Mystery Melange

We had some sad news this week at the passing of Scottish crime author Peter May at the age of 74. He wife posted a tribute on Facebook from May's publisher and dear friend, Jon Riley, "Although he had announced his retirement, which he was looking forward to sharing with his beloved wife, the writer Janice Hally, May found there was one more novel in him, and he delivered Island of the Dead in July this year. He was preparing for a farewell tour of Scotland and Lewis to coincide with publication in January 2027. Peter May was not only one of the best writers of crime fiction we had, but he inspired enormous affection in his readers and in those lucky enough to work with him. His kindness, generosity and largeness of spirit, loyalty, engagement with life, and the world, made him a much-loved,as well as much- admired figure. He is irreplaceable." More tributes are pouring in, including these from the BBC, The Telegraph, and The Scotsman.


Back in August, news dropped that Wildside Press and publisher John Betancourt were closing down the Black Cat Weekly crime fiction magazine. But this week, Level Best Books announced it's acquiring the magazine and relaunching it as Black Cat Mysteries, a brand-new monthly, digital magazine dedicated to mystery, suspense, and crime fiction. Editors say there will be a new issue every month, arriving on the 13th, with the inaugural issue (appropriately) on Friday, November 13th. Every issue pairs original short stories from today's mystery and crime writers with rediscovered classics from the pulp era, alongside author interviews, industry news, and a recurring feature on the world of mystery writing; the first issue digs into why short stories mattered so much to the genre's Golden Age authors, and why they still do.


Michael Bracken is heading up a free online event focused on writing short crime fiction on Saturday, October 10. Sponsored Southeast Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America, the Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime, this online Zoom presentation will feature panels on "Some Loose Thoughts on Tight Structures," "Short Stories as Building Blocks," and insights from various magazine editors about what they're looking for.


Noir at the Bar heads to the City of Angels on October 11. Eric Beetner takes on hosting duties, with authors scheduled to read from their works including Kasey Lansdale, Luke Goebel, James Queally, Rochelle Staab, Gary Phillips, Dete Meserve, and Lawrence Allen. The venue is the Glen Arden Club in the LA suburb of Glendale.


The new exhibition, “Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery,” opens next month at the British Library in London, and includes never-before-seen artifacts from the life of literature’s “Queen of Crime.” The exhibition will take visitors back to Christie’s childhood and explore her journey to becoming an iconic writer, while celebrating how adaptations of her novels for stage and screen continue to enthrall audiences today, over 50 years after her death. Like the works of the novelist it honors, the exhibition will be scattered with “clues” and “Easter eggs” and also feature interviews with fans, journalists and other writers, exploring Christie’s influence on the crime genre. “Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery” will be on view at the British Library from October 30, 2026, through June 20, 2027.


The latest issue of Clues: A Journal of Detection, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Fall 2026) is devoted to "Reappraising James Ellroy," including such articles as "The Conspiratorial Logic of James Ellroy's Underworld USA Trilogy" and "Ellroy and Macdonald." The publication is under the direction of Managing Editor Elizabeth Foxwell, with guest editors Nathan Ashman (U of East Anglia, UK) and Steven Powell (U of Liverpool, UK).. (HT to The Bunburyist)


Kevin Tipple's Thursday Treats has news of Short Mystery Fiction Society Mystery Magazine issue #1, Black Cat Weekly #265, September Smoke, the latest installment in the Declan Shaw Mystery series via Shotgun Honey books, and the Punk Noir FAFO series.


This week's crime poem up at the 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly is "Stop" by F.I. Goldhaber.


In the Q&A roundup, Allison Keeton over at the Maine Crime Writers blog interviewed Dennis Pierce about his debut novel, Swinging for Power; Tracy Maton applied the Page 69 Test to The Artful Anna Harris, her debut psychological thriller; the Alliance of Independent Authors' Howard Lovy chatted with Luke Richardson a former journalist, nightclub DJ, and English teacher who turned his love of travel and adventure into writing thrillers; and Writers Who Kill's Grace Topping interviewed Carol Pouilot about her new mystery that involves time-traveling sleuths, Murder at the Moulin Rouge.