BunzelGram

June 6, 2022    Issue #91

 

This Week's Thoughts On Mysteries, Thrillers, and All Things Crime

 

What an absolute thrill it was to be a part of ThrillerFest this past week in New York. Officially described as “the premier conference for thriller writers and readers,” I view it more as the “World Suspense Forum” in which some of the best novelists in the genre convene to share, teach, listen, laugh, and assist authors who are in all stages of their writing careers. I was delighted to be invited to participate in a panel discussion about "pacing," and even more excited not only to meet up with some of my bestselling author friends, but also to talk tradecraft with those who are attempting their first novel. Everyone who comes to ThrillerFest checks their ego at the door, and accessibility is key. Sponsored by the International Thriller Writers, it’s worth every minute (and penny).

—Reed Bunzel

2022 ITW Thriller Award Winners

The International Thriller Writers announced the winners of the 2022 Thriller Awards Saturday night in New York City. The winners are:

  • Best Hardcover Novel: Razorblade Tears, by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)
  • Best First Novel: My Sweet Girl, by Amanda Jayatissa (Berkley)
  • Best Audiobook: Razorblade Tears, by S.A. Cosby/narrated by Adam Lazarre-White (Macmillan)
  • Best Paperback Original Novel: Bloodline, by Jess Lourey (Thomas & Mercer)
  • Best Short Story: “The Lemonade Stand,” by Scott Loring Sanders (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
  • Best E-Book Original Novel: Blood Parish, E.J. Findorff (E.J. Findorff)
  • Best Young Adult Novel: The Project, by Courtney Summers (Macmillan)

Congratulations to all the winners (and nominees), and kudos also to the Thriller Masters and spotlight guests at this year’s ThrillerFest.

 
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Run, Bambi, Run Profiles Playboy

Bunny Turned Cop Turned Killer

Four decades ago Laurie “Bambi” Bembenek was the most infamous woman in America. She was a Playboy Bunny turned Milwaukee police officer who, in 1982 was convicted of first-degree murder for the death of her husband’s ex-wife. The subject of a new Apple podcast, Run, Bambi, Run recreates the sensational story of Bambi’s conviction—and, later, her escape from a Wisconsin penitentiary and the international search to return her to jail. It also asks hard questions about what it means to have been a female fixation during a time of sexism and misogyny within the Milwaukee Police Department, where officers were known for drinking and partying while on duty. After Bambi was fired for far less than her male colleagues got away with, she sued them for sexual discrimination. A few months later, when Christine Schultz, her husband’s ex-wife, was murdered, the police department pinned the crime on Bambi. But was Bambi really to blame? Over eight episodes, host Vanessa Grigoriadis walks listeners through the crime, the case, and Bambi’s brief escape from prison.

 
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Was There A Fourth Russian

Mole Working At The CIA?

In the 1950s, the British intelligence community and the British press were riveted on the subject of espionage. Two diplomats, Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, had defected to Moscow and it was clear they had spied for the Soviets from within the heart of Britain’s national security establishment. But was there a “Third Man”?  Suspicion soon centered on Kim Philby, the former MI6 liaison officer to the CIA and confidant of the Agency’s top mole hunter, James Angleton. For years, however, nothing could be firmly pinned on him. Meanwhile, across the pond in the U.S., former CIA officer Robert Baer, author of the forthcoming The Fourth Man: The Hunt for a KGB Spy, says Moscow had a major spy within the CIA, a spy who is yet to be caught. He refers to this person as “the Fourth Man,” counting the CIA’s Edward Lee Howard and Aldrich Ames, and the FBI’s Robert Hanssen, as the first three traitors. He tells us that since the mid-1990s there has been a candidate for the Fourth Man, a prominent figure in the CIA, but nothing has been pinned definitively on this officer, who is now retired but still alive.

 
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Our Post-Apocalyptic Future: 50 Great

Novels That Start At The End

People have been pondering the end of human existence for as long as we’ve been aware of it (hence the creation of religion) and, as a result, we have a rich collection of apocalypse and post-apocalypse literature to help guide us through this inevitability. The fact is, the human species definitely will cease to exist at some point, and when it does…well, we can only imagine what it might be like. That’s the premise of an article written by Emily Temple for Literary Hub, which lists the 50 greatest post-apocalyptic novels that feature some kind of literal “end of the world” scenario, but excluding dystopias (like The Handmaid’s Tale) or simply bleak visions of the future. From Nevil Shute’s On The Beach (of course) to Stephen King’s The Stand (definitely of course) to George R. Stewart’s Earth Abides (also of course), we are presented with cataclysmic tales in which a few survivors deal with the inevitability of decimation, rebuilding a devastated society, or creating an entirely new civilization based on whatever remains.

 
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11 Intoxicating Crime Books Set

In (And Around) Las Vegas

Since my first visit at age four, I’ve been to Las Vegas close to 50 times. Always on business, never to gamble. I’ve written two books set there (neither of them published), I've ridden with the cops there, and I've met at least one cold-blooded killer. There's definitely a slimy underbelly to the place, which is why I found a recent article by Jena Brown in Murder and Mayhem so fascinating. "It's a city of illusions…a neon-flashing oasis in the desert offering ice-cold air conditioning and bottomless drinks, and casinos are the sirens luring tourists with their promises of riches and grandeur. But beneath the shiny veneer, Las Vegas is a place that reveres greed and has more than its fair share of secrets buried in the desert sand. The last vestige of a lawless West, it’s difficult to pull apart the city’s sparkling allure from the seedy streets. Gambling was the perfect way to cover crimes of all shapes and sizes, and when that wasn’t enough, the isolated desert did the rest. It’s a city of mystery—one with plenty of lore and legend woven into the history. And yet, it’s still one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations.” With all that in mind, here’s a list of eleven great crime books set in the city of Lost Wages.

 
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ALSO:

 

The Best Dean Koontz Books, Updated for 2022

With more than 100 novels published and a reported 450 million novels sold, is it any wonder that Dean Koontz is one of the most popular writers of all time? Here’s a list of his (arguably) best books, according to the staff of Best Thrillers. [Best Thrillers]

 

How Some Of The Best-Known Fictional Detectives Came To Be

Have you ever wanted to know how your favorite fictional detectives came to be? This article reveals how the authors behind several iconic sleuths explain were inspired to create them and how the characters themselves ended up solving crimes. [Murder-Mayhem]

 

Eight Great Mystery And Thriller Anthologies

From classic detectives searching for the truth to accidental bystanders who have found themselves at the wrong place at the wrong time, the stories will twist and turn to unexpected places. [Novel Suspects]

“Palmetto Blood is a winner. It sweeps you in with intrigue and authority and never lets you go. I want to go riding with Jack Connor again.” —Michael Connelly

 

“Reed Bunzel peels away the layers of mystery like a master of the genre.” —T. Jefferson Parker

 

“Reed Bunzel lights up the Southern sky with taut, exciting action and a memorable cast of characters led by Jack Connor, a protagonist sure to become a major favorite of crime fiction fans.” —Michael McGarrity

 

"Tightly plotted and skillfully written, Carolina Heat makes clear that Reed Bunzel has created a winning series." —Alafair Burke

 
Books By Reed Bunzel
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