If you, loyal mystery fan, are weary of reading books dripping with blood and gore, stuffed with violence and vulgarity, cozy novels are likely to be your cup of tea. Can’t you picture yourself snuggled by the fire, an afghan tossed casually across your lap? Perhaps a kitten nestles across the top of the chair…
I met Blaize Clement in 2006, a little more than a year after her first book in the Dixie Hemingway series, Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter, was published. She was a presenter on a panel for new writers. I was a new writer and very impressed with her advice. In a kind yet firm voice…
Who doesn’t have a favorite O. Henry story? One that draws the reader in with a light, almost effortless touch. One that follows every joggle and turn, eventually leading to a final jolting twist at the end. O. Henry had a way of making the conclusion of a story so satisfying that the reader would…
I recently bought a Kindle Fire. (Don’t ask, I have no idea how it works; haven’t yet opened the box.) The first thing I did when I got home was to log onto the Kindle website and spend nearly an hour browsing the short mystery fiction collection. Giddy with the prospect of so many short…
All right, so we all hang out at a place called Criminal Element and talk about topics that are in any way crime related—fiction and non-fiction. Whether the subject is paranormal or suspense, humorous or noir, thriller or cozy, we hanker to know everything about it. We’re not only interested Joe Friday style, “Just the…
Mignon F. Ballard has long entertained readers with her cozy mysteries featuring Augusta Goodnight, a temporary guardian angel. Last year, in the highly acclaimed cozy, Miss Dimple Disappears, Ballard introduced us to another affable series character, Miss Dimple Kilpatrick, a no-nonsense first grade teacher in a small southern town during World War Two. In Miss…
Last June, while we were all fascinated by the capture of Whitey Bulger, the 81 year old Boston gangster who was finally caught after leading the Most Wanted list for more than a decade, Criminal Element posted an excerpt from Howie Carr’s true crime book, Hitman, the story of Johnny Martorano, whose “partnership with Whitey…
In 2008, Elizabeth J. Duncan became the first Canadian writer to win the St. Martins/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel competition. Her book—the highly entertaining The Cold Light of Mourning—is set in Llanelen, Wales near magnificent Conwy Castle constructed at the end of the thirteenth century. Now, this area isn’t overly far from Holyhead,…
Ten or more years ago, I came across the first book in the Sam McCain series written by an already favorite author of mine, Ed Gorman. The Day The Music Died, is set in 1958 and the title refers to the snowy plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper just…
Each December many families gather around the television, or go to a school pageant or community theater and watch some version of A Christmas Carol written by Charles Dickens. And when the show is over, the audience is left with a feeling of good cheer and a determination to be extra nice to everyone they…
