Thursday, July 16, 2026
Mystery Fanfare: MAIGRET, Season 2, news
Mystery Fanfare: MAIGRET, Season 2, news: MASTERPIECE PBS has announced that Season 2 of Maigret will premiere on Sunday, October 18 at 9/8c on PBS . It will also be available t...
Beneath the Stains of Time: Out for Delivery: "The Jersey Devil" (1971) by Edward D. Hoch
Beneath the Stains of Time: Out for Delivery: "The Jersey Devil" (1971) by Edw...: Some months ago, I reviewed a short story from Edward D. Hoch's Captain Leopold series, " The Rainy-Day Bandit " (1970), which...
Thursday Treats: 7/16/2026
Some reading opportunities of interest this week.
.jpg)
I
am leading off with this publishing news as I am in the new issue this week. Black
Cat Weekly #254 is out and includes my crime fiction short story, A Plan
Comes Together. Also in the issue are frequent guests here, Tom Milani
(Andrea Gutiérrez) and Paula
Messina (A Little Help). You can pick up the
latest issue here.
Also
now out is the latest issue of Kings River Life Mystery Magazine. In addition
to the book giveaways, reviews, and other pieces, Leslie
Budewitz announced that publication of her
short story, Pepper Reece and the Ghost of Arthur Goodwin: A Spice Shop Short
Mystery. You can read it for free here.
Janet Rudloph announced that the latest volume of the Mystery Reader’s Journal was now out. Mystery Readers Journal: Mysteries Set in France (Volume 42:2) is available here. By the way, if you are not already paying attention to her great Mystery Fanfare blog, you should be. I watch a lot of British, and elsewhere, mystery television and I get most of my news on the programs via her blog.
Author
James
H. Lewis announced that his latest novel, The
Boy in the Mirror, is now out. You can pick it up direct from the
author here, or through
several vendors including Amazon.
Author
Allen
Wyler announced that his latest novel, Deadly
Odds 9.0 was out. Published by Stairway
Press, the latest in a long line of
techno-thrillers is available at Amazon and other
vendors.
SMFS
Derringer Coordinator Mark Schuster sent word that John Joseph Adams has
curated the Magic & Mystery collection scheduled to be
released on July 28th. These are seven Amazon Original Tales on
Kindle. Learn more at Amazon.
Speaking
of SMFS, recently re-elected President Joseph S. Walker posted his latest
compilation of recent publishing news of the members. News of the various books
and short stories can be found here.
By
the way, Joseph’s post title reminded me of the great blog, Make Mine Mystery.
While it is dormant now, you can still read the posts if you go to the Make
Mine Mystery blog here.
The anthology, Bad Intentions: A Crime Fiction Anthology Based on the Music of Warren Zevon, has been released by Literary Garage. Edited by Michael K. Downing, the read features fifteen stories from authors, Chance Adorjan, Colin Brightwell, Jesse Binger, Geonn Cannon, Andrew Careaga, Dylan Demasi, Zakariah Johnson, Whiskey Leavins, Scott MacLeod, Bruce W. Most, Joel Nedecky, Nathan Pettigrew, Keith Roysdon, DJ Tuskmor, and Mike Zimmerman. Cover design by Frank Vatel. All proceeds go to benefit Philabundance, a Philadelphia-based charity working to end food insecurity. You can pick it up in print or digital formats at Amazon and other vendors.
Until next time….
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: The Best American Mystery...: The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century is an anthology edited by Tony Hillerman and Otto Penzler and published in 2000. The ant...
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: TAPPAN'S BURRO
Jerry's House of Everything: SGORT STORY WEDNESDAY: TAPPAN'S BURRO: "Tappan's Burro" by Zane Grey (first published in Ladies' Home Journal , June 1923; reprinted in Pearson's Magazine ,...
Publishing News: A Plan Comes Together in Black Cat Weekly #254
.jpg)
As you may already know, I got published this week. My short story, A Plan Comes Together, appears in Black
Cat Weekly #254. They say "write what you know" and the narrator is very much me and my life these days. Though what happens is not. I hope you will pick up the issue and check out my story. Hope you like it too. You can pick up the
latest issue here.
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Mystery Fanfare: MYSTERIES SET IN FRANCE: La Fête Nationale aka Bastille Day
Mystery Fanfare: MYSTERIES SET IN FRANCE: La Fête Nationale aka Bas...: Celebrate La Fête Nationale aka Bastille Day with the hot off the presses issue of Mystery Readers Journal: Mysteries Set in France (V...
Jerry's House of Everything: OVERLOOKED FILM: THE CANARY MURDER CASE (1929)
Jerry's House of Everything: OVERLOOKED FILM: THE CANARY MURDER CASE (1929): Ogden Nash famously write "Philo Vance needs a kick in the pance." The pompous fictional detective created by S. S. Van Dine has ...
Monday, July 13, 2026
In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday
In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday: It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news: THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES Matthew Mic...
Little Big Crimes: Pitchapalooza, by Robert Parker
Little Big Crimes: Pitchapalooza, by Robert Parker: "Pitchapalooza," by Robert Parker, in Black Cat Weekly, #253, 2026. The main character of this tale is Geneva Slitherbee (grea...
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Devoted: A Novel by Catherine Cho
Catherine Cho
is a literary agent and the founder of her own literary agency. She wrote a
critically acclaimed memoir that was shortlisted for the Sunday Times'
Young Writer of the Year Award, the Jhalak Prize, and a New York Times' Editor's Choice. Her debut novel,
The Devoted (Washington Square Press, July 14, 2026) is a compelling
tale of a young woman who is born into the shadow of transnational crime
syndicates and has to decide what she will do about it. I found her character
to be similar to a young Michael Corleone who also was determined to move
outside his family’s lawlessness.
Told in
flashbacks between childhood and maturity, the story describes Eunha growing up
with her older brother in Hong Kong in the care of her grandmother, her
mother’s mother, in an isolated cottage. Her mother is institutionalized for
some vague illness. A caretaker whom Eunha eventually realizes is a personal
security officer assigned by her father is omnipresent. His nephew appears
periodically and joins the family. Eunha’s father visits occasionally, focusing
his attention on his son.
By the time
Eunha reaches her late teens, she understands that her father is a Dragon, the
head of a Triad, and that her brother will follow her father into the world of
organized crime. She marries into what she believes is an ordinary family but
she learns when her son is kidnapped that the shadow of her family and its
activities is far-reaching.
Cho’s writing
is lavish with imagery and opulent turns of phrase. It’s often at odds with the
gritty world it describes. The cultural melting pot of Hong Kong simmers in the
background, contrasting mainland Chinese, British colonialists, and immigrants from
elsewhere in the East, all of whom settled on the island that serves as a bridge
between East and West. Hong Kong’s status as a financial nucleus in the East is
a magnet for many, including the Triads.
The
Devoted is a compulsive piece of crime fiction and I expect to see it on
many of the nominations lists for 2026 awards. Starred reviews from Library
Journal and Booklist.
·
Publisher: Washington Square Press
·
Publication date: July 14, 2026
·
Language: English
·
Print length: 256 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1668099462
·
ISBN-13: 978-1668099469
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4aNsCXA
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal
It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, July 12, 2026
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case of the Running Man (1958) by Christopher Bush
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case of the Running Man (1958) by Christopher ...: The Case of the Running Man (1958), the 52nd entry in the Ludovic Travers series, rang in the last phase of Christopher Bush 's decades...
SleuthSayers: Unsolicited Thoughts on Spider-Noir
SleuthSayers: Unsolicited Thoughts on Spider-Noir: One of two things would happen with Episode One of Spider-Noir (Amazon Prime, 2026). Either I would press the stop button quickly, or I wou...
KRL Update
Up on KRL this week a review and giveaway of "A Botanist's Guide to Tradition and Treachery" by Kate Khavari, along with a fun guest post by Kate about poisonous plants https://kingsriverlife.com/07/11/a-botanists-guide-to-tradition-and-treachery-by-kate-khavari/
And a review and ebook giveaway of "Dreidels and Dead Ends" by Nancy Cohen https://kingsriverlife.com/07/11/dreidels-and-dead-ends-by-nancy-cohen/
And a review and giveaway of "Voted Most Likely to Murder" by Lacey Moon, along with an interesting interview with Lacey https://kingsriverlife.com/07/11/voted-most-likely-to-murder-by-lacey-moone/
We also have a fun mystery short story by Leslie Budewitz https://kingsriverlife.com/07/11/pepper-reece-and-the-ghost-of-arthur-goodwin/
Up during the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Greta Sinclair about the fun research she did for her latest book, "Murder by Meringue" https://kingsriverlife.com/07/08/when-research-tastes-this-good/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and ebook giveaway of the latest Irregular Detective Mystery, "The Vampyre Client" by Jeri Westerson https://www.krlnews.com/2026/07/the-vampyre-client-by-jeri-westerson.html
And a review and giveaway of "Hemlock Bay" by Martin Edwards https://www.krlnews.com/2026/07/hemlock-bay-by-martin-edwards.html
And a review and giveaway of "The Redemption Center is Closed On Sundays" by Andrea Hairston. This one is a mystery with a lot of twists--it's a scifi mystery with a dog detective https://www.krlnews.com/2026/07/the-redemption-center-is-closed-on.html
Happy reading,
Lorie
Saturday, July 11, 2026
Jerry's House of Everything: MORTIFIED #10 (UNDATED)
Jerry's House of Everything: MORTIFIED #10 (UNDATED): Mortified is a continuing series from CNCC Classic Comics. On May 3, 2024 on this blog, I quoted the Comic Book Plus website: "CNCC ...
Scott's Take: This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl Series)
This Inevitable Ruin
by Matt Dinniman is the seventh book in the Dungeon Crawler series.
Warlords Donut and Carl are leading the former Crawlers who have returned to
the Dungeon, alongside the remaining Crawlers, against the alien tyrants and
their mercenary forces. Luckly, they have allies in the NPC army, but they are
still vastly outnumbered. Can Donut and Carl beat thousands and thousands of
soldiers even with the help of the former crawlers? Can Donut and Katia find a
way to escape the curse of the Sepsis Whore?
This is action packed humor filled war tale with
Donut becoming a sniper. Yes, she even has her own little ghillie suit. The
main former Dungeon Crawlers are fully realized heroes of their own tales and
one could imagine them having their own separate series. Jamal the mechanical
shark (an NPC hero) is introduced and is given a giant flamethrower. I enjoyed
this character’s sense of humor immensely.
I really liked how the author explored the toll the war is having on
Donut and how the Crawlers band together to help Donut deal with the trauma she
goes through.
There is no shortage of villains in the tale and
plenty of high stakes. The third act gets incredibly weird. Even weirder than
the last book and I did not think that was possible.
The short story in the hardback highlights the
Shadow Mimics that have infiltrated the backstage of the Dungeon and their
plans.
The next book
in the series comes out May Twelfth and is titled, A Parade of Horribles. Donut, Carl,
and those who chose to remain are going to compete in a death race while the AI
continues to lose his mind.
As of right now, there are two more books planned, a
Peacock tv series in production, a graphic novel adaption which can be read for
free on webtoon, a separate graphic novel planned for next year that will
feature, Florin, the shotgun wielding human turned into a Crocodile. There is
also an increasing amount of merchandise such as shirts and other things. There
is also now a table top game. And, Libby signed a deal to be the exclusive home
of the eBooks for libraries. It is
rather amazing how this series has exploded in so many ways.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4nqN6uq
I read the eBook by way of the Libby/Overdrive App
in the Dallas Public Library System. While in the middle of the eBook, the
hardback showed up at my local branch as it had been transferred from the
Lakewood Branch. That allowed me to read the short story.
Scott A. Tipple ©2026
Friday, July 10, 2026
In Reference to Murder: Friday's Forgotten Books: The Yellow Turban
In Reference to Murder: Friday's Forgotten Books: The Yellow Turban: Charlotte Jay was the pen name of Australian mystery author Geraldine Halls (1919-1996). Her marriage to Albert Halls of UNESCO enabled her...
Mystery Fanfare: The Chelsea Detective News
Mystery Fanfare: The Chelsea Detective News: I am so looking forward to this season! The Chelsea Detective premieres Monday, August 3 on Acorn TV Season 4 sees DI Max Arnold (Adrian ...
In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange
In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange: I missed this bit of news earlier, but the shortlist for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize was announced. This year's finalists include: ...
Paula Messina Reviews: The Fireballer by Mark Stevens
Please welcome author Paula Messina back to the blog today…
The
Fireballer
by
Paula Messina
The Fireballer,
a novel by Mark Stevens, is the story of Baltimore Oriole rookie pitcher
Frank Ryder who can put the ball over the plate at more than 100 mph. Fueled by
Ryder’s gas, the hapless Orioles are at last truly in the pennant race. Ryder
is haunted by an accident his errant ball caused when he was twelve years old.
Ten years later, Ryder is a phenom, a pitcher who is untouchable.
He has achieved
his goal of playing in the majors, but he can’t relax and enjoy his success.
Ryder misses Maggie, his girlfriend, who is hundreds of miles away in school,
but if he’s willing, there are plenty of women lined up who are even more
willing. He has the sudden wealth that is heaped on athletes, so he can afford
a fancy condo with a fabulous view. But it’s icy, not a home. He’s been
convinced to wear expensive duds, but he feels like a fraud. Ryder is
recognized everywhere he goes, and he has no clue how to handle himself. He’s a
once-in-a-lifetime pitcher driven by his love for the game. All he wants to do
is throw strikes and win games.
And underlying
everything is that accident Frank Ryder cannot escape.
Fireballer
is about guilt and redemption. It is also about baseball, a big business that
eats its own.
Ryder’s pitching
prowess makes him a freak. His success makes the baseball union and the
commission decidedly uncomfortable. They want to ban those 105 mph pitches.
After all, how can the bigwigs watch baseball’s best hitters stand helplessly
at the plate while their batting averages wallow in the toilet. Not to mention
the possibility fans will become bored with all that Frank Ryder winning.
Before the union
and commission can impose a speed limit, Ryder’s teammate is beaned and out for
the rest of the season. The unwritten rule in baseball is that the pitcher
retaliates. Tit for tat. We lose one. You lose one. His teammates on the field,
in the dugout, and in the bullpen expect Ryder to do the right thing, seek
revenge. Only Ryder is having none of it. He shakes off his irate catcher’s
signals to bean the batter.
The next pitch has
a mind of its own and hits the batter in his torso. He’s down, definitely out,
and not moving.
Nobody believes it
was an accident. Ryder is suspended.
But far worse,
Ryder’s arm goes AWOL. He’s a pitching phenomenon who cannot pitch.
The reader roots
for Frank Ryder to overcome his past and find happiness because he is a normal
Joe, a good person overwhelmed by circumstances. His pitching is freakish. He
is not. We know Frank Ryder. He’s your next-door neighbor, the kid you went to
high school with, or your first cousin lucky enough to make it to the majors.
He’s normal in every way except when he picks up a baseball and steps onto the
mound.
Can Frank Ryder
revive his arm, or is he a flash in the pan whose time has already come and
gone?
At times, it’s painful to read Ryder’s story.
I mean this in the best way possible. His agony is so real, so visceral the
reader can’t help but be moved. Most of us never come close to that kind of
fame and success, but we all experience guilt and the need for redemption. We
know what it’s like to struggle to recapture a part of ourselves that was lost.
It’s man’s fate.
The novel’s tension dips when Ryder turns his energy to philanthropy by
visiting a school. This isn’t a surprise. Ryder’s humanity spends most of the
novel hovering around the edges waiting to surface, but Ryder and the students
struggle to communicate. The chapter would have benefited from a bit of
judicious pruning. It’s the pressure Ryder puts on himself and inflicted by the
Orioles staff, the union, and the baseball commission that fuels the novel. The
Orioles’ race for the American League Pennant and the biggest prize of all, the
World Series, keeps the reader turning pages. We want Frank Ryder to prevail
because he is one of us.
Despite the
philanthropy dip, the writing is solid. Stevens creates characters that readers
identify with and care about. He’s a master of description. Ryder’s twin
brother “broods on problems. Ryder only played chess with Josh if they used a
timer.”
Stevens lets the
reader hear the ball as it smacks into the pitcher’s glove and the sound of the
fans in the bleachers. “The crowd buzzes. It’s the hum of humanity. It’s
restlessness. It’s wonder. It’s 37,700 squirming fans who have agreed through
some sort of telepathic communion to react as one.”
Fireballer reminds us that baseball
once was America’s favorite pastime, and within its pages, Frank Ryder, is our
favorite player.
Mark Stevens, a Massachusetts native, lives in Colorado and writes The
Flynn Martin Thriller and The Allison Coil Mystery Series. In
2016 and 2023, Stevens was recognized as
the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Writer of the Year. Stevens knows his
baseball, and he is a wise man. He does not like the designated hitter, neither
does Frank Ryder.
The Fireballer is a
grand slam that should be designated to the top of your to-be-read pile.
Amazon
Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4g4y1ct
Paula
Messina ©2026
Paula Messina writes the
Donatello Laguardia stories, which are set in Boston’s North End during the
1940s. They appeared in the Best New England Crime Stories 2024 and
2025 and another Donatello Laguardia short story is scheduled to
appear in Black Cat Weekly. She lives near America’s first public beach.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
Posts
