Talent’s no mystery at Bouchercon convention
Four of the genre’s masters highlight seven excellent under-the-radar books
“New authors are often the most exciting because they put so much of themselves into it,” says Janet Hutchings, editor-in-chief of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.
In its 76-year history, almost 900 authors have debuted in the mystery fiction magazine’s Department of First Stories.
That ability to spy the diamond in the rough (or the footprint in the field, or the fingerprint on the revolver . . . ) makes Hutchings the most useful type of detective at the mystery convention Bouchercon, where her magazine will be feted for its legacy of criminally good fiction.
The convention, named for writer and editor Anthony Boucher (pronounced like voucher), returns to Toronto for a third time since it began in 1970.
It will be held at the Sheraton Centre at 123 Queen St. W. from Thursday to Sunday with tickets available on site.
Of the more than 1,700 attendees, the packed programming welcomes 700 authors, 500 of whom will speak on 97 panels.
Yes, there are superstars: Louise Penny, whose Glass Houses topped the Toronto Star’s bestsellers list last month; Charlaine Harris, whose books inspired True Blood; and Murdoch Mysteries writer Maureen Jennings, are just a few.
But like those Department of First Stories finds, some of the freshest voices are hiding in plain sight.
To solve the case of who could be the next mystery-writing superstar, we turned to mystery masters Cathy Ace, chairperson of the Crime Writers of Canada and author of the Cait Morgan Mysteries; Marian Misters, co-owner of Toronto’s Sleuth of Baker Street mystery bookstore; Bouchercon co-chair Janet Costello; and Ellery Queen’s Hutchings.
This is their list of suspects.
If you like:
History lessons in your whodunits Try: Janet Kellough’s Thaddeus Lewis series
Mid-19th century Ontarian history, boring? OK, maybe. But not in the hands of Kellough, whose travelling preacher hero Thaddeus Lewis crosses paths with Toronto-famous characters.
“You meet Mr. Jarvis and you meet George Brown,” Misters says. “You meet Mr. Richmond who lives on the hill. In terms of the historical research she has done, they’re great stories.” Catch her at: Mysteries of Toronto, panel on GTA-set mysteries (Friday)
If you like:
Your mysteries short and not-so-sweet Try: Art Taylor’s On the Road With Del & Louise: A Novel In Stories
The decorated short-story writer collected six interlocking stories about a couple of small-time lovestruck crooks on a road trip through America. “He’s a really natural storyteller,” Hutchings says. “He’s very good at bringing out those small things that can bring a scene to life.” Catch him at: Best Short Story, a panel presenting the nominees for Bouchercon’s Best Short Story award (Friday)
If you like:
Police procedurals ripped from the headlines Try: R.M. Greenaway’s Cold Girl
A missing persons mystery set along B.C.’s Highway of Tears, infamous for its tally of missing and murdered women. “It’s very dark and it’s very haunting, with tragic human undertones,” Ace says. Catch her at: Northern Crimes, an audience with authors of Northernset crime stories (Saturday)
If you like:
All the gory details Try: Candice Fox’s Hades
She’s since teamed on the Detective Harriet Blue series with James Patterson, but this 2014 debut first shocked the world to attention with its plot of a serial killer in Sydney who sells the victim’s body parts for transplants. Catch her at: 20 on the 20, a 20minute audience with Fox (Saturday); the International Reception, a meet-and-mingle with authors from outside North America (Friday)
If you like:
Coming-of-age problems that can actually be solved Try: Owen Matthews’ The Fixes
The Fixes follows good kid Eric as he devolves into a life of crime spurred on by his new pal, Jordan. Matthews is a Vancouver author who writes adult crime thrillers as Owen Laukkanen, but Costello admired the way he blends his mystery experience with the YA trope of self-discovery to compliment a “suspenseful” plot. Catch him at: Best Children’s/YA Novel, featuring all the nominees for the Anthony award (Friday); Reading The Rainbow, a discussion with LGBTQ authors (Saturday)
If you like:
Breezy beach reads, even during jacket weather Try: Ryan Aldred’s Rum Luck
Aldred’s more interested in chuckles than chills in this story of a jilted groom who makes a hazily remembered deal to buy a bar on a Costa Rican beach just hours before the proprietor turns up dead.
“It’s a much more raucous kind of read,” says Ace of the Picton, Ont.based writer. Catch him at: Coastal Crimes, a meetup of writers whose mysteries are set on the shore (Thursday)
If you like:
To know how your Fifth Estate-esque newsmagazines really get made Try: Hank Phillippi Ryan’s Say No More
After collecting 34 Emmys as an investigative reporter, the Bostonbased Ryan has spent the past decade spinning her experience on the streets into acclaimed crime fiction. 2016’s Say No Moreis a tightly wound mystery about sexual assaults on a college campus, with Ryan’s writing revealing her own investigative tactics.
“The inside tricks about how to find something if you want to be incognito,” Costello says. “Not that I’ve ever applied incognito tricks.” Catch her at: Best Novel (Saturday), showcasing Bouchercon’s Best Novel nominees; Do You Want To Know A Secret, a game hosted by Ryan’s crime-writing collective the Jungle Red Writers (Saturday)