Mystery Melange

On Sunday, January 25, the Westport, Connecticut, Library will host a Crime Writing Panel Discussion, "Ripped from the Headlines: Weaving Real-Life Crime into Storytelling." Authors Deborah Levison, T.M. Dunn, and Wendy Whitman, members of the Connecticut chapter of Sisters in Crime, will explore how true events — from serial killers to domestic violence — shape both fiction and nonfiction. For registration info, check on over here.


Stockport Noir is back for its second year, taking place on Saturday, January 31, at UK's Stockport Guildhall. Some twenty authors are scheduled to attend, including Elly Griffiths, Vaseem Khan, Sarah Pinborough, Ruth Ware, and more. There will be panel discussions, book signings, and an onsite bookshop.


Noir at the Bar moves to Orange County at Knoll's in Laguna Niguel, California, on February 22. Authors scheduled to appear and read from their works include Eric Beetner, Jonathan Brown, Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, Curtis Ippolito, Nancy Klann, Caitlain Rother, with M.C. Marrie Stone. Plus the blues groups Three Blind Mice will be on hand following.


Editor Janet Rudolph announced a call for contributions for Mystery Readers Journal: Mysteries Set at Faires, Fetes, and Festivals. As the title suggests, the focus is on crime fiction set at faires, fetes, and festivals, and she's seeking first-person Author! Author! essays of 500–1500 words, reviews of 50-250 words, and articles of 500-1000 words. The deadline is February 15, 2026.


There are also some other new-ish calls for papers on various crime fiction themes. The Young Scholars Literary Symposium's next conference is themed around "Mysteries and Mayhem." Why do we continue to crave mystery stories? What do we expect from the detectives and heroes who reveal the truth in these stories? Papers and creative projects should explore these and related questions (remote presentations are encouraged). Abstracts of 150-200 words are due January 22, 2026. On the other side of the Atlantic, the University of Bucharest English Department is holding their 27th annual international conference on June 5-6 on the theme, "Representations of Crime in Literature and the Arts." Abstracts of up to 200 words are due February 15, 2026.


On Art Taylor's "The First Two Pages" blog feature, Avram Lavinsky talked about making his Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine debut with “The Bank Heist Before Armageddon.”


This week's crime poem up at the 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly is "Knock Knock (After Hal Sirowitz)" by Richie Narvaez.


In the Q&A roundup, Author Interviews spoke with Bruce Robert Coffin, former detective sergeant turned author about his new novel, Bitter Fall, the second in his series featuring Detective Brock Justice; Lisa Hasleton chatted with thriller author Yoav Blum about his new technothriller, The Unswitchable, and she also spoke with historical mystery author R.J. Koreto about her latest release, Winter’s Season; Kelli Stanley, author of the award-winning Miranda Corbie historical noir series, applied the Page 69 Test to her newest novel, The Reckoning, the first in a new series set in Northern California's "Emerald Triangle" in 1985; and Writers Who Kill's E. B. Davis interviewed Heather Weidner about the second book in the Pearly Girls mystery series, Murder Plays Second Fiddle.

Author Q&A with Orion Gregory

Greg Milano, who also writes under the pen name of Orion Gregory, is an award-winning writer in the newspaper and advertising industries and a nationally published magazine contributor. He is a graduate of Wright State University, where he played tennis and obtained a degree in Communication Arts. He recently retired from his role as a sales representative, allowing him to spend his time coaching tennis, cheering on the Cleveland Browns, and writing mystery novels. 

His first book, Faults, was the debut in a series featuring Sydney Livingstone, a former professional tennis player who has joined the Walsh County Police Department. In the sequel, Serves You Right, the rookie detective thought she was trading fame for peace and a quiet life in Walsh County, Ohio, freshly engaged to her charming fiancé Enzo. But that dream is shattered with a faceless vigilante known only as The Enforcer emerges from the shadows of the dark web, declaring war on criminals—and the justice system that failed them. With chilling precision, this self-proclaimed executioner begins picking off targets across the region, leaving behind a digital trail of manifestos and blood. And Sydney is suddenly in the crosshairs—not just of a killer, but of a truth far more dangerous. 

Orion Gregory stopped by In Reference to Murder to answer a few questions about the book and series:

What was it like to read this thriller/mystery through the eyes of Detective Sydney Livingstone?

All of us has been the newcomer to a business or social setting at some time in our lives. We all understand how it feels difficult initially to fit in. Sydney was a competent and confident tennis player in her previous occupation, but the police academy brought a level of uncertainty. I could feel the stress she experienced as a first-year cop, especially when dealing with hardened detectives in a male-dominated occupation. But I think Sydney’s refusal to give up when facing seemingly insurmountable odds resonates with me. If I could have one trait of hers, that would be it.

Your protagonist, Sydney Livingstone is a former professional tennis player. I understand you are both a tennis coach and a tennis instructor. Do you see any similarities in writing crime mysteries and coaching a sport like tennis?

People who have played tennis competitively will understand what I’m about to say. Every match, whether it be a tournament or just for practice, carries a level of mystery within it. Will you win or lose today? Are you going to play to your potential or will you let your mind sabotage your game? Are you going to solve the mystery of your opponent’s game and use that knowledge to win, or is their ability too much to overcome? As a coach, I have to sometimes develop the lineup that will give our team its best chance to win. But sometimes, my strategies backfire. The adrenaline during play and the uncertainty about winning or losing certainly reminds me of the challenges associated with writing a mystery thriller.

Which one of the main characters shared the same values as Syd and why? Which ones had the least in common with her? Why?

I think most of the characters in the novel, without giving away the outcome, ostensibly had values similar to Syd. Montenegro and Griffith became her close friends, and she also got along well with Lasek and Pratt until she had to be punished for making a few mistakes. She and Montenegro’s wife Stacey also seemed to share a close connection, despite not knowing each other very well. As for having the least in common, I would say Mitsoff and Fosterno, although at times, they showed signs of becoming better people. Penny Cefalo and Syd had different personalities but both shared a similar type of confidence and enthusiasm, especially when life attempted to hold them down. Rex Cutter, on the other hand, was nothing at all like Syd.

Syd and Enzo attempt to manage their volatile personal relationship while also maintaining a degree of excellence in their current jobs. How difficult is it to focus on your job when your personal life is experiencing turmoil? What are some strategies you use for keeping work and private life separate?

I’m probably not the greatest person to answer this question because I’ve always had difficulty keeping them separate. I have a deep respect for anyone who can compartmentalize their problems while working, and waiting for later to deal with them. I think that part of the answer is to realize that worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but you end up in the same place. But as a worst-case-scenario type of person, I empathize with anyone who’s experiencing home-life stress while in the workplace.

The book discusses several criminals who slipped through the crack of our imperfect justice system. How do you feel about real life vigilantes who take the law into their own hands?

To be honest, I strongly dislike when people decide to be the judge, jury, and executioner all on their own. The shooting of the insurance executive in New York comes to mind when I say this. While taking things into our own hands is something all of us fantasize about, I believe the laws of our country need to be respected, regardless of our individual feelings. Justice in my mind may not be justice in your mind, and vice-versa.

Rural Walsh County has made some strides in the way it treats minorities and women. How did you feel about where they stand on those issues now? What do you think the future holds?

I’d like to think Walsh County is evolving and beginning to smell the coffee. The good-ol-boy network seems to be dying, albeit probably not fast enough. I think there is hope for Walsh County, especially with detectives like Syd coming into the mix.

Which person do you think readers suspected throughout the book? Why so?

That’s a tough question because there were so many viable suspects. I was careful not to reveal the sex of the killer(s) because that information would limit the playing field. I think Lasek and Pratt had to be strongly considered, as did Griffith, both Stuart and Stacey Montenegro, Tom Mitsoff, Rex Cutter, and Penny Cefalo. Andrea Pierce also had the opportunity.

You can learn more about Orion Gregory via his website and follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Serves You Right is now available via Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

MWA Announces 2026 Grand Masters, Raven & Ellery Queen Award Recipients

 

Mystery Writers of America today announced the recipients of its special awards. The board chose Donna Andrews and Lee Child as the 2026 Grand Masters; Book Passage as the 2026 Raven Award recipient; and John Scognamiglio of Kensington Books as recipient of the Ellery Queen Award. They will accept their awards at the 80^th Annual Edgar Awards Ceremony, which will be held April 29, 2026, at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York City.

MWA’s Grand Master Award represents the pinnacle of achievement in mystery writing and was established to acknowledge important contributions to this genre, as well as for a body of work that is both significant and of consistent high quality. Donna Andrews write the the Meg Langslow mystery series and is a multiple award winner. Lee Child writes the Jack Reacher thrillers, which have been adapted into movies and television series.

Previous Grand Masters include Laura Lippman, John Sandford, Katherine Hall Page, R.L. Stine, Michael Connelly, Joanne Fluke, Laurie R. King, Charlaine Harris, Jeffery Deaver, Barbara Neely, Martin Cruz Smith, William Link, Peter Lovesey, Walter Mosley, Lois Duncan, James Ellroy, Robert Crais, Ken Follett, Sara Paretsky, James Lee Burke, Sue Grafton, Stephen King, Ira Levin, Mary Higgins Clark, Lawrence Block, P.D. James, Ellery Queen, Daphne du Maurier, Alfred Hitchcock, Graham Greene, and Agatha Christie, to name a few.

The Raven Award recognizes outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing. Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA is a vibrant Bay Area bookstore that has been offering books, author events, and literary experiences for readers and writers since 1976.

Previous Raven Award recipients include Face in a Book, Crime Writers of Color, Eddie Muller, Lesa Holstine, Malice Domestic, Left Coast Crime, Marilyn Stasio, The Raven Bookstore, BOLO Books, Dru Ann Love, Sisters in Crime, and Oline Cogdill.

The Ellery Queen Award was established in 1983 to honor “outstanding writing teams and outstanding people in the mystery-publishing industry.” John Scognamiglio of Kensington Books, who began his career 40 years ago as a file clerk in the Contracts Department at Simon & Schuster in 1986, worked his way up to becoming Editor-in-Chief in 2005. He launched his own imprint, John Scognamiglio Books, at Kensington in 2017. Among his authors are New York Times bestsellers Lisa Jackson, Joanne Fluke, Ellen Marie Wiseman and Leslie Meier.

Previous Ellery Queen Award winners include Peter Wolverton, Michaela Hamilton, The Strand Magazine, Juliet Grames, Reagan Arthur, Kelley Ragland, Linda Landrigan, Neil Nyren, Charles Ardai, and Janet Hutchings.

Media Murder for Monday

It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news:


THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES

Paramount Pictures has acquired the bestselling Recovery Agent book series by Janet Evanovich for feature development as a potential starring vehicle for Gal Gadot. Ellen Shanman (Voltron) will adapt the screenplay. Evanovich’s books center on Gabriela Rose, a globe-trotting recovery agent who specializes in retrieving stolen or lost high-value items, typically under dangerous circumstances. Paired with her unpredictable ex-husband and partner Rafer Burke, she bounces from tropical islands to international hotspots, outsmarting criminals, rival treasure hunters, and law enforcement alike in the pursuit of the goods.


Netflix is developing a feature adaptation of Cold Zero, the forthcoming action thriller from bestselling author Brad Thor. True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto is set to adapt the screenplay. Slated for publication on February 10, Cold Zero watches as a cutting-edge commercial airliner crash-lands near the North Pole, stranding survivors in one of the most hostile environments on Earth. Unbeknownst to most aboard, the plane was secretly transporting a revolutionary, highly classified technology capable of reshaping global power. Its disappearance sparks a frantic, high-stakes race among the world’s major powers to recover it.


Following the success of The Housemaid, adapted from the thriller novel by Freida McFadden, Lionsgate is moving toward a 2026 production start for a sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret, based on the second novel in McFadden’s bestselling trilogy. Sydney Sweeney and Michele Monroe are both eyeing a return to star, with Paul Feig likely to return to direct from a script by Rebecca Sonnenshine, who adapted The Housemaid. In the first book and movie, Millie (Sweeney) accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina and Andrew Winchester. But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous — a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power. The sequel finds Millie in a new job with fresh promises, though she quickly realizes that she’s found herself inside another dangerous household where nothing is what it seems.


Netflix released the official trailer for the Joe Carnahan-directed throwback crime thriller, The Rip, starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in a story inspired by true events. In the film, a team of Miami cops begins to turn on each other after discovering $20 million in a derelict stash house, bringing outside forces into the mix as they struggle to determine who can be trusted. Written and directed by Carnahan, from a story by him and Michael McGrale, the movie also stars Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Scott Adkins, and Kyle Chandler. It premieres January 16 on the streamer.


A trailer was released for The Death of Robin Hood, the new film from Michael Sarnoski (A Quiet Place), starring Hugh Jackman as the titular outlaw and archer, who, after a brush with death, awakens on a mysterious island, tended to by a kindhearted woman (Jodie Comer). The twist is that this Robin Hood was a very bad man, who is racked with regret. The project also stars Bill Skarsgård (reportedly as Little John), Murray Bartlett, and Noah Jupe.


TELEVISION/STREAMING

On the heels of Mayor of Kingstown‘s bloody Season 4 finale, the Paramount+ crime drama starring Jeremy Renner has been renewed for a fifth season. It will be the final installment of the series and will consist of eight episodes, down from 10 for Seasons 1-4. In Season 4, Mike’s (Renner) control over Kingstown is threatened as new players compete to fill the power vacuum left in the Russians’ wake, compelling him to confront the resulting gang war and stop them from swallowing the town. Edie Falco will return as the headstrong new warden.


A trailer dropped for the Netflix adaptation of Agatha Christie's Seven Dials, based on the author's 1929 novel. The three-episode series follows Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent, an amateur (and persistent) detective who seeks to uncover a sinister plot around the mysterious death of her friend Gerry Wade. Helena Bonham Carter joins her in the cast as Lady Caterham, while Corey Mylchreest plays Gerry Wade, and Martin Freeman plays Superintendent Battle, who both deters Bundle from, and assists her with, her investigation. Seven Dials is written by Chris Chibnall, the creator of Broadchurch and former showrunner of Doctor Who.


FX has renewed The Lowdown for Season 2. The critically acclaimed drama series from creator Sterlin Harjo will start production on a second season in Tulsa this spring, where the first season was filmed. Presented like a gritty paperback detective novel, The Lowdown follows the exploits of self-described “truthstorian” Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke), a sometimes-writer and independent bookstore owner who shambles around Tulsa, Oklahoma investigating crimes of the rich and powerful — no matter the cost. Season 1 also starred Keith David and featured guest stars Kyle MacLachlan, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tim Blake Nelson, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Michael “Killer Mike” Render, Kaniehtiio Horn, Tracy Letts, Peter Dinklage, and the late Graham Greene.


PODCASTS/RADIO/AUDIO

On NPR's Book of the Day, Jennie Godfrey chatted with Scott Simon about her debut novel, The List of Suspicious Things, a coming-of-age story inspired by the Yorkshire Ripper, the English serial killer who murdered 13 women in the 1970s, and her own experience growing up during the time of these murders. Plus NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly spoke with Chris Chibnall, creator of the TV show Broadchurch, about his debut mystery, Death at the White Hart.


Criminal Mischief host DP Lyle chatted with James L’Etoile, best-selling author and former Associate Warden, Hostage Negotiator, and Director of California’s State Parole System, to learn what really goes on inside prison walls.


On the Poisoned Pen podcast, Barbara Peters was in conversation with Allison Montclair about her new novel, Fire Must Burn, the latest in her Sparks and Bainbridge mystery series.


The Get to Know podcast welcomed bestselling Michael Grumley, author of Breakthrough, Amid the Shadows, and The Last Monument.

Sunday Music Treat

It's rare that we have recordings of any composers prior to the advent of the modern record player, but there are some old piano rolls which have been adapted for modern playback. Case in point, here's Claude Debussy playing his own iconic piece, "Claire de lune" from the Suite Bergamasque, written in 1890-1905:

 

 

Quote of the Week

 

Friday's "Forgotten" Books: Detective Fiction

Charles J. Rzepka's Detective Fiction is an interesting read, and not just for its quasi-intended audience, college students. Author Rzepka has taught English at Boston University, but one of his specialties is also detective fiction. In addition to this book, he's published several articles on subjects from Elmore Leonard to Charlie Chan, and most of his works-in-progress are related to detective fiction, including a biographical essay on Earl Derr Biggers (creator of Charlie Chan); an essay on the theme of "nostos" in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories; another on the detective fiction of Todd Downing (part-Choctaw writer, editor, and translator; and two book length studies: of the coterminous rise of formal detective fiction and the development of the lyric from Romanticism to Modernism (working title Lyrical Forensics), and the origins of ethnic and multicultural detective literature in the interwar period, 1920-1940, titled Two-Faced.

Yes, this is more of a scholarly look at the history of detective fiction—focusing primarily on the UK and America up to the latter part of the 20th century—but it's also entertaining. Thomas Paul (Modernism/Modernity) even went so far as to call it "cool, savvy, and utterly compelling." What is most interesting to me is the premise, i.e., he cultural context in which Rzepka places both authors and readers as the genre and society evolve together. As Rzepka points out, it's not surprising that the publication in 1841 of what is considered the first modern detective story, Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morge" coincided with the growing tension between religion and the physical sciences, where path-breaking discoveries were giving rise ultimately to modern forensics.

Another cause-and-effect in the genre's history took place in England where English sympathizers with the American Revolution were beginning to agitate for reforms in the "old corruption" of rule and law enforcement by the landed classes. One such sympathizer, William Godwin (1756-1836) went on to write the book Caleb Williams (1794, a "forgotten book" in its own right), considered one of the first English detective novels, which featured a murder, cover-up, and framing and execution of two innocent people by a wealthy landowner.  Rzepka adds, "Godwin intended to show how, given the current political situation, absolute power corrupts turning the former into outright bullies or conscience-tormented hypocrites and the latter into obsequious toadies or celebrity-obsessed curiosity-seekers." (Sound familiar? Some things never change.) Caleb Williams was a portent of things to come in other ways: "the terror and mystery of crime; the obsessive nature of suspicion; the paranoid thrills of flight, pursuit, arrest, and escape; and the daring use of incognito and disguise."

Rzepka has studies on Holmes, the Golden Age of Detection, and the rise of hard-boiled fiction in America, all tightly woven into the fabric of their particular time and place in history. Such nonfiction books are often quite neglected in general (although personally I enjoy them), but this particular nonfiction title is recommended.