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The name Detectives beyond Borders suggests a relief organization that dispatches trenchcoat-and-fedora wearing PIs to disaster-stricken countries that have dire need of crime-solving. As it turns out, DBB is not an international NGO but a one-man blog published in Philly—but that doesn’t mean proprietor Peter Rozovsky’s not an altruist. After all, he publishes almost every day of the week and you don’t have to pay a thing to read his work.

Please describe your publication.

I write a blog called Detectives beyond Borders. I’ve been posting almost every day since September 2006. I have no formal restrictions on subgenre, but a reader is likelier to find Derek Raymond or Andrea Camilleri on my blog than Lilian Jackson Braun (though Janet Evanovich has come up from time to time). I write primarily about crime fiction from outside the United States (my slogan is “Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”), but I will venture into American crime fiction, reports from crime fiction conventions, graphic novels, world literature that shares elements with crime fiction, the book business, music, travel, and photography. I also occasionally publish interviews with authors and translators (Jo Nesbø, Håkan Nesser, Caryl Férey, Rebecca Cantrell, Sian Reynolds, Mehmet Murat Somer, and others). This variety keeps things fresh and produces lively, entertaining give-and-take with a worldwide readership.

Tell us about yourself.

I’m a newspaper copy editor, and I’ve recently branched out into freelance fiction editing. (Tell your friends!) My blog is a one-man operation. I write it myself, except for the occasional guest post.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Many are Irish: Kevin McCarthy, Declan Burke, Brian McGilloway, Adrian McKinty (especially Dead I Well May Be and The Cold Cold Ground). Outside Ireland no crime writer is better than Bill James, particularly Books 7 through 16 of his Harpur and Iles series. The books are dark, literate, and very funny. Other favorites include Arnaldur Indriðason, Peter Temple, Dominique Manotti, Roger Smith, Andrea Camilleri.

Tell us about a recent review or article of which you’re particularly fond.

I am proud of my reviews of Harri Nykänen’s Nights of Awe and Benjamin Black’s A Death in Summer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. I thought they nailed the novels’ notable strengths and notable weaknesses.

What does the future hold for your publication?

I plan to keep writing daily as long as I can. I hope to expand the range of my interviews, perhaps to include publishers and—hmm, librarians—interested in international crime fiction.

Which other mystery magazines and blogs do you believe are must-reads?

Declan Burke’s Crime Always Pays blog is a must-read for Irish crime fiction. Australian crime writing has been well represented for years by a number of sites and blogs, and Crime Watch (New Zealand) has joined them more recently. The Thrilling Detective website will help any library looking to expand its stock of American crime writing.

Detectives beyond Borders Data

Website: http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

Contact email: detectivesbeyondborders@earthlink.net

Twitter: @DBeyondBorders

Frequency of publication: Five to seven days a week

Cost to subscribe: Free

Summer is the season for exploration and discovery, and readers of all ages, interests, and tastes would love to visit the American Writers Museum—if only such a place existed. Although we have national museums celebrating the luminaries of baseball, rock and roll, the visual arts, various ethnic traditions, and science and technology, to categorize but a few of the 17,500 museums in the country, America does not have a national museum that recognizes writers and the essential role writers and readers have played in the nation’s founding, evolution, diversity, and vitality.

But that is set to change. The American Writers Museum Foundation, in consultation with many writers, librarians, educators, and other literary mavens, including yours truly, has been developing a plan for a museum, according to its mission statement, “dedicated to engaging the public in celebrating American writers and exploring their influence on our history, our identity, our culture and our daily lives.” For much more on the American Writers Museum, and to experience an exciting literary website, visit: http://www.americanwritersmuseum.org/.

After establishing this inspiring website, the American Writers Museum decided there was no reason to wait for a brick-and-mortar building to launch its first exhibition. With an eye to a future location in Chicago, and high interest in the NATO summit, which is fast arriving in Booklist’s hometown, the foundation has launched its first online exhibit:

Succinctly, the online exhibit is a three-part inquiry. It explores the reading habits of world leaders—among them Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, David Cameron, Dilma Rousseff, Yoshihiko Noda, and Wen Jiabao.

Power of the Word provides a forum for American writers to share their passion for reading and their memories of books that have nurtured their imaginations, and, more boldly, recommend books by American authors that they think will help world leaders gain a better understanding of American culture. The “Writers Gallery” includes T.C.  Boyle, Rosellen Brown, Ana Castillo, Billy Collins, Stuart Dybek, Jennifer Egan, Jonathan Franzen, Dagoberto Gilb, Nikki Giovanni,  Pete Hamill, Oscar Hijuelos,  Maxine Hong Kingston, Erica Jong, Alex Kotlowitz, Jonathan Lethem, Rick Moody, Nami Mun, Naomi Shihab Nye,  Joyce Carol Oates, Cynthia Ozick, Chuck Palahniuk, Sara Paretsky, Ann Patchett, Jodi Picoult, Steven Pinker, Robert Pinsky, Curtis Sittenfeld, Scott Turow, and Isabel Wilkerson.) And their suggested books cover a radiant spectrum of beloved classics and some provocative surprises.

Finally, Power of the Word provides an interactive gallery where the public can participate by recommending books they think world leaders should read, saying, “Leaders: Read this!”

For more detail, go to Power of the Word. And make http://www.americanwritersmuseum.org/ one of your Web “favorites.”

Yesterday, Elizabeth Foxwell gave us the lowdown on her blog, The Bunburyist; today, she tells us about her work with Clues: A Journal of Detection. I was going to write an introduction drawing some distinction between the two, noting that the former was more personal and the latter was more professional—but, looking at this indefatigable woman’s resume, such hair-splitting seems beside the point. Yes, she wears many hats, but all of them are deerstalkers. Read on and get a clue about Clues.

Please describe your publication.

Clues—the only U.S. scholarly journal on mystery and detective fiction—began publishing in 1980 under the editorship of Pat Browne. It ceased publication in 2001 when Browne retired. When I worked for Heldref Publications, I arranged for the acquisition of Clues from Bowling Green State University, because I felt the journal was a crucial venue for the serious analysis of mystery fiction—a genre still fighting for legitimacy in some quarters as a worthy field of study. With Margaret Kinsman (London South Bank University, UK) as executive editor and me as managing editor, the first issue under new management focused on Margery Allingham and was published in fall 2004. McFarland acquired the journal in 2008. I continue to serve as managing editor, and Janice M. Allan (University of Salford, UK) is now executive editor.

The peer-reviewed Clues covers the entire spectrum of mystery fiction, television, and film without limit to period or countries covered, and its readers and contributors are academics and fans from around the world. It often is the sole critical resource on certain mystery authors. The journal has featured theme issues on subjects such as Chester Himes, the girl sleuth, Hispanic detective fiction, Scottish crime fiction, and Victorian crime fiction. Two theme issues, on Dashiell Hammett and Sara Paretsky, served as a springboard for events at the Library of Congress; see Webcasts “The Maltese Falcon at 75” and “Sara Paretsky: Fire Sale.”

Tell us about yourself.

I met author Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels when I interviewed her for a college journalism assignment. She eventually dragooned me onto the board of Malice Domestic, a new convention honoring the traditional mystery. My life has not been the same since. My service with Malice led to editing mystery anthologies and a round-robin novel, as well as writing and publishing mystery short stories. I am currently the Mystery Writers of America representative to the Library of Congress, edit the McFarland Companions to Mystery Fiction series (volumes to date on John Buchan, E. X. Ferrars, Ed McBain/Evan Hunter, and Andrea Camilleri), and run the mystery blog The Bunburyist.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Charlotte Armstrong, the Black Widower stories by Isaac Asimov, K. K. Beck, Simon Brett, Margaret Coel, Deborah Crombie, Dorothy Gilman, Georgette Heyer, Constance and Gwenyth Little, Peter Lovesey, Hugh Pentecost, Elizabeth Peters, and Ethel Lina White.

Tell us about a recent review or article of which you’re particularly fond. Can you share a link?

Brooks Hefner’s “I Used to Be a Highbrow, but Look at Me Now’: Phrenology, Detection, and Cultural Hierarchy in S. S. Van Dine” (Clues 30.1, 2012) reveals for the first time unknown short stories by Van Dine (aka Willard Huntington Wright). He created detective Philo Vance (later played by William Powell) and wrote these stories featuring an intellectual criminal well before he adopted the Van Dine pseudonym. I also really love “Eureka in Yellow: The Art of Detection in Arthur Machen’s Keynote Mysteries” by Paul Fox (Clues 25.1, 2006), in which Fox relates that one Machen villain is so evil that he dissolves into protoplasm. I keep waiting for a modern author (or politician) to emulate the example of Machen’s character.

What does the future hold for your publication?

Two theme issues are coming up: one on paranormal mysteries (guest edited by Agatha nominee A. B. Emrys), and one on Hitchcock and adaptation (guest edited by Mark Osteen, Loyola University Maryland).

Which other mystery magazines and blogs do you believe are must-reads?

Bill Crider’s Popular Culture Magazine, Mystery*File, Mystery Readers Journal, Mystery Scene, and The Rap Sheet.

Clues Data

Web site: http://www.cluesjournal.com

Author guidelines, abstracts, and indices: http://tinyurl.com/aboutclues

Online access: http://mcfarland.metapress.com/openurl.asp?genre=journal&eissn=1940-3046

Contact email: clues@elizabethfoxwell.com

Frequency of publication: Twice a year (120 p each issue, 7×10” format)

Cost to subscribe: U.S. individual $40, U.S. institutional $120; non-U.S. individual $60, non-U.S. institutional $140; non-U.S. online only $100

Cozy fans sometimes accuse us of not paying quite enough attention to their favorite mystery subgenre. I plead guilty but with extenuating circumstances. It’s true that Bill Ott and I prefer our crime fiction straight, no chaser—I guess the cozy equivalent would be saying “no thank you” to a spot of cream—but we do our best to cover charming tales of detection, too. Bear in mind that many cozies are published as mass-market paperbacks, not the favorite format of acquisitions librarians, and that some of these publishers don’t even submit to us for review. But as I look back at the previous year’s crime-fiction reviews, from May 15, 2011 to May 1, 2012, I find ample evidence that our reviewers have a keen eye for cozies.

A Bedlam of Bones, by Suzette A. Hill

“This series effectively combines the ambience of the English village cozy with the high jinks of talking (and sleuthing) animals . . . An excellent choice for both Agatha Christie loyalists and fans of Lilian Jackson Braun and Rita Mae Brown.” —Barbara Bibel

A Charitable Body, by Robert Barnard

“Barnard is at his cozy best in this deftly executed murder-near-the-manor whodunit . . . an old-fashioned mystery sure to appeal to fans of traditional crime novels plotted in the grand style of Agatha Christie.” —Margaret Flanagan

As the Pig Turns, by M. C. Beaton

While there is nothing cozy about Agatha herself, with her meddling ways, acid tongue, and bad choices in men, Beaton proves again her mastery of the genre by weaving in gripping plots among the idiosyncrasies of British small-town life. The series stays fresh and fun even in this twenty-second entry (so does Beaton’s other series, starring Scottish village copper Hamish MacBeth). —Amy Alessio

Blotto, Twinks, and the Dead Dowager Duchess, by Simon Brett

“As in his other novels, Brett is a devastating social critic (he nicely skewers his upper-class characters’ blithe acceptance of the suffering of the lower classes) and master of devastating physical characterization. This is the kind of book you’ll have to put down, frequently, as you roar with laughter.” —Connie Fletcher

Bones under the Beach Hut, by Simon Brett

“Brett’s Fethering mysteries conceal incisive send-ups of social climbing under the guise of the traditional cozy. . . As always, Brett delivers a cozy that is both suspenseful and laugh-out-loud funny.” —Connie Fletcher

Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains, by Catriona McPherson

“The upstairs-downstairs milieu of 1926 Scotland provides a delightful backdrop for this entertaining cozy, and Dandy, in her fifth outing (after The Winter Ground, 2009), is as canny and captivating as ever.” —Michele Leber

The Devil’s Puzzle, by Clare O’Donohue

“Quilting details, a sharp picture of small-town life, likable characters, and two appealing romantic relationships add to the enjoyment of this mainstream cozy mystery.” —Sue O’Brien

Gone West, by Carola Dunn

“Dunn has once again written a charming cozy featuring an intelligent, strong woman. A treat for Daisy’s fans as well as those who enjoy Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs.” —Barbara Bibel

Grace Interrupted, by Julie Hyzy

“Minor characters and the charming setting add strong support to this engrossing read. The excellent pacing and writing will also be recognizable to fans of Hyzy’s White House Chef series.” —Amy Alessio

Granddad, There’s a Head on the Beach, by Colin Cotterill

“The fast-paced plot finishes with a particularly tense climax (broadcast live online!), as Cotterill masterfully blends real-world issues (the terrrible condition endured by Burmese refugees in Thailand) with appealing cozy elements and his trademark humor. Series readers will be thrilled with this installment and anxious for the next one. Must reading.” —Jessica Moyer

The Herring in the Library, by L. C. Tyler

“Biting social satire and loads of fun detective work.” —Connie Fletcher

Jane and the Canterbury Tale, by Stephanie Barron

“Barron channels Jane Austen beautifully in this charming series. . . Austen fans, cozy lovers, and historical-mystery readers will all enjoy this delightful story.” —Barbara Bibel

The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection, by Alexander McCall Smith

“Part of the brilliance of this series (now in its thirteenth entry) is that what may seem like tiny cases expand into considerations of virtue, love, ambition, greed, and evil. And these meditations on life come as naturally as Precious looking up into the blue Botswana sky. . . McCall Smith’s novels are both very meditative and laugh-out-loud funny. If you’ve never read a “No. 1 Ladies’,” now’s the time.” —Connie Fletcher

Mystery in Prior’s Ford, by Evelyn Hood

“Fans of M. C. Beaton and Rhys Bowen will adore Hood’s Prior’s Ford series.” —Pat Henshaw

Swift Edge, by Laura DiSilverio

“Charlie and Gigi are both wonderful characters, flawed but appealing. This well-crafted, zany mystery will appeal, especially, to fans of Janet Evanovich, Laura Levine, and Lisa Lutz, whose work displays the same kind of humor.” — Amy Alessio

Wicked Autumn, by G. M. Malliet

“Malliet has mastered the delights of the cozy mystery so completely that she seems to be channeling Agatha Christie, albeit with a hero who adds sex appeal to the mix. She also includes snippets of ironic humor that contribute a little spice to the village charm, making the story even more delicious. Religion, espionage, tea, and crumpets: a winning menu.” —Ilene Cooper

Hearing the name of The Bunburyist, the fine blog run by Elizabeth Foxwell, people do one of two things: they either wrinkle their brows in puzzlement or smile in knowing pleasure. It’s a reference that tells you whether you’re in the club or not yet a member. Fortunately, though few can match Foxwell’s crime-fiction erudition—she’s the managing editor of Clues: A Journal of Detection, editor of the McFarland Companions to Mystery Fiction series, coauthor of the Robert B. Parker Companion, and winner of the George N. Dove Award for her contributions to the serious study of mystery and crime fiction—she’s no snooty sleuth. We asked her to clue us in, and she did everything but conjugate Bunbury.

A Bunburyist, as Oscar Wilde fans well know, alludes to The Importance of Being Earnest, as Algernon Moncrieff invents the invaluable permanent invalid Bunbury so he can jaunt off to the country whenever he chooses. Wilde’s works were not unacquainted with crime; An Ideal Husband revolves around blackmail, and Lord Arthur Savile in his eponymous work gets busy when a palm reader tells him that he is destined to commit murder. In my case, The Bunburyist has allowed me a jaunt of more than 5 years to advance the cause of mystery history, reinforcing my role as managing editor of the scholarly journal Clues (the only U.S. academic journal on mystery and detective fiction). The blog features online resources, reviews of neglected mystery works, mystery author birthdays, and posts about lists of the past spotlighting the best of mystery fiction—reflecting my longstanding concern with inaccurate and insufficient information on the history of the mystery genre that exists on the Internet.

Especially crucial is solid information that reaches beyond the “usual suspects” of Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Dashiell Hammett, including attempts to answer the age-old question, “What should I read next?”. For example, the response was gratifying regarding my review of stories by Richard Marsh (best known for the supernatural tale The Beetle, 1897) that featured early female sleuth Judith Lee. I had found these stories, which had been out of print since 1916, in U.S. newspapers via the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America Project. The comment trail to the post eventually revealed that Black Coat Press had issued a new collection of the stories.

I also enjoy finding lighthearted mystery materials such as the Edgar Allan Pooh mousepad by artist Dan Pirarro, the Bob Hope-Jack Webb radio spoof of Dragnet, and a video clip of the late Soupy Sales’s hapless detective Philo Kvetch squaring off against nefarious criminal mastermind The Mask (easy to spot by the paper bag over his head).

Other areas of particular interest are regular posts on podcasts and other multimedia such as the 1958 interview on EUscreen with Leslie Charteris, creator of the Saint. Also important are library and museum exhibitions and collections that pertain to mystery fiction. As I noted in my 2008 speech “Fostering Mystery History: A Manifesto,” libraries and similar institutions need adequate funding to catalog and digitize mystery-related materials and curate exhibitions that can add immeasurably to our mystery knowledge and community. Showcasing such resources can promote appreciation for mystery works, assist librarians and researchers in finding materials valuable to their work, and lead to further support for library efforts. I wish more libraries had the resources to emulate the Room 26 Cabinet of Curiosities blog of Yale’s Beinecke Library, with its interesting items such as the scrapbooks of mystery author Carolyn Wells, or take on a project like the Westminster Library of Detective Fiction—an awe-inspiring effort by Edgar winner LeRoy Lad Panek and Mary Bendel-Simso to digitize mystery fiction in U.S. periodicals before 1891 that features an April 1846 piece by Abraham Lincoln. Exhibitions and collections featured on The Bunburyist include the University of Chicago’s recently catalogued Popular Literature Collection (with works by authors such as C. W. Grafton, the attorney father of Sue Grafton) and Monash University’s “The Body in the Library” exhibition (with a rich panorama of detective pulps and works such as The Double Frame (1958) by Time magazine cover subject Craig Rice.

Excuse me; I have a certain invalid to attend to . . . .

Stay tuned for a follow-up post about Clues!

Steve Ulfelder builds, rents, sells, and services race cars. Even we here at Hostile Questions can respect that. But then he has the audacity to write books, too? And then has the cheekiness for his first novel, Purgatory Chasm, to be nominated for an Edgar Award? Oh, it’s on. I’ve got my tire iron, Steve’s got his monkey wrench. Let’s see who emerges from this race in first place.

Just who do you think you are?

Who the hell wants to know?

I was a biz and tech journo for 20 years. Around 2007, with things looking truly ugly for freelancers – a trend that’s only accelerated, from what I hear – I quit that racket and took a night course in writing novels. At the same time, I began putting in more hours at Flatout Motorsports Inc., a company I co-founded that builds race cars. Like Conway Sax, my hard-boiled protagonist, I race cars. (He’s a former NASCAR stud. I’m a weekend-warrior sports-car racer.) Also like Conway Sax, I’m a drunk. I’ve been sober a long time. Longer than Conway. Heh.

Where do you get off?

Born in Los Angeles, lived in Minnesota and Michigan as a kid, finally landed on the mean streets of Hingham, Massachusetts. And by “mean” I mean “preppy, effete and elite.” Went to Ohio Wesleyan University. I now live near Framingham, Massachusetts, a funky place midway between Boston and Worcester that doesn’t know if it’s a fading mill town or a leafy commuter suburb. My books are centered in Framingham.

What’s the big idea?

Hard-boiled amateur sleuth series, two books down and, I hope, many more to come. Faves and influences: James Ellroy, Ed McBain, Westlake/Stark, Ross Macdonald, Robert B. Parker. And, most importantly, John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee. I could do nothing but reread McGees and die a happy man. (Well, not quite. I would also need to reread Lonesome Dove every five years, as all right-thinking people should.)

Conway Sax drank his opportunity and his family away. He sobered up with help from the Barnburners: half AA group, half vigilante squad. Conway will do anything, repeat anything, to help a Barnburner in need. In Book 1, Purgatory Chasm, he signs on to retrieve a pal’s classic car from a sketchy shop. Then the pal turns up dead. In Book 2, The Whole Lie, he’s pressed into service by a Barnburner (and former lover) who wants help shaking down a candidate for governor. She’s got ample shakedown ammo: she bore the politician’s love child. People start dying.

What is your problem, man?

My problem? I got no problem. I’m walkin’ here!

Conway’s a first-person narrator, and of course that brings some challenges – you’re limited as to what can take place off stage, and when it does, you need to brew up a way to tell it. And then there’s the amateur-sleuth problem. Conway’s day job is auto mechanic, and in every book I need to present him with a case, then deal with the fact that he’s ignoring said day job to run around sleuthing. Someday, it’d be sweet to write a cop or licensed PI who just punches the clock and tackles cool cases.

Haven’t you done enough?

More Conway. More racing.

In case you haven’t heard, NBC has ordered thirteen episodes of Hannibal, a new crime drama from Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller — which means, at the very least, we can probably expect something offbeat and weird. The pilot will be directed by David Slade, who gave us the wonderfully dark 30 Days of Night. He also did The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, but I don’t hold that against him.

Hannibal, of course, is Hannibal Lecter, Thomas Harris’s psychiatrist/serial killer/cannibal, who has been played in the movies by Brian Cox, Anthony Hopkins and Gaspard Ulliel (in the vastly underrated Hannibal Rising). No word yet — at least not while I’m typing this — on who will play Dr. Lecter in the television series, but British actor Hugh Dancy has been cast as Will Graham (taking over the role played on the big screen by William Peterson and Edward Norton).

The series, apparently, will be set before the events of the first Lecter novel, 1981′s Red Dragon, and will focus on the relationship between FBI profiler Graham and his frequent consultant, Dr. Lecter (before, obviously, Graham twigged to Lecter’s, um, hobbies).

I like the idea a lot. Graham and Lecter are strong characters, and, in the novels, Harris (who doesn’t appear to be involved in the show) hinted at their previous working relationship. It’d be nice to see that. The show has a nicely dramatic built-in conclusion — Graham discovers the truth about Lecter, leading into the events of Red Dragon — and, since we know the truth about Hannibal but Graham doesn’t, there’s plenty of opportunity to give the audience a serious case of the creeps.

Any thoughts on who should play Dr. Lecter? Keeping in mind, of course, the casting could be announced any day now. (I have someone in mind, but I doubt he’d be interested.)

The world of mystery media is full of websites and blogs, many of which arrive on our screens with grand statements of purpose fueled by the energy and ambition of youth . . . only to cease publishing once the creators realize how much work is actually involved. But there are some stalwarts, such as The Strand Magazine, a full-sized glossy that’s been in print since before the turn of the millennium. Curiously, its editor is one of those young people I just mentioned—but Andrew Gulli seems to show no signs of flagging. Read on, learn more, and look into it!

Please describe your publication.

The Strand is a full sized, glossy magazine that has been around since 1999—seems like it was just yesterday that the first issue was first taken off the press. Our audience and reach varies unpredictably and we have everyone from teenagers to people in their 90s reading the magazine. In terms of distribution the magazine is read from Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the U.S. of course—I can rifle off several other countries but that would be bragging! We cover all aspects of the crime genre and occasionally drift into science fiction.

Tell us about yourself.

I’ve been the editor since I was 22 and it’s a job that I’ve kept for 13 years. I do day-to-day editing and also work on some of the business aspects—in other words, I’m never bored and you know what they say about idle hands . . . .

Who are some of your favorite authors?

For classic authors, I woulds say Jim Thompson, Cornell Woolrich, Robert Louis Stevenson, Dostoyevksy, Tolstoy, G. K. Chesterton, and Robert Bloch. For more contemporary authors, Graham Greene, Joseph Finder, Jeff Deaver, Olen Steinhauer, Alexander McCall Smith, John Lescroart, Jonathan Santlofer, Ray Bradbury, Roald Dahl, and Philip Dick.

Tell us about a recent review or article of which you’re particularly fond.

That would be like asking me to choose a favorite child, only I’m not married and have no kids! Never! Seriously, for the past three years I have managed to publish previously unpublished works by Mark Twain, Graham Greene, Dashiell Hammett, Agatha Christie, P. G. Wodehouse, and we have some surprises in store this year. It has been also a highlight to publish some writers I grew up reading like John Mortimer, Ray Bradbury, and Colin Dexter, and you know those three writers are nice guys. I won’t name some of my childhood heroes who in person turned out to be nasty!

What does the future hold for your publication?

It’s good you didn’t ask a question about how we can survive in the digital age. I usually bristle when people talk about print being something of the past. Reading a magazine is a physical experience that can’t be replicated on a computer or phone and that’s why it’s something that readers will never abandon. Having said that, and that was a mouthful . . . yes, we are working on developing an application for the magazine, since that’s a great way to spread our reach.

Which other mystery magazines and blogs do you believe are must-reads?

Do you think I’m about to give a plug to the competition?! Honestly, there are so many good blogs and magazines out there that I couldn’t pick even a handful; they all are doing a good job.

The Strand Magazine Data

Website: www.strandmag.com

Twitter: @StrandMag

Contact email: strandmag@strandmag.com

Frequency of publication: Quarterly

Cost to subscribe: $19.95/year

My first encounter with Mr. Edward Gorey’s work was the opening to PBS’s Mystery!

At the tender young age of seven I was afraid of everything from blood to flies,  so why I sat down to watch the TV show with my parents  eludes me.  I’m guessing, however, that the stentorian opening voice and lively piano piqued my curiosity, and Gorey’s line-art sealed the deal.

My favorite part was the moment (see :19) when the croquet ball gets whacked across the lawn only to be crushed by a falling chunk of the estate, revealing a swooning madame left abandoned on the roof. Thrilled by these grim details (and no doubt proud I could endure them without averting my eyes), I eagerly awaited the rest of this mysterious (yet classy!) cartoon.

Of course, I was promptly disappointed by the cut to live action (I didn’t care how fancy that Belgian’s mustache was), and then promptly scared by the first suggestion of foul play, which pretty much ended my watching of Mystery!

I did not forget Mr. Gorey, though, and he really won me over with his illustrations for T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

Today it’s a toss-up between which I love more: Old Possum’s or The Gashlycrumb Tinies. If you’re not familiar with the latter, it’s the story of twenty-six children (from Amy to Zillah) and their untimely demises.

What most pleases me about this fateful account is the charming sing-song rhymes juxtaposed against the grisly fate of these unfortunate children. Who can mourn with such jovial dactylic couplets as “K is for Kate who was struck with an axe, L is for Leo who swallowed some tacks?” Music to my ears!

I also marvel at Gorey’s use of wide-ranging yet plausible deaths. He doesn’t rely on fantastical circumstances or ridiculous situations; instead,  we have Winnie embedded in ice, Desmond thrown out of a sleigh, Ernest who choked on a peach, and 23 other commonplace deaths!

Which is another thing I appreciate about this book: its frankness. Our society works too hard to shield children from the realities of this world.
I imagine Gorey on a school visit to a first grade class . . . .

Look kids. There’s only one guarantee in this world—that you will die. And it can happen at any time. Quentin, Rhoda, Susan, pay attention! You are no exception!! Now. Everyone gather around for story time, today’s book is called The Gashlycrumb Tinies a.k.a YOUR FUTURE! [lights dim, lively Mystery! piano starts up, scene fades out.]

Honestly, if you read a book like this and aren’t inspired, you’re probably already dead. But if you’re not and you work at Booklist, here’s how you might go . . .

The Gashlycrumb Booklisters

Ed. Assistant Chris drowned in the mail.
Ed. Annie K. succumbed to a mind-numbing tale.
Coordinator Cynthia croaked in an ad-traffic jam.
Production Ed. Jennifer perished on the lam.
Production Ed. Carlos’ hair engulfed his head.
Ed. Ian was haunted by The Walking Dead.
Ref. Editor Rebecca was destroyed by e-book.
Audio Ed. Sue-Ellen was zapped by her Nook.
Ed. Assistant Courtney was picked for The Hunger Games.
Ed. Donna—a stack of ARCs is all that remains.
Ed. Director Gillian got stuck in Wheel Pose.
Prod. Director Ben—lost to an eternal doze.
Youth Editor Ilene was devoured by rats.
Marketer Katharine was smothered by cats.
Ed. Assistant Annie suffered sugar-shocks.
Ed. Assistant Sarah was offed by Monkey pox.
Youth Editor Dan was buried alive.
Manager Mary Fran crashed on the Drive.
Adult Editor Brad was scalded by tea.
Ed.-at-Large Joanne missed an apostrophe.
Editor Keir drank too many brews.
And Pub./Ed. Bill exited to bad reviews.

As we continue our series of shout-outs to the diverse array of publications covering the mystery beat, today we catch up with Mystery Readers Journal. As editor Janet Rudolph explains, this stalwart of the scene covers a lot of ground—and, from her resume, so does Rudolph! Keep reading, mystery reader….

Please describe your publication.

Mystery Readers Journal is a quarterly, thematic mystery review in its twenty-eighth year of publication. Our themes have included art mysteries, mysteries set in France, Scandinavian mysteries, music mysteries, San Francisco mysteries, and more. Each issue contains reviews, articles, and “Author! Author!” essays in which writers weigh in on the theme of the issue. These up-close and personal contributions often make it feel like you’re chatting with your favorite writers at the bar or in a cafe.  Mystery Readers Journal issues are published in hard copy and are also available as PDF downloads. Each issue runs about 84 pages. For past theme issues and tables of contents, as well as ordering information, visit our website. My audience is comprised of mystery fans and readers, writers, publishers, librarians, editors—everyone who enjoys mysteries.

Tell us about yourself.

I am the editor of the Mystery Readers Journal and creative director/writer at Murder on the Menu and TeamBuilding Unlimited. I blog daily at Mystery Fanfare and DyingforChocolate.com, have facilitated a weekly mystery book group for over 30 years, host literary salons with mystery authors, and have been a committee member on numerous mystery conventions. A long time contributor to the mystery genre, I received my Ph.D. in religion and literature, focusing on religious mystery fiction. I live in the Berkeley (CA) hills with my husband, a golden retriever, and two cats.
 
Who are some of your favorite authors?

P.D. James, Ken Bruen, Reginald Hill, Peter Lovesey, Peter Robinson, and Val McDermid.

What does the future hold for your publication?

We’ll be moving more toward e-publication, although we will continue to print hard copies for those who prefer them.

Which other mystery magazines and blogs do you believe are must-reads?

Magazines: Mystery Scene, Crimespree, Deadly Pleasures, Crime and Detective Stories (CADS).

Blogs: The Rap Sheet, EuroCrime, Detectives beyond Borders, Lesa’s Book Critiques, The Sirens of Suspense, It’s a Crime,  and so many more.

Data

Website: http://www.mysteryreaders.org/ 

Blog: http://www.mysteryfanfare/

Contact email: Janet@mysteryreaders.org

Frequency of publication: Quarterly

Cost to subscribe: $39 U.S. /$50 Overseas airmail. $15/PDF subscription