Hi everyone!
Sometimes we read the books and think we know the writer, particularly in the case of a long-running series.
So it’s surprising to hear Sara Paretsky say, as she does in Cheryl Solimini’s fascinating profile, that it’s her detective, V.I. Warshawski, who prods her to stand up to the powers that be rather than the other way around. However it works, the two of them together are a force of nature!
Recently, we’ve had some arrivals, departures, and forays into new areas among the Mystery Scene writing staff.
First, a warm welcome to Lawrence Block whose new column, The Murders in Memory Lane, will share reminiscences from his 50 years in the literary world. In this issue he relates how Stanley Ellin put one over on Simon & Schuster editor Lee Wright, and then discusses Ellin’s brilliant short fiction.
Mystery Scene regular Lynne Maxwell takes over the reins of Very Original, our paperback review column, in this issue. Our thanks and best wishes to Mary Alice Gorman and Richard Goldman who are turning their full attention back to business at the Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont, Pennsylvania.
I’d also like to thank Ron Miller, whose insightful TV reviews we’ve all enjoyed over the past few years. Ron has gone on to other projects, and so we’ll now have a rotating roster of reviewers handling the column—this issue, Oline Cogdill and Wm. F. Hirschman discuss one of our favorite shows, The Mentalist.
Have you always wondered exactly what a bookseller means when he describes a book as “a presentation copy, slightly chipped dj, with sunned spine?” Nate Pedersen continues his excellent series on Building Your Book Collection with Part 3: Bookseller’s Terms. We’ve provided illustrations using items from the Mystery Scene library, but we’d love to see highlights from your collection. Do you have a rare first edition or a book inscribed by your favorite author? Send in photos and we’ll share them in a future issue.
Jon L. Breen briefs us on new legal thrillers and Tom and Enid Schantz interview Peter Lovesey, one of the stars of the extraordinarily vibrant British mystery scene.
Brian and I had a fine time at this year’s Bouchercon in Indianapolis, and we round up all the awards given there as well as the latest Daggers given out by the Crime Writers Association in the UK. Congratulations to MS consulting editor Jeffrey Marks for his Best Critical Nonfiction Anthony and to Larry Block for winning the Hammer Award from the Private Eye Writers of America for his PI Matt Scudder.
Melee Mug
And finally, Kevin Burton Smith has gathered a sleigh full of fun for our annual Holiday Gift Guide. My personal favorite is the Melee Mug, perfect for that two-fisted coffee fiend on your list.
Best wishes for a happy holiday season and a mysteriously entertaining 2010!
Kate Stine
Editor-in-chief
SPRING ISSUE OF MYSTERY SCENE #114
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010Hi everyone!
Of the hundreds of books that arrive in our office every season only a few inspire mad, hair-pulling scrambles—and Lisa Lutz’s Spellman mysteries are among the most hotly contested. Funny, hip, unpredictable, with a trace of melancholy beneath all the wisecracking—these books are true pleasures. And as Cheryl Solimini’s profile reveals, Lisa Lutz is just as much fun as her chaotic family of private eyes.
Brian and I are planning a trip to Europe this fall. Originally we were going to Amsterdam but after reading Tom Nolan’s interview with Cara Black, we’re seriously considering Paris instead. Take a look and maybe we’ll see you in Paris, too!
Also in this issue, Ed Gorman talks with Karen Berger, the founder of the famed Vertigo line of graphic novels and Charles L.P. Silet picks terrific gangster movies for your next movie night at home.
In addition to being two of the most celebrated crime writers of their generation, Larry Block and Don Westlake were lifelong friends. In his latest column, Larry ponders the literary road Don didn’t take—and discusses the publication of a long lost manuscript that shows an unexpected facet of Don’s talent.
Here’s a hot tip for your summer reading list — Thrillers: 100 Must Reads, edited by David Morrell and Hank Wagner (Oceanview Publishing, July 5, $27.95). This entertaining collection starts with Lee Child’s thoughts on Theseus and the Minotaur (1500 B.C.) and ends with Steve Berry’s take on Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code (2003). In between are some thought-provoking essays by contemporary stars of the thriller field. We’re reprinting one for you in this issue, Marcus Sakey’s appreciation of Lee Child’s Killing Floor, and we’ll have another one in the next issue. You’ll have to buy the book for the other 98 essays and, take my word for it, you should.
The New Mystery Scene Website!
Brian and Teri have been slaving over the MS website—with spectacular results. It’s been months of hard work but we think you’ll enjoy all the new features and content online. For example: Tom Nolan’s article about Watchlist, the serial thriller collaboration by 21 big name authors such as Jeffery Deaver, Lisa Scottoline, Lee Child, Joseph Finder, S.J. Rozan, and Jim Fusilli.
Other articles are from sold-out back issues: “Trixie Belden: The Girl-Next-Door Sleuth” by Judith Sears; “No Escape: Jacques Futrelle and the Titanic” by Jeff Marks; “Charlie Chan: The Case of the Reviled Detective” by Jon L. Breen; and many more.
The 1,000+ Mystery Scene Reviews Database is at the new site as well. Of course, as massive as it is, this is only a small portion of the reviews we’ve published since 2002. Audiobooks, children’s books, small press titles, etc., are being added on an ongoing basis and there are some online original reviews in the mix as well.
The website has room for interesting stuff we couldn’t fit in the magazine, too. A case in point is a complete list of Crippen & Landru’s chapbooks. Many of these little booklets, created by C&L publisher Doug Greene as gifts, constitute the first publication of stories by major writers such as Tony Hillerman, Elizabeth Peters, Joe Gores, Peter Robinson, Nancy Pickard, and Margaret Maron. As such they are of great interest to fans and highly collectible to boot. (Oh, and all of Nate Pedersen’s articles on book collecting will be posted online, too.)
Are you reading electronically?
We’re not planning on abandoning print any time soon but we are curious to know how many of you are using a Kindle, iPad, or other electronic device for your crime fiction reading. Is it really the wave of the future?
Kate Stine
Editor-in-chief
Tags: Book Collecting, Mystery Scene Website
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