Mystery Melange

 

Registration is now open for the International Thriller Writer's Seventh Annual Online Thriller School. The eight-week program begins March 23, 2020, where the craft of thriller writing will be front and center. Each instructor will teach an aspect of craft though a Facebook Live video, written materials that include further reading and study suggestions, and an entire week of on-line Q&A with the registered students. Featured author-instructors include Allison Brennan, Grant Blackwood, Raymond Khoury, Karen Dionne, Steven James, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Peter James and Kathleen Antrim.

Perfect Crime, the first crime writing festival set in the heart of Liverpool, is gearing up for its inaugural convention on November 14 with a new website. Ann Cleves is the special guest, with more authors and evnets to be announced soon.

More good conference news: Noireland 2020 is returning with a one-day festival packed full of panels, workshops, tours, and screenings on Saturday, March 28 in Belfast at the Clayton Hotel. Organizers plan to announced the program soon with more information about registration and tickets.

Level Best Books is partnering with Lee and Denene Lofland to launch New Arc Books, a new imprint. Lee, a veteran police investigator, has served as a consultant for Slate Magazine, Spike TV and for many well-known bestselling authors. As an expert, he has appeared on BBC television, CNN, NPR radio’s Talk of the Nation and Public Television. Denene received a Ph.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, and while her career is focused on science, her life-long passions are fantasy and science fiction. They are actively seeking submissions, from agents or authors, of novels between 70,000 and 100,000 words with a tilt toward crime titles, both fiction and nonfiction.

Faber will celebrate the 100th anniversary of P D James’ birth by publishing her short story "The Part-Time Job" in book form for the first time. August 3 will mark what would have been the 100th birthday of James, which Faber published for over 50 years following the publication of her first novel, Cover Her Face, in 1962. In celebration of this centenary, Faber will publish short story "The Part-Time Job" in book form, which editorial director Angus Cargill described as "an ingenious, dark-treat of a story." Faber will also publish a specially designed new paperback edition of A Mind to Murder, the second novel in James' Adam Dalgliesh series. Faber said it hopes to draw a new generation of readers to "this great character and classic series."

Nancy Drew debuted in 1930 in The Secret of the Old Clock and has been busily solving crimes ever since. She has become an icon as few other characters have. But while you’ve certainly heard of the celebrated girl detective, how much do you really know about her? This quiz poses 15 questions about the characters and cases that appeared in the original 56 Nancy Drew books.

Speaking of Nancy Drew, her fans might not be thrilled to learn that a new graphic novel by Anthony Del Col just killed off the teen detective. But Bustle came to the rescue with a list of "15 Female Detective Novels To Read While You Mourn Nancy Drew."

If you work a lot of crossword puzzles (guilty!), then you've probably come across the word "yegg." Ever wonder how this unusual crime-associated term came about? Grammarphobia has you covered.

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "Xannie" by J.B. Stevens.

In the Q&A roundup, Deborah Kalb spoke with Tanen Jones about her new thriller, The Better Liar; the Irish Examiner chatted with Jo Spain, author of Six Wicked Reasons, about how she multitasks to get a lot done; and the Washington Times interviewed Otto Penzler, a long-time champion of short crime fiction through his Mysterious Press imprint.

Media Murder for Monday

It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news:

THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES

Matt Damon is set to re-team with James Mangold, his director on Ford v Ferrari, for an adaptation of Don Winslow's 2017 novel, The Force. Damon will star as a New York City detective named Denny Malone, who leads an elite squad of cops called "Da Force" that wages war on drugs, gangs and gun violence. The only problem is that Denny is dirty and is being pursued by the feds for stealing millions after one of the biggest drug busts in the city’s history.

It was previously reported that Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio were working on an adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, the 2017 book by David Grann which investigates a series of murders of members of the Osage Native American tribe in Oklahoma in the 1920s. Now it seems that Robert De Niro has officially come on board, with filming set to get underway shortly.

Paramount has debuted a second official trailer for The Rhythm Section, an adaptation of the first book from the "Stephanie Patrick Thrillers" series by Mark Burnell. The Rhythm Section is described as an international spy thriller about a woman who takes on the identity of an assassin in order to seek out and get revenge on those who orchestrated a plane crash that killed her family. Blake Lively stars as Stephanie Patrick, along with Jude Law, Max Casella, Daniel Mays, Richard Brake, Raza Jaffrey, Tawfeek Barhom, and Sterling K. Brown.

The annual Sundance Film Festival has produced lists of the "hottest" titles (for example, here and here) that may be hitting screens near you. They include Assassins, where true crime meets global spy thriller; the political thrillers, The Last Thing He Wanted, and Ironbark; and various crime-based documentaries.

TELEVISION/STREAMING SERVICES

Amazon has put in development a series based on James Patterson’s Alex Cross novels for television. The series focuses on Metropolitan Police Department detective and father Alex Cross as he faces threats to his family and the city of Washington, D.C. The thriller series, which is ongoing, currently consists of 29 books, and it's not known yet which specific novels would be adapted for the series. Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry have both previously starred as the character on the big screen.

TNT is developing Liars Club, a one-hour dramedy/thriller from a team that includes actress/writer Amy Rutberg (Netflix’s Daredevil) and NCIS: New Orleans showrunner, Christopher Silber. Written by Rutberg, Liars Club is a show about a woman with a unique skill set and a dark history leading two very different lives – one adorned in the trappings of Connecticut country clubs and house parties, the other drenched in the murk of the underground New York gambling circuit.

The Night Manager executive producer Stephen Garrett has optioned the rights to Gordon Corera’s non-fiction book, Russians Among Us: Sleeper Cells, Ghost Stories And The Hunt for Putin’s Spies with a view to turning it into a television series. Russians Among Us tells the story of Vladimir Putin’s espionage campaign in the West, the Russian "deep cover" spies who penetrated America and the FBI campaign to capture them.

Emmy-winning Fleabag director Harry Bradbeer has co-created a Rear Window-esque crime drama with Manhunt writer Ed Whitmore for ITV. The five-part thriller Viewpoint follows a police surveillance investigation into a tight knit community in Manchester and explores "whether it is ever possible observe the lives of others with true objectivity and zero effect."

Quibi’s upcoming action-thriller starring Liam Hemsworth and Christoph Waltz now has an official title, Most Dangerous Game. The series, from Scorpion creator Nick Santora, focuses on a man desperate to take care of his pregnant wife before a terminal illness can take his life, accepting an offer to participate in a deadly game where he soon discovers that he’s not the hunter…but the prey.

Johnny Flynn is set to star opposite Andrew Scott in Steven Zaillian’s drama series for Showtime, Ripley, based on Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling quintet of Tom Ripley novels. Oscar winner Zaillian (Schindler’s List) will write and direct the entire first season. In the series, Tom Ripley (Scott), a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York, is hired by a wealthy man to try to convince his vagabond son, Dickie Greenleaf (Flynn), who is living a comfortable, trust-funded ex-pat life in Italy, to return home. Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder.

Philip Anthony-Rodriguez is set to recur in CBS’ upcoming drama, Tommy, which premieres February 6. The series stars Emmy-winner Edie Falco as Abigail "Tommy" Thomas, a former high-ranking NYPD officer who becomes the first female chief of police for Los Angeles. Anthony-Rodriguez will play Rascal Santos, described as "a wary, smart and dedicated Vice Squad Commander" who works closely with Tommy when one of his operations might be compromised.

Iain Maitland’s thriller, Mr. Todd’s Reckoning, has been optioned for TV by Abbott Vision, producers of critically acclaimed TV dramas including No Offence. The project tells the story of a father and a son in a seemingly normal house on a normal street...who are slowly driving each other insane, with one of them a psychopath.

The Chris Evans-starrer Defending Jacob has set its premiere date at Apple TV, debuting its first three episodes late in April. Based on William Landay’s crime drama novel of the same name, Evans plays Andy Barber, an assistant District Attorney whose life is turned completely upside down when his 14-year-old son becomes a key suspect in one of his murder trials.

Netflix released a trailer for Spenser Confidential, the series based on the Spencer novels by Robert B. Parker (and continued by Ace Atkins after Parker's death). Although there are to be changes from the books, Spenser Confidential stars Mark Wahlberg as ex-cop Spenser, who is just getting out of prison and ready to leave Boston for good. But first, he's dragged into helping his old mentor and boxing coach Henry (Alan Arkin) into helping a promising amateur, Hawk (Winston Duke). When two of Spenser’s former colleagues are murdered, he recruits Hawk and his ex-girlfriend, Cissy (Iliza Shlesinger), to help him investigate and bring the culprits to justice.

Richard Armitage stars in the trailer for Harlan Coben’s upcoming Netflix series, The Stranger, about a secret that destroys a man's perfect life and sends him on a collision course with a deadly conspiracy.

PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO

RedCarpetCrash interviewed author Joseph Finder about his new Nick Heller thriller, House On Fire.

Special guest co-host Lori Rader-Day joined Eric Beetner on Writer Types to chat with Kate Kessler and Kim Taylor Blakemore. Plus, the Malmons were on hand with new book reviews.

Speaking of Mysteries welcomed Chad Dunas to talk his new novel, The Blaze, featuring Matthew Rose, who lost some of his memories after a traumatic brain injury while serving in Afghanistan - memories that are linked to a series of arsons and murder in his hometown.

Suspense Radio's Beyond the Cover podcast chatted with Dana Ridenour, the author of the Lexi Montgomery series.

Meet the Thriller Author spoke with Peter Riva about his travels in Africa and his Mbuno and Pero Thriller series.

It Was a Dark and Stormy Book Club sat down with Robert Bryndza about his new novel, Nine Elms, the first in his Kate Marshall private detective series.

THEATRE

Richmond Theatre, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, will stage a production of My Cousin Rachel from February 3-8. Alluring, exotic and unconventional, Countess Rachel Sangalletti travels from Florence to the Ashley Estate in Cornwall, home of her recently deceased husband. Her presence in the house arouses dark suspicions and uncontrollable desires, not least in young Philip, cousin and heir to the Ashley home. Helen George, known for her role as Trixie Franklin in Call the Midwife, plays the enigmatic Rachel.

Mystery Melange

There are 37 titles on the longlist for the 2020 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year. The award honors books in translation published in English in the UK during the preceding calendar year that are written by a Scandinavian-born author or feature a Scandinavian setting. The winner of the Award will be announced at CrimeFest in June.

Lee Child is passing the baton of his Jack Reacher novels over to his younger brother, with the first book in the new partnership, The Sentinel, to be published October 29. Publisher Transworld announced a new four-book deal in the series, to be co-authored by Lee and Andrew Child, who writes thrillers under his birth name Andrew Grant, with Grant set to take over the series thereafter. Lee Child said he has been searching for a way to kill off the title character, portrayed on film by Tom Cruise, for years but has ultimately decided his fans deserve to see him live on in books.

From February 21-23, CrimeCon will host CrowdSolve: Chicago at the Hilton Palmer House in Chicago, Illinois. Citizen sleuths and true crime enthusiasts will gather to delve into a real-life cold case alongside industry experts and seasoned investigators in hopes of reaching a breakthrough. Now in its second year, CrimeCon CrowdSolve selects a special cold case for each event, which this year will focus on two open cases from Thurston County, Washington.

J. Kingston Pierce shared the work of the late cover artist Tom Adams (March 29, 1926 – December 17, 2019), who painted the covers for many Agatha Christie and Sue Grafton mysteries.

Speaking of book covers, do you ever think you're having déjà vu? Maybe not.

Writing for Crimereads, M.L.Huie discussed the shadowy noir of the postwar thriller, from 1945 to the Cuban missile crisis, and how crime fiction is the perfect space to ponder the long aftermath of the Second World War.

You think that you have a tough job? Crimereads focused on the "Hostile Work Environment: Women in Today's Thrillers."

Dutch art detective Arthur Brand, lauded as the Indiana Jones of the art world, has done it again: he solved another major case, recovering an ancient manuscript known as the Diwan of Hafez. Featuring the collected works (or diwan) of the 14th-century Persian lyrical poet Hafez, the handwritten and gold leaf-embellished book was stolen in 2007 and is worth €1 million ($1.1 million), according to German authorities

In yet another plot straight out of a mystery novel, two men were accused of stealing and reselling more than $500,000 worth of rare books, maps and other artifacts from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

Speaking of libraries and librarians, they have to put up with a lot, including this.

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "Smoking in Jail" by Richard Spillman.

In the Q&A roundup, Sophie Hannah (The Monogram Murders) spoke with the Cambridge Independent about how "People can do pretty damaging stuff behind closed doors"; Chip Scanlan asked author Bryan Gruley (the Starvation Lake mystery series) three questions about his writing; Richie Narvaez stopped by the Verge Le Noir blog to chat about crime short stories and his novel, Hipster Death Rattle; and Fiona Mcvie interviewed Scottish crime author, Craig Russell, about his gothic psychological thriller set in 1930s Czechoslovakia, The Devil Aspect, the film rights of which have been bought by Columbia Pictures in Hollywood.