The deadline is fast approaching to apply for the Barbara Nelly Award from the Mystery Writers of America. Established in 2021, the grants, one for an unpublished Black author and one for a published Black author, honor the late Barbara Neely, a trailblazing Black crime novelist who was named an MWA Grand Master in late 2019 but who passed away before being publicly honored at the 2020 Edgar Awards banquet. Each award carries a $2,000 cash prize to assist the winner with their writing craft and a one-year membership in Mystery Writers of America, which includes membership in the winner’s local chapter. For more information, follow this link, but you only have until November 1st.
In a post on social media, Avon announced the launch of its new imprint, Already Booked. The publisher writes, "Built for readers, Already Booked’s mission is to give you books you can’t put down and can’t help but share." The Harper Collins website (Avon is itself an imprint of HC) notes that titles will include all genres of romance, romantasy, new adult, thriller, and horror. The imprint, which has already reported seven deals according to Publishers Marketplace, is led by Avon editorial director Christa Désir. (HT to Publishers Weekly)
Level Best Books posted on Facebook that it's been 11 years since Dames of Detection acquired the publisher. In that time, the company has grown to include almost 250 authors and 600 titles under its imprints. Works published by LBB have won the Agatha, Anthony, Macavity, Derringer, Shamus, and Robert L. Fish Awards. The Facebook post went on to add, "LBB has had an amazing run so far, but as they say, 'you ain't seen nothin' yet!' Here's to the next 11 years!"
Publishers Weekly posted its list of the the twelve best mystery and thriller novels of 2026. (HT to The Rap Sheet)
Mystery Fanfare has its updated lists of Halloween-themed mysteries and crime nonfiction titles posted online.
Kings River Life (KRL) profiled Pumpkin Vice Cafe by Ellie Alexander, complete with a pumpkin recipe, plus there's a review of Summer Coven, a vampire cozy by Kat Hillis and Rosiee Thor. Other Halloween-themed posts include an interview with Trisha Blanchet about her new book, Murder Like Magic; a guest post with mystery author Mark Leslie talking about his new book, Ghost Stories of the Great Lakes; and another special guest post perfect for the Halloween season,with author Ed Seaward discussing his new book, London Gothic.
Although KRL's Mysteryrat's Maze podcast is still "officially" on hiatus, editor Lorie Lewis Ham alerted me that they will be doing some holiday episodes. The latest features the Halloween mystery short story "Kill Your Darlings" by John A Tures, as read by actor Sean Hopper, and "Pepper Reece and the Ghost of Arthur Goodwin" by Leslie Budewitz, read by Cady Mejias.
On a special Halloween episode of Pick Your Poison podcast: An old Victorian house; a Halloween séance; a trunk that hasn't been opened in decades. What could possibly go wrong? Dr. Jen Prosser takes on a medical mystery that begins with an evening among friends and ends in the emergency department. Along the way, dis cover why pregnancy can trigger unusual cravings, what compulsively chewing ice might reveal about your health, and what your urine color can tell you. Can you solve the mystery before it's too late?
The authors at Mystery Lovers Kitchen have some Halloween books and treats for readers including Perfect Pumpkin Bread from Cleo Coyle; Halloween Bat Bites via Molly MacRae; Chocolate-Pumpkin Crumb Cake, by way of Maddie Day; Pumpkin Scones from Darci Hannah; a Char-BOO-terie board, courtesy of Leslie Budewitz, and much more.
Mystery Readers Journal's latest issue themed around "Cross-Genre Mysteries" is now available. Cross-genre mysteries retain a central investigation or puzzle at its heart, but layers in other distinct genre such as science fiction, fantasy, true crime, and Westerns. Free online teaser articles include "Crossing Genres Can Be Fun, but It’s Not Always Easy to Do" by R.G. Belsky and "Baking Magic into Mysteries" by Jennifer Chow.
Kevin Tipple's Thursday Treats column has news of Black Cat Weekly #269; BAM! Stories With a Punch; the new Bouchercon anthology, The Lines We Cross: Stories of Crime & Mystery, and much more.
Art Taylor's "The First Two Pages" featured an essay by by Michel Lee Garrett about her story "Last Train to Clarksville" in the new anthology Daydream Believer: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of The Monkees, edited by Lawrence Allan and Michelle Kubitz.
This week's crime poem up at the 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly is "Gun Molls" by Peter M. Gordon.
In the Q&A roundup, Deborah Kalb spoke with London-based author Anna Maloney, author of the new novel, The 10:12, a twisty, high-stakes thriller in the style of Ruth Ware, Lisa Jewell, and Claire Douglas; Kalb also chatted with Elle Marr about her new psychological thriller, She Dies in the End, as well as Mike Lawson about his new assassination thriller, McKenna's Guy; and Writers Who Kill interviewed Lane Stone about her new novel, Crimes and Sins, featuring Emma Kelly, the art world’s leading recovery agent who goes head-to-head with modern descendants of the Medici family who have taken their legacy further by adding murder, art theft, and terrorism.
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