Flash Fiction Contest for Magna Cum Murder

For those attending the popular Magna Cum Murder this weekend at the Columbia Club in Indianapolis, don't forget to enter the Flash Fiction Contest sponsored by Speed City Sisters in Crime.

Magna Cum Murder is an annual event for mystery writers and fans. This year's event is being held from Friday October 20 through Sunday October 22.  The event is hosted by Ball State University.

Here are the Rules for Speed City Sisters in Crime Flash Fiction contest:

• Submitted entries must be the original work of the contestant.
• Only one entry per contestant. May be typed or hand written. Submitted by 6:00 pm, 10/21/2017.
• Stories must be written in English. (And put your name on the submission!)
• Maximum length: 250 Words.
• Submitted stories must fall within a mystery genre AND contain a complete story arc.
• Stories must contain, at minimum:  1) a murder.  2) a dead body must be moved from where the death took place.
• Stories will be judged by a panel of Speed City SinC members.  Stories will be judged on originality, ability to convey the theme, readability, and mystery elements.  The decision of the judges is final.

Winner will receive a free one-year membership in Sisters in Crime (Nat’l and Speed City chapter) plus books written by Speed City authors.

Saturday, October 14: Great Day to Meet Speed City Sisters In Crime Authors

This Saturday is a great opportunity to meet our member authors at three events scattered around
Central Indiana.

Stephen Terrell and Russ Eberhart will be at the Indianapolis Author Fair at Indianapolis Public Library Central Branch. The event runs from 10:30 until 4 p.m.  Book signings are followed that evening by a dinner honoring Speed City member and award-winning thriller writer Lori Rader-Day.

Cheryl Shore, Diana Catt and MB Dabney will be signing books at the Greenwood Public Library Author Fair at Greenwood Public Library. The event runs from 1 p.m to 4 p.m

Janis Thornton, Brenda Stewart and Brigitte Kephardt will be signing books at the Elwood Chili Cook Off Food Festival in Elwood, Indiana.  The event runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Hope to see you at one of those events.

Book Review: Northwest Angle -- Another Cork O'Connor Mystery by William Kent Krueger

Northwest Angle by William Kent Krueger
Reviewed by Stephen Terrell

I'm a fan of the Cork O'Connor mystery series, and Northwest Angle is no exception. 

This eleventh book in the series starts with a derecho -- a horrific storm of straight line winds that occasionally sweeps across the prairies. In this case, it sweeps across Lake of the Woods on the US / Canada border, scattering the O'Connor family that is vacationing on the lake. When Cork's daughter Jenny finds herself on one of the thousands of islands in the Lake, she discovers a young woman's body and not far away an infant hidden in a covered hole.

The discovery kicks off the mystery that includes the infant, a mysterious Indian smuggler, a blind Indian wiseman, a reclusive religious group and a cast of quirky characters found on this isolated area that is the northernmost point of the contiguous 48 states. 

As with all of William Kent Krueger's books, it is well written, well paced, filled with tension and plot twists. The characters digress into discussions of religion and philosophy a little too much for my taste, and there is one death that seems a bit out of character and more of a plot point to simply the ending. But this is well worth picking up for a cozy ready on a brisk fall evening.