The Crime Lady: Long Overdue, and Some News

Dear TCL Readers:

Hi, it’s been a while. January was…well, it seemed like every time I thought about writing a newsletter, there would be an insurrection or an impeachment (or a trial) or an inauguration or a short squeeze or more mass death and anger-inducing news. Book revisions continued, and there were other deadlines. It was a long month, after an extremely long year, with many more long months ahead (though all of the vaccine news is mostly very good, and I remain hopeful about that over the coming months.)

The other reason for the delay is to bring some news: I am succeeding Marilyn Stasio as the Crime columnist for the New York Times Book Review, and the first column appears in this Sunday’s edition (and is online today). In it, I review new releases by Walter Mosley, Belinda Bauer, Catie DiSabato, and Elle Cosimano. The column will run every other week, and I could not be more delighted to have Tina Jordan as my editor, and to grace the pages of the NYTBR on a regular basis.

I write these words and still the news hasn’t sunk in. There isn’t enough gratitude to express, stepping in the shoes of Stasio (who will still write for the paper after an iconic 3-decade-plus run with the column), “Newgate Callendar” (aka Harold C. Schonberg), Allen Hubin, and Anthony Boucher, the original “Criminals At Large” columnist. It’s also a development I’ve been working towards for my entire career, as this 2017 profile of Marilyn pretty obviously foreshadowed, in hindsight?

It does mean there will be changes afoot, and I’d like to discuss them.

First, I won’t be reviewing or blurbing crime fiction anymore. I’d more or less stopped doing that last year, but now it is official. I’ll still be able to review crime nonfiction and other genres elsewhere (see, for example, my review of Justin Fenton’s forthcoming book We Own This City in last weekend’s Wall Street Journal) but blurbs are on hold for now. When I’m available to blurb again, requests must be made through my agents.

Book publicists and editors who subscribe to TCL: I am on NetGalley, and will be requesting galleys primarily through there (auto-approving would be most appreciated, and I thank the publishers who have already done so!)

As the first Crime columnist to have a social media presence, it also means I must shift that presence to conform with NYT social media policy. Which is fine; I’m glad this is happening in February 2021, and I’d rather be paid for my opinions, anyway.

I don’t know what this will mean for attendance at future crime fiction conventions. Stasio was once very active in the mystery fan community, but pulled back almost entirely when she started at the NYTBR (something she spoke about at the memorial service for Evan Hunter in October 2005, an eloquent speech I will never forget). I don’t plan on being invisible, but over the last few years, attending Bouchercon was pretty much split between publisher obligations and hanging out with my friends, and the pandemic has moved everything online, anyway. So we’ll see.

Which brings me to the newsletter itself. I’ve loved doing it, and it’s also clear my bandwidth for keeping it a regular publication is pretty slim, and about to get slimmer. There are niche topics I still want to write about for subscribers, though. And I’ll still send out updates announcing new publications (I do have a book out next year, and more projects in the works, after all) and a stray recommendation or two.

Bear with me, then, as I embark on another new adventure in the world of crime. I’m excited for what the future holds, and to read and write about crime fiction on a regular basis again.

Also, happy birthday to me.

Until next time, I remain,

The Crime Lady