Murder and Mayhem in Baltimore
By Jordan Foster -- Publishers Weekly, 10/13/2008 7:22:00 AM
Over 1,300 crime fiction fans and 300-plus authors flocked to Baltimore October 9-12th for the 39 Annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention for a weekend of panels and interviews featuring some of the biggest names in the genre. In a fitting tribute, this year’s American Guest of Honor was Laura Lippman, whose award-winning series featuring PI Tess Monaghan is set in her native Baltimore. British author John Harvey, best known for his gritty U.K. police procedurals featuring Nottingham detective Charlie Resnick, was the International Guest of Honor.
Winners of the annual Barry and Macavity awards (voted on by the readers of Deadly Pleasures and Mystery News, and members of Mystery Readers International, respectively) were announced with Lippman’s What the Dead Know winning Best Novel in both categories. Irish author Tana French was also a double winner, with her In the Woods winning both Best Debut awards. Other Barry winners included Edward Wright’s Damnation Falls for Best British Crime Novel, Megan Abbott’s Queenpin for Best Paperback Original, Robert Crais’s The Watchman for Best Thriller, and the recently deceased Edward Hoch’s “The Problem of the Summer Snowman” for Best Short Story. Rhys Bowen won the Macavity’s Best Mystery Short Story for “Please Watch Your Step,” while Ariana Franklin’s Mistress of the Art of Death won the Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery award and Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower, and Charles Foley’s Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters won for Best Mystery Nonfiction.
The weekend’s panels, all named after famous songs, were as diverse as the authors featured: “Dream Police” (law enforcement in mysteries), “Papa Don’t Preach” (using religion in crime fiction), and “The Killing Moon” (noir for the new century). Highlights included “Would I Lie to You,” a panel structured like a game show featuring Mark Billingham, Lippman, John Connolly, Chris Mooney, and Karin Slaughter. Despite the 8:30 start time, the panelists soon had audience members jumping out of their seats to call the authors on their lies. For every fib unmasked, the offender donated $10 to Baltimore’s Pratt Library and for every incorrect guess, the accuser donated $2. The group raised over $300 for the city’s public library. Another popular panel, moderated by Marcus Sakey, found Charlaine Harris (HBO’s True Blood), Val McDermid (Wire in the Blood), Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition), and Bob Ward (Miami Vice) discussing their work’s transition to the big and small screen. Poisoned Pen Press publishers Barbara Peters and Robert Rosenwald were also honored with a Lifetime Achievement award.
The weekend concluded with a brunch presided over by toastmaster Billingham, where the winners of the annual Anthony Awards (named in honor of Bouchercon founder Anthony Boucher) were announced. Lippman’s What the Dead Know was awarded another Best Novel accolade, and the author also won Best Short Story for “Hardly Knew Her.” In another repeat win, Tana French’s In the Woods was named Best First Novel. P.J. Parrish won Best Paperback Original for A Thousand Bones, while Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters picked up another Best Critical Work Award. Ruth and Jon Jordan of Crimespree magazine won Best Special Services, an especially meaningful award given that Ruth co-hosted the event with Judy Bobalink and Jon is heading the 2011 St. Louis committee.
Bouchercon 2009 is set for October 15-18 in Indianapolis. Don’t worry, it’s not too early to register: www.bouchercon2009.com
