Collins Brings Back Sam Spade

Iowa crime-fictionist Max Allan Collins has so many irons in the fire right now, it’s hard keeping track of everything. He has a Kickstarter campaign in progress to raise $30,000 toward production of a 10-part audio version of his earliest Nathan Heller detective novel, 1983’s True Detective. (With just three more days to go, the effort has already brought in $25,558!) Beyond that, he and his wife, Barbara Collins, are completing work on Death by Fruitcake, an indie film based on one of the stories in their cozyish “Trash ’n’ Treasures” mystery series (published under their joint pseudonym, “Barbara Allan”). And shooting has wrapped on Mickey Spillane’s Saturday Night in Cap City, a movie Collins co-adapted from “A Bullet for Satisfaction,” one of two non-Mike Hammer novellas he combined in the 2018 Hard Case Crime release The Last Stand.

(Left) The Maltese Falcon (1961), with cover art by Harry Bennett.

Now comes word that Collins will pen a sequel to Dashiell Hammett’s only Sam Spade private-eye novel:

The publisher Hard Case Crime announced Thursday that Collins’ “The Return of the Maltese Falcon” will be released in January 2026, when the Hammett classic featuring Spade, “The Maltese Falcon,” enters the public domain. “The Maltese Falcon,” published in 1930 and known to movie fans for the 1941 adaptation starring Humphrey Bogart, is widely regarded as a model for the hard-boiled detective novel.

“It has been an inspiration to authors and filmmakers, actors and illustrators and musicians—and to me, for the entire 50-plus years I’ve been a novelist,” Collins said in a statement. “Not that writing about the world Hammett created, and those immortal, sometimes immoral characters isn’t challenging—Hammett’s best mystery also happens to be one of the greatest American novels, period.”

When copyright protection ends for a book, anyone is free to use the characters and story line. After F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” entered the public domain, in 2021, new creations included a Tony-winning musical of the same name and a prequel novel, “Nick,” by Michael Farris Smith.

According to Hard Case Crime, Collins’ new book will bring back Spade and Joel Cairo among other Hammett characters, and “a mysterious new femme fatale.” Collins, whose “Road to Perdition” was adapted into a film starring Tom Hanks and Paul Newman, has a long history of working with famous literary detectives. He took over the Dick Tracy comic strip in the late 1970s after creator Chester Gould retired, and he was later authorized to continue Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer series.

“I’m something of an old hand at walking in the shoes of the giants who came before, though I never claim to filling them,” Collins told The Associated Press.

Various authorized Spade projects have been released, including a 2009 prequel, Joe Gores’ “Spade & Archer,” a novel about Spade and his professional partner, Miles Archer. Spade was featured this year in an AMC miniseries, “Monsieur Spade,” starring Clive Owen in a sequel that finds the detective retired and living in the South of France.

Collins has always been quick to list The Maltese Falcon as one of his favorite private investigator novels (as he did for The Rap Sheet years ago), and adds in his blog this week that he has long wished to compose a sequel to that yarn. After four decades spent concocting historical P.I. stories around Nate Heller, who is very much a Spade-like protagonist, Collins seems like an ideal candidate to breathe new vitality into Hammett’s “hard and shifty fellow.”

If I’m still around in early 2026, you can expect to find a copy of The Return of the Maltese Falcon clutched firmly in my hands.

Three and You’re Out

This is unhappy news, reported by The Killing Times:

Bosch: Legacy, the spin-off of, well, Bosch, is to end after the third season, Amazon Prime Video says.

The series follows Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver), a retired homicide detective-turned-private investigator, as he embarks on the next chapter of his career; attorney Honey “Money” Chandler (Mimi Rogers), who struggles to maintain her faith in the justice system after surviving a murder attempt; and Maddie Bosch (Madison Lintz), as she discovers the possibilities and challenges of being a rookie patrol cop on the streets of Los Angeles.

The final, third season will premiere on the streaming service in March 2025, and there will also be a cold case detective Renée Ballard series starring Maggie Q (another Bosch spin-off) in the autumn next year.

Michael Connelly, who created Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch in his novels and has executive produced both series, is quoted as saying, “I am so proud of what we have accomplished with this show. Ten years ago I asked Titus Welliver if he could stick with Harry Bosch for five seasons, and he said he could do it forever. Well, five became 10, and the character, thanks to Titus, will live forever in the hearts of viewers and in the streaming world as the detective who knows that everybody counts or nobody counts. The good news here is that we have not seen the last of Harry Bosch. As in the books, Bosch is part of the Renée Ballard world, and I can’t wait for the next chapter to open.”

Oops, Missed One

When tallying up the latest crime, mystery, and thriller prize winners earlier this week, it seems I neglected to mention the recipients of the 2024 Davitt Awards. Sponsored by Sisters in Crime Australia, the Davitts honor the “best women’s crime and mystery books.”

And the Davitt victors are …

Adult Novel: When One of Us Hurts, by Monica Vuu
(Pan Macmillan Australia)

Also nominated: The Chasm, by Bronwyn Hall (HQ Fiction); The Tea Ladies, by Amanda Hampson (Penguin Random House); The Half Brother, by Christine Keighery (Ultimo Press); Prima Facie, by Suzie Miller (Pan Macmillan Australia); Exquisite Corpse, by Marija Pericic (Ultimo Press); and The Fall Between, by Darcy Tindale Penguin Random House)

Non-fiction: The Schoolgirl, Her Teacher and His Wife, by Rebecca Hazel (Penguin Random House)

Also nominated: Reclaim: Understanding Complex Trauma and Those Who Abuse, by Ahona Guha (Scribe); Ghosts of the Orphanage, by Christine Kenneally (Hachette Australia); and Obsession, by Nicole Madigan (Pantera Press)

Young Adult: Eleanor Jones Is Not a Murderer, by Amy Doak
(Penguin Random House)

Also nominated: Some Shall Break, by Ellie Marney (Allen & Unwin)

Children’s Novel: The Wolves of Greycoat Hall, by Lucinda
Gifford (Walker)

Also nominated: Copycat, by Kelli Anne Hawkins (HarperCollins Australia); The First Summer of Callie McGee, by Alison Tait (Scholastic Australia); and This Camp Is Doomed, by Anna Zobel (Penguin Random House)

In addition, Christine Keighery’s The Half Brother was judged to be the Best Debut Novel. And the 600 members of Sisters in Crime chose Alison Goodman’s The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies as this year’s Readers’ Choice awardee.

The Davitt Awards are named for Ellen Davitt (1812-1879), Australia’s first crime novelist. Previous winners are recorded here.

The Scottish Players

About two and a half months after announcing their longlist of nominees for the 2024 McIlvanney Prize, organizers of the annual Bloody Scotland international crime-writing festival have released their shortlist of five contenders:

• Past Lying, by Val McDermid (Sphere)
• The Cracked Mirror, by Chris Brookmyre (Sphere)
• Hunted, by Abir Mukherjee (Vintage)
• A Spy Like Me, by Kim Sherwood (HarperCollins)
• A Divine Fury, by D.V. Bishop (Pan Macmillan)

This year’s McIlvanney recipient will be revealed on the festival’s opening night, which is Friday, September 13.

Presented annually since 2012, the McIvanney Prize is named in honor of Scottish author William McIlvanney, who passed away in 2015. Previous recipients include Charles Cumming, Peter May, Denise Mina, Francine Toon, and Alan Parks.

Screening Boom

Earlier this week, the UK Web site The Killing Times posted its “massive, impressively weighty 2024 Autumn/Winter crime drama preview.” No TV viewer who appreciates works in this genre can reasonably argue there’s nothing to watch this season.

Some shows look more interesting than others, of course. And a number of them will become available to British boob-tubers long before they make it across the Atlantic Ocean to U.S. screens. But among those that interest me most right from the get-go are Moonflower Murders, the six-part sequel to Magpie Murders, debuting on PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre come September 15; Return to Paradise, the Australian spin-off from Death in Paradise; Towards Zero, a three-part adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1944 novel of that same title; Playing Nice, a babies-switched-at-birth thriller featuring Grantchester’s James Norton; the third series of Dalgliesh, starring Bernie Carvel; The Day of the Jackal, a 10-part tailoring of Frederick Forsyth’s best-selling 1971 political assassination novel, led by Eddie Redmayne; the Harlan Coben drama Missing You, based on his 2014 novel of the same name; ex-Leverage actor Aldis Hodge’s Cross, inspired by James Paterson’s Alex Cross novels; and the Canadian production Murder in a Small Town, derived from the late L.R. Wright’s mysteries, starring Rossif Sutherland and Kristin Kreuk.

I had better stock up on popcorn to get through all of these!

Music City Raves

The Tennessee capital, Nashville, hosted not just one, but two crime-fiction conventions recently: Bouchercon and Killer Nashville. We’ve already talked about the award winners produced by that former assembly; now let’s recap those coming out of the latter.

This year’s Silver Falchion Awards celebrated published works in 17 categories, not all of them crime-fiction related. Below, though, are a few division winners of potential interest to Rap Sheet readers.

Best Action Adventure:
Hanging the Devil, by Tim Maleeny (Poisoned Pen Press)

Best Investigator:
Vessels of Wrath, by Thomas Holland (Independently published)

Best Mystery:
Indigo Road, by Reed Bunzel (Coffeetown Press)

Best Thriller:
Breaking Apart, by Wanda Venters, M.D. and Mary Rae, M.D.
(Written Dreams)

Best Cozy:
Trust the Terrier, by D.L. Mitchell (Black Rose)

In addition, Killer Nashville organizers handed out 17 Claymore Awards for unpublished manuscripts. Among the works honored were:

Best Action Adventure: The Aviatrix, by Christopher Boswell

Best Investigator: The Scent of Sunday, by Patricia Thorpe

Best Mystery: What They Buried, by P.J. McAvoy

Best Thriller: Electric Sky, by Peter Miller

Best Cozy: Pontoon, Romance, Boats, and Bad Business in the Wisconsin Northwoods, by T.K. Sheffield

Finally, the John Seigenthaler Legends Award went to “Charles Todd,” aka David Watjen, who with his mother, Carolyn Watjen, created the Inspector Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford historical mystery series.

To see a complete list of the 2024 Silver Falchion and Claymore winners, you need only click here.

Bonus Barrys

In addition to announcements regarding the latest winners of the Shamus Awards and Anthony Awards, last week’s Bouchercon in Nashville brought news of the 2024 Barry Award recipients.

Best Mystery or Crime Novel:
Small Mercies, by Dennis Lehane (Harper)

Also nominated: Dark Ride, by Lou Berney (Morrow); All the Sinners Bleed, by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron); Ozark Dogs, by Eli Cranor (Soho Crime); Everybody Knows, by Jordan Harper (Mulholland); and The Detective Up Late, by Adrian McKinty (Blackstone)

Best First Mystery or Crime Novel:
The Peacock and the Sparrow, by I.S. Berry (Atria)

Also nominated: Better the Blood, by Michael Bennett (Atlantic Monthly Press); The Bitter Past, by Bruce Borgos (Minotaur); The Golden Gate, by Amy Chua (Minotaur); Age of Vice, by Deepti Kapoor (Riverhead); Mother-Daughter Murder Night, by Nina Simon (Morrow); and City Under One Roof, by Iris Yamashita (Berkley)

Best Paperback Original Mystery or Crime Novel:
Who the Hell Is Harry Black? by Jake Needham (Half Penny)

Also nominated: Murder and Mamon, by Mia P. Manansala
(Berkley); Everything She Feared, by Rick Mofina (Mira); Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, by Jesse Sutanto (Berkley); Expectant, by Vanda Symon (Orenda); and Lowdown Road, by Scott Von Doviak (Hard Case Crime)

Best Thriller: The Secret Hours, by Mick Herron (Soho Crime)

Also nominated: Burner, by Mark Greaney (Berkley); Moscow Exile, by John Lawton (Atlantic Monthly); Going Zero, by Anthony McCarten (Harper); Drowning, by T.J. Newman (Avid Reader Press); and Zero Days, by Ruth Ware (Gallery/Scout Press)

The Barrys are sponsored annually by Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine. They take their name from the late Barry Gardner, described by that publication’s editor, George Easter, as “arguably the best fan reviewer on the planet.”

(Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare.)

Touted in Tennessee

Last evening, during Bouchercon in Nashville, the winners of this year’s Anthony Awards were announced.

Best Hardcover Novel:
All the Sinners Bleed, by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron)

Also nominated: Everybody Knows, by Jordan Harper (Mulholland); Time’s Undoing, by Cheryl A. Head (Dutton); Face of Greed, by James L'Etoile (Oceanview); and The Last Devil to Die, by Richard Osman (Pamela Dorman)

Best Paperback:
Hide, by Tracy Clark (Thomas & Mercer)

Also nominated: No Home for Killers, by E.A. Aymar (Thomas & Mercer); Because the Night, by James D.F. Hannah (Down & Out); The Taken Ones, by Jess Lourey (Thomas & Mercer); Magic City Blues, by Bobby Matthews (Shotgun Honey); and Lowdown Road, by Scott Von Doviak (Hard Case Crime)

Best First Novel:
Mother-Daughter Murder Night, by Nina Simon (Morrow)

Also nominated: The Peacock and the Sparrow, by I.S. Berry (Atria); Play the Fool, by Lina Chern (Bantam); Scorched Grace, by Margot Douaihy (Zando/Gillian Flynn); and City Under One Roof, by Iris Yamashita (Berkley)

Best Children’s/Young Adult: Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose, by Nancy Springer (Wednesday)

Also nominated: Finney and the Secret Tunnel, by Jamie Lane Barber (Level Elevate); Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity, by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Algonquin Young Readers); The Sasquatch of Hawthorne Elementary, by K.B. Jackson (Reycraft); and The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle, by Taryn Sounders (Sourcebooks Young Readers)

Best Critical/Non-fiction: A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them, by Timothy Egan (Viking)

Also nominated: Finders: Justice, Faith and Identity in Irish Crime Fiction, by Anjili Babbar (Syracuse University Press); Spillane: King of Pulp Fiction, by Max Allan Collins and James L. Traylor (Mysterious Press); A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe, by Mark Dawidziak (St. Martin’s Press); Fallen Angel: The Life of Edgar Allan Poe, by Robert Morgan (LSU Press); Agatha Christie, She Watched: One Woman's Plot to Watch 201 Christie Adaptations Without Murdering the Director, Screenwriter, Cast, or Her Husband, by Teresa Peschel (Peschel Press); and Love Me Fierce in Danger: The Life of James Ellroy, by Steven Powell (Bloomsbury)

Best Anthology/Collection: Killin’ Time in San Diego: Bouchercon Anthology 2023, edited by Holly West (Down & Out)

Also nominated: School of Hard Knox, edited by Donna Andrews, Greg Herren, and Art Taylor (Crippen & Landru); Here in the Dark, by Meagan Lucas (Shotgun Honey); Happiness Is a Warm Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of The Beatles, edited by Josh Pachter (Down & Out); and The Adventure of the Castle Thief and Other Expeditions and Indiscretions, by Art Taylor (Crippen & Landru)

Best Short Story: “Ticket to Ride,” by Dru Ann Love and Kristopher Zgorski (from Happiness Is a Warm Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of The Beatles, edited by Josh Pachter; Down & Out)

Also nominated: “Real Courage,” by Barb Goffman (Black Cat Mystery Magazine, October 2023); “Knock,” by James D.F. Hannah (from Playing Games, edited by Lawrence Block; Subterranean Press); “Green and California Bound,” by Curtis Ippolito (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September/October 2023); and “Tell Me No Lies,” by Holly West (from Shotgun Honey Presents: Thicker Than Water, edited by Ron Earl Phillips; Shotgun Honey)

Bouchercon and the Anthony Awards are named in honor of Anthony Boucher (aka William Anthony Parker White), a critic, novelist, and one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America.

Congratulations to all of the 2024 Anthony nominees!

Face to Face with Lehane

Author, photographer, and sometime Rap Sheet contributor Mark Coggins has spent the last few days in Nashville, Tennessee, at this year’s Bouchercon mystery convention. As usual, he packed along his camera. And though he laments, “I didn't do very well at Nashville in terms of pictures,” he did shoot this terrific image of 59-year-old Dennis Lehane (Small Mercies)—who, Coggins says, “I haven’t seen ... at a conference since the early 2000s.”

Shamus Successes

Bouchercon 2024 kicked off earlier this week in Nashville, Tennessee, and is set to conclude tomorrow. Concurrent with those festivities, the Private Eye Writers of America presented this year’s set of Shamus Awards, in three categories.

Best Hardcover P.I. Novel:
Heart of the Nile, by Will Thomas (Minotaur)

Also nominated: Hard Rain, by Samantha Jayne Allen (‎Minotaur); Go Find Daddy, by Steve Goble (Oceanview); The Mistress of Bhatia House, by Sujata Massey (Soho Crime); and The Bell in the Fog, by Lev AC Rosen (Forge)

Best Original Paperback P.I. Novel:
Liar’s Dice, by Gabriel Valjan (Level Best)

Also nominated: Drums, Guns ’n’ Money, by Jonathan J. Brown (Down & Out); Gillespie Field Groove, by Corey Lynn Fayman (Konstellation Press); The Truth We Hide, by Liz Milliron (Level Best); and Bring the Night, by J.R. Sanders (Level Best)

Best P.I. Short Story:
“Errand for a Neighbor” by Bill Bassman (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine [EQMM], January/February 2023)

Also nominated: “Beyond Belief” by Libby Cudmore (Tough, May 2023); “The Soiled Dove of Shallow Hollow” by Sean McCluskey (EQMM, January/February 2023); “Imperfect Data” by Bob Tippee (Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, January/February 2023); and “Making the Bad Guys Nervous” by Joseph S. Walker (Black Cat Weekly, #102)

(Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare.)

Ngaios Champs Named

OK, I guess my late-summer break is finally over. Today brings word of which books and authors have won New Zealand’s 2024 Ngaio Marsh Awards. There were three categories of nominees this year.

Best Novel: Ritual of Fire, by D.V. Bishop (Macmillan)

Also nominated: Dice, by Claire Baylis (Allen & Unwin); The Caretaker, by Gabriel Bergmoser (HarperCollins); Pet, by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press); Devil’s Breath, by Jill Johnson (Black & White); Going Zero, by Anthony McCarten (Macmillan); and Expectant, by Vanda Symon (Orenda)

Best First Novel: Dice, by Claire Baylis (Allen & Unwin)

Also nominated: El Flamingo, by Nick Davies (YBK); Devil’s Breath, by Jill Johnson (Black & White); A Better Class of Criminal. by Cristian Kelly (Cristian Kelly); and Mama Suzuki: Private Eye, by Simon Rowe (Penguin)

Best Kids/YA: Miracle, by Jennifer Lane (Cloud Ink Press)

Also nominated: Caged, by Susan Brocker (Scholastic); Katipo Joe: Wolf’s Lair, by Brian Falkner (Scholastic); Nikolai’s Quest, by Diane Robinson (Rose & Fern); and Nor’east Swell, by Aaron Topp (One Tree House)

A press release quotes Ngaios founder Craig Sisterson as saying, “I’m stoked we have a special award this year recognising writers of crime, mystery, and thriller tales for younger readers. Many of us owe any lifelong passion for books, and all the good that comes along with that, to the children’s authors we read when we were youngsters ourselves. Aotearoa has amazing kids authors, across many genres. In future we plan to award our Best Kids/YA Book prize biennially, alternating with our Best Non-fiction prize that returns in 2025.”

This year’s prize recipients were announced during a special event at the WORD Christchurch Festival. The Ngaios are named in honor of Dame Ngaio Marsh, the creator of “gentleman detective” Inspector Roderick Alleyn. Lists of previous recipients can be found here.

PaperBack: “Moment of Untruth”

Part of a series honoring the late author and blogger Bill Crider.



Moment of Untruth, by “Ed Lacy,” aka Leonard S. Zinberg (Lancer, 1967). As blogger J.F. Norris explains, this is “a sequel of sorts” to 1957’s Edgar Award-winning Room to Swing, which introduced Black New York City private eye Toussaint “Touie” Moore. And, as The Thrilling Detective Web Site’s Kevin Burton Smith writes, Moment “is almost as good” as its predecessor.

Cover illustration by Robert K. Abbett.

Ngaios Results on the Horizon

From Australia, where this year’s nominees for the Ned Kelly Awards were recently named, we move across the Tasman Sea (aka “the Ditch”) to New Zealand. There, organizers of the Ngaio Marsh Awards have announced their 2024 finalists in three categories.

Best Novel:
• Dice, by Claire Baylis (Allen & Unwin)
• The Caretaker, by Gabriel Bergmoser (HarperCollins)
• Ritual of Fire, by D.V. Bishop (Macmillan)
• Pet, by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
• Devil’s Breath, by Jill Johnson (Black & White)
• Going Zero, by Anthony McCarten (Macmillan)
• Expectant. by Vanda Symon (Orenda)

Best First Novel:
• Dice, by Claire Baylis (Allen & Unwin)
• El Flamingo, by Nick Davies (YBK)
• Devil’s Breath, by Jill Johnson (Black & White)
• A Better Class of Criminal. by Cristian Kelly (Cristian Kelly)
• Mama Suzuki: Private Eye, by Simon Rowe (Penguin)

Best Kids/YA:
• Caged, by Susan Brocker (Scholastic)
• Katipo Joe: Wolf’s Lair, by Brian Falkner (Scholastic)
• Miracle, by Jennifer Lane (Cloud Ink Press)
• Nikolai’s Quest, by Diane Robinson (Rose & Fern)
• Nor’east Swell, by Aaron Topp (One Tree House)

The Ngaio Marsh Awards (originally just a single commendation, given for Best Novel) were launched in 2010 by Craig Sisterson. They honor Dame Ngaio Marsh, the creator of “gentleman detective” Inspector Roderick Alleyn. Previous recipients are named here.

This year’s prize winners are to be made known during a special event at the WORD Christchurch Festival on Wednesday, August 28.

Last of the Neddies

Another day, another shortlist of contenders for Australia’s distinguished Ned Kelly Awards (the “Neddies”). This time, the category is Best Crime Fiction, and the nominees are …

• Killer Traitor Spy, by Tim Ayliffe (Simon & Schuster Australia)
• Dark Corners, by Megan Goldin (Canelo)
• Dark Mode, by Ashley Kalagian Blunt (Ultimo Press)
• Darling Girls, by Sally Hepworth (Pan Australia)
• The Seven, by Chris Hammer (Allen & Unwin)
• Ripper, by Shelley Burr (Hachette Australia)
• The Tea Ladies, by Amanda Hampson (Penguin)
• Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect, by Benjamin Stevenson
(Michael Joseph)

Actually, this is the last such line-up for 2024, following shortlists for Best Debut Crime Fiction, Best True Crime, and Best International Crime Fiction. The Australian Crime Writers Association, which sponsors these prizes, will identity the winners in September.

Revue of Reviewers: 8-9-24

Critiquing some of the most interesting recent crime, mystery, and thriller releases. Click on the individual covers to read more.

Exploring a World of Crime

We have now heard about three out of four categories of nominees for the 2024 Ned Kelly Awards (the “Neddies”), sponsored by the Australian Crime Writers Association. Following on from Best Debut Crime Fiction and Best True Crime, the ACWA has announced its shortlist of contenders for Best International Crime Fiction:

• Birnam Wood, by Eleanor Catton (Granta)
• Dice, by Claire Baylis (Allen & Unwin)
• Resurrection Walk, by Michael Connelly (Orion)
• The Only Suspect, by Louise Candlish (Simon & Schuster UK)
• The Search Party, by Hannah Richell (Simon & Schuster UK)
• Zero Days, by Ruth Ware (Simon & Schuster UK)

Still to come are the candidates for Best Crime Fiction. The winners of all the 2024 Neddies should be declared in September.

Last Chance for Summer Reading

As most Rap Sheet readers know, I produce lengthy quarterly lists of upcoming books I think will interest crime, mystery, and thriller readers. But such compilations do not go unchanged; no sooner have I posted a new seasonal rundown, than I commence updating and adding to it—and less often, subtracting from it. For instance, just yesterday I removed from my summer 2024 inventory mention of Baby, It’s Murder, the 13th (and reportedly final) Mike Hammer novel, written by Max Allan Collins in posthumous collaboration with Mickey Spillane. That work had originally been slated to appear this month; it has now been postponed until March 2025.

If you click over to that summer list—which you really should do, as August is its last month of particular relevance—you might not be able to discern what other changes I have made since early June. Yet there are many. I’ve added novels by Charlie Stella (Joey Piss Pot), Sophie Barnes (A Vengeful King Rises), Morgan Greene (The Devil in the Dark), Karen Grose (Flat Out Lies), A.J. West (The Betrayal of Thomas True), Kate Ellis (Coffin Island), Gordon McAlpine (After Oz), and others, as well as non-fiction works by Anthony M. DeStefano (Broadway Butterfly: The Lady Gangster of Jazz Age New York) and Mark Aldridge (Agatha Christie’s Marple: Expert on Wickedness). We’re talking well over 450 books worthy of your attention.

I’m already developing a rundown of fall 2024 releases, which should be posted sometime in early September. Before this summer ends, though, catch up here on what recent debuts you may have missed.

Appreciating Fact and Fiction

Earlier this week we brought you the shortlisted candidates for the 2024 Ned Kelly Awards, Best Debut Crime Fiction division. Now we have the nominees for Best True Crime. There are five of them:

• Crossing the Line, by Nick McKenzie (Hachette Australia)
• Killing for Country, by David Marr
(Black Inc)
• The Murder Squad, by Michael Adams (Affirm Press)
• Reckless, by Marele Day (Ultimo Press)
• The Teacher’s Pet, by Hedley Thomas (Macmillan Australia)

The Ned Kelly Awards—or “Neddies,” for short—were established in 1996 by the Australian Crime Writers Association to recognize “excellence in the field of crime writing within Australia.” Previous recipients are recorded here.

* * *

Meanwhile, In Reference to Murder reports that “Joe Lansdale received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the 3rd annual Texas Author Con, an honor that will be named after him. Lansdale writes in a variety of genres, including Westerns, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense. He received the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2001 for The Bottoms, and has also garnered the British Fantasy Award, the American Horror Award, and eleven Bram Stoker Awards.”

Bland by Name but Not Repute

P.M. Raymond, a resident of Apex, North Carolina, has won the 2024 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color award.

According to a press release from the Sisters in Crime (SinC) organization, which sponsors this annual prize, Raymond’s contest submission, “A Nasty Business,” “is set on a Louisiana farm where a family tradition forces the heirs to compete in a series of grueling tasks. Pops, the patriarch, oversees the competition between his sons, Galen and Jeff, as they vie for control of the estate, and discover the farm's dark history—and the heavy burden of their inheritance.”

Offering a bit of Raymond’s background, SinC says, “She was named to the 160 Black Women in Horror and is a 2024 Finalist in the Killer Shorts Screenplay Competition. Her work has appeared in publications such as Flash Fiction Magazine, Kings River Life Magazine, Dark Fire Fiction, Pyre Magazine and The Furious Gazelle and Dark Yonder.”

This year’s three Taylor Bland Award judges—Alex Segura, Carolyn Wilkins, and Nicole Prewitt—chose “A Nasty Business” over submissions from five other scribblers. Those runners-up were:

• Aftermath, by Carleasa A. Coates of Catlett, Virginia
• And Then It Clicked, by Renee P. Stone of Las Vegas, Nevada
• The Code, by Grace Wynter of Decatur, Georgia
• Gifted Grifter, by Fritz Mason of Columbia, South Carolina
• Man Eater, by Elena Scialtiel of Gibraltar

The prize was created in 2014 and named in honor of “pioneering African-American crime fiction author” Eleanor Taylor Bland, a Chicago-area author of police procedurals. Bland died in 2010. Past winners have included Nicole Prewitt (2023), Shizuka Otak (2022), Jessica Martinez (2019), and Mia Manansala (2018).

Aussie Anticipation

The Australian Crime Writers Association is beginning to roll out its nominees for the 2024 Ned Kelly Awards (the “Neddies”). First up: the shortlist of contenders in the Best Debut Crime Fiction category:

• Four Dogs Missing, by Rhys Gard (Echo)
• Gus and the Missing Boy, by Troy Hunter (Wakefield Press)
• Lowbridge, by Lucy Campbell (Ultimo Press)
• Murder in the Pacific: Ifira Point, by Matt Francis (Big Sky)
• The Fall Between, by Darcy Tindale (Penguin)
• The Beacon, by P.A. Thomas (Echo)
• Violet Kelly and the Jade Owl, by Fiona Britton (Allen & Unwin)

Still to come are the shortlists for Best True Crime, Best International, and Best Crime Fiction. If tradition provides precedent, then the winners of all these prizes will be declared in the fall.

“I’m in a Bit of a Jam Here”

I’m not usually a fan of actor Vince Vaughn. I was appalled by long-ago rumors that he’d assume the role of Hawaii private eye Thomas Magnum in a film version of CBS-TV’s Magnum, P.I. And talk of him replacing James Garner in a movie based on NBC’s The Rockford Files absolutely turned my stomach. To me, Vaughn is synonymous with the big dumb dope roles he’s played in too many cinematic comedies.



That persona, though, seems to fit perfectly with the character of former Florida police detective Andrew Yancy, the protagonist in Bad Monkey, an upcoming 10-part Apple TV+ series based on Carl Hiaasen’s 2013 novel of that same name. As with most Hiassen tales, Bad Monkey is a crazy salad of weirdoes and comic escapades. Yancy has been suspended for assaulting the husband of his lover, Bonnie Witt, and is assigned to work as a health inspector for the state’s Department of Hotels and Restaurants. But, explains Wikipedia, “a severed arm found by a tourist pulls Yancy into the world of greed and corruption that decimates the land and environment in both Florida and the Bahamas.” For much of the series, Vaughn plays a big dumb dope ambling through a sea troubles largely beyond his comprehension.

Aiding him in his investigations, or else abetting his sun-addled shenanigans in this show are performers Michelle Monaghan, John Ortiz, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Natalie Martinez (formerly of Detroit 1-8-7), who plays a major role as Miami medical examiner Rosa Campesino. Bad Money was developed by Bill Lawrence, known for his work on Ted Lasso, Cougar Town, Scrubs, Spin City, and other small-screen series. As I hope is clear from the video clip above, Bad Monkey—set to begin on Wednesday, August 14—looks like great escapist fun.

A Glass Apart

London’s Goldsboro Books has released its shortlist of contenders for the 2024 Glass Bell Award, which “celebrates the very best in contemporary fiction.” From a longlist of 14 titles, only half a dozen—almost all by women—remain in the running:

• In Memoriam, by Alice Wynn (Viking)
• Clytemnestra, by Costanza Casati (Michael Joseph)
• Strange Sally Diamond, by Liz Nugent (Sandycove)
• Lady Macbethad, by Isabelle Schuler (Bloomsbury Raven)
• The Square of Sevens, by Laura Shepherd Robinson (Mantle)
• The Turnglass, by Gareth Rubin (Simon & Schuster)

Three of those qualify as crime, mystery, or thriller novels: Strange Sally Diamond, The Square of Sevens, and The Turnglass.

This year’s winner will be announced on Thursday, September 26, at Goldsboro Books’ 25th birthday party. The prize is £2,000 and “a beautiful, handmade, engraved blue glass bell.”

The Glass Bell Award was created in 2017 by Goldsboro’s co-founder David Headley. Previous recipients include Claire Whitfield’s People of Abandoned Character, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones and the Six, and Elodie Harper’s The Wolf Den.

Giving Women Their Due

Sisters in Crime Australia has released its shortlists of nominees for the 24th Davitt Awards. There are four categories of “best crime and mystery books”: Adult Novels, Non-fiction, Young Adult Novels, and Children’s Novels. Here are the Adult Novels candidates:

• The Chasm, by Bronwyn Hall (HQ Fiction)
• The Tea Ladies, by Amanda Hampson (Penguin Random House)
• The Half Brother, by Christine Keighery (Ultimo Press)
• Prima Facie, by Suzie Miller (Pan Macmillan Australia)
• Exquisite Corpse, by Marija Pericic (Ultimo Press)
• The Fall Between, by Darcy Tindale Penguin Random House)
• When One of Us Hurts, by Mnica Vuu, (Pan Macmillan Australia)

In addition, there will be a prize given for Best Debut Novel, plus a Davitt Readers’ Choice Award, the recipient of which is to be selected by members of Sisters in Crime Australia.

This year’s winners will be declared during a “gala dinner” held at South Melbourne’s Rising Sun Hotel on Saturday, August 31.

The Davitt Awards have been presented since 2001, and are named for Ellen Davitt (1812-1879), Australia’s first crime novelist.

(Hat tip to In Reference to Murder.)

For Your Entertainment

• Not being an Apple TV+ subscriber, I haven’t yet begun watching Lady in the Lake, the seven-part series based on Laura Lippman’s 2019 novel of that same title. But it premiered last Friday, July 19. The Guardian offers the following plot synopsis:

This is the story of two Baltimore women in the 1960s: affluent white Jewish housewife and mother Maddie Schwartz [played by Natalie Portman] and Black, all-but-single mother Cleo [Moses Ingram] who is working three jobs to try to lift herself and her children out of the life of struggle that otherwise beckons, and away from the temptations and dangers offered by the underbelly of the city.

Their lives begin to converge when a child, Tessie, goes missing at the Thanksgiving Day parade. The indifference of Maddie’s husband, Milton (Brett Gelman), triggers a fury in his long-frustrated wife, who ends up finding Tessie’s body herself and leaving Milton and her son, Seth (Noah Jupe), to start afresh. The only place she can afford on her own is in a Black area [of Baltimore, Maryland] and even that requires faking a robbery of her insured jewellery when she falls behind in rent. As the investigation into Tessie’s murder continues, Maddie’s latent journalistic ambitions stir and she begins to claw her way into the favour of the Baltimore Sun.

Guardian critic Lucy Mangan calls this mini-series “altogether masterly” and “an incredibly sumptuous and fearless aesthetic experience.” She goes on to write: “The whole endeavour is a dense, clever, impeccably written, acted, shot and scored offering that is designed to be consumed slowly, episode by episode, not binged. You may finish each one feeling slightly battered and exhausted—perhaps more impressed than moved, but that’s OK. Give it a few days to bed in and the love will come.”

Lady in the Lake will run through August 23. A trailer is below.



• In Reference to Murder reports that “Michael Mann is making a sequel to his 1995 film Heat and is working on writing the screenplay, which is based on the novel Heat 2 that he co-authored with Meg Gardiner. Mann told the Los Angeles Times that he wants to begin shooting the film by the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025. Heat followed the conflict between LAPD detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and a career thief, Neil McCauley (Robert DeNiro), and also starred Val Kilmer as McCauley's right-hand man. Heat 2 will function as both a prequel and a sequel to Heat, jumping between two time periods. Although there's no word official yet on casting, Adam Driver and Austin Butler are rumored to be taking over DeNiro and Kilmer’s roles.”

• Sherlock Holmes once again demonstrates his durability, as Deadline brings more news about the casting of Young Sherlock, a Prime Video series from director Guy Ritchie. The latest recruit is English actor Colin Firth, who is slated to play a character with a mouthful of a moniker, Sir Bucephalus Hodge. He joins previously confirmed cast members Hero Fiennes, Zine Tseng, Joseph Fiennes, and Natascha McElhone. “Written by Matthew Parkhill [and] inspired by Andy Lane’s Young Sherlock Holmes book series, the show re-imagines Sherlock Holmes at age 19,” Deadline explains. “Disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock (Fiennes Tiffin) manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever.” Filming of Young Sherlock began earlier this month.

• Speaking of Prime, we have finally received word that the crime thriller series Cross—produced by and starring Aldis Hodge—will debut on that Amazon premium channel come November 14. It is based on James Patterson’s long-running succession of novels about Alex Cross, described by Deadline as “a detective and forensic psychologist, uniquely capable of digging into the psyches of killers and their victims, to identify—and ultimately capture—the murderers.” I recall Hodge fondly from Leverage and its sequel, Leverage: Redemption; it’ll be nice to see him back on the small screen. He will be joined on Cross by Isaiah Mustafa, Juanita Jennings, Alona Tal, Samantha Walkes, Caleb Elijah, and others. Ben Watkins, formerly of Truth Be Told and Burn Notice, will serve as the drama’s showrunner.

• Tucked deep in this Variety piece about the influential Hollywood talent agency Independent Artists Group is news that a series adapted from John Connolly’s “beloved novels about the detective Charlie Parker” is in “early development” by Village Roadshow Television. Its producers include Colin Farrell and Bryan Cranston.

• A final TV-related note: Filming of the second season of Peacock’s Poker Face, starring Natasha Lyonne and created by Rian Johnson (Knives Out), began on July 1. Among the guest stars signed to appear in the new episodes, says Variety, are Giancarlo Esposito, Katie Holmes, Gaby Hoffmann, and Kumail Nanjiani. Lyonne directed one of those forthcoming installments.