It was a very good Malice Domestic conference indeed. I'd be hard pressed to pick a "best" event or day, but I do have to tell you about my own favorite panel - the group assembled to talk about my favorite sub-genre, the traditional mystery. The talk was of Sherlock Holmes, Ellery Queen, and John Dickson Carr.
From right to left in the picture, we heard from:
JOHN GREGORY BETANCOURT, the panel moderator, is co-publisher at Wildside Press, which publishes (among other things) Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine and the book The Misadventures of Ellery Queen;
JOSH PACHTER and DALE C. ANDREWS, the co-editors of The Misadventures of Ellery Queen;
VICKI DELANY, author of a series of books set in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium (where the obligatory resident cat is named Moriarty);
MICHAEL ROBERTSON, who writes a series of Baker Street mysteries about two brothers whose job it is to answer letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes mailed to 221B Baker Street (the brothers have law offices in 222 Baker Street);
SHELLY DICKSON CARR, granddaughter of John Dickson Carr, author of a mystery about Jack the Ripper (and a new book coming soon).
It was a fascinating hour-long discussion about those authors, about traditional mysteries and traditional detectives, and a panel that probably could only have been held at Malice Domestic, which remains devoted to the traditional mystery. Before leaving, Leslie and I registered for next year's conference (which will, again, be held in Bethesda, MD). I certainly hope we'll see you there, too.
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