Mystery Melange

On October 31, the Cardiff Library in Cardiff Wales is hosting "Conversations in Crime," a day of panel discussions and workshops on writing and editing. Authors scheduled to take part include Chris Lloyd (the historical Occupation series); L.J. Shepherd (One of  Your Number); Mark Ellis (Frank Merlin WW2 London detective series); and GJ Williams (The Tudor Rose Murder Mysteries and The Gawain Mysteries). This free event has limited seating, so registration is recommended.


There will be a Noir at the Bar at the iconic Shade Bar in New York City, hosted by and Jen Conley and Scott Adlerberg, on November 1 from 6-9pm. Author taking part include SJ Rozan, Richie Narvaez, Josh Kendall, Victor De Anda, Monique Laban, Nadia  Rabbani, Lincoln Michel, and David Heska Wanbli Weiden.


The New York chapter of Mystery Writers of America have an event scheduled in New York City for November 2nd at the New York Society Library on “Plotting Crime Fiction." Panelists include Naomi Rand (the Emma Price mystery series); Lori Robbins (the On Pointe and Master Class mystery series); and Laura Joh Rowland (two historical samurai detective series with Sano Ichiro and photographer Sarah Bain in Victorian England). The moderator is Charles Salzberg, a former magazine journalist and nonfiction book writer and author of the novel, Devil in the Hole.


The Buckinghamshire libraries in the UK are sponsoring "Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery" in their various branches from October through June 2027. Inspired by the British Library's major exhibition, this special display includes a journey into Christie's life, inspirations and literary legacy, where visitors will discover the stories behind the stories, revealing the experiences, adventures and imagination that shaped some of the most famous mysteries ever written. As part of the exhibition, there will also be a variety of events celebrating reading, storytelling and crime fiction, from author talks and book discussions to family activities and immersive mystery experiences.


The Midwest Victorian Studies Association has issued a call for papers on the topic of "Detection: Exploring, Innovating, Locating, Uncovering” for a conference April 1-3, 2027, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They offer up a list of many angles to consider, such as medical innovation and diagnostic breakthroughs; policing, crime-solving, forensic medicine, the court system; methodologies of detection: observation, induction, deduction; and much more. Applications and abstracts are due by December 7, 2026.


Lee Child is the UK’s first prison reading laureate and as such, he is backing the launch of a reading program to send prisons half a million books. The initiative, delivered by the Reading Agency charity as part of its Quick Reads program, will see copies of 11 short books distributed, with titles selected with input from prisoners as well as staff. A book will be distributed to every cell across the prison estate, as well as stock sent to prison libraries. Child added that the initiative was intended to address the “revolving door” of people leaving prison but struggling to cope outside and returning to custody. The Quick Reads collection spans crime and thrillers, memoir, wellbeing, and a creative writing guide. Fiction titles include High Heat by Child himself; Cell One, a Lagos-set thriller by Leye Adenle; and Darkness Rising, from Bradford-based crime writer AA Dhand’s Harry Virdee series.


Gerald So, editor of the 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly, discontinued updating online zine in 2023, only to revive the site almost two years later. However, it seems he is considering shuttering the webzine once again due to Blogger's recent updates to its content policy effective December 16, 2026. Updates include prohibition of criminal acts and, as So noted, "As editor, I’ve always tried to keep the poetry on the figurative, non-explicit side, but Blogger’s content reviewers may disagree with my standards. In fourteen years, I’ve received one notice of a post being put behind a sensitive-content warning, but I was unable to determine which post. I don’t want to run into this problem with future posts. I’m not seeking a less restrictive platform. I’ve had my editorial say on all manner of crimes, and I don’t feel the need to continue for my own gratification. That’s why Blogger’s policy change may be the best time to end."


The Crime Fiction Lover website and blog asked their resident espionage experts to list the best spy series that have some of the same vibe as Mick Herron's Slow Horses, and they came up with seven choices. Now, the blog is giving you the chance to win the first book in each set, whose authors include David McCloskey, William Boyd, David Goodman, Mark Ezra, Tess Gerritsen, Alex Preston, and Michael Idov. For more information and to enter by the deadline of November 4, follow this link.


If you happen to have a New York Times games subscription, you can try your hand at solving a special detective-themed crossword, co-created by Rian Johnson, the Oscar-nominated director of Knives Out, and puzzle editor, Christina Iverson.


Kevin Tipple's Thursday Treats column has news of Black Cat Weekly #268; the new anthologies Songs to Woody and The Power of 13; Crimeucopia: Objection! Overruled! and much more.


Art Taylor's "The First Two Pages" featured an essay by by James D.F. Hannah about his story “Me & Magdalena” 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 "Skin in the Game" by David Anson Lee.


In the Q&A roundup, Crime Fiction Lover interviewed Chris Dolley about his Reeves & Worcester Steam Punk mysteries and the DCI Shand series, including the latest installment, The Last Hostage; Colin Campbell discussed what working 30 years as a scene-of-crime officer with West Yorkshire Police gave him as a writer; and the New York Times chatted with David McCloskey ("America’s Answer to John le Carré"), a C.I.A. analyst turned spy novelist, has just released his fifth book, London Station.