THE BIG SLEEP by Deborah Elliott-Upton An article in Sunday’s newspaper grabbed my attention as all headlines should. “‘Big Sleep’ author to get wish.” It seems although Raymond Chandler allowed his hard-boiled detective, Phillip Marlowe, to quip that it didn’t matter where you lay when you were dead, in real life Chandler did care. He’d […]

THIS IS NOT A RIP-OFF by Rob Lopresti I recently read “Shell Game” by Neil Schofield in the November issue of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and I recommend it, but that’s not why I bring it up. You see, as I read it I had a nagging sense of familiarity. I guessed— correctly, as it […]

WHILE I’M WRITING… by Melodie Johnson Howe Like Steve I was going to show pictures of my office today. But I’m not sure I’m ready for my close-up. I went on the Murdurati Site and looked at some of the author’s offices, which I enjoyed very much. But I was struck by the sameness of […]

AND THE CROOKED SHALL BE MADE STRAIGHT1 by James Lincoln Warren I have noticed a tendency over the last several years for mystery short stories to be more commonly about the commission of crimes than their detection or solution. Now, there are some very good stories that follow this particular path. For example, both my […]

ELECTRIFYING by Leigh Lundin It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets, rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flicker of the lamps that struggled against the darkness. Through the […]

CALL ME LATER—I’M WRITING by John M. Floyd I’ve always been interested in how writers write. I like finding out about their sources of inspiration, their workplaces (thanks, Steve, for your recent columns on that), and their daily routines and schedules. One thing I find particularly fascinating is that so many writers assign themselves “quotas,” […]

OFFICE SPACE by Steven Steinbock Last week I told you all about what my friends over at Murdurati have been doing. They’re still at it: exposing the inner secrets of their inner sanctums (or is it sancta). I also shared some recollections of visiting the homes of Ed McBain and Janwillem van de Wetering, and […]