Mystery Melange

Mick Herron, author of the Slough House and Zoë Boehm series, has been awarded the 2026 Pepe Carvlho Award, given annually as part of the BCNegra literary festival in Barcelona. Herron received the honor for his "essential contribution to crime fiction, thriller, and contemporary espionage" fiction, and is the latest in a line of winners that includes Jo Nesbø, Don Winslow, Dennis Lehane, Donna Leon, Michael Connelly, P. D. James, and more.


In other international award news, Dominic Nolan won the Lauréat Du Prix Mystére De La Critique 2026 for his novel, White City, in the Best Foreign Novel category. The Critics' Mystery Prize was created in 1972 by the journal Mystère, published by OPTA from 1948 to 1976, and continues to be awarded annually by its founder, Georges Rieben, and his team. The Critics' Mystery Prize is one of the oldest French prizes awarded to a detective novel and is divided into two categories, French novel and foreign novel. This year, Benjamin Dierstein's Bleus, Blancs, Rouges won in the "Best French-language novel" category.


The Los Angeles Times Book Prizes announced finalists in various categories. The top nods in the Mystery/Thriller realm include El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott (G.P. Putnam’s Sons); The Proving Ground: A Lincoln Lawyer Novel by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Company); Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Ace Atkins (William Morrow); King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books: Pine & Cedar); and Crooks by Lou Berney (William Morrow).  Winners will be revealed during the LA Times Book Festival, Friday, April 17, 2026 at 7 p.m. at the Bovard Auditorium (USC Campus).


There will be a Noir at the Bar event in New York City on March 1 at the Shade Bar, 241 Sullivan Street. Authors scheduled to appear to read from their works include James McCrone, Wil Medearis, Linda Sands, Brian Silverman, John Shepphird, Jason Starr, Albert Tucher, Scott Adlerberg, and Jen Conley.


A little farther down the road on April 15, Baramoor in Newton, Massachusetts will be the setting for a Noir at the Bar to benefit the Alzheimer's Association. It was organized by Nancy McCreary in honor of her husband, Lew McCreary, a critically acclaimed author of literary and crime fiction, including Mount’s Mistake, The Minus Man, and The 13th Step, who is suffering from this cruel disease. Participating authors include Hank Phillipi Ryan, Tracy Sierra, Liza Tully, Edwin Hill, Emily Ross, Sara Divello, Nicole Asselin, Trisha Blanchet, and Jonathan Payne, with Joanna Schaffhausen serving as host.


Registration is open for the 2026 Edgar Week Symposium set for Tuesday, April 26. Panels include "Murder by Death: Where crime, art and literature intersect," "Composite Sketch: Creating unforgettable characters," and more, featuring a lineup of bestselling authors. There will be also be an interview by Oline Cogdill of the 2026 Grand Masters, Donna Andrews and Lee Child.


This week's crime poem up at the 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly is "Allow Me" by Caleb Merritt.


In the Q&A roundup, Deborah Kalb spoke with Deborah Goodrich Royce, author of the new psychological thriller, Best Boy. Kalb also interviewed Sandra K. Griffith about her new thriller, One Beautiful Year of Normal.