Most of my incidental knowledge of the world comes from my mystery habit.
Take Botswana, for example. This is not a subject most of us spent much time
studying in school. Like many parts of the world, it doesn't make the news
unless something terrible happens. But thanks to Andrew McCall Smith's The No. 1
Ladies' Detective Agency and its charming sequels, I've gotten what amounts
to a tutorial into a fascinating country and culture.
The authors in our Summer issue offer windows into many worlds.
Lisa
Scottoline reveals how her courtroom experiences and Italian-American heritage inspire
the cases of her fictional Philadelphia law firm. (And she gave us a killer
ravioli recipe to boot!) James Swain explains how casino cheats and gambling
scam artists operate. Brad Spurgeon surveys French publishers and editors about
their country's surprising fondness for American writers. And Dick Adler
looks beyond the domestic bestsellers to find an array of talented newcomers.
The tribulations of a TV producer is Lee Goldberg's subject this issue. Gary
Lovisi offers a primer on Dell Map Backs - gorgeous books that did ample
justice to some of the best writers from the 1940s and 50s.
And Sue Owens Wright takes us on a kooky trip to the Illinois Basset Waddle.
Now that's a world I never imagined!
These are just some of the interesting people you'll meet in this issue.
Enjoy!
-- Kate Stine, Editor-in-chief
Website News
As promised, the Mystery Scene Crossword - which began with Issue #76 - is now
available online. The puzzle is interactive, so you can type in answers
directly on the website. You can also get hints on a particular letter, or get the
answer to a single word, without revealing the entire crossword! Of course you
can also see the entire solution at any time.
For those of you have already seen all the crosswords from the magazine, our
Special Edition Bouchercon 2002 crossword is also posted, and we'll be adding
a few more web-only puzzles over the next little while.
Our handy list of Annotated Author Links continues to grow. We'll be posting
more original articles and features over the summer, so make sure to take a
look.
We hope you all have a great summer. See you in September!
-- Brian Skupin, Co-Publisher
