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2023 Valentine’s Day Mysteries and Fiction

Are you a fan of holiday themed reading? Published between 2016 and 2023, here is an updated  list of thirty-one novels, novellas, and short stories centered around Valentine’s Day. Be prepared to sigh, or giggle, or be entranced by the selection. Click on the titles to discover more about the books and enjoy!

 

Jennifer S. Alderson  Death by Baguette

Carolyn Arnold  Valentine’s Day is Murder

 

Belle Bailey  A Sugar Maple Valentine

Patti Benning  Tall, Dark, and Deadly

Bellamy Bloom & Addison Moore  Murder Bites

Franky A. Brown  What Happened to Romance?

 

Susan Carroll The Valentine’s Day Ball

Cherry Christensen  Secret Valentine

Colleen Cross  Witching for Love on Valentine’s Day

 

Sylvia Damsell  A Valentine Wish

Steve Demaree A Valentine Murder

Liz Dodwell Valentine’s Day: a Polly Parrett Pet-Sitter Cozy

Jessica L. Elliott Operation: Romance

 

Tammy Falkner A Valentine’s Day Miracle

Amanda Flower Honeymoons Can Be Hazardous

Deborah Garner  A Flair for Truffles

Patricia Gligor Marnie Malone

Donna Grant  My Fiery Valentine

 

Holly Hepburn Valentine’s Day at the Star and Sixpence

Liwen Y. Ho Romantically Ever After

June McCrary Jacobs Handmade Hearts

 

Libby Klein  Theater Nights Are Murder

Jackie Lau  A Big Surprise for Valentine’s Day

Lia London Love from A to Z

 

Ava Mallory & nine more authors Stirring Up Love & Mystery

Jenn McKinlay  Royal Valentine

Leslie Meier  Valentine Candy Murder

Mobile Writers Guild Valentine’s Day Pieces (Anthology)

Addison Moore & Bellamy Bloom  Sealed with a Hiss

 

Summer Prescott A Blossom of Murder

Amy M. Reade  Be My Valencrime

 

Happy Reading!

 

2023 Valentine’s Day Mysteries and Fiction Read More »

Halloween Mystery List – 2022

Halloween will be here before you know it and if you’d like to pick up a fun read with a seasonal theme, here are eighty-four titles in our updated 2022 Halloween Mystery List. Some have been around for ages, but others have recently been published or re-published. There are dozens more books with a Halloween theme, so if your favorite is not on the list, please let us know the title and author in the comments.

Click on the bold titles to read more about the individual books.

 

Stacey Alabaster – The Pumpkin Killer

Susan Wittig Albert – Witches’ Bane

Ritter Ames and 8 others – Midnight Mysteries: Nine Cozy Tales

Gretchen Archer – Double Jinx

 

Laurien Berenson – Howloween Murder

Susan Bernhardt – The Ginseng Conspiracy

Morgana Best – The Halloween Time Spell

Bethany Blake – Dial Meow for Murder

Susan Boles – Death of a Wolfman

Ginger Bolton –Boston Scream Murder

Lilian Jackson Braun – Cat Who Talked to Ghosts

Christin Brecher – 15 Minutes of Flame

Allison Brook – Death Overdue

Rita Mae Brown – The Litter of the Law

Catherine Bruns – Dessert Is the Bomb

Mollie Cox Bryan – Scrapbook of the Dead

Anna Celeste Burke – All Hallows’ Eve Heist

Jessica Burton – Death Goes Shopping

Ellen Byron – Murder in the Bayou Boneyard

 

Thea Cambert – Halloween at Pumpkin Hill

Nora Charles – Death with an Ocean View

Laura Childs – Frill Kill

Agatha Christie – The Hallowe’en Party

Susan Rogers Cooper – Not in My Backyard

E.J. Copperman – Night of the Living Deed

Maya Corrigan – Crypt Suzette

Kathy Cranston – Pumpkins are Murder

Isis Crawford – A Catered Costume Party

James J. Cudney – Haunted House Ghost

 

Kathi Daley – The Inn at Holiday Bay

Kim Davis – Cake Popped Off

Krista Davis – Murder Outside the Lines

Jana Deleon – Swamp Spook

Steve Demaree – Murder on Halloween

Leighann Dobbs – Halloween Party Murder

Carole Nelson Douglas – Cat with an Emerald Eye

Kaitlyn Dunnett – Vampires, Bones, and Treacle Scones

 

Janet Evanovich – Plum Spooky

Sharon Farrow – Mulberry Mischief

Connie Feddersen – Dead in the Pumpkin Patch

Vickie Fee – It’s Your Party, Die If You Want To

Honora Finkelstein – The Lawyer Who Died Trying

‘Jessica Fletcher’ & Donald Bain – Trick or Treachery

 

Eva Gates – The Spook in the Stacks

Daryl Wood Gerber (aka Avery Aames) – Stirring the Plot

Sarah Graves – Nail Biter

 

Carolyn Haines – Hallowed Bones

Ellen Hart – Sweet Poison

Kelly Hashway – Halloween Homicide

Julia Henry – Digging Up the Remains

Lee Hollis – Death of a Wicked Witch

Carolyn Q. Hunter – Pumpkin Pie Waffle

Ellen Elizabeth Hunter – Murder on the Ghost Walk

 

Sybil Johnson – Designed for Haunting

Daniel Judson – The Violet Hour

Heather Justesen – Muffins & Murder

 

Jenny Kales – A Stew to A Kill

Tonya Kappes – A Halloween Homicide

Andrew Klavan – The Animal Hour

Cynthia Kuhn – The Spirit in Question

 

Joyce & Jim Lavene – Ghastly Glass

James Lilley – Death Knocks Twice

Linda Lovely – Picked Off

Alice Loweecey The Clock Strikes Nun

 

Karen MacInerney – Deadly Brew

Ed McBain – Tricks: an 87th Precinct Mystery

Jenn McKinlay – Dark Chocolate Demise

G.A. McKevett – Poisoned Tarts

Leslie Meier – Wicked Witch Murder

Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, Barbara Ross – Halloween Party Murder

Alexis Morgan – Death by Jack-O-Lantern

Lynn Morrison – Stakes and Spells

Mandy Morton – Cat Among the Pumpkins

Liz Mugavero – A Biscuit, a Casket

Julie Mulhern – Send in the Clowns

 

Katie Penryn – The Witch Who Hated Halloween

Leigh Perry – The Skeleton Haunts a House

Summer Prescott & 7 others – A Very Cozy Halloween

 

Rachael Stapleton – Black Cats, Corpses and the Pumpkin Pantry

Kathleen Suzette – Gnome for Halloween

 

Rebecca Tope – Death in the Cotswolds

Diane Vallere – Masking for Trouble

Kirsten Weiss – Gourd to Death

Linnea West Halloween Hayride Murder

 

If you’ve read any books in the Halloween Mystery List for 2022, please let us know what you thought.

Happy Spooky reading.   

Halloween Mystery List – 2022 Read More »

Barry Awards (Crime Fiction) – 2022

Established in 1997, the Barry Awards are presented at the annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, held this year in Minneapolis. The winners were announced at the Opening Ceremonies on September 8th. Voted on by readers of the Deadly Pleasures mystery magazine, the award was named in honor of Barry Gardner, an American critic and lover of great crime fiction. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners (indicated in red)!

 

Best Mystery/Crime Novel
THE DARK HOURS, Michael Connelly

RAZORBLADE TEARS, S. A. Cosby
LAST REDEMPTION, Matt Coyle
CLARK AND DIVISION, Naomi Hirahara
BILLY SUMMERS, Stephen King
WE BEGIN AT THE END, Chris Whitaker

 

Best First Mystery/Crime Novel
WHO IS MAUDE DIXON?, Alexandra Andrews

GIRL A, Abigail Dean
DOWN RANGE, Taylor Moore
FALLING, T. J. Newman
SLEEPING BEAR, Connor Sullivan
STEEL FEAR, Brandon Webb & John David Mann

 

Best Paperback Original
THE HUNTED, Gabriel Bergmoser

ARSENIC AND ADOBO, Mia P. Manansala
BLACK CORAL, Andrew Mayne
THE GOOD TURN, Dervla McTiernan
SEARCH FOR HER, Rick Mofina
BOUND, Vanda Symon

 

Best Thriller
THE DEVIL’S HAND, Jack Carr

THE NAMELESS ONES, John Connolly
DEAD BY DAWN, Paul Doiron
RELENTLESS, Mark Greaney
SLOUGH HOUSE, Mick Herron
FIVE DECEMBERS, James Kestrel

 

Barry Awards (Crime Fiction) – 2022 Read More »

2022 Anthony Awards – BoucherCon

Bouchercon is an annual conference named after Anthony Boucher, a mystery author and critic who helped found the Mystery Writers of America. This event honors various segments of the mystery and crime fiction community. Take a look at the nominees for the coveted Anthony Award. The winners (indicated in red) were announced during BoucherCon in September.

 

Best Novel

“Runner” by Tracy Clark

“Razorblade Tears” by SA Cosby

“The Collective” by Alison Gaylin

“Clark and Division” by Naomi Hirahara

“These Toxic Things” by Rachel Howzell Hall

 

Best First Novel

“Her Name is Knight” by Yasmin Angoe

“The Other Black Girl” by Zakiya Dalila Harris

“Walking Through Needles” by Heather Levy

“Arsenic and Adobo” by Mia Manansala

“All Her Little Secrets” by Wanda M Morris

 

Best Paperback/EBook/ AudioBook

“The Ninja Betrayed” by Tori Eldridge

“Warn Me When It’s Time” by Cheryl A Head

“Bury Me In Shadows” by Greg Herren

“The Mother Next Door” by Tara Laskowski

“Bloodline” by Jess Lourey

 

Best Childrens/YA

“Cold Blooded Myrtle” by Elizabeth Bunce

“Bury Me in Shadows” by Greg Herren

“The Forest of Stolen Girls” by June Hur

“I Play One on TV” by Alan Orloff

“Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche” by Nancy Springer

 

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!

 

 

2022 Anthony Awards – BoucherCon Read More »

2022 – Macavity Awards

The Macavity Awards are nominated by members and friends of Mystery Readers International, and subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal. The winners were announced in September at BoucherCon in. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners, indicated in red. Mystery Readers International, Mystery Readers Journal, and the Macavity Awards, were created by Anthony Award winner, Janet Rudolph.

 

Best Mystery Novel

  • Michael Connelly: The Dark Hours
  • S.A. Cosby: Razorblade Tears
  • Val McDermid: 1979
  • Alan Parks: Bobby March Will Live Forever
  • Chris Whitaker: We Begin at the End
  • Colson Whitehead: Harlem Shuffle

Best First Mystery Novel

  • Alexandra Andrews: Who is Maude Dixon?
  • Abigail Dean: Girl A
  • Erin Flanagan: Deer Season
  • Mia P. Manansala: Arsenic and Adobo
  • Wanda M. Morris: All Her Little Secrets

Best Short Mystery  

  • Tracy Clark: “Lucky Thirteen” (Midnight Hour, Crooked Lane Books)
  • Richard Helms: “Sweeps Week” (EQMM, July/August 2021)
  • Steve Hockensmith: “Curious Incidents” (EQMM, January/February 2021)
  • R.T. Lawton: “The Road to Hana” (AHMM, May/June 2021)
  • G.M. Malliet: “The White Star” (EQMM, July/August 2021)
  • Gigi Pandian: “The Locked Room Library” (EQMM, July/August 2021)
  • Dave Zeltserman: “Julius Katz and the Two Cousins” (EQMM, July/August 2021)

Sue Feder Memorial Award for Best Historical Mystery 

  • Rhys Bowen: The Venice Sketchbook
  • Naomi Hirahara: Clark and Division
  • Susan Elia MacNeal: The Hollywood Spy
  • Sujata Massey: The Bombay Prince
  • Silvia Moreno-Garcia: Velvet was the Night
  • Lori Rader-Day: Death at Greenway                                                                                                                                                                     

2022 – Macavity Awards Read More »

Shamus Awards – 2022

The 2022 Shamus Award Winners, for private eye novels and short stories first published in the United States in 2021, have been announced. PWA’s (Private Eye Writers of America) definition of a Private Eye: a person paid to investigate crimes who is not employed by a government agency. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners (noted in red).

BEST PI HARDCOVER
RUNNER  by Tracy Clark
LAST REDEMPTION  by Matt Coyle
PAY OR PLAY  by Howard Michael Gould
FAMILY BUSINESS  by S. J. Rozan
HEAD CASE  by Michael Wiley

 

BEST ORIGINAL PI PAPERBACK
EVERY CITY IS EVERY OTHER CITY  by John McFetridge
THE BURDEN OF INNOCENCE  by John Nardizzi
ANGELS IN THE WIND  by Manuel Ramos
FROG IN A BUCKET  by Clive Rosengren
AN EMPTY GRAVE  by Andrew Welsh-Huggins

 
BEST FIRST PI NOVEL
PORNO VALLEY  by Philip Elliot
A DEAD MAN’S EYES  by Lori Duffy Foster
SUBURBAN DICKS  by Fabian Nicieza
THE ARRANGEMENT  by M. Ravenel
LOST LITTLE GIRL  by Gregory Stout

 
BEST  PI SHORT STORY
DISPOSABLE WOMEN  by Michael Bracken (ToughCrime.com)
SIXTEEN LIES  by Matt Goldman (EQMM September/October)
SWEEPS WEEK  by Richard Helms (EQMM July/August)
ORO DE TONTOS (FOOL’S GOLD)  by Tom Larsen (AHMM November/December)
THE HIDDEN PLACES  by Linda Stansberry (EQMM May/June)

 

 

 

Shamus Awards – 2022 Read More »

2022 ThrillerFest Awards

Thriller writers bring us thrills and chills and keep us awake long into the wee hours of the morning. We love those stay-awake reads! Check out the 2022 International Thriller Writer ThrillerFest Awards finalists and winners (indicated in red). Congratulations to all!

 
BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL
 Megan Abbott – THE TURNOUT
S. A. Cosby – RAZORBLADE TEARS
Alice Feeney – ROCK PAPER SCISSORS
Rachel Howzell Hall – THESE TOXIC THINGS
Alma Katsu – RED WIDOW
Eric Rickstad – I AM NOT WHO YOU THINK I AM

 

BEST AUDIOBOOK
 S. A. Cosby – RAZORBLADE TEARS (Narrated by Adam Lazarre-White)
Samantha Downing – SLEEPING DOG LIE (Narrated by Melanie Nicholls-King and Lindsey Dorcus)
Rachel Howzell Hall – HOW IT ENDS (Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt)
Gregg Hurwitz – PRODIGAL SON (Narrated by Scott Brick)
Nadine Matheson – THE JIGSAW MAN (Narrated by Davine Henry)

 

BEST FIRST NOVEL
 Abigail Dean – GIRL A
Eloísa Díaz – REPENTANCE
Amanda Jayatissa – MY SWEET GIRL
David McCloskey – DAMASCUS STATION
Eric Redman – BONES OF HILO

 
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL
 Joy Castro – FLIGHT RISK
Aaron Philip Clark – UNDER COLOR OF LAW
C. J. Cooke – THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES
Jess Lourey – BLOODLINE
Terry Roberts – MY MISTRESS’ EYES ARE RAVEN BLACK

  
BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL
Greig Beck – THE DARK SIDE: ALEX HUNTER 9
John Connell – WHERE THE WICKED TREAD
Wendy Dranfield – LITTLE GIRL TAKEN
E.J. Findorff – BLOOD PARISH
S. E. Green – MOTHER MAY I
Andrew Kaplan – BLUE MADAGASCAR
Karin Nordin – LAST ONE ALIVE

 

2022 ThrillerFest Awards Read More »

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