CyberGumshoe's Mumblings in November/December 2024




Frederick Weisel Wins Nero

On December 02 at the Black Orchid Banquet held in New York City, the Wolfe Pack, the official Nero Wolfe literary society, announced that THE DAY HE LEFT, by Frederick Weisel (Poisoned Pen Press, 2022) won the 2023 Nero Award. The winning novel was the second in the Santa Rosa Violent Crime Investigations Team series.

At the same night, "Alibi in Ice" by Libby Cudmore received the 2023 Black Orchid Nevella Award. The winning novella will be published in the July 2024 issue of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. (December 04, 2023)



Marv Lachman Dies

Marv Lachman died of complications related to bone cancer in late October. I know I am terribly late in writing this "mini-obit" but I had been looking for some info on when and where he passed away, in vain. I had known Marv since the later part of 1970's when he was writing mystery columns and reviews for the old defunct fanzines such as The Armchair Detective, The Mystery Fancier, The Poisoned Pen. I don't remember how many times I met him at the mystery gatherings like Bouchercon. He won the 1977 Edgar in the critical/biographical work category from the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) for ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MYSTERY AND DETECTION (McGraw-Hill, 1976), co-written with Chris Steinbrunner, Otto Penzler and Charles Shibuk, while he was nominated singularly in the same category in 1994 for A READERS' GUIDE TO THE AMERICAN NOVEL OF DETECTION (G.K. Hall, 1993). He received the 1997 Raven Award from MWA for "outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside of the realm of creative writing." (I still remember congratulating him at the Edgar Banquet in New York.) He won the 2001 Macavity Award for THE AMERICAN REGIONAL MYSTERY (Crossover Presws, 2000), and the 2006 Anthony Award for the first edition of THE HEIRS OF ANTHONY BOUCHER (Poisoned Pen Press, 2005). He received the first Don Sandstrom Memorial Award for lifetime achievement in mystery fandom, and the 2013 David Thompson Special Service Award for his "exemplary life-ling service to the mystery and crime fiction community." To me, he was a extremely knowledgeable mystery scholar. When I had some mystery-related questions, he would kindly send me their answers by e-mail. He was 91. (November 07, 2023)



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