Mystery Melange

Writing for The New Republic, Sarah Weinman investigated the case of the "Disappearing Black Detective Novel" and the career of Hughes Allison, a black mystery writer with a once-promising future whose works paved the way for Chester Himes and Water Mosley.

Leeds-based writer Kathleen McKay has won Moth Publishing’s Northen Crime Competition with her novel Hard Wired, which will be published in summer 2016. The Northern Crime Competition was founded to "recognise and publish talented new crime writers from the North of England."

A new exhibition at Pointe-à-Callières Museum in Montreal reveals a side of Agatha Christie that is as unusual as unexpected, delving into her "secret life in archaeology."

In spring of 2016, Oneworld Publishing will launch a new crime imprint called Point Blank, curated by editor Jenny Parrott and encompassing literary crime, thrillers and psychological suspense by UK and international writers. The list will launch in February with French Concession, a "bold and smokily atmospheric Chinese noir" by Xiao Bai, and A Perfect Crime by A Yi, described by the Wall Street Journal as a “psychological probe into a pathological mind."

The new issue of Mystery Scene Magazine profiles The Library of America's collection of eight lost classics of the genre published in the 1940s and '50s; crime writers Megan Abbott and Lisa Scottoline add their perspectives on Golden Age female detective writers; Ed Gorman interviews prolific author and mystery genre advocate, Robert Randisi; Joseph Goodrich reviews the TV series Foyles War; Jake Hinkson looks back at Orson Welles and his significant contribution to film noir; and Kevin Burton Smith comes to the rescue of all you procrastinators out there with the magazine's annual gift guide for mystery lovers.

The second issue of the UK-based quarterly magazine Crime Scene focuses on Scandinavian crime TV, with a major feature on The Bridge and one on Kenneth Branagh’s Wallander as well. Plus there are more articles about TV crime, including an interview with Luther star Idris Elba, an interview with David Baldacci, and a cornucopia of book reviews.  (Hat tip to Crime Fiction Lover.)

Mystery Weekly Magazine's December issue features the cover story "Stand-In" by Ellery Queen alumna Carolyn E. Kourofsky, as well as more original mysteries from Nupur Tustin, Calvin Demmer, James Blakey, and Robert Petyo.

It's not too early to be thinking about the upcoming movies in 2016, and Popsugar compiled a list for bibliophiles of "28 Great Books That Are Getting the Movie Treatment in 2016," including the adaptations of Paula Hawkins' Girl on the Train and Inferno by Dan Brown.

A new digital archive from Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, is bringing more than 2 million pages of primary source material to support the study of nineteenth century history, literature, law and criminal justice. The project is titled Crime, Punishment, and Popular Culture, 1790-1920 and provides access to trial transcripts, police and forensic reports, criminal case files, detective agency records, detective novels, newspaper accounts, true crime literature and more to enhance the understanding of the intersection of law and society during a pivotal era of social change.

Stanley Trollip profiled South African crime fiction for the Murder is Everywhere blog, noting that over the last fifteen years there has been an explosion of authors writing contemporary crime fiction in the country.

The Guardian studied the rising popularity of the true-crime genre on TV led by US podcast Serial, Channel 4’s recent The Murder Detectives, and bestselling books.

More Top of 2015 lists are out, including Crime Fiction Lover contributors with their "Top 5" of the year; The Rap Sheet continued its slate of guest bloggers posting their favorites of the year, including Part Two of Jim Napier's list, and contributions from Stephen Miller, Kevin Burton Smith, Ali Karim, Anthony Rainone and Seamus Scanlon, and Rap Sheet editor J. Kingston Pierce; The Guardian compiled a list of Best Crime and Thriller Books; the Wall Street Journal chose its Best Mystery picks; Ominivoracious listed its "Best Mysteries, Thrillers & Suspense of 2015"; and the Chronicle Herald posted "Top selections for mysteries of 2015."

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 weekly is "Driving While Black" by Charles Rrammelkamp, and the new monthly story at Beat to a Pulp is "Fundamental Breach" by William E. Wallace.

In the Q&A roundup, Jo Bannister chatted with Huffington Post about Desperate Measures, the latest book featuring police officer Hazel Best; Art Taylor stopped by the Do Some Damage blog to discuss On the Road with Del & Louise, a book that Kirkus Reviews called "one of the year's promising debuts"; O
mnimystery News welcomed Joseph B. Atkins to talk about his new novel Last Chance; Michael Connelly took the five-question challenge from The Globe and Mail; Louise Penny stopped by the Mysterious People blog to offer insights into her writing and career; and Peter James joined D.P. Lyle for a conversation about You are Dead, the eleventh novel in the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series.