Malice Domestic

When people in publishing or film think of conventions, nicknamed "Cons", they usually think of crazy science-fiction fans -- thirty and forty year old guys dressed in Star Trek uniforms, or teen girls dressed in elaborate costumes from Japanese comics. This kind of scene has recently featured in an episode (or two) of the popular TV show, "The Big Bang Theory."
There is another fan base, however, that people don't think of as being passionate enough to show up for huge conventions like Comicons -- mystery lovers. One of the largest such conventions is Malice Domestic, celebrated each May in Washington, D.C. since 1989.

Malice Domestic brings together hundreds of authors of the "traditional mystery" -- loosely defined as a mystery in the style of Agatha Christie, without 'excessive' violence or sex. For this most recent Malice Domestic, May 3 - 5, 2013, there were 235 authors registered to meet with fans. During the three day event, there are panel discussions on topics ranging from the new forensics lab in D.C., fascinating letters received from fans, mysteries set in exotic locations, how to team-write a novel, mysteries involving TV and/or film, male writers in a female-dominated genre, the kinds of research performed while writing a mystery, and obviously many more. There are also plenty of opportunities for author signings, and at this past year's Malice, an event described as being like "speed dating, only with authors." Near the end of the convention, this year's recipient of the Agatha Award is announced. This Award is given to a mystery published during the previous year -- in hardcover, paperback, or as an e-book, by a traditional publishing firm, or one that won another widely-recognized mystery award -- that best exemplifies Agatha Christie's style of mystery and the spirit of the Malice Domestic organization.

Many of the mysteries written in this style are known as "cozy mysteries" -- the subject of several columns I've written for the Gazette over the past few years. A recent favorite discovery in this genre is the "Liss MacCrimmon series" by Kaitlyn Dunnett (pen-name for author Kathy Lynn Emerson), which take place in the small town of Moosetookalook, Maine. There's a book in this series entitled "Scotched", which features Moosetookalook as the location for a smaller mystery convention, and the perfect location for the accidental (?) death of one of the writers attending the gathering.

While I enjoy mysteries, I don’t have the time or inclination to be quite as involved as some fans. I depend on regular customer Rae Lerner to keep me updated on new releases in this busy and still-burgeoning field. Rae follows the interconnected blogs of many of these authors and their passionate readers, participating in mystery-reading challenges and ordering the newest series to grab her fancy. A recent request was for the museum series by author Sheila Connolly. I’d never heard of Connolly, but on Rae’s advice, I ordered the museum series, a series about heirloom apple orchards in small-town Massachusetts, and the first in Connolly’s newest series, which takes place in Ireland.

As luck would have it, who would wander in to the bookstore one day but Sheila Connolly’s husband! He didn’t identify himself until after he found the large stash of his wife’s mysteries stocked on our shelves. At that point, he told us how pleased Sheila would be, to know her books are in an independent bookstore outside their region, and that they arrived there by positive word-of-mouth and not corporate edict. The second time Mr. Connolly came through on business, we told him how well Sheila’s books had been selling – in particular, the orchard series. Next time, he said, he’ll drag his wife away from her multiple deadlines to make a visit to Wellsboro, although mystery writers don’t have as much free time as one might think, especially if they’re balancing several series.

At the beginning of TV’s popular show, Castle, which features fictional mystery writer Richard Castle, the character comments that only two kinds of people sit around thinking about ways to kill others – serial killers and mystery writers. Fans of the mystery genre certainly put in their fair share of time focused on the world of murder, as well. Whether in an apple orchard or a bookstore, a museum or a quilt shop, it’s obvious that as long as mystery writers keep creating new death scenarios, there are plenty of people who want to vicariously solve the crime.