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We may all enjoy the damaged-yet-hip privates eyes, the crazed-yet-erudite serial killers and the dead-yet-hot vampire cops of current crime fiction, but there is something to be said for a good, old-fashioned hero with a code of honor and a commitment to his community. Yes, Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire is a throwback in today's world, but I'm betting that label wouldn't bother him a bit. It certainly doesn't bother his many, many fans. Oline Cogdill caught up with Johnson for a chat in this issue. She also spoke with Robert Taylor, who plays the Wyoming sheriff in the Netflix series Longmire. Boy howdy!
Ray Bradbury is one of my favorite all-time writers, yet I was surprised to learn of the extent of his work in the crime genre. In this issue, Michael Mallory offers an overview of Bradbury's early pulp short stories and innovative mystery novels.
Here's an image: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, basketball icon, riding on the Lakers' bus - and avidly reading Sherlock Holmes stories. It was time well spent, apparently, because now Abdul-Jabbar has written his own Sherlockian tale, or rather, a tale featuring Sherlock's older brother Mycroft. Don't miss our interesting conversation with the amiable all-star in this issue.
Julia Keller's novel Last Ragged Breath is especially timely given the current trial of Don Blankenship, the former CEO of Massey Energy Company, for the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster in West Virginia in which 29 miners lost their lives. Keller's novel was inspired by another West Virginia mining-related catastrophe from the 1 970s, and it's a grim reminder that greed can kill.
Happy reading!
Kate Stine
Editor-in-Chief
P.S. Look further down in this newsletter for info on Mystery Scene Hangman and Concentration, two super fun games that you can play at our website!
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 Susan Elia MacNeal on the World According to John Irving
The sign was posted on the wall of Wellesley College's English Department: John Irving, Novelist, seeks assistant for one year. I'd read everything John Irving had written, starting with The World According to Garp, up to his (then) most recent book, A Prayer for Owen Meany. I'd even read the lesser-known novels, about wrestling and bears and infidelity.
I was a senior and an English major in 1991 - and if you remember, it was an awful year for college grads. Well, everyone, really. The stock market was down, unemployment was up, everyone I knew was trying to get into grad school or law school because there were no jobs....
And then that sign, in black Times New Roman on ivory paper, showed up.
Susan Elia MacNeal's latest book is
(Bantam Dell, October 2015). www.susaneliamacneal.com
"Writers on Reading" is a special ongoing Mystery Scene series available as a first-look exclusive to our newsletter subscribers.
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by Oline H. Cogdill
In addition to his bestselling novels, James Patterson has become a real advocate for books and literacy.
by Oline Cogdill
Goldy's Kitchen Cookbook chronicles all Diane Mott Davidson's recipes.
by Oline Cogdill
"The love affair began my rookie year... when I was given a set of [Sherlock] stories for my first road trip. I read them on the bus, and I was hooked."
"Here are some names of authors whose work I admire and believe should garner more notice from readers and critics."
Did you know that MS features even more reviews online? Look for the tag "Online Exclusive."
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Established in 1985, Mystery Scene Magazine is the oldest, largest, and most authoritative guide to the crime fiction genre.
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LATEST PRINT ISSUE
#141, Fall 2015
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