Bouchercon 2025 New Orleans UPDATE

 

Following the success of the City of New Orleans hosting Bouchercon [aka THE WORLD CRIME & MYSTERY CONVENTION] in 2016 thanks to the efforts of Heather Graham and Connie Perry and their team - Next Year - 2025 Bouchercon returns to New Orleans. 

And it's confirmed that from Shots Magazine, Ayo Onatade, Mike Stotter and Ali Karim will be attending and we hope many of our colleagues and friends from the British Crime, Mystery and Thriller community will be joining us - especially as the bestselling [and award winning] thriller writer Lisa Jewell is the British Guest of Honour at the event.

Please find the latest information from the New Orleans Bouchercon Co-Chairs - the amazing Connie Perry and Heather Graham 

September 18, 2024 Greetings and Happy Fall! As one incredible Bouchercon wraps up, we’re thrilled to announce that preparations for the next one are already in full swing. Hotel reservations are now open for Bouchercon New Orleans 2025, and we can’t wait to bring you another unforgettable experience, just like the one we had in 2016. For those who missed it, get ready to dive into the excitement of the 2nd Line Parade, explore the World War II Museum, enjoy fantastic panels, Speed Dating, Cozies and Cocktails, the Debut Mystery Author Breakfast, and the renowned Anthony Awards! Building on the success of new events introduced in Nashville, we’re excited to repeat them in New Orleans. The Discovery Zone and the “Free Books” Library Event were huge hits, and if you missed out in Nashville, you’ll definitely want to join the fun in New Orleans.  We’re also delighted to announce that the Crime Writers of Color event will be returning this year. Stay tuned for more details in our upcoming newsletters. BUDDY SYSTEM WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN NEW ORLEANS We’re also excited to introduce the Buddy System for newcomers, a concept we discussed in 2021. If you’re interested in helping first-timers navigate Bouchercon, please send us your name and phone number. During the convention, drop by Bouchercon 101 and connect with a newbie to help them make the most of the event. Converse with your 1st timer, go to lunch, have a drink, etc. Let them know where events will happen, walk the convention with them and answer all their questions. Email: boucheron2025@bouchercon.com if you are interested.

AUTHORS For authors planning to attend and participate in panels or moderate, please note that registration is required by April 1st. After this date, you will be placed on a wait list. At the end of September, we’ll be sending out a form to all authors who registered during the month of September. This form will help our panel chairs match you with the perfect panel based on your genre or interests. We’ll continue to send this form monthly to all newly registered authors. Register for the convention here.

New Orleans Newsletters

Our monthly newsletters are your key to staying updated on all things Bouchercon, from speed dating to the Debut Mystery Author’s Breakfast. If you’ve unsubscribed from Constant Contact, please let us know if you wish to resubscribe. We will ask Constant Contact to send you a re-subscription email—just follow the instructions to get back on our list. These newsletters are crucial for keeping you informed!

HOST HOTEL - MARRIOTT HOTEL

The Marriott Hotel at 555 Canal Street will be our host hotel, offering beautiful accommodations and easy navigation. You must be registered for the convention, to get the fantastic convention rate of $179.00/night. If you need a scooter, please inform connie@perryco.biz in advance, and she'll arrange for you to have a scooter upon arrival.

Boucher Cup III

Matt Coyle is ready to set up the new Boucher Cup III Golf Tournament for New Orleans. As he said "the sooner the better." The Tourney will be held on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. If you are interested, and would like more details please email: mcoyle044@yahoo.com

For all inquiries and registration details for Bouchercon New Orleans 2025, please contact bouchercon2025@bouchercon.com. If you encounter any issues, feel free to email connie@perryco.biz or call 337-319-5783. We’ll be in touch again at the end of September. Be sure to read all our newsletters, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. Looking forward to seeing you in New Orleans, Heather Graham Chair New Orleans 2025

2024 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominations

 

Mystery Writers of America have announced the nominees for the 2024 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction and television published or produced in 2023. The 78th Annual Edgar® Awards will be presented on May 1, 2024, at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square.

BEST NOVEL

Flags on the Bayou by James Lee Burke (Grove Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)

The Madwomen of Paris by Jennifer Cody Epstein (Penguin Random House – Ballantine Books)

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll (Simon & Schuster – Simon Element – Marysue Rucci Books)

An Honest Man by Michael Koryta (Hachette Book Group – Little, Brown and Company – Mulholland Books)

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger (Simon & Schuster – Atria Books)

Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead (Penguin Random House – Doubleday)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry (Simon & Schuster – Atria Books)

The Golden Gate by Amy Chua (Macmillan Publishing – Minotaur Books)

Small Town Sins by Ken Jaworowski (Macmillan Publishing – Henry Holt and Co.)

The Last Russian Doll by Kristen Loesch (Penguin Random House – Berkley)

Murder by Degrees by Ritu Mukerji (Simon & Schuster)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

Boomtown by A.F. Carter (Penzler Publishers - Mysterious Press)

Hide by Tracy Clark (Amazon Publishing – Thomas & Mercer)

The Taken Ones by Jess Lourey (Amazon Publishing – Thomas & Mercer)

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Penguin Random House - Berkley)

Lowdown Road by Scott Von Doviak (Hard Case Crime)

BEST FACT CRIME

In Light of All Darkness: Inside the Polly Klaas Kidnapping and the Search for America's Child by Kim Cross (Hachette Book Group – Grand Central Publishing)

Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall by Zeke Faux (Penguin Random House – Crown Currency)

Tangled Vines: Power, Privilege, and the Murdaugh Family Murders by John Glatt (Macmillan Publishers – St. Martin’s Press)

Crooked: The Roaring '20s Tale of a Corrupt Attorney General, a Crusading Senator, and the Birth of the American Political Scandal by Nathan Masters (Hachette Book Group Hachette Books)

I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever by Barbara Rae-Venter (Penguin Random House Ballantine Books)

The Lost Sons of Omaha: Two Young Men in an American Tragedy by Joe Sexton (Simon & Schuster – Scribner)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL

Perplexing Plots: Popular Storytelling and the Poetics of Murder by David Bordwell (Columbia University Press)

Spillane: King of Pulp Fiction by Max Allan Collins & James L. Traylor (Penzler Publishers – Mysterious Press)

A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe by Mark Dawidziak (Macmillan Publishing - St. Martin's Press)

Fallen Angel: The Life of Edgar Allan Poe by Robert Morgan (LSU Press)

Love Me Fierce in Danger - The Life of James Ellroy by Steven Powell (Bloomsbury Publishing - Bloomsbury Academic)

BEST SHORT STORY

"Hallowed Ground," by Linda Castillo (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)

"Thriller," Thriller by Heather Graham (Blackstone Publishing)

"Miss Direction," Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September-October 2023 by Rob Osler (Dell Magazines)

“The Rise," Amazon Original Stories by Ian Rankin (Amazon Publishing)

“Pigeon Tony’s Last Stand," Amazon Original Stories by Lisa Scottoline (Amazon Publishing)

BEST JUVENILE

Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Hachette Book Group – Workman Publishing – Algonquin Young Readers)

The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto by Adrianna Cuevas (Macmillan Publishers – Farrar, Straus and Giroux BFYR)

Epic Ellisons: Cosmos Camp by Lamar Giles (HarperCollins Publishers – Versify)

The Jules Verne Prophecy by Larry Schwarz & Iva-Marie Palmer (Hachette Book Group Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski (HarperCollins Publishers – Quill Tree Books)

BEST YOUNG ADULT

Girl Forgotten by April Henry (Hachette Book Group – Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Star Splitter by Matthew J. Kirby (Penguin Young Readers – Dutton Books for Young Readers)

The Sharp Edge of Silence by Cameron Kelly Rosenblum (HarperCollins Publishers – Quill Tree Books)

My Flawless Life by Yvonne Woon (HarperCollins Publishers – Katherine Tegen Books)

Just Do This One Thing for Me by Laura Zimmerman (Penguin Young Readers – Dutton Books for Young Readers)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY

“Time of the Monkey" – Poker Face, Written by Wyatt Cain & Charlie Peppers (Peacock)

“I’m a Pretty Observant Guy” – Will Trent, Written by Liz Heldens (ABC)

“Dead Man’s Hand" – Poker Face, Written by Rian Johnson (Peacock)

“Hózhó Náhásdlii (Beauty is Restore)" – Dark Winds, Written by Graham Roland & John Wirth (AMC)

“Escape from Shit Mountain" – Poker Face, Written by Nora Zuckerman & Lilla Zuckerman (Peacock)

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD – Endowed by the family of Robert L. Fish.

"Errand for a Neighbor," Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, January-February 2023 by Bill Bassman (Dell Magazines)

"The Body in Cell Two,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May-June 2023 by Kate Hohl (Dell Magazines)

“The Soiled Dove of Shallow Hollow,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, January-February 2023 by Sean McCluskey (Dell Magazines)

“It’s Half Your Fault,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July-August 2023 by Meghan Leigh Paulk (Dell Magazines)

“Two Hours West of Nothing,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September-October 2023 by Gabriela Stiteler (Dell Magazines) 

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD Presented on behalf of Simon & Schuster.

Play the Fool by Lina Chern (Penguin Random House – Bantam)

The Bones of the Story by Carol Goodman (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow)

Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)

The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard by Kate Robards (Crooked Lane Books)

Murder in Postscript by Mary Winters (Penguin Random House – Berkley)

THE G.P. PUTNAM’S SONS SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD Presented on behalf of G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Hard Rain by Samantha Jayne Allen (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)

An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)

Bad, Bad Seymour Brown by Susan Isaacs (Grove Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)

Past Lying by Val McDermid (Grove Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)

A Stolen Child by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)

THE LILIAN JACKSON BRAUN MEMORIAL AWARD Endowed by the estate of Lilian Jackson Braun.

Glory Be by Danielle Arceneaux (Pegasus Books – Pegasus Crime)

Misfortune Cookie by Vivien Chien (Macmillan – St. Martin’s Paperbacks)

Hot Pot Murder by Jennifer J. Chow (Penguin Random House – Berkley)

Murder of an Amish Bridegroom by Patricia Johns (Crooked Lane Books)

The Body in the Back Garden by Mark Waddell (Crooked Lane Books)

Bosch on the Bayou at Bouchercon 2021

To keep our spirits up during this surreal period of COVID-19 confinement - one must plan for when we can next see our friends, colleagues and fellow advocates of the Crime and Mystery Fiction Genre.

Sadly, many 2020 crime, mystery and thriller fiction events have been cancelled in the wake of this RNA-Virus - such as Bouchercon 2020 [Sacramento, USA], Theakstons’ Crime Writing Festival 2020 [Harrogate, UK], Crimefest 2020 [Bristol, England] to name a few. 

We’re waiting to see if Adam Hamdy, David Headley and Liz Curle’s Capital Crime 2020 [London, England] will occur, as it is after the summer and we pray that we will have the COVID-19 situation under control by then.

Thriller writer KJ Howe, with ITW’s technical bloke Jeff Ayers, and the team behind International Thriller Writers Inc, have come up with a good plan, following the cancellation of New York’s Thrillerfest 2020 [due to fears of COVID-19] – so the ITW gang have a planned Virtual event, details HERE

We got word from the Bouchercon Board of Directors, that it’s all steam ahead for Bouchercon 2021 [New Orleans, USA]; and that the work of Michael Connelly is to be celebrated as he will receive the lifetime achievement award for his writing.

We are delighted that former journalist Michael Connelly and his novels, stories [many featuring that singular creation Harry Bosch] and film / TV is to be celebrated during Bouchercon 2021.

In 2018, the Crime Writers Association recognised a lifetime achievement award in London, when he was presented with the CWA Diamond Dagger.

We recorded the 2018 event, with CWA Chair Martin Edwards' introduction, and Mike Connelly’s acceptance speech –

For many readers (myself included), Michael Connelly is one of the greatest living crime writers working today, and for many - his creation Harry Bosch of the LAPD is one of fiction’s greatest detectives. And now Amazon Prime’s BOSCH series reaches its sixth season, with Titus Welliver playing the eponymous Investigator. All seasons of Bosch are available to stream online at Amazon Prime.  

Reports from Jeff Peirce’s The Rap Sheet on our visits to the Hollywood set of Season One can be accessed HERE while our location visit for Season Two at Venice Beach [Los Angeles] can be accessed HERE

Literary commentator / critic, horticulturist and sports presenter Michael Carlson published an excellent feature for Shots Magazine THE ABSTRACT ART OF BOSCH, which can be accessed HERE

And if you are readying yourself to watch Bosch Season Six, remember part of the narrative arc comes from Michael Connelly’s THE OVERLOOK. It was originally a story serialised in the New York Times, but eventually found itself as a novel – I spoke with Michael at the time about this lean and extraordinary post-911 narrative [one that features Larry Gandle as Bosch’s Boss] – it is archived HERE  

Joining Michael Connelly, as Guests of Bouchercon 2021, are :-

Steve Berry – Thriller Guest of Honour

Craig Johnson – American Guest of Honour

Charles and Caroline Todd – Historical Guests of Honour

Jo Nesbo – International Guest of Honour

Alafair Burke – Toast Mistress

Jonathan Maberry – Kid’s Bouchercon Guest of Honour

And for some reason, I’m also excited to attend.

Much thanks must go to the Dynamic Duo, of best-selling thriller writer Heather Graham and the extraordinary Connie Perry [and their team], for chairing the event, and returning us back to New Orleans after the extraordinary event in 2016.

Here’s archive video of the opening ceremonies -

And Jeff Pierce at the Rap Sheet has commentary and pictures HERE and remember 2021’s Bouchercon is a return trip for Mike Connelly to New Orleans, as he was interviewed by Harlan Coben – Archived video HERE

So as the crime, mystery and thriller clan gather, after so long, I’d start planning for Bouchercon 2021: Blood on the Bayou

More information HERE

Hope to see you at the biggest celebration of Crime and Mystery Fiction, Bouchercon 2021 and I’d register as soon as possible as registrations are coming in thick and fast.

AND STAY WELL / TAKE PRECAUTIONS AND READ BOOKS TO ESCAPE

Strand Magazine Critics Award

The Strand Magazine announced the winners of the 2019 Strand Critics Awards last night at a cocktail party in New York City.

The winners are as follows -

Best Mystery Novel: Tie
Transcription by Kate Atkinson (Little, Brown)
Sunburn by Laura Lippman (HarperCollins)

Best Debut Mystery Novel:
The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor  (Crown)

The Strand also announced the recipients of its Lifetime Achievement Awards: 

Heather Graham and Donna Leon. 

Also named was Dominique Raccah, the publisher/CEO of Sourcebooks, as its Publisher of the Year Award.

Born on the Bayou: Bouchercon 2021 New Orleans

It’s been a bit of a surreal week for me, firstly after a month of sitting on my hands, I have finally been able to speak about a Crime Novel, a Thriller that has rocked me, namely the release of Thomas Harris’ sixth novel Cari Mora.

I reviewed it HERE, though my excitement is visible HERE, HERE and HERE.

Then, I heard that I am required to attend the World Crime and Mystery Convention, Bouchercon 52, Chaired by the Award Winning and Bestselling Author Heather Graham with her Colleague the amazing Connie Perry – and the team they are assembling.

Bouchercon 52, runs August 25 – 29 2021 and you can get more information HERE but bookmark that link, as more information will appear as the clock ticks toward the event.

I am most humbled, as I will be joining Jo Nesbo travelling from Europe to celebrate with our colleagues in America, the darkest edge of Literature, the Crime, Mystery and Thriller Genre.

As a former member of the Board of Bouchercon, the last event I attended was Bouchercon 2016, which was a memorable time for all who attended, and one of the biggest events that celebrated the genre. You can see what happened from the links via writer / editor Jeff Pierce HERE, HERE and from Mike Stotter HERE

It was a great time, especially as I worked very hard with the Boucheron Board co-chairing the programming for Bouchercon 2015, in Raleigh North Carolina – click HERE for memories of days now passed, and these videos HERE from The Rap Sheet.

Due to the popularity of the 2016 Bouchercon in the wonderfully weird city of New Orleans, I’d start planning soon despite it being held in 2021 as I hope to see many of my friends, colleagues and contacts down on that Bayou.

But don’t forget the prior World Crime & Mystery Events, Bouchercon 50 hosted in Dallas in 2019 more info HERE, and Bouchercon 51 in 2020 hosted in Sacramento more info HERE.  

Let me leave you with a piece of music that I am playing a great deal currently, because I love New Orleans, and my love for Dennis and Heather Graham, and Connie Perry knows no perimeter. I am privileged to have them as friends for so many years now, sharing our time and drinks on both sides of the Atlantic, first meeting at the inaugural International Thriller Writers THRILLFEST Convention held in Phoenix Arizona in 2006. My recollections of that time, a fragment torn from my memory, like Dr Hannibal Lecter’s memory palace is still online HERE

And for the couple of people seated at the back of the auditorium, here’s some information about the prolific and life-affirming Author Heather Graham HERE

And now for some Southern Comfort