Circus Mysteries & Men of Violence

I’ve been pushing my own stuff too frequently the past few weeks, both here and at Gravetapping’s Facebook page, but—and please forgive me—I wanted to tell you about a couple non-fiction pieces that are available out in the big bad world.

The first is a feature article I wrote for Mystery Scene Magazine—it even made the cover!—about mysteries with a circus or carnival as a central element. A subgenre that has long intrigued me for the simple reason that I love the illusion and mystery of traveling amusements. The article, titled “Hey Rube! The Mystery is at the Circus”, is far from an in-depth study of this type of mystery since I limit my scope to four novels: Slow Dollar, by Margaret Maron; Catch a Falling Clown, by Stuart Kaminsky; Blood and Circuses, by Kerry Greenwood; and The Death of Anton, by Alan Melville.

“Hey Rube!” is available in the print magazine and on MS’s website (for free)

The second is a half-dozen reviews I wrote for adventure novels that have been included in the fanzine, Men of Violence, in its all reviews edition. It’s an attractive paperback with more than 100 reviews and 90 pages. My entries are: Sad Wind from the Sea, by Jack Higgins, Wrath of the Lion, by Jack Higgins, East of Desolation, by Jack Higgins, The Guns of Navarone, by Alistair MacLean, Terror’s Cradle, by Duncan Kyle, and High Stand, by Hammond Innes. The other reviews included in this issue look even more intriguing (maybe because I didn't write them).

2018 Reissues Roundup: Some of the Best Books to Hit the Page (Again)

I have a review article up and running at Mystery Scene’s website. As the title suggests it’s a look at older novels that were reprinted in 2018. I look at the first two Hardman novels by Ralph Dennis—Atlanta Deathwatch and The Charleston Knife is Back in Town—The Red Scarf by Gil Brewer, The Murder of My Aunt by Richard Hull, Seven Dead by J. Jefferson Farjeon, Frenzy of Evil by Henry Kane, and a few others.

You can read the article in its entirety at Mystery Scene (by clicking the underlined text). 

If you choose to read it, let me know what you think. And even better, what were some of your favorite books that hit print in 2018 again?

Mystery Scene: Issue No. 153

The latest issue of Mystery Scene Magazine—No. 153—is at a newsstand near you. As usual, it is packed, featuring interviews with Jane Harper and John Hart, an article celebrating Mickey Spillane’s 100^th birthday, another celebrating the life and work of Sue Grafton and many others.

It also features my short story review column, “Short & Sweet: Short Stories Considered”. In the column I discuss:

The Realm of the Impossible, edited by John Pugmire and Brian Skupin, is an anthology featuring a brilliant cast of reprinted locked-room mysteries by writers from around the world.

Black Cat Mystery Magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 1. A welcome addition to the criminal short story market with stories by Michael Bracken, Alan Orloff and others. 

Alive in Shape and Color, edited by Lawrence Block, is the follow up to Block’s 2016 anthology In Sunlight or in Shadow, and like its predecessor the tales are inspired by works of art. It includes stories by David Morrell, Lee Child, Joe R. Lansdale and many others.

The Big Book of the Continental Op by Dashiell Hammett, edited by Richard Layman and Julie M. Rivett, is the first time Dashiell Hammett’s serialized Continental Op stories—the way they appeared in Black Mask Magazine—are together in a single volume.

This issue also includes a single book review by yours truly.

Splintered Silence, by Susan Furlong, is the beginning of a new mystery series starring traveller—more commonly thought of as gypsies by outsiders—and former military police woman Brynn Callahan and her cadaver dog, Wilco, as they try to start over in Bone Gap, Tennessee.

The reviews, except for Black Cat Mystery Magazine, are available online at Mystery Scene’s website—click the titles above.

Mystery Scene is available at many newsstands, including Barnes & Noble, and available for order at MS’s website.

A Garry Disher Interview

I have a brand-new interview with Garry Disher, the guy who gave us professional criminal Wyatt and the Hal Challis and Ellen Destry police procedural novels, live and available at Mystery Scene Magazine’s website. To whet your appetite, here are the first two paragraphs:

If you haven’t heard of Australian author Garry Disher, you’re not alone. While Disher’s two character-driven crime series set in Australia have dedicated readers from around the globe, the prolific writer remains sorely underappreciated in the United States.

Signal Loss, the seventh in Australian author Garry Disher’s series of character-driven procedurals featuring the taciturn and solitary Inspector Hal Challis makes its way to American shelves this December. The series has been called “excellent” by the New York Times Book Review and “moody, inventive, and extremely hard to put down,” by Booklist. The gritty cop novels set on Australia’s Mornington Peninsula have been compared favorably to other procedural series by Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, and Peter Robinson.

For the rest of the interview go here.

Mystery Scene - Issue No. 152

The latest issue of Mystery Scene Magazine—No. 152—is at a newsstand near you. As usual, it is packed. It features interviews with James Patterson, Joe Ide and Barbara Ross, an article about Mary Robert Rinehart and many others.

It also features my short story review column, “Short & Sweet: Short Stories Considered”. In the column I discuss:

Down & Out: The Magazine, edited by Rick Ollerman, is a brand new crime fiction magazine with its eye directly on the hardboiled. This introductory issue includes terrific stories by Reed Farrel Coleman, Eric Beetner, and Jen Conley.

The Obama Inheritance: Fifteen Stories of Conspiracy Noir,edited by Gary Phillips, is an entertaining, at times humorous, anthology with tales based on the often bizarre conspiracies surrounding Barrack and Michelle Obama. 

The Big Book of Rogues and Villains, edited by Otto Penzler, is an anthology that lives up to its name. It includes a large number of mystery stories, from Victorian to modern and everything in-between, featuring rogues and villains. 

The Usual Santas, is an anthology produced by Soho Crime, and featuring many of its top-selling writers. And each story has an edge of Christmas about it.

This issue also includes four of my book reviews. 

The Prague Sonata by Bradford Morrow, is a lyrical, idea-driven literary mystery that is longer than it should be, but is so beautiful it doesn’t really matter. 

Murder in the Manuscript Room by Con Lehane, is a mystery loaded with working class realities and enough mystery to keep it interesting.

Black Teeth by Zane Lovitt, is the modern (and Australian) take on the noir of yesteryear with a plot built from disappointment, fear and human frailty.

Signal Loss by Garry Disher, is the seventh Australian police procedural featuring Hal Challis and Ellen Destry. And it is a winner.

The reviews are available online at Mystery Scene’s website—click the titles above.

Mystery Scene is available at many newsstands, including Barnes & Noble, and available for order at MS’s website.

Mystery Scene: Issue No. 151

The latest issue of Mystery Scene Magazine—No. 151—is at a newsstand near you. As usual, it is packed. It features interviews with Attica Locke and Paul Cleave, a Jake Hinkson article about the Robert Mitchum film “Out of the Past” and many others.

It also features my short story review column, “Short & Sweet: Short Stories Considered.” Two of the four books / magazine covered are available at MS’s website. In the column I discuss:

Bibliomysteries, edited by Otto Penzler, collects 15 mystery tales featuring books and most are very surprising.

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July / August 2017, includes stories by James Lincoln Warren, Loren D. Estleman, and Susan Koefod. This is exclusive to the print magazine.

New Haven Noir, edited by Amy Bloom, is a tepid on noir, but long on good storytelling. It features terrific stories from Stephen L. Carter, and Chris Knopf.

Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, July / August 2017, features excellent stories from Steve Liskow, Robert Mageot, and O’Neil De Noux. This is exclusive to the print magazine.

It also includes two of my book reviews. The titles: Path Into Darkness by Lisa Alber, and Fast Falls the Night by Julia Keller. The book reviews are all available at MS’s website:

Path Into Darkness by Lisa Alber is a whodunit set in County Clare, Ireland.

Fast Falls the Night by Julia Keller is a slow paced procedural featuring dozens of heroin overdoses in a 24-hour period.

The reviews are available online at Mystery Scene’s website—click the titles above.

Mystery Scene is available at many newsstands, including Barnes & Noble, and available for order at MS’s website.

Mystery Scene Issue No. 150

The latest issue of Mystery Scene Magazine—No. 150—is at a newsstand near you. As usual, it is packed. It features an interview with Scott Turow, Michael Mallory’s terrific article “Raffles: The Anti-Sherlock Holmes” and many others.

It also features my short story review column, “Short & Sweet: Short Stories Considered.” All of the column reviews are currently available in the print edition and most are also available at MS’s website. In the column I discuss:

Nearly Nero, by Loren D. Estleman, is a collection of ten stories featuring Estleman’s endearing Nero Wolfe-like character Claudius Lyon.

MatchUp, edited by Lee Child, is an anthology produced by the Thriller Writers Association that pairs a female and male thriller writer for each story.

Dis Mem Ber and Other Stories of Mystery and Suspense collects seven dark tales by Joyce Carol Oates.

The March / April, 2017 issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, featuring a bevy of terrific stories from Pauline Simpson, Alan E. Foulds, and Chris Knopf.

It also includes four of my book reviews. The titles: The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz, The Substitute by Nicole Lundrigan, She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper, and The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg. The book reviews are all available at MS’s website:

The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz is the beginning of a new series and a return to the type of stories Mr. Koontz wrote in the 1990s.

The Substitute by Nicole Lundrigan is pleasantly surprising psychological thriller.

She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper is a first novel that roars on all cylinders. 

The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg is a new take on an old subject.

The reviews are available online at Mystery Scene’s website—click the titles above.

Mystery Scene is available at many newsstands, including Barnes & Noble, and available for order at MS’s website.

Mystery Scene Issue No. 149

The latest issue of Mystery Scene Magazine—No. 149—is at a newsstand near you. As usual, it is packed. It features Ron Miller’s terrific article “Why Can’t the Movie Be Just Like the Book?” “The Small World of Modern Thrillers” by Nicholas Barber and the second part of Lawrence Block’s “How to be a Writer Without Writing Anything,” which I’m still using as a blueprint for my future projects.

It also features my short story review column, “Short & Sweet: Short Stories Considered.” All of the column reviews are currently available in the print edition and most are also available at MS’s website. In the column I discuss:

Bound by Mystery, edited by Diane D. DiBiase, is an anthology celebrating Poisoned Pen Press’ 20^th anniversary.

Anatomy of Innocence is an anthology, but also something very different from my usual coverage since it features true stories about men and women of have been wrongly convicted, and since released, of crimes they didn’t commit.

The January/February issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, featuring stories by Hugh Pentecost, S. J. Rozan, Brendan DuBois and nine others. Unfortunately this is a print exclusive.

The Purple Flame and Other Detective Stories, collecting 15 traditional mysteries by Frederick Irving Anderson.

There are also three of my book reviews in Issue No. 149. The titles: Heretics by Leonardo Padura, The Day of the Lie by William Brodrick, and Undertow by R. M. Greenaway. The book reviews are all available at MS’s website:

Heretics by the Cuban author Leonardo Padura is an interesting and well-developed, if a little long, private detective novel set in Cuba.  

The Day of the Lie by William Brodrick is the fourth novel featuring Father Anselm that is more thought provoking than thrilling.

Undertow by R. M. Greenaway is a fine Canadian police procedural set in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The reviews are available online at Mystery Scene’s website—click the titles above.

Mystery Scene is available at many newsstands, including Barnes & Noble, and available for order at MS’s website.

Mystery Scene Issue No. 148

The latest issue of Mystery Scene Magazine—No. 148—is at a newsstand near you. It is MS’s special Holiday Issue and it is packed, as usual. It features a terrific essay on recent legal thrillers by Jon L. Breen, a profile of Ian Rankin, who was slated to be an accountant (a profession close to my heart), and the first part of an essay by Lawrence Block, “How to be a Writer Without Writing Anything,” which I’m using as a manual for my future projects.

It also features my second short story review column, “Short & Sweet: Short Stories Considered.” A column I’m (still) excited about, and, as it turns out a column I am no longer considered as the interim, but as the permanent writer. All of the column reviews are currently only available in the print edition; however, I discuss:

Crimson Snow, edited by Martin Edwards, featuring a slew of Christmas-themed traditional British mystery stories.

The 60^th Anniversary Issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.

The October – January issue of Strand Magazine, which, amazingly, includes a never before published story by H. G. Wells.

Lyndsay Faye’s Sherlock Holmes collection The Whole Art of Detection, which will be very well appreciated by Sherlockians.

Issue No. 148 also includes my best of 2016 line up (Shadow Games and Other Sinister Stories of Show Business by Ed Gorman, The Mistletoe Murder by P. D. James, and “The Silent Order of God” by Stephen Ross), and three standalone book reviews I wrote. The titles: World, Chase Me Down by Andrew Hilleman, The Edit by J. Sydney Jones, and The Death of Kings by Rennie Airth. The book reviews are all available at MS’s website:

World, Chase Me Down by Andrew Hilleman is a fictional retelling of the larger than life kidnapper Pat Crowe. Something of a campfire tale with both humor and action.

The Edit by J. Sydney Jones is an intriguing, sometimes ugly story of a convicted Nazi war criminal hiding in a South American country.

The Death of Kings by Rennie Airth is an, at times, slow moving traditional British puzzler.

The reviews are available online at Mystery Scene’s website—click the titles above.

Mystery Scene is available at many newsstands, including Barnes & Noble, and available for order at MS’s website.

Mystery Scene Reviews: Issue No. 147

The latest issue of Mystery Scene Magazine—No. 147—is at a newsstand near you. It is MS’s special Holiday Issue and it is packed, as usual. It features a very nice remembrance of Ed Gorman, an excellent interview with David Morrell, Kevin Burton Smith’s annual Gift Guide, and a brilliant article by Lawrence Block about series characters.

It also features my first Mystery Scene byline, with my short story review column, “Short & Sweet: Short Stories Considered.” A column I’m excited about, and, at least parts of, are exclusive to the print magazine. In the column, I discuss:

The 75^th Anniversary Issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

The Highway Kind, a crime anthology edited by Patrick Milliken and featuring stories by Joe R. Lansdale, C. J. Box, Wallace Stroby and others.

P. D. James’ collection The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories.

In Sunlight or in Shadow, a mostly crime anthology with stories inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper edited by Lawrence Block.

Issue No. 147 also includes two book reviews I wrote. The titles: Edgar Allan Poe and the London Monster by Karen Lee Street, and The Strivers’ Row Spy by Jason Overstreet.

Edgar Allan Poe and the London Monster is a clever historical mystery featuring Edgar Allan Poe and his literary creation C. Auguste Dupin.

The Strivers’ Row Spy is a moody, and seemingly accurate, historical mystery set in Harlem of the 1920s.  

The reviews are available online at Mystery Scene’s website—click the titles above.

Mystery Scene is available at many newsstands, including Barnes & Noble, and available for order at MS’s website.

Mystery Scene Reviews: Issue No. 146

The latest issue of Mystery Scene Magazine—No. 146—is at a newsstand near you. The issue is packed, as usual. It features a detailed and illuminating review of Karen Huston Karydes’ Hard-Boiled Anxiety, which is study of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Ross Macdonald. A fine article about Erle Stanley Gardner’s DA Dough Selby novels, and interview with mystery wrtier S. J. Rozan and much more.

Issue No. 146 also includes four book reviews by, um, me. The titles: The Babe Ruth Deception by David O. Stewart, Smoke and Mirrors by Elly Griffiths, Death of an Avid Reader by Frances Brody, and Survivors Will Be Shot Again by Bill Crider.

The Babe Ruth Deception is an historical mystery set in New York City of 1920 featuring none other than Babe Ruth.

Smoke and Mirrors is an enjoyable traditional mystery – British style – featuring DI Edgar Stephens and master magician Max Mephisto.

Death of an Avid Reader is a whodunit set in Leeds, England of the mid-1920s and featuring private eye Kate Shackleton.

Survivors Will Be Shot Again is Bill Crider’s latest Sheriff Dan Rhodes, and it is an excellent addition to the series.

The reviews are available online at Mystery Scene’s website—click the titles above.

Mystery Scene is available at many newsstands, including Barnes & Noble, and available for order at MS’s website.

Mystery Scene Reviews: Issue No. 145

The latest issue of Mystery Scene Magazine—No. 145—is at a newsstand near you. The issue is packed, as usual. It features an in-depth article about eleven non-mystery novelists—Stephen King, Louis L’Amour, J. K. Rowling, etc.—who wrote one or more excellent private eye novels, an interview with Marcia Clark and much more.

Issue No. 145 also includes two book reviews by, um, me. The titles: Not Dead Enough by Warren C. Easley and We Were Kings by Thomas O’Malley and Douglas Graham Purdy. Not Dead Enough is an entertaining mystery featuring Cal Claxton, former big city prosecutor turned small town lawyer, set in rural Oregon. We Were Kings is a big, in both length and complexity, noirish crime novel set in 1954 Boston. The reviews are available online at Mystery Scene’s website—click the book titles above.

Mystery Scene is available at many newsstands, including Barnes & Noble, and available for order at MS’s website.

Mystery Scene Reviews: Issue No. 144

The latest issue of Mystery Scene Magazine—No. 144—is at a newsstand near you. The issue is packed, as usual. It features an in-depth article about novelist, television and film writer Philip MacDonald, an article about Adrian McKinty, an interview with Wallace Stroby, and a nice article about female crime reader’s impact on the genre by Megan Abbott.

Issue No. 144 also includes two book reviews by, um, me. The titles: A Brilliant Death by Robin Yocum and Capitol Punishment by Andrew Welsh-Huggins. A Brilliant Death is an involving coming-of-age story set in rural Ohio during the 1970s. Capitol Punishment is the third novel featuring private eye Andy Hayes and is also set in Ohio, but this time in urban Columbus. The reviews are available online at Mystery Scene’s website—click the book titles above.

Mystery Scene is available at many newsstands, including Barnes & Noble, and available for order at MS’s website.

Mystery Scene Reviews: Issue No. 143

The latest issue of Mystery Scene Magazine—No. 143—at a newsstand near you. The issue is packed (as usual). It features an in-depth article about Margaret Millar, an interview with T. J. MacGregor, and a nice article about Netflix’s Jessica Jones.

Issue No. 143 also includes three book reviews I wrote. The titles: Where it Hurts by Reed Farrel Coleman, Out of the Blues by Trudy Nan Boyce, and The Good Goodbye by Carla Buckley. Where it Hurts is a powerful hardboiled neo-noir, Out of the Blues is a promising first novel police procedural, and The Good Goodbye is an entertaining psychological suspense novel. The reviews are available online at Mystery Scene’s website—click the book titles above.

Mystery Scene is available at many newsstands, including Barnes & Noble, and available for order at MS’s website.

Mystery Scene Magazine

I’ve been discovering Mystery Scene Magazine the last several weeks and along the way I’ve read many terrific articles about the mystery genre—a terrific story about one of my favorite writers Ed Gorman, another about the old television series Cagney & Lacey, and yet another about the old Dell Map Back Mysteries.

There are also interviews with writers and publishers, articles about mystery in film and television, columns by people like Jon L. Breen, Ed Gorman, Dick Lochte and others. There are also reviews of forthcoming novels, short stories, audio, the small press and more.

The coverage of the magazine is impressive. It covers the entire genre, including suspense, thrillers, noir, hardboiled, whodunits, cozies, and any other sub-genre you can think of. It can be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys the genre—both writers and readers. In short, Mystery Scene rocks! And if you haven’t read it, you should.

There are several articles that can be found on the Mystery Scene website. A few of my favorites are:

John Grisham Testifies: An Interview -- Click Here
Ed Gorman: A Great Man of Mystery -- Click Here
Dell Map Back Mysteries -- Click Here
100 PIs of the Mystery Scene Era -- Click Here
Background Check: An Interview with David Corbett -- Click Here
A Talk with Lisa Scottoline --Click Here

And so many more…