Yesterday was the anniversary of the birth of French composer Claude Debussy (August 22, 1862 - March 25, 1918), the famous French impressionist. Here's one of the composer's best-known works, the ethereal piano piece, "Clair de lune" (referenced in my second Scott Drayco novel, Requiem for Innocence), as played by Menahem Pressler when he was almost 90 years old:
The longlist for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel has been revealed. The Ngaio Marsh Awards, established in 2010, promote and celebrate excellence in New Zealand crime writing. Following the announcement of these twelve titles vying for Best Novel, finalists for all the 2026 categories - Best Novel, Best First Novel, and Best Kids/YA - will be announced later in the Australian Spring (a/k/a the Northern Hemisphere's Autumn).
John Michael Evelyn (1916-1992) was born in Britain and privately educated before going to Oxford University. He was called to the Bar in 1939, but immediately joined the Army where he served during WWII until 1946, attaining the rank of Major. From there, he did go on to a career in law with the Department of Public Prosecutions, serving for some thirty years.
Adopting the pseudonym of Michael Underwood, he published his first mystery novel, Murder on Trial in 1954, which introduced one of his main protagonists, Inspector Simon Manton. The Inspector was featured in a dozen novels that stretched into the 1960s and included Lawful Pursuit, The Case Against Phillip Quest and The Crime of Colin Wise.
Underwood also supported his fellow crime authors as chairman of the Crime Writers Association in 1964-65 and was elected a member of the Detection Club in 1959. This was during the presidency of Dame Agatha Christie, who had agreed to take the position as a successor to Dorothy L. Sayers, but only on the condition she didn't have to speak at public meetings. Michael Underwood essentially served in her stead for that purpose during Christie's tenure.
Underwood frequently drew on his legal expertise in his plots, as you might imagine, although as in the case of novels like Death on Remand, the courtroom scenes are kept to a minimum and more in a Perry Mason style—with the investigation happening during the bulk of the book until the suspect is apprehended, followed by the final courtroom finale, sometimes with a twist.
The central gist of the plot probably had more of an impact back in 1956 than it does now. Without giving too much away, suffice it to say that cultural mores and accepted standards have changed quite a bit in 54 years, although the basic human vices of lust, pride and greed probably haven't changed much in millennia. Criminal investigation methods have changed a bit since 1956, but in the book as is the case today, it's good old-fashioned legwork and evidence collection that saves the day As Inspector Manton observes after the suspect has been arrested, "Tactics play as important a part in forensic contests and their menoeuvres as in military battles."
Like most third-person omniscient narratives that hop back and forth between characters, it's a little difficult to develop characters fully. In this particular case, there really aren't any truly sympathetic characters to root for other than the detectives, but as legal/police procedurals go, Death on Remand is a fairly quick read and a pleasant enough way to spend a hour or two.
On September 12, Writers Online, Writing Magazine, and Alex Davis Events are teaming up for Make Crime Pay, a lively online (via Google Meet) one-day writing workshop for crime and thriller fiction. Panels and workshops will be led by Jane Bettany, Paul Finch, Louise Jensen, and there also be an interview with author Sarah Pinborough. For registration information, follow this link.
The Richmond Walking & Book Festival taking place in the UK on Friday, September 25 will include a Peter Robinson Memorial event at Richmond Town Hall in North Yorkshire. Crime writers Robert Rutherford, a founding member of the Northern Crime Syndicate Crime Writers group, Chris Speck, and Ben Kennedy will participate in a panel discussion beginning at 7:30. Peter Robinson (1950-2022), was a British-born Canadian crime writer who was best known for his crime novels set in Yorkshire featuring Inspector Alan Banks, and was honored with the Grand Master Award from Crime Writers of Canada. (HT to Shotsmag Confidential.)
Westminster, Colorado will be the site for a two‑night celebration of mystery writing, featuring an Authors Panel on September 25, discussing emerging trends in contemporary mystery, from new subgenres to emerging female protagonists. Then on September 26h, there will be an after‑hours Whodunit Evening with author meet-and-greets, mysterious activities, themed prizes, and refreshments. To register, follow this link for the panel and this link for the Whodunnit Evening.
Noir at the Bar heads to the South Tyneside Libraries in the UK as part of the the Write Festival (at The Word) on Friday, September 25 from 6pm. The event, organized by Vic Watson-Logan, is free and open to the public. The slate of authors scheduled to appear will be announced later this month.
The Whitby Lit Fest unveiled its program with over 50 author events scheduled across four days from November 19–22. Crime fiction authors scheduled to take part include former BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin (Isolation Island, Last Breath), Ann Cleeves (the Vera and Shetlands series), Diamond Dagger winner Mark Billingham, Elly Griffiths (The Case of the Christmas Card), and Jo Murray, Martin Edwards, and Sarah Hilary.
HarperCollins Publishers UK's One More Chapter has launched a new crime and thriller imprint, Cliffhanger, with Jennie Rothwell and Katie Sadler leading the imprint. The list will include existing OMC authors, including Michael Wood, Fiona Leitch, Jackie Kabler, and DB Stephens, plus new acquisitions. Rothwell said, “I could not be more excited to build a list that will keep readers up past their bedtimes and have them reaching for the next book before they have even finished the last.”
Following on the heels of the NYT list of "Best Thriller Books of the 21st Century," (chosen by 291 crime novelists, editors, booksellers, librarians and other book lovers) the editors also had readers pick their "100 Best Thrillers of the Century." The core of the list included nine novels by Tana French, and five novels each from John le Carré, Kate Atkinson, and Mick Herron.
Mystery Readers Journal editor Janet Rudolph has extended the deadline to August 30 for essay and article submissions for the upcoming themed issue on "cross-genre mysteries." Cross-genre mysteries retain a central investigation or puzzle at its heart, but layers in other distinct genre such as science fiction, fantasy, true crime, and Westerns. For more information follow this link.
Art Taylor's "The First Two Pages" featured Josh Pachter discussing how he co-wrote a short story with William Bankier...twelve years after Bankler passed away.
Kevin Tipple's Thursday Treats blog has news of short crime fiction in Yellow Mama, Black Cat Weekly, the upcoming Capital Crime Writers Presents: A Capital Mystery, and also new releases from James L'Etoile, D. V. Berkom, and Colin Conway.
This week's crime poem up at the 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly is "Murder One" by David Bond.
In the Q&A roundup, author and screenwriter Gloria Chao applied the Page 69 Test to her latest novel, The Mortal Enemy Murder Club; Jasper Fforde spoke with Publishers Weekly about his mind-bending Thursday Next series and Dark Reading Matter, the series’ eighth and final installment, which will be published in October; Carolyn Haines stopped by Kevin's Corner to discuss her novel, Joy to the Bones, and why she decided to stop writing this very successful thirty-odd book series; and Crime Fiction Lover interviewed debut author Neville Blackwood about Covert, a novel based on his experience of working as an undercover cop in 1990s London.
The
International Association of Crime Writers, North American Branch announced
this year’s winner of the Dashiell Hammett Award for Literary Excellence in
Crime Writing. After examining approximately two hundred fiction and nonfiction
books with a 2025 copyright and crime as their theme, the judges selected The
Savage Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie (G. P.
Putnam's Sons) for the top prize. The other finalists include:
The American Booksellers
Association’s specialty bestseller lists provide a current snapshot of what’s
selling in indie bookstores nationwide. Here is the Indie Mystery/Thriller Bestseller
List, based on sales for the eight-week
period ending August 2, 2026. It's interesting to me how many of these were actually published last year or even much earlier, as is the case with 2021's The Silent Patient, although the New York Times' recent list of the "Fifty Best Thrillers of the 21st Century" might have something to do with that.
1. Angel Down by Daniel Kraus, Atria Books
2. The Divorce by Freida McFadden, Poisoned Pen Press
3. Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth, St. Martin's Press
4. It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell, Atria Books
5. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
6. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
7. Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden, Poisoned Pen Press
8. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, Celadon Books
9. Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson, Bantam
10. Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk (Ed.), Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. (Ed.), Vintage
11. Heather by Caitlin Mullen, Celadon Books
12. The Keeper by Tana French, Viking
13. Strange Houses by Uketsu, Jim Rion (Transl.), HarperVia
14. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, Penguin
15. Gone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben, Reese Witherspoon, Grand Central Publishing,
16. Death on the Lanai (Golden Girls Cozy Mystery Series) by Rachel Ekstrom Courage, Hyperion Avenue
17. Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell, Atria Books
18. Strange Buildings by Uketsu, HarperVia
19. Never Flinch by Stephen King, Scribner
20. My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney, Flatiron Books: Pine & Cedar
21. Strange Pictures by Uketsu, HarperVia
22. Want to Know a Secret? by Freida McFadden, Poisoned Pen Press
23. Ironwood by Michael Connelly, Little, Brown and Company
24. The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke, Harper
25. The Housemaid's Wedding by Freida McFadden
