Suspense

July 4th Mysteries – 2018

 

 

 

Looking for a book to read with a July 4th Mystery theme? This list of twenty-six ‘July 4th Mysteries – 2018’ titles contains entertaining books by bestselling and/or other fun authors where the 4th of July theme is important to the novel. Some are oldies, but goodies, some are relatively recent. If you know of others, please tell us in the comment section.   🙂

 

“Murder on Parade” by Donald Bain  

 

“Murder by Fireworks” by Susan Bernhardt


“The Cat Who Went Underground” by Lilian Jackson Braun


“Dead on the 4th of July” by Meg Chittenden

 

“A Catered Fourth of July” by I. Crawford


“Red, White, and Blue Murder” by Bill Crider

 

“Dead on the Fourth of July” by R.E. Derouin

 

“One Fete in the Grave” by Vickie Fee


“Lemon Meringue Pie Murder” by Joanne Fluke


"Mistaken Identity" by Patricia Gligor


“Tool & Die” by Sarah Graves

 

“Act of Darkness” by Jane Haddam


“Dead, White and Blue” by Carolyn Hart

 

“Yankee Doodle Dead” by Carolyn Hart


“Exit Wounds” by J. A. Jance


“A Timely Vision” by Joyce and Jim Lavene

 

“Silence of the Jams” by Gayle Leeson


“Knee High by the Fourth of July” by Jess Lourey

 

“A Sparrow Falls Fourth of July” by Donna McLean


“Star Spangled Murder” by Leslie Meier

 

“Foal Play” by Kathryn O’Sullivan

 

“4th of July” by James Patterson/Maxine Paetro

 

“Can't Never Tell” by Cathy Pickens


“Death by Deep Dish Pie” by Sharon Short

 

“Independence Day Plague” by Carla Lee Suson

 

“The 4th of July Can Be Murder” by Dianne Vereen
 

Happy 4th to the USA readers and stay safe during the festivities.  Have fun choosing from the July 4th Mysteries – 2018.   🙂 

 

 

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Macavity Awards-2018

 

 

The Macavity Awards-2018 finalists were nominated by members of Mystery Readers International, subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal, and friends of MRI. The winners were announced at opening ceremonies at Bouchercon in St Petersburg, Florida, in September.


Mystery Readers International, Mystery Readers Journal, and the Macavity Awards, were created by Anthony Award winner, Janet Rudolph.


Links to three of the short fiction nominees are included.

Best Mystery Novel
“The Marsh King's Daughter,” by Karen Dionne
“Magpie Murders,” by Anthony Horowitz
“Bluebird, Bluebird,” by Attica Locke
“Glass Houses,” by Louise Penny
“The Old Man,” by Thomas Perry
“The Force,” by Don Winslow

 

Best First Mystery Novel
“Hollywood Homicide,” by Kellye Garrett
“The Dry,” by Jane Harper
“She Rides Shotgun,” by Jordan Harper
“The Lost Ones,” by Sheena Kamal
“The Last Place You Look,” by Kristen Lepionka
“Lost Luggage,” by Wendall Thomas


Best Mystery Short Story
As Ye Sow,” by Craig Faustus Buck, in Passport to Murder: Bouchercon Anthology 2017

“The #2 Pencil,” by Matt Coyle, in Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea

“Infinite Uticas,” by Terence Faherty (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, May/June 2017)

Whose Wine is it Anyway?” Barb Goffman, in 50 Shades of Cabernet

“Windward,” by Paul D. Marks, in Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea

A Necessary Ingredient,” by Art Taylor, in Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea


Sue Feder Memorial Award: Best Historical Mystery
“Dangerous to Know,” by Renee Patrick
“The Devouring,” by James R. Benn
“In Farleigh Field,” by Rhys Bowen
“Cast the First Stone,” by James W. Ziskin
“Racing the Devil,” by Charles Todd
“A Rising Man,” by Abir Mukherjee  

 

Congratulations to the Macavity Awards-2018 nominees and winners (indicated in red)  🙂

 

 

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CrimeFest 2018

 

The 10th anniversary of CrimeFest was held in Bristol, England. Attended by over 500 fans, writers, agents, and publishers this year, the CrimeFest Awards began as a variation of the USA’s Left Coast Crime Awards and has become one of the best crime fiction conferences in Europe.
 

In most cases, eligible titles for the various awards were submitted by publishers, and a team of British crime fiction reviewers voted to establish the shortlist and the winning title. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners (indicated in red). Click on the book titles to discover more about the nominees and winners.


CRIMEFEST AWARDS

eDUNNIT AWARD

The eDunnit Award is for the best crime fiction ebook first published in both hardcopy and in electronic format in the British Isles in 2017.

– Chris Brookmyre, Want You Gone 
– Ken Bruen, The Ghosts of Galway 
Michael Connelly, The Late Show
– Joe Ide, IQ 
– Dennis Lehane, Since We Fell 
– Steve Mosby, You Can Run 
– Gunnar Staalesen, Wolves in the Dark 
– Sarah Stovell, Exquisite 


LAST LAUGH AWARD

The Last Laugh Award is for the best humorous crime novel first published in the British Isles in 2017.

– Simon Brett, Blotto, Twinks and the Stars of the Silver Screen 
– Christopher Fowler, Bryant & May – Wild Chamber 
Mick Herron, Spook Street 
– Vaseem Khan, The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star 
– Khurrum Rahman, East of Hounslow 
– C.J. Skuse, Sweetpea 
– Antti Tuomainen, The Man Who Died 
– L.C. Tyler, Herring in the Smoke 

 
BEST CRIME NOVEL FOR YOUNG ADULTS (12 – 16)

CRIMEFEST presents this award to celebrate the burgeoning interest in fiction for young adults as a whole. Eligible titles are crime novels for children (ages 12-16) first published in the British Isles in 2017. 

– Cat Clarke, Girlhood 
– Zana Fraillon, The Ones That Disappeared 
– Will Hill, After the Fire 
Patrice Lawrence, Indigo Donut
– E. Lockhart, Genuine Fraud 
– Sophie McKenzie, SweetFreak 
– Teri Terry, Dark Matter: Contagion 
– Teresa Toten, Beware That Girl 


Please visit http://www.crimefest.com/awards-cf/ for nominees and winners in the AUDIBLE SOUNDS OF CRIME, the BEST CRIME NOVEL for CHILDREN 8-12, the H.R.F. KEATING AWARD, and the PETRONA AWARD.

 

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Anthony Awards 2018 – Bouchercon

 

The Anthony Awards 2018 were handed out at The World Mystery Convention (usually referred to as Bouchercon) on September 8, 2018. 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.
 

The nominees for the Anthony Awards 2018 were chosen by attendees at the 2017 convention, as well as early registrants for the 2018 event. The recognized works were published during 2017 and the finalists were voted upon by the 2018 Bouchercon attendees. The winners were announced that weekend. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners! Winners indicated in red.  🙂
 

Nominees and winners for the Anthony Awards 2018 are:

BEST NOVEL

  • "The Late Show" by Michael Connelly
  • "Magpie Murders" by Anthony Horowitz
  • "Bluebird, Bluebird" by Attica Locke
  • "Glass Houses" by Louise Penny
  • "The Force" by Don Winslow

BEST FIRST NOVEL

  • "Hollywood Homicide" by Kellye Garrett
  • "She Rides Shotgun" by Jordan Harper
  • "The Dry" by Jane Harper
  • "Ragged; or, The Loveliest Lies of All" by Christopher Irvin
  • "The Last Place You Look" by Kristen Lepionka

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

  • "Uncorking a Lie" by Nadine Nettmann
  • "Bad Boy Boogie" by Thomas Pluck
  • "What We Reckon" by Eryk Pruitt
  • "The Day I Died" by Lori Rader-Day
  • "Cast the First Stone" by James W. Ziskin

BILL CRIDER AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL IN A SERIES  

  • "Give Up the Dead" (Jay Porter #3) by Joe Clifford
  • "Two Kinds of Truth" (Harry Bosch #20) by Michael Connelly
  • "Y is for Yesterday" (Kinsey Millhone #25) by Sue Grafton
  • "Glass Houses" (Armand Gamache #13) by Louise Penny
  • "Dangerous Ends" (Pete Fernandez #3) by Alex Segura

BEST SHORT STORY

  • "The Trial of Madame Pelletier" by Susanna Calkins from Malice Domestic 12: Mystery Most Historical
  • "God’s Gonna Cut You Down" by Jen Conley from Just to Watch Them Die: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Johnny Cash
  • "My Side of the Matter" by Hilary Davidson from Killing Malmon
  • "Whose Wine Is It Anyway?" by Barb Goffman from 50 Shades of Cabernet
  • "The Night They Burned Miss Dixie’s Place" by Debra Goldstein from Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, May/June 2017
  • "A Necessary Ingredient" by Art Taylor from Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea

BEST CRITICAL/NON-FICTION BOOK 

  • "From Holmes to Sherlock: The Story of the Men and Women Who Created an Icon" by Mattias Boström
  • "The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books" by Martin Edwards
  • "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI" by David Grann
  • "Chester B. Himes: A Biography" by Lawrence P. Jackson
  • "Rewrite Your Life: Discover Your Truth Through the Healing Power of Fiction" by Jessica Lourey

 

 

Please visit https://www.bouchercon2018.com/anthony-awards/ for nominees/winners in the Best Online Content and Best Anthology categories.

 

Happy Reading!  🙂

 

 

 

Anthony Awards 2018 – Bouchercon Read More »

2018 ITW Thrillerfest Awards

 

 

Thriller writers bring us thrills and chills, keep us awake long into the wee hours of the morning and leave us begging for more. You’re also likely to see many of them on top mystery writer lists all over the world. The 2018 ITW Thrillerfest Awards nominees included terrific titles once again – truly 'stay awake' reads. Take a look at this year’s finalists. The winners are indicated in red:
 

BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL

Dan Chaon — “Ill Will”
Denise Mina — “The Long Drop”
B.A. Paris — “The Breakdown”
Gin Phillips — “Fierce Kingdom”
Riley Sager — “Final Girls”

 

BEST FIRST NOVEL

Steph Broadribb — “Deep Down Dead”
Daniel Cole — “Ragdoll”
Walt Gragg — “The Red Line”
K.J. Howe — “The Freedom Broker”
Sheena Kamal — “The Lost Ones”

 

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL

Christine Bell — “Grievance”          
Rachel Caine — “Stillhouse Lake”
Layton Green — “The Resurrector”
Adrian McKinty — “Police at the Station and They Don’t Look Friendly”
Lori Rader-Day — “The Day I Died”

 

BEST SHORT STORY

Lee Child — “Too Much Time”
Mat Coward — “What Could Possibly Go Boing?”
Zoë  Z. Dean — “Charcoal and Cherry”  
Willy Vlautin — “The Kill Switch”                                  
Ben H. Winters — “Test Drive”

 

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

Gregg Hurwitz — “The Rains”
Gregg Olsen — “The Boy She Left Behind”
Sheryl Scarborough — “To Catch a Killer”
Rysa Walker — “The Delphi Effect”
Diana Rodriguez Wallach — “Proof of Lies”

 

BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL

Sean Black — “Second Chance”
Jeff Gunhus — “Resurrection America”
Alan McDermott — “Trojan” 
Caroline Mitchell — “Witness”
Kevin Wignall — “A Fragile Thing”

 

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners!

The 2018 ITW Thrillerfest Award Winners were announced at ThrillerFest XIII, July 14, 2018, in  New York City.  🙂

How many have you read?

 

Please visit www.thrillerwriters.org for more information about the International Thriller Writers and the amazing programs they have for writers.

 

 

 

 

 

2018 ITW Thrillerfest Awards Read More »

“Defending Jacob” by William Landay

 

 

“Defending Jacob,” features Andrew Barber as an Assistant DA, with a 22 year stint as part of the District Attorney’s office. A few days after his son’s classmate is stabbed to death, Barber is barred from the case and given a leave of absence from work.
 

His son is accused of the terrible crime, but Barber knows in his bones that Jacob could not have done it. When a devastating secret is uncovered during the investigation into the boy’s death, we realize that Barber may be alone in that belief. Despite incredible pressure from everyone he knows, as well as additional evidence to the contrary, he never stops declaring his son’s innocence.
 

“Defending Jacob” explores family relationships as they evolve in the aftermath of horrific events. This absorbing psychological courtroom drama deftly captures the doubts and the pointing fingers as members of the community seek to find answers for this senseless stabbing/killing. What parenting lack created this apparently crazed teenager living amongst them? Or was it a flaw in the child himself? If ‘x’ can kill, how certain can we be that someone else might not be capable of the same act? “Defending Jacob” was published in 2012, but the story could be ripped from the headlines today.
 

Landay, a former DA himself, posits a few theories to explain the multi-faceted plot lines and has several characters explore the possibility of a murder gene – that murder can be committed because of a hereditary predisposition. Modern psychological profiling indicates that the level of violence in our backgrounds most likely informs our future actions, but is there an actual gene? And, in my opinion, most disturbing of all: Does law enforcement really pick a suspect and then go after evidence to support that theory, no matter how far a stretch from the truth?
 

The ending left me stunned, contemplating which character was, in the end, most damaged. I may never resolve that in my mind. This was a riveting read from start to finish and beyond.
 

“Defending Jacob” won the Strand Critics Award, and a movie based on the book may be released this year.  Please visit www.williamlanday.com for information about Landay’s other books.

 

*Note: contains sporadic swearing/coarse language.

 

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Irish Fiction & Mysteries – 2018

 

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St. Patrick’s Day will be here soon! For those of you that focus your reading on holiday/cultural themed books, the list below features Irish writers, mysteries/suspense set in Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day murders, or titles with Irish characters central to the plot. Some are modern classics, some are newbies, but all are entertaining reads. You’re sure to find a story in the list of 33 Irish Fiction & Mysteries – 2018 that you will want to read again and again. (Links included for bold titles)

 

Lisa Alber: “Path into Darkness

Maeve Binchy:  “A Week in Winter

S. Furlong-Bollinger: “Paddy Whacked

Steve Cavanagh: “The Plea

Sheila Connolly: "Many a Twist"

Kathy Cranston: “Apple Seeds and Murderous Deeds

Kathi Daley: “Shamrock Shenanigans

Frank Delaney: "Shannon"

Nelson Demille: “Cathedral”

Tana French: “Broken Harbor

Patricia Gligor: "Marnie Malone"

Alexia Gordon: “Murder in G Major

Andrew Greeley: “Irish Tweed”

Jane Haddam: “A Great Day for the Deadly

Lyn Hamilton: “The Celtic Riddle

Lee Harris: “The St. Patrick's Day Murder

Erin Hart: “The Book of Killowen

Jonathan Harrington: “A Great Day for Dying

Mary Anne Kelly: “Twillyweed

Amanda Lee: “The Long Stitch Good Night

Dan Mahoney: “Once in, Never Out

Brian McGilloway: “Little Girl Lost

Ralph M. McInerny: “Lack of the Irish”

Leslie Meier: “St. Patrick's Day Murder

Stuart Neville: "Ghosts of Belfast”

Carlene O'Connor: "Murder in an Irish Churchyard"

Sister Carol Anne O’Marie: “Death Takes Up a Collection”

Helen Page: "Equal of God"

Louise Phillips: “The Doll’s House

Janet Elaine Smith: “In St. Patrick's Custody”

Patrick Taylor: “An Irish Country Practice

Peter Tremayne: “The Devil’s Seal”

Kathy Hogan Trochek: “Irish Eyes
 

If your favorite Irish Fiction & Mysteries – 2018 titles are not on the list, let me know and I’ll add them!
 

Happy choosing and reading!

 

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