CyberGumshoe's Mumblings in January/February 2023
LAT Book Prize Finalists Announced
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books has announced the finalists for the 2023 LAT Book Prizes. The finalists in the mystery/thriller category are as follows:
WE LIE HERE, by Rachel Howzell Hall (Thomas & Mercer)
BAKC TO THE GARDEN, by Laurie R. King (Bantam)
ALL THAT'S LEFT UNSAID, by Tracey Lien (Morrow)
SECRET IDENTITY, by Alex Segura (Flatiron)
THE CARTOGRAPHERS, by Peng Shepherd (Morrow)
James Ellroy will receive the 2023 Robeert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement. The winners in all the categories will be announced on Friday, April 21 at the University of Southern California's Bovard Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. (February 23, 2023)
Ted Bell Dies
Ted Bell died of an intercerebral hemorrahge on January 20 of in Harford, Connecticut. The former advertising executive wrote the international spy Alexander Hawkes series beginning with HAWKE (Atria, 2003) and ending with SEA HAWKE (Berkley, 2021). He also wrote two time-travel adventure novels for children, NICK OF TIME (2008) and THE TIME PIRATE (2020; both from St. Martin's Press). He was 76. (January 11, 2023)
Walter Mosley to Receive Diamond Dagger
The Crime Writers' Association of Britain (CWA) has announced that Walter Mosley is to receive the 2023 Diamond Dagger Award on Thursday, July 06 in London at the CWA Dagger Awards Gala Dinner Event for his sustained excellence in his crime writing and for a significant contribution to the genre.
By the way, his newest novel is EVERY MAN A KING (Mulholland, 2023), the second Joe King Oliver book, a sequel to DOWN THE RIVER UNTO THE SEA (2018), an MWA Edgar winner. (February 08, 2023)
Tom Corcoran Dies
Tom Corcoran died on January 16 at his home in Lakeland, Florida after a long battle with cancer. The former Navy officer started writing in his 50's and published his first novel, THE MANGO OPERA (Minotaur, 1998), introducing freelance photographer Alex Rutledge in Key West, Florida. He wrote nine more Rutledge mysteries ending with A STEP BEYOND CHAOS (Dredgers Lane, 2022). CRIME ALMOST PAYS (Dredgers Lane, 2015) is a spin-off of Rutledge series, featuring two private investigators, Dubbie Tanner & Wiley Fecko, who first appeared in THE QUICK ADIOS (TIMES SIX) (Dredgers Lane, 2012). By the way, Corcoran was the owner of Dredgers Lane, LLC. He was 79. (February 07, 2023)
Agatha Award Nominees Announced
Malice Domestic has announced the nominees for the 2023 Agatha Awards. The nominees in the best contemporary novel category are as follows:
BAYOU BOOK THIEF, by Ellen Byron (Berkley Prime Crime)
DEATH BY BUBBLE TEA, by Jennifer J. Chow (Berkley)
FATAL REUNION, by Annette Dashofy (Level Best)
DEAD MAN'S LEAP, by Tina de Bellegarde (Level Best)
A WORLD OF CURIOSITIES, by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
To see the Agatha Award nominees in all the categories, click here. The winners will be announced on Saturday, April 29 at the Malice Banquet held in Bethesda, Maryland. (January 28, 2023)
Edgar Award Nominees Announced
Mystery Writers of America announced the nominees for the 2023 Edgar Awards. The nominees in the best novel category are as follows:
DEVIL HOUSE, by John Darnielle (Farrar, Straus and Giroux/MCD)
LIKE A SISTER, by Kellye Garrett (Mulholland Books)
GANGLAND, by Chuck Hogan (Grand Central)
THE DEVIL TAKES YOU HOME, by Gabino Iglesias (Mulholland Books)
NOTES ON AN EXECUTION, by Danya Kukafka (William Morrow)
THE MAID, by Nita Prose(Ballantine Books)
To see the Edgar Award nominees in all the categories, click here. The winners will be announced at the Edgar Awards Banquet at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square on Thursday, April 27. (January 20, 2023)
Lefty Award Nominees Announced
Left Coast Crime 2023 has announced the nominees for its 2023 Lefty Awards. The nominees in the best mystery novel category are as follows:
LIKE A SISTER, by Kellye Garrett (Mulholland)
BACK TO THE GARDEN, by Laurie R. King (Bantam)
DEAD DROP, by James L'Etoile (Level Best)
UNDER LOCK & SKELETON KEY, by Gigi Pandian (Minotaur)
A WORLD OF CURIOSITIES, by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
SECRET IDENTITY, by Alex Segura (Flatiron)
To see the Lefty Award nominees in all the categories, click here. The winners will be announced during an awards banquet on Saturday, March 18 during Left Coast Crime Convention to be held in Tucson, Arizona from March 16 thru 19. (Janurary 18, 2023)
In Memoriam
Better late than never.
Marijane Meaker (1927 - 2022): She died of cardiac arrest on November 21 at her home in Springs, a hamlet in East Hampton, New York. She wrote young adult novels under the M.E. Kerr pen-name, a seris of pseudo-sociological studies of lesbian as by Ann Aldrich, and Gold Medal's hard-boiled crime fiction under the Vin Packer pseudonym. She had an lesbian affair with Patricia Highsmith for two years and lived with her for an half year in Pennsylvania as well as wrote a memoir in 2003 entitled HIGHSMITH: A ROMANCE OF THE 1950'S. Her last novel was SCOTT FREE (Carroll & Graf, 2007), featuring Scott House, a transgender private eye. She was 95.
Shelley Singer (1939 - 2022): She died on November 10 of heart failure and other complications in Minneapolis, MInnesota. The former UPI reporter in Chicago published the first Jake Samson novel, SAMSON'S DEAL (St. Martin's, 1983). Samson is an ex-cop of Chicago Police and moved to Oakland, California, where he starts out as an unlicensed private eye assisted by with his tenant Rosie Vincent. She wrote five more Sam son novels, last of which is ROYAL FLUSH (Perseverance, 1999). She wrote four novels featuring Barrett Lake, history teacher in Berkeley, California, starting with FOLLOWING JANE (Signet, 1993). As Lee Singer, she also authored BLACKJACK (FIVE STAR, 2007) and REVEILLE (e-book, 2018), featuirng Rica Martin, a mercenary in a post-apocalyptic world in 2066). She was 83. (January 16, 2023)
Mystery Scene To Cease Publication
Kate Stine amd Brian Spukin, present co-publishers of Mystery Scene (MS) have announced that the Winter 2022 issue (#174) was "the final issue of Mystery Scene Magazine after 37 Years in business." The website will remain functioning and their monthly e-newsletter will be issued for the time being. I had been a lont-time subscriber to MS since Ed Gorman and Robert J. Randisi founded the mystery version of Publishers Weekly in 1985. MS changed its publishers and appearances a couple of times and finally started the digital edition too. They made this shocking decision about one year after I decided to stop my subscription to MS because I could not subscribe to the digital edition from overseas. Thank you, Kate, thank you Brian. I really enjoyed the high-quality print magazine. (January 16, 2023)
Sleuth of Baker Street To Close
J. D. Singh and Marian Misters, co-owners of Sleuth of Baker Street (the 40-years-old famous mystery bookshop in Toronto, Canada), have announced that they will close their bookshop and retire. They issued the last issue of their official newsletter, The Merchant of Menace. They are now working towards disposing of the inventory and will proceed to close the shop. (January 16, 2023)
Connelly, Fluke To Receive Grand Master Awards
The Mystery Writers of America (MWA) announced the recipients of its three special awards of 2023 as follows:
TWO Grand Master Award Recipients: Michael Connelly and Joanne Fluke
TWO Raven Award Recipients: Crime Writers of Colors (CWoC) and Eddie Muller (host of Turner Classic Movies series Noir Alley and founder and president of the Film Noir Foundation)
Ellery Queen Award Recipient: The Strand Magazine (editor: Andrew Guilli)
These recipients will accept their awards at the Edgar Awards Ceremony to be held on April 27 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York, New York. (January 15, 2023)
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