WILLIAM MAXWELL (1908–2000). Longtime
New Yorker
writer and editor, whose books include a single murder novel,
So Long, See You Tomorrow
(1980).
WILLIAM MCCLEERY (1911–2000). Author of a single play about Perry Mason,
A Case for Mason
(1967).
VINCENT MCCONNOR (1907–1999). Author of eight novels, 1965–89, and numerous short stories in
EQMM, AHMM
and elsewhere.
MICHAEL MCDOWELL (1950–1999). Author of eight mysteries under his own name, but better known for a series of four gay mysteries under the pseudonym "Nathan Aldyne," cowritten with the late Dennis Schuetz, notably
Vermilion
(1980). The team also published two mysteries as by "Axel Young."
NEIL MCGAUGHEY (1951–1999). Author of at least two detective novels beginning with
Otherwise Known as Murder
(1994).
ELOISE JARVIS MCGRAW (1915–2000). Author of mystery, fantasy, and historical fiction for children, winner of the Edgar Award for best juvenile mystery,
A Really Weird Summer
(1978).
FRED MCMORROW (1925–2000). Author and editor who published at least one story in the British edition of
Suspense
(6/59).
CHARLES MEYER (1947–2000). Author of the Reverend Lucas Holt mysteries, beginning with
The Saints of God Murders
(1995).
PATRICIA MOYES (1923–2000). Well-known British author of nineteen novels about sleuths Henry and Emmy Tibbett, notably
Dead Men Don't Ski
(1959),
Down Among the Dead Men
(1961),
Johnny Under Ground
(1965),
Murder Fantastical
(1967), and
Many Deadly Returns
(1970). A novella and twenty short stories were collected in
Who Killed Father Christmas
(1996).
N. RICHARD NASH (1913–2000). Playwright best known for his mainstream drama
The Rainmaker
, who also published three suspense plays, one as "N. Richard Nusbaum," a crime novel, and the espionage novel
East Wind, Rain
(1977).
EARL NORMAN (1915–2000). Pseudonym of Norman Thomson, author of nine paperback mysteries with Japanese and Hong Kong settings, 1958–76.
EMIL PETAJA (1915–2000). Science fiction and mystery author who published thirteen novels and more than one hundred short stories, including some two dozen mysteries in pulp magazines of the late 1930s and 1940s. One of his last crime stories appeared in
The Saint Magazine
, 4/67.
TALMAGE POWELL (1920–2000). Pulp writer and author of some 500 short stories and sixteen crime and western novels, one each as by "Jack McCready" and "Anne Talmage." He also ghosted four Ellery Queen paperbacks and was a frequent contributor to
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.
Twenty-five of his
AHMM
stories were collected as
Written for Hitchcock
(1989).
KEITH ROBERTS (1935–2000). British science fiction author and illustrator who published a single mystery,
The Road to Paradise
(1988).
ROSS RUSSELL (1909–2000). Author of at least thirteen pulp crime stories, in
Double-Action Gang Magazine
and elsewhere.
HOWARD R. SIMPSON (1925–1999). Author of seven mystery-intrigue novels, 1965–88.
CURT SIODMAK (1902–2000). Fantasy author and writer of more than seventy screenplays including
The Wolf Man.
He published four suspense novels, notably
Donovan's Brain
(1943) which has been filmed three times.
JOHN SLADEK (1937–2000). Science fiction writer who also wrote a prize-winning short story and two novels about locked-room sleuth Thackeray Phin,
Black Aura
(1974) and
Invisible Green
(1977). With Thomas M. Disch he collaborated on a suspense novel,
Black Alice
(1968), under the pseudonym of "Thom Demijohn." They also published three Gothics as "Cassandra Knye."
ANDREW L. STONE (1902–1999). Director and screenwriter who published novelizations of three of his films, 1956–58.
NIGEL TRANTER (1909–2000). Pseudonym of British author Nye Tredgold, author of thirty-seven adventure and crime novels. All but
The Stone
(1948) are unpublished in America.
MILES TRIPP (1923–2000). British author of more than thirty suspense novels beginning with
The Image of Man
(1955), plus three under the pseudonym of Michael Brett.
A. E.VAN VOGT (1912–2000). Famed science fiction author who wrote two suspense novels,
The House that Stood Still
(1950) and
The Violent Man
(1962).
PHYLLIS WHITE (1915–2000). Widow of well-known mystery writer and critic Anthony Boucher and guiding spirit of the annual Bouchercon conventions, who contributed ten poems to
EQMM
.
PETER WILDEBLOOD (1923–1999). British author of a single crime novel,
West End People
(1958), unpublished in America.
NORMAN ZOLLINGER (1921–2000). Award-winning Western writer who wrote a single mystery,
Lautrec
(1990).
World Mystery Report: Great Britain
Maxim Jakubowski
Any literary year necessarily has its up and downs, and the first year of the millennium adopted a familiar pattern in Britain, with a surprising number of impressive new authors emerging, older names confirming the breadth of their talent, and the best-seller breakthrough of a handful of writers, some straight from the starting gate and others an ironic overnight success, when the overnight actually took a dozen years or more.
On the other hand, menacing clouds hover over the publishing horizon, with many of the innovative smaller, independent publishers of the last decade under serious threat from radical new purchasing policies at the Waterstone's chain, which could have a sorry impact on smaller houses with fragile margins. This is a definite worry as these publishers (the Do-Not Press, Allison & Busby, Harvill Press, No Exit Press, Serpent's Tail, and others) have proven a fertile breeding ground for newer talent of an often unconventional nature (despite adverse financial returns Serpent's Tail and Harvill persist in translating overlooked foreign-language mystery authors), and have repeatedly taken risks that larger publishers, many of whom are part of multinational conglomerates, can't afford to. At year's end, Bertram's, one of the U.K.'s largest wholesalers, also warned of major cuts in their stock base, which can only work to the detriment of smaller imprints. Already author John Harvey's courageous Slow Dancer Press has called it a day, faced with the poor sales and difficult distribution.
As a former publisher myself, I realize similar gray clouds have been dominating the British book scene in one form or another for ages now, but with the changing pattern of the retail landscape (and the coming of age of e-retail), I am distinctively worried about the future and the growing obstacles for newer talents to make a mark on the scene, whether inside or outside of the crime and mystery genre. On the other hand, maybe any change in existing patterns should also be viewed with guarded optimism, as none of us can accurately read the crystal ball of the future. After all, the collapse of the British public library system a decade or so ago did result in many established crime writers who catered cozily to that market finding themselves both out of print and without publishers, and this was no bad thing, leaving openings for new voices and the flowering of a harder-edged school of British crime writing and a distinct elevation of literary standards. So only time will tell who is right. Just like a whodunit, in fact!
On the awards front, the year began in a jolly mood with Colin Dexter and Lindsey Davis winning the annual Sherlock Awards for best detectives, followed by Peter Lovesey being awarded the Diamond Dagger by the Crime Writers' Association. The CWA's end-of-year awards as usual evinced some degree of controversy because of the number of American writers on the short lists (Jonathan Lethem, Donna Leon, and Boston Teran won, although Scottish author Denise Mina took the Short Story Dagger), but the big commercial news of the year was Ian Rankin's swift ascent of the best-seller lists, the debut of his character Inspector John Rebus on television (portrayed by John Hannah), and his ensuing crowning as a television pundit. Couldn't have happened to a nicer person or more worthy author!
Still on the small screen, Inspector Morse followed his literary demise in the adaptation of Colin Dexter's final novel
A Remorseful Death
, and Julia Wallis Martin and Gillian White also saw novels adapted for television alongside perennials like Reginald Hill, P. D. James, R. D. Wingfield, and Ruth Rendell.
On cinema screens, British gangster and crime films were sadly both unpopular and most unwelcome during the first half of the year due to a glut of bad, independent productions (many made possible by Lottery money) cobbled together with all the worst mercenary intentions in the world in imitation of the success of
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
, mistaking blood, guts, foul language and violence for plot. Many a critic and spectator sighed at least once a month at how low some filmmakers went in the process. Unwilling to give these terrible films further publicity by even mentioning them, all I can advise you is to ignore any British crime films dated 2000 with the exception of the pithy
Ordinary Decent Criminal
(with Kevin Spacey), which took a curious lens to a tale already tackled in a more political perspective of a gang leader in Ireland. Our patience was saved by the bell, though, when Guy Ritchie's follow-up to
Lock, Stock,
emerged in the autumn and confirmed that he is a real talent (and also now Madonna's husband, of course) with a unique approach in which material (violence, obscenity, and video-style jump cuts) can mesh into an outrageously appealing whole:
Snatch
is a hoot and an able demonstration that East End gangsters don't have to be boorish and leaden. To confirm this view, Jonathan Glazer, a new director, also from the world of advertising and pop videos, had a great end-of-year debut with
Sexy Beast
, which gave British bad-boy perennial Ray Winstone a worthy role as a Brit gangster retired to the Spanish coast whose tranquility is shattered by the arrival of a past nemesis, hilariously if worryingly played by a less-than-saintly Ben Kingsley, far from his Gandhi image. So all is not lost on the cinematic front, with some further nuggets already in the can and awaiting release, which I've had the opportunity to view at festivals or private screenings.
Film and TV also played a major part in one of the year's major events, the Crime Scene Festival held at London's National Film Theatre on the South Bank in July, and now scheduled to be an annual event. Run by Adrian Wootton and Maxim Jakubowski, who used to organize Nottingham's Shots on the Page and the Nottingham Bouchercon, the event combines both literary events and screenings. This year's events attracted thousands of delegates, to meet American authors like Dennis Lehane, Elizabeth George, Robert Crais, Jeffery Deaver, and George Pelecanos and the crème de la crème of British crime writing, alongside many major film previews and retrospectives (and a Margery Allingham radio play performed on stage by Simon Brett and other thespians). The July 2001 Crime Scene will feature a major Agatha Christie section. Nottingham's natural successor, Manchester's Dead on Deansgate, was also a success and took place in October with a familiar blend of panels and events, making British crime fans spoiled for choice in the availability of events featuring their favorite authors.
Likewise, the British crime-magazine scene still thrives with all publications still going:
CADS, Crime Scene, Shots
, and
Crime Wave
, with varying degrees of regularity. Slipstream magazine
The Third Alternative
also published some crime stories. Similarly, London's two mystery bookshops still cater for all the crime in print, with Murder One now reaching the venerable age of twelve years on the fabled Charing Cross Road, and still the largest specialty bookshop in the world. Covent Garden's smaller Crime in Store, however, only survived through charitable donations openly sought from CWA members, which kept them afloat when closure loomed in the spring.
A perennial bee in bonnet of the crime community is the lack of serious review consideration afforded by major newspapers and publications. This is now very much on the mend, with prestigious critics from the field holding secure positions at leading and influential titles: Donna Leon at the Sunday
Times
, Marcel Berlins at
The Times
, Mark Timlin at
The Independent
on Sunday, Peter Guttridge at
The Observer
, Frances Fyfield and Tim Binyon at the
Evening Standard
, Val McDermid at
The Manchester Evening News
and Maxim Jakubowski at
The Guardian
. Mike Ripley lost his Sunday
Telegraph
platform but moved to the regional
Birmingham Post
following the death of Bill Pardoe.
Like any year, this was also one of regret, with the passing of authors and close friends Patricia Moyes and Sarah Caudwell just months apart. Other casualties of the year include Miles Tripp, Laurence James, Duncan Kyle, Elizabeth Lemarchand, and Roger Longrigg (Domini Taylor, Frank Parrish).
And so to a year in books: 2000 began with a bang with a controversial debut that went straight onto the best-seller lists, Mo Hayder's
Birdman
, a serial-killer novel that was disliked by many but whose dark power reached out far beyond the specialized crime readership (as had John Connolly's
