Passover Mysteries

Another holiday, another list. This one is short, so supplement this list with some wonderful Passover chocolate. I've put together several Passover chocolate treats to make or buy on my DyingforChocolate blog. Don't miss my flourless chocolate cake recipe. It'll take about a half hour to make and bake. No mystery there. It's sinfully delicious. Have a good holiday.

The Passover Murder by Lee Harris
The Passover Plot by Hugh J. Schonfield

Love to have more books to add to this list. Feel free to comment.

The next issue of the Mystery Readers Journal will focus on Crime for the Holidays (Volume 25:1).This issue is at the printer and should be out in about a week. I'll be posting the table of contents on the Mystery Readers International website in the next few days.

April Fools Mysteries

The first of April, some do say,
Is set apart for All Fools' Day.
But why the people call it so,
Nor I, nor they themselves do know.
But on this day are people sent
On purpose for pure merriment.
Poor Robin's Almanac, 1790

April Fool's Day: San Francisco has a special St. Stupid's Day parade in which "fools" in various garb wander the streets in a very interactive parade. Being that I love holidays--any chance to celebrate, I did a little research on April Fool's Day Mysteries. It's a short list, but fun and full of foolishness and mystery.

April Fools’ Day Murder by Lee Harris
April Fool’s Day A Novel by Josip Novakovich (not quite a mystery but with mystery elements)
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 3: The April Fool’s Day Adventure and The Strange Adventure of the Uneasy Easy Chair by Anthony Boucher and Denis Green.
April Fool Dead by Carolyn Hart
The April Fool by Robert J. Fields

***
Another bit of trivia: Berkeley, California, was incorporated on April Fools' Day, 1878. Why am I not surprised?
***

I was working on my DyingforChocolate blog and realized this entry for April Fool's Day belongs here in Mystery Fanfare.

The International Edible Book Festival is held annually around April 1. According to Books2eat.com, the International Edible Book Festival is held on April 1st because "this is the birthday of French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), famous for his book Physiologie du goût, a witty meditation on food. April fools' day is also the perfect day to eat your words and play with them as the "books" are consumed on the day of the event." This is a global banquet, in which anyone can participate, and is shared by all on the internet and allows everyone to preserve and discover unique bookish nourishments.

The International Edible Book Festival is a creation of Judith A. Hoffberg and Béatrice Coron. The late Hoffberg got the idea over a Thanksgiving turkey with book artists in 1999, and Béatrice created Books2Eat website where despite the distances everybody can enjoy worldwide creations. They contacted friends and colleagues, and their first event took place in 2000. Since then the festival continues as an annual sensation.

The University of Texas, Austin, has a great website about their Festival.

Check out the internet for a Festival at a library, university or bookstore near you.

For the "official" global locations of the Festival for 2009, go HERE.

Marion Richmond R.I.P.

I had a call from Robin Richmond Monday to inform me that Marion Richmond, his wife, had died after a long battle with cancer. I knew she had been ill, but it still came as a shock. I hadn't seen Marion in many years, but I followed her book news in various publications, and she was a subscriber and contributor to the Mystery Readers Journal.

I remember the first time I met Marion, some 30+ years ago. We had corresponded via letter--yes, this was before email, and we agreed to meet when I was in London. She took me to the London Book Faire! What a wonderful time. Books everywhere, and Marian knew everyone. It was very exciting to get an insider view of the international book business at that time. Later I attended Bouchercon in London in 1990. Marion and Robin Richmond were the co-chairs. It was great fun, and I got to meet many of the British and international writers. Marion also contributed articles to the Mystery Readers Journal on collecting and special authors. Although these articles are no longer available, and certainly not on computer, I did find an article online that Marion wrote about book collecting: Really Wicked Books. Marion and Robin lived in Wigtown, Scotland's National Book Town. Robin intends to continue Ming Books

info@mingbooks.co.uk
mingbooks@yahoo.com
telephone 01988403241 mobile 07721007968
Address: Beechwood, Acre Place, Wigtown DG8 9DU
SCOTLAND also in Rahway New Jersey USA
Want lists welcome

St. Patrick's Day Mysteries

St. Patrick's Day figures into several mysteries, but since it's not a huge list, I've added some other Irish mysteries. I'm sure I'm missing several, so any additions are quite welcome.

Nelson Demille: Cathedral
Andrew Greeley: Irish Gold
Jane Haddam: A Great Day for the Deadly
Lyn Hamilton: The Celtic Riddle
Lee Harris: The St. Patrick's Day Murder
Jonathan Harrington: A Great Day for Dying
Wendi Lee: The Good Daughter
Dan Mahoney: Once in, Never Out
Leslie Meier: St. Patrick's Day Murder
Sister Carol Anne O’Marie: Death Takes Up A Collection
Ralph M. McInerny: Lack of the Irish
Janet Elaine Smith: In St. Patrick's Custody
Kathy Hogan Trochek: Irish Eyes
Noreen Wald: Death Never Takes a Holiday

You could also read Ken Bruen, Declan Burke or Declan Hughes on St. Patrick's Day. Raise a glass of Guinness for me. And, if you want something chocolate to go along with your stout, have a look at my DyingforChocolate blog for some killer recipes for Chocolate Guinness Cake.

Agatha Awards announced

Malice Domestic has announced the nominees for the 2009 Agatha Awards (for traditional mysteries). Winners will be chosen by attendees at the Malice Domestic 21 convention (May 1-3), and will be announced Saturday, May 2. Click here for more information.

Best Novel
• Six Geese A-Slaying, by Donna Andrews (Minotaur Books)
• A Royal Pain, by Rhys Bowen (Penguin Group)
• The Cruelest Month, by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
• Buckingham Palace Gardens, by Anne Perry (Random House)
• I Shall Not Want, by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Minotaur Books)

Best First Novel
• Through a Glass, Deadly, by Sarah Atwell (Berkley Trade)
• The Diva Runs Out of Thyme, by Krista Davis (Penguin Group)
• Pushing Up Daisies, by Rosemary Harris (Minotaur Books)
• Death of a Cozy Writer, by G.M. Malliet (Midnight Ink)
• Paper, Scissors, Death, by Joanna Campbell Slan (Midnight Ink)

Best Non-fiction
• African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study, by Frankie Y. Bailey (McFarland & Co.)
• How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries, by Kathy Lynn Emerson (Perseverance Press)
• Anthony Boucher, A Bibliography, by Jeff Marks (McFarland & Co.)
• Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories, by Dr. Harry Lee Poe (Metro Books)
• The Suspicions of Mr. Whitcher, by Kate Summerscale (Walker)

Best Short Story
• “The Night Things Changed,” by Dana Cameron (from Wolfsbane and Mistletoe, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner; Ace)
• “Killing Time,” by Jane Cleland (Alfred Hitchock Mystery Magazine, November 2008)
• “Dangerous Crossin,” by Carla Coupe (from Chesapeake Crimes 3, edited by Donna Andrews and Marcia Talley; Wildside Press)
• “Skull and Cross Examination,” by Toni L.P. Kelner (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine [EQMM], February 2008)
• “A Nice Old Guy,” by Nancy Pickard (EQMM, August 2008)

Best Children’s/Young Adult
• Into the Dark, by Peter Abrahams (HarperCollins)
• A Thief in the Theater, by Sarah Masters Buckey (American Girl)
• The Crossroads, by Chris Grabenstein (Random House
Children’s Books)
• The Great Circus Train Robbery, by Nancy Means Wright
(Hilliard and Harris)

Congratulations to all the Nominees!!!

Reservoir Noir! Drowned Towns in Mysteries

I'm sitting here on a rainy day in Northern California thinking about drowned towns. We're entering a third year of drought, and even though it's raining now, I don't think it will make up for the deficit of so many dry years. A few years ago a reservoir nearby was so low that a small airplane was seen above the waterline. It turned out to be a small aircraft containing the pilot that had disappeared many years ago. Most of the Drowned Towns I've read about in mysteries were from intentional flooding or damming.

I’m fascinated by the number of mysteries that concern Drowned Towns. I knew about the Peter Robinson’s In a Dry Season and Reginald Hill’s On Beulah Height because I read them both fairly close together. Being a list maker I was thrilled to find the site Library Book Lists. The Listmaker at Book Lists defines the list as "Mysteries and other fiction with a featured element of intentional submerging, inundating, and flooding of towns, villages, cities, and other places as a consequence of building dams and reservoirs for water supply, hydroelectric power, irrigation, flood management, and job creation. "

The list is entitled Reservoir Noir, the term from Peter Robinson. Below are the titles, but click on Reservoir Noir for dates and synopses. As always, I welcome additional titles.

Drowning Day by Alan Dipper
Valley of the Deer by Eileen Dunlop (YA)
Christening Day Murder by Lee Harris
On Beulah Height by Reginald Hill
The Draining Lake by Arnaldur Indridason
Walking the Shadows by Donald James
The Taking by James D. Landis
Emily Dickinson is Dead by Jane Langton
A Likeness in Stone by Julia Wallis Martin
Zombies of the Gene Pool by Sharyn McCrumb
The Dead of Summer by Michael Miano
One Foot in Eden: A Novel by Ron Rash
The Devil Went Down to Austin by Rick Riordan
In a Dry Season by Peter Robinson
Dragon Bones by Lisa See
Broken Jigsaw by Paul Somers
Out of the Deep I Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Drowned Hopes by Donald Westlake
Rahpsody in Blood by John Morgan Wilson
Under the Lake by Stuart Woods

You'll find Other Drowned Town Fiction on Library Book Lists, as well as Non-Fiction about Drowned Towns and a list of Real Drowned Towns.

Don't think I'll do an issue of Mystery Readers Journal on Drowned Towns, but it's a great theme!

Hawaiian Mysteries

Right about now, you're thinking, "I'd rather be in Hawaii." Well, Left Coast Crime, one of the premiere mystery conventions, will be held on the Big Island, March 7-12, 2009 at the Marriott Waikoloa, and it's not too late to register. Airfares are low, and the hotel rates are great! Guests of Honor: Barry Eisler and Rhys Bowen. Toastmaster: Lee Goldberg, Ghost of Honor: Earl Derr Biggers. Here's a list of other authors and fans registered. This will be an unconventional convention with panels, interviews, Luau, a performance of House without a Key (adapted by Hal Glatzer), Desserts to Die for, Awards Brunch, trips and tours and so much more.

I always like to read mysteries set in the place I'm going to visit, so to get ready for this trip I've consulted the LCC website for a great list of mysteries set in Hawaii. For another list and "all things Hawaiian," go to Hawaian Eye: Mark Troy on Crime Fiction.

Say Aloha to Murder!

Police Procedurals 2008: Hawaii 5-0 Award

Left Coast Crime 2009 (March 7-12) will feature three awards. The Lefty (Humorous Mystery), The Bruce Alexander Historical Award and the Hawaii 5-0 (Police procedural). Kate Derie and David Cole proposed the Hawaii 5-0 as a special award this year only, so it's not surprising that Kate Derie of Cluelass fame put together a Fabulous List of Police Procedurals that came out in 2008. I love lists, and this is a terrific one! Thanks, Kate. Great reading for everyone.

Anyone (not just LCC registrants) can nominate a book for the Hawaii 5-0 award. Nominations are due by January 15 and should be sent to: cheryl@cherylstevenslaw.com. The ballot will be out shortly thereafter.

Airfares are coming down, and now's the time to join Left Coast Crime 2009 on the Big Island of Hawaii! 80 degrees in March. Great programming, interviews, luau, 15 minutes under the palms, a play, and so much more. Rhys Bowen and Barry Eisler, Guests of Honor. Lee Goldberg, Toastmaster. Say Aloha to Murder!

New Year's Mysteries

2009 is almost upon us, and I wish you a safe, prosperous and happy New Year. I have a short list of a few books that take place on or around New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Enjoy.

Harris, Lee. The New Year’s Eve Murder
Meier, Leslie. New Year’s Eve Murder
Sayers, Dorothy. The Nine Tailors (begins on New Year’s Eve)
Keene, Carolyn. The Chinese New Year Mystery (not the same date but a New Year's celebration)
Todd, Charles. A Long Shadow.
Padura, Leonardo. Havana Blue (stars with a New Year’s Eve hangover)
Deaver, Jeffery. The Devil’s Teardrop.
Cleeves, Anne. Raven Black
Jance, J.A. Name Withheld.
Kirkwood, James. P.S. Your Cat is Dead. (not really a mystery but a very good read!)
Farjeon, J. Jefferson. Death in Fancy Dress (The Fancy Dress Ball, U.k.)
Meredith, David William. The Christmas Card Murders

More International Mysteries

I'm a big fan of mysteries set in other countries, as you know from reading my blog. I love to 'travel' to other parts of the world through mystery novels. Sometimes I do this before I go to another country in order to familarize myself with the area. Sometimes I read mysteries set in other countries when I return to reinforce my travels. But, more likely, I'll read about countries I'll never get to visit. Whatever the reason, I enjoy reading mysteries set in other places. Mystery Readers Journal has had issues on Irish Mysteries, Scandinavian mysteries, Italy, France, and other countries. I always love finding new books.

Publishers Weekly had an article last week on the rise of thrillers in France and Sweden. This article introduced me to Jean-Christophe Grange (France) and Jan Guillou (Sweden) and several others. Interesting to note that Harlan Coben's The Final Detail (Fleuve Noir) was #3 on the French charts the week ending September 28.

For more info on mysteries set in other countries, go to: Around the World in 80 Sleuths.

Tana French's top 10 maverick mysteries

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

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

Around the World in 80 Sleuths

In relationship to my panel at Bouchercon in Baltimore, Round the World with Janet and Friends, you'll want to check out this article in the Independent entitled Around the world in 80 Sleuths. This is one of the best lists I've seen. It's not all inclusive (one mystery per country or city), but 80! Great choices, too. I found several mysteries, new to me. My TBR list keeps growing. This list will also keep Mystery Readers Journal themes going for a long time to come.

By the way, the entire program for Bouchercon has just come out. Programming starts at 8:30, October 9 and runs through Sunday, October 12 at 1:30. There's 5 track paneling, so making choices will be very, very hard. Guess that's the price we fans pay. Too much of a good thing?