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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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

A Mystery Month-full of BTTs continues with the trailer for Revived, by Cat Patrick. Booklist calls the YA mystery “a fast-paced page-turner that explores the familiar moral ground often found at the heart of speculative fiction.” Indeed, we know we’re not dealing with any regular old mystery when the trailer’s narrator, Daisey Appleby, opens with [...]

Mystery Scene‘s glossy format definitely lends a bit of glamor to their newsstand presence, helping them stand out in a field that includes publications printed on everything from newsprint to pixels. But it’s not just the format that makes this magazine appealing—it’s also the content. Mystery Scene covers a wide-ranging beat and often gains access [...]

Last night, I attended the annual awards banquet of the venerable Society of Midland Authors. It was a modest crowd but a truly enjoyable evening—being in the company of people who value books and authors so highly has a way of raising my spirits. Master of ceremonies and prolific author Jay Bonansinga kept things light as [...]