DEADLY PLEASURES MYSTERY MAGAZINE: NEW ISSUE!
George Easter has just sent out the latest issue of his Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine (No. 101) and it is another great issue packed full of reviews and interesting information.
The magazine is now up to 101 issues, which is a remarkable achievement by George, especially in this day and age when so many mystery magazines have fallen by the wayside. The magazine, which first appeared in April 1993, is now solely in an electronic format and has the best coverage of contemporary crime fiction and thrillers that you can find, plus some informative ‘look backs’ at past writers and books.
The main article in the current issue is on the popular Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott series by Robert Galbraith (aka J. K. Rowling). The primarily focus is on the new book, The Running Grave, but George also takes an interesting look back over the series and discusses the television show. I am not as enamoured with the series as George, but I thought that the article was very well informed and quite interesting. I am now tempted to give the bulky The Running Grave a go.
There is also a moving tribute to the recently departed Marvin Lachman, who was an outstanding critic, fan and scholar of the mystery genre and a regular contributor to George’s magazine. He was also a very nice gentleman.
The issue also highlights the winners of the magazine’s Barry Awards; Michael Connelly, Nita Prose and Deanna Raybourn, which were announced at the Opening Ceremonies of the San Diego Bouchercon. Another highlight for me, is Steele Curry’s report on his annual Greek Reading Feast while holidaying in Skiathos, as usual it is an insightful summary of a great selection of books.
A big focus of the issue is the foreshadowing of the annual Best Books of the Year lists, and George has provided an extended listing of the year’s best books so far, based on their ratings in Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine, Amazon’s monthly highlights and four library journals. It is a good list from which to select your next read! There is also a listing of books to look out for in the coming months
Of course, there is the usual sweeping collection of book reviews that cover all aspects of crime fiction from cozy mysteries to detective novels to action thrillers. The section on historical mysteries has been expanded and there are more reviews of traditional mysteries. There are also articles on Down Under Crime Fiction, including new books by Shelley Burr, Benjamin Stevenson and Chris Hammer, and the best new releases from the United Kingdom. Mike Ripley provides the last of his entertaining columns on new and old crime fiction and thrillers, which will be missed in future issues.
As always, Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine is a terrific read that will inspire your criminal reading and alert you to those books, which may fall a little short of expectations.
It really is a must read for anyone interested in crime novels, mysteries and thrillers.
Here is a link to George’s website where you can get more information and details on how to subscribe: http://new.deadlypleasures.com
Personal disclosure: I am a contributor to the magazine.