Clearing the Backlog

• The Australian Crime Writers Association has announced its shortlists of nominees for four 2026 Ned Kelly Awards. Here are the contenders in its Best Crime Fiction category:

— Liar’s Game, by Jack Beaumont (Allen & Unwin)
— Lyrebird, by Jane Caro (Allen & Unwin)
— The Other Child, by Susi Fox (Penguin Australia)
— Mad Mabel, by Sally Hepworth (Pan Macmillan Australia)
— The Ghost Walk, by Karen Herbert (Fremantle Press)
— Fire in the Head, by Daniel Oakman (Black Inc)
— The White Crow, by Michael Robotham (Hachette Australia)
— The Casino, by Iain Ryan (Ultimo Press)

Also released are candidate lists for the Best International, Best Debut Crime Fiction, and Best True Crime prizes. The winners are to be revealed sometime in September.

• After 30 years in print, Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine is suddenly a free, digital-only publication. Editor George Easter explains in the new, Summer 2026 issue that “I’m doing away with subscriptions. … I’ve been handling subscriptions for 45 years (30 with my wife Michele’s consumer magazine and 34 years with DP, with some overlap) and I’m burned out. I want to simplify my life. It doesn’t cost much to get each issue out and I can handle that just fine. Also, no more filing a tax return for DP. Hooray! Those of you who still have current subscriptions with future issues paid for will still get those issues and just think, you’ll get free ones from that point on.” Access the latest PDF mag here, and digital back issues here.

• Incidentally, note that on page 23 of the brand-new Deadly Pleasures you will find four categories of nominees for the 2026 Barry Awards, sponsored as ever by the magazine. All readers are invited to cast their votes for favorite works, one title per division, by sending Easter an e-mail message at george@deadlypleasures.com. The deadline for expressing opinions is Tuesday, September 15.

• In Reference to Murder points us to a first photo of “Edward Bluemel as Agatha Christie’s iconic Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, in BritBox’s upcoming six-part drama series Hercule. The origin series, which is currently shooting in Liverpool, is an intimate study of legendary Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in Britain between the wars. Hercule will center around three of Agatha Christie’s early stories, while also introducing Hercule Poirot to future friends and allies and one particular nemesis.” Deadline adds that “the series will premiere on the BBC and BritBox in North America in 2027,” and it is said to enjoy a three-season production commitment.

• Below is a 90-second trailer for Marble Hall Murders, the six-part TV adaptation of of Anthony Horowitz’s third Susan Ryeland mystery, set to begin airing in the States on PBS come Sunday, September 6.



• The Rap Sheet’s UK correspondent, Ali Karim, had the chance recently to address some questions to Jack Jewers, author of The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys (2023) and its sequel, Seething Lane, due out on the other side of the pond early next month. Ali describes Seething Lane as “a dark swashbuckling adventure-cum-detective whodunit-cum-historical thriller.” His interview can be relished here.

• The Disney-oriented Web site Inside the Magic quotes Amy Pascal, one of a pair of veteran producers working on a new, MGM Amazon iteration of Ian Fleming’s James Bond, as saying it’s “a good bet” that we’ll know who will next portray British Agent 007 on screen “by the end of this year.” In addition, the site offers tidbits of information regarding the forthcoming children’s adventure novel James Bond and the Secret Agent Academy, penned by Gold Dagger award-winning author M.W. Craven and set to reach stores in April 2027. It’s apparently the first entry in a projected series.

• Frank Gregorsky is back with a fresh (August 2026) edition of the quarterly PDF periodical Detective Drama Gems, which revisits episodes of classic TV crime and mystery shows. Under consideration this time are stories from Dragnet, The Felony Squad, and the Canada/USA hybrid series Night Heat. You can read all about them here.