BunzelGram

April 25, 2022    Issue #86

 

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

 

Once more I want to thank the folks at Authors For Ukraine for including my suspense novel Seven-Thirty Thursday as one of hundreds of books auctioned off over the past month, with all proceeds going to CARE's Ukraine crisis fund. I learned late last week that a gentleman in Washington, DC “won” my book, and I’m dedicating/signing it today, and then popping it in the mail. I know it’s just a small gesture, but as thousands of innocent people are being slaughtered in that corner of the world, we all must do whatever we can to defeat fascism and autocracy around the globe.

—Reed Bunzel

Malice Domestic Presents

Agatha Award Winners

Malice Domestic presented the winners of its 2021 Agatha Awards during the organization's annual convention in Bethesda, MD this past weekend. The winners are:

  • ​Best Contemporary Novel: Cajun Kiss Of Death, by Ellen Byron; Crooked Lane Books
  • Best Historical Novel: Death at Greenway, by Lori Rader-Day; HarperCollins
  • Best First Novel: The Turncoat's Widow, by Mally Becker; Level Best Books
  • Best Short Story: “Bay of Reckoning,” by Shawn Reilly Simmons, in Murder on the Beach; Destination Murders
  • Best Non-Fiction: How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America, by MWA with editors Lee Child and Laurie R. King; Simon & Schuster
  • Best Children's/YA Mystery: I Play One on TV, by Alan Orloff; Down & Out Books

The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie, are literary awards for mystery and crime writers who write in the traditional mystery subgenre described as “books typified by the works of Agatha Christie…loosely defined as mysteries that contain no explicit sex, excessive gore or gratuitous violence, and not classified as ‘hard-boiled.’”

 
Read More

U.S. Book Sales Are

Stronger Than Ever

According to Publishers Weekly, unit sales of print books last year were the highest ever recorded since its current method of collecting data began in 2004. Led by growth in adult fiction, annual print volume in the U.S. reached 826.6 million units, rising 9% over the prior year. In fact, the entire publishing industry has adapted quite well, implementing such new innovations as streaming video platforms, next-gen celebrity book clubs, and new social media phenomena like #BookTok. Several predictions to keep an eye on for the future include:

  • Over the next 12 to 24 months, sales will remain strong;
  • There is a direct relationship between the amount of time spent at home and the amount of buying and reading in the U.S. As long as Covid-19 keeps us closer to home, book engagement will remain strong;
  • Physical stores will be vital. Shopping for books in a physical store delivers a pleasurable experience that readers have missed;
  • Content will cross boundaries like never before. Books will both drive and benefit from an expansive content multiverse with fewer geographic and format limitations; and
  • Supply chain disruptions will continue. Continuing shortages, skyrocketing logistics costs, and competition for limited printing capacity will likely lead to higher cover prices.
 
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Making It Feel Real: The Fact And Fiction Of Researching a Novel

All writers are told at an early age, “write what you know.” Sounds like good advice but, as I dive further and further into the first rough draft of my next novel (only one of which has had anything even remotely connected to what I spend my career doing), I prefer to shift the adage to, “know what you write.” This means research. Tons of research. Background research, historical research, setting research, dialogue research. When I’m working on a fresh manuscript I typically have ten browser windows open at one time, allowing me to toggle back and forth between a map of Roman streets near the Tiber River, a street view of that same location, the interior specs of a Maserati Quattroporte, government issue firearms for the Italian Carabinieri (typically a Beretta 92FS), the ranks within the Sicilian Mafia, and so forth. If I want to know what 30-year-old wallpaper in a dingy boarding house near the Catacombs di Priscilla might look like, I’ll check out websites that provide retro-style patterns to interior designers. Of course, nothing beats primary research, whether it’s scouting out new locations for my Jack Conner series set here in Charleston, or taking a bus ride with my wife into the Pyrenees to get a first-hand look at the country of Andorra (pictured left). I mention all this because I recently came across an excellent blog by bestselling author John Gilstrap about how he researches his books. It’s always fun to compare style and form with one of the greats and, in this case, to see how he cheats. (His word, not mine.)

 
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19 Historical Mysteries That Still

Haven’t Actually Been Solved

Have you ever read about a true mystery that stuck with you long after you had learned about it? Maybe you’ve been baffled by what actually happened to the 18 minutes of Watergate tape recordings that went missing. Or you secretly hope that Frank Morris, John Anglin, and his brother Clarence Anglin survived their escape from Alcatraz Prison. Or you've pondered the true identity of the man in the iron mask. For those of you who don't have time to surf the internet and jump down online rabbit holes, the folks at Buzzfeed compiled a list of 19 historical mysteries that have never been solved. Included in the list are links to the stories mentioned above, as well as cause of the “dancing plagues” that struck Europe between 1374 and 1518, Einstein's last words, and the whereabouts of the Amber Room that disappeared from the Catherine Palace of Tsarskoye Selo.

 
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Seven Great Crime Thrillers

Set In Small Towns

Crime thrillers set in the big city work well because the reader feels the anonymity of being one of millions, and danger can come from around any corner. Conversely, rural crime thrillers work best by showcasing the intimacy of a small town, where it may be easier to hide a crime, but nearly impossible to hide a secret. Most westerns seem to follow this particular theme, as do such classic films as Bad Day At Black Rock, In The Heat Of The Night, and Fargo. Add in just about every Stephen King flick ever made and you can binge-watch "boondocks crime" for an entire year. With this in mind, Jeremy Scott compiled a list for Crime Reads that notes several small-town movies that often are overlooked, including two of my favorites: Lone Star (mentioned previously in BunzelGram) and Cape Fear (both versions).

 
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ALSO:

 

Upcoming Mysteries on Turner Classic Movies For May 

From time to time I get requests from readers who want to know what new old films will be airing in the coming weeks on Turner Classic Movies. With May just around the corner, here’s a pretty comprehensive schedule for the upcoming month. [Cozy Mystery]

 

Ten Must-Read Novels And True-Crime Thrillers About Serial Killers

Full disclosure: I’m not really a big fan of books about serial killers—fiction or non-fiction—but for those of you who are, here’s a list of must-read novels and true-crime thrillers highlighting some of the best in the genre. [Crime Reads]

 

Mysteries And Thrillers Depicting Music And Musicians

My current work in progress is an international thriller titled The Fall Of Vivaldi—the sequel to Greenwich Mean Time (publication date January 2023)—which makes this list of top-rated thrillers centered around music, musicians, and mystery particularly interesting and informative. [Novel Suspects]

Now that my fifth Jack Connor crime novel, Indigo Road, is in the hands of my publisher, I invite you to catch up on the other books in the series (see link, below). Meanwhile, here’s what some notable bestselling authors have said about them:

 

“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

 
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