Mystery Scene Magazine - Spring #163, 2020

In this issue

Interview with Nick Petrie, creator of Peter Ash; 2020 Edgar Award nominees; Mystery Authors turned Actors; Fave Raves of 2019 by Mystery Scene critics; Interview with Erica Spindler, Legal Briefs - Current Courtroom Thrillers; Interview with Phillip Margolin, Dex Parios of ABC's Stumptown; Celebrating Midsomer Murders. My Book essays by Claudia Riess, Nancy Bilyeau, and Art Taylor; The Chicago Way Crossword; reviews of Small Press titles, new hardcovers and trade paperbacks, reference works, short stories, audiobooks, and paperback originals.

CRIME AUTHORS CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Ready for a Close-Up

6 mins

NICK PETRIE THE WILD ONE

The idea that led Nick Petrie to create his character Peter Ash, a decorated Marine combat veteran whose PTSD makes him so claustrophobic that he is most comfortable outdoors, came in a basement.

10+ mins

DEX PARIOS

Will She or Won’t She? Only Her Stumptown Producers Know for Sure

7 mins

ERICA SPINDLER

Inspiration comes in mysterious ways. New Orleans novelist Erica Spindler—the New York Times bestselling author of 30 titles, including January’s The Look-Alike—can pinpoint the exact moment a lifechanging creative epiphany literally fell into her hands.

7 mins

COURT BRIEFS

RECENT LEGAL THRILLERS

10+ mins

PHILLIP MARGOLIN

If asked to account for his career(s) in crime, Phillip Margolin would probably offer evidence that it was inevitable. “I have been a voracious reader starting in elementary school and I tore through Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason novels and the Ellery Queen mysteries,” he says. “By the seventh grade, I had decided that the only thing I wanted to do was try murder cases.”

7 mins

MIDSOMER MURDERS

Cozy English villages rife with deceit and death

10+ mins

Small Press

Reviewing the Independents

7 mins

Read all stories from Mystery Scene

Mystery Scene Magazine Description:

Published since 1985, the award-winning Mystery Scene Magazine is the world's leading and most authoritative guide to the crime fiction genre. Our thoughtful articles, in-depth author interviews, and expert reviews examine all of crime fiction, from cozies to noir to thrillers. We consider work from past masters to today's top talents and tomorrow's bright new stars.

Review coverage includes novels, TV shows, films, reference works, audiobooks, short stories, plays, young adult books, and much more.

Throw in news, contests, quotes, and a fiendishly clever crossword, and we think you'll find Mystery Scene Magazine is your essential partner in crime!

Recent author interviews include: Michael Connelly, Sue Grafton, Lawrence Block, Sara Paretsky, Alexander McCall Smith, Nevada Barr, C.J. Box, Lisa Unger, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman, Robert Crais, Val McDermid, Stephen Hunter, Karin Slaughter, Michael Koryta, Susan Elia MacNeal, Ben Winters, Chris Pavone

Recent article topics include: "Veronica Mars: Millennial Mystery Icon," "New Legal Mysteries," "Why Elmore Leonard Matters," "Hidden Gems: 5 Writers You Should be Reading," "Mary Stewart: Teller of Tales," "Night and the Country: Rural Film Noir," "The Amazing Clayton Rawson," "Death & The Maiden: A Genre's Woman Problem," "Breaking Bad: 21st Century Scarface," "A Lock Without a Key: The Unknowable Dashiell Hammett," "Gifts for Mystery Lovers"

HONORS
- Ellery Queen Award from The Mystery Writers of America
- The Anthony Award from Bouchercon, The World Mystery Convention
- The Poirot Award from The Malice Domestic Mystery Convention

"A true inside look at the whole world of crime fiction. Indispensable." —Lawrence Block, New York Times bestselling author

"Highly recommended." —Library Journal

Mystery Scene Magazine features 4 issues per year (published in February, May, August, and November).