Hell Hole
by Chris Grabenstein
St. Martin’s Minotaur, July 2008, $24.95

This latest John Ceepak novel once again features his likable cop sidekick Danny Boyle as narrator. This time Danny runs into a hard-partying group of soldiers home on leave from Iraq and vacationing on the Jersey shore. Soon one of their group, Cpl. Shareef Smith, turns up dead at a roadside rest stop. Local investigators pronounce the soldier’s death a drug-induced suicide, but Danny has his doubts and urges his partner John Ceepak to investigate the case.

Ceepak, known for his cool logic and absolute adherence to the truth, soon finds clues that point not only to murder, but also to the theft of objects from Smith’s car. Still unsure that the two events are even related, Ceepak and Boyle must nonetheless step up the investigation when the obnoxious Sergeant Dale Dixon threatens vigilante justice for his fallen comrade. What they discover eventually pits them against some very powerful people—people who view killing as a necessary evil.

Boyle’s witty sarcasm serves as an effective counterpoint to Ceepak’s often robot-like responses and also humanizes many of the more horrific aspects of the plot. Two minor criminals lend humor to the story, as does part-time cop Samantha Starky. For longtime readers, the introduction of Ceepak’s nasty father and the insight into Ceepak’s character he provides, should be of interest. All in all, smooth writing and an unpredictable plot should please fans of Anthony award-winner Chris Grabenstein.—Mary V. Welk

Moscow Rules
by Daniel Silva
Penguin Group, July 2008, $26.95

Israeli spy/assassin Gabriel Allon is on his honeymoon when he is persuaded to leave his new wife for the afternoon and contact a Russian journalist who swears he has important information on an arms dealer. Unfortunately, when Allon finds the journalist, he’s been strangled. Allon is quickly drawn into a deadly hunt for Ivan Kharkov, a wealthy Russian businessmen who may also be the said arms dealer. The only key to catching Ivan may be through the ex-KGB colonel’s strong, elegant wife, who just happens to love art–something Allon knows a lot about. In fact, Allon, an artist at heart, would rather be restoring classic paintings and honeymooning with his new wife, but the wily, retired head of Israeli intelligence, Ari Shamron, convinces Allon that Kharkov has the power to destroy nations if he isn’t stopped.

Eighth in the Allon series, this tension filled plot races from an Alpine ski resort, to Moscow’s Lubyanka prison, to elegant European hotels, to the Vatican, and involves MI5 and the CIA operatives. Now Allon has to play by Moscow Rules–the first rule being that everyone lies. Furthermore, Allon quickly learns the new Moscow is controlled by powerful millionaires, though the KGB still rules, under new initials. Casual, brutal murders intertwine with sly, ambiguous encounters between Allon and his prey. Silva’s protagonist is the colorful, intriguing center of this spy series. A reluctant hero who has already lost his first wife and child to save the world once, he fears he could be risking his art, his life–everything, all over again. Expertly written and plotted, with lots of suspense and a charming hero, this mystery entertains.–Beverly J. DeWeese

Nothing to Lose by Lee Child
Delacorte Press, June, 2008

As itinerant ex-marine MP Jack Reacher travels the country, he passes through Hope, Colorado, and on a whim detours to Hope’s neighboring town, Despair. Where Hope is pretty and welcoming, Despair is dowdy, gloomy, and throws strangers out of town. But the people of Despair make a grave mistake when they throw out Jack Reacher. He’s “a large stranger with nothing to lose,” and hates turning back. Soon Reacher is investigating the huge metal recycling plant that dominates the town, and the town boss who owns Despair and all its residents.

Nothing to Lose is Child’s 12th Jack Reacher thriller and will be warmly welcomed by Reacher’s many fans. Physically Reacher’s in his usual fine form, “a spectacular mesomorph” always ready for action and always in control. He is refreshingly unfettered. He makes his own rules and never hesitates to do whatever’s necessary. Fortunately for the world and righteous readers, he’s morally on the side of good. When an unexplained military guard unit stationed nearby suggests that Despair’s sinister forces have something shady to do with the Iraq War, Reacher is there to put the world back on the right path. The excitement in Nothing to Lose never lets up. Bones will break and worse before he’s done, but with Reacher on the case we know things will turn out fine.

- Verna Suit

This review appeared in the Summer 2008 issue (#105) of Mystery Scene.

Matt Beynon Rees’ A Murder in Bethlehem (published in the US as The Collaborator of Bethlehem) has won the New Blood Dagger from the Crime Writers’ Association of Britain. Mystery Scene readers will be familiar with Rees, a former journalist, from Barbara Fister’s excellent 2007 profile, “The War Within.” Omar Yussef, the Palestinian schoolteacher-turned-detective, is a big favorite here at the magazine.

Martin Edwards, a frequent contributor to Mystery Scene, won the CWA Short Story Award for “The Bookbinder’s Apprentice,” published in The Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries edited by Maxim Jakubowski. In addition to award-winning fiction, Martin also writes excellent criticism. Over the past few years he has contributed profiles of Minette Walters, Benjamin Black (aka John Banville), Sarah Caudwell, Michael Gilbert and Ellis Peters, among others. Here is a look at one of our favorites “H.R.F. Keating: Putting the Reader First.” Congratulations Martin!

2008 CWA AWARDS
Announced July 10, London, U.K.

Duncan Lawrie Dagger - Frances Fyfield, Blood from Stone

Duncan Lawrie International Dagger - Dominique Manotti, Lorraine Connection

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger - Tom Rob Smith, Child 44

John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger - Matt Rees, The Bethlehem Murders

Dagger in the Library (voted on by librarians) - Craig Russell

Short Story Award - Martin Edwards, “The Bookbinder’s Apprentice”

Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction - Kester Aspden, Nationality: Wog - The Hounding of David Oluwale

Debut Dagger (for unpublished work) - Amer Anwar, Western Fringes

Congratulations to all the winners!

Hi everyone,

If an average picture is worth a thousand words, then Ichiro Okada’s portraits of Lawrence Block in the Summer Issue of Mystery Scene add up to a magnum opus. We asked Ichiro to give us images that reflected both the man and the writer and, as you can see, the results are stunning. For more of Ichiro’s work, visit his website at <www.ichirookada.com>.

Larry himself likes to supplement the written word with pictures and other interesting items. Be sure to read about the “Philatelic Edition” of the latest Keller novel, Hit and Run, in our interview; an example of the specially-printed U.S. stamp is is shown here.

In Stanley Ellin’s classic short story “The Day of the Bullet,” a young boy’s future—and eventual death—is determined the day he sees his idolized father humiliated by a local mobster.

A similar—albeit more positive—turning point in the life of a young Florida boy came the day he turned on the TV and found Police Story, Joseph Wambaugh’s groundbreaking anthology series.

That day sent Jim Born into law enforcement, then into a career writing about cops, and eventually into this issue with a heartfelt tribute to his literary hero.

Other highlights of this issue include a chat with southern cozy writer Mary Saums; an appreciation of Thomas B. Dewey; and a look at what happens when lawyers go to the movies.

In the intriguing “Music, Murder & Mayhem,” Kevin Burton Smith considers “The Long Black Veil”— a song which has become something of an obsession of mine. Kevin calls it “timeless backwoods noir” and plumps for The Band’s 1968 cover as the best ever. Well, he’s right about the song but so wrong about the singer. After listening to dozens of versions—my iPod playlists are a strange brew—I’m here to tell you that nothing beats the Dave Matthews duet with Emmylou Harris. Unfortunately it hasn’t been released for sale and the only way to hear it is in a TV video clip from the 1999 All Star Tribute to Johnny Cash. Check it out on YouTube, it will give you shivers.

Best wishes,
Kate Stine
Editor-in-chief

P.S. What’s your favorite crime song? Let us know and we’ll create a Mystery Scene Playlist for the Fall Issue.

I saw Titanic on television the other night. While I’m not a big fan of the movie (watching hundreds of people drown for entertainment is not my thing) it always has one effect on me: always go to my bookcases and pull out my copy of Jacques Futrelle’s Thinking Machine tales.

Futrelle was a journalist and short story writer who was returning from Europe in 1912, when he and his wife decided to sail on the Titanic.

Futrelle’s most popular creation was the Thinking Machine, a scientist-sleuth who felt that the mind could conquer all. Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, Ph. D.,LL. D., F. R. S., M. D., M. D. S., to give his full name and most letters in the alphabet, was one of the sleuths of the early 1900s who seemed to know everything.

The Thinking Machine’s most celebrated case - and one of the best “locked room” mysteries ever written - is “The Problem of Cell 13.” In it, the Professor accepts a wager to escape from a seemingly impregnable prison cell on death row using nothing but his wits. Needles to say, the Thinking Machine triumphs.

Sadly, the mind could not conquer the icy North Atlantic on that April night. Futrelle secured his wife a seat in one of the few lifeboats; Futrelle and a new batch of Thinking Machine stories went down with the ship.

Jeffrey Marks is an award-winning biographer and novelist as well as a Contributing Editor to Mystery Scene. His newest book, Anthony Boucher: A Bio-bibliography, is a biography of the noted mystery writer, critic and editor. (McFarland, 2008). www.jeffreymarks.com

Birthdays, graduations, holidays — there are many occasions calling for gifts for the young mystery reader. Here are a few suggestions, currently on the shelves of your favorite bookstore:
Some of our favorite paperback series for children are available in boxed sets. James Preller’s Jigsaw Jones series is already on the scene, with books #1 through 5 in a handsome slipcase (Scholastic, $19.95).

And the beloved Boxcar Children Mysteries by Gertrude Chandler Warner, are being re-packaged in 3-in-1 omnibus paperbacks. Summer Special (The Mystery at the Ball Park, The Mystery of the Hidden Beach, The Summer Camp Mystery) and Winter Adventures (The Mystery at Snowflake Inn, The Mystery in the Snow, The Mystery on Blizzard Mountain) are already available, and just out is Spring Break Special (The Mystery in the Mall, The Mystery Cruise, The Black Pearl Mystery). These 3-in-1 collections are published by Alfred Whitman at $7.95 each.

Another old favorite, the Hardy Boys series, has been re-framed for today’s kids: The dauntless Frank and Joe are now undercover agents for ATAC (American Teens Against Crime). The first four books of the new series — Extreme Danger, Running on Fumes, Boardwalk Bust, and Thrill Ride — have been put into a slipcase as The Hardy Boys Spy Set (Aladdin, $19.95). New adventures continue to come out under the nom de plume of Franklin W. Dixon.

Interest in Nancy Drew has been escalating, particularly after the recent movie and the various new formats for paperback books. Now a young lady can get The Nancy Drew Pocketbook Mysteries: the first two of the original Nancy Drew hardcovers in a handsome carrying-case, cardboard overlaid with leatherette binding and canvas handles. (Simon and Schuster, $19.95)

For someone old or young who can’t get enough of the teenaged sleuth, there’s The Lost Files of Nancy Drew (Simon and Schuster, $19.95, 2007), a compendium of Nancy Drew lore in a album format, that contains everything you ever wanted to know about Nancy Drew, beginning with her very first cases in the 1930’s. Using illustrations from the original books, pull-out items, and other oddments, Nancy’s life and times are revealed. There are pictures of her friends and some of her opponents and scenes from the books. A final chapter explains how the books came to be written, some of the history of the Stratemeyer syndicate, and where Nancy is headed as she continues into the Twenty-First Century.

For the youngster who wants to put some of the stuff he or she is reading into practice, Christ Oxlade has put together a Detective Tool Kit (Running Press, $24,95, 2007). The shrink-wrapped box contains everything a young detective might need as he or she pursues the suspects: a magnifying glass, clue containers, fingerprint pad and paper, etc. The enclosed manual explains how all this equipment is used by working detectives.

Crime Scene Detective: Whodunit and How We Know Kit (DK Children, $15.99, 2007). Four crimes are examined carefully, with photos, facsimile notes of interviews, etc. A magnifying glass and fingerprint pad are included, but the real value in this kit is in the book that follows the police investigation step by step, as they solve cases of arson, forgery, theft and murder.

Roberta Rogow, the author of four mysteries, has been a Children’s Librarian since 1971 and has reviewed for School Library Journal and VOYA. She reviews mysteries for children and young adults in every issue of Mystery Scene.

Is it the snappy red coat? That nerdy but winning Dudley Do-Rightish vibe? Whatever their secret, these Canadian cuties have a truly timeless appeal.

Fans will enjoy the outstanding collection of Royal Canadian Mounted Police artwork at The Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota.

The Tweed’s collection derives from advertisements of a local Minnesota paper company. Here’s what their website says:

“Beginning in 1931, Northwest Paper Company commissioned nearly 400 paintings and illustrations, in watercolor, oil and line drawings, which were used to merchandise the company’s printing papers. The illustrations of the RCMP in their distinctive red surge uniforms were an instant advertising success.

In all, 16 artists painted Mountie illustrations for Northwest Paper from 1931 until 1970, when it was determined the collection was large enough to meet the company’s future marketing needs.
Hal Foster, who went on to create the Prince Valiant cartoon strip, was the first Mountie artist. As Foster devoted more time to cartooning and Northwest Paper’s marketing efforts expanded from illustrations in printing trade magazines to calendars, memo pads and broadsides, other artists were called upon to contribute.
The most prolific and best known of this group is Arnold Friberg. Although most of his works were in oil, Friberg’s first work for the company in 1937 was in watercolor. Over the next 33 years, he sold paintings or reproduction rights on 208 Mountie subjects to Northwest Paper….

There’s lots more of the history at The Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota. Their online store offers everything from fine art prints to calendars to T-shirts featuring the classic Arnold Friberg painting of a stalwart Mountie saluting under the corps’ motto: “Maintain the Right.”

Honor (um, I mean, honour) our northern neighbors with a tasteful display in your home or office.

Cheers!
Kate Stine
(happily married to a very nice Canadian fellow)

Artwork Caption: “M.P. with Husky” Notecard by Arnold Friberg. The Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota.

Hi everyone!

Our Winter Issue #103 is out! And as the Brits would say, here’s what’s on offer:

• A chat with Minette Walters whose dark suspense has made her the UK’s bestselling female crime writer.

• A history of the Great (Dane) Detective, Scooby-Doo.

• An insider’s look at law enforcement on feminism’s TV frontlines with Cagney & Lacey.

• A look at Joan Druett’s seafaring mysteries of the early 19th century and conversation with new author Cornelia Read who has only to open the family album to find a blue-blooded rogue’s gallery of inspiration.

• Jon L. Breen’s consideration of William Campbell Gault’s work which combined great entertainment with a strong social consciousness.

• New Books essays from Michael Sherer, Pari Noskin taichert, Karen Harper, Betty Webb, Rosemary Harris and Jack Getze.

• A fiendishly difficult mystery quiz, a chat with Sheri Tepper (aka A.J. Orde, B.J. Oliphant) and Gary Phillips’ look at comic books and their creators as depicted in mystery TV shows.

• Hundreds of reviews of novels, short stories, films, TV shows, paperback originals, reference works, audio books, children’s and YA mysteries, and more.

Enjoy! Mystery Scene is available in bookstores nationwide or you can buy an issue at our website. www.mysteryscenemag.com

Kate Stine, Editor

Hi everyone,

Brian has pointed out more than once that my entire life could be neatly summed up as an ongoing quest for entertainment.

As Exhibit A — a thoroughly entertaining spouse — I think he may have a case.

Certainly entertainment has been my criteria for picking jobs. And after five years at Mystery Scene, I can honestly say that boredom has never threatened. We work with hundreds of interesting people — writers, editors, booksellers, critics, and librarians.

Just as importantly, we work for mystery readers — people who demand and properly value entertainment.

True entertainment is not only the pleasure of a moment. It’s a layer added to life — a joke that illuminates, a character that inspires, a story that pulls us into its world and shows us new aspects of our own.

So onward with our quest!

From the time he was four years old, Joshua Green has been an avid Sherlockian — a passion he shares with his father, Richard, and a growing circle of friends. A photo essay chronicling their activities is on page 12.

For years, Charlaine Harris produced well-written, interesting mysteries that made excellent use of their southern settings. Her career hit the stratosphere, though, when she added elements of the supernatural to her books. The Southern Vampire Mysteries are funny, romantic, action-packed, and scary, although it’s often the humans who chill the heart rather than the “monsters.” Equally effective, although darker in tone, are her Harper Connelly books about a woman who can “sense” the dead. Charlaine discusses both in her interview this issue.

With only three books published, Theresa Schwegel is a newcomer. But what books! Cheryl Solimini catches up with this fast-moving writer to discuss her signature blend of crime, cops, and Chicago.

We also offer for your inspection two authors whom time seems to have forgotten: Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason, and mystery innovator Anthony Berkeley aka Francis Iles. Then there’s Steve Hockensmith’s amusing interview with Roger Corman, the legendary B-movie producer and one of Edgar Allan Poe’s greatest fans.

The always entertaining Donna Moore turns on the light in the genre bedroom, revealing all. We’re shocked! Shocked!

In addition we have a mini-interview with TV reporter-turned-novelist Hank Phillippi Ryan, and Ed Gorman chats with suspense writer Tom Piccirilli. Brian has tracked down Jerome Doolittle for a “What’s Happening With” interview and, of course, our Mystery Scene Gift Guide offers all manner of delights.

We’ll have our final report on the Mystery Scene Fund Drive for the New Orleans Public Library in our next issue. It’s looking good, though—$4,270.00 and counting! We’ll continue to donate $5 for every back issue or gift subscription purchased through 2007, so solve some holiday gift dilemmas and help out New Orleans at the same time. Happy New Year!

Kate Stine

Editor-in-chief

Mystery Scene Magazine