The End of the Wasp Season: a novel by Denise Mina — has received the Martin Beck Award for best translation. Romantic Times Book Reviewers Awards for Mystery, Suspense, and Crime were recently announced in Orlando, Florida.

The Purple Moon Press has declared October 2-11 Mystery Series Week-2011. Of course, every mystery fan is familiar with the Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dame Agatha Christie's Hercules Poiroit, Miss Marple, or Tommy and Tuppence. If you are looking for something new, there are dozen of series such as Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus, or Janet Evanovich's comic Stephanie Plum. For more reading suggestions, check Canton Public Library's mystery posts and May We Suggest.

[Image Source: Google/Purple Moon Press]

"Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them."
-Alice Sebold

The stranger you seek: a novel by Amanda Kyle Williams

Where the shadows lie by Michael Ridpath

World War Two will not take place by Bill James

The Crime Writers of Canada announced the winners of this year's Arthur Ellis Awards. Louise Penny's Bury Your Dead won for Best Crime Novel and The Debba by Avner Mandelman was chosen Best First Crime Novel.

January Magazine has announced their choices for Best Crime Fiction in 2010. It's a two part list, Crime Fiction: Part I and Crime Fiction: Part II with some familiar authors, as well as debut titles.

Just a reminder that this coming Sunday, August 1, will mark the end of Crimespree Magazine’s nominating period for the 2010 Crimespree Awards. You are invited to choose as many as five mystery/crime novels in each of three categories:

• Favorite Book of the Year
• Favorite First Book of the Year
• Best Book in an Ongoing Series

All novels must have been published in 2009.

So don’t wait. Send your nominations to jon@crimespreemag.com. Winners will be announced during opening night ceremonies at Bouchercon in San Francisco< (October 14-17).

Eleanor Taylor Bland died this past week at the age of 65. Ms. Bland was the author of 13 mystery novels featuring female African-American Chicago homicide detective Marti MacAlister. A Dark and Deadly Deception was her most recent book, released in 2005. With Marti as her protagonist, Eleanor Taylor Bland attempted to give voice to the homeless, mentally ill, elderly, and children.

Canton Public Library is part of the Metro Detroit Everyone's Reading 2010: Presumed Innocent, a legal thriller written by Scott Turow and later made into a movie starring Harrison Ford. On Tuesday, March 23, from 7:00 to 8:30PM in the Community Room, Joyce Simowski (Adult Services Librarian) will share her expertise and love of legal thrillers. She'll talk about a few familiar authors and introduce you to some new authors and their characters as well. The Friends of the Canton Public Library will supply prize baskets to a couple of lucky attendees.
No registration required.

This month, the Canton Seniors Book Group will discuss the Everyone's Reading 2010 selection, Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow.  Copies of the book will be distributed at the January 27, 2010 meeting or can be picked up at the Canton Public Library's Adult Reference Desk after January 27th.  Participants must register with the Senior Adult Department at the Summit by calling 734-394-5485. If you have questions, contact Joyce Simowski or Elaine Skrzynski at the Canton Public Library (734-397-0999).

The Crime Writers Association has announced the 2009 CWA Gold Dagger Awards' shortlist.  The winners will be announced on October 21, 2009 at the SpecSavers Crime Thriller Awards in London and will be shown on ITV3 later in the month.

This year 39 crime books competed for the Davitt Awards which were set up by Sisters in Crime in 2001 to celebrate the achievements of Australian women crime writers. Justice Betty King presented the awards to a crowd of 140 at the Celtic Club. For the third year running, the awards were sponsored by the Victoria Police Museum.

Beautiful Place To Die (PanMacmillan), the debut novel by Sydney-based filmmaker turned crime writer, Malla Nunn, tonight won Sisters in Crime’s Davitt Awards for the best (adult) crime novel by an Australian woman in 2008.

Blue Mountains writer Catherine Jinks took out the Davitt (young adult) for Genius Squad (Allen & Unwin)

The Private Eye Writers of America announced the nominees for the 28th. Annual Shamus Awards on Friday. Eleven of the fifteen novels nominated are available at our library. Which book(s) do you choose for the three categories: Best Hardcover, Best First PI Novel, and Best Paperbook?

I recently 'stumbled' upon Goodreads and added it to my list of websites for TBR [To Be Read] suggestions. Of course, that's the whole idea of this blog, so when a request for historical mysteries writers came up, these authors immediately came to mind: Alys Clare, Peter Tremayne, Margaret Frazer, Ariana Franklin, and Alan Gordon.

William G. Tapply, author of the Boston lawyer-turned crime-solver Brady Coyne mystery series, died of leukemia Tuesday, July 28 at his Hancock, NH home. He was 69. He was known also for his collected essays, a book about his father, and his articles and columns in "Field & Stream" and other magazines. Mr. Tapply had also introduced a new series featuring Stoney Calhoun in 2004. The third book in this series will be published posthumously, this fall.

Are you looking for someone new to read? Maybe a new mystery author? I'm hoping I'll find time to read at least one of these five titles this summer. Meredith Cole won the St. Martin's/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Competition. Let us know what you think.

Angel's advocate by Mary Stanton

Bait by Nick Brownlee

Hangman blind by Cassandra Clark

Greg Iles’ stories have been described as terrifying, suspenseful, and intense, words which also describe Jefferson Bass's FLESH & BONE, DEJA DEAD by Kathy Reich, Alex Kava's A PERFECT EVIL, DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER by  Jeff Lindsay, or  Karin Slaughter's BLINDSIGHTED.

Indiana author Michael Koryta last night won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the Mystery/Thriller category for his 2008 novel, ENVY THE NIGHT.