Annal:1998 Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction

Mystery Reader's Walking Guide: Washington, D.C.

Alzina Stone Dale

• 1998 Agatha–Nonfiction winner
• 1999 Macavity-Nonfiction nominee
• Score: 16.48

Mystery Reader’s Walking Guide: Washington D.C. has 8 walking tours based on over 200 mysteries.

Speaking of Murder: Interviews With the Masters of Mystery and Suspense

Ed Gorman, Martin H. Greenberg

• 1999 Macavity-Nonfiction nominee
• 1998 Agatha–Nonfiction nominee
• Score: 12.49

Speaking of Murder offers a unique look into the minds of these masters of the genre as they candidly disclose their ideas, their characters, their early days as writers, and much more. This collection features more than twenty skillfully conducted interviews—nearly all of which appear for the first time in this volume—by other mystery writers and critics, and promises an unusual and fascinating view of both the people and their craft. Speaking of Murder includes interviews with: * Stephen King * Patricia Cornwell * Mary Higgins Clark * Sue Grafton * Mickey Spillane * Anne Perry * Tony Hillerman * Ruth Rendell * Sharyn McCrumb * Joan Hess * Ed McBain * Simon Brett * Elizabeth George * Peter Lovesey * Marcia Muller * Carolyn Hart * Ian Rankin * Elizabeth Peters * Dominick Abel * Bill Pronzini * Minette Walters * John Harvey

Deadly Women: The Woman Mystery Reader's Indispensable Companion

Jan Grape, Dean James, Ellen Nehr

• 1998 Macavity-Nonfiction winner
• 1998 Agatha–Nonfiction nominee
• Score: 16.48

From Agatha Christie to Murder, She Wrote, women have occupied a central and honored place in the mystery scene. Containing articles about female writers past and present, including Mary Higgins Clark, Patricia Cornwell, J.A. Jance, Sara Paretsky, Marcia Muller and others, this book celebrates women’s contributions to crime fiction.

Silk Stalkings: More Women Write of Murder

Victoria Nichols, Susan Thompson

• 1999 Macavity-Nonfiction nominee
• 1998 Agatha–Nonfiction nominee
• Score: 12.49

Silk Stalkings: When Women Write of Murder, first published by Black Lizard Books in 1988, began more than fifteen years ago as the authors’ personal shopping list. United by a common interest in crime and mystery fiction written by women and unable to find a reference source listing these titles, the team of Nichols/Thompson began to compile a list for themselves.

They have done it again—the result is the remarkable Silk Stalkings: More Women Write of Murder. That the genre has grown enormously since the first edition was published is obvious. The authors not only updated past references, but have also searched out and introduced new women mystery writers.

This book provides a comprehensive survey of series characters created by women authors in crime and mystery fiction from 1867 to 1997. The first half of the book categorizes 187 characters created since 1976, by profession, avocations, and inclination, and discusses them in a frank, witty, critical voice. The second half consists of a master list, alphabetically arranged by author’s real name and cross-referenced by…

Killer Books: A Reader's Guide to Exploring the Popular World of Mystery and Suspense

Jean Swanson, Dean James

• 1999 Macavity-Nonfiction winner
• 1998 Agatha–Nonfiction nominee
• Score: 16.49

Winner of the Agatha Award for Best Mystery Nonfiction, By a Woman’s Hand was “a tour de force of a reference source on contemporary women mystery writers” (Nancy Pickard). Now Jean Swanson and Dean James have written a mystery guide with even broader appeal-by reflecting current trends in film, television, and mainstream fiction.

Killer Books is the perfect guide for discovering favorite mystery writers based upon readers’ personal preferences. For instance: If you liked the movies The Silence of the Lambs or The Usual Suspects, or TV’s “The X-Files” or “Murder, She Wrote,” this cross-referenced sourcebook will guide you to the types of writers and books you’d most enjoy. Brilliantly organized and indexed, with complete descriptions, author profiles and awards, Killer Books is the mystery guide that lets you navigate the maze of mystery-and find the books that you’ll like best. Includes special sections on: • cops • private eyes • legal thrillers • psychological suspense • historical mysteries • romantic suspense • capers and criminals…