Can’t remember how this popped into my head while we were having lunch at Boo Bird after our meeting on Friday. Nice time chatting about books and and assorted bits with Tricia Breau, Selena Evans, Judy Lloyd, and Leslie Schoenherr! In any case I mentioned a book that might interest our group but cannot be one of our nominated books (there are zero copies in the MVLC system for the … Continue reading
More mystery book fan Valentine Cards on Janet Rudolph’s blog here. Many mystery authors have given their protagonist’s romantic partner a prime place in their book series. Spenser and Susan come immediately to mind along with Nick and Nora Charles and others. Once again, premier mystery fan Janet Rudolph has an even more extensive list of mystery authors with their protagonist and romantic supporting characters. Check out her list; maybe … Continue reading
I am heading to New England’s main mystery book conference next week; it’s known as the New England Crime Bake. This is my fourth time going to the “Crime Bake.” In 2018, I also went to the largest national mystery book conference known as Bouchercon. These are just two of 15 different mystery book conferences scheduled annually here and in Northern Europe. Why go to a mystery book conference? Like … Continue reading
Very few of the many crime fiction conferences are totally for the fans. Usually, such events give 50%-100% of the conference time to helping writers (and lots of wannabe writers) learn to write and get published. NoirCon is a huge exception. It’s all for the fans and followers of the genre. It takes place every 2 years in Philadelphia, but like all conferences, it has been shut down during the … Continue reading
To my knowledge, Baltimore has the only other full-bodied sculpture of Edgar Allan Poe – the other being in Boston. In a September 2022 trip to Baltimore, I was able to see this sculpture and some other Poe sites. The sculpture is located at Gordon Plaza at University of Baltimore (1415 Maryland Ave.). The statue was commissioned in 1911 by the Edgar Allan Poe Memorial Association of Baltimore and was … Continue reading
Many adult mystery book fans began as a fan of Nancy Drew and/or the Hardy Boys. As an adult, I have read some of the Hardy Boys books to my children and grandchildren. But how much mental space does the love of these pulp books for kids occupy for you, now as an adult? Is Nancy Drew a Part of Your Adult Life? For thousands of adults, the answer is … Continue reading
I made two expeditions to Boston this summer, to explore things related to Edgar Allan Poe in Boston. The first was with members of the Mystery Book Club on June 24, 2015. After taking the Salem ferry to Long Wharf, eating at Jacob Wirth’s (near the fictional Spenser’s first office), we then walked two blocks to view Stefanie Rocknak’s sculpture, “Poe Returning to Boston,” unveiled on October 5th, 2014, by the … Continue reading
It was Wednesday, September 17, 20014 and 8 members of the Manchester Public Library Mystery Book Club stepped up into the COA van to find Robert Parker’s famous character Spenser where he lived and worked – in Boston and Cambridge. I had been planning the field trip for more than six months, since February. In August, some of the Mystery Book Club members participated in what we called Spenser Tour #1. … Continue reading
Mysteries are not only great to read, they can be experienced at leisure. Earlier this month, mystery book fan and member of the Manchester Public Library Mystery Book Club, Mike O’Connor, did just that. He visited Gillette Castle on the Connecticut River, the home of the great actor, William Gillette. It was Gillette who immortalized Sherlock Holmes on the stage, and fixed the Holmes we now know in the popular mind. … Continue reading
LET'S PLAY CLUE: Was it MBC Leader Dick Goutal, in the garden, using the poisonous plant, Black Henbane?
