Mystery Melange - Thanksgiving Edition

Thriller author James Patterson and Bookshop.org are launching a literary award called the James Patterson and Bookshop.org Prize. The first place winner will receive $15,000 while the runner-up will receive $10,000, with both titles promoted on Bookshop.org and by participating indie bookstores. Indie booksellers from qualifying stores will be able to nominate titles and vote for the longlist, shortlist, and final winners. Nominations will open on January 5, 2026, with the ten-book longlist scheduled to be announced on February 9, the five-book shortlist announced on March 16, and the winner on April 6.


More "Best of 2025" lists have been released lately for your reading and/or holiday shopping pleasure. Audible compiled its favorite audio mysteries, and the Chicago Public Library system revealed its top print mystery selections (via Deadly Pleasures Magazine).


Janet Rudolph has updated her list of Thanksgiving-themed mysteries over at the Mystery Fanfare blog, including a few titles for younger readers.


The authors at the Mystery Lovers Kitchen blog are on hand to provide some Thanksgiving recipes and reads, including Roast Turkey Breast (perfect for a small Thanksgiving dinner) from Vick Delany; Impossible Pumpkin Pie from Peg Cochran aka Margaret Loudon; a trio cranberry delights via Leslie Budewitz (Cranberry Fig Compote, Cranberry Coffee Cake, and Cranberry Whipped Goat Cheese); Sweet Potato Biscuits by way of Molly MacRae; plus many more.


In the Crime Reads essay, "Murder, with a Dash of Nutmeg: Why Food and Mystery Pair So Well in Fiction," Carmela Dutra explained why "There’s something wildly satisfying about following a trail of cookie crumbs that leads to a killer, especially if you can pause for a pun and some pie along the way."


Mysteryrats Maze podcast via Kings River Life has a thanksgiving story titled "The Shocking Assault Upon Sophronsia Morgan’s Cranberry Aspic" by Erica Obey.


Although Thanksgiving is primarily an American tradition, it's also celebrated on various dates in October and November in Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, the Australian territory of Norfolk Island, and unofficially in countries like Germany, plus there are other harvest festival holidays around the world at this time of year. So perhaps it's fitting we don't neglect international crime fiction and crime fiction in translation. Crime Reads featured a look at "The Best Fiction in Translation of Fall 2025"; Publishers Weekly listed some new "Mysteries & Thrillers in Translation"; and PW also profiled "New Crime Fiction from Belgium, France, and Quebec."


This week's crime poem up at the 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly is "Whips" by Fatimah Akanbi.


In the Q&A roundup, Ayo Onatade spoke with Abir Mukherjee for Shots Magazine about the writing of his award-winning novel, Hunted, and his return to his Wyndham and Banerjee series; The Guardian interviewed Sophie Hannah, author of the Agatha Christie Poirot continuation novels, about discovering Agatha Christie’s alter ego, Frances Farmer’s life-changing story of survival, and Hannah's favorite self help books; and Lisa Haselton spoke with both M. Jayne LaDow about her new spicy cozy novel, A Pilgrimage of Whispered Truths, and Austin Camacho about his new action-thriller, True Target.