Mystery Melange

Sara Paretsky has been named the fourth recipient of the Paul Engle Prize, presented by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization. The award is handed out to "a pioneering spirit in the world of literature through writing, editing, publishing, or teaching, and whose active participation in the larger issues of the day has contributed to the betterment of the world through the literary arts."

Stephen King is among the honorees who will receive National Medal of Arts awards presented by President Obama. The medal is the highest award for artists given by the U.S. government and is given to those who are “deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States.”

LIMCon Chicago and the Chicago Writers Association are sponsoring a discussion about great writing in the mystery genre. Don Evans will moderate a panel of author that includes Michael Harvey, Lori Rader-Day, and Libby Fischer Hellman on October 4 at 57th Street Books.

Writing for The Guardian, Val McDermid disagreed with the recent reader poll that chose And Then There Were None as Agatha Christie's best novel. She picks her own choice and notes that it was the book that made her a crime writer.

The Guardian's Kathryn Harkup also wrote about Agatha Christie, specifically how her expertise with poisons often goes unnoticed, experiences gleaned in part from her work as a nurse in a hospital pharmacy in Torquay during the First World War.

The New Yorker also took on the subject or Agatha Christie and her poisons, via their profile of the new book A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie by Kathryn Harkup.

Whether you're a James Bond fan or are just getting into the canon, Mint on Sunday's Sandipan Deb takes an in-depth look at the iconic spy hero as he is written in the books by Ian Fleming. The essay notes that the character of Bond has little depth on screen as compared to the books and also points out where the books and movies diverge.

Meanwhile, if you think you are already a James Bond expert, see if you can spot which lines are from classic James Bond adventures by Ian Fleming, and which are from Horowitz’s new 007 novel, Trigger Mortis.

Paul Bishop interviewed Charles Ardai, the driving force behind Hard Case Crime Books, about the imprint and its close relationship with award-winning author Lawrence Block.

Self-published books are evolving into a more mainstream force over time and more and more being found in indie bookstores and available via Ingram and other distributors. The most recent sign of this sea change is the first such book to be sold in Walmart stores.

A new eReader from Amazon may help some folks transition to reading at least some of their books in digital form; the company unveiled plans for a $50 Kindle six-inch device, which will make it the cheapest reader on the market (although there will be ads).

Brian Lindenmuth posted a flash-fiction challenge via the blog Do Some Damage: write a story in 1,000 words or fewer using as many book titles as possible while still writing a story that actually makes sense. (Hat tip to Sandra Seamans.)

Editor Brandon ("B.J.") Bourg announced the lineup for the Fall issue of the quarterly Flash Bang Mysteries, with eight new flash fiction crime stories from some top-notch authors.

The new edition of Mystery Readers Journal is the second of two issues devoted to "Culinary Crime." There are close to three dozen articles, essays, and columns on the tantalizing subject, including three sample tastes for free online.

The seventh issue of All Due Respect includes "More kick ass crime fiction than you can handle from Ray Zacek, Joe L. Murr, Math Bird, Matthew J. Hockey, Brian Haycock, and Frank Byrns. Plus interviews with Patti Abbott and Kjetil Hestvedt, reviews, and a sneak peek at Eric Beetner’s upcoming novella, Nine Toes in the Grave."

The new crime poem at the 5-2 is "True Romance" by Johnny Longfellow, and the latest story at Beat to a Pulp is "The Best of Friends" by Les Edgerton.

In the Q&A roundup, Linwood Barclay chatted with The Bolton News about his new book Broken Promise; Kittling: Books welcomed Lea Wait to discuss her writing and her Mainely Needlepoint series; Nick Wilgus took Paul D. Brazill's "Short, Sharp Interview" challenge about his fourth Father Ananda mystery, The Curious Corpse; the latest 9MM Interview at Kiwi Crime featured Matt Bendoris; Omnimystery News talked with Mark Stevens about his fourth mystery to feature Colorado hunting guide Allison Coil; and Paul Bishop grilled Lawrence Block about how he's stayed on the cutting edge of publishing during his long and illustrious career as well as how his fiction has (or hasn't) mirrored his life.