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Michael Connelly short story will appear in The Strand
One of the great masters of the detective novel pens a Harry Bosch mystery, that will tantalize and intrigue fans.

Surprise Revealed: Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot in The Strand
Reuters broke the story this week, that The Strand will be publishing "The Incident of the Dog's Ball" in our holiday issue. The story was found in the attic of the Christie family home and this will mark the first time in 34 years, that a work featuring Hercule Poirot has appeared in the United States.

A surprise for the Tenth Anniversary Issue of the Strand...
As strange as it sounds, it's been ten years since the first issue of The Strand was published and we've enjoyed every minute. In our tenth year we've marked this milestone by publishing unpublished gems by masters such as Mark Twain, P.G. Wodehouse, and Graham Greene. We have something else up our sleeve for our holiday issue that will surprise and intrigue our readers...stay tuned.

The Strand to Serialize a Graham Greene Novel

The Strand will publish an unfinished early work of Graham Greene in five parts. The first part of The Empty Chair will appear in the summer issue of the Strand. “We at The Strand are very discerning about what we publish,” said Andrew F. Gulli, the Managing Editor of The Strand. “And if we had a chance to publish a recently unearthed work of a great writer, we’d only publish it if it was a work of fine quality. What was tremendous about The Empty Chair is that despite being an early work of Greene, it’s a fantastic piece of fiction which is representative of Greene and we would have published it even if it was submitted by an unknown writer.”

The manuscript was unearthed by Sorbonne scholar François Gallix at the University of Texas in Austin. Gallix along with a colleague, had the painstaking task of transcribing five chapters which were handwritten by Greene when he was just twenty-two.

“In the last issue, we published a never before published short story by Mark Twain and to me that was special,” Gulli said. “However, to me Greene is greatest writer of the 20th century, his prose, style, and dialogue are unmatched and to have Greene in The Strand with a murder mystery is undoubtedly the highlight of my career.”

News reports:
Unfinished Greene novel serialised in magazine (Reuters)
Unfinished Graham Greene murder mystery novel discovered Telegraph.co.uk
Long-lost Graham Greene work to be serialized in the Strand Los Angeles Times
Lost Greene novel to be serialised in crime magazine guardian.co.uk
Unfinished Greene mystery found by French academic Independent
Arts, Briefly 'New' Graham Greene Mystery to Be Published New York Times
Authors who came back from the grave Irish Independent
Publishers unearth bestsellers from beyond the literary grave Guardian
Our Man in Michigan (WSJ online)

Richard Price and Tom Rob Smith win Strand’s Critics Awards

Richard Price and Tom Rob Smith win The Strand Magazine’s Critics Awards for Best Novel and Best First Novel. The judges were book reviewers from several of the nation's top daily newspapers.

The Strand Magazine has announced the winners of the 2008 Strand Magazine Critics Awards. Richard Price took the top prize for Best Novel for Lush Life and Tom Rob Smith won for Best First Novel for Child 44.  The winners were announced at an invitation only cocktail party in Manhattan, by bestselling author Jonathan Santlofer. Price and Smith thanked the judges and paid tribute to their fellow nominees.

Richard Price earned rave reviews for his meticulously researched crime novel Lush Life which was set in New York’s Lower Eastside and explores themes from crime to class inequality, and the struggle to survive in a violent environment. Tom Rob Smith’s first novel Child 44, hit the New York Times bestseller list and became an overnight sensation, the novel is loosely based on a true story about a chilling serial killer in Communist Russia.

Best Novel:
When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson (Little, Brown and Company)
Master of the Delta by Thomas H. Cook (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Company)
Lush Life by Richard Price (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Hollywood Crows by Joseph Wambaugh (Little, Brown and Company)

Best First Novel:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
City of the Sun by David Levien (Doubleday)
A Cure for Night by Justin Peacock (Doubleday)
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Grand Central Publishing)
A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley (Harper)

“Lush Life and Child 44 were worthy efforts by Richard Price and Tom Rob Smith,” said Andrew F. Gulli, the managing editor of The Strand. "The voting was so close this year, that the winners and nominees were separated by only a handful of votes."

This year's judges included Otto Penzler, Dennis Drabelle of The Washington Post, David Ulin of the LA Times, Lev Grossman of Time Magazine, Carol Memmott of USA Today, Maureen Corrigan of NPR, and Bruce DeSilva of the Associated Press.

A lifetime achievement award was given posthumously to English author John Mortimer which was accepted by his wife Penny Mortimer

Click Here for Photos

The Nominees are in...
Michael Connelly, Joseph Wambaugh, Tom Rob Smith, Kate Atkinson, and David Levien, are among the nominees for The Strand Magazine Critics Awards for Best Novel and Best First Novel. The judges are book reviewers from several of the nation's top daily newspapers. More Info

Ray Bradbury Interviewed
 In our summer issue, we're publishing an exclusive interview with Ray Bradbury. Ray speaks about the state of the world, classic books, the inspiration behind many of his books, and films.

Mark Twain in the Strand!
The Strand Magazine announces the forthcoming publication of a previously-unpublished Mark Twain short story in an upcoming issue of The Strand. Adding to a long-running tradition of publishing works by such great writers as Conan Doyle (published in the original Strand -- 1891-1950), Ray Bradbury, Alexander McCall Smith, and Ruth Rendell, The Strand will feature Twain’s “The Undertaker’s Tale” in its March 2009 issue. 

Andrew Gulli, editor of The Strand, said he grew up reading Mark Twain, and calls the opportunity to publish Twain’s work “an editor’s dream.”  While “The Undertaker’s Tale,” will be published nearly 99 years after Twain’s death in 1910, Gulli notes that the work is both timely and timeless. The story will be published in a collection of essays and stories titled, Who is Mark Twain that will be released later this spring by HarperStudio.

P.G. Wodehouse in The Strand
The Strand will publish a lost P.G. Wodehouse short story in the winter/spring issue. Wodehouse wrote several short stories for the old Strand magazine and we're thrilled to have the chance to publish this legend.

John Mortimer (1923-2009)

(Our managing editor Andrew Gulli has written a tribute to John Mortimer who passed away this morning at the age of 85)

I’ve been fortunate in my work to count several friends among the writers who I have edited. There is nothing more satisfying than to find a writer you’ve read, revered, and enjoyed for years is really a nice person at the other side, there is nothing more disappointing and upsetting than discovering that a writer you’ve enjoyed is nasty and self-centered. I’m glad to say that those disheartening experiences are few and far between. John Mortimer throughout the years was one of the most loyal, kind, and professional writers I have ever worked with.

I should start this in 1996, when my mother was very ill. My siblings and I were taking care of her throughout her brave struggle with cancer. Those were dark days and it was during that time that I discovered Rumpole. I became an instant fan and looked forward to everything related to Rumpole and John’s other novels. At the end of each day, I’d look forward to curling up with a Rumpole book and forgetting all my problems.

We first published a Rumpole story in October 2001 and went on to publish twelve more of his short stories in The Strand. There was no greater joy than reading a Rumpole manuscript and having the feeling that this was my own special story. I’d be the first to read it and it would be published in The Strand.  

In 2003 I interviewed John and he gave one of the best interviews I ever published. From then on we kept in touch, by chatting on the phone or corresponding by mail. In 2006, I managed to spend a few days in London and John arranged a luncheon at the Garrick Club. My first night in London was an almost sleepless night in a luxury hotel that had a train, subway, bus, or ghost of a train pass by every 17 minutes and 11 seconds. The next morning in a tired haze, I passed the Garrick Club a dozen times before I realized there was a discrete entrance I repeatedly passed.

Over lunch, John was his entertaining self. We spoke about the writers he knew, Graham Greene, Roald Dahl, and Malcolm Muggeridge. Then the question invariably turned to religion. John could be described as an agnostic or atheist, but he was always ready to listen to new ideas. He asked me to give him my reasons for believing in God, I gave some philosophical and scientific arguments which John listened to with interest then he asked, “Why do people suffer? Why would a kind God give a child cancer?” I resisted the temptation to say that those were the very same questions that have dogged me for years, but instead said something to that the extent that we humans are more than actors on a stage and that he would be very frustrated if God took away our free-will and just gave an existence of joy which in turn would turn us into robots.

I expected him to laugh in my face, but instead John took a serious glance at me then said, “I interviewed dozens of celebrities and asked them this question and the only two best answers were yours and Malcolm Muggeridge’s.”

I left the Garrick Club silently lauding my powers of persuasion. As Peter, Mortimer’s chauffeur was helping him into his car; a young man approached Mortimer and thanked him for his contribution to literature and the theatre. It turned out the young man was an actor whose father agreed to subsidize an education in film school after watching his son star in one of Mortimer’s plays. John chatted with the young man for ten minutes, and then insisted on having Peter give me a ride to my next stop which was tea with Michael Bond.

I last spoke to John in October, despite the world situation he always remained an optimist. He lived his life to the fullest and I’m certain that tonight he’ll be drinking a glass of champagne with Leo McKern. 

Andrew F. Gulli

 
A Lifetime Achievement Award for John Mortimer

The Strand Magazine has announced that the 2009 Strand Critics Lifetime Achievement Award goes to John Mortimer.

Detroit, Mich., Jan 14, 2009 – Famed British writer and barrister Sir John Mortimer has won a lifetime achievement award sponsored by The Strand Magazine and judged by several critics from top daily papers in the U.S.

In addition to once being one of London’s top barristers, Mortimer has written numerous successful plays, screenplays and novels, and is most renown for creating the curmudgeonly defender Horace Rumpole of The Old Bailey.

“I feel honoured to be chosen to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Horace Rumpole,” said Mortimer, 84, in a statement Wednesday. “He is, of course, a truly British character and I am delighted that he has come to be appreciated so much by his American cousins.”

"I think that John Mortimer has made an excellent contribution to crime writing,” said Andrew Gulli, managing editor of The Strand. "When you think about larger-than-life mystery characters, you think of iconic characters like of Holmes, Poirot, Marlowe and Rumpole "

 
The first pair of Strand Critics awards were given last year to Laura Lippman, for best mystery novel, and Marcus Sakey, for best first mystery novel. This is the first year that a lifetime achievement award will be presented.

 
Mortimer has written 13 short stories that have appeared in The Strand. In 2003, “Rumpole and The Primrose Path” was nominated for an Edgar Award. According to Strand associate publisher Frank Simon, “Mortimer is the new Strand’s equivalent of Conan Doyle — with the years, his work if anything has gotten better.”

Since publishing Rumpole of the Bailey in 1978, Mortimer has authored more than 20 novels and short story collections featuring Rumpole, which have made the character a worldwide success. The books also spawned a television series, starring Leo McKern, which lasted from 1978-1992 and was a successful staple for years in the U.S. on Mobil’s Mystery! Series.

On hearing news of the achievement award, Mortimer’s agent, Carol Macarthur, said, “United Agents are extremely pleased that Sir John Mortimer has been given this award at this time of his life and would like to thank Andrew Gulli from Strand Magazine for helping to promote the Rumpole name in the United States.”

The award will be presented at an invitation-only cocktail party, hosted by The Strand in July, in New York City. For more information, please contact Christine Jones at 248 569 3702 or visit www.strandmag.com

 

Jonathan Santlofer wins the the Nero Award
The famed artist and thriller writer Jonathan Santlofer claimed the Nero Award for his thrilling novel Anatomy of Fear. Santlofer's last two novels have been listed in Andrew Gulli's top 12 books of the year (see below).
Santlofer beat out a field of writers that included Faye Kellerman, S.J. Rozan, and Jane Haddam. At the awards banquet in New York City, Santlofer thanked the committee for the award and gave a brief and inspiring story about his path to becoming a bestselling novelist. Santlofer's latest book The Murder Notebook is in bookstores now and has won critical and popular acclaim for its fast paced plot and vivid characters.

Christopher Plummer and David Baldacci in the Strand
The Strand will publish exclusive interviews with Christopher Plummer and David Baldacci in the winter/spring issue of the Strand.

Tony Hillerman dead at 83

I had the pleasure of interviewing Tony three years ago for a cover story in the Strand. What struck me was what a kind and frank guy he was. Beneath that seemingly simple down-home charm, he had a very sharp intellect and was never one to mince words. He was perhaps one of the best mystery writers of the past quarter century. Perhaps one of his greatest talents was his ability to sketch portraits of unforgettable Dickensian characters and at the some time come up with a fantastic plot.

Andrew Gulli's top 12 books of the year

1. The Murder Notebook by Jonathan Santlofer (William Morrow)
2. Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Grand Central Publishing)
3. The Whole Truth by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing)
4. Master of the Delta by Thomas H. Cook (Harcourt)
5. Betrayal by John Lescroart (Dutton)
6. Careless in Red by Elizabeth George (Harper)
7. The Resurrectionist by Jack O’Connell (Algonquin)
8. The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver (Simon and Schuster)
9. The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon)
10. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
11. The Likeness by Tana French (Viking)
12. The Stolen by Jason Pinter (Mira)

The Strand wins a Macavity

Announced during Bouchercon in Baltimore, Rhys Bowen's short story "Please Watch your Step," won the prestigious Macavity award.

Mickey Spillane in the Strand with a new Mike Hammer story

Courtesy of Spillane collaborator, Max Allan Collins, the Strand will publish a story titled "The Big Switch:" which Collins co-authored with the late noir master.

The story is a dark and gritty and involves Hammer intervening on behalf of a man who is hours away from being executed for murder.

The story will appear in the holiday issue of the Strand.

Ray Bradbury in the Strand..Again
The master of the science fiction novel Ray Bradbury pens a moving and suspensful tale The Meeting, which will appear in the holiday issue of the Strand.



Laura Lippman and Marcus Sakey take home the prizes for best mystery novel and best first mystery novel.

New York, NY, July 14, 2008 -- The winners of the 2007 Strand Magazine Critics Award are Laura Lippman for best novel (What the Dead Know) and Marcus Sakey for best first mystery novel (The Blade Itself). The winners were announced at an invitation only cocktail party in Manhattan, by bestselling author Jonathan Santlofer.

Both of the winners and several of the nominees were in attendance at the Midtown Executive Club. Lippman and Sakey were gracious winners thanking the panel of book reviewers, congratulating their fellow nominees and acknowledging they were up against stiff competition.

- Down River by John Hart (Thomas Dunne Books/Minotaur)

- The Shotgun Rule by Charlie Huston (Ballantine Books)

- The Strangler by William Landay (Delacorte Press)

- The Watchman by Robert Crais (Simon and Schuster)

- What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman (William Morrow)

Best First Novel

- The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey (St. Martin's Minotaur)

- In the Woods by Tana French (Viking)

- The Mark by Jason Pinter (Mira Books)

- Missing Witness by Gordon Campbell (William Morrow)

- When One Man Dies by Dave White (Crown Publishing)

Lippman a former journalist for The Baltimore Sun, is no stranger to winning many of the top crime fiction prizes, she has won the Edgar, The Anthony, The Shamus, and The Barry Awards. Her latest novel Another Thing to Fall was released this March by William Morrow.

In just two years, Marcus Sakey has blazed a trail as a new and talented mystery author with his two well written crime novels The Blade Itself and At The City’s Edge. A former St. Martin’s author, he has recently signed a deal with Dutton who will publish his next book Good People in August.

"This was such a great group of nominees, it must have been difficult to choose the winner," said Frank Simon, Associate Publisher of The Strand. "Laura and Marcus were worthy winners, in the past few years Laura has produced a fantastic body of work and Marcus is a new talent who I have no doubt in the future will be nominated for the best mystery novel award."

More info and photos 

The Critics award is unveiled!
Made out of imported hand-blown glass.
The winners will be announced on July 9 at a cocktail party in New York City.

The Strand is nominated for an Anthony and a Macavity
Rhys Bowen's short story "Please Watch Your Step" which was first published in the Strand has been nominated for an Anthony award and a Macavity award.

Otto Penzler and Maureen Corrigan to judge 2008
Critics awards
Otto Penzler the publisher, editor, reviewer and proprietor of the legendary Mysterious Bookshop will be a judge for the 2008 Critics award for best novel along with Maureen Corrigan (NPR) who is also a distinguished reviewer an author of the critically acclaimed Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading.

Strand Magazine Announces Nominees for 2007 Critics Award
Award honors excellence in the field of mystery fiction

The Strand Magazine has announced its nominees for the 2007 Strand Magazine Critics Award. Recognizing excellence in the field of mystery fiction, the Critics Award is judged by a select group of book reviewers from the nation’s top daily newspapers, as well as by Andrew F. Gulli, Managing Editor of The Strand Magazine. With Larry Gandle of The Tampa Tribune serving as The Strand Critics Award chairman, this year’s judges includeThe Critics award is unveiled! Patrick Anderson of The Washington Post, Dick Lochte of the LA Times, Oline H. Cogdill of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, David Montgomery of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Hallie Ephron of The Boston Globe, and Sarah Weinman of The Baltimore Sun.

Best Novel

Down River by John Hart (St Martin’s Minotaur)
The Shotgun Rule by Charlie Huston (Ballantine Books)
The Strangler by William Landay (Delacorte Press)
The Watchman by Robert Crais (Simon and Schuster)
What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman (William Morrow)

Best First Novel

The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey (St. Martin's Minotaur)
In the Woods by Tana French (Viking)
The Mark by Jason Pinter (Mira Books)
Missing Witness by Gordon Campbell (William Morrow)
When One Man Dies by Dave White (Crown Publishing)

“We’ve got a great group of experienced book reviewers from all over the country judging these books,” said Frank Simon, Associate Publisher of The Strand. “Add to that the fact that The Strand is putting its name behind it and you can be sure that all the nominees represent some of the best mysteries being published today.”

Awards will be presented in the categories of Best Novel and Best First Novel at an invitation-only cocktail party, hosted by The Strand on July 9, 2008, in New York City. For more information, please contact Christine Jones at 248 569 3702 or cjones@strandmag.com.
P.O. BOX 1418 • BIRMINGHAM, MICHIGAN • 48012-1418
PHONE: 1 800 300 6652 (US) • FAX: 248 874 1046
WWW.STRANDMAG.COM
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R.L. Stine and Jeffery Deaver in the Summer issue of the Strand
The Strand will publish exclusive interviews with R.L. Stine and Jeffery Deaver in the Summer issue of the of the magazine.

The Strand is nominated for an Agatha...
Rhys Bowen's short story "Please Watch Your Step" which was first published in the Strand has been nominated for an Agatha Award.

Otto Penzler on the Strand Magazine...
In his weekly column for the New York Sun, Otto Penzler reviews the Strand Magazine, follow this link for the story.

http://www.nysun.com/article/71938

The Strand's Winter/Spring issue has an all star lineup!
Interviews with Sue Grafton and Elizabeth George, fiction by John Mortimer, Charles
Todd, Martin Edwards, and Terrence Faherty.

Ed Hoch (1930-2008)

Ed Hoch was a true gentleman. I read his stories when I was growing up and little did I know that I would have the honor to edit his fiction for the Strand. I remember seeing the television show Tales of the Unexpected in the '80s. One of the episodes was titled The Vorpal Blade, which was based on a Hoch story. That episode was gripping and made me a fan of his work. Ed knew of my admiration for the Vorpal Blade, so he wrote a similar story for the Strand which also involved the sport of fencing. He was close to the 1000 story mark--I wished he reached that milestone. I'll certainly miss chatting with him during the Edgar awards or Bouchercon and having the great pleasure to receive an email from him with one his stories attached.

Click here to decide the outcome of Randy Singer's upcoming mystery Justice Game

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Strand and Publisher's Weekly Partner on Newsletter
The Strand magazine will publish mystery book reviews from Publisher's Weekly in our weekly e-mail newsletter. That means that in addition to our regular content in our newsletter, subscribers will receive three-four mystery book reviews a week in their inbox.
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