BOUCHERCON 2017 // October 12 - 15
Toronto, Canada
For years now, I’ve been hoping to have a chance to attend Bouchercon, one of the world’s premiere crime fiction festivals. This year, I’m thrilled to finally have this chance! Later this week, I’ll be traveling to Toronto (my first-ever trip to Canada!) for Bouchercon 2017: Passport to Murder. Bouchercon changes locations every year - next year, it will be held in Florida - but I am so excited to finally have a chance to make my first trip to Canada - I truly can’t imagine a better reason to travel than this incredible festival!
With every single conference I attend, I always am blown away by the amazing opportunities to connect with authors and fellow readers, and Bouchercon will be no exception. The sheer volume of author appearances, panels, and events at this conference is exceptional: major authors from around the world including Ruth Ware, Ann Cleeves, Mark Billingham, Ragnar Jonasson, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Thomas Enger, Steph Broadribb, and many, many more will be in attendance! Bouchercon sounds like a crime reader’s heaven, and I cannot wait to share this experience with you. For all the details on Bouchercon, make sure to visit their website.
Read on for an overview of Bouchercon 2017, including a list of my most-anticipated panels and author appearances, and the conference “extras” I can’t wait to attend!
BOUCHERCON 2017 PREVIEW
There is an almost overwhelming (in the best possible way!) amount of activities to look forward to at Bouchercon 2017! Highlights from the weekend will include:
- Author Appearances: big-name authors including Ruth Ware, Megan Abbott, Louise Penny, Mark Billingham, Ragnar Jonasson, Christopher Brookmyre, and more!
- Panels: Bouchercon boasts some of the most exciting panels I’ve ever seen, covering topics from international crime to writing main characters and more.
- Anthony Awards: an annual (and highly esteemed!) set of crime writing awards handed out at Bouchercon every year.
- Special Events: everything form Noir at the Bar to a Pub Quiz Night and more!
BOUCHERCON 2017 MOST-ANTICIPATED AUTHOR APPEARANCES
Ruth Ware
One of my favorite psychological suspense writers, Ware’s books are somehow just always my cup of tea. I’ve never had the chance to hear her speak at an event before, so her Bouchercon appearance is definitely my most-anticipated!
Panel: UK Crime | Friday, 10/13, 10:00 AM | Sheraton E
Recent CBTB Coverage: Author Q&A | Review: THE LYING GAME
Emelie Schepp
Schepp is one of the hottest rising stars of Scandinavian crime fiction—and to make things even better, she and her husband are both so nice. I had the chance to meet them briefly at Horsens earlier this year, but I’m so looking forward to hearing her speak again!
Panel 1: Sweet Revenge | Friday, 10/13, 11:30 AM | Grand West
Panel 2: Writers Under 40 | Saturday, 10/14, 1:00 PM | Grand West
Recent CBTB Coverage: Author Q&A | Review: MARKED FOR LIFE
Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Iceland’s Queen of Crime, Sigurdardottir’s books are absolutely brilliant. Gritty, dark, and sometimes laced with ghost story-like elements, her books simply must be on your reading list. To top it all off, I’ve been lucky enough to get to know her over the past year, and she is an absolute inspiration!
Panel 1: Adapted For… | Thursday, 10/12, 2:30 PM | Sheraton E
Panel 2: Across the Ponds | Friday, 10/13, 5:00 PM | Sheraton E
Recent CBTB Coverage: Review: THE UNDESIRED
J.T. Ellison
I just read my first Ellison thriller this summer, and I absolutely loved it. Her writing has that perfect binge-able quality to it where you just want more of it. J.T. is an absolute superstar in the crime fiction world, and I am so looking forward to her panel!
Panel 1: Dark Minds | Thursday, 10/12, 5:30 PM | Seraton E
Panel 2: Writing With… | Saturday, 10/14, 8:30 AM | Grand Centre
Recent CBTB Coverage: Author Q&A | Review: LIE TO ME
Ragnar Jonasson
A perennial CBTB favorite. I have absolutely loved all the Dark Iceland books I’ve read, and am constantly recommending them! Jonasson’s book have a distinctly old-school feel to them - they combine an almost Agatha Christie-like plots with modern-day Iceland.
Panel 1: The Twisted Panel | Saturday, 10/14, 10:00 AM | Grand West
Panel 2: Northern Crimes | Saturday, 10/14,1:00 PM | Sheraton E
Recent CBTB Coverage: Review: RUPTURE
These are just a few of dozens upon dozens of amazing authors attending Bouchercon. This festival truly is outstanding in the sheer volume of incredible authors who will be in attendance! There are multiple panels nearly every hour of this festival, so be sure to check out the Bouchercon website to see all the authors in attendance, and view the detailed schedule for each day of the festival.
THE ANTHONY AWARDS
The Anthony Awards are a set of crime fiction awards handed out yearly at Bouchercon. They are named after the late Anthony Boucher, a well-known critic from the New York Times who helped found the Mystery Writers of America. For more information on the Anthony Awards, head over to the Bouchercon website!
The Anthony Award Nominees for 2017 are:
BEST NOVEL:
You Will Know Me – Megan Abbott [Little, Brown]
Where It Hurts – Reed Farrel Coleman [G.P. Putnam’s Sons]
Red Right Hand – Chris Holm [Mulholland]
Wilde Lake – Laura Lippman [William Morrow]
A Great Reckoning – Louise Penny [Minotaur]
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL:
Shot in Detroit – Patricia Abbott [Polis]
Leadfoot – Eric Beetner [280 Steps]
Salem’s Cipher – Jess Lourey [Midnight Ink]
Rain Dogs – Adrian McKinty [Seventh Street]
How to Kill Friends and Implicate People – Jay Stringer [Thomas & Mercer]
Heart of Stone – James W. Ziskin [Seventh Street]
BEST FIRST NOVEL:
Dodgers – Bill Beverly [Crown]
IQ – Joe Ide [Mulholland]
Decanting a Murder – Nadine Nettmann [Midnight Ink]
Design for Dying – Renee Patrick [Forge]
The Drifter – Nicholas Petrie [G.P. Putnam’s Sons]
BEST ANTHOLOGY:
Unloaded: Crime Writers Writing Without Guns – Eric Beetner, ed. [Down & Out]
In Sunlight or in Shadow – Lawrence Block, ed. [Pegasus]
Cannibals: Stories from the Edge of the Pine Barrens – Jen Conley [Down & Out]
Blood on the Bayou: Bouchercon Anthology 2016 – Greg Herren, ed. [Down & Out]
Waiting To Be Forgotten: Stories of Crime and Heartbreak, Inspired by the Replacements – Jay Stringer, ed. [Gutter]
BEST SHORT STORY:
“Oxford Girl” – Megan Abbott, Mississippi Noir [Akashic]
“Autumn at the Automat” – Lawrence Block, In Sunlight or in Shadow [Pegasus]
“Gary’s Got A Boner” – Johnny Shaw, Waiting to Be Forgotten [Gutter]
“Parallel Play” – Art Taylor, Chesapeake Crimes: Storm Warning [Wildside]
“Queen of the Dogs” – Holly West, 44 Caliber Funk: Tales of Crime, Soul and Payback [Moonstone]
BEST CHILDREN'S/YA NOVEL:
Snowed – Maria Alexander [Raw Dog Screaming]
The Girl I Used to Be – April Henry [Henry Holt]
Tag, You’re Dead – J.C. Lane [Poisoned Pen]
My Sister Rosa – Justine Larbalestier [Soho Teen]
The Fixes – Owen Matthews [HarperTeen]
BEST NOVELLA (8,000-40,000 words):
Cleaning Up Finn – Sarah M. Chen [All Due Respect Books]
No Happy Endings – Angel Luis Colón [Down & Out]
Crosswise – S.W. Lauden [Down & Out]
Beware the Shill – John Shepphird [Down & Out]
The Last Blue Glass – B.K. Stevens, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, April 2016 [Dell]
BEST CRITICAL NONFICTION WORK:
Alfred Hitchcock: A Brief Life – Peter Ackroyd [Nan A. Talese]
Letters from a Serial Killer – Kristi Belcamino & Stephanie Kahalekulu [CreateSpace]
Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life – Ruth Franklin [Liveright]
Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker – David J. Skal [Liveright]
The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer – Kate Summerscale [Bloomsbury/Penguin]
I am so excited to make the trip to Toronto for Bouchercon 2017! As always, I will be covering the festival on CBTB’s social media - make sure to follow me on Twitter & Instagram (@crimebythebook) for live updates all weekend long! And if you happen to live in Toronto or have visited there before, I would love any recommendations for bookstores, coffee shops, or any other must-see spots - feel free to leave those recommendations in the comments below! See you soon, Bouchercon! Xx A
I can’t even tell you how excited I am to be writing this blog post right now. After three long years since the last Iceland Noir in 2018, my favorite crime fiction festival is back!!! In less than two months, I’ll be heading to Reykjavik to attend my third Iceland Noir crime fiction festival—and this year, I’m going to be moderating some amazing panels as well as attending as a fan!! In this blog post, you can learn more about Iceland Noir, check out a preview of some of the authors who will be attending, and more!