I am always so grateful whenever the latest British Library Crime Classics anthology crosses my desk. Having been raised in the fine tradition of sleuthing exemplified by the Golden Age of detective fiction—many if not most of whose practitioners were British—I always look forward to exploring the gems unearthed by Martin Edwards for his thoughtfully…
It’s been long enough that Detective Chief Inspector Hannah Scarlett no longer views her assignment to head Cumbria Constabulary’s Cold Case Review Team as a demotion from regular policing. Now, with the election of new Police and Crime Commissioner Kit Gleadall, Hannah has some hope that her overstretched team—about to be taxed further by the…
The involvement of animals in popular mystery fiction, as Martin Edwards notes in his excellent introduction to this collection, has been a large and lively part of the genre from its very inception. From what’s commonly acknowledged as the first detective story, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders In The Rue Morgue,” to the plethora of…
The Crime Writers Association is a venerable society founded in 1953 to support, promote, and celebrate the overarching crime genre. While based in the UK, it also has many members from other nations. It is perhaps best known nowadays for awarding the prestigious CWA Dagger awards, honoring the year’s best crime writing. Since 1956, the…
Malice Domestic—an annual convention held in Washington, D.C., honoring the best of the traditional/cozy mystery genre—has announced the nominees for 2018's Agatha Awards. Loosely defined as “mysteries which contain no explicit sex or excessive gore or violence,” the Agatha Award salutes the books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. This year, the annual…
The Mystery Readers International has announced their nominees for the 2016 Macavity Awards—an annual award for excellence in mysteries, named for the “mystery cat” of T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. *Follow the linked titles to excerpts or reviews on CrimeHQ!
Bouchercon, the Anthony Boucher Memorial World Mystery Convention, is an annual convention held to honor the best in mystery and crime fiction (there is a “Best Critical or Nonfiction Book” section, as well). Named after writer, reviewer, and editor Anthony Boucher, this convention gives out the Anthony Awards for outstanding work in 8 different categories,…
The annual Edgar Allan Poe Awards dinner, hosted by the Mystery Writers of America, was a night of milestones—starting with the Edgars themselves, which turned 70 this year. That’s 70 years of celebrating the best of mystery fiction, crime fiction, suspense, thrillers, and true crime—all the stuff we love to read and watch, all the…
Malice Domestic, an annual convention held in Washington DC honoring the best of the traditional/cozy mystery genre, has announced the nominees for this year's Agatha Awards. Loosely defined as “mysteries which contain no explicit sex or excessive gore or violence,” the Agatha Award salutes the books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. This…
The Mystery Writers of America have announced the Edgar Award nominees and special winners. The Edgars banquet—an annual black-tie gala celebrating crime fiction, non-fiction, and television writing—will be held on Thursday, April 28th, 2016 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. As always, it's a fantastic list of great work that deserves to…
