Features
Diving For Danger
Randy Wayne White uses his love and detailed knowledge of Florida's Gulf Coast to craft riveting thrillers.
by Oline Cogdill
Building Your Book Collection, Part 3: Condition
Is that cover chipped, sunned, or foxed? Understanding a bookseller's decription of condition.
by Nate Pedersen
G.M. Malliet: Birth of a Cozy Writer
Malliet used her Cambridge education—and the Malice Domestic convention—to jumpstart her career
by Oline Cogdill
The Murders in Memory Lane: Ross Thomas
Lawrence Block recalls his friendship with the later thriller writer and considers his top-notch body of work.
by Lawrence Block
Romancing the Con
These happy couples found true love at mystery fan conventions.
by Twist Phelan
P.D. James: Talking About Detective Fiction
The grande dame of crime fiction is the latest in a long line of noted writers to turn a critical eye to the history of the mystery.
by Jon L. Breen
The Little Priest from Essex
Belying his innocuous appearance, G.K. Chesterton's modest little Catholic priest is in fact a revolutionary figure in the mystery genre.
by Steven Steinbock
Encore! Rupert Holmes Returns to Center Stage
Holmes takes on a new and exciting challenge with his stage adaptation of Agatha Christies' Witness for the Prosecution.
by Wm. F. Hirschman
Departments
At the Scene
by Kate Stine
Our Readers Recommend
by Mystery Scene readers
New Books Essays
by Kenneth Wishia, Wendy Clinch, Martin Edwards, Kris Neri, Kelly Stanley, Thomas Kaufman, and Sarah Wisseman
Child's Play: Books for Young Sleuths
by Roberta Rogow
What About Murder? Reference Books Reviewed
by Jon L. Breen
Small Press Reviews
by Betty Webb
Gormania!
by Ed Gorman
Short Stories Considered
by Bill Crider
Very Original: Paperback Originals Reviewed
by Lynne Maxwell
"For me, the books I read were the call—the call to adventure, to thinking, to acknowledging other points of view. But to complete the ritual, I needed to respond."
I am surrounded by books. Every room, every space in my large, sprawling 1750s house is full of books...
Our history and experiences can define us, inspire our actions, and as writers impact our words and stories. Mine most definitely has: my father was a small-time gangster. Really.
"My ah-ha moment came when I read The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.... That was it for me – I was off to the races."
Nietzsche once wrote, “There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”
"Mystery books were daring and exciting, firing up my imagination and making me yearn to become a girl detective or even a secret agent. They also empowered me to make up impromptu ghost stories around the campfire for my Girl Scout troop and sneak into the cemetery at night on a dare."
Fire and Ashes, the latest Angela Richman Death Investigator mystery, is an exploration of a fatal fire. To research this novel, Viets delved into the devastating consequences of junk science and arson investigations.
