Mystery Melange

Poisoned Pen Press announced the winner of the first Discover Mystery prize, Ronald Sharp, who was awarded a $1000 cash prize and a publishing contract with plans to release Sharp's No Regrets, No Remorse in the fall. Judge and novelist Dana Stabenow, said of the winning title, “A Harley-riding hit woman who kills for virtue as well as profit and a Miami lawyer turned sculptor combine forces to butt heads with crooked lawyers, organized crime, and local authorities to track down a murderer. Ronald Sharp had me from the first chapter, a step-by-step account of how to blow up a house, with the bad guy safely inside, of course." Finalsts included Bill Butler, Dawn Marie Fichera, Susan Lumenello and Bruce Rolfe.

The Q&A roundup includes a Wall Street Journal interview with Mark Billingham, who lets his hair down with insights on what he does in his spare time; and award-winning artist and writer Darwyn Cooke chatted with CNN about re-imagining Parker, Donald Westlake's pulp fiction anti-hero, in a series of graphic novels.

Winners of Strand Critics Awards were announced last week. The editors of Strand magazine handed out awards for Best First Novel to Sister by Rosamund Lupton; Best Novel (a rare three-way tie) to The Drop by Michael Connelly, Buried Secrets by Joseph Finder, and The Cut by George Pelecanos. Lifetime Achievement awards went to Joseph Wambaugh and John Sandford

The International Thriller Writers also handed out awards at the annual Thrillfest in New York City. Best Hardcover Novel was Stephen King's 11/22/63; Best First Novel: Spiral by Paul McEuen; Best Paperback Original: The Last Minute by Jeff Abbott; Best Short Story: "Half-Lives" by Tim L. Williams (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine).

This week saw the passing of Donald J. Sobol, best known for his popular "Encyclopedia Brown" detective series of children's books, who died at the age of 87. Sobol's series featuring amateur boy detective Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown began in 1963 with the brainy young whiz solving about 10 different short mysteries in each book. Encyclopedia Brown books have been translated into 12 languages and were turned into a TV series in 1989. (Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare.)