Dear Readers,
We’ve got plenty to offer in October, and it’s not just giving thanks to you for staying with us. We’ve got new books—novels, short stories and non-fiction, even some poetry to keep you reading. What’s more, we’ve got a special surprise: Our seventh anthology is in the works.
ANNOUNCING THE MESDAMES AND MESSIEURS OF MAYHEM’S SEVENTH ANTHOLOGY!
Announcing the Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem’s SEVENTH anthology, mysteriously entitled “Number 7”, with the official title to be announced in November. Our theme for this collection is gambling, games of chance, bold or foolish risks, luck—good or dire—all of which stem from or lead to dark crime, especially murder….
With stories by Mesdames and Messieurs: Catherine Astolfo, Jayne Barnard, Jane Burfield, M. H. Callway, Melodie Campbell, Donna Carrick, Lisa De Nikolits, Cheryl Freedman, Therese Greenwood, Marilyn Kay, Blair Keetch, Rosemary McCracken, Cat Mills, Lynne Murphy, Ed Piwowarczyk, Rosalind Place, Lorna Poplak, Madona Skaff, Caro Soles, Kevin Thornton, Sylvia Warsh and Melissa Yi.
Stand by for our cover reveal. The publication date, September 2026, is in good time for Bouchercon to be held here in Canada, in Calgary, Alta, October 21 to 25th, 2026.
PUBLICATIONS
October is a duo debut for Mme Melissa Yi. Her third Hope Sze Seven Deadly Sins thriller, Killing Me Slothly, is now available.
I signed up for this neurology rotation to learn about Parkinson’s disease.
Instead, I could lose my mind.
A cult invades our emergency department and threatens to end the world today with their mythical leader, Cthulhu.
Fear grips me, even before my first patient says, “I shot someone six times in the head. I didn’t kill him.”
I may not survive the second patient.
Help. Please.
Dr. Hope Sze
Mme Melissa is also an Aurora award-winning poet and available this month is Cthulhu’s Cheerleader, 12 poems in the world of H.P. Lovecraft, one for every month of the year, featuring 9 pieces of original art by Glengarry artist Sara Leger,
10 poems that inspired the work, written by Shakespeare, A.A. Milne, Dorothy Parker, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Basho, and more.
And watch out for Mme Melissa’s Pride & Provocateur launching in the next week or two! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/melissayi/pride1?ref=1mdfbl
Mme Lisa de Nikolits will be launching her noir novel, Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon, at an event sponsored by Inanna Publications. The launch takes place on Wednesday, October 15th, 7 p.m. at the Supermarket Bar, 268 Augusta Avenue, Toronto.
Ottawa’s Capital Crime Writers have published their anthology, A Capital Mystery, where Ottawa crime writers spin dastardly tales set in our nation’s capital. A Capital Mystery is available for pre-order, will be released on October 14th and features stories by Mmes Madona Skaff and Melissa Yi.
https://www.ottawapressandpublishing.com/
October 28th is the official launch date for The Many Names of Robert Cree: How a First Nations Chief Brought Ancient Wisdom to Big Business and Prosperity to His People, written by Elder Robert Cree with Mme Therese Greenwood and published by ECW Press. The book received a strong review in Publisher’s Weekly:
“Fort McMurray First Nation chief Cree charts his path from a horrific childhood to a fulfilling life in this moving debut.”
“Cree’s optimism rings true (‘I want you to know… the joy of letting go of anger and bitterness’), even as his blunt account of state-sanctioned abuse haunts. The result is an affecting, hard-won testament to the power of perseverance.”
The book and audiobook narrated by celebrated Canadian actor Lorne Cardinal are available on Amazon, Indigo, Audible, and in bookstores and libraries.
Mme Lorna Poplak’s new book, On the Lam (Dundurn Press) about successful – and not so successful- prison breaks, launches on Tuesday, October 21st at 7 p.m. at Mezes Event Space, 456 Danforth Avenue, Toronto. Please RSVP by October 10th. It is available for pre-order.
Fascinating stories of the age-old tug-of-war between prisons desperate to keep inmates inside and the escapees pursuing freedom. Along with probing the origins, structure, and failings of a collection of historic and contemporary correctional institutions, On the Lam brings into sharp focus the attempts of masterminds, tricksters, villains, and innocents to claw their way to freedom — sometimes successful, sometimes abortive, often deadly.
https://www.amazon.ca/Lam-Great-Not-Escapes-Prison/dp/1459754379
Riversong, Mme Rosemary McCracken’s 5th Pat Tierney mystery, is now available in paperback, hardcover and as an e-book on Amazon, Kobo and Barnes & Noble. Those who pre-ordered eBooks will have received them on Sept. 30th.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
It’s a busy month for Mme M.H. Callway, who will be reading (virtually) on Wednesday, October 8th, 7 p.m. EDT at the Short Mystery Fiction Society Watercooler. Open to all members of SMFS. She will be reading from her new publication, “The Lost Diner”, which appeared in Issue 47 of Pulp Literature Magazine.
On Wednesday, October 22nd at 7 p.m., she will be in person, reading at Queer Noir at the Bar, at the Black Eagle, 1st Floor, Back Room, 457 Church Street, Toronto.
And on Tuesday, October 28th at 6:30 p.m., she will be reading at Drunk Fiction, hosted by author Emily Weedon, at The Caledonian Pub, 856 College Street, Toronto.
Mme Lorna Poplak will be hosting Des Ryan’s Brews and Clues on Thursday, October 9th, 6:30 pm at the Stout Irish Pub, 221 Carleton Street, Toronto.
On Sunday, October 19th at 2-3 p.m. Mme Melodie Campbell will be at the Burlington Public Library with Vicki Delaney, Maureen Jennings and Hannah Mary McKinnon, 2331 New Street, Burlington, to talk about the appeal of crime fiction, what it’s like to be part of the crime-writing community, and what goes into imagining and researching murder and mayhem before putting it on paper to shock and delight readers.
Mesdames of Mayhem 