Monday, 26 October 2026

Forthcoming Books from Orion Publishing

 January 2027

Lie for Your Life by Anna Sharpe. 'You're trying to play a game with me. So is someone else. But me? I'm not playing. I'm not saying nothing more.' The truth doesn't always set you free. Nicole is a rising star in the courtroom - sharp, ambitious, and determined to outrun the shadow of her criminal family. Her latest case could make her career: prosecuting the infamous serial killer known as The Tattooist. It's a tough challenge, but Nicole is confident she can secure a conviction. Everything changes when Nicole discovers evidence that suggests the defendant may have been set up. Then a body is found followed by a threatening message: unless she secures a conviction of the man on trial, the killer will strike again. And this time, it's her family on the line. Torn between her loyalty to her family and desire for justice, Nicole is left with no choice but to hunt down the killer before the jury reach a verdict. Taut, twisty, darkly witty, and razor-sharp, Lie For Your Life is a gripping exploration of true crime obsession, the lies we tell and what we're willing to sacrifice to protect the people we love.

On an island with no way out, even old friends become suspects . . . When Cassie Brogan and her friends are invited to a school reunion on a remote island off the coast of Ireland, their first instinct is to refuse. Ravenwood Academy is a chapter of their lives they'd rather forget - a place haunted by tragedy, secrets and betrayal. But the lure of a five-star stay at the secluded and luxurious Tech Duinn Manor soon proves impossible to resist. As the guests begin to arrive, tensions rise and old rivalries reignite. When a dead body turns up, it soon becomes clear that someone is out for revenge.  Trapped on an island with no escape, Cassie must uncover the truth about what really happened at Ravenwood Academy - before history repeats itself. The Island is by Cathy Cole. 

Wolf Point is by Lisa Howells. One missing girl. Three possibilities. No turning back. Wolf Point, Alaska. When police officer Terril Black is thrust into the role of sergeant under brutal circumstances, she expects a quiet first night in charge. Instead, a teenage girl vanishes from a remote motel - and for Terril, walking away is never an option. With a department that doesn't want a woman in charge, a hostile officer undermining her at every turn, and a rookie fresh from Miami as her only back-up, she is plunged into a desperate missing persons investigation, racing against time and the elements. Here, it isn't the first 48 hours that count - it's the first four to eight. After that, even something innocent can end badly. But as she digs deeper, unsettling clues point towards something dark festering beneath the surface of this isolated small town. And when a violent snowstorm cuts them off from the outside world, Terril isn't just fighting to save the girl - she's fighting to get out alive. Yet Wolf Point never surrenders its humanity. Terril Black, Eli Ash, Angela Stone―you'll remember these names long past The End.'

February 2027

The Therapist's Secret is by Kingsley Pearson. Will he help her? Or hurt her? When therapist Aaron Pereira arrives on the Isle of Wight seeking a fresh start, the last thing he expects is to find himself caught in a tragedy. The police suspect that his predecessor, Dr Geoffrey Miller, is guilty of murdering a former patient. The problem? He's nowhere to be found. As long-buried secrets come to light, Aaron finds himself questioning everything the authorities claim and is drawn to investigate. After all, what would drive a respected and kindly therapist to harm a patient they're sworn to protect? And even worse - if a therapist like him could be a killer, what might Aaron himself be capable of?


March 2027

The Last Secret: Victor Rothschild and the Cambridge Spies by Roland Thomas. On a cold February day in 1944, a British intelligence officer knelt in a Northamptonshire field, staring into a crate of onions. Hidden inside: Nazi explosives, bound for British ships, planes and factories. He began to dismantle the bomb, dictating every move into a field telephone. One slip, and he would be blown to pieces. His name was Victor Rothschild, and he was one of the richest men in England. Darkly handsome, dazzlingly clever and unflinchingly brave, Rothschild was a rising star of British intelligence. He was also a Cambridge scientist, a first-class cricketer and heir to the legendary banking dynasty. He could have been anything he wanted. He chose to run MI5's counter-sabotage unit, disarming bombs and hunting Nazi agents. Yet the greatest danger he faced, and his greatest sacrifice, was personal. His friends from Cambridge, Anthony Blunt and Guy Burgess, had shared his flat, his table and his trust. He helped them into positions of national importance, at the heart of British intelligence. Both were Soviet spies, traitors to Britain. The Last Secret is a true story of loyalty and betrayal, courage and misjudgment. Drawing on newly released MI5 files and unheard testimony, it reveals for the first time the extraordinary scope of this decades-long cat-and-mouse game - Rothschild's obsessive struggle to clear his own name and bring his former friends to justice.

When Lee Black – once the golden child of the crime community, now miserly creative writing lecturer – opens his student’s work-in-progress, he is at first confused, then slightly disturbed, and then, finally, flattered. It’s fanfiction. But what the awkward, brilliant Bella has done with his most famous character – classic detective figure DCI Last – is something far bolder and more subversive than he would ever have dreamed of … Sensing an incredible opportunity, Lee sends the first few chapters off to his agent, pretending to have written them. She loves them – and so does his former publisher. This is truly Lee’s ‘Last’ chance. This could change everything, even save his failing marriage. But when Lee tries to complete the new idea himself, it’s soon obvious he’s not getting it. He just needs to persuade Bella to come on board. And if she doesn’t agree? Well, there’s always his brother-in-law’s secluded countryside lodge to go to – perfect for a writing retreat. Of sorts. Fanfiction is by Liam Brown.

April 2027

My Husband's Family is by Kristina Kamen. 'Sleek as a yacht cutting through the Med, My

Husband's Family reads like the seaworthy lovechild of The Perfect Couple and The Guest List. Fabulous, funny, and pure escapist pleasure' Jenny Jackson, bestselling author of Pineapple Street and The Shampoo Effect. The Amalfi Coast is a dazzling backdrop for the day Rebecca marries Preston, the heir to the ultra-rich Wexley family. But when their honeymoon - a romantic break on a superyacht - turns into a family affair, she soon realises she'll have her work cut out with her new in-laws:· The mother-in-law, who rules the family with an iron will· The ex, now an executive at the Wexley enterprise, plotting her own rise to the top Preston's attention-seeking brother, Brad, and his influencer girlfriend· The influencer, scrambling for attention alongside Preston's emotionally stunted brother· And then there's the bride - Rebecca, an outsider whose past threatens to unravel the moment an unexpected guest arrives... When a body goes overboard in the middle of the night, no one can leave until the killer is caught. Everyone on board has their secrets and selfish motivations, and with so much at stake, even family isn't safe..

June 2027

There are three truths: My truths, Your Truth, and the Truth. French Riviera, Spring 2023. Off the coast of Cannes, a yacht drifts between the Lérins Islands. On board lies Oriana Di Pietro, an Italian publisher and heiress to a famous Milanese family. Brutally attacked, she succumbs after ten days in a coma. Who killed Oriana? A man and three women offer their version of the story: Adrien, the victim's husband, a seductive and mysterious jazz pianist; the elusive Adèle, his young mistress; Justine, the local police officer in charge of the investigation; and finally, Oriana herself, through the harrowing account of the last weeks of her life. No one is lying. But no one agrees on the truth. Someone Else is by Guillaume Musso.

Careful What You Wish For is by Kirsty Lockwood. The perfect home or your worst nightmare? After breaking up with her long term boyfriend, Freya is in a rut. Working a dead end job with debts mounting up she longs to escape. So when she hears about The Wishing Well, an app where wealthy donors grant wishes for deserving strangers, she decides she has nothing to lose. Within days, a donor known only as Anon grants her wish for 'escape' and Freya is gifted a stay in an isolated country cottage, rent free. The cottage is perfect and Freya finally has the freedom to focus on her dreams. However, not everything is as it seems, a young woman has gone missing in the nearby hills and Freya finds herself entangled in the investigation into her disappearance. As Anon bombards Freya with messages and gifts, it becomes clear that they believe they are owed for their generosity and will go to extreme lengths to get what they want . .

When Marianne Capaletti's mobester hsuband goes missing , she finds both the FBI and the Patriarca crime family at her door. As it becomes clear that her life and er son's are in grave danger, there is only one place she can flee to for safety. - the lawless frozen wasteland of Northern Quebec, and the home she swore she would never return to. When The Devil Knows Your Name is by R J Ellory.

One morning, a phone call from a real estate agent changes the life of Lumiere, a broke architect in Paris. He is invited to view a historic mansion on the Ile de la Cité, a location far beyond his wildest dreams. If approved, he'll be able to call it home.The only catch? He must visit the ailing owner at a sanatorium in Switzerland and help him uncover the family secrets embedded in the mansion's walls.. Where the Light Leads is by Heesung Baek.

Set over one eventful New Year's Eve in a luxury Dubai hotel – when the festivitoes are held up by armed mercenaries, ex-SAS fighter Sam and his daughter Megan must defy all odds to reunite. Freefall is by M J Arlidge

The London Silver Vaults – the largest collection of silver for sale in the world, with more locks than the Bank of England nd more cameras than a celebrity unchup. Not somewhere you can murder someone without a trace- Only that's what happened. The disappearing act, the reports of a blinding flash of light, and memory loss amongst the witnesses make this a case for Detective Constable Peter Grant and the Special Assessment Unit. But Peter's about to encounter something – and somebody – that nobody expects. In High Places is by Ben Aaronovitch.


Sunday, 25 October 2026

Forthcoming Books from Bitter Lemon Press

 January 2027

Strippers Always Need Legal Advice is by Iain Levison. A thousand dollars an hour. Hard to say no when you're a public defender spending your days — Sundays included — on the depressing files of small-time crooks. Then negotiating sentences with a prosecutor who's more powerful than you and considerably less competent. So Justin Sykes, worn down by the grind, accepts: one evening a week advising the dancers at a gentlemen's club, and a night across the street at the motel. Without asking too many questions Because everyone knows — strippers always need legal advice.


May 2027


In late 1989, as the Eastern Bloc collapses and money begins moving across borders as never before, a young Geneva banker and a small-time hustler fall in love in the most discreet city in the world — and decide that love alone is not enough. Svetlana is a brilliant, ambitious analyst at a private bank. Aldo is a tennis coach whose real trade is best left unexamined. Attraction becomes partnership, then appetite: for money, power, and the recognition money is supposed to buy. Inspired by a real Geneva embezzlement case and a real 1990 bank heist, Consumed, A Story of Greed and Desire follows two lovers who help themselves to the fortunes flowing through the city's banks — a “Genevan Bonnie and Clyde,” as one French critic called them. Prize-winning and internationally acclaimed, Joseph Incardona channels the savage wit of Martin Amis's Money and the cool dread of DeLillo's White Noise into a modern tragedy about a world where everything, and everyone, has a price. 

June 2027

Dead Man in the Square is by Ben Pastor. As Rome falls and the Wehrmacht retreats into the mountains — the same week the Allies storm Normandy — a German colonel investigates a murder he has no right to solve, using the one man he has orders to execute. Abruzzo, June 1944. Lieutenant Colonel Martin Bora is diverted into the wild country below the Gran Sasso on a mission he cannot refuse: destroy a cache of explosive diplomatic correspondence, then silence the socialist lawyer who holds it. He has barely arrived in the remote village of Faracruci when, unaware that the Allies have just landed in Normandy, an American soldier is found stabbed in the square. Bora can neither report the death nor investigate it officially — so he enlists the very man he is meant to execute. Together they uncover a second, older crime, and a truth that implicates the village's most respected citizen. Ben Pastor's ninth Martin Bora novel is the most purely enjoyable in the series: a classic village mystery, a wartime thriller, and a study of a man who believes in justice while being ordered to violate it.

Saturday, 24 October 2026

The Private Eye Writers Of America Announce The 2026 Shamus Award Winners

(PWA Logo by Terry Beatty (Copyright2005))

The winners have just been announced at the 2026 Bouchercon‘s Opening Ceremonies in Calgary, Alberta.

The 2026 Shamus Awards Winners are in bold italics.


Best PI Hardcover

The Big Empty by Robert Crais (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

Photograph by Brian Freeman (Blackstone Publishing)

Hatchet Girls by Joe R. Lansdale (Little, Brown and Company)

Gray Dawn by Walter Mosley (Little, Brown and Company)

Mirage City by Lev AC Rosen (Minotaur Books)


Best First P.I Novel

Where the Bones Lie by Nick Kolakowski (Datura Books)

Chase Harlem by Elise Burke Brown (Rising Action Publishing)

Miles in Time by Lee Mathew Goldberg (Wise Wolf Books)

Shadow of the Eternal Watcher by Josh Mendoza (Inkshares)

The Witch’s Orchard by Archer Sullivan (Minotaur Books)


Best Original Paperback P.I. Novel

Midnight Streets by Phil Lecomber (Titan Books)

The Hook and the Eye by Raymond Benson (Ian Fleming Publications)

Sunday or the Highway by Cindy Fazzi (Thomas & Mercer)

City Lights by Claire M. Johnson (Level Best Books)

Catch Me on a Blue Day by M.E. Proctor (Shotgun Honey Books)


Best P.I. Short Story

"The Roosevelt Affair” by Adam Meyer (Crimeucopia: Not So Frail Detective Agency, Murderous Ink Press)

“The One Cry” by F.H. Batacan (Accidents Happen, Soho Crime)

“Dr. Bones” by Libby Cudmore (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May/June)

“Hours on the Phone” by Gregory Fallis (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July/August)

“The Shadows” by Charles John Harper (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May/June)


Friday, 23 October 2026

2026 Barry Award Winners: Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine

 


Congratulations to all. The winners of the 2026 Barry Awards were announced at the Opening Ceremonies of Bouchercon (Calgary, Canada) last night. Congratulations to all!

Best Mystery
King of Ashes by Cosby (Flatiron Books)

Best First Mystery
The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin (Berkley)

Best Paperback Original Mystery
The Dentist by Tim Sullivan (Atlantic Crime)

Best Thriller
Midnight Black by Mark Greaney (Berkley)

Deadly

Deadly 

Deadly 

Thursday, 22 October 2026

Winner of the Petrona Award 2026 announced

The winner of the Petrona Award 2026 for the Best Scandinavian Crime

Novel of the Year is:


Into Thin Air by Ørjan Karlsson translated from the Norwegian by Ian Giles and published by Orenda Books.

Both Ørjan Karlsson and Ian Giles will receive a trophy.

The judges would like to highly commend Broken, the dark and compulsive police procedural by Jón Atli Jónasson, which is translated by Quentin Bates and published by Corylus Books.

The judges’ statement regarding Into Thin Air:

Ørjan Karlsson puts a spotlight on the stunning beauty of the Lofoten Islands in the Norwegian Arctic Circle while discovering devastating secrets hidden beneath the calm surface. With empathy and deep understanding he introduces a fascinating investigative duo dealing with personal challenges and explores relationships within the tight-knit community.

Told from several perspectives Into Thin Air has a contemporary feel and nuanced narration. This taut and tense thriller has a strong sense of location and utterly engaging characters, with nature as one of them. Perfect pacing and atmospheric storytelling add to the compelling story which moves seamlessly between recent European political history and dramatic local events from the past, all of them having impact on everyone in the area.

Statements from the winning author, translator and publisher: Ørjan Karlsson:

I am both delighted and honoured to be the recipient of this award. The fact that many of this year’s nominees are my own go-to authors for Scandinavian and Nordic crime makes this recognition extra special. A huge thank you to the jury and the organisers of the Petrona Award for championing Nordic crime fiction in this way; it is truly appreciated.

Publishing your novels in a foreign language is a collaborative effort. I would like to thank my agency at Gyldendal in Norway for their tireless work in opening the world of Jakob Weber to readers in other languages. I am also deeply grateful to my publisher, Karen Sullivan, and the entire ‘Team Orenda’ for believing in the series and making all of this happen.

Translating a book into another language often means reading between the lines and adapting parts of the text to ensure it stays true to the spirit of the original. I couldn't ask for a better team to achieve that than Orenda’s excellent editorial director, West Camel, and my brilliant translator, Ian Giles. Thank you.

 Ian Giles:

I knew from the moment I first read Into Thin Air in Norwegian that Ørjan had nailed the intersection in the Venn diagram of setting, characters, and great writing. Fortunately, Orenda Books grasped this too and took a chance on an author who was previously untested in English translation. While I like to think that I have the right voice to share Jakob, Noora and the rest of the gang with anglophone readers, Orenda also had the good sense to pair us with our indefatigable editor, West Camel. I’m chuffed that the Petrona judges recognise what our little trinity worked so hard to achieve with this book.

 Karen Sullivan (Orenda Books):

We are absolutely thrilled to see Ørjan Karlsson’s English debut, Into Thin Air, honoured with this prestigious award. I was transfixed by the premise of the book (and series) from the moment I heard about it. The sheer scale of Chief Investigator Jakob Webber’s job – policing Nordland, Norway’s untamed north, a landscape surrounded by glaciers, forests and lakes, with its endless, rugged coastline and thousands of islands – is utterly compelling, bringing dangers and challenges, but

the immensely believable characters (of which the landscape is definitely one), and Ørjan’s exceptional writing makes this stand-out Nordic Noir in every way. In fact, this is the quintessential modern example of Nordic Noir, ticking all the classic boxes of the genre while bringing a fresh, highly authentic energy to the traditional police

procedural. At its heart are the social issues, moral ambiguity and flawed (but never clichéd) detectives with a superb dynamic – everything we would expect from the best Nordic crime fiction. We are grateful to the judges for choosing Into Thin Air, the first in what we hope will be a long-running series.

 

 




Saturday, 17 October 2026

The Reading Agency launches largest-ever UK prison book-gifting programme

Nearly half a million Quick Reads to reach prisons across the UK, with a collection shaped with people in prison and prison staff and championed by Prison Reading Laureate Lee Child


Nearly half a million Quick Reads books will be distributed across prisons in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland this autumn as part of the UK’s largest-ever prison book-gifting programme.

Delivered by The Reading Agency as part of the National Year of Reading 2026, the programme brings together 11 Quick Reads selected with input from people in prison and prison staff.

Crime and thriller writing is strongly represented in the collection, led by internationally bestselling author and the UK’s first Prison Reading Laureate Lee Child, alongside a broader selection spanning memoir, wellbeing, contemporary fiction and creative writing.

The collection includes books by A. A. Dhand, Dreda Say Mitchell, Fiona Cummins, Leye Adenle and Alex Wheatle, alongside memoir and wellbeing titles by Andy McNab, Lemn Sissay, Dr Alex George and Cathy Rentzenbrink.

Nearly 500,000 Quick Reads books will be distributed across prisons in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, helping make engaging, accessible books available to people in custody across the UK. 

The landmark programme marks the 20th anniversary of Quick Reads and has been made possible with funding from The Henry Smith Foundation, with additional support from The Balcombe Trust and Clays.

©Sigrid Estrada

Prison Reading Laureate Lee Child said: “Reading matters in prison. Short, compelling stories can spark a renewed interest in books — and that spark can lead anywhere. Making sure that every prisoner has access to engaging, well-written books during the National Year of Reading is not just symbolic. It’s practical, purposeful and potentially life-changing.”

The need to make reading accessible within prisons remains significant. Ministry of Justice statistics for 2024–25 show that 65% of English initial-assessment results across public prisons in England were at Entry Levels 1–3, while 11% were at Level 2 or above.

Quick Reads are specifically designed to remove some of the barriers that can prevent adults from reading for pleasure. Short, compelling and accessible without being simplistic, they offer an entry point both for established readers and people who may not have picked up a book for years.

The Reading Agency is working with HM Prison and Probation Service, the Ministry of Justice, Scottish Prison Service and Northern Ireland Prison Service to support delivery across the prison estate.

Karen Napier MBE, CEO of The Reading Agency, said: “When we put a book directly into someone’s hands, we are offering more than words on a page. Reading can offer escape, connection and space for reflection, while supporting wellbeing, confidence and learning.

“At the heart of this programme is choice. We have listened to people in prison about what they want to read and are bringing together books spanning crime and thrillers, memoir, wellbeing and creative writing. We want as many people as possible to have the opportunity to find a book that grabs them and discover where reading might take them.”

The 11 books were selected with input from people in prison and prison staff, helping ensure the collection reflects a range of interests and reading experiences.

Crime and thriller writing emerged as a particularly strong thread.

High Heat by Lee Child takes a teenage Jack Reacher into New York during the 1977 blackout; Cell One by Leye Adenle is a fast-moving Lagos-set kidnap thriller; and Darkness Rising by A. A. Dhand features Bradford detective Harry Virdee.

One False Move by Dreda Say Mitchell is a tense 24-hour story about a woman newly released from prison trying to go straight, while Fiona Cummins’ A Boy Called Saul brings together a troubled teenager and former detective with a dark shared past.

But the collection deliberately offers a range of other ways into reading.

Former SAS soldier Andy McNab’s Today Everything Changes tells how learning to read and the Army’s education system changed the course of his life after a childhood marked by poverty and petty crime. At 17, McNab had the reading age of a nine-year-old.

He said: “Reading is so important, not just for education but to escape the confines of life.

“As someone who, at seventeen, had the reading age of a nine-year-old, becoming a reader changed my life. Reading not only provided me with an education and the ability to compete in the world but also sparked my imagination and that gave me a positive outlook for my future.”

Poet and author Lemn Sissay’s My Name Is Why explores his experience growing up in the care system and his fight to understand his identity, while The Mind Manual by Dr Alex George offers an accessible guide to looking after mental health and wellbeing.

Cathy Rentzenbrink’s Write It All Down encourages readers to tell their own stories, while Dead Simple brings together eight short stories by bestselling writers for readers looking for something they can dip into and enjoy. Alex Wheatle’s Witness follows a young man facing an impossible choice between truth and loyalty.

Dr Alex George said: “Reading can be a moment of stillness and a chance for your mind to escape into another world. Seeing The Mind Manual adapted as a Quick Read means more people can access support when they need it most. I’m honoured it’s part of the prison collection — reading can be a lifeline in tough moments.”

A. A. Dhand, whose Darkness Rising is among the selected books, said: “Books should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their circumstances or their previous relationship with reading.

“In prison, reading can provide far more than temporary escape. It can build confidence, create empathy and give people the opportunity to see the world and themselves differently. If the right book reaches the right person at the right moment, it can open a door that may otherwise have remained closed.”

Alongside the distribution of books, Quick Reads in Prisons will be supported by a national engagement programme designed to make reading visible, accessible and enjoyable throughout the prison estate and connect writers directly with readers.

Activities include author-led workshops and creative writing activity, dedicated National Prison Radio content around the Quick Reads titles, and practical resources and activities to help prison libraries, education teams, peer supporters and staff bring the books to life.

The programme will encourage prisons to make Quick Reads available at different places and moments throughout someone’s time in custody – from libraries, wings and education to workplaces and other shared spaces – helping create more opportunities to encounter and enjoy a book.

The project is one of the most ambitious reading-engagement programmes delivered across the UK prison estate and forms part of the National Year of Reading 2026.


THE 11 QUICK READS PRISON COLLECTION TITLES

Leye Adenle – Cell One (Simon & Schuster)

Fiona Cummins – A Boy Called Saul (Pan Macmillan)

AA Dhand – Darkness Rising (Penguin Random House)

Lee Child – High Heat (Penguin Random House)

Dr Alex George – The Mind Manual (Octopus)

Lemn Sissay – My Name Is Why (Canongate)

Dreda Say Mitchell – One False Move (Hodder)

Andy McNab – Today Everything Changes (Penguin Random House)

Alex Wheatle – Witness (Profile Books)

Cathy Rentzenbrink – Write It All Down (Pan Macmillan)

Various authors – Dead Simple (Orion)



Wednesday, 14 October 2026

Crime Fiction at the London St Andrews Book Festival

Val McDermid, Louise Welsh, and Chris Brookmyre 

among crime writers to appear at London St Andrew’s Book Festival


Fiction fans will have their pick of genres, with talks and panel events from well-loved novelists, including: acclaimed crime writer Val McDermid who will join Geographer Royal for Scotland Jo Sharp to discuss This Door of Seas, their contribution to the acclaimed ‘Darkland Tales’ series; former sports writer Gordon Simpson, who will chat to Clark McGinn about his gripping new golf thriller Four Deadly Swings; award-winning Scottish novelist Jenni Fagan on her darkly imaginative new novel The Delusions; Traitors star and bestselling author Harriet Tyce, whose new thriller Witch Trial explores a sensational Edinburgh murder case; and award-winning crime writer Louise Welsh, discussing The Cut Up, to name a few.

The official website can be found here. You can also find the complete programme here.

The Festival is taking place between the 16th and 22nd November 2926.






Macavity Award Winners

 

The Macavity Awards are nominated and voted on by members of Mystery Readers International, subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal, and friends of MRI. Congratulations to all!

The Macavity Award is named after Macavity: The Mystery Cat, in T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats!

Macavity Winners 2026 (for works published in 2025)


Best Mystery Novel

Winner

Crooks by Lou Berney (William Morrow)

Also nominated:

King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)

Clown Town by Mick Herron (Soho Crime)

River of Lies by James L'Etoile (Oceanview Publishing)

The White Crow by Michael Robotham (Scribner)

All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Minotaur Books)


Best First Mystery 

Winner

History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook (Soho Press)

Also nominated:

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku (Minotaur Books)

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (Bantam Books)

Voices of the Elysian Fields by Michael Rigg (Level Best Books)

Stillwater by Tanya Scott (Grove Atlantic)


Best Mystery Nonfiction

Winner

Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover's Travel Guide to New England by Dawn M. Barclay (Level Best Books)

Also nominated:

Blood and the Badge: The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked the Nation by Michael Cannell (Minotaur Books)

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser (Penguin Press)

V Is for Venom: Agatha Christie's Chemicals of Death by Kathryn Harkup (Bloomsbury Sigma)

Edgar Allan Poe: A Life by Richard Kopley (University of Virginia Press)

Cooler than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard by C.M. Kushins (Mariner Books)


Best Mystery Short Story

Winner

Six-Armed Robbery by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier (in Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, edited by John Betancourt, Carla Coupe, and Michael Bracken, Wildside Press)

Also nominated:

“Hollywood Prometheus” by Christa Faust (in Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West, Bywater Books)

“Finding Jimmy Baldwin” by Cheryl Head (in Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West, Bywater Books)

“The Devil Himself” by Vaseem Khan (in Double Crossing Van Dine, edited by Donna Andrews, Greg Herren, and Art Taylor, Crippen & Landru Publishers)

“The Skies Are Red” by Richie Narvaez (in On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology, edited by Curtis Ippolito, Rock and a Hard Place Press)

“Julius Katz Draws a Straight Flush” by Dave Zeltserman (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Sept/Oct 2025)


Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery

Winner

Bye Bye Blackbird by Elizabeth Crowens (Level Best Books)

Also nominated:

A Daughter's Guide to Mothers and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Kensington Books)

City Lights by Claire M. Johnson (Level Best Books)

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy by Kelly Oliver (Boldwood Books)

The Case of the Missing Maid by Rob Osler (Kensington Books)

No. 10 Doyers Street by Radha Vatsal (Level Best Books)


Tuesday, 13 October 2026

A Literary Lunch at Larry’s with Karen-Mille-James

Bibliophiles enjoy discovering new literary talent especially when in the company of fellow readers, so it was delightful to be invited to lunch at Larry’s Bistro in the National Portrait Gallery, adjacent to Trafalgar Square, London.

The occasion was to celebrate the launch of author Karen Mille-James’ novel A Thousand Silent Cries which is released on the 22nd October 2026, from Vinci books.

It was energising to be in the company of several prominent literary commentators, such as Natasha Cooper of the Literary Review [who also publishes crime fiction as well penning work as Daphne Wright], Barry Forshaw of Crimetime, Financial Times and many other publications, Elisa Bray of The Jewish Chronicle, Bloggers from Reading With Caffeine, Belles Book Sig, Suzanne Sangster, Alexis Parr of the Daily Mail, and many other Literary types. Sadly Mike Stotter, writer and editor of Shots Magazine had to cancel at the last minute due to an emergency in Norfolk.

It was a true delight to see Tony Mulliken back in action, as he is one of the key figures in the British Literary scene. Once we were seated he introduced new author Karen-Mille-James to us 

“……Karen never intended to write a book but what started as a hobby in her spare time away from the office, working in the evenings until late into the night and at weekends, has now become a new and exciting part of her life. Writing has become her passion, made easier due to her background in business, literature and linguistics and having a vivid imagination….”

Read More HERE

Karen then welcomed us all to Larry’s Bistro and gave us a short introduction to the world of Corporate Forensics Investigator Cydney Granger, and what we had in store with A Thousand Silent Cries –

The question at the heart of A Thousand Silent Cries is what happens when a secret eventually comes to light. Does the person uncovering it demand justice, or revenge, and what will they decide to do about it?

A violent act from the past perpetrated by an IRA activist, Rufus Tomlinson, tears apart the family of James Carrington QC who witnessed the murder of his parents but survived to be placed into a child witness protection programme with a new identity. He has concealed his past from everybody, including his wife, but his world is about to fall apart. Tomlinson has returned to England after living in Boston under cover for three decades, and he has now found Carrington. Thus begins their psychological game of cat and mouse.

Carrington is forced to reveal his past and confront the consequences of his actions, his life of lies and betrayal. His survival brought him fear, not only grief, and his cold behaviour to his wife especially over the loss of their young daughter, has caused her irretrievable harm and now they are both in danger.

Cydney Granger, a corporate forensics investigator and spiritual medium, is a close friend of Carrington’s wife and she is relentless in her demand for justice and accountability, against a backdrop of Tomlinson seeking revenge at any cost for what he sees as personal, and Carrington, as a barrister, wanting to ensure justice is meted out.

The Author recently spoke with Crime Time Magazine, introducing her work Here with a downloadable extract / preview. A Thousand Silent Cries is released on Thursday 22nd October 2026, and available to pre-order from all bookstores.

The good news is that it is the third book in the Cydney Granger series, with The Shadows Behind Her Smile [Book #1] and Where In The Dark [Book #2] also available on the date of release of A Thousand Silent Cries [Book #3].

Click HERE for more information on the Cydney Granger series.

So we all moved around and chatted about this exciting new crime fiction series and the world that Karen had created. As an author, she has an eclectic and interesting background; herself an avid reader of crime / thriller fiction citing Lee Child and John Grisham as favourite authors.

Soon it was time for farewells and to thank Karen and her publishers for a lovely lunch wishing her best wishes for the upcoming release of A Thousand Silent Cries.

Shots Magazine would like to pass our thanks to Henrietta Richardson, Tom Neilson and Karen Millie-James for an excellent luncheon in the wonderful company of bibliophiles.

More Information on the work of Karen Mille-James can be found by clicking HERE or from the following links >

Web: https://www.karenmilliejames.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milliejameskaren

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karenmilliejames

X/ Twitter: https://x.com/KMillieJames

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/jzECaE



Saturday, 10 October 2026

Ninas and Easter Eggs – The Game’s the Thing! by Alys Cummings

 Who can resist the lure of a hidden message?

Solving things, uncovering an answer, is one of the joys of being human – just look at the vast numbers of us drawn to both murder mysteries and puzzles. 

But there’s something that can be even more rewarding than finding the answer which is, after all, the objective of the puzzle or the end of the story. And that is something that you don’t even need to discover, an unannounced extra that has been hidden purely for the fun of it.

In video games and movies, these have long been known as Easter Eggs. (There is a legend that this arises from The Rocky Horror Picture Show where some of its very dedicated fans have spotted actual Easter Eggs rumoured to have been overlooked in an egg hunt organised by cast and crew – perhaps unlikely given the movie was filmed in the Autumn. It’s more commonly accepted the phrase arose from the game Atari where the developer hid a credit to his own name.) 

For solvers of crosswords, these hidden messages abound – you might find one spelt out in an acrostic at the start of clues, in the letters round the edge of a completed grid, or in the words at the top and bottom, for example. Perhaps it’s unsurprising that for people who love playing with words – and whose cryptic setter names are themselves playfully hiding their true identity - they are a fairly common occurrence. Some setters have regular Ninas – such as Pangakupu who frequently hides words and messages in Māori in their puzzles. Well-known examples from the Guardian include a puzzle from the much-loved setter Araucaria, who revealed the news of his late-stage cancer to solvers in a series of clues. And in 2017 those who solved a puzzle by an apparently new setter called the Sphinx discovered they were in fact completing the same puzzle that featured in that evening’s episode of Inside No.9 – The Riddle of the Sphinx. The setter was one of the show’s creators, Steve Pemberton.

In the world of the cruciverbalist these hidden messages are called Ninas, named after the work of American caricaturist Al Hirschfield, who would hide his daughter’s name, Nina, in the lines of his drawings.

In Murder Most Cryptic, my debut novel combining murder mystery with cryptic clues, the protagonist is called Nina – an allusion for crossword fans to enjoy. And there are plenty of other Ninas for readers to find, if they wish to look for them.

In the crosswords that feature in the novel they are used to give additional information about what happened to the man who collapses and dies in Chapter One. These Ninas help the recovery group at the heart of the book begin to piece together what might have happened. But there are also clues from these crosswords at the head of each chapter, with the word that is the answer hidden somewhere in the chapter itself. These are not part of the plot, just something extra for the reader, a treasure hunt if they wish to take part in it. 

One of my Ninas in Murder Most Cryptic is something I haven’t yet revealed – a message hidden in the names of all seven principal characters. I’d love to know if anyone thinks they’ve spotted it….

Readers of Murder Most Cryptic might also spot references – some more obvious than others – to other crime writers they enjoy. The books of some of my favourite authors appear and comments on a blog one of my characters writes gave some freedom to sneak in yet more allusions that readers may recognise.

This is something that authors who find their written work transferring to the screen may also indulge in - a moment of mingling among their own characters for that other type of Easter Egg, a cameo. Who spotted Mick Herron sitting alongside Diana Taverner during a funeral in the latest series of Slow Horses?

It’s a little treat, a surprise, something extra for a mystery lover.

For although a setter or writer can convey a huge range of messages hiding in plain sight, the vital thing about a Nina is that it is not necessary. The solver doesn’t need to spot it to complete the crossword, it’s simply there because it exercised the setter’s mind and they hope it will do the same for the the solver. It’s all just part of the game.


Murder Most Cryptic by Alys Cummings (Penguin Books Ltd)

Nina is a promising young journalist. She’s also an alcoholic. Once a week, she attends a recovery group in the local church hall. When a stranger walks in one night, the group think they might have a new member. Until he promptly drops dead. The police believe it’s nothing more than an accident. But the group soon realise there’s more to this mystery than meets the eye, when they discover a cryptic crossword clue hidden in the dead man’s pocket – the answer to which is Murder. As more mysterious and threatening clues start appearing in a newspaper crossword, Nina and team must work to crack this cryptic case. Can they solve the clues, and catch a killer? Or will the next crossword spell death for one of them…

More information about the author can be found on her website. You can also find her on Instagram and X @alyseliza