The Rap Sheet

Stocking the Shelves for Summer

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 18:47:00 +0000

Well, after severe time pressures this last spring compelled me to limit my list of forthcoming crime, mystery, and thriller works to U.S.-published titles alone, I’m finally back with a fresh assortment of both American and British works due out over the next three months. And what a seasonal selection it is: more than 400 books long!

I’ve tried to include something to satisfy most reading tastes within this genre. Everything from James Ellroy’s Red Sheet, his latest criminal roller-coaster ride for corrupt Los Angeles private investigator Freddy Otash, to Jess Kidd’s Murder at the Spirit Lodge, which brings back feisty former nun Nora Breen (introduced in last year’s Murder at Gull’s Nest); from Jurica Pavičić’s Mother of Sorrows, a striking story of war, murder, and their respective consequences in Croatia, to Karen Odden’s An Artful Dodge, about a notorious all-female gang of thieves in 1870s London, one member of which hopes to foil the machinations of her vengeful ringleader; and from Abir Mukherjee’s new standalone thriller, The Pinnacle, giving us a past-his-prime American actor struggling to escape blame for the slaying of his Bollywood-star spouse, to Hilary Davidson’s Every Lie I Told, the head-spinning tale of a public-relations fixer determined to protect her sister from blame in the deaths of sexually abusive men. Gary Phillips makes this rundown with a heist thriller, The Haul, said to be his homage to Donald E. Westlake’s Parker series. UK actress and author Catherine Steadman shows up with her psychological suspense novel Nine Lives (that title acknowledging how a Persian cat kicks off her plot). Donna Moore makes the cut with Knit One, Heist One, just the first of several compelling stories here that involve gray-haired protagonists. And Linwood Barclay delivers a “chilling” yarn, Not a Word, built around a guy who discovers his aged parents dead in their bed, possible murder-suicide victims … but probably not.

Oh, and I should not forget to highlight a Cold War-era nail-biter, Skring Water, begun by Louis L-Amour (yes, that Louis L’Amour) in the late 1950s and completed more recently by his son, Beau.

Literary Hub predicts that horror fiction will make the biggest publishing splash this summer, but crime has at least as much to offer. Clare Mackintosh, Martin Edwards, Isabella Maldonado, Freida McFadden, Lee Goldberg, and John Connolly all have novels appearing between now and September 1, as do Daniel Silva, Jennifer Hillier, Steve Cavanagh, Lindsey Davis, Chris Chibnall, Sophie Hannah, Rory Clements, and Shari Lapena. Keep an eye peeled as well for the debut of Charles Cumming’s Icarus 7, the fourth installment in his Box 88 series; George Pelecanos’ The Blue Flame, the long-awaited sixth case for Washington, D.C., gumshoe Derek Strange; Asia Mackay’s “rollicking” Self-Help for Serial Killers; Ron Currie’s We Will See You Bleed, his sequel to 2025’s The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne; Dervla McTiernan’s Three Reasons for Revenge, focusing on ostensibly unrelated people endangered by someone possessing secrets from their pasts; Killer Art, a whodunit featuring academics determined to solve a fellow professor’s murder, penned by “Jon St. Denis” (aka J. Sydney Jones); and The Tailor, Tim Sullivan’s eighth outing for that brilliant but autistic Bristol police detective, George Cross. Even several wordsmiths not commonly associated with this field have mysteries in the offing, notably Emily St. John Mandel, Richard Russo, and Amy Bloom.

In addition to its deluge of brand-new tales, the list below mentions a variety of reprints worth your time by authors such as Phoebe Atwood Taylor, Carter Dickson, and the forgotten French writer Hélène Bessette. Plus, I’ve included some works of crime non-fiction (identified with asterisks), one of them a biography of 20th-century “mob accountant” Meyer Lansky, put together in part by his grandson.

JUNE (U.S.):
• The Abduction of Rosalind Thorne, by Darcie Wilde (Kensington)
• The Adventures of Juan Planchard, by Jonathan Jakubowicz
(Grand Central)
• An Artful Dodge, by Karen Odden (Soho Crime)
• The Au Pair, by Teddy Wayne (Harper)
• Backstabbers, by Eliza Jabore (Bantam)
• Based on a True Story, by Sarah Vaughan (Harper)
• Beach Thriller, by Jamie Day (St. Martin’s Press)
• Big Money, Small Town, by Thomas E. Ricks (Pegasus Crime)
• Birds of Prey: New Crime Stories, edited by Harlan Coben and C.J. Box (Mysterious Press)
• A Bitter Cut, by Anna Lee Huber (Berkley)
• Blood on Old Stones, by Alex Gray (Sphere)
• Blood River Witch, by T.J. Martinson (Counterpoint)
• Blunt Instrument, by Amy Blood (Mysterious Press)
• The Bone Stalker, by Victor Methos (Thomas & Mercer)
• The Bookseller, by Tim Sullivan (Atlantic Crime)
• A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery, by Kate Khavari (Crooked Lane)
• The Break-Up Retreat, by Camilla Sten (Minotaur)
• The Butler, by Clare Mackintosh (Podium)
• But Not Foreclosed, by BJ Bourg (Death Shadow Press)
• Cause of Death: Rock and Roll, by Big Boy Pete (Stark House Press)
• Choke Point, by Brad Thor (Atria/Emily Bestler)
• The Clock House Murders, by Yukito Ayatsuji (Pushkin Vertigo)
• The Confession Artist, by Christine Carbo (Thomas & Mercer)
• The Dangerous Stranger, by Simon Mason (Hachette Mobius)
• Death at the Castle Gates, by Nick Oldham (Severn House)
• Death Do Us, by Ruthy Mason (Union Square)
• Death on the Lanai, by Rachel Ekstrom Courage (Hyperion Avenue)
• Death Was Not on the Guest List, by Jenni L. Walsh
(Thomas & Mercer)
• Declan, by Anne Emery (ECW Press)
• The Disaster Gay Detective Agency, by Lev AC Rosen
(Poisoned Pen Press)
• The Dogwalkers’ Detective Agency, by Michael Hogan (Pegasus Crime)
• The Driftwood Bones, by Peter Colt (Thomas & Mercer)
• An Ending on Elliott Bay, by D.D. Black (Independently published)
• Every Lie I Told, by Hilary Davidson (Blackstone)
• Exit Wound, by Isabella Maldonado (Thomas & Mercer)
• The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield, by Claudia Gray (Vintage)
• Fear the Reaper, by David Housewright (Minotaur)
• Feast, by Catherine Kurtz (Berkley)
• The Fervent Whites, by De’Shawn Charles Winslow (One World)
• The Fire Agent, by David Baerwald (Spiegel & Grau)
• The Forty-Year Grudge, by Liza Tully (Berkley)
• The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Debutante Detective, by
Bruce Rule (Titan)
• The Further Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes III, by Caiden Cooper Myles (MX)
• The Girl on the Beach, by Carol Snow (Crooked Lane)
• Great White, by Richard Helms
(Barbadoes Hall)
• Heather, by Caitlin Mullen (Celadon)
• Hemlock Bay, by Martin Edwards
(Poisoned Pen Press)
• It’s About Time, by Carol J. Perry (Kensington Cozies)
• The Last Boundary, by Dave Stanton (Vinci)
• Her Last Breath, by M.J. Arlidge and Alex Khan (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
• The Housemaid’s Wedding, by Freida McFadden (Poisoned Pen Press)
• The Housewife, by Natalie Barelli (Poisoned Pen Press)
• Hysteria, by LJ Ross (Poisoned Pen Press)
• I Did a Bad Thing, by Louise Jensen (HQ)
• The Inconvenient Corpse / Murder in Haste, by Elizabeth Fenwick (Stark House Press)
• It Could Have Been Her, by Lisa Jewell (Atria)
• Keep Them Close, by David Ellis (Putnam)
• Kingdom of Devils: A Tale of Murder in the Shadow of the American Revolution, by Katherine Grandjean (Random House)*
• The Last Time We Drowned, by Saratoga Schaefer (Cosmo Reads)
• The Last Time We Saw Her, by Jaclyn Goldis (Atria/Emily Bestler)
• The Long Con, by Jenna Voris (Dial Press)
• Lovers XXX, by Allie Rowbottom (Soho Press)
• Man of My Dreams, by Olivia Worley (Minotaur)
• The Man Who Led a Dream Life, by David Handler (Mysterious Press)
• The Man Who Stole the Gods: A True Story of War, Obsession, and a Global Art Conspiracy, by Matthew Campbell (Portfolio)*
• Marion, by Leah Rowan (St. Martin’s Press)
• Midnight Patriots, by Paul Levine (Herald Square)
• Midnight Ridge, by Rita Herron (Bookouture)
• Missing in Soho, by Holly Stars (Berkley)
• A Morbid Passion, by Robert Holtom (Titan)
• Murder and Mayheim, by Ronica Black and Toni Logan (Bold Strokes)
• Murder and the Missing Treasure, by C.J. Archer (C.J. Archer)
• Murder at the Spirit Lounge, by Jess Kidd (Atria)
• Murder by Design, by Lee Goldberg (Thomas & Mercer)
• A Murder in Springtime, by Martin Walker (Knopf)
• Names Have Been Changed, by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
(Tiny Reparations)
• Nasty Little Secrets, by Gabbie Hanks (Zando)
• The Neighbors Are Watching, by Aggie Blum Thompson (Minotaur)
• Nine Lives, by Catherine Steadman (Bantam)
• No Solace for the Wicked, by Nancy Herriman (Beyond the Page)
• Obstetrix, by Naomi Kritzer (Tordotcom)
• 138 Main, by Gavin Bell (Gallery/Scout Press)
• Our Marriage Is Murder, by Carol Goodman (Morrow Paperbacks)
• The Pact, by Lisa Walker (HQ Digital)
• A Pair of Aces, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher
Murray (Berkley)
• The Pinnacle, by Abir Mukherjee (Little, Brown)
• Played to Death, by Mike Ripley (Severn House)
• Poppy Montgomery Gets Even, by Gordon Jack (Mysterious Press)
• Pour Choices, by Adrian Andover (Chestnut Avenue Press)
• The Probability of Murder, by J.D. Barker and Patrick Logan (Hampton Creek Press)
• A Rage of Desire, by Clayton Matthews (Stark House Press)
• Reaper, by Vanda Symon (Orenda)
• Red Sheet, by James Ellroy (Knopf)
• Rescue Me, by Andrew Welsh-Huggins (Swallow Press)
• Restless Bones, by Gillian French (Minotaur)
• A River Red With Blood, by John Connolly (Atria/Emily Bestler)
• Road Longer Than Memory, by Melanie McCabe (Oceanview)
• Rocket’s Red Glare, by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann (Little, Brown)
• Rules for Aging and Larceny, by Julia London (Kensington)
• Sandbar Sinister, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor (Penzler/American Mystery Classics)
• Scandalize My Name, by Fiona Sinclair (Poisoned Pen Press)
• The Secret Attic, by Chelsea Conradt (Poisoned Pen Press)
• The Secret Thread, by Eve Chase (Ballantine)
• Self-Help for Serial Killers, by Asia Mackay (Bantam)
• Sex on Murder Island, by Jo Firestone (Bantam)
• The Shark, by Emma Styles (Pegasus Crime)
• She Walks at Night, by Seishi Yokomizo (Pushkin Vertigo)
• Skyring Water, by Louis L'Amour and Beau L'Amour (Bantam)
• Somebody Worth Killing, by Jessica Payne (Berkley)
• Someone Else’s Husband, by Kimberly McCreight (Knopf)
• Some Sort of Justice, by Peter Grainger (Union Square)
• The Spin, by Faith Gardner (Mirror House Press)
• Staged, by Caitlin Rother (Thomas & Mercer)
• Storm Tide, by Paul Doiron (Minotaur)
• Strangers Behind Closed Doors, by Catherine Adel West (Park Row)
• Stuart Woods’ Deep Water, by Brett Battles (Putnam)
• Sweet Spot, by Kemper Donovan (John Scognamiglio)
• Teach the Torches to Burn, by Christina Dodd (John Scognamiglio)
• Tell Your Friends, by Lauren Wilson (Pine & Cedar)
• There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood, by Rasheed Newson (Flatiron)
• Three Hitmen and a Baby, by Rob Hart (Putnam)
• A Twist in the River, by Stig Abell (Harper Perennial)
• Two Missing Girls, by Kerry Wilkinson (Bookouture)
• Vale of Tears, by David Mark (Severn House)
• Valley of the Moms, by Hannah Selinger (Little, Brown)
• Wait and See, by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen (Grand Central)
• What Goes Around, by Debra Webb (Thomas & Mercer)
• What the World Needs Now: Mystery Stories Inspired by the Music of Burt Bacharach, edited by Martin Edwards (Level Short)
• While We Were Silent, by Alex Myers (Severn House)
• Whisper Creek, by Allison Brennan (Minotaur)
• Wish Upon a Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by Fairy Tales, edited by Michael Bracken and Stacy Woodson (Level Short)
• The Writers Retreat, by Victoria Brownlee (Affirm Press)
• You First, by Caroline Kepnes (Random House)
• You Girls Play Nice, by K.D. Aldyn (Poisoned Pen Press)

JUNE (UK):
• Actually, I’m a Corpse, by Terry Deary (Constable)
• Against the Tide, by G.D. Wright (Avon)
• All of Them Lied, by Gill Perdue (Sandycove)
• Bad Deeds, by Andrew Hunter Murray (Hutchinson Heinemann)
• Bad Influence, by Will Carver (Orenda)
• Blood Root, by Jill Johnson (Black & White)
• The Case of the Christie Wedding Affair, by Kelly Oliver (Boldwood)
• A Dangerous Justice, by John Pilkington (Boldwood)
• Darling Bud, by C.J. Skuse (HQ Digital)
• Death and Déjà Vu, by Ian Moore (Farrago)
• Death by Noir, by Olly Smith (Baskerville)
• Death on the Pearl River, by A.E. Goldin (Pushkin Vertigo)
• The Death Row Club, by V.A. Vazquez (Simon & Schuster UK)
• Deception, by Jack Jordan (Simon & Schuster UK)
• The Defence, by Rob Rinder (Century)
• Dirt Road Dead, by TG Reid (Glass Work Press)
• Fake Out Make Out, by Kate Williams (Ink Road)
• Fellow Creatures, by Emma Lowther (Quercus)
• The Gardens, by Emma Babbington (HQ Digital)
• The Girl on Floor 29, by D.E. White (Boldwood)
• A Girl’s Girl, by Emma Robertson (Zaffre)
• Grave Intent, by Sarah Ward (Canelo Crime)
• Keep You Safe, by Rona Halsall (Boldwood)
• A Killer Plot, by E.C. Nevin (Zaffre)
• The Kill Switch, by Robert Peston (Zaffre)
• Liar Liar, by Luca Veste (Avon)
• The Long Isle, by Andrew Raymond (Vinci)
• The Mayan Betrayal, by Lex Faulkner (Boldwood)
• Mother of Sorrows, by Jurica Pavičić (Bitter Lemon Press)
• Murder at Canterbury Cathedral, by Jim Eldridge (Allison & Busby)
• Murder at St. Alfred’s, by Julie Wassmer (Constable)
• Murder on the Upper East Side, by Gigi Waldorf (Simon & Schuster UK)
• My Sister’s Secret, by Jane Corry (Penguin)
• No Way Out, by Max Connor (HQ Digital)
• One of the Family, by Mark Edwards (Michael Joseph)
• The Pinnacle, by Abir Mukherjee (Harvill)
• Puzzles of the Parish: Short Tales of Ministers, Murder and Mystery, edited by Martin Edwards (Britsh Library)
• Relatively Guilty, by William McIntyre (Vinci)
• Rich Little Liars, by A.J. Carter (Boldwood)
• Run for Your Life, by Jackie Kabler (One More Chapter)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Aeronauts, by Linda Stratmann (Sapere)
• Solitary Agents, by David Goodman (Headline)
• The Teacher’s Pet, by M.A. Hunter (Boldwood)
• The Tembusu Tree Mystery, by Ovidia Yu (Constable)
• Two Little Liars, by Michelle Harrison (No Exit Press)
• Veil of Secrets, by Rachel McLean (Ackroyd)
• We Know What You Did, by Kirsty Lockwood (Orion)

JULY (U.S.):
• Agatha Christie: The Mother of the Cozy Mystery, by Nancy West (Adams Media)*
• All Aboard for Murder, by Ellen Byron (Kensington Cozies)
• Backtrack, by Marc Cameron (Kensington)
• Beach Blonde Betrayal, by Elaine Viets (Severn House)
• The Beginning of Everything, by Charles Salzberg (Regalo Press)
• Buyer Beware, by Catherine Ryan Howard (Simon & Schuster)
• Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast, by Pamela Colloff (Knopf)*
• City of Promises, by Victoria Thompson (Berkley)
• The Cloak and Dagger Club, by Jackie McMahon (Berkley)
• Cloudthief, by Nathaniel Rich (MCD)
• Cool Machine, by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)
• Country Christie: Country Tales from the Queen of Mystery, by Agatha Christie (Morrow Paperbacks)
• The Country Road Murders, by James Patterson and Mike
Lupica (Little, Brown)
• Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die, by Mallory Arnold (Poisoned
Pen Press)
• Cyanide in the Sun: And Other Stories of Summertime Crime, edited by Martin Edwards (Poisoned Pen Press)
• A Dark Path and Other Kate Burkholder Short Stories, by Linda Castillo (Minotaur)
• The Date, by T.H. Murdock (Thomas & Mercer)
• Deadly Does It, by Abbi Waxman (Berkley)
• Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch, by David Rosenfelt (Minotaur)
• Death at King’s Cross, by Rosanne Limoncelli (Crooked Lane)
• A Death in the Deluge, by Brian Thiem (Severn River)
• The Death Row Club, by V.A. Vazquez (Gallery/Scout Press)
• The Delivery, by Gregg Hurwitz (Thomas & Mercer)
• Desert Heist, by Alex Dekker (Atria/Emily Bestler)
• Exit Party, by Emily St. John Mandel (Knopf)
• Furious Violet, by Sarai Walker (Harper)
• Get Lost, by Justin Halpern (Cardinal)
• Getting Away with Murder, by Shari Lapena (Pamela Dorman)
• Golden Age Suspense Stories, edited by Otto Penzler (Penzler/American Mystery Classics)
• The Haul, by Gary Phillips (Soho Crime)
• Helpless, by Jessica Knoll (Scribner)
• Hidden Strangers, by Minka Kent (Thomas & Mercer)
• Hot Girl Murder Club, by Ashley Winstead (Minotaur)
• How to Kill a Crime Writer, by Sarah Lotz (Berkley)
• Icarus 17, by Charles Cumming (Mysterious Press)
• If Books Could Kill, by Kate Eberle (Penguin)
• The Intrigue, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey)
• The Intruder, by Adriane Leigh (Podium)
• January and July, by Jeff Abbott (Blackstone)
• Killer Vibes, by Jack Friday (Minotaur)
• Lady X, by Molly Fader (Ballantine)
• The Lansky Legacy: The Life and Letters of Meyer Lansky, by Meyer Lansky II and S.J. Peddie (Citadel)*
• Last Night Was Killer, by Mary Pauline Lowry (Morrow)
• The Last to Drown, by Noelle Ihli (Dynamite)
• The Man, by Laura Sims (Putnam)
• The Masala Chai Mystery Club, by MJ Soni (Crooked Lane)
• McKenna’s Guy, by Mike Lawson (Blackstone)
• The Mortal Enemy Murder Club, by Gloria Chao (Park Row)
• The Mortons, by Justine Larbalestier and Scott Westerfeld (Pamela Dorman)
• Murder in Purple and Gold, by Lindsey Davis (Severn House)
• Murder in the Crooked House, by Soji Shimada (Pushkin Vertigo)
• Murder on Devil’s Ridge, by Irina
Shapiro (Storm)
• The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts, by Robert Thorogood (Poisoned Pen Press)
• A Neighbor’s Guide to Murder, by Louise Candlish (Grand Central)
• The Next Lie, by Camden Baird (Thomas & Mercer)
• The Night Hunter, by Natalie Moss (Berkley)
• The Novel Detective, by Teresa Dovalpage (Soho Crime)
• One Bad Deed, by T.M. Payne (Thomas & Mercer)
• The Paris Chase, by David Lewis (John Scognamiglio)
• The Parisian Heist, by Jo Piazza (Dutton)
• Perfect Life, by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores (Bantam)
• A Quiet Place, by Seichō Matsumoto (Modern Library)
• Ransom, by Daniel Silva (Harper)
• Savvy Summers and the Po’boy Perils, by Sandra Jackson-
Opoku (Minotaur)
• The Season of Sinking, by Daphne Woolsoncroft (Grand Central)
• The Shadow Step, by Mark Billingham (Atlantic Crime)
• Shrink Solves Murder, by Philippa Perry (Crown)
• The Spy and the Snake, by M.J. Robotham (Aria)
• Street of the Lost, by David Goodis (Stark House Press)
• Sweet and Deadly, by Verne Chute (Stark House Press)
• Sycamore Gap, by LJ Ross (Poisoned Pen Press)
• The Talking Bone, by Rene Denfeld (Harper)
• Tenderness, by Rowan Beaird (Flatiron)
• This Changes Everything, by Lisa Scottoline (Grand Central)
• Three Crime Novels by Anthony Bourdain: Bone in the Throat, Gone Bamboo, and The Bobby Gold Stories, by Anthony Bourdain (Bloomsbury)
• Three Reasons for Revenge, by Dervla McTiernan (Morrow)
• Traitors, by Robert B. McCaw (Norton)
• Twenty Minutes of Silence, by Hélène Bessette (New Directions)
• Unreliable Narrator, by Araminta Hall (Putnam)
• A Voice in the Dark, by Barbara Nickless (Thomas & Mercer)
• We Will See You Bleed, by Ron Currie (Putnam)
• What Happens in the Dark, by Kia Abdullah (HQ)
• Wisdom Corner, by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Ecco)

JULY (UK):
• All Killers Aboard, by David Fennell (Orion)
• Better the Devil, by JD Kirk (Canelo Crime)
• Blood Caste, by Shylashri Shankar (Canelo Crime)
• Blood Enemy, by Douglas Jackson (Canelo)
• Broken Ranks, by Andrew Raymond (Vinci)
• The Burning Tide, by William Shaw (Hemlock Press)
• The Child, by Mandasue Heller (Orion)
• The Cornish Honeymoon Murder, by Fiona Leitch (One More Chapter)
• Death on a Lively Sea, by Katy Watson (Constable)
• Deception, by Alan Parks (Baskerville)
• The Depths, by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (Hodder & Stoughton)
• Eden Falls, by Ajay Chowdhury (Harvill)
• Everything She Didn’t Say, by Jane Casey (Hemlock Press)
• The Eyewitness, by Naomi Williams (Headline)
• The Family Break, by Ruth Irons (Zaffre)
• A Fatal Legacy, by Charlotte Vassell
(Faber & Faber)
• From Murder with Love, by M.R.G.
Davies (One More Chapter)
• From the Shadows, by G.R. Halliday
(Point Blank)
• Hide and Seek, by Chris Carter (Simon & Schuster UK)
• The Hotel Manager’s Guide to Murder, by Erlendur Arason (Blekverk)
• A Killing in Lagos, by Amen Alonge (Quercus)
• The Kingpin, by A.A. Dhand (HQ)
• The Llanelli Town Murders, by Stephen Puleston
(Independently published)
• Mad Mabel, by Sally Hepworth (Macmillan)
• The Madman, by Henning Mankell (Mountain Leopard Press)
• The Magic-Lantern Murders, by Carter Dickson (British Library)
• The Mermaid’s Cry, by Kate Rhodes (Orenda)
• Miss Hortense and the Last Rites, by Mel Pennant (Baskerville)
• The Missing Dead, by J.M. Dalgliesh (Penguin)
• Never to Be Found, by Jo Spain (Zaffre)
• The Night Stairs, by Erin Kelly (Harvill)
• One Dark Summer, by Sarah Hornsley (Hodder & Stoughton)
• One of Us Is Guilty, by Steve Cavanagh (Headline)
• Out of the Ashes, by M.J. Arlidge (Orion)
• The Outsider, by Valerie Keogh (Boldwood)
• The Parkwood Murders, by Chris Chibnall (Michael Joseph)
• Shadow of Madness, by D.V. Bishop (Macmillan)
• The Summer We Lied, by Rebecca Hardy (Raven)
• Then She Lied, by Alice Leigh (Canelo Crime)
• A Tiny Speck of Black and Then Nothing, by Emily Midorikawa (Manilla Press)
• Vanished, by Ruby Speechley (Boldwood)
• The Venetian Redemption, by Philip Gwynne Jones (Constable)
• A Very French Corpse, by Ian Moore (Duckworth)
• The Violent Hour, by James Oswald (Wildfire)
• What the Dying See, by MJ Lee (Canelo Crime)
• When You Looked Away, by S.M. Govett (Michael Joseph)
• The Woman Who Wasn’t There, by William Hussey (Zaffre)

AUGUST (U.S.):
• All We Hide, by Robyn Gigl (Soho Crime)
• The Amateur, by Chris Bohjalian (Doubleday)
• And Then There Were Bun, by Vivien Chien (Minotaur)
• Bad Intentions, by Iliana Xander (Poisoned Pen Press)
• The Black Shield: An American Memoir of Family and Power, by Wilbert L. Cooper (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)*
• Blood, Rust, and Steel, by Stuart MacBride (Macmillan UK)
• The Blue Flame, by George Pelecanos (Cardinal)
• The Bravest Hour, by Anna Lee Huber (Kensington)
• Brimstone Hollow, by Archer Sullivan (Minotaur)
• The Butcher Legacy, by Alaina Urquhart (Zando)
• The Castle in the Glen, by Rhys Bowen (Lake Union)
• The Camino, by Anya Niewierra
(Simon & Schuster)
• Cat and Mouse: A Mystery in Wales, by Christianna Brand (Poisoned Pen Press)
• Children of Wolves, by Lawrence Osborne (S&S/Summit)
• Crescendo, by Robert J. Harris
(Pegasus Crime)
• The Crying Killer, by Jess Lourey
(Thomas & Mercer)
• Dark Harbor, by Bruce Robert Coffin (Severn River)
• Death at a Scottish Halloween, by Lucy Connelly (Crooked Lane)
• Deceptions, by Jeffery Deaver (Putnam)
• Delusional, by James Patterson and James O. Born (Little, Brown)
• The Enigma Challenge, by S.C. Godfrey (Pamela Dorman)
• The Five of Us, by Sian Gilbert (Blackstone)
• For Services Rendered, by Will Thomas (Minotaur)
• Freight, by Ryan Lowell (Little, Brown)
• Fruit Fly, by Josh Silver (Crooked Lane)
• God’s Country, by William Kent Krueger (Atria)
• Heart of Glass, by Jennifer Hillier (Minotaur)
• Illicit Still, by William McIntyre (Vinci)
• The Interpreter’s Secret, by Andrew Rosenheim (No Exit Press)
• Killer Art, by Jon St. Denis (Crooked Lane)
• Kill Zone, by Dan Ames (Independently published)
• Miss Morton Takes the Waters, by Catherine Lloyd (Kensington)
• Murder at Rosecliff, by Alyssa Maxwell (Kensington)
• Murder in Blackfriars, by Jennifer Ashley (Berkley)
• My Inner Child Wants to Kill, by Karsten Dusse (Soho Crime)
• My Sister Is Going to Kill Me, by Nina Simon (Morrow)
• Nearshore, by Steve Hawk (Viking)
• No Higher Ground, by Nicole Brooks (Blackstone)
• No Rest for the Wicked, by Kat Anderson (Koehler)
• Not a Word, by Linwood Barclay (Morrow)
• One Good Eye, by Kevin Wade (Celadon)
• The One Who Walked Away, by Karen Rose (Berkley)
• The Opposite of Murder, by Sophie Hannah (Poisoned Pen Press)
• Probable Caws, by Donna Andrews (Minotaur)
• The Queen of Florida, by Jeff Bercuson (ECW Press)
• The Secret Dinner, by Raphael Montes (Celadon)
• The Secrets We Hide, by Karin Slaughter (Morrow)
• The Shadow Friends, by Tess Gerritsen (Thomas & Mercer)
• The Silent Appeal, by Janice Hallett (Atria)
• Sisters at an Exhibition, by Claudia Hagadus Long (Sibylline Press)
• A Stranger in Corfu, by Alex Preston (Pegasus Crime)
• The Strangers, by Ryan David Jahn (Blackstone)
• Strip Rules, by Martin Limón (Soho Crime)
• Surviving the Lie, by James Queally (Counterpoint)
• The Tailor, by Tim Sullivan (Atlantic Crime)
• A Taste for Murder, by Matt Baker (Crooked Lane)
• They Say a Girl Died Here, by Sarah Pinborough (Pine & Cedar)
• A Thief’s Folly, by Jeanne M. Dams (Severn House)
• Time to Burn, by Ellery Lloyd (Harper)
• To All the Men I’ve Killed Before, by Katy Brent (HQ Digital)
• Toulouse Noir, edited by Charles-Henri Lavielle (Akashic)
• The Tragedy of Y, by Ellery Queen (Penzler/American
Mystery Classics)
• Under the Falls, by Richard Russo (Knopf)
• The Unknown, by Riley Sager (Dutton)
• Virgin Islands Noir, edited by Tiphanie Yanique and Richard
Georges (Akashic)
• The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die Quietly, by Katarina Bivald
(Poisoned Pen Press)
• The Women in White, by Sarah Pekkanen (St. Martin’s Press)
• You Know Why, by J.T. Ellison (Thomas & Mercer)
• You’ll Be Sorry, by Lisa Gardner (Grand Central)

AUGUST (UK):
• Agrippa, by Robert Harris (Hutchinson Heinemann)
• The Best of Enemies, by Julie Mae Cohen (Zaffre)
• Bookish, Volume II, by Matthew Sweet (Quercus)
• The British Agent, by Simon Conway (Michael Joseph)
• The Chapel of Bones, by Kate Ellis (Constable)
• City of Traitors, by Alex Gerlis (Canelo)
• Claws Out! by Bella Mackie (Borough Press)
• Codename: 61, by Alex Shaw (Boldwood)
• Death Writ Large, by Susie Dent (Zaffre)
• Eyes on You, by Adele Parks (HQ)
• The Farmhouse Killings, by Wes Markin (Boldwood)
• A Fatal Love, by Louisa Treger (Bloomsbury)
• Freyja, by Margrét Ann Thors (Zaffre)
• Ghost Notes, by Doug Johnstone (Orenda)
• I Know What I Saw, by Kathryn
Croft (Headline)
• Invitation from a Dictator, by Rory Clements (Viking)
• The Killer’s Mark, by M.W. Craven (Constable)
• Knit One, Heist One, by Donna Moore (No Exit Press)
• Maybe Tomorrow, by Michael Wood (One More Chapter)
• The Millionaire Waltz, by Anthony Quinn (Abacus)
• Murder at Clover Farm, by Jane Bettany (HQ Digital)
• The New Wife, by Gemma Rogers (Boldwood)
• The Party at No. 5, by Shelley Smith (British Library)
• Robert B. Parker’s Big Shot, by Christopher Farnsworth
(No Exit Press)
• The Samurai Detectives: The Man in the Mist, by Shotaro
Ikenami (Penguin)
• A Shroud of Snow, by Sarah Hawkswood (Allison & Busby)
• We Tell Lies, by K.L. Slater (Michael Joseph)

I should note, as I traditionally do with these lists, that this is not a comprehensive collection of crime, mystery, and thriller works reaching print this season. It is representative of what will become available on both sides of the Atlantic. If you know of other superior releases I have missed, I encourage you to mention them in this post’s Comments section. It’s hardly unheard of for me to lengthen these compilations, if I learn later about other books of interest.

Troubles in “Paradise”

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 14:56:00 +0000

Brilliant but bungling Humphrey Goodman is back, and not a moment too soon! Viewers in the States haven’t seen him or the rest of the Beyond Paradise cast since that lighthearted TV mystery series aired its latest Christmas special here in early 2026. But the show, spun off in 2023 from BBC One’s Death in Paradise, returns to Britbox with its fourth-season opener this coming Tuesday, June 9.

As we rejoin Detective Inspector Goodman (played by Kris Marshall) and his extraordinarily patient restaurateur wife, Martha (Sally Bretton), we find that problems with their houseboat are driving them to locate fresh digs in Shipton Abbott, their small fictional town on England’s Devon coast. Meanwhile, Goodman’s police colleague, Detective Sergeant Esther Williams (Zahra Ahmadi), faces shifts in her own domestic situation, which may finally overcome her tendency to push people away, and lead her to reunite with local vineyard owner Archie Hughes (Jamie Bamber). And Goodman’s new boss, Chief Superintendent James Smith (Vincent Franklin), is demanding budget cuts be made in the Shipton Abbott squad room that might only be satisfied by cutting someone from the team—an eventuality over which Goodman is destined to agonize throughout the season.

Amidst it all, Goodman, Williams, and the other members of their team (Dylan Llewellyn’s earnest Constable Kelby Hartford and Felicity Montagu’s habitually cranky Margo Martins) must contend with unusual cases involving mermaids, a missing treasure map, and more. Goodman’s mother in law, Anne Lloyd (Barbara Flynn), even gets to demonstrate her amateur sleuthing skills along the way.

There will be half a dozen weekly episodes in Season 4, which ran on British TV earlier this spring. Click here to watch a preview.

Yap Seizes the Bland Prize

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:04:00 +0000

A cozy, Manila-set young-adult mystery titled “Isabelle Gomez Is Innocent, She Swears!” has won the 2026 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color award. Its author is Jackie Yap, who calls herself a “neurodivergent Australian-born, Malaysian-Chinese-Filipina emerging writer on Gadigal Country (Sydney), Australia.”

Administered by the worldwide organization Sisters in Crime, this annual commendation is intended to promote “an emerging female or male writer of color.” It was established in 2014 and named for Eleanor Taylor Bland, the much-acclaimed Black author of the police detective Marti McAllister series. In addition to any psychological boost it can give an aspiring fictionist, this prize includes a $2,000 grant to further the recipient’s writing career.

Yap’s victorious tale is described as “part-murder mystery, part-fish-out-of-water, part coming-of-age—with universal themes of humor, heart, and belonging.” In a press release, she goes on to say it’s a “love letter to diaspora kids everywhere—to those who live in the liminal space between worlds, still discovering who they are, where they fit, and what ‘home’ truly means. I hope for Izzy Gomez to become a fresh, modern-day Filipina-Aussie Nancy Drew for readers everywhere, offering a protagonist who reflects their experiences against the backdrop of a (cozy) YA murder mystery.”

In addition to Yap, Sisters in Crime named five other would-be crime writers as runners-up in this contest. They are Uju Asika of London, England; Billie Hanson-Dupree of Oakland, California; Nina Michiko Tam of Houston, Texas; D.S. Mori of Orange County, California; and DeAnna Yvette of Chicago, Illinois.

Congratulations to all participants in this year’s competition!

Prevailing Canucks

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Fri, 29 May 2026 17:33:00 +0000

We now know which authors and books have won the 2026 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing.

Peter Robinson Award for Best Crime Novel:
The Black Wolf, by Louise Penny (Minotaur)

Also nominated: The Retirement Plan, by Sue Hincenbergs (HarperCollins); The Hunger We Pass Down, by Jen Sookfong Lee (McClelland & Stewart); Into the Fall, by Tamara L. Miller (Thomas & Mercer); and The Tiger and the Cosmonaut, by Eddy Boudel Tan (Viking Canada)

Best Crime First Novel:
The Beltane Massacre, by Ray Critch (Breakwater)

Also nominated: Yesterday’s Lies, by Jan Field (La Cloche); The Broken Detective, by Joel Nedecky (Run Amok Crime); A Painting to Die For, by David L. Tucker (Otter & Osprey Press); and Too Dark for the Light, by A.L. Wahdel (Butterfly 80)

Best Crime Novel Set in Canada:
Salt on Her Tongue, by C.S. Porter (Vagrant Press)

Also nominated: That Other Family, by Lis Angus (Next Chapter); Every Fall, by Angela Douglas (Rising Action); Detective Aunty, by Uzma Jalaluddin (HarperCollins); and The Hitchhikers, by Chevy Stevens (St. Martin’s Press)

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery:
The Cost of a Hostage, by Iona Whishaw (TouchWood Editions)

Also nominated: The Engineer’s Nemesis, by Shelley Adina (Moonshell); Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu, by Mel Anastasiou (Pulp Literature Press); A Dark Death, by Alice Fitzpatrick (Stonehouse); and Some Justice, by Laury Silvers (Independently published)

Best Crime Short Story:
“Polly Wants a Freakin’ Cracker,” by Sylvia Maultash Warsh (from Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, edited by John Betancourt, Michael Bracken, and Carla Coupe; Wildside Press)

Also nominated: “Under the Circumstances,” by Lis Angus (from A Capital Mystery Anthology, edited by Bernadette Cox and Mike Martin (Ottawa Press); “The Lost Diner,” by Madeleine Harris Callway (Pulp Literature, Summer 2025); “Cold Shock,” by Barbara Fradkin (from A Capital Mystery Anthology); and “The Headache,” by Billie Livingstone (Dark Yonder, November 2025)

Best French Language Crime Book:
Une nuit d’été à Littlebrook, by Maureen Martineau (Héliotrope)

Also nominated: Le regard des autres, by Chrystine Brouillet (Druide); Jeux d’ombres, by André Jacques (Druide); La mémoire du labyrinthe, by Steve Laflamme (Libre Expression); and Delta Zéro, by Martin Michaud (Libre Expression)

Best Juvenile/YA Crime Book:
The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall, by Charis Cotter (Tundra)

Also nominated: Death by Whoopee Cushion, by Vicki Grant (Tundra); A Skeleton in the Closet, by Claire Hatcher-Smith (Tundra); The City of Lost Cats, by Tanya Lloyd Kyi (Tundra); and Bark Twice for Murder, by John Lekich (Orca)

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Non-fiction Crime Book: Hitman: The Untold Story of Canada’s Deadliest Assassin, by Julian Sher and Lisa Fitterman (HarperCollins)

Also nominated: The Many Names of Robert Cree: How a First Nations Chief, Brought Ancient Wisdom to Big Business and Prosperity to His People, by Robert Cree with Therese Greenwood (ECW Press); Acts of Darkness: Notorious Criminals, Their Defenders, Prosecutors, and Jailers, by John L. Hill (Durvile & UpRoute); Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada’s North, by Kathleen Lippa (Dundurn Press); and On the Lam: Great (and Not So Great) Escapes from Prison, by Lorna Poplak (Dundurn Press)

Best Unpublished Crime Novel (manuscript written by an unpublished author): Val’s Story, by Anne Burlakoff

Also nominated: The Less You Know, by William Hall; Lens Flare, by Francis K. Lalumière; Death Scent, by Barbara Stokes; and Blistered, by Isabelle Zimmermann

In addition, Ontario-born crime and thriller author Rick Mofina has been given this year’s Grand Master Award. “This prestigious biennial honor,” says the CWC, “recognizes a Canadian crime writer with a substantial body of work who has garnered significant national and international acclaim while demonstrating a steadfast commitment to the crime-writing community. CWC selected Mofina for this distinction based on his prolific output, professional integrity, and years of dedicated service to both the organization and the genre.”

Cutting Down the Daggers

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Thu, 28 May 2026 16:12:00 +0000

Six weeks after releasing its longlists of nominees for the 2026 Dagger Awards, in 12 categories, Britain’s Crime Writers’ Association has announced its shortlisted contenders.

KAA Gold Dagger:
• King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby (Headline)
• The Death of Us, by Abigail Dean (Hemlock Press)
• Not Quite Dead Yet, by Holly Jackson (Michael Joseph)
• The Girl in Cell A, by Vaseem Khan (Hodder Fiction)
• The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon (River Swift Press)
• The Art of a Lie, by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Mantle)

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger:
• The Midnight King, by Tariq Ashkanani (Viper)
• King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby (Headline)
• The Big Empty, by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster UK)
• A Sting in Her Tale, by Mark Ezra (No Exit Press)
• Such Quiet Girls, by Noelle Ihli (Pan)
• The Good Father, by Liam McIlvanney (Zaffre)
• We Are All Guilty Here, by Karin Slaughter (HarperCollins)

ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-fiction:
• Shadow of the Bridge: The Delphi Murders and the Dark Side of the American Heartland, by Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee (Pegasus Crime)
• The Spy in the Archive: How One Man Tried to Kill the KGB, by Gordon Corera (William Collins)
• The Murder Game, by John Curran (HarperCollins/Collins Crime Club)
• Murderland, by Caroline Fraser (Fleet)
• That Dark Spring, by Susannah Stapleton (Picador)
• The Illegals, by Shaun Walker (Profile)

Historical Dagger:
• A Granite Silence, by Nina Allan (Riverrun)
• Barvick Falls, by Rob McInroy (Tippermuir)
• The Devil’s Draper, by Donna Moor (Fly on the Wall Press)
• Gunner, by Alan Parks (Baskerville)
• The Art of a Lie, by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Mantle)
• A Case of Life and Limb, by Sally Smith (Raven)

Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger:
• Murder Mindfully, by Karsten Dusse,
translated by Florian Duijsens (Faber & Faber)
• The Lake, by Jørn Lier Horst,
translated by Anne Bruce (Penguin Random House)
• Red Water, by Jurica Pavičić,
translated by Matt Robinson (Bitter Lemon Press)
• Big Bad Wool, by Leonie Swann,
translated by Amy Bojang (Allison & Busby)
• The Winter Job, by Antti Tuomainen,
translated by David Hackston (Orenda)
• Strange Pictures, by Uketsu,
translated by Jim Rion (Pushkin Press)

Whodunnit Dagger (for “cosy crime, traditional mysteries, and Golden Age crime” stories):
• The Christmas Cracker Killer, by Alexandra Benedict (Simon & Schuster UK)
• Little Secrets, by Victoria Goldman (Three Crowns Publishing UK)
• Etiquette for Lovers and Killers, by Anna Fitzgerald Healy (Fleet)
• A Queer Case, by Robert Holtom (Titan)
• A Murder for Miss Hortense, by Mel Pennant (Baskerville)
• Bad Influence, by C.J. Wray (Orion)

Twisted Dagger (for “psychological and suspense thrillers”):
• What Happens in the Dark, by Kia Abdullah (HQ Fiction)
• Her Many Faces, by Nicci Cloke (Harvill Secker)
• Some of Us Are Liars, by Fiona Cummins (Macmillan)
• Scenes from a Tragedy, by Carole Hailey (Corvus)
• The Bodies, by Sam Lloyd (Bantam)
• We Live Here Now, by Sarah Pinborough (Orion)

ILP John Creasey (First Novel) Dagger:
• The Peak, by Sam Guthrie (HarperCollins)
• The Lost Detective, by Elspeth Latimer (Story Machine)
• The Wolf Tree, by Laura McCluskey (Hemlock Press)
• The Vanishing Place, by Zoë Rankin (Viper)
• Coram House, by Bailey Seybolt (Raven)
• Holy City, by Henry Wise (No Exit Press)

Short Story Dagger:
• “Split Your Silver Tongue,” by S.A. Cosby (from Birds, Strangers and Psychos: New Stories Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock, edited by Maxim Jakubowski; No Exit Press)
• “The Karpman Drama Triangle,” by Denise Mina (from Birds, Strangers and Psychos)
• “Full Circle,” by Abir Mukherjee (from Playing Dead: Short Stories in Honour of Simon Brett by Members of the Detection Club, edited by Martin Edwards; Severn House)
• “The Apple Falls Not Far,” by Ambrose Perry (Canongate)
• “Strangers on a School Bus,” by Peter Swanson (from Birds, Strangers and Psychos)
• “Waiting,” by Michael Wood (from Criminal Pursuits: This Is Me, edited by Samantha Lee Howe; Telos)

Emerging Author (for unpublished novels):
• Ill Met by Murder, by Rod Cookson
• The Man Who Fit the Case, by Sophia Georghiou
• Just a Simple Wedding, by Kate Koester
• The Fixer, by Lorna Mathew
• The Madam of Morningside, by Rebecca McFarland
• Blind Side of the Sun, by Michael Nikitin
• The Pattern of Absence, by Melisssa Tonkin

Dagger in the Library (“for a body of work by an established crime writer that has long been popular with borrowers from libraries”):
• Paula Hawkins
• J.D. Kirk
• Clare Mackintosh
• Freida McFadden
• Abir Mukherjee
• Tim Sullivan

Publishers’ Dagger (“awarded annually to the Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year”):
• Bitter Lemon Press
• Faber & Faber
• No Exit Press (Bedford Square)
• Pan Macmillan
• Simon & Schuster
• Viper (Profile)

All of the winners will be declared during a CWA gala dinner n July.

Revue of Reviewers: 5-24-26

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Sun, 24 May 2026 13:20:00 +0000

Critiquing some of the most interesting recent crime, mystery, and thriller releases. Click on the individual covers to read more.

Particularly Promising Premieres

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Sat, 23 May 2026 14:48:00 +0000

I spent the better part of this week entertaining a friend who’d flown in from Minneapolis, so I wasn’t exactly on top of the crime-fiction news. That meant I missed alerting readers to the half-dozen nominees for the 2026 McDermid Debut Award. They are:

• A Bad, Bad Place, by Frances Crawford (Penguin Random House)
• The Exes, by Leodora Darlington (Michael Joseph)
• Innocent Guilt, by Remi Kone (Quercus)
• The Quiet, by Barnaby Martin (Pan Macmillan)
• A Murder for Miss Hortense, by Mel Pennant (John Murray)
• How to Get Away With Murder, by Rebecca Philipson (Penguin Random House)

According to a news release, “The shortlist for this year’s McDermid Debut Award, named in recognition of world-famous crime writer Val McDermid, showcases ‘original and assured’ new voices writing across a broad range of subgenres … Now in its third year, the award has established a successful track record for discovering emerging talent, with the two previous winning books, Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney (2024) and A Reluctant Spy by David Goodman (2025), going on to become bestsellers.”

The latest prize recipient is set to be announced on Thursday, July 23, which is opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, England.

The Blog in Young Adulthood

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Fri, 22 May 2026 23:39:00 +0000

Today marks two decades—a full 20 years, folks!—since I began posting here in The Rap Sheet. If we consider this (generously) as a job, then it’s the longest one I’ve ever held down. It’s also the one that has brought me the smallest amount of remuneration. But of course I didn’t set out to become rich by blogging about crime, mystery, and thriller fiction. My intention was to celebrate the depth and breadth of this genre, and to express my enduring appreciation for its growth and evolution. I hope I have accomplished that so far.

On the blog’s 10th birthday, I traced my history as a book critic and how it led me to launch The Rap Sheet. So I won’t readdress all of that today. I had once imagined making a big deal of this anniversary (with T-shirts and special postings and more), but decided in the end that, all I really wanted to do was send out my appreciation to the blog’s readers for sticking with it for so long and saying such nice things about it along the way. This journey has presented occasional difficulties, yet it has been predominately rewarding, and I hope to continue writing and editing The Rap Sheet for many years to come.

Thank you, one and all!

How Nice for “Mice”

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Thu, 14 May 2026 16:01:00 +0000

The 2026 British Book Awards—aka the “Nibbies”—were handed out this week in 17 categories. Sally Smith’s A Case of Mice and Murder (Raven, 2024) took top honors in the Crime & Thriller division, with judges calling it “exquisitely written” and labeling its protagonist, Edwardian barrister Gabriel Ward KC, a “memorable sleuth.”

Smith’s novel beat out four others to claim that prize. They were: Death at the White Hart, by Chris Chibnall (Michael Joseph); The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore (Borough Press); The Impossible Fortune, by Richard Osman (Viking); The Secret of Secrets, by Dan Brown (Bantam); and The Tenant, by Freida McFadden (Poisoned Pen Press).

The British Book Awards are administered by The Bookseller.

Fingered for Favor

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Mon, 11 May 2026 17:57:00 +0000

Organizers of this year’s Capital Crime festival in London, England, have announced their finalists for the 2026 Fingerprint Awards. These prizes are said to “champion the very best in crime writing from the past year across the globe, as voted for by readers.”

There are seven categories of contenders for the Fingerprints, but below are three of the most interesting.

Overall Crime Book of the Year:
• The Midnight King, by Tariq Ashkanani (Viper)
• The Final Vow, by M.W. Craven (Constable)
• Quantum of Menace, by Vaseem Khan (Zaffre)
• The Good Father, by Liam Liam McIlvanney (Zaffre)
• We Live Here Now, by Sarah Pinborough (Orion)

Debut Crime Book:
• Broken, by Jón Atli Jónasson (Corylus)
• Deadline, by Steph McGovern (Macmillan)
• Death at the White Hart, by Chris Chibnall (Michael Joseph)
• The Day of the Roaring, by Nina Bhadreshwar (Hemlock Press)
• This Is Not a Game, by Kelly Mullen (Century)

True Crime Book of the Year:
• Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress, and Dr. Crippen, by Hallie Rubenhold (Doubleday)
• Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, by Virginia Roberts-Guiffre (Doubleday)
• Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers,
by Caroline Fraser (Fleet)
• A History of Modern Britain in Twenty Murders, by Professor
David Wilson (Sphere)
• A Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children, by Haley Cohen Gilliland (Avid Reader Press)

Click right here to see the shortlists of nominees in all seven Fingerprint Award divisions for 2026. Between now and Saturday, May 30, readers are invited to vote online for their favorites. The winners will be revealed during a special presentation on Capital Crime’s opening night, Thursday, June 18.

Set to Consider in Calgary

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Sun, 10 May 2026 18:15:00 +0000

While we’re on the subject of crime-fiction commendations, today also brings news of which stories and authors have been chosen as finalists for the 2026 Anthony Awards “for excellence in crime fiction.”

Best Hardcover Novel:
• All This Could Be Yours, by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Minotaur)
• The Black Wolf, by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
• Crooks, by Lou Berney (Morrow)
• Death of an Ex, by Delia Pitts (Minotaur)
• King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby (Pine
and Cedar)

Best First Novel:
• History Lessons, by Zoe B. Wallbrook
(Soho Crime)
• Julie Chan Is Dead, by Liann Zhang (Atria)
• Mask of the Deer Woman, by Laurie L. Dove (Berkley)
• The Retirement Plan, by Sue Hincenbergs (Morrow)
• Voices of the Elysian Fields, by Michael Rigg (Level Best)
• Whiskey Business, by Adrian Andover (Chestnut Avenue Press)

Best Paperback Original/E-Book/Audiobook Original Novel:
• Crimson Thaw, by Bruce Robert Coffin (Severn River)
• Edge, by Tracy Clark (Thomas & Mercer)
• River of Lies, by James L'Etoile (Oceanview)
• This Violent Heart, by Heather Levy (Montlake)
• Tricks of Fortune, by Lina Chern (Bantam)

Best Short Story:
• “AITA for Using My Husband’s Hobby to Teach Him a Lesson,” by Mindy Carlson (from Myopic Duplicity: Do the Ends Ever Justify the Means? edited by Jeff Circle; Kindle/Audible)
• “Brotherly Love,” by Cheryl A. Head (from Every Day a Little Death: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Stephen Sondheim, edited by Josh Pachter; Level Short)
• “Finding Jimmy Baldwin,” by Cheryl A. Head (from Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West; Bywater)
• “Hollywood Prometheus,” by Christa Faust (from Crime Ink: Iconic)
• “Six-Armed Robbery,” by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier (from Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, edited by John Betancourt, Michael Bracken, and Carla Coupe; Wildside Press)
• “The Skies Are Red,” by Richie Narvaez (from On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology, edited by Curtis Ippolito; Rock and a Hard Place Press)

Best Juvenile or YA:
• Death in the Cards, by Mia P. Manansala (Delacorte Press)
• Miles in Time, by Lee Matthew Goldberg (Wise Wolf)
• Risky Pursuit, by Nancy G. West, (Fire & Ice Young Adult Books)
• The Scammer, by Tiffany D. Jackson
(Quill Tree)
• Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History, by Chris Chan (Level Best)

Best Critical or Non-fiction Work:
• Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida, by Gilbert King (Flatiron)
• L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood, by Anne Soon Choi
(Third State)
• Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, by Caroline Fraser (Penguin Press)
• The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story, by
Pagan Kennedy (Vintage)
• Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover’s Travel Guide to New England, by Dawn M. Barclay, Level Tru)

Best Anthology or Collection:
• Blood on the Bayou: Case Closed: Bouchercon Anthology, edited by Don Bruns (Down & Out)
• Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West (Bywater)
• Hollywood Kills: An Anthology, edited by Adam Meyer and Alan Orloff (Level Short)
• On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology, edited by Curtis Ippolito (Rock and a Hard Place Press)
• Whatever Kills the Pain, by C.W. Blackwell (Rock and a Hard Place)

The winners in each of these seven categories will be chosen by attendees at this year’s Bouchercon in Calgary, Alberta, and announced during a ceremony on October 24.

Thrill Seeking Rewarded

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Sun, 10 May 2026 15:26:00 +0000

Southern California crime-fictionist Robert Crais has been enjoying a great deal of good news lately. The Big Empty (2025), the 20th installment in his long-running series about Los Angeles private eye Elvis Cole, recently won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel. Now it has also picked up a 2026 Thriller Award.

That news was trumpeted just last night during Thrillerfest XXI in New York City. Here are all six of the authors who carried off prizes from the International Thriller Writers (ITW) organization:

Best Standalone Novel: Cross My Heart, by Megan Collins (Atria)

Also nominated: Zigzag Girl, by Ruth Knafo Setton (Black Spring Press); The Burning Library, by Gilly Macmillan (Morrow); The Locked Ward, by Sarah Pekkanen (St. Martin’s Press); and So Happy Together, by Olivia Worley (Minotaur)

Best Series Novel: The Big Empty, by Robert Crais (Putnam)

Also nominated: Chain Reaction, by James Byrne (Minotaur); Head Cases, by John McMahon (Minotaur); The Tourists, by Christopher Reich (Thomas & Mercer); and Terminal Moonlight, by Vincent Zandri
(Down & Out)

Best First Novel: Party of Liars, by Kelsey Cox (Minotaur)

Also nominated: Death at the White Hart, by Chris Chibnall (Pamela Dorman); Count My Lies, by Sophie Stava (Scout Press); History Lessons, by Zoe B. Wallbrook (Soho Crime); and Julie Chan Is Dead, by Liann Zhang (Atria)

Best Audiobook: The White Crow, by Michael Robotham; narrated by Katy Sobey (Simon & Schuster)

Also nominated: King of Ashes, by S. A. Cosby; narrated by Adam Lazarre-White (Macmillan); The Wasp Trap, by Mark Edwards; narrated by John Hopkins and Anna Burnett (Simon & Schuster); Best Offer Wins, by Marisa Kashino; narrated by Cia Court (Macmillan); When Devils Sing, by Xan Kaur; narrated by Michael Crouch, Anjali Kunapaneni, Jennifer Pickens, and Landon Woodson (Macmillan); and The Cheaters Wife, by C.N. Mabry and N’Dia Rae; narrated by Ruffin Prentiss and Machelle Williams (Simon Maverick)

Best Young Adult Novel: The Silenced, by Diana Rodriguez
Wallach (Delacorte Press)

Also nominated: Murder Between Friends, by Liz Lawson (Delacorte Press); This Stays Between Us, by Margot McGovern (Penguin Young Readers); Shiny Happy People, by Clay McLeod Chapman (Delacorte Press); and The Thrashers, by Julie Soto (Wednesday)

Best Short Story: “The Violent Season,” by Jessica Van Dessel (Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, July/August 2025)

Also nominated: “Level Up,” by Katrina Carrasco (from Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West (Bywater); “The Seduction of Dr. Dimension,” by Scott William Carter (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, November/December 2025); “Eleven Numbers,” by Lee Child (Amazon Original Stories); and “False Note,” by David Lagercrantz (Amazon Original Stories)

In addition, an ITW news release says the following people received “special recognition” during the convention’s awards banquet:

• 2026 ThrillerMaster, Lisa Scottoline
• 2026 ThrillerMaster, Harlan Coben
• 2026 Silver Bullet Award, Douglas Preston
• 2026 Spotlight Guest, Rachel Howzell Hall
• 2026 Spotlight Guest, Luis Alberto Urrea
• 2026 Thriller Legend, Barbara Peters
• 2026 ThrillerFan, Jordon Moblo
• 2026 Thriller Volunteer of the Year, James L'Etoile

Revue of Reviewers: 5-7-26

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Thu, 07 May 2026 23:44:00 +0000

Critiquing some of the most interesting recent crime, mystery, and thriller releases. Click on the individual covers to read more.

“Ghost” Rises to Claim Crown

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:33:00 +0000

Here’s something I missed: Along with the announcement last week of which authors won this year’s Edgar Awards, Minotaur Books and Mystery Writers of America revealed the victor in their 2026 First Crime Novel Competition. It’s Ghost of a Clue, by Maryland attorney Sharon Roth, who also writes as “Shannon Taft.”

A post in Shotsmag Confidential explains that

Roth has written over twenty published short stories, including a Derringer Award finalist and a story that appeared in Best American Mystery and Suspense. Her debut novel, Ghost of a Clue, is a cozy mystery featuring a protagonist named Lexi, who as a child witnessed the killing of her mother and sister. As a result of the attack, Lexi hears her sister’s voice in her head. Now an adult, Lexi is trying to put the past behind her and buy a B&B in the Poconos. But when the true-crime journalist intent on bringing all of Lexi’s secrets into the open is murdered, Lexi is the prime suspect.

We’re told Ghost of a Clue will be released in the fall of 2027.

This annual competition for authors who have not previously published novels dates back to 2008. Winners receive a one-book, $10,000 Minotaur contract. The first recipient of said honor was Stefanie Pintoff, who went on to publish historical mysteries (among them the 2010 Edgar Award-winning In the Shadow of Gotham) as well as modern thrillers. Additional winners are showcased here.

Short Stories That Stand Tall

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Sun, 03 May 2026 19:02:00 +0000

On Friday, America’s Short Mystery Fiction Society (SMFS) revealed the winners of its 2026 Derringer Awards, in half a dozen categories.

Best Flash Story (up to 1,000 words): “The Man Under the Bridge,” by Bern Sy Moss (Spillwords, 6/1/2025)

Also nominated: “Bradycardia,” by Elizabeth Dearborn (Punk Noir, 2/4/2025); “Check Rear Seat,” by Carl Tait (Exquisite Death, 5/1/2025); “It All Comes Out in the Wash,” by James Patrick Focarile (Gumshoe Review, 10/31/2025); and “Just Like Old Times,” by Shari Held (Yellow Mama, 2/15/2025)

Best Short Story (1,001 to 4,000 words): “Blind Pig,” by Michael Bracken (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September/October 2025)

Also nominated: “Chains,” by Frank Vatel (All Due Respect, 9/1/25); “Hollywood Prometheus,” by Christa Faust (from Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by by John Copenhaver and Salem West; Bywater); “The Artist,” by Linda Ann Bennett (from Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense, edited by by Judy Penz Sheluk; Superior Shores Press); and “Wax On, Wax Off,” by Nina Mansfield (from Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, edited by John Betancourt, Michael Bracken, and Carla Coupe; Wildside Press)

Best Long Story (4,001 to 8,000 words): “Whatever Kills the Pain,” by C.W. Blackwell (from Whatever Kills the Pain, by C.W. Blackwell; Rock and a Hard Place Press)

Also nominated: “A Sign of the Times,” by Tom Milani (from Sleuths Just Wanna Have Fun: Private Eyes in the Materialistic Eighties, edited by Michael Bracken; Down & Out); “Masterpiece,” by Mark Thielman (Black Cat Mystery Magazine, September 2025); “Six-Armed Robbery,” by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier (from Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous); and “Zebra Finch,” by donalee Moulton (from The Most Dangerous Games, edited by Deborah Lacy; Level Short)

Best Novelette (8,001 to 20,000 words): “The Temporary Murder of Thomas Monroe,” by Tia Tashiro (Clarkesworld, January 2025;
audio version)

Also nominated: “Aswarby Hall,” by David Dean (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, March/April 2025); “Loose Change from a Mini Cooper,” by Frank Zafiro (Chop Shop Episode 10, Down & Out); “Saint Bullethead,” by Nick Kolakowski (from Fighting Words: Bruisers, Brawlers, & Bad Intentions, edited by Scott Blackburn; Leonardo Audio); and “The High Priest of Low Men,” by C.W. Blackwell (Myopic Duplicity: Do the Ends Ever Justify the Means?, edited by Jeff Circle; Leonardo Audio)

Best Anthology: Tie — Hollywood Kills: An Anthology, edited by Adam Meyer and Alan Orloff (Level Short); and On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology, edited by Curtis Ippolito (Rock and a Hard Place Press)

Also nominated: Crimeucopia—The Not So Frail Detective Agency, edited by John Connor (Murderous Ink Press); Gone Fishin’: Crime Takes a Holiday, edited by James M. Jackson (Wolf's Echo Press); Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense, edited by Judy Penz Sheluk (Superior Shores Press); and SoWest: Danger Awaits! edited by Claire A. Murray, Eva Eldridge, Suzanne E. Flaig, Denise Ganley, and Sarah Smith (DS)

In addition, this year’s Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer was presented to retired Chief of Police and author David Dean.

(Photo of Derringer Award medals by Art Taylor.)

Read Away This May Day

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Fri, 01 May 2026 18:50:00 +0000

Today being May Day—yet another chance to applaud summer’s imminent arrival—Janet Rudolph has posted an updated list of crime fiction linked to the occasion. Everything from Octavus Roy Cohen’s The May Day Mystery and Anna Castle’s The Case of the Tangled Maypole to Wayne Hancock’s 30 Days in May and May Day in Magadan, by Anthony Olcott. She’s also inventoried mysteries that feature Morris dances, which are often performed at May Day events.

If you’re looking for still more ideas of what to read as the weather turns warmer (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), look to The Rap Sheet’s updated selections of crime, mystery, and thriller works due out from now until the start of June. Since that post went up in March, more than a dozen titles have been added, including Neil Albert’s Death in November (the 11th installment in his series about Philadelphia private eye Dave Garrett), Sara Foster’s debut psychological thriller, Come Back to Me, and Holy F*ck, Joseph Incardona’s tale of a saintly hooker targeted by twin contract killers. Learn about those and many more releases by clicking here.

Basking in Edgars Glory

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 17:18:00 +0000

Last evening finally brought the announcements, in New York City, of which authors, books, and short stories have won the 2026 Edgar Allan Poe Awards. These prizes honor “the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, and television published or produced in 2025.”

Best Novel:
The Big Empty, by Robert Crais (Putnam)

Also nominated: Fagin the Thief, by Allison Epstein (Doubleday); The Dream Hotel, by Laila Lalami (Pantheon); Wild Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy (Flatiron); Hard Town, by Adam Plantinga (Grand Central); The Inheritance, by Trisha Sakhlecha (Pamela Dorman); and Presumed Guilty, by Scott Turow (Grand Central)

Best First Novel by an American Author: Dead Money, by Jakob Kerr (Bantam)

Also nominated: Killer Potential, by Hannah Deitch (Morrow); All the Other Mothers Hate Me, by Sarah Harman (Putnam); Johnny Careless, by Kevin Wade (Celadon); and History Lessons, by Zoe B. Wallbrook (Soho Crime)

Best Paperback Original:
The Backwater, by Vikki Wakefield (Poisoned Pen Press)

Also nominated: Listen, by Sacha Bronwasser (Penguin); The Sideways Life of Denny Voss, by Holly Kennedy (Lake Union); Broke Road, by Matthew Spencer (Thomas & Mercer); and One Death at a Time, by Abbi Waxman (Berkley)

Best Fact Crime:
Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, by Caroline Fraser (Penguin Press)

Also nominated: They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals, by Mariah Blake (Crown); Blood and the Badge: The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked the Nation, by Michael Cannell (Minotaur); Out of the Woods: A Girl, a Killer, and a Lifelong Struggle to Find the Way Home, by Gregg Olsen (Thomas & Mercer); and Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress, and Dr. Crippen, by Hallie Rubenhold (Dutton)

Best Critical/Biographical:
Edgar Allan Poe: A Life, by Richard Kopley (University of Virginia Press)

Also nominated: V Is for Venom: Agatha Christie’s Chemicals of Death, by Kathryn Harkup (Sigma); The Kingdom of Cain: Finding God in the Literature of Darkness, by Andrew Klavan (Zondervan); Cooler Than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard, by C.M. Kushins (Mariner); and Criss-Cross: The Making of Hitchcock’s Dazzling, Subversive Masterpiece Strangers on a Train, by Stephen Rebello (Running Press)

Best Short Story:
“Julius Katz Draws a Straight Flush,” by Dave Zeltserman (Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, September-October 2025)

Also nominated: “Reading at Night,” by Graham Greene (The Strand Magazine, August 2025); “The One That Got Away,” by Charlaine Harris (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine [EQMM], January-February 2025); “Orphan X: A Mysterious Profile,” by Gregg Hurwitz (Mysterious Press); “Lucky Heart,” by Tim Maleeny (from Blood on the Bayou: Case Closed, edited by Don Bruns; Down & Out); and “The Kill Clause,” by Lisa Unger (Amazon Original Stories)

Best Juvenile: Blood in the Water, by Tiffany D. Jackson (Scholastic Press)

Also nominated: Montgomery Bonbon: Murder at the Museum, by Alasdair Beckett-King (Candlewick Press); What Happened Then, by Erin Soderberg Downing (Scholastic Press); A Study in Secrets, by Debbi Michiko Florence (Aladdin); The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls, by Judith Rossell (Dial); and Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave, by Ally Russell (Delacorte Press)

Best Young Adult:
Under the Same Stars, by Libba Bray (Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers)

Also nominated: Catch Your Death, by Ravena Guron (Sourcebooks Fire); This Is Where We Die, by Cindy R.X. He (Sourcebooks Fire); The Scammer, by Tiffany D. Jackson (Quill Tree); and Codebreaker, by Jay Martel (Wednesday)

Best Television Episode Teleplay:
“Pilot,” Paradise, written by Dan Fogelman (Hulu)

Also nominated: “End of the Line,” Ballard, written by Michael Alaimo and Kendall Sherwood (Amazon/Fabel); “Episode 101,” The Lowdown, written by Sterlin Harjo (FX on Hulu); “These Girls,” Long Bright River, written by Nikki Toscano and Liz Moore (Peacock); and “Ye’iitsoh (Big Monster),” Dark Winds, written by John Wirth and Steven Paul Judd (AMC)

* * *

ADDITIONAL AWARDS

Robert L. Fish Memorial Award:
“How It Happened,” by Billie Kay Fern (EQMM, July-August 2025)

Also nominated: “A Textbook Example,” by Luis Avalos (from Sacramento Noir, edited by John Freeman; Akashic); “Baggage,” by Rick Marcou (EQMM, January-February 2025); “Bloodsurf,” by Tiffany D. Plunkett (from Hollywood Kills, edited by Adam Meyer and Alan Orloff; Level Short); and “Grand Theft Auto in the Heart of Screenland,” by Robert Rotstein (from Hollywood Kills)

The Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award:
All This Could Be Yours, by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Minotaur)

Also nominated: Five Found Dead, by Sulari Gentill (Poisoned Pen Press); Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes, by Sandra Jackson-Opoku (Minotaur); No Comfort for the Dead, by R.P. O’Donnell (Crooked Lane); and Last Dance Before Dawn, by Katharine Schellman (Minotaur)

The G.P. Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award:
Gone in the Night, by Joanna Schaffhausen (Minotaur)

Also nominated: Cold as Hell, by Kelley Armstrong (Minotaur); Rage, by Linda Castillo (Minotaur); Fallen Star, by Lee Goldberg (Thomas & Mercer); and The Red Letter, by Daniel G. Miller (Poisoned Pen Press)

The Lilian Jackson Braun Memorial Award: A Senior Citizen’s Guide to Life on the Run, by Gwen Florio (Severn House)

Also nominated: Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library, by Amandah Chapman (Berkley); The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective, by Jo Nichols (Minotaur); Murder Two Doors Down, by Chuck Storla (Crooked Lane); and Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man), by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Berkley)

In addition, Donna Andrews and Lee Child were named as this year’s Grand Master winners. The 2026 Raven Award went to Corte Madera, California, bookshop and café Book Passage, and John Scognamiglio, the editor-in-chief of Kensington Books, was selected to receive the Ellery Queen Award.

READ MORE: “State of the Crime Novel, Part 1: Routines, Problem-Solving, and Faithful Companions” and “State of the Crime Novel, Part 2: Issues and Recommendations,” by Molly Odintz (CrimeReads).

Newcomers Versus Old Hands

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:29:00 +0000

After a busy Wednesday spent out of my office, I’m catching up with two different prize-related announcements. The first concerns the longlist of contenders for the 2026 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award. Here are the 18 nominees:

• What Happens in the Dark, by Kia Abdullah (HQ Fiction)
• The Midnight King, by Tariq Ashkanani (Viper)
• The Impossible Thing, by Belinda Bauer (Bantam)
• What the Night Brings, by Mark Billingham (Sphere)
• Human Remains, by Jo Callaghan (Simon & Schuster)
• The Death of Us, by Abigail Dean (Hemlock Press)
• The Chemist, by A.A. Dhand (HQ Fiction)
• Beautiful Ugly, by Alice Feeney (Pan Fiction)
• The Frozen People, by Elly Griffiths (Quercus)
• The Examiner, by Janice Hallett (Viper)
• The Blue Hour, by Paula Hawkins (Doubleday)
• Clown Town, by Mick Herron (Baskerville)
• Quantum of Menace, by Vaseem Khan (Zaffre)
• Paperboy, by Callum McSorley (Vertigo)
• The Good Liar, by Denise Mina (Harvill Secker)
• Gunner, by Alan Parks (Baskerville)
• We Live Here Now, by Sarah Pinborough (Orion Fiction)
• A Schooling in Murder, by Andrew Taylor (Hemlock Press)

Sponsored annually by British brewery T&R Theakston, these commendations are designed to showcase the finest crime and mystery fiction offered by the UK and Ireland.

As a press release explains, “Crime fiction fans are now invited to help whittle 18 down to 6 by voting for their favourite novels to reach the shortlist, with the winner of the coveted award announced on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival on Thursday 23rd July.” Go ahead and cast your ballot here.

Three of Spades

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 22:47:00 +0000

Having read and very much enjoyed Max Allan Collins’ Return of the Maltese Falcon, his 2026 sequel to Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 Sam Spade novel, I was stoked to find this bit of news in Collins’ blog:

I’m pleased to announce I’ve signed with Hard Case Crime to do two more Sam Spade novels.

Launching a new Spade series wasn’t my intention in writing Return of the Maltese Falcon. I merely wanted to be out there first with a sequel to the classic original, now that it was in the public domain, and was presumptuous enough to think I could get it right.

As I’ve mentioned here, when I finished writing the book, and was pleased with it, my wife, Barb, warned me to brace myself –she said, Not everyone would like me appointing myself to a task that some might think ought never have been attempted. My thinking was, Somebody’s going to do this, and it might as well be me.

And I was surprised and pleased that the reactions were overwhelmingly favorable, generating some of my best reviews ever. A few naysayers weighed in, though were very much in the minority. Don’t get me wrong: I didn’t feel vindicated, I felt relieved.

Only when I saw how well Return of the Maltese Falcon was doing did I begin thinking about writing more Sam Spade. Spade is a character about whom Hammett might well have written another dozen or two novels, like Gardner with Perry Mason, Christie with Hercule Poirot or Rex Stout with Nero Wolfe. And of course Hammett, before turning his back on mystery writing, had written three Spade short stories, plus there’d been the popular Spade radio show with Howard Duff.

But what came to my mind was offering my publisher a trilogy, the first of which would be the already existing Return. I found it interesting to suggest two more Spade novels, each separated by ten years or so—to see what Spade was up to in the war years and then the McCarthy-era ’50s (which obviously have resonance with Hammett’s life).

I wrote a fairly lengthy proposal and Hard Case Crime’s Charles Ardai, with support from parent company Titan’s Nick and Vivian Landau and my editor Andrew Sumner, responded favorably. I am now about to begin work on Prey for the Maltese Falcon, set in 1939.

In some ways it’s more challenging than Return, which gave me the luxury of working within the parameters of the original novel—its characters, its locations, its themes. Now Spade is ten years older, and the case I’ve constructed takes him all sorts of places that the original novel and my sequel didn’t.

Wish me luck.

So when might readers be able to procure copies of Prey for the Maltese Falcon? Collins tells me to look for it in the fall of 2027, “no more specific than that as yet.”

With Agatha’s Endorsement

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:31:00 +0000

This last weekend brought the annual Malice Domestic conference back to Bethesda, Maryland, during which the winners of the 2026 Agatha Awards were announced. As you likely know already, the Agathas champion “traditional mysteries,” those containing no sex or gratuitous violence, and that are best exemplified by the stories of Agatha Christie. Prizes were given out in six categories.

Best Contemporary Mystery Novel:
At Death’s Dough, by Mindy Quigley (Minotaur)

Also nominated: A Grave Deception, by Connie Berry (Crooked Lane); Murder in the Fifth Position, by Lori Robbins (Level Best); The Devil Comes Calling, by Annette Dashofy (One More Chapter); and Waters of Destruction, by Leslie Karst (Severn House)

Best Historical Mystery Novel:
The Case of the Christie Conspiracy, by Kelly Oliver (Boldwood)

Also nominated: Bye Bye Blackbird, by Elizabeth Crowens (Level Best); The Girl in the Green Dress, by Mariah Fredericks (Minotaur); Murder at the Moulin Rouge, by Carol Pouliot (Level Best); and The Hindenburg Spy, by L.A. Chandlar (Oliver Heber)

Best First Mystery Novel:
Whiskey Business, by Adrian Andover (Chestnut Avenue Press)

Also nominated: Murder in the Crazy Mountains, by K.L. Borges (Epicenter Press); Player Elimination, by Shelly Jones (Tule Press); Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes, by Sandra Jackson-Opoku (Minotaur); and Voices of the Elysian Fields, by Michael Rigg (Level Best)

Best Mystery Short Story:
“Six-Armed Robbery,” by Ashley Ruth-Bernier (from Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, edited by John Betancourt, Michael Bracken, and Carla Coupe; Wildside Press)

Also nominated: “Baby Love,” by Barb Goffman (from Double Crossing Van Dine, edited by Donna Andrews, Greg Herren, and Art Taylor; Crippen and Landru); “Boss Cat Rules,” by Nikki Knight (from Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous); “Lola’s Last Dance,” by Kerry Hammond (from Celluloid Crimes, edited by Deborah Well; Level Short); and “When the Iron Is Hot,” by Maddie Day (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, March-April 2025)

Best Non-fiction:
Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover’s Travel Guide to the Mid-Atlantic States, by Dawn M. Barclay (Level Best)

Also nominated: Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida, by Gilbert King (Flatiron); Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress, and Dr. Crippen, by Hallie Rubenhold (Dutton); and The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne, by Kate Winkler Dawson (Putnam)

Best Children’s/Young Adult Mystery Novel: Death in the Cards, by Mia P. Manansala (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)

Also nominated: Missing Mom, by Lynn Slaughter (Fire & Ice Young Adult Books); Risky Pursuit, by Nancy G. West (Fire & Ice Young Adult Books); Rufus and the Dark Side of Magic, by Marilyn Levinson (Level Best); and Hurricane Heist, by James Ponti (Aladdin)

Lifetime Achievement Honoree: Jacqueline Winspear
Poirot Award Honoree: Jim Huang
William F. Deeck Malice Domestic Grant for Unpublished Writers: Tess C. Bernard

READ MORE: “Malice Recap 2026,” by Art Taylor.

Dominion Distinction

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 19:06:00 +0000

Crime Writers of Canada has released it shortlists of nominees for the 2026 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing. The winners in each of the following nine categories will be announced on Friday, May 29.

Peter Robinson Award for Best Crime Novel:
• The Retirement Plan, by Sue Hincenbergs (HarperCollins)
• The Hunger We Pass Down, by Jen Sookfong Lee
(McClelland & Stewart)
• Into the Fall, by Tamara L. Miller (Thomas & Mercer)
• The Black Wolf, by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
• The Tiger and the Cosmonaut, by Eddy Boudel Tan (Viking Canada)

Best Crime First Novel:
• The Beltane Massacre, by Ray Critch (Breakwater)
• Yesterday’s Lies, by Jan Field (La Cloche)
• The Broken Detective, by Joel Nedecky (Run Amok Crime)
• A Painting to Die For, by David L. Tucker (Otter & Osprey Press)
• Too Dark for the Light, by A.L. Wahdel (Butterfly 80)

Best Crime Novel Set in Canada:
• That Other Family, by Lis Angus (Next Chapter)
• Every Fall, by Angela Douglas (Rising Action)
• Detective Aunty, by Uzma Jalaluddin (HarperCollins)
• Salt on Her Tongue, by C.S. Porter (Vagrant Press)
• The Hitchhikers, by Chevy Stevens (St. Martin’s Press)

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery:
• The Engineer’s Nemesis, by Shelley Adina (Moonshell)
• Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu, by Mel Anastasiou (Pulp Literature Press)
• A Dark Death, by Alice Fitzpatrick (Stonehouse)
• Some Justice, by Laury Silvers (Independently published)
• The Cost of a Hostage, by Iona Whishaw (TouchWood Editions)

Best Crime Short Story:
• “Under the Circumstances,” by Lis Angus (from A Capital Mystery Anthology, edited by Bernadette Cox and Mike Martin (Ottawa Press)
• “The Lost Diner,” by Madeleine Harris Callway (Pulp Literature, Summer 2025)
• “Cold Shock,” by Barbara Fradkin (from A Capital Mystery Anthology)
• “The Headache,” by Billie Livingstone (Dark Yonder, November 2025)
• “Polly Wants a Freakin’ Cracker,” by Sylvia Maultash Warsh (from Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, edited by John Betancourt, Michael Bracken, and Carla Coupe; Wildside Press)

Best French Language Crime Book:
• Le regard des autres, by Chrystine Brouillet (Druide)
• Jeux d’ombres, by André Jacques (Druide)
• La mémoire du labyrinthe, by Steve Laflamme (Libre Expression)
• Une nuit d’été à Littlebrook, by Maureen Martineau (Héliotrope)
• Delta Zéro, by Martin Michaud (Libre Expression)

Best Juvenile/YA Crime Book:
• The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall, by Charis Cotter (Tundra)
• Death by Whoopee Cushion, by Vicki Grant (Tundra)
• A Skeleton in the Closet, by Claire Hatcher-Smith (Tundra)
• The City of Lost Cats, by Tanya Lloyd Kyi (Tundra)
• Bark Twice for Murder, by John Lekich (Orca)

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Non-fiction Crime Book:
• The Many Names of Robert Cree: How a First Nations Chief, Brought Ancient Wisdom to Big Business and Prosperity to His People, by Robert Cree with Therese Greenwood (ECW Press)
• Acts of Darkness: Notorious Criminals, Their Defenders, Prosecutors, and Jailers, by John L. Hill (Durvile & UpRoute)
• Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada’s North, by Kathleen Lippa (Dundurn Press)
• On the Lam: Great (and Not So Great) Escapes from Prison, by Lorna Poplak (Dundurn Press)
• Hitman: The Untold Story of Canada’s Deadliest Assassin, by Julian Sher and Lisa Fitterman (HarperCollins)

Best Unpublished Crime Novel (manuscript written by an unpublished author):
• Val’s Story, by Anne Burlakoff
• The Less You Know, by William Hall
• Lens Flare, by Francis K. Lalumière
• Death Scent, by Barbara Stokes
• Blistered, by Isabelle Zimmermann

In addition, crime and thriller author Rick Mofina has been selected to receive this year’s Grand Master Award. “This prestigious biennial honor,” says the CWC, “recognizes a Canadian crime writer with a substantial body of work who has garnered significant national and international acclaim while demonstrating a steadfast commitment to the crime-writing community. CWC selected Mofina for this distinction based on his prolific output, professional integrity, and years of dedicated service to both the organization and the genre.”

Revue of Reviewers: 4-19-26

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 18:15:00 +0000

Critiquing some of the most interesting recent crime, mystery, and thriller releases. Click on the individual covers to read more.

“Drive” Races to Win

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 16:54:00 +0000

Megan Abbott has won the 2026 Los Angeles Times Book Prize, in the Mystery/Thriller category, for her novel El Dorado Drive (Putnam), described as “a simmering, atmospheric novel of friendship and betrayal, following a women-led pyramid scheme in suburban Detroit.” That announcement was made on Friday night and marked the opening of the the annual L.A. Times Festival of Books.

Also contending for top Mystery/Thriller acclaim were Everybody Wants to Rule the World, by Ace Atkins (Morrow); Crooks, by Lou Berney (Morrow); The Proving Ground, by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown); and King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby (Pine & Cedar).

To glance over all of the finalists and winners in this year’s L.A. Times prize competition, simply click here.

Ridpath’s New Path Forward

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Karim) — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:23:00 +0000

By Ali Karim
I first learned about Michael Ridpath’s latest historical thriller, Operation Berlin (Boldwood), during a conversation with the author at last year’s final CrimeFest convention in Bristol, England. Having long been a fan of World War II-set crime novels, thanks in part to my admiration for the late Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther novels, I was an ideal audience for Ridpath’s tale. As a student of 20th-century history, I am fascinated by the machinations that lead to the creation and then fall of the Weimar Republic (1918-1933), and the period between the two world wars in Europe. Operation Berlin is rooted in that era.

Here’s a plot synopsis:

Berlin, 1930. Historian Archie Laverick, scarred mentally and physically by the Great War, travels to Berlin to research a famed Prussian general. His quiet study is shattered when he crosses paths with Esme Carmichael, a spirited young American intent on making her name as a foreign correspondent. When a shooting at a Saxon castle leaves a young Jewish woman accused of murder, Archie and Esme are drawn into a perilous hunt for the truth.

Their investigation cuts through the glittering façades and lingering scars of a nation still reeling from war—where resentment simmers, political alliances shift, and the first shadows of a new conflict fall across Europe. Amid whispers of blackmail and betrayal, the pair must navigate intrigue and danger to unmask a killer hiding in plain sight.

Released just this week in Great Britain, Ridpath’s first “Foreign Correspondent Mystery” lives up to my expectations. Here’s the start of a review I penned for Shots, in which I called Operation Berlin

one of the most engrossing narratives I have had the good fortune to read this year—or rather live through. I found myself immersed completely in this Golden Age mystery, escaping the anxieties of today ...

Vivid characterisation is on full display with the two main protagonists, (Sir) Archie Laverick and Esme Carmichael. Laverick is the heir to Yarmer Hall in Yorkshire’s West Riding—a British aristocrat who survived the horrors of trench warfare in World War One, but returned with both physical and mental scars. His muscular manservant-cum-batman, Arthur Lister, is always by his side, managing his episodic fugues (induced by ‘shell-shock’). Haunted by his war service, which claimed the life of his brother Fred, Archie manages his demons by researching and writing about former historical wartime generals (which he publishes to much acclaim).

Via his cousin Duncan Mandeville, Archie travels to Berlin (with Lister) to research a biography of a Prussian general [Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher] who fought the French forces during the Napoleonic Wars. ...

Archie requires an [English- and] German-speaking assistant to help him research the Prussian general. This secretarial support comes in the form of Esme Carmichael, a young American woman ... aspiring to become a foreign correspondent for a Chicago newspaper. What better place than the hotbed of political and social intrigue [that is] 1930s Berlin for an aspiring young journalist from Montana?

Operation Berlin marks a significant change for this English author, who in the past has given us tense thrillers set in the generally un-thrilling finance industry, and others that feature a Boston-reared homicide detective sent to solve crimes in the place of his birth, Iceland. Wanting to know more about where Ridpath comes from and where his career might be headed in the near future, I recently e-mailed him some queries that he was kind enough to answer.

Ali Karim: Before we talk about your new series, can you tell us a little about your childhood? And were you a reader at an early age?

Michael Ridpath: I was brought up in a very small village at the foot of Nidderdale, [a valley] in Yorkshire. I fantasized about traveling the world and I read books that fed this fantasy, such as Willard Price’s Adventure series, Biggles, [Leslie Charteris’] Saint stories, and the adventures of the Swallows and Amazons children. I devoured dozens of Enid Blyton books. Although they are disappointing to read now, I’m sure that I absorbed much of the pace of mysteries and adventure stories from those.

AK: And your family?

MR: There were loads of books in my house. My father didn’t go to university, but he did subscribe to the Penguin Classics as a young man in the 1950s. We had, and I still have, a bookshelf of them in the various colors for each country—green for France, purple for Latin. I loved the orange ones—Russian.

My mother read all the time, and I scoured her bookshelves for material. She loved thrillers: she was particularly keen on Dick Francis.

A perceptive German interviewer once asked me whether there were writers in my family whose example I was following. I told her there weren’t: my compulsion to write was my own thing. Then she asked me whether my parents had passed on their passion for books to me. I realized that I was just trying to write books that my mother would like to read!

(Left) Michael Ridpath.

AK: Were there any specific adult-level books you read early on that led to your own creative writing career?

MR: There were two. The first was Liar’s Poker (1989), by Michael Lewis—an exposé of the life of traders at the U.S. investment bank Salomon Brothers. I knew Michael well—I was one of his clients [back when he was a bond salesman]—and I was impressed not only by the quality of his writing, but also by the way in which he had abandoned a lucrative career in investment banking to become a writer.

The other inspiration was the books of Dick Francis. So much about them appealed to me: the sense of pace; the integrity of the main characters; the way Francis wove horse racing into wider stories; and most of all, the sheer enjoyment I felt in reading them.

So, when I decided to write a book, I tried to combine Dick Francis and Michael Lewis—to write a “Dick Francis in the City.”

AK: What about your education? How did that lead you to seek employment in the financial sector?

MR: I studied History at Oxford University. Many historians at Oxford ended up in the world of banking in the 1980s.

I don’t think this is as ridiculous as it first sounds. History, when well taught, teaches you to analyze cause and effect and to explain and persuade readers of your analysis. A lot of understanding financial markets and businesses involves these skills. I was also good at sums, which probably helped.

AK: Your first novel to see print, Free to Trade, starred an ex-Olympic runner immersed in London’s financial jungle, whose lovely colleague is eventually pulled lifeless from the Thames. How did that book’s publication come about?

MR: Free to Trade was never supposed to be more than a bit of fun. I was a bond trader writing little more than my initials on a dealing ticket, so I decided it would be good for me to take up “creative writing.” The first exercise I did was to write the first chapter of a novel. So I wrote about a bond trader who gets involved in a massive trade that first goes wrong ... and then goes right. I absolutely loved writing that chapter—which became the first chapter of Free to Trade. So I decided to forget about the exercises and just carry on with the book. Three years and three drafts later, I had the novel, a thriller set in the City.

I sent it off to a list of agents. At that point, I had moved to a venture capital firm and I knew all about rejection, being responsible for rejecting business plans myself. But, to my surprise, the second agent I sent it to, the late Carole Blake, accepted it with alacrity and set up auctions in the UK, the U.S., and Germany for the book. When Free to Trade was published in 1995, it got to No. 2 on the UK bestseller lists and was translated into 35 languages.

AK: Did you continue working in the financial sector while your writing career was taking off?

MR: I tried to continue working in finance, but there was a lot of publicity involved with the publication of Free to Trade and it wasn’t really possible. Sadly, I was a single father of two small girls at the time, so the flexibility that writing offered came in very useful.

AK: The adage “write about what you know” seems to apply, as you followed your debut work with a string of successful financial thrillers. Can you tell us a little about that period?

MR: In my opinion, “write what you know” is a great help when you start out as an author, but over time, writing what you don’t know begins to sound more interesting. So, for about 10 years after the publication of Free to Trade, I searched for financial topics that interested me, researched them, and wrote thrillers based on them. For example, I wrote books about a virtual reality start-up (Trading Reality), bond trading in Brazil (The Marketmaker), and the dot-com boom and bust (Fatal Error).

AK: You seem to be a natural storyteller, and my experience is that successful writers are usually also avid readers. So can you please tell us a little about your own reading habits?

MR: There’s no doubt you can learn something of the craft of writing from reading “how-to books,” which have become ever more sophisticated. But I’m still learning how to write from writers who are better at it than I am.

I try to split my reading 50/50 between crime/thrillers and as wide a range of fiction as I can find. In 1994, I started writing notes on every novel I read—the first was Disclosure, by Michael Crichton. I try hard to avoid looking for what’s wrong with a book; it’s too easy and teaches you nothing. Rather, I look for what’s right with it. It’s amazing what you can learn from a writer like John Grisham, for example, with this frame of mind.

It’s not just craft, though. I trust my instinct when writing or, in particular, when reading through drafts of my own books. Some things just feel right. I try to figure out why, but if I can’t figure it out, I will usually stick with whatever feels good, even if it seems to break the rules of the craft.

AK: Archie Laverick, one of the main protagonists in your new Operation Berlin, is—like a number of characters you’ve created—a lover of libraries, and of collecting books. Tell us a little about your own thoughts on literacy, libraries, and book collecting.

MR: I have spoken about how I loved reading as a child. Like so many writers and readers, I borrowed many of my childhood books from libraries. I still enjoy the reference libraries I work in, like the British Library or the London Library or the Duxbury library in Massachusetts—I spend half my year in America. [Editor's note: Michael Ridpath is also married to an American.]

Book collecting is partly about libraries and beautiful leather-bound books. But, frankly, it’s more like collecting football stickers as a child. It’s competitive; there are arbitrary rules framing the collection; it’s expensive (football stickers took far too high a share of my pocket money), and it’s essentially pointless. This is especially true of Archie’s collection of early printed books, where he is seeking one from each town that printed books in Europe in the 15th century. The more I have found out about book collectors, the more this initial impression has been reinforced.

I have one not-quite-incunable, a collection of sayings by Valerius Maximus printed in Mainz in 1544. I hope that will be my only one; otherwise, I really will be in trouble.

AK: Until recently, you may have been best known for your Icelandic detective series featuring “fish out of water” Magnus Jonson, a Boston homicide cop seconded to the Icelandic Police Force (and introduced in 2010’s Where the Shadows Lie). You also penned the 2021 non-fiction book Writing in Ice: A Crime Writer’s Guide to Iceland. So tell us, why does Iceland appeal to you as a crime-fiction backdrop?

MR: Iceland is an extraordinary country. It’s a mixture of old and new. Although the landscape looks ancient, that is only because it is so new—the lava fields, the volcanoes, the fjords were all created relatively recently in geological time. Its society, too, is a mixture of the old and the new. It’s a modern, progressive, highly educated, and technologically sophisticated country. Yet every farm has a rock at the bottom of a field inhabited by elves; the sagas of the Norse settlers live on in the landscape and the minds of its inhabitants. Plus, they have a really well-developed sense of irony.

The problem with writing about Iceland is that everything that seems so extraordinary to a foreigner seems just normal to, say, your average Icelandic detective. Which is why my man Magnus left Iceland when he was 12, moved to America, and became a homicide detective there. So, when he returns to Iceland [partly to investigate the unsolved murder of his father], the Icelandic expression glöggt er gests augad applies—clear as a guest’s eye.

AK: You started out writing finance-world thrillers set in the 1990s, which many readers might now consider a historical period, and then went on to concoct modern Icelandic mysteries. But amid the Magnus Jonson series, you penned a couple of spy novels (2013’s Traitor’s Gate and 2015’s Shadows of War) starring a well-educated and well-connected young Englishman, Conrad de Lancey, and in 2021 you delivered The Diplomat’s Wife, a standalone that finds an older woman visiting Europe in 1979, hoping to solve a mystery that remains from her days as a foreign service officer’s wife four decades before. Now, in your mid-60s, you have begun this Foreign Correspondent series. Would it be fair to say you’ve come full circle, as far as your time-period interests are concerned?

MR: From my perspective, there isn’t a circle. I like to write about foreign worlds which require some research and some effort to understand not only the setting but the people in it. This could be the financial world in the 1990s, Iceland in the 2010s, or Europe in the 1930s. And I like to write about foreigners, or outsiders, or expatriates in these worlds.

AK: Where did the idea originate for Operation Berlin’s detective duo, Esme Carmichael and Archie Laverick, and how did it then gestate?

MR: I like the 1930s, and I liked the idea of a detective solving crimes around the capitals of Europe in the 1930s. But who should this detective be?

I came across a book: Last Call at the Hotel Imperial (2022), by Deborah Cohen, about the young men and women who left America in the 1920s and ’30s to travel to Europe to become foreign correspondents, people like Ernest Hemingway, John Gunther, Bill Shirer, and Dorothy Thompson. The women in Cohen’s book particularly grabbed my interest. My detective could be a young woman with no money and a one-way ticket to Europe, determined to find a story to make her name.

That was Esme. But I decided she should have a sidekick or partner. Someone different to her. British then, and a man. I mentioned earlier that my childhood was in a Yorkshire village; perhaps this man could be a minor landowner in Nidderdale. With shell shock. I have long been fascinated by how, in the ’20s and’30s, millions of men were walking around London and Paris and Berlin with shell shock. No one mentioned it; everyone knew it. Archie has it. As a historian writing military biographies, he has a reason to spend time in European capitals and a reason to look for research help from someone like Esme.

AK: Your new novel contains a vast array (or perhaps “cabal” would be a better word) of characters. Beyond your two main protagonists, we have supporting as well as secondary players, and “walk-ons.” I applaud how deftly they were each portrayed; they stood upright, distinct on the page. So how difficult was it to manage such a large cast but still keep the novel pacey?

MR: Good characterization in thrillers or crime novels is really difficult. You don’t have time to stop the action for a couple of pages to explain the backstories of newly introduced characters. I’m still learning how to do it. It’s one of the things I focus on when I’m taking notes of other writers’ books. Somerset Maugham is brilliant at it. There are certain techniques: pick a trait and repeat it; make a character’s motivation clear and repeat that; show a character who seems to be one person, but actually has a second hidden personality that is revealed. Repeat that. And try to do all this in chunks of single sentences rather than single paragraphs.

I believe that repetition is important when describing people or places. After the third repetition, the reader feels as if they are familiar with the character (or the place). They recognize them.

But I still have more to learn here.

AK: You’ve been quite a busy guy. Operation Berlin is just out this month, but you have also made a novella sequel, Operation Lost Hours, available to download for free here. And next year will bring us the sophomore Foreign Correspondent novel, Operation Vienna. Can you tell us a little about how you see this series shaping up in the future?

MR: It turns out I really enjoy spending my mornings in a big city in Europe with Archie and Esme. I have just finished lounging about the cafés in Montparnasse in Paris in 1932, and I am starting to research Moscow in 1933. There was all sorts of fascinating stuff going on in Russia in 1933. I’m happy; I think I’ll be doing this for a while.

AK: Finally, what recent books have passed over your desk that you have found interesting?

MR: I recently read Luke Jennings’s latest book, Medusa, the latest in his Killing Eve series [the inspiration for BBC America’s popular 2018-2022 spy drama of that same name]. It’s brilliant! I love his wit and the way he deals with the extraordinary relationship between his two heroines, Eve and Oxana. Who would have thought that a nanny on a super-yacht could be so dangerous? It’s the first of the series I have read: I need to go back to the beginning.

Dagger Designees

noreply@blogger.com (J. Kingston Pierce) — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:42:00 +0000

The British Crime Writers’ Association today released its longlists of contenders for the 2026 Dagger Awards, in 11 categories. Coming next in this process will be the revelation of shortlists on May 28, followed by an announcement of the year’s Dagger winners in July.

KAA Gold Dagger:
• Carnival of Lies, by D.V. Bishop (Macmillan)
• Don’t Forget Me, Little Bessie, by James Lee Burke (Orion)
• King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby (Headline)
• The Death of Us, by Abigail Dean (Hemlock Press)
• Not Quite Dead Yet, by Holly Jackson (Michael Joseph)
• Quantum of Menace, by Vaseem Khan (Zaffre)
• The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon (River Swift Press)
• The Rush, by Beth Lewis (Viper)
• A Voice in the Night, by Simon Mason (Riverrun)
• The Good Father, by Liam McIlvanney (Zaffre)
• Hotel Ukraine, by Martin Cruz Smith (Simon & Schuster UK)
• The Art of a Lie, by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Mantle)
• A Case of Life and Limb, by Sally Smith (Raven)

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger:
• The Midnight King, by Tariq Ashkanani (Viper)
• The Ghostwriter, by Julie Clark (Zaffre)
• King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby (Headline)
• The Big Empty, by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster UK)
• The Death of Us, by Abigail Dean (Hemlock Press)
• The Chemist, by A.A. Dhand (HQ Fiction)
• A Dead Draw, by Robert Dugoni (Thomas & Mercer)
• A Sting in Her Tale, by Mark Ezra (No Exit Press)
• Burying Jericho, by William Hussey (Zaffre)
• Such Quiet Girls, by Noelle Ihli (Pan)
• The Good Father, by Liam McIlvanney (Zaffre)
• We Are All Guilty Here, by Karin Slaughter (HarperCollins)

ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-fiction:
• The Devil Takes Bitcoin, by Jake Adelstein (Scribe)
• Shadow of the Bridge: The Delphi Murders and the Dark Side of the American Heartland, by Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee (Pegasus Crime)
• Saffie, by David Collins (Silvertail)
• The Spy in the Archive: How One Man Tried to Kill the KGB, by Gordon Corera (William Collins)
• The Murder Game, by John Curran (HarperCollins/Collins Crime Club)
• The CIA Book Club: The Best-Kept Secret of the Cold War, by Charlie English (William Collins)
• Murderland, by Caroline Fraser (Fleet)
• The Einstein Vendetta: Hitler, Mussolini, and a True Story of Murder, by Thomas Harding (Michael Joseph)
• A Spy in the Family, by Paul Henderson and David Gardner (Mirror)
• The Cleveland Street Scandal, by Neil Root (The History Press)
• That Dark Spring, by Susannah Stapleton (Picador)
• The Illegals, by Shaun Walker (Profile)

Historical Dagger:
• A Granite Silence, by Nina Allan (Riverrun)
• Spoiler’s Prey, by Robin Blake (Severn House)
• Benecula, by Graeme Macrae Burnet (Polygon)
• The Mourning Necklace, by Kate Foster (Mantle)
• The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon (Swift Press)
• The Rush, by Beth Lewis (Viper)
• Barvick Falls, by Rob McInroy (Tippermuir)
• The Devil’s Draper, by Donna Moor (Fly on the Wall Press)
• Gunner, by Alan Parks (Baskerville)
• Cairo Gambit, by S.W. Perry (Corvus)
• The Art of a Lie, by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Mantle)
• A Case of Life and Limb, by Sally Smith (Raven)

Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger:
• Home Before Dark, by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir,
translated by Victoria Cribb (Orenda)
• Murder Mindfully, by Karsten Dusse,
translated by Florian Duijsens (Faber & Faber)
• Scars of Silence, by Johana Gustawsson,
translated by David Warriner (Orenda)
• The Lake, by Jørn Lier Horst,
translated by Anne Bruce (Penguin Random House)
• Seesaw Monster, by Kotaro Isaka,
translated by Sam Malissa (Penguin Random House)
• Red Water, by Jurica Pavičić,
translated by Matt Robinson (Bitter Lemon Press)
• The Grave in the Ice, by Satu Rämö,
translated by Kristian London (Bonnier)
• Big Bad Wool, by Leonie Swann,
translated by Amy Bojang (Allison & Busby)
• The Winter Job, by Antti Tuomainen,
translated by David Hackston (Orenda)
• Strange Pictures, by Uketsu,
translated by Jim Rion (Pushkin Press)

Whodunnit Dagger (for “cosy crime, traditional mysteries, and Golden Age crime” stories):
• The Christmas Cracker Killer, by Alexandra Benedict
(Simon & Schuster UK)
• The Queen Who Came in from the Cold, by S.J. Bennett (Zaffre)
• Etiquette for Lovers and Killers, by Anna Fitzgerald Healy (Fleet)
• Little Secrets, by Victoria Goldman (Three Crowns Publishing UK)
• A Queer Case, by Robert Holtom (Titan)
• The Margaret Code, by Richard Hooton (Sphere)
• A Cinnamon Falls Mystery, by R.L. Killmore (Simon & Schuster UK)
• Other People’s Houses, by Clare Mackintosh (Sphere)
• Not Another Bloody Christmas, by Jo Middleton (Avon)
• A Trial in Three Acts, by Guy Morpuss (Viper)
• A Murder for Miss Hortense, by Mel Pennant (Baskerville)
• Bad Influence, by C.J. Wray (Orion)

Twisted Dagger (for “psychological and suspense thrillers”):
• What Happens in the Dark, by Kia Abdullah (HQ Fiction)
• Her Many Faces, by Nicci Cloke (Harvill Secker)
• Some of Us Are Liars, by Fiona Cummins (Macmillan)
• The House of Water, by Fflur Dafydd (Hodder & Stoughton)
• The Death of Us, by Abigail Dean (Hemlock Press)
• Beautiful Ugly, by Alice Feeney (Macmillan)
• Scenes from a Tragedy, by Carole Hailey (Corvus)
• Don’t Let Him In, by Lisa Jewell (Century)
• The Bodies, by Sam Lloyd (Bantam)
• The Good Father, by Liam McIlvanney (Zaffre)
• We Live Here Now, by Sarah Pinborough (Orion)
• 59 Minutes, by Holly Seddon (Orion)

ILP John Creasey (First Novel) Dagger:
• The Malt Whiskey Murders, by Natalie Jayne Clark (Polygon)
• Etiquette for Lovers and Killers, by Anna Fitzgerald Healy (Fleet)
• The Peak, by Sam Guthrie (HarperCollins)
• The Retirement Plan, by Sue Hincenberg (Sphere)
• The Lost Detective, by Elspeth Latimer (Story Machine)
• The Wolf Tree, by Laura McCluskey (Hemlock Press)
• The Vanishing Place, by Zoë Rankin (Viper)
• Coram House, by Bailey Seybolt (Raven)
• A Beautiful Family, by Jennifer Trevelyan (Mantle)
• Holy City, by Henry Wise (No Exit Press)

Short Story Dagger:
• “Arlene,” by William Boyle (from Birds, Strangers and Psychos: New Stories Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock, edited by Maxim Jakubowski;
No Exit Press)
• “Split Your Silver Tongue,” by S.A. Cosby (from Birds, Strangers
and Psychos)
• “Chest,” by Ragnar Jónasson (from Birds, Strangers and Psychos)
• “The Karpman Drama Triangle,” by Denise Mina (from Birds, Strangers and Psychos)
• “Full Circle,” by Abir Mukherjee (from Playing Dead: Short Stories in Honour of Simon Brett by Members of the Detection Club, edited by Martin Edwards; Severn House)
• “The Apple Falls Not Far,” by Ambrose Perry (Canongate)
• “Once Upon a Time in New Jersey,” by Zoë Sharp and John Lawton (from CrimeFest: Leaving the Scene Celebrating 16 Years, edited by Adrian Muller; No Exit Press)
• “Strangers on a School Bus,” by Peter Swanson (from Birds,
Strangers and Psychos)
• “Waiting,” by Michael Wood (from Criminal Pursuits: This Is Me, edited by Samantha Lee Howe; Telos)

Dagger in the Library (“for a body of work by an established crime writer that has long been popular with borrowers from libraries”):
• Ben Aaronovitch
• Damien Boyd
• Reverend Richard Coles
• Rhys Dylan
• Paula Hawkins
• J.D. Kirk
• Clare Mackintosh
• Freida McFadden (aka Sara Cohen)
• Abir Mukherjee
• Tim Sullivan
• Robert Thorogood

Publishers’ Dagger (“awarded annually to the Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year”):
• Allison & Busby
• Baskerville (John Murray/Hachette)
• Bitter Lemon Press
• Constable (Little, Brown)
• Faber & Faber
• Harvill Vintage (Penguin Random House)
• Muswell Press
• No Exit Press (Bedford Square)
• Pan Macmillan
• Polygon (Birlinn)
• Simon & Schuster
• Viper (Profile Books)

In addition, actor-turned-novelist Mark Billingham is slated to receive the 2026 CWA Diamond Dagger, a prize that “recognises authors whose crime-writing careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre.”