Classic Mysteries

Anthony and the Shamus

It sounds like the title of one of Aesop's Fables, but - while it certainly is fabulous - it's really something much more significant. Two more sets of prestigious mystery writing awards have been given out this weekend in Cleveland. At Bouchercon, the Anthony Awards were awarded Saturday afternoon. Your humble correspondent being too lazy (or too hungry or with a need to help open the bar), the redoubtable Ali Karim has scooped me and has reported the outcome, and the full slate of nominees, at The Rap Sheet blog.

This follows the announcement last night of the winners of the Shamus Awards, handed out by the Private Eye Writers of America at a separate event not officially part of Bouchercon, although linked to it. Once again, Ali Karim (who attends more parties than I get invited to) reports at The Rap Sheet.

As you can see by looking at the slate of nominees, both sets of awards required choosing from a remarkably talented group of writers. Congratulations to the winners - and to all the nominees.

Murder, Music - and Awards

Bouchercon 2012 held its opening reception last night in Cleveland's beautiful Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There are times when music and murder can coexist quite peacefully. Killer rock indeed.

At the opening ceremonies, a number of awards were announced, including this year's Barry and Macavity winners. The Rap Sheet has a full list, thanks to the formidable Ali Karim.

It was a fine evening. Lots of good conversation and a chance to tour the amazing museum - I don't think I got more than about halfway through it in my two hours of touring.

The conference continues through Sunday - with the Anthony awards coming up Saturday night.

He's Done It Again

British author, critic and man-about-town Mike Ripley has posted another edition of his monthly column, "Getting Away with Murder," as featured in the Shots Crime & Thriller Ezine.

Once again, he covers a wide range of topics in a remarkably small space. This edition includes, among other things, the launch of a new Dick Francis novel (by his son), a couple of new and potentially important reference books, the high price publishers charge for said reference books, a glance at several other new mysteries, a note about the republication of a 1933 classic from members of the Detection Club, thoughts about British crime movies, and a couple of new books from Ian Rankin and Michael Connelly. And that's just in the first column of the page.

He also points with justifiable pride to "an honourable mention" received in the online version of Black Mask magazine. Somehow, it appears that my post here last month formed the basis for the Black Mask post. I'm not sure how that happened (I don't think I know anyone at the magazine, and I'd be astounded to learn they knew of me), but any positive mention of Mike's name, whether honorable or honourable, is richly deserved.

Strike Up the Banned

It would be wrong for me to let this week pass without taking note of Banned Book Week (September 30-October 6). There's no need for me to go over the rather incredible titles which people have tried to ban or otherwise censor. Frankly, I like attempts at censorship because they invariably broaden the audience for the book so targeted.

There are a number of ways to observe the week. One of the best, I think, would be to go read a banned book. Please do so. And by all means, thank a bookseller. And a librarian.

"Murder by the Book"

It began with the unsolved murder of a clerk in a law office and a list of names that meant absolutely nothing to anyone. It ended with several more murders, all of them apparently tied to a book - a book so dangerous that anyone who might have read it could wind up dead.

That's the basic plot line in "Murder by the Book," by Rex Stout, a 1951 mystery featuring Nero Wolfe and his assistant, the irrepressible Archie Goodwin. It's the subject of this week's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the full review by clicking here.

Wolfe and Archie are hired by a midwestern businessman whose daughter has been killed by a hit-and-run driver. Her father thinks the police aren't paying enough attention. Wolfe agrees, particularly when the man produces a letter from his daughter which includes a name Wolfe recognizes as having been linked to an earlier murder. It quickly becomes apparent that the deaths are in some way connected to an unpublished manuscript - a manuscript which has disappeared. The problem, for both the police and Nero Wolfe, is that there is no obvious clue, no way to figure out why the missing manuscript should be so deadly.

This is one of my favorites. There's more to the characters in this book that causes them to linger in the reader's memory, particularly the relatives of two of the victims. In order to make and prove his case, Nero Wolfe has to stage what has to be one of the best office confrontation scenes in any of the books.

"Murder by the Book" is vintage Rex Stout, writing at the top of his form. It is available in paperback and there's an Amazon Kindle edition. I recommend it very highly.