Pretty Sinister in Translation

Just a quick note for any of the Spanish language readers out there.  There is a new translation of Wild Justice by George A Birmingham.  Espuela de Plata based in Seville has been translating into Spanish then reprinting many English language Golden Age detective novels and thrillers since around 2017.  Some of the books have been reviewed here including The Medbury Fort Murder,  The Colfax Book-plate and Wild Justice. I've been in correspondence with the translator Antonio Gonzalez Lejarraga several times over the past four years helping him locate copies of books and providing information on authors. Most recently he asked permission to translate and include my blog review of Wild Justice in his newly translated reprint released as Justicia Salvaje (Espuela de Plata, 2026). The entire blog post was translated into Spanish and appears as an afterword in the new edition.

For those of you who read Spanish I highly recommend checking out their translated mystery novels. Among them are two classics with Inspector Hanaud by A.E.W. Mason,  The Hymn Tune Mystery (La partituta misterioso) also by Birmingham,  Fast Company (Libros peligrosos) by Marco Page, The Colfax Book-plate (El Exlibris de Colfax) by Agnes Miller --a very scarce book in its original English version, BTW-- and all three detective novels by George Limnelius, all of which are also extremely scarce in the original English editions. You can find all eleven detective novels and thrillers released by this publisher at their website: Editorial Renacimiento.

The link above will take you to what I thought was all the mysteries in translation but I couldn't make the search button pull those up on one page because some of the mystery novels are not tagged as "policiaca" but rather "narrativa".  You'll have to enter those author names individually in the search bar to pull up the other books. The remaining authors are:  R.T.M. Scott, A.E.W. Mason, Agnes Miller, Miles Burton, and Marco Page. Birmingham's other book is tagged as "narrativa" also.

I received two copies of the book and I'm willing to send out one of those copies to anyone who asks for it. No contest this time.  UPDATE: The copy was claimed very quickly! Mailing it today (Aug. 28). Please do not email or ask for it in the comments. 

The Pretty Sinister Influence, or News on Reprints & Reissues

Lots of news on my overwhelming influence in getting books back into print.  OK, that's an exaggeration.  But suggestion and influence seem to commingle these days.

First. the Bruce Graeme Project of reissuing the Theodore Terhune mystery books continues with the release of the third title from Moonstone Press: A Case for Solomon.

It's been on sale since the beginning of this month at various internet sites in the UK and should be available from the US based Amazon very soon. At Book Depository the listing for this book does not have Bruce Graeme's name as the author, but instead has mine as the author of the introduction. Oops! But my often bruised ego doesn't mind that at all.

The rest of the Terhune mysteries will follow in quick succession:
Work for the Hangman in September, Ten Trails to Tyburn in October, A Case of Books in November, And A Bottle of Rum in December.

A few months ago Stark House sent me a copy of their latest Black Gat paperback reprint of Tears for Jessie Hewitt by Edna Sherry. I was surprised and happy to see this back in print. Back in 2019 I reviewed Sherry’s novel and had good things to say about it. For those of you who like noir fiction it comes recommended. A snippet from my blog post appears inside the book as the last laudatory blurb. You can read my full review on Tears for Jessie Hewitt here.  

Out of curiosity I wanted to what else Greg Shepherd had reprinted in his Black Gat imprint. These are single, smaller books in old-fashioned 4.25" x 7" size rather than his 2-for-1 volumes in larger trade paperback size. Imagine my delight when I saw this:

Yet another book I raved about on this blog.  And there's a portion of my rave right on the front cover! If you want to read the rest of the review for So Young, So Wicked click here.

Saving the best news for last.  The long awaited reprint of Pray for the Dawn by Eric Harding will soon be out from our good friends at Ramble House.  As soon as I get my copy I'll be sure to let everyone know it’s available for purchase.  In quirky style so suited for Ramble House Pray for the Dawn will have an Afterword by Yours Truly rather than a foreword.  With an afterword I was able to talk about all sorts of surprise elements in the book without worrying about ruining the story for anyone. 

Expect book giveaways and fun contests to win copies when the Moonstone and Ramble House books are ready for sale.

Calling All Mystery Mavens!

Have you ever wanted to be a collaborator?  Here’s your chance. I am, in a word, stuck.

I’m having difficulty finishing some research for a piece that will appear in a new reprint come Spring 2021. My brain is in a fog, my internet searches have turned up little, my reference books are lacking in a cross reference for a specific subgenre. Now I find myself as a last resort turning to my fellow readers and experts for help. Here’s your chance to be a research assistant. No pay, folks, just the minor boost to your ego and my undying gratitude.

Please let me know of any detective novels prior to 1950 that feature as the main story a murder by proxy plot. This is a story in which someone commits a murder for someone else, often the story will include the murder trade-off: “You kill this person for me and I’ll kill someone for you.” This is not the same as a character hiring a hitman to do a murder. No money is exchanged at all. The best known example is Strangers on a Train, but I know for a fact it is not the first mystery novel to use this now very well-known plot device. On my own I came up with only two obscure titles by little known writers, but I would like to know of any others preferably by better known, recognizable names.

So please leave your suggestions in the comments below. Give me the title, author, publication date, and the main plot in summary. Thanks in advance for your help. You may see your efforts in print in 2021!