154 Spring cover, Elizabeth George

Hi Everyone,

One of the biggest headaches of running a small business is what to do when the time comes to retire, or even just step back a bit. Many small presses fold at this point and it’s a loss to all of us. That’s why we’re happy to report that the venerable Crippen & Landru Publishers, founded by Douglas and Sandi Greene in 1994, has a new publisher, Jeff Marks. Congratulations to all—including us readers. Doug offers more details in a letter on page 6.

There are Anglophiles and then there is Elizabeth George. Over the past three decades, this American author has chronicled the cases of the quintessentially English Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers, two police officers with legions of fans from all over the world. Oline H. Cogdill chats with the author in this issue.

Henry Slesar was once the Scheherazade of daytime TV, penning hundreds of hours of soap operas such as the mystery-themed The Edge of Night. Michael Mallory takes a look at this versatile writer who, in addition to writing many short stories, worked for the iconic TV series Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

True crime documentaries have exploded in popularity, sparked, perhaps, by Serial, the investigative journalism podcast hosted and produced by Sarah Koenig. (The convicted murderer, Adnan Masud Syed, profiled in the phenomenally popular first season has just been granted a new trial.) Jake Hinkson takes a look at some other docuseries, including Making of a Murderer and Wormwood, in this issue.

Jane Cleland brings her own extensive knowledge of antiques to her character Josie Prescott, an antiques appraiser. She says the first thing she does for each novel is pick an antique which must be “intriguing, beautiful, valuable, and rare.” She talks with John Valeri in this issue.

Gordon McAlpine opened up a Sherlock Holmes story—and walked right in. His Holmes Entangled offers Sherlock, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Mrs. John Watson in a complex and imaginative tale. Joseph Goodrich gets the details in his interview of McAlpine.

Isabella Maldonado brings over two decades of law enforcement experience to her well-regarded Veranda Cruz novels. Betty Webb has the colorful story in this issue.

Jon L. Breen has given us his annual round-up of recent legal thrillers in this issue. His verdicts, as always, make for some wonderful reading.

Jessica Strawser spent the first part of her literary career on the blue pencil side of the author/editor equation. After years at Writer’s Digest, she has embarked on a promising career as a novelist herself. John Valeri chats with her in this issue.

The Hardy Boys are still at it nine decades after their first adventure. Craig Sisterson examines the enduring appeal of these boy sleuths in this issue.

Enjoy!

Kate Stine
Editor-in-chief

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