The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear is the 15th installment of the Maisie Dobbs series, and now Maisie must balance her dangerous new case while her own feelings of love and grief threaten to overwhelm her. Intrepid investigator Maisie Dobbs drives an ambulance during the London Blitz, investigates a sensitive case of murder, hopes to adopt an orphan,…
Every Wednesday, we here at Criminal Element will put together a list of Staff Picks of the books that published the day before—sharing the ones that we are looking forward to reading the most! This week, a new Hap & Leonard novel from Joe R. Lansdale combines with C. J. Box's latest Joe Pickett thriller…
More award news! Left Coast Crime will be oceanside in Monterey, California this year (thus the monikker Calamari Crime), and here is its recently announced list of nominated honorees!
2013 is in full swing, which means the awards are coming in for 2012’s best books. In addition to the winners of the Loveys and the nominees for the Lefties, last week we heard the announcement of the nominees for the Agatha awards, the winners of which will be announced at Malice Domestic in May.…
Left Coast Crime is an annual event sponsored by mystery fans, where readers, writers, librarians, and other mystery and thriller enthusiasts gather to share their mutual interest in the genre. It’s held during the first quarter of the calendar year in Western North America, as defined by the Mountain Time Zone and all time zones…
Sure, we told you about the ITW International Thriller award nominees, but what if you prefer mysteries? Well, check out this list! The Macavity Awards are for mystery readers, voted on by members and supporters of Mystery Readers International and subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal. Winners will be announced at Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention,…
The period immediately following World War I was a time of particular social turmoil, involving issues such as labor, class, and colonialism. People were changed as individuals, too. Former soldiers had to deal with their return from battle to families who might not understand them any longer. Those who’d stayed on the home front had…
I’m not a mystery convention junkie like some. Much of my decision to attend these annual events depends on book publication dates, vicinity, and how much cash is in my wallet. Since I live in Southern California, Left Coast Crime, the “western” convention, usually is the best fit for me (less time spent in airports,…
The annual Agatha Awards are also known as The Hardest Possible Way to Get a Ceramic Teapot. If most of us wanted such an item, we’d go to a swanky kitchen shop or even seek out an artisanal potter. Rather than doing that or stealing someone else’s—which would seem like a natural for crime fans—all…
For years, the “Lefty” for best humorous crime novel has been awarded at the annual Left Coast Crime convention. Later, the The Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award was added for best mystery set before 1960. This year, the organizers have added two new awards (it’s unclear whether they will continue as annual awards)—the “Golden…
