By OLINE H. COGDILL
This is my annual “why Bouchercon matters” essay.
And since Bouchercon moves to a different locale each year, that gives me a chance to also look at authors from that region.
This year’s Bouchercon is in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it is not too late to sign up for the conference taking place Oct. 8 through Oct. 11.
For the uninitiated, Bouchercon also is called the World Wide Mystery Conference and it brings together hundreds of mystery writers and fans. I think more than 1,300 people have signed up this year for Bouchercon.
Bouchercon celebrates the mystery genre and, in a way, also celebrates those who read mysteries. It gives us a chance to sample new authors and hear favorites as they talk about their books. Panels, interviews, parties, hanging out at the bar—all part of the Bouchercon experience.
It’s a chance to catch up with friends you may only connect with on social media during the rest of the year, and even make some new ones. There have even been a couple of marriages in which the relationship started at a Bouchercon.
Bouchercons can also be messy if the organizing isn’t up to snuff, and some authors will hog their panels. I could tell you a couple of stories...but I won’t.
So let’s celebrate the mystery genre at Bouchercon, and to honor North Carolina, here are some authors from the Tar Heel State:
Margaret Maron, left, is a must-read for North Carolina literature. She is being honored at Bouchercon with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
John Hart has won two Edgar Allan Poe Awards for Best Novel, one in 2008 for Down River, and the second in 2010 for The Last Child. He is the only author in history to win the best novel Edgar Award for consecutive novels.
Kathy Reichs, at right, is a forensics anthropologist who writes the series about Temperance “Tempe” Brennan, who also is a forensic anthropologist. Reichs is one of the guests of honor at Bouchercon.
David Joy debuted this year with the exquisite Where All the Light Tends to Go.
Wiley Cash is a true poet in the mystery genre.
Sarah R. Shaber writes historical mysteries. She is the Local Guest of Honor at Bouchercon.
J.D. Rhoades writes about a bounty hunter in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Eva Gates is the author of the Lighthouse Library Mystery Series about a librarian on an Outer Banks island.
Sandra Balzo writes about a reporter in a North Carolina resort.
Tim Myers (also writes as Elizabeth Bright, Melissa Glazer, Casey Mayes, and Chris Cavender) is best known for his Lighthouse Inn series.
This is a smattering of North Carolina mysteries. You can find a more complete list for all mysteries at Stop, You’re Killing Me, and for lighter mysteries try this cozy list.
And come to Bouchercon.
