DEAR READERS,
February is more than hearts and chocolates. We have a big surprise for you this month. We also continue to publish new books/stories for your delight, do talks and readings and even a fun new play at the Ottawa Fringe Festival.
ANNOUNCING THE MESDAMES AND MESSIEURS OF MAYHEM’S SIXTH ANTHOLOGY!
The Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem are delighted to announce their 6th anthology, The 13th Letter (Carrick Publishing). “M” is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet. “M” stands for Mesdames, Messieurs, mayhem, malfeasance, mendacity and, of course, murder. Our authors are being inspired by the malice inherent in the letter “M” or by the murderous intent in postal letters.
We invite you, dear Readers, to enjoy our latest collection of crime fiction by established and award-winning Canadian crime writers. Our publication date is September 2024. Do also join us at our launch at our favourite bookstore, Sleuth of Baker Street, in late October or November 2024.
And stand by for our cover reveal later this spring!
CONGRATULATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS
Mme Melissa Yi’s latest in the Hope Sze Seven Deadly Sins Thriller series is available now at your favourite store!
Hope hurries to Montreal’s first Dragon Eats Festival, a combined dragon boat fest and mukbang eating contest that starts out delicious (Pho King Awesome! Tart of Darkness!) and winds up deadly.
“I’ve always known that if someone wants to murder me, the easiest way is through my stomach. I just hadn’t expected anyone to kill me today.” ―Hope Sze
Hope Sze Seven Deadly Sins Thriller Book 2
Felony and the Feast
https://windtreepress.com/portfolio/sugar-and-vice/ http://www.melissayuaninnes.com/
M. Kevin Thornton has TWO stories, both about the CN/CP railways—and Sherlock, of course—in the anthology Sherlock Holmes: A Year of Mystery 1885.
The titles of the stories are: “Tracks Across Canada” and “Tracked Across America”.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday, February 8th at 6:30 p.m. Brews and Clues by Crime Writers of Canada at Stout Irish Pub, 221 Carlton St., Toronto, Mme Lisa de Nikolitis will be reading from her work. Hosted by author Des Ryan.
Mme Lorna Poplak will be at the Beaches Sandbox, 2181 Queen St. E., Toronto on Wednesday, February 28th, 7:00 – 8:15 p.m. presenting her book The Don, The Story of Toronto’s Infamous Jail. Admission is Free.
An in-depth exploration of the Don Jail from its inception through jailbreaks and overcrowding to its eventual shuttering and rebirth, this is the story of the Don’s tumultuous descent from palace to hellhole, its shuttering and lapse into decay, and its astonishing modern-day metamorphosis.
“Canadian history buffs will savour the arcane criminal lore gathered here.” – Publishers Weekly
“An entertaining and engaging history of Toronto’s criminal justice system that any crime-history buff will enjoy.” – Canada’s History magazine
The Don was nominated for the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence, won The Brass Knuckles Award for Best NonFiction Crime Book and was a finalist for the 2021 Speakers Award.
https://www.lornapoplak.com/books/the-don/
Mme Melissa Yi ’s play Terminally III is premiering at the Ottawa Fringe Festival from February 8th – 10th!
Here’s the link for tickets and show times: https://ottawafringe.com/show/terminally-ill
Chained. Nailed. In a coffin. In Montreal’s St. Lawrence River. Will Elvis survive?
After Dr. Hope Sze restarts the escape artist’s heart, she investigates who might have sabotaged Elvis’s stunt. As Hope plunges into the merry, mysterious, and potentially murderous world of magic and illusion, she must also balance her rotation on palliative care and her attraction to two strong-willed men.
A complex yet funny play inspired by Dr. Melissa Yi’s novel Terminally Ill, which was praised as “utterly likeable” by Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and “entertaining and insightful” by Publishers Weekly.
February 8: 8:30 p.m.
February 9: 7:00 p.m.
February 10: 3:30 p.m.
THIS MONTH’S STORY
Our February story is by M. Blair Keetch from The Mesdames’ fifth anthology In The Spirit of Thirteen. “To Catch a Kumiho” was a finalist for the CWC Award of Excellence for Best Short Story.
Mesdames of Mayhem 