Features
Catch Her: Lisa Gardner
Intensive research underpins each of Gardner’s first-rate thrillers, including her latest, Catch Me.
by Oline H. Cogdill
Nicola Upson & The Mysteries of Josephine Tey
Stymied in her research for a biography, Upson instead deployed enigmatic Golden Age writer Tey as the detective in a mystery series.
by Lynn Kaczmarek
Simon Brett and The Modern Whodunit
Brett’s career is a showcase of the classic, pure whodunit.
by Jon L. Breen
The Closer
This criminally underappreciated police procedural is questioning the moral assumptions of an entire TV genre.
by June Thomas
The Celebrated Hercule Poirot
Agatha Christie’s world-famous sleuth shows no signs of age.
by Art Taylor
Building Your Book Collection: Association Copies
Value can skyrocket when a book has a story above and beyond what’s contained in its pages.
by Nate Pedersen
My Evening with Sherlock
A clever researcher has revealed the author of the oldest known Sherlock Holmes pastiche as none other than Peter Pan’s creator.
by J.M. Barrie
The Murders in Memory Lane: Those Scott Meredith Days, Part III
How critiquing bad books made for a good education. Plus, the true story of the worst story ever.
by Lawrence Block
Author Anagrams, Part II
by Teri Duerr
Kiss Me, Kill Me Mystery Crossword
by Verna Suit
Departments
At the Scene
by Kate Stine
Mystery Miscellany
by Louis Phillips
Hints & Allegations
Nominations for Edgar Awards and Dilys Award, Martha Grimes named MWA Grand Master
The Hook
First Lines That Caught Our Attention
New Books
The Expats
by Chris Pavone
John Wayne Rides Again
by Betty Webb
A Toast to Robert Mitchum
by Dick Lochte
Gormania
Richard Neely, dissing Billy Wilder, Graham Greene and the nuns, Robert Bloch.
by Ed Gorman
Reviews
Small Press Reviews: Covering the Independents
by Betty Webb
Short & Sweet: Short Stories Considered
by Bill Crider
Very Original: Paperback Originals Reviewed
by Lynne Maxwell
What About Murder? Reference Books Reviewed
by Jon L. Breen
Sounds of Suspense: Audiobooks Reviewed
by Dick Lochte
Mystery Scene Reviews
Miscellaneous
The Docket
Letters
Our Readers Recommend
Advertising Info
Advertiser Index
"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.
