Reflections on Bouchercon 2026 by Cathy Ace

Opening ceremonies at Bouchercon 2026
with PJ Vernon, Mark Greany, Kevin Sands, Vicki Delany,
Louise Penny, Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson
and Abir Mukherjee,

It was a balmy 18 degrees Celsius when my flight from Vancouver touched down at Calgary International Airport on Wednesday 21^st October 2026, and the sun was high in the sky. Too high, really, because my flight had been delayed, so I had to endure a nerve-wracking taxi-trip to the convention hotel hoping I’d make it there in time to appear on a panel entitled

 ‘Best Humour Mysteries/Thrillers of 2025’, 
when I wasn’t feeling terribly amused, or thrilled, about being late. But...I made it! Facing a packed room, and sharing the stage with Caro Ramsay, our moderator, Lisa Harkrader and Rob Osler, provided an epic start to my convention experience, and the audience – of a couple of hundred enthusiastic crime fiction fans from within the total of about 1500 in attendance – had quite a few laughs themselves as we happily discussed books that had made us smile over the past year.

 That evening, I was chuffed to be invited to join the dinner being held to welcome the convention’s Guests of Honour and Special Guests
Kathy Reichs, Louise Penny, Vicki Delany, Abir Mukherjee, Mark Greany, Kevin Sands, P.J. Vernon, and Hart Hanson (Jennifer Hillier was, unfortunately, rushed to hospital needing to have her appendix removed, so wasn’t able to attend – she’s fine, and has recovered well!). It was a delightful, mingle evening, with lots of hugs, chats, and catchups.

Thursday morning began for me long before any sparrows were singing...which they eventually did, because it was such an unseasonably warm, sunny day: I’d snagged a spot at the Authors’ Speed Dating event, where forty authors get two minutes each to tell 144 lucky readers (folks start queuing for a spot VERY early!) about their work – an elevator-pitch style event, where readers sit at tables and authors table-hop. It ran for two hours, and began at 7am, requiring our arrival at 6.45am. So early...but what a fantastic opportunity to offer you work for consideration by so many readers who might never have heard your name! For me, this type of event is always at the heart of any convention, so I threw myself into it and, like all the other authors, talked myself hoarse. It was a BLAST! 

That evening, after an early dinner enjoyed sitting in the open air enjoying the delightful weather, the opening ceremonies offered a spectacular opportunity for Calgary to welcome the convention attendees, and especially the Guests of Honour, who were each presented with a large white Stetson, with a red lariat, which is the traditional gift given to especially starry visitors to the city. The warmth of the ceremonies was felt by everyone there, and enjoyed immensely by the GsOH, who all commented that they’d treasure their hats...once they’d worked out how to get them home on their respective aircraft. 

Friday was a bit of a shock to the system, because it had snowed overnight – which we non-Calgarians hadn’t been expecting – and I had a 9am panel, entitled ‘Bold Heroines Who Make Bad Decisions’: I suspected that my own worst recent decision had been not to pack any snow-worthy shoes for the trip, but I got past that. The panel, moderated by Donalee Moulton, alongside panelists Sheryl Clark, Faith Gardner, was great fun.

Later in the day I interviewed International Guest of Honour, Abir Mukherjee. Looking back, I’ve no idea why I was apprehensive before the event: Abir and I know each other, I adore his work, and, once he started talking, there was no shutting him up! The very large room was packed with hundreds of people and they were rapt; Abir’s an utterly engaging and entertaining speaker, and he had them in the palm of his hand. I hardly got a word in edgewise, though it’s true we did enjoy a bit of banter. After that I hosted a dinner with some long-time readers, who’d traveled up from the USA, and then rounded the evening off by accepting a very kind offer to join my UK publisher for drinks. But...I needed an early night, because Saturday was looming, and I knew it would be packed.

Though the snow had largely subsided by Saturday morning, it was still chilly, so, by the time I sat down to interview Cozy Guest of Honour, Vicki Delany, everyone was happy to be indoors. Again, the large venue was packed with avid readers, and it was a real joy to chat with Vicki, whom I also know well, and whose work and work ethic I admire greatly. It seemed that the audience enjoyed it, too, which was a relief. That evening I got all gussied up to fulfil a big responsibility: I’d been asked to be the auctioneer for the Live Auction, where items generously offered by the Guests of Honour were up for grabs. I wanted to help raise as much as possible for the coffers of the highly deserving Further Education Services of Alberta, the convention’s nominated charity. With their spokespeople having softened everyone up with their impassioned pleas, I struck while the iron was hot and was thrilled to be able to squeeze $5300CAD out of the bidders, who left the room owning such prizes as a lab coat worn on the set of ‘Bones’ by the showrunner, Hart Hanson, or an advance proof copy of ‘Déjà Dead’ by Kathy Reichs. Sara Paretsky very kindly kept upping her bid to be able to name a character in a future book by Vicki Delany, and Sara herself had donated two signed, first edition copies of her own books, which were snapped up by another Chicago author, Tracy Clark who won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback of the year. The Awards which were presented immediately after the auction, with – fortunately – many winners in the room, who all made impressive and moving speeches. The full list of winners can be found here:

https://bouchercon2026.com/anthony-awards2/

My Saturday ‘wound down’ when I was one of three authors chosen to represent
Crime Writers of Canada, and Sisters in Crime – Canada West Chapter, volunteers from which had organised a fun pub-quiz-style event – with masses of great prizes – entitled ‘Two Truths and a Red Herring’, a sort of Liars Club where we aimed to fool readers who were guessing if we were telling fibs, or not. A good crowd attended, and great fun was had...and NO ONE guessed I’d been telling the truth when I said I’d once been a professional belly dancer!

 The last day of any convention is a challenge: some folks have to catch flights at certain times, but others want to be there until the very end. This Bouchercon’s closing ceremonies were worth attending, for those who could, as there was a Grand Panel of all the Guests of Honour, which provoked some lively discussion and left us all feeling pleased we’d been able to witness it. Finally, the ‘baton’, was literally, passed from the Chair of Calgary’s local organizing committee, Pam McDowell, who – together with her team – had done an excellent job, to the Chair of the team who’ll be organizing the 2027 iteration, in Washington, DC, next September; full details here: 

https://www.bouchercon2027.com/

‘The Fightback’ by Alex Kane

Published by Hera Books London,
2 April 2026.
ISBN: 978-1-83598-341-6(PB)

When Lori and Steph, both aged sixteen, agreed to go on a date with Ped and Jambo, they never imagined that the evening would end with them abandoning the boys, now believed dead, in the basement of a derelict Clydeview accommodation tower block.  

Soon afterwards Lori finds her parents dead in their flat on the nearby Blackhill estate in Dunreath.  Both parents had been drug and alcohol addicts, as is her older brother Kev.  The authorities decide that Lori’s young sister, Charley, should be fostered whilst Lori remains on the estate living with Steph and her grandmother. 

Twenty-four years later Lori and Steph are still on the Blackhill estate and are still best friends. Neither has a husband, but both have sons. Lori has Jay, and Steph has Reece. The boys are also best friends. They need jobs, but there is an acute shortage of work.  Enter Logan. He has plenty of money to splash around. There are rumours about where he gets his money from, but beggars can’t be choosers.  Logan employs both boys to help him with what seems to be one of his legitimate businesses - he intends to demolish the Clydeview towers and replace them with new housing. 

Slowly, the tension mounts as the complicated tangle that entwines the friends and their families begins to unravel. Lori and Steph are terrified that the remains of the boys they left for dead in the tower block years ago will be discovered. Reece is upset that his onetime girlfriend, Sammi, is unhappy and is being badly treated by Logan who is her fiancé.  Then Lori’s brother Kev reappears. He is off drugs, out of prison, and sober and has made contact with his daughter Sammi who decides to leave Logan even before she learns that he is already married with two sons. Then Reece is shot, apparently by Jay whilst he is working for Logan.  Logan’s wife appears and helps Lori and Steph and Sammi to work out who wants to ruin all their lives, and why. 

The fightback’s cruel tale of revenge taken to its extreme is clearly written. Even allowing for the close friendship and support of family and friends there is no getting away from the dreary horror of those living on the drug and alcohol laden Blackhill estate. With no encouragement, little incentive, and virtually no employment opportunities it’s no wonder that people turn to crime, take drugs and become alcoholics. Lori has managed to eschew both drink and drugs. Steph is not so lucky. Now forty, she has been propped up by alcohol since she was sixteen. We leave her struggling to survive her son’s death. Even with Lori’s support one doubts she can ever be happy again.  Overall, an excellent rendition of life and death on a sink estate, but not exactly a comfortable read. 

A gritty fast paced story with many surprises.
-------
Reviewer Angela Crowther.

Alex Kane, aka Emma L Clapperton, was born December 1985, and has always had a passion for reading and writing. She studied childcare and gained qualifications to work with the early years in 2002. She completed her first novel, Beyond Evidence and it was published in September 2012 with a second edition being published in April 2013. She currently resides in a little town outside of the city of Glasgow with her partner and is working on her next project. 

Angela Crowther is a retired scientist.  She has published many scientific papers but, as yet, no crime fiction.  In her spare time Angela belongs to a Handbell Ringing group, goes country dancing and enjoys listening to music, particularly the operas of Verdi and Wagner.

‘The Hobby’ by Lisa St Aubin de Terán

Published by Amaurea Press,
19 May 2026.
ISBN: 978-1-91427828-0 (PB)

By way of introduction, I can do no better than reproduce the author’s note: ‘While all my characters are fictional, this novel was inspired by some of the many paedophile conspiracies that have been uncovered in recent years, as well as the case histories of abused children.’ 

The novel begins in 1984 when a concerned mother calls police about an elderly peeping tom, Alfred Marchman, who lives nearby and seems to be taking an unhealthy interest in her young daughter. Two constables visit the ailing Marchman’s hovel and find sufficient evidence to take the matter further. One area of interest is Marchman’s links with the Violet Trellis Fan Club, an association which began during World War II to support a child star. ‘She was Britain’s Shirley Temple,’ Marchman tells the officers, ‘the most famous child star we ever ‘had’. Amongst his cache of such items, Marchman particularly treasures the signed photo of Trellis: ‘Her blonde ringlets framed her face like a plump cherub’s. She had dimples and pale wide eyes.’

Enter Detective Inspector John Custer. For the past three years he has been a member of the Paedophile Unit of the Obscene Publications Squad at New Scotland Yard. He has his personal reasons for wanting to bring paedophiles to justice. He has training in forensic pathology and a photographic memory. Custer’s interest is piqued by Marchman, and during an examination of the latter’s photo collection he takes particular notice of two. One is of a young girl on a bed. The look on her face strikes a chord with Custer and begins to haunt him. The other is of two men ‘standing in the gateway of a property of substance’. Again, it is the look on their faces that he notices ‘(gloating’ he calls it). He wants to track them down. One problem is that both photos are at least 20 years old. Marchman is arrested. 

Armed with such flimsy evidence for an investigation, it is hardly surprising that Custer’s superiors will not sanction one, so he takes it upon himself. He manages to persuade a colleague, Jolly Campbell (her full name is Jollianne), to spend the weekends with him driving around the Home Counties in what seems a foolhardy attempt to trace the building in front of which the men are standing. Their mutual attraction remains unspoken. As Marchman’s increasingly disordered mind begins to spill beans and other discoveries are made, the investigation becomes official. Three men in particular, one of whom is titled, come under suspicion of paedophile activity. They are linked through the Violet Trellis Fan Club and wartime service, but much more is uncovered. Grooming is a major thread. The three men are now living close to each other in Essex. Custer and Campbell pose as husband and wife and take a cottage next door to the large house of one of the men. His house is bugged by the police. The investigation soon widens, and the aim is to net ‘an entire ring of predatory paedophiles harvested from the top echelons of British society.’ A list is given: ‘A lord, a Member of Parliament, a merchant banker, a solicitor, a consultant surgeon, a headmaster, a judge, an Anglican bishop and a captain of industry.’ 

Given that the reader knows relatively early in the novel who the main villains are, the suspense comes from finding out whether (and if so, how) they will be brought to justice. There are moments when the investigation could go wrong. Custer survives what appears to be an attempt on his life, and later he is unaware that he is still a target. Although the author in the quoted introduction makes clear the fictional nature of the investigation, some prominent real life paedophiles are mentioned, and there are many references to events at the time of the investigation, such as the Broadwater Farm riot. The wartime episodes have a convincing atmosphere.

This is a complex novel with unsettling scenes, but it shows decent people trying their best to bring unpleasant criminals to justice. There is compassion. In her conclusion, the author is not above showing what seems to be genuine remorse on the part of a paedophile who is sufficiently weak to have been led by others. He dies of shame, so it is said. Others give no evidence of remorse and believe what they have been doing should be allowed in law. Not the easiest of subjects, then, but it is a well-constructed and engrossingly-told story that builds convincingly. 

And there is a little hint of a heart-warming development in the last line …….
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Reviewer: David Whittle

Lisa St. Aubin de Terán's first novel, Keepers of the House, won the Somerset Maugham Award, and her novel The Slow Train to Milan won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. She currently lives in London and Italy. After leaving the Andean hacienda, she lived as a perpetual traveller for the next twenty years. Then, in 2004, she settled in Mozambique, establishing the Teran Foundation to develop community tourism. She lived there until 2021, returning to London with a bag full of manuscripts, including her autobiography (Better Broken Than New, also published by Amaurea Press in 2024), and two new novels, The Hobby and Kafka Lodge. 

David Whittle is firstly a musician (he is an organist and was Director of Music at Leicester Grammar School for over 30 years) but has always enjoyed crime fiction. This led him to write a biography of the composer Bruce Montgomery who is better known to lovers of crime fiction as Edmund Crispin, about whom he gives talks now and then.

Coming Soon: 'Close Enemy' by Leigh Russell

 

Published by No Exit Press, 3 December 2026

Book 25 in the Geraldine Steel series.

When a young woman is found stabbed in a York park, DI Geraldine Steel faces a case with no obvious motive and frustratingly few leads. The charismatic victim, Jessica Bulmar, was not everything her friends believed her to be. Her older husband, Jon, is ill with Parkinson's and deeply devoted. Her husband's business partner, Robert, accompanied the couple on every holiday. And Amy is hiding something she can barely bring herself to acknowledge.

When a second woman is murdered in almost identical circumstances the investigation takes a sinister turn. Geraldine begins to suspect that the two killings are linked not by the victims but by the killer's motive: an consuming obsession that has curdled into something lethal. Geraldine edges closer to the truth and the danger closes in.

The enemy is nearer than she knows.

 

Leigh Russell has written twenty five books in her Geraldine Steel series. Leigh launched a new cosy series in March 2023 with Barking up the Right Tree. This was followed by Barking Mad in July 2023. There are now five books in the series.  Leigh has twice been a Finalist for The People's Book Prize. She is Chair of the CWA Debut Dagger judges, and a Royal Literary Fellow. Leigh studied at the University of Kent, gaining a Masters degree in English and American Literature.  She is married with two daughters and lives in London.

 http://leighrussell.co.uk

‘The Body in the Ice House’ by Kate Hardy

Published by Storm Publishing,
29 January 2024.
ISBN: 978-1-80508090-3 (PB)

This is the second book in the Georgina Drake series. After the death of her husband Stephen, Georgina moved to Rookery Barn in Little Wenborough in rural Norfolk. Her first surprise was hearing someone speaking to her through her new hearing aids. The person introduced herself as Doris, who had died fifty years ago. It had been a wonderful surprise for Doris that Georgina could hear her and that if she was with Georgina, she was now able to leave the confines of Rookery Farm. 

Georgina is a professional photographer and is pleased when. her new friend Sybbie had talked her into photographing beautiful Hartington Hall for her goddaughters, Henrietta and Rosalind Barry.  The girls are planning to open the family’s ancestral home to the public. 

Sybbie takes Georgina and her dog Bert to meet the girls, Posy, (Rosalind) and Hattie. Sybbie is surprised to find that the girls have moved into one of the cottages on the estate. Saves all the rows with our stepmother, Karen, said Posy. She has been sneakily flogging off some of the things that are over a century old. She isn’t here today she had a row with Papa yesterday and flounced off to London. Karen is big on retail therapy! 

They move on to discussing which of the rooms people would want to see. They decided to start in the old kitchen which was remodelled in Victorian times. As they move through the house Posy, talks about its history. Conversation turns to doing special occasional tours, maybe the attics and the cellars, also a bat walks around the woods and the ice house. Ellen, Karen’s daughter said she’d get a bat licence so she can lead that. She’s particularly interested in bats. Georgina then started photographing. When they entered a pretty sitting room, Geogina sniffed and said there is a lovely smell of lavender. ‘You can smell Lavender’ said Posy, her fae paling slightly. As Georgina took more photographs of the garden, she again remarked on the lovely smell of lavender. Moving outside they made their way to the ice house which was built in the 1700s. Posy had the keys but was surprized that the door wasn’t locked. It was also very dark. Doris said suddenly in Georgina’s ear ‘There’s a problem! 

Posy said Georgina. There’s a body at the bottom of the ice house. There can’t be said Posy, ‘nobody ever comes here’. Georgie called ambulance and police, and explains that there is a body at the bottom of an ice house and they need a ladder or something to raise the body.  Jimmy, one of the gardeners fastens a rope to the wrought iron frame of the inner door and brings up the body.  It’s her ladyship, he says, Shakely, Lady Ellingham. 

Karen had plenty of enemies. Her death could have been an accident, but what was Karen doing in the ice house? But when Georgina hears how Karen had argued with her husband, alienated her two step-daughters, and fired the long-standing housekeeper for theft. Maybe someone wanted to get even with Karen.  

DI Colin Bradshaw, Georgina’s partner rounds up the household for interviews. Meanwhile Georgina takes her boisterous spaniel Bertie for a walk through the grounds. She is horrified when he digs up a human skeleton.

Does Hartington Hall hide dark secrets. Are the two crimes connection and can Georgina unmask the killer before they strike again…? 

Terrific read. Great characters. Highly recommended.
-------
Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett

Kate Hardy has written for as long as she can remember; it started with stories about ponies and dogs, moved into ghosts and history, and then into local history and romance. She's won three Romantic Novelists' Association awards for her romantic fiction - and is thoroughly enjoying her new life of crime! She lives in Norwich with her husband, two grown-up children, two spaniels and too many books to count. When she's not writing or researching, she'll be out at a gig or the theatre, at ballet class, doing cross-stitch, taking photographs of the sunrise while persuading the spaniels to stay still for one second, fossicking around on a beach or in archives, or exploring ancient buildings. She loves learning new things, which is why you'll always discover something different in a Kate Hardy book. Oh - and, like her heroine Georgina Drake, Kate's deaf but doesn't let it hold her back in any way.

‘Murder at the Highland Games’ by Dee MacDonald

Published by Bookouture, 
13 April 2026.
ISBN: 978-1-83618254-6 (PB)

Jimmy McCrae’s flat four-acre field where he normally grazed his sheep is today the setting for the Locharran Highland Games, which was packed with hundreds of onlookers laughing and shouting in anticipation. The mood was jolly mainly owing to the time spent in the hospitality tent where the whiskey flowed. 

Ally McKinley has never seen her little village so busy or excited. Everyone enjoying the Scottish dancing, the bagpipes, and cheering the competitors on. Now seventy-one she was beginning to feel a tad weary. She was still running The Auld Malthouse B&B and had been pleased to welcome a family visiting all the way from Canada, not only for the games but to gape at the spectacular castle, the home of the Earl of Locharran. 

Soon Ally along with her friend and lover Ross, whom she met when she took her labrador puppy to the vet’s found themselves standing next to her cleaner Morag, and Morag’s husband Murdo, the postman. Ach! Said Murdo there’s that Canadian, Archie Armstrong, known as the ‘Atlantic Warrior. That man’s going to be winning everything! 

There was further cheering as the elderly Earl Hamish Sinclair stepped jauntily up onto the podium. Still with a roguish twinkle in his eye, although he had settled down after years of womanising and married a young lady who had provided him with two heirs’.  Later Hamish made his way to where Ally and Ross were standing remarking, ‘that Canadian is as strong as an ox’. His wife is Angus’s niece Patti. Angus is my senior ghillie and has been with me for many years. Unfortunately, we had a break-in the castle yesterday and a rifle was stolen. Angus is most cut up about it. 

Finally, it was time for the caber tossing, and last up was Archie Armstrong, the Atlantic Warrier. There was an ear-splitting shot, and the Atlantic Warrior fell to the ground. There was no doubt that it was murder. 

Ally soon discovers that more than one person may have had a murderous motive, including some of the current residents of her cosy little guesthouse. Patti, Archie’s glamourous wife, seems intent on acting like the perfect widow, but rumours of infidelity have been flying around the village. Or was it one of the frustrated local competitors, desperate to end Archie’s winning streak?

Amir Kandahar, a South Asian man had replaced Detective Bob Rigby who retired owing to heart problems. Ally has a good relationship with him, but the victim’s family are staying at her guest house. So, Ally begins to narrow down her list of possible suspects. But she is completely thrown when her chief suspect is found dead. 

Can Ally find the killer before the killer finds her?
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Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett

Dee MacDonald left Scotland and headed for London at the beginning of the swinging sixties. After typing her way round the West End, she became an air stewardess on long haul routes with BA (then BOAC) for eight years. After that she did market research at Heathrow for both the government statistics and for BA, she became a sales rep. and was the receptionist at the Thames Television Studios in Teddington when they had the franchise. She then ran a small B&B for ten years in Cornwall, where she lives with her husband. Dee has one son and two grandsons who live locally. She has now written twelve novels. Here first series featured Kate Palmer. Her most recent series features Ally McKinleye. 

Bouchercon 2026: Report by Rebecca Tope

 

I was at this year’s Bouchercon in Calgary (21^st to 25^th October from the start, registering first thing on the Wednesday. We got a free T-shirt, and vouchers for two free books. The Calgary convention centre is state-of-the-art, connected by elevated walkways to many downtown buildings, including hotels, so you never need to go outside. It was a while before I realised how cold it was. There was a substantial snowfall on the last night.  

I attended several panels, all of them of considerable interest. They also generally had good-sized audiences – including the one I was on. There were many highlights, and I was kept very busy listening, talking and taking notes. Topics included the definition and future of the ‘cozy’ genre; the politeness of Canadians; the rigors of the climate in Northern Canada; crime fiction and social conscience; and finally the inclusion of magic and paranormal in the crime fiction genre. This last was poorly-attended, being on the last morning, but completely fascinating. The books of Ruth Setton look well worth reading.

My panel addressed the question of why ‘cozies’ are so perennially popular. We found that the 45-minute format really isn’t long enough for much serious discussion, and many people seemed to feel the same. The book room dealers had none of my Lake District titles, but a few of the Cotswolds ones. There were far fewer UK attenders than at any previous Bouchercons I have been to. This was my ninth.  

Standout moments for me were – firstly, hearing Nancy Coco (from Michigan USA) describe her writing process which was almost exactly like mine. She starts a book not knowing anything about the story, just letting it unfold. Then roughly two-thirds of the way through she goes back and finds the clues she has unconsciously laid down for herself, which point to the villain and the motive. That’s the way I do it, too.

Secondly, enjoying the elusive but definite differences between Canadians and Americans. This was not helped, though, by the absence of  our home towns, or countries, appearing on our lanyards, as is the usual practice. At least half the attenders were from the US, so it was an inevitable game to try and identify which was which. Many Americans were from Montana, Washington State and Minnesota – with accents not too different from that of southern Canadians. Calgary is quite close to the border. It made for fascinating conversations and comparisons.  

I delighted in seeing Abir Mukharjee for the first time, enjoying his humour enormously. Other people I encountered for the first time included Pamela Beason (Canadian), Stephen England (Montana), Charlotte Morganti  and Liz Rachel Walker (both Canadian). I will make a point of finding their books, as they sounded very enticing. On my panel was Roz Nay, originally from England, whose books feature a courtroom clerk. They sounded great.

Photograph far right is Pamela Beason

I was also very happy to listen to Laurie R King and Louise Penny again. They are both huge favourites of mine. There was an interview with
Kathy Reichs, who I had not seen before.
Sara Paretsky had very wise words for us on her panel. 

 I attended the Joffe Books party, which was very lively, and met Susanna Calkins who was really interesting to talk to. She became fascinated with seventeenth-century England while pursuing her doctorate in British history. A former pirate, she once served on the Golden Hinde--a museum replica of Sir Frances Drake's ship--now dry docked in the Thames.

Calgary itself is a big city of 1,500,000 people. The centre boasts a lot of new skyscrapers, a pedestrian street and plenty of places to eat. I went to the Loughreed Museum for a change of scene. It was very well done, and very informative.  

Leaving on the Sunday, my son and I drove west over the breathtakingly glorious Rocky Mountains, adding greatly to a highly enjoyable trip. I am seriously considering showing up in Indianapolis in 2028 and maybe Seattle in 2030.

                                                                   Rebecca Tope

‘A Very Novel Murder’ by Ellie Alexander

Published by Storm Publishing,
17 November 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-83700119-7 (PB)

Annie Murray has long wanted to open a Detective Agency, and opening one above her beloved bookstore seems to be the solution. Having studied criminology in college she had intended to pursue a career in that field, with her best friend Scarlet. But that dream ended when Scarlet was murdered right before graduation. Now ten years on, Annie along with Fletcher is going realise her dream. 

The Novel Detective Agency has now been open for three weeks but they have no clients. Until Caroline Miles, a friend now walking out with Hal Christie, the former owner of The Secret Bookshop. Caroline was in her late sixties. Her request for a mystery to be solved concerns Hal Christie, who has long been convinced that he is Agatha Christie’s long-lost son.  He himself had tried years ago but the records remain sealed. She then produces a broach, that she had found in an old box of Hal’s things. Caroline then produces a picture showing Agatha wearing the broach that is clearly the double of the one Caroline is holding. I want to hire you, said Caroline, to prove once and for all that Hal Christie is related to the famous Agatha Christie. 

The following morning an elderly lady called June Munrow telephones saying she has a matter that she would like them to help her with. She is convinced that young girl Kelly Taylor’s recent drowning wasn't the tragic accident everyone believes it to be. June wants them to prove there’s more to the story and hires the Novel Detectives to uncover the truth. 

Annie agrees to take the case and delves into Kelly’s life, which she discovers is a tangled web of secrets. Kelly’s has complicated relationships, a peculiar landlord, and a mysterious roommate. It seems that anyone connected with Kelly seems to be hiding something, and the more Annie investigates, the more confusing the case becomes. 

Will Fletcher and Annie manage to solve the two cases?
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Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett 

Ellie Alexander is the bestselling author of more than forty cozy mystery novels. Her books have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Japanese, reaching readers worldwide. She is the founder of the annual Ashland Mystery Festival and a frequent guest at library programs and author events throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond, including the popular Northwest Authors series and independent bookshops across the region. A proud Pacific Northwest native, Alexander now lives in Sunnyvale, California.

‘No Place Left’ by Sean Watkin

Published by Canelo Crime,
17 September 2026.
ISBN: 978-1 835981-34-4 (PB)

A dead, new-born baby is discovered on Southport Pier. The baby’s teenage mother, Beatrice Tredwell, who had escaped from a secure mental health facility three weeks previously, is found alive on the beach. Sadly, Beatrice dies in hospital, but not before the Merseyside detectives DCI Winifred de Silva and DS Ben Barclay learn that she had been horrifically abused. As they start to investigate, it transpires that the deaths of Beatrice and her baby could well be a continuation of previous crimes related to abuse at a boy’s school and the sinister Woulds app – its contents were never explained. These earlier crimes had been associated with two rogue police colleagues, O’Brien and Crosby, both of whom are now in prison.  De Silva visits them.  Neither offers any useful information, though both succeed in arousing De Silva’s worries about her dead father’s knowledge of the earlier abuses. 

Investigations continue until the unthinkable happens. DS Barclay’s young daughter, Sarah, is abducted from an enclosed play zone that Barclay, his husband Nick, and one of Nick’s friends had taken her to and were supposedly keeping a watchful eye on her.  Sarah was not the first young girl to go missing, but she seems to have been one of the first that anybody really cared about. A huge hunt begins for Sarah and her abductors. Ben and Nick were nearly driven out of their minds with worry, particularly after the searches revealed an app redolent of the earlier Woulds app, on Sarah’s tablet. To make matters worse, it emerges that, neither historically nor in the present, children weren’t the only ones who had suffered in this abuse saga. Adults connected with missing children had been viciously murdered. 

No place left is a well written book – possible too well written. So well does it convey the anguish, mostly mental, but also physical, that besets the characters who have to deal with the abhorrent features of child sex abuse, that it would take a hard-hearted person not to become affected by the detectives’ problems, both professional and personal. De Silva seems to be still burdened with PTSD following the suicide of her husband, whilst Ben Barclay is depressed and is struggling with the failure of his marriage that had floundered even before his beloved daughter was abducted.  This is the third, and very dark, book of a trilogy. I haven’t read the first two, but I suspect that they, too, would be full of the anguish and distress so tellingly expressed in No Place Left.  If you can cope with the subject matter and the suffering of the dedicated professionals as they struggling to uncover and punish the unspeakable horrors committed by individuals and gangs who abuse young children that is so brilliantly portrayed by Sean Watkin, then No Place Left will be an excellent read for you.
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Reviewer Angela Crowther 

Sean Watkin was born and raised in Liverpool and studied a BA and MA in Creative Writing at Liverpool John Moores University. He has been shortlisted for Fresher Writing Award, Book a Break Prize and Bristol Short Story Prize. His writing has been featured in The Gay UK magazine, and The Content Wolf e-zine, as well as other LGBT+ publications. Sean lives in Liverpool with his partner. His debt novel Black Water Rising was published in April 2025.

Angela Crowther is a retired scientist.  She has published many scientific papers but, as yet, no crime fiction.  In her spare time Angela belongs to a Handbell Ringing group, goes country dancing and enjoys listening to music, particularly the operas of Verdi and Wagner.

 

50,000 books for people on probation mark 20 years of Quick Reads

 Penguin Random House funds a special print run of ten titles from its Quick Reads back catalogue, supporting The Reading Agency’s ambition to gift one million books.

The Reading Agency is marking the 20th anniversary of Quick Reads with a gift of 50,000 books, funded by Penguin Random House, for people supported by probation services across England and Wales. The special print run supports the charity’s ambition to gift one million Quick Reads for the programme’s anniversary and forms part of its National Year of Reading activity.

The books will reach people serving sentences in the community and those rebuilding their lives after prison. Some will become part of shared reading collections, while others will be gifted directly to individuals, helping more adults find reading that suits their interests and needs.

Karen Napier, CEO of The Reading Agency said: “Twenty years after Quick Reads began, its purpose remains as vital as ever: to make the transformative benefits of reading accessible to everyone, including people who may not otherwise see reading as something for them.

“We are enormously grateful to Penguin Random House for funding the reprinting and distribution of these 50,000 books. This generous support will help us reach people in probation and community settings across England and Wales, bringing us closer to our ambition of gifting one million Quick Reads during the National Year of Reading. A single accessible and engaging book can help someone begin—or rediscover—a reading journey. It can offer enjoyment, build confidence and create new possibilities at an important point in their life.”

Meredith Adams, Director of Social Impact, Penguin Random House said: “We’re incredibly proud to continue supporting Quick Reads through this special National Year of Reading gift of 50,000 books. Reading can open new worlds, provide comfort and build confidence, but we know that not everyone has equal opportunities to discover a love of reading. What makes Quick Reads so powerful is the combination of brilliant storytelling from some of the nation’s best-loved authors with accessible formats that help break down barriers to reading. This programme builds on our long-standing commitment to improve access to reading within the prison system and we hope will help more people discover, or rediscover, the joy of reading and the possibilities it can bring.”

The ten books included in the distribution are:

Screw It, Let’s Do It by Richard Branson

Today Everything Changes by Andy McNab

Bloody Valentine by James Patterson

How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran

Blind Spot by Paula Hawkins

Dead Man Talking by Roddy Doyle

Paris for One by Jojo Moyes

Boys Don’t Cry by Malorie Blackman

Hello Mum by Bernardine Evaristo

The Jealousy Man by Jo Nesbø

Written by bestselling authors, Quick Reads use clear, straightforward language while retaining the compelling characters, ideas and storytelling of longer works. The short books offer an accessible route into reading for adults who find it difficult, have lost the reading habit or face barriers to accessing books.

Since its launch in 2006, Quick Reads has helped millions of people experience the benefits of reading.