Mystery Melange

The international crime fiction convention Crimefest was held this past weekend and included the announcement of the Crimefest Award winners. The Audible Sounds of Crime Award went to Robert Galbraith for Lethal White, read by Robert Glenister; the eDUNNIT AWARD was won by Laura Lippman for Sunburn; The Last Laugh Award went to Lynne Truss for A Shot in the Dark; The H.R.F. Keating Award went to James Sallis for Difficult Lives – Hitching Rides; the Best Crime Novel for Children winner was Lauren St. John for Kat Wolfe Investigates; and the Best Crime Novel for Young Adults winner was Nikesh Shukla for Run, Riot. For all the finalists, head on over to the official Crimefest awards page.

Also at CrimeFest, the 2019 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year was given to The Katharina Code by Jørn Lier Horst, translated from the Norwegian by Anne Bruce. Others on the short list included The Ice Swimmer Kjell Ola Dahl, tr. Don Bartlett; The Whisperer by Karin Fossum, tr. Kari Dickson; The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson, tr. Victoria Cribb; Resin by Ane Riel, tr. Charlotte Barslund; and Big Sister by Gunnar Staalesen, tr. Don Bartlett. Eurocrime has the full shortlist of nominated titles.

The Crime Writers Association in the UK announced the longlists for this year's Dagger Awards, celebrating the best in crime fiction and nonfiction. As the term "longlist" implies, the number of nominees is fairly long, but Shots Magazine's Ayo Onatade has an easy quick reference for you to see all the nods in the various categories. Shortlists for the Daggers will be announced in the summer and the winners will be announced at the Dagger Awards dinner in London on October 24.

At this year's British Book Awards, Louise Candlish was the winner in the Crime and Thriller category for her novel, Our House, while the Author of the Year honor was bestowed upon Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series.

The winner for the inaugural Lindisfarne Prize for debut crime fiction was announced. Cressida Downing won for her novel, The Roll Bearer's Daughter, which is set on Holy Island at the turn of the 15th century. The prize was launched this year by author LJ Ross to honor new literary talent as well as celebrating settings in the North East area of the UK.

Strand Magazine announced the 2019 Strand Critics Awards finalists:

Best Mystery Novel:

Lullaby Road by James Anderson
Transcription by Kate Atkinson
November Road by Lou Berney
Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
The Witch Elm by Tana French
Sunburn by Laura Lippman

Best Debut Mystery Novel:

Dodging and Burning by John Copenhaver
Star of the North by D.B. John
The Other Side of Everything by Lauren Doyle Owens
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward

The Strand also announced the latest recipients of its latest Lifetime Achievement Awards: Heather Graham and Donna Leon; and Publisher of the Year Award to Dominique Raccah, the publisher/CEO of Sourcebooks. 
 

Ireland's International Crime Writing Festival, Murder One, won't take place until November of this year, but in the meantime, the organizers are launching a series of summer events. Each takes places in Dublin’s historic City Hall where capacity is limited to 200. First up is Jeffery Deaver in conversation with Declan Burke on Friday May 24th; James Ellroy will join a Q&A with Eoin McNamee on Thursday May 30th; and finally, Karin Slaughter will be interviewed by RTE’s Sinead Crowley on Thursday June 13th.

London's Capital Crime Digital Festival (September 26-28) also has a special feature lined up this year. If you are a ticket holder, you can also participate in the Capital Crime Digital Festival to be launched on October 28th. It's also a great opportunity for authors, as Shot Magazine's Ayo Onatade noted, becoming a permanent platform that showcases more than 70 authors with video links and dedicated book pages.

Capital Crime added to the line-up for London's new crime and thriller festival taking place in September at the Connaught Rooms in England's capital city. Martina Cole, Ian Rankin, Ann Cleeves, Mark Billingham, Don Winslow, Robert Glenister, Adenle, Denise Mina, Catherine Steadman, and Mukherjee are among the latest guests announced with further names to be revealed at a later date. Speakers previously announced by organizers David Headley and Adam Hamdy include Kate Atkinson, David Baldacci, Ann Cleeves, Robert Harris, Peter James, Lynda La Plante, Simon Mayo, and Kate Mosse. Dubbed a "diverse, inclusive and socially responsible festival," Capital Crime is running initiatives including social outreach to support students exploring a literary career, an innovative digital festival, and the launch of the New Voices Award. 

This year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival will host an inaugural library conference with speakers including Ann Cleeves and Arts Council England CEO Darren Henley. The festival will also deliver its 11th annual Big Read with current reader-in-residence, author Mari Hannah. It aims to encourage crime fiction fans and entice reluctant readers to read and discuss the same book and utilize their local library service.

On view through June 3 at Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach, FL, you can catch the exhibition "The Art of Sherlock Holmes," which features 15 artistic works inspired by the Great Detective. Curated by author Phil Growick, the exhibit brings together 14 pieces of art that are interpretations of different short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes, all created by West Palm Beach artists. The artistic styles include abstract, contemporary, digital, realist, minimalist, symbolism, or an amalgam of various forms. (HT to Elizabeth Foxwell)

Writing for The Millions, John Smith investigated the real genesis for the character of Sherlock Holmes:  two leading crime experts of Arthur Conan Doyle's day who had a profound influence upon the author, one who reaped the glory of being named "the real life" Holmes in the press and another who was largely unrecognized in his lifetime.

Speaking of Holmes, the Royal Mint in the UK has released a Sherlock Holmes 50p coin to mark the 160th anniversary of the birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Designed by Stephen Raw, the coin has been made to encourage people to use their magnifying glass to read the names of the famous cases (listed on the coin in tiny print) in true Sherlock style.

The Washington Post profiled author Thomas Harris, who introduced the world to Hannibal Lecter. Harris has just released his first novel in thirteen years, Cari Mora.

Chris Pavone, whose first novel, The Expats, received both the Edgar and Anthony awards for Best First Novel, as well as a film deal, applied the Page 69 Test to his latest work, The Paris Diversion.

Penguin Random House is offering a "Spruce Up Your Shelves" sweepstakes to win a library of 50 books and more. The contest runs through June 30th.

The latest poem at the 5-2 crime poetry weekly is "Cornelia Gale" by Juleigh Howard-Hobson