JUSTICE IS NOT ONLY BLIND. SHE IS DEAF, DUMB, AND OBVIOUSLY HIGH. by James Lincoln Warren I was thinking about writing a column about nail-on-the-head writing, why it’s usually a bad thing, and how to avoid it. So I came up with one of the deadliest dull beginnings I could dream up: My name is […]

POLITICAL HACKING by Leigh Lundin While much attention has been given to the end of the series Lost and Law & Order, another wildly popular award-winning television show wound down as well. Born of the rage and pain and fear of 9/11, 24 burst onto the small screen with innovative visuals and a countdown clock, […]

SOUP-FROM-THE-CANNES FILM FESTIVAL by John M. Floyd I love movies. Movies, like books, have always been one of my obsessions. For the past eight weeks, though, my film addiction has had a chance to flourish: my wife has been away and assisting her elderly parents in Oklahoma, and I’ve been left at home to my […]

BONEY PETE by Steven Steinbock This Bandersnatch dispatch is coming to you from downtown Toronto, Ontario, where your humble servant is attending Bloody Words . Saturday afternoon I’ll be moderating a panel entitled “Short & Sweet, Fast & Deadly.” My co-panelists will be Jane Burfield, Melodie Campbell, Michael McPherson, and Sue Pike. All are accomplished […]

PLAYING AROUND by Deborah Elliott-Upton When we were kids, it seemed the whole neighborhood played together – outside. I remember running fast. Nobody jogged or trotted. Any one of us could be seen running as if our life depended on it, often until we couldn’t take one more step and breathe at the same time. […]

THE ENDs by Rob Lopresti We who blabber regularly about writing often talk about how to start a book, or a story. And so we often give examples of great beginnings. Endings are important, too, but we are less likely to discuss endings – especially of mysteries. You know why. There’s a great taboo against […]

This week, William Minter concludes his thought-provoking two-part essay on the proliferation of the mystery novel in other cultures with this geographical survey of authors and works. (In case you missed it, here’s a link to Part One.) IS THE MYSTERY NOVEL GOING GLOBAL? Part Two by William Minter Nordic countries If you haven’t yet […]