Mystery Melange

It's time for Shamus Award nominations! Bill Crider posted a note on his blog that you can submit novels and stories for consideration until July 1st. Note that works must have been published in 2010, and no self-pubbed books, e-books, or gratis works are eligible.

Hard Case Crime is coming back after a year's hiatus, thanks to their new partnership with Titan Books. To kick things off, they're publishing their first ever hardcover title, a brand new novel by Lawrence Block titled Getting Off. Also coming in late September is a new story with Max Allan Collins' popular hitman character, Quarry, and then in October two additional titles will include Choke Hold by Christa Faust and The Consummata, a novel Mickey Spillane started writing in the 1960s and will be finished by friend Max Allan Collins, 44 years later. 

After an even briefer hiatus, Craig Sisterson has restarted the 9mm author interview series on his blog, Crime Watch, featuring the 51st instalment in the series, an interview with Kathy Reichs. He's also open to suggestions for any future  9mm interviewees you'd like to see.

Sad news: the lovely Dark Valentine magazine is closing for good. Their last issue just came out, although they'll archive previous works online for awhile. Many fine writers and stories have graced their pages during Dark Valentine's run, and it will be missed.  

Lilian Jackson Braun, prolific author of the light, humorous "cat who" books, has died at the age of 97. According to her husband of 33 years, her only regret was that she was unable to publishe the last book in the series, titled The Cat Who Smelled Smoke. 

Open Road Integrated Media has formed a partnership with Otto Penzler to publish digital editions of titles developed by Penzler's brand new MysteriousPress.com. The goal is to  build a catalog of backlist and original titles from renowned writers, including Six Days of the Condor by James Grady, Séance on a Wet Afternoon by Mark McShane and The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen. Also in the pipeline are new titles by Charles McCarry, Nelson DeMille, Lorenzo Carcaterra and C.J. Box.  

Arthur Conan Doyle's very first novel, written between 1883 and 1884, was never published, but that's going to change. Called The Narrative of John Smith, it's not a Sherlock; rather, it's the tale of one man's reflections on life after he finds himself confined to his room with gout. The first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet, was printed three years later.

Are you already thinking up ways to entertain the kids or grandkids (including boys!) while they're home all summer? Head to the store with a copy of Booklist's Top Crime Fiction for Youth.

If you want a taste of the new L.A. Noire anthology, you can read the stories free online until June 12, when it officially goes on sale.