Mystery Melange

Anne Perry, a prolific author whose period thrillers have sold over 25 million copies worldwide, died this week at the age of 84. She is best known to most readers as the author of the Thomas Pitt and William Monk series of historical detective fiction. However, in 1954, Perry, then a 15-year-old called Juliet Hulme who was living in New Zealand at the time, helped to bludgeon to death the mother of her friend, Pauline Parker. Both were convicted of murder and sent to prison. (The grisly story was the subject of Peter Jackson's film Heavenly Creatures, in which Hulme was played by Kate Winslet.) Perry was released from prison in 1959 and set about reconstructing her life, noting, "I had to give up my past - the hardest thing imaginable - and begin life in my new identity as Anne Perry, knowing even a tiny slip could unravel everything," she said. She became a Mormon and moved to a small community in Scotland and turned to writing thrillers, although she died in Los Angeles, where she'd been living recently to promote film adaptations of her many works. Perry once told The Guardian, "Why can't I be judged for who I am now, not what I was then?" A statement from her published following her death noted that Perry would be remembered for her "memorable characters, historical accuracy, the quality of her detective stories, and also for her exploration of social issues."

The Independent Book Publishers Association revealed the finalists of their annual Ben Franklin Awards, including the titles in the Mystery & Thriller category: Heroes Ever Die by J.A. Crawford; The Registration: A Novel by Madison Lawson; and Running to Fall: A Novel by Kalisha Buckhanon. Judges determine one Gold and two Silver winners in each category, which will be announced at the 2023 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards ceremony on Friday, May 5, 2023 in San Diego, CA.

The judges of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction announced a shortlist of seven books for the 2023 prize. The shortlist includes the crime-themed novel, Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris, which imagines one of the greatest manhunts in history: the search for two Englishmen involved in the killing of King Charles I and the implacable foe on their trail. The winner will be announced at a special series of events in the Scottish Borders as part of the Borders Book Festival, June 15-16.

Sadly, this year's Writers’ Police Academy, June 8-11, will be its last. For the past fifteen years, the event has offered a unique opportunity for attendees to participate in many of the same hands-on training classes, basic and advanced, taught to Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, and Corrections personnel, and the 2023 event will also feature a special homicide investigations tract. These cutting-edge sessions are typically reserved for investigators, first responders, and forensics professionals. Director Lee Lofland says the event is very near capacity and only a very few spots remain available, so if you're interested, you should grab your ticket now.

The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) will mark its 70th Jubilee year in 2023 with a series of events, including an exhibition of memorabilia from its archives. Official archivist of the CWA, Martin Edwards, said the anniversary is a, "cause for celebration, not just among its members, but among crime genre fans everywhere." The exhibition will be part of the Alibis in the Archives crime writing weekend which runs June 9—11 at Gladstone’s Library in Wales, as well as other special events linked to National Crime Reading Month in June. There will also be a special Jubilee reception at the Mansion House, York, as part of the CWA’s conference. One of the UK’s most prominent writers’ societies, the CWA was founded by the prolific author John Creasey, who wrote over 600 books under various pseudonyms. The oldest awards in the genre, the CWA Daggers feature the highest honor in crime writing – the CWA Diamond Dagger – which recognizes careers marked by sustained excellence.

This week, Missouri Republicans voted to defund all state libraries, as well as costs for diversity initiatives, childcare and pre-kindergarten programs. The GOP passed a budget in MO that will not fund public libraries as retribution for an ACLU  lawsuit on behalf of the Missouri Association of School Librarians and the Missouri Library Association seeking to declare Senate Bill 775 unconstitutional. That bill has resulted in over 300 books getting banned from school libraries, many of which include LGBTQ characters or racial justice themes.

KHOU had a nice profile of McKenna Jordan and his Houston store, Murder by the Book, the world’s largest crime fiction bookstore. Jordan notes that "All of my staff here are voracious readers and we consider ourselves walking encyclopedias on the genre. Everyone’s read mystery and crime fiction their whole lives."

A panel on the "Long Island Serial Killer," focusing on the Gilgo beach murders and organized as part of the first-ever "Hamptons Mystery & Crime Festival" (aka the "Hamptons Whodunit"), was pulled from the event schedule out of respect for the victims' families after sparking controversy and public outcry. Carrie Doyle, a co-founder of the event, said, "Although all of our true crime programming is meant to be educational, thoughtful and handled with sensitivity, we do not want to upset any members of the victims' families." The event, aimed at those who enjoy true crime books, thrillers, and mysteries, is slated to take place from April 13 to 16 and offers a full array of activities, including panels, graveyard tours, escape rooms, and more.

Fans of Angela Lansbury, the beloved star of Murder She Wrote, will have a chance to buy her home near Los Angeles for $4,495,000. Her daughter, Deidre, told The Wall Street Journal that it would be difficult to let go of their mother’s home, but it was something they needed to do to ‘move on’ from her death.

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 weekly is "Murder Maybe" by Kenneth Pobo.

In the Q&A roundup, Harlan Coben spoke with Hot Press about not writing something that's dull, and also discussed cancel culture, censorship, and his latest book, I Will Find You; and the Cowboy Lifestyle Network chatted with Craig Johnson, bestselling author of the Sheriff Walt Longmire mysteries that were adapted into the Netflix original series, Longmire.