renaissance. Like the other books, it features courtier and sleuth Sigismondo, assisted by his shrewd half-wit servant Benno and a dog named Biondello. In this outing, Sigismondo and Benno are in the city of Viverra, where its weak and near-penniless ruler Prince Scipione is kept in power by high-priced mercenary Ridolfo Rodolfi. Scipione suffers from a chronic illness that the prince's wife and his alchemist attribute to fumes from the laboratory where the Prince works to replenish his supply of gold. Sigismondo, however, suspects poison and has a host of suspects including Scipione's cheating wife, his playboy son, the mysteroius alchemist and a charismatic monk who preaches against alchemy.



Publishers Weekly noted that "Trailing after Eyre's sleuths is like making one's way through crowded fairgrounds -not much character development, but plenty of entertaining distractions." Kirkus was more complimentary, adding, "Less earnestly didactic than Sigismondo's earlier adventures, but still aswirl in enough Machiavellian plots, moonlit assignations, treacherous hirelings, and summary beheadings to keep you bedazzled in a perpetual haze of Renaissance chiaroscuro."



Sigismondo is an appealing character, once described as a brilliant deductionist who is bald like a monk but who fights like a soldier, while his slack-jawed manservant, Benno, is someone who has an air of amiable idiocy. Although London's publication The Mail on Sunday trumpeted that Sigismondo could well be starting a career to equal Ellis Peter's Brother Cadfael, unfortunately the series never quite took off, and the books are mostly out of print now.