True Crime Tuesday for March 11, 2014 (Irish Edition)

“Society often forgives the criminal; it never forgives the dreamer.”

                                                - Oscar Wilde

 

 

Drug Lord Shot Four Times, Declares It Was "Just A Misunderstanding"

 

You've really got to hand it to the Irish. We're known for telling outlandish stories, but this one may be a bit of Irish Crime Fiction. Criminal gangster John Gilligan was shot four times in an assassination attempt last week in Dublin. But from his hospital bed, he told police that he has no enemies and that the shooting was "just a misunderstanding".

 

Gilligan, a suspect in the murder of Irish crime reporter Veronica Guerin, was released from prison only 5 months earlier after serving twelve years for drug trafficking. Rumor has it that he has been trying to re-establish his power in the criminal underworld, with mixed success.

 

Read more about this 'misunderstanding' in the Irish Mirror.

 

Prisoners Allowed To Buy Mobile Phones

 

Most prisons struggle to keep cell phones out of the hands of prisoners. But you know how we Irish love to gab. Several prisoners in Loughan House jail have been given permission to buy and use cell phones while serving their sentences, including one man convicted of manslaughter. The Irish Prison Service has recommended the change, and other prisons have already begun offering the benefit in County Wicklow. Not everyone is happy about the new policy, however. Justice Committee member Finian McGrath expressed his displeasure and said, "People have got to get the message that prison isn’t a luxury hotel."

Before you know it, they'll be handing out things like condoms to the prisoners. Oh, wait.

 

Thieves Swipe ATM Machine Through Bank Wall

 

Thieves in Sligo used a digger to break through a bank wall and haul off an ATM machine. Police are asking the public for help in identifying the driver of a white Nissan pulling a trailer in the Teeling Street area between the hours of 4 AM and 6 AMon January 29th. The ATM has been recovered. No word on whether or not the robbers triggered an alarm at the bank, but judging from the size of that hole in the wall, it's hard to believe no one was roused by the event. Just the facts, if you please.

 

Criminals Betrayed By Sweet Tooth

 

It didn't take long for police to apprehend three men who robbed a gas station in Palmerstown. The trio got only a small amount of cash, but helped themselves to plenty of candy. Dropping sweets as they ran, police followed the trail and found the men divvying up their ill gotten gains. They're now sitting in jail awaiting a hearing...without dessert, one hopes.

 

 

 Dublin Cost Of Living Goes Up...Again

 

Finally, this may be the worst crime of all.

 

If you've ever thought of returning to the green fields of Ireland to live or retire, beware. The cost of living in Dublin's fair city is going up. It's now the 21st most expensive city in the world. That's up 13 rungs from last year's spot at 34.

 

Oh, the humanity!

 

Mystery Weekend Roundup for March 9, 2014

International Women's Day with Women Crime Writers

This Saturday was International Women's Day. Celebrate by listening to a radio broadcast discussion of female crime writers, with Maria Doganieri.


Then check out an excellent article on Mary Roberts Rinehart and the anniversary of the publication of her mystery novel, The Circular Staircase. It was 106 years ago last week that the novel was published. It sold over a million copies and established Miss Rinehart as the American "Agatha Christie". Read more about this amazing woman at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, thanks to journalist Marylynne Pitz.



Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend Can Be Murder

Alex Berenson, creator of the highly successful John Wells thrillers, discusses the creation of the fictional hero that jump started his career as a novelist. He also touches on a decision that many writers will someday face...when is it time to kill your character? When that character has paid the bills for many years, it's a tough decision. Tougher when you think of all you been through together. Read Alex's article at the New York Times. And what about you? Does one of your characters face a future on the chopping block?

If your a fan of espionage thrillers, you can check out the entire John Wells series here.


The Pinckley Awards

A new crime fiction award, created in the memory of crime fiction columnist Diana Pinckley, has been awarded to Laura Lippman and Gwen Florio for their contributions to crime fiction.  The awards will be given on March 22nd at the 28th annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival. Read more about the awards and the woman who inspired them at The Rap Sheet.


Asian Pulp Fiction

Did you know that India has a thriving readership devoted to pulp fiction? Neither did I.  But according to journalist Tarquin Hall, pulp fiction is very popular in India, though the elite in that country tend to frown upon it (hmm...that sounds familiar, doesn't it?)

Yet millions of blue collar workers devour these novels, according to Hall's article in The Times. Just ask Surender Mohan Pathak, who has written 250 novels and sold more than 25 million copies of his books. He describes himself this way: "I am like Colgate: a reliable brand name...".

Not unlike the way another famous pulp writer one described himself, and who once declared, "I don't have readers. I have customers." Perhaps Mr. Pathak took his cue from Mickey Spillane.


Get Your Own Poe Action Figure!

If your looking for some inspiration, or something to place on the desk to keep you company while you write, look no further! You can get your own Edgar Allen Poe Action Figure, complete with Raven, to serve as the ultimate Muse. Makes a great conversation starter! Hurry, because supplies are limited. Available on eBay. Go ahead...check it out. You know you can't resist looking.

Mystery Weekend Roundup for March 2, 2014

Book Giveaways

Interested in a free book? Who isn't? Check out this link on Goodreads, where you can enter drawings to win a book. They have several categories, including Popular Authors and Ending Soon. Even if you don't win, it's a great way to discover new and emerging authors.

And seeing that St. Patrick's Day in just a couple of weeks away, you might want to check out the Irish Crime Bookshelf. Ireland has seen the emergence of some great talent in crime fiction during the past few years.


Winners of The Lovey Awards

A hearty congratulations to all the winners of the Lovey Awards, handed out in Chicago during the latest Love Is Murder Mystery Writers Conference. I was particularly glad to see that J. Michael Major won for Best First Novel with One Man's Castle (which I've recently started reading). Check out the list of all the winners at Janet Rudolph's excellent blog, Mystery Readers Inc.




Faulkner Interview, The Art of Fiction, From The Paris Review (1956)

It's been a while since I've read this and it well worth reading every so often. Faulkner's witty responses in between his serious commentary are a lot of fun, like this answer on the difficulty of understanding his novels.

Interviewer: Some people say they can't understand your writing, even after they read it two or three times. What approach would you suggest for them?

Faulkner: Read it four times.


And then there's this gem, on what a writer needs to write:

So the only environment the artist needs is whatever peace, whatever solitude, and whatever pleasure he can get at not too high a cost. All the wrong environment will do is run his blood pressure up; he will spend more time being frustrated or outraged. My own experience has been that the tools I need for my trade are paper, tobacco, food, and a little whiskey.

Keep it simple...and keep writing. Here's the full interview, from the Paris Review.


Humorous Definition of a Cozy Mystery (And one more reason to love The Big Bang Theory)

Actor Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, is a big fan of mystery novels, in particular the "cozy". Who knew? And he gives a great definition in this talk show appearance.

Here's the video:




And if you'd like to visit the website that Jim mentions in the video, here's the link to Cozy-Mystery. Enjoy!

TRUE CRIME TUESDAY for February 25, 2014

Nun Sentenced to 3 Years For Nuclear Protest

Megan Rice, the nun who broke into a nuclear storage facility, was sentenced to 35 months in federal prison following her conviction in Tennessee. Her co-defendants, Greg Boertje-Obed and Michael Walli, received sentenced of just over 5 years each.

The real harm was to the prestige of the U.S. government. The fact that these defendants were able to get so far with no special training exposed the appalling (and criminal) lack of security at an allegedly "secure nuclear facility". Incredibly, the trio were able to roam around inside the secure facility for two hours before guards arrived, despite the fact that they had set off multiple alarms.

After the trio's arrest, the firm in charge of security was dismissed and Congress held hearings on the break-in.

You can read more about this fiasco here and here.


Be Careful Where You Stick That Thing

A West Virginia doctor was given a sentence of probation after being convicted of molesting one of his patients. The relatively mild sentence may have been influenced by the fact that the victim gave as good as he got. The victim bit off part of the doctor's tongue when he stuck it in the victim's mouth. Read all the details at MSN.

Double Exposure Is A Non Stop Roller Coaster

Michael Lister has produced an incredible tale of suspense and fear with his award winning novel Double Exposure. First published by Tyrus Books, there is a new edition out with an introduction by Michael Connelly.

Remington is deep in the Florida woods, hunting for a trophy. But he doesn't carry a gun. It's a camera. He wants a spectacular photo. A bear, or maybe even the elusive eastern cougar. Something that will prove to his mom and wife that he was destined to be a photographer. And while checking his camera trap left in a tree stand the night before, he indeed finds something amazing captured on the memory card. But it's not a bear, or a bobcat, or even a panther. It's a murder.

Be careful what you wish for.

As the impact of what he's viewing sinks in, Remington realizes he must get back to his ATV and civilization. But he's not alone anymore. Movement triggers the camera, still attached to the tree, and in the growing twilight the strobe flash erupts.

"Did you just take a picture of me?", a voice asks from the woods. With those words begins a frantic night of chase and terror. As the bullets fly above his head, Remington flees deeper into the woods, the murderer's smooth southern voice still echoing in his ear: "This is the end of the line, partner".

Other men join the chase, friends of the killer, who we learn is named Gauge. As his life and the relationship with his mom, his recently deceased dad and his failing marriage literally flash before his eyes, Remington must struggle to escape as the hunters circle around him. With no stars to guide him, encroaching fog and plummeting temperature, he realizes it's going to be a long night.

Using his radio, Gauge begins to talk to Remington, urging him to surrender, almost apologizing for what he has to do. After all, I'm just trying to survive...like you, he tells Remington. Under different circumstances, the two men could have been friends, sitting in a corner diner having breakfast before a hunt. Despite his better judgement, Remington begins to respond to Gauge's friendly banter.

- They're taking bets on you now. You want in?
- What odds can I get?
- Not bad actually. Started at twenty to one, but now they're down to twelve to one.
- Yeah, I'll take some of that. Put me in for a hundred.
- You got it.

The dialogue between the men, hunter and prey, throws the reader off guard and adds to the tension. We like Remington. We're rooting for him. But at some point we find ourselves liking Gauge as well. We don't want to. But we do, in some twisted, creepy way. After all, he's a likeable guy...for a killer.

This story follows a similar plot line as The Most Dangerous Game, the much anthologized story by Richard Connell, but is far better. Probably the finest example of Man Vs. Man I have read in years.

You should read it.

Alone. At Night.

But keep your cell phone handy...in case you need to call a friend. Or 911.

Writers Born Today - Margaret Millar

It's the birthday of Margaret (Sturm) Millar, born February 5, 1915 in Kitchener, Canada. She had less than a typical childhood. Some of her earliest memories involve walking to school past a slaughterhouse, whose stench and sounds of bellowing, dying animals was impossible to ignore. She spent her reading time with the pulp magazine Black Mask, which she devoured with relish. “Some kinds of addiction are considered incurable,” she would say later.

After attending the University of Toronto she married Kenneth Millar, and they moved to California while he served in the navy. She began writing after she was forced to remain in bed following the birth of her daughter. At first, she typed her husband's stories, then began to create her own. Her first novel, The Invisible Worm, was published by Doubleday to critical acclaim. The New Yorker called her "a writer of considerable voltage". She plunged into her second book and never looked back. More psychological thrillers followed, The Devil Loves Me in 1942, Fire Will Freeze in 1944, Do Evil in Return in 1950.

Hollywood bought some of her stories, and she was a favorite of Alfred Hitchcock, who adapted two of her novels, including Beast In View, for his television series.

In 1956, she won an Edgar Award for Beast in View from the Mystery Writers of America. She was the group's President in 1957, and received a Grand Master Award from the MWA in 1983. Her short story, The People Across The Canyon was featured in the recently released anthology, Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives. It was also reprinted in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine in the November 2005 issue as a Mystery Classic. You can listen to an audio broadcast of the story here.

Tragedy struck her family later in life. Her daughter died at the age of 31 and her husband suffered from Alzheimer's before his death in 1983. Macular Degeneration took her eyesight. She coped by writing. She told the Los Angeles Times in an interview, "If I couldn't write now I'd probably go off my rocker. Writing keeps me sane--or as sane as I am,"  She died in 1994.

You can read more about her in Kathleen Sharp's article from the LA Review of Books, The Dangerous Housewife, and Sarah Weinman's article in the National Post, Margaret Millar: The Original Canadian Queen of Crime.

Sarah also included Beast In View in a new collection of suspense novels which she edited. Women Crime Writer's of the 1940s and 50s was released last September by the Library of America.

True Crime Tuesday for February 4, 2014

Yet Another State Crime Lab Falls Under Scrutiny For Evidence Tampering

In a pattern that has become all too familiar, another state crime lab, this time in Florida, has fallen under scrutiny for evidence tampering. The state police are reviewing hundreds of drug convictions, which could be thrown out if the allegations against one chemist prove true. Working at the Pensacola lab since 2006, the unnamed chemist is accused of replacing prescription drugs with over the counter medications in numerous evidence bags, either to feed a drug habit or for purposes of drug trafficking.

Read more about this latest crime lab scandal at the Christian Science Monitor.


I Can't Believe It Was Bootlegging! (The Dark Side of Margarine)

Meet dangerous felon John McMonigle. He served two stretches in a federal prison in Leavenworth. And what crimes placed him in the same prison as such infamous criminals as "Machine Gun" Kelly, George Moran (Prohibition era rival to Al Capone) and Nazi spy Fritz Duquesne? Mr. McMonigle was convicted twice of bootlegging.

Booze? Guns? Prostitutes? Nope. He was bootlegging margarine.

That's not a typo. There was a time when selling adulterated margarine (ie: dyed yellow instead of the natural white color) was a federal crime. The dairy industry lobbied states and Congress to protect the public against this "heinous" product. Protecting their own interests may have had something to do with it, of course.  Read more about the dark side of margarine and it's criminal history at Slate magazine.


No Cookies For You!

A California girl scout who was selling cookies in her neighborhood got a shock when a man opened his door and pointed a gun at her. The incident was witnessed by the scout's father, who called police and the man, John Dodrill, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.

That would certainly make me toss my cookies, but apparently, the girl was not injured. Here's hoping that, if guilty, Mr. Dodrill gets an appropriate punishment. How about a lifetime ban on eating girl scout cookies?

Naw, that's a bit harsh, even for such a cowardly act. A few years in prison might just do the trick. But that leaves behind one unanswered question.

What kind of a man doesn't like girl scout cookies? Do such people really exist? It boggles the mind.