Trying to re-imagine the 1970s sitcom The Odd Couple as a comedy involving the police, I edited together several clips from different episodes. I then switched out the show’s familiar theme for one from 1970s TV cop show Starsky & Hutch.

And here you go:

About THE ODD COUPLE

Based on the 1965 play written by Neil Simon, this version of The Odd Couple aired 1970-1975 on the ABC broadcast network. The show starred Tony Randall as photographer (and neat freak) Felix Unger and Jack Klugman as sportswriter (and unbridled slob) Oscar Madison. Two of the series’ episodes—“Password” and “The Fat Farm”—made the list when TV Guide shared their picks for the 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.

Of course, there have been a number of times that the original The Odd Couple play has been adapted. There have been movies and other TV shows.

By the way, here’s the 1970s show’s opening titles with their actual theme music:

About STARSKY AND HUTCH

Meanwhile, the 1970s cop action TV show Starsky & Hutch was—in a way—also a comedy-drama about a pair of conflicting friends. The show starred Paul Michael Glaser as Starsky and David Soul as Hutch. They were a strong duo where the two were also very different personalities. It aired 1975-1979, also on ABC. In the years since, the show was adapted as both a video game and a movie.

And in case you want to hear their theme with the right people on the screen, here you go:

As an interesting side note, Starsky & Hutch had a surprising number of different themes during the mere four seasons it was on the air. So here’s a playlist with more examples of their opening credits.

More articles online:

• Q&A: KILLING EVE creator Luke Jennings on revisiting Villanelle for the “sheer joy” of it

• Coming Soon: I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT KINGDOM COME

• Substack spec fiction authors—including profiles and links ...

• 13 Authors Who Write Funny Crime Fiction

Thinking he knows the time and date for the return of Jesus, a man borrows a lot of money from a loan shark for one last fling. But the world fails to end on schedule--which could be a problem...

I plan to start serializing the book here soon. If you’re not yet a subscriber, click this button to stay up to date.

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The novel was originally published under the title Tribulation House in 2007. I’m going to be serializing an edited (i.e., “improved”) version of the book under the title I always wanted: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Kingdom Come.

Years ago, this book was part of an unfinished book series written for a religious publisher. It’s an ensemble book with interconnected stories following a confused churchgoer, two beleaguered cops, a pair of put-upon mobsters, and a well-meaning do-gooder running for election.

As I begin serializing it here at Substack, I’m hoping to also share some behind-the-scenes stuff. Like, maybe I’ll tell you why my publisher didn’t like the original title. And maybe I’ll tell you why this book was part of an unfinished series. And other stuff like that.

I also want to mention that I have brand new fiction that I’m also planning to serialize here at Substack. Which—in fact—will be way closer to what I do for the Monster Complex brand.

But I wanted to use Kingdom Come first while I’m figuring out this system. Back when it was published, I got a few nice endorsements:

In case we haven’t met, I’m now the chief at Monster Complex™, where I write about monsters and the people who hunt them and/or love them. I’ve also published crime fiction and religious fiction, plus worked in newspapers, magazines, and radio.

Chris from Monster Complex

Chris Well celebrates stories about monsters and the people who hunt them and/or love them.

By Chris Well

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ABOUT MONSTER COMPLEX:

Monster Complex™ explores monster fiction in all its forms—books, movies, TV, comic books, games, and anywhere else you can find stories about monsters and those who hunt them and/or love them. Whether it’s stories about science gone wrong, vampires, werewolves, spirits, folklore, mythology, cryptozoology, or anything of the like—Monster Complex™ will be right there with interviews, lists, roundups, and discussions.

Monster Complex™ is hosted by Chris Well, author and friend of monsters. (Well, the good ones.) Chris Well has been a writer pretty much his entire life. Over the years, he’s worked in newspapers, magazines, radio, and books. Now the chief of the website Monster Complex™, he celebrates monster stories in classic fiction and pop culture.

He has also started writing horror comedy stories that embrace Universal Monsters, 1960s sitcoms, 1980s action movies, The X-Files, and Marvel Comics.

“I hope readers enjoy being part of the Killing Eve community and world.”

Jennings talks about the espionage fiction that influenced him, the interesting way that he returned to the Killing Eve characters, and how he’s exploring the author platform Substack.

As I’m still getting to know the Substack platform, it’s been fun to find other authors also working with Substack. And while fiction authors are relative newcomers here, this looks to be a great place to begin sharing my own fiction in the days to come!

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It was also fun connecting with a fellow Substacker, the creator of Killing Eve! Check out my interview with him…

British author writes in a variety of styles—from fiction (including creating the spy series Killing Eve) to being a journalist and a dance critic. For his nonfiction, he has written for the likes of Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, The Observer, and Time.

His novels include the thriller Panic (where a group of friends suddenly find themselves on the run from the cops, the Russian mafia, and a cult); Breach Candy (about a recently retired ballerina and a wounded TV director researching a documentary); Beauty Story (about a young actress vanishing from a 16th-century castle where she was filming a fragrance commercial), and the Booker Prize-nominated Atlantic (set on a cruise ship in the post-war years).

Between 2014-2016, Jennings published a series of novellas that were later collected into the book Codename Villanelle. That collection inspired the BBC America TV show Killing Eve, which got a lot of attention and won awards.

Interestingly, the Killing Eve book series and the show soon went in different directions. The book’s sequel, Killing Eve: No Tomorrow, took the characters one way and the TV show took them somewhere else.

The book series continued with Killing Eve: Die For Me. The TV show ended with its fourth season.

Continuing with the Killing Eve books, Jennings is now serializing the book Killing Eve: Resurrection online at his Substack account.

He said on his author website:

“Villanelle lives! In the wake of the Killing Eve TV show, I promised to write a new adventure for our heroines. The novel is being serialized on Substack, and it's free. Catch up now!”

You can read the new novel HERE!

Below, I talk with author Luke Jennings about his wide range as an author, the espionage fiction that inspires him (including some of my own favorites), and his goals with the Killing Eve books. Below, you can also find out more about the earlier volumes in the series.

Thrill of it All uses Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (At no additional charge to you.)

Q: As I look at your author list, you’ve written different kinds of stuff in different places. How do you define yourself as an author?

I’ve been an author and journalist for three decades, and I guess I have an eclectic eye and ear. Fishing, ballet, espionage, murder... Is there a link? Something to do with symbolic activities and the secret life perhaps? I’m not sure.

It would probably have been more profitable to mine a single seam, but that’s not how it’s worked out. Perhaps it’s for others to say what sort of writer I am.

Q: Your Killing Eve series began as a set of novellas that were collected into the first book in the series. What inspired you to write these espionage stories? 

I’ve always been fascinated by spying, while knowing that I would be terrible at it. I'm hopeless at lying convincingly and can’t act to save my life. 

I’ve met and interviewed quite a few agent runners, intelligence officers and undercover operatives in the course of my journalism and research, and they make extraordinary subjects. But I wouldn’t want to be one. 

Q: What were your goals with the main characters? How do you define or explain the Killing Eve book series?

In Killing Eve I wanted to ask the question the Devil asks of Faust: If I give you everything you ever dreamed of, will you give me your soul?

Q: What are your favorite examples of espionage or even spy-fi? How did they impact how you write?

As a teenager I read and re-read Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels and a comic strip and fantasy thriller series by Peter O’Donnell called Modesty Blaise. Later, Len Deighton and John Le Carré.

Films I loved included The Ipcress File, Torn Curtain, Le Samouraï, and all the Hammer Horrors (most of which I snuck in to see underage). As a writer I want to give readers the same fun I had with these books and movies.

Q: How did your novellas lead to them making a TV show with your characters? How involved (if at all) were you with that process of making the show?

The first Villanelle story was published on Amazon, and read by an actors’ and writers’ agent who passed it on to Killing Eve’s eventual producers. It was one of those amazing, against-the-odds events.

I was involved at an early stage when Phoebe Waller-Bridge was adapting Codename Villanelle for the first series. She and I used to meet and talk.

There was a period—two months, three, I can’t remember—when Phoebe, myself, and the producers were hammering out the first series storyline. Thereafter, I wasn’t around much, although I did share my thoughts with each successive writing team.

Q: What’s interesting is that there’s a fork in the road where your fiction went one way and the show went another way. If I understand the timeline... both sides were still making stories and just went different ways. Did that affect your choices at all when you were writing your fiction?

The TV writers went off-canon from the second series onward. Novels can dwell with equal ease on characters’ interior and exterior states, but a TV series needs to sustain its momentum through image and incident, and in consequence has to manufacture plot at a much faster rate.

Each team of writers on Killing Eve (they changed with each season) had to play the hand dealt by its predecessors. None of this affected me. I knew where the books were going, and I took them there.

Q: Although the TV show has ended, you are currently sharing the new book KILLING EVE: RESURRECTION through your Substack platform. What are your goals with this story? 

I’m currently serializing Killing Eve: Resurrection on Substack. It’s a new Villanelle adventure I’ve created in the wake of the TV series finale. 

I’m writing it because I promised I would, but also for the sheer joy of being back with these characters. I hope readers share that feeling, and enjoy being part of the Killing Eve community and world.

You can read the new novel HERE!

Q: How were you introduced to Substack? What are your hopes for this platform to do for you as an author?

I’m new to Substack, and only checked in a couple of months ago. I like it here. Let’s see where it leads.

Q: Given your range of stuff you can write about... is your Substack profile just a platform for your spy fiction or do you use it for more than that? What are your hopes for this place?

I’ve got other projects on the go but Substack will continue to be the home of Eve and Villanelle, and of my parallel project: How to Write Killer Prose. I’m already planning a sequel to Resurrection.

Q: What are the best ways for readers to connect with you and keep track of news and updates from you?

Readers can find me at killingeve.substack.com See you there!

Find Luke Jennings Online

• Substack

• Amazon author page

• Author website

• Goodreads

Complete Killing Eve books

Codename Villanelle (Killing Eve #1)

The breakneck thriller that inspired TV sensation Killing Eve, starring Sandra Oh, “unlike any other spy drama you’ve seen” (Daily Beast).

Villanelle (a codename, of course) is one of the world’s most skilled assassins. A catlike psychopath whose love for the creature comforts of her luxurious lifestyle is second only to her love of the game, she specializes in murdering the world’s richest and most powerful. But when she murders an influential Russian politician, she draws a relentless foe to her tail. 

Eve Polastri (not a codename) is a former MI6 operative hired by the national security services for a singular task: to find and capture or kill the assassin responsible, and those who have aided her. Eve, whose quiet and otherwise unextraordinary life belies her quick wit and keen intellect, accepts the mission. 

The ensuing chase will lead them on a trail around the world, intersecting with corrupt governments and powerful criminal organizations, all leading towards a final confrontation from which neither will emerge unscathed. Codename Villanelle is a sleek, fast-paced international thriller from an exciting new voice in fiction.

Find Codename Villanelle on Amazon

No Tomorrow (Killing Eve #2)

Eve and Villanelle plan for a high-stakes showdown in this sophisticated follow-up to the spy thriller that inspired the hit TV series Killing Eve.

“If you want us to remain silent—if you want to retain your freedom, your job, and your reputation—you need to tell us everything, and I mean everything…”

We last saw Eve and Villanelle in a spy vs. spy race around the world, crossing powerful criminal organizations and dangerous governments, each trying to come out on top. But they aren’t finished yet.

In this sequel to Killing Eve: Codename Villanelle, former M16 operative Eve reveals a new side to her strengths, while coming ever closer to a confrontation with Villanelle, the evasive and skilled assassin…

Find No Tomorrow on Amazon

Die For Me (Killing Eve #3)

Following the wildly popular BBC America adaption of Codename Villanelle, a high-stakes, addictive installment of Jennings's acclaimed Killing Eve series.

Though the cat and mouse chase between these two lethal adversaries has seemingly ended, the sophisticated, deadly thrill of Eve and Villanelle's relationship is far from over. Told in Jennings’s stylish prose, Killing Eve: Endgame is another page-turning chapter in the espionage exploits of Eve and Villanelle.

Find Die For Me on Amazon

Resurrection (Killing Eve #4)

“When my transgressive heroine came to a sticky end on screen, many Killing Eve fans felt cheated,” author Jennings explained in the pages of The Guardian. “Now they can pick up her story again—this time for free.”

Deciding that steering a new Villanelle adventure through conventional publishing would take too long, he chose to instead share Resurrection though Substack. “I knew very little about Substack, but a couple of hours’ research was enough to tell me that the online publishing platform was the right home for my own book. Vitally, I could offer it for free, which I felt I owed readers in return for their loyalty.”

You can read the new novel HERE!

Still To Come: Killing Eve #5

As Jennings said in our interview above, he is already planning the fifth book! Details to come! (Keep track of his updates here.)

Other stuff I’ve posted

1. Substack spec fiction authors—including profiles and links to fiction and articles

2. 13 Authors Who Write Funny Crime Fiction

3. Did DRACULA copy ANOTHER vampire from a DIFFERENT book?

4. Interview: Horror author Stephen Graham Jones: “The slasher is my one true love.”

5. Alicia Ellis’ complete Flesh and Metal: This bionic woman fiction series for the modern age pushes SO MANY buttons

6. How the author of FRIGHT NIGHT is expanding the world of the original vampire movie

7. Urban Fantasy author Jessica Cage: Bringing Diversity to Diverse Genres

8. Women’s Work and Paranormal Fiction: Author Dana Fredsti (Lilith Series)

9. Author Q&A Kiran Manral on More Things in Heaven and Earth: “Sometimes trying to get closure can open fresh wounds.”

10. D.M. Guay: Horror Author Q&A—“My goal is to hope like hell it will make readers laugh.”

11. Top 70 Horror Authors and Their Work

12. Urban Fantasy Showcase: 100 Authors To Know and Their Works

13. Zombie Q&A—Isaac Marion: “George Romero tried to touch on the humanity of the zombies.”

Here’s a classic post that originally went live back on my original Thrill of It All blog back in 2013. (It has been revised, don’t worry.)

From the modern Knives Out movies and classic Thin Man movie series to TV shows like Monk and Psych, we have seen that mysteries don’t have to be depressing. This post, I’m sharing a list of authors who often find the funny side of crime fiction, suspense and mysteries.

This current list includes authors Gregory McDonald, Elmore Leonard, M.C. Beaton, Christopher Fowler, Donald Westlake, Rex Stout, Janet Evanovich, Robert B. Parker, Carl Hiaasen, and Lawrence Block. To freshen up the list, I’ve also added a few more recent authors who come with high recommendations—including Elle Cosimano, Donna Andrews, and Lee Goldberg.

Who would YOU add to this list? Let me know in the comments below!

Thrill of it All uses Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (At no additional charge to you.)

13 Authors Who Write Funny Crime Fiction

Gregory Mcdonald (1937-2008)

Former journalist and mystery writer Gregory Mcdonald is best remembered for writing the Fletch mysteries—featuring wisecracking investigate reporter Irwin Maurice Fletcher (i.e., “Fletch”). The character made his literary debut in the 1974 novel Fletch, which won an Edgar Award (“Best First Novel”) from the Mystery Writers of America.

In fact, the 1976 sequel, Confess, Fletch, also won an Edgar Award (“Best Paperback Original”). This was the first time (is it still the only time?) that a novel and its sequel won back-to-back Edgar Awards.

Although the subsequent books in the Fletch (and Son of Fletch) series varied in quality, the original two novels are wonderful—and hilarious. The prequel novel Fletch Won is also pretty great.

And, of course, there have been three noteworthy movies about Fletch. These include the 1985 movie Fletch (based on the original novel), starring Chevy Chase as the title character. Chase also starred in the 1989 sequel Fletch Lives, which was not based on any of the books—although, to be honest, I liked it a lot. (More than some of the other books, in fact.)

The 2022 movie Confess, Fletch was based on Mcdonald’s 1976 novel of the same name. This one starred Jon Hamm as Fletch, and followed the book very faithfully.

By the way, the original book Confess, Fletch introduced the brilliant but eccentric Inspector Francis Xavier Flynn. He went on to star in his own series of funny mysteries.

• Find Gregory Macdonald novels on Amazon

• Find the Fletch movies on Amazon

Final complaint: If you look at the Fletch DVDs, one of the designers clearly had NO IDEA what the movies were about. Just sayin’.

Elmore Leonard (1925-2013)

Crime writer Elmore Leonard wrote many distinctive crime novels, several of which have been adapted to the movies and TV. Novels that led to adaptations have included Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Rum Punch (made into the movie Jackie Brown).

Leonard was a novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His earliest novels, in the 1950s, were Westerns. But he soon moved on to crime fiction and suspense fiction (some of which seems an awful lot like modern-day Westerns).

He was a master of creating quirky characters and snappy dialogue. In fact, several of Leonard’s memorable characters have found their way to the screen: Justified‘s U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (introduced in the novel Pronto), Chili Palmer (Get Shorty and Be Cool), U.S. Marshal Karen Sisco (Out of Sight), and Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara (The Switch).

• Find Elmore Leonard books on Amazon

  

M.C. Beaton (1936-2019)

Prolific author Marion Chesney, under the name of M. C. Beaton, wrote mysteries—including the detectives stories starring Hamish Macbeth, a police constable in the fictional village of Lochdubh, found in the Scottish Highlands. He made his debut in the 1985 novel Death of a Gossip.

Although Hamish is generally considered to be lazy, he often finds himself embroiled in solving one crime or another—and working at odds with his superiors to get to to the truth. There are three-dozen novels in the series.

Hamish Macbeth was loosely adapted into a TV series. Although the show is quite different from the books, it has its own quirky charm and is also worth checking out.

Find Hamish Macbeth books on Amazon

Find Hamish Macbeth TV show on Amazon

Christopher Fowler (1953-2023)

British thriller writer Christopher Fowler wrote numerous horror, satire, and crime novels. His most famous creation would be the Peculiar Crimes Unit mysteries starring crotchedy old investigators Arthur Bryant and John May. They made their debut in Full Dark House: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery.

Their team is responsible for solving seemingly impossible crimes. However their, well, unusual investigative techniques often put them at odds with the more traditional police and their government superiors.

Donald Westlake (1933-2008)

With more than a hundred books—written under more than a dozen pen names—to his credit, Donald Westlake wrote a great deal of crime fiction, with the occasional side trip into other genres. The three-time Edgar Award winner wrote a series of caper novels starring career criminal John Dortmunder.

The character practically came about by accident: Westlake was writing the next installment of his Parker series—which he wrote under the pen name Richard Stark—but the novel started to get too, well, zany. Westlake decided the whole thing was too funny to work for Parker.

As such, he rewrote the novel with a cast of bumbling but likable robbers. That original novel, The Hot Rock (1970), led to a series of novels and short stories starring hard-luck professional thief Dortumunder. The Hot Rock was adapted into a 1972 caper comedy starring Robert Redford and George Segal. It’s a funny movie, yet somehow not quite as over-the-top as the source material.

P.S.—By the way, I love the Parker books, too. But those are crime caper books that are very serious.

Find the Dortmunder novels on Amazon

Rex Stout (1886-1975)

A novelist and pulp writer, Rex Stout (1886-1975) is most remembered today as the creator of the Nero Wolfe Mysteries, starting with 1934′s Fer-de-Lance. Wolfe is an armchair detective from the Golden Age school of mysteries, while his assistant, Archie Goodwin, is a two-fisted detective from the school of pulp fiction.

Their dueling points of view on each case—retold through the sardonic lens of Goodwin’s narration—was a driving force behind the series longtime popularity. The series was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century, and the author nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century. The series has also been adapted a nunber of times in different formats.

When the novels were republished in new editions a few years ago, a who’s who among mystery writers stepped up to write all-new introductions, including Robert B. Parker, Lawrence Block, and Walter Mosley.

Find Nero Wolfe Mysteries on Amazon

Janet Evanovich

Starting out as a romance writer, Janet Evanovich really hit her stride with the creation of Stephanie Plum, a New Jersey girl who loses her job as a lingerie buyer…and becomes a bounty hunter to make ends meet. Kicking off with One for the Money (1994), the series feature adventures and romance in equal measure, with a large supporting cast that includes Stephanie’s family, co-workers, and the members of the community where she grew up.

Said to be a “spunky combination of Nancy Drew and Dirty Harry,” the female bounty hunter was described by Evanovich as “incredibly average and yet heroic if necessary.”

As of this writing, Stephanie Plum has been in at least 30 novels, four holiday novellas, and a short story. There was also a movie: Katherine Heigl starred as Plum in the 2012 film One for the Money, which adapted the first book.

Find the Stephanie Plum books on Amazon

Lee Goldberg

Although Lee Goldberg has written a number of books, right now we’re applauding his several original mysteries inspired by the comedy mystery TV show Monk. As both an experienced TV writer as well as a novelist, Goldberg was the ideal candidate to write fifteen official Monk novels. (Once he moved on to other things, there were a few novels by another author.)

By the way, his TV resume also includes working in one way or another with shows like Diagnosis Murder, Nero Wolfe, Martial Law, Spenser: For Hire, Hunter, The Glades, and more. In fact, his mystery writing for television earned him two Edgar Award nominations from the Mystery Writers of America. He was also the 2012 recipient of the Poirot Award from Malice Domestic.

Fun side note: Goldberg and Janet Evanovich (who we just talked about) co-wrote the Fox and O'Hare series.

Find Lee Goldberg’s Monk novels on Amazon

Robert B. Parker (1932-2010)

In his career, Robert B. Parker (1932-2010) published nearly 70 books—including mysteries, westerns, and YA titles. His best-known series starred a private investigator named Spenser—just “Spenser”—a modern-day update of the type of smart-mouth, tough-guy detective modeled by the likes of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe.

However, Spenser turns out to be pretty complex for a smart-mouth, tough-guy: He’s an ex-boxer who is also quite erudite, philosophical, and who maintains a relationship with one woman. Following Parker’s death in 2010, the Spenser series was resumed by author Ace Atkins.

There are more than 50 books in the Spenser series!

Here’s a three-in-one collection that makes an excellent character introduction: A Triple Shot of Spenser (Spenser Mysteries)

Find the Spenser books on Amazon

Carl Hiaasen

Drawing on his longtime experience as a newspaper reporter, Carl Hiaasen’s Florida-based crime fiction often revolves around oddballs, greedy low-lifes, and the bizarre schemes that can pull them together.

Hiaasen’s memorable characters include:

• Clinton Tyree, a.k.a. Skink, a crusading environmentalist, road-kill cooking, ex-governor (seen in the Skink series, including the novels Native Tongue, Squeeze Me, and Stormy Weather);

• Honey Santana, the impassioned and bipolar “queen of lost causes” who takes it upon herself to teach a telemarketer a lesson (Nature Girl);

• Chaz Perrone, a marine biologist on-the-take who unsuccessfully tries to murder his wife over what turns out to be a misunderstanding (Skinny Dip);

• and Ricky Bloodworth, an ambitious but idiotic newspaper reporter who lacks any of the necessary skills to do his job—and inadvertently becomes the accidental victim of an incompetent terrorist (Tourist Season).

Find Carl Hiaasen books on Amazon

Lawrence Block

Award-winning crime writer Lawrence Block has been writing mysteries and suspense for decades. These include the long-running series featuring burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. Block has actually written about lots of different characters in his crime fiction over the years—having published more than 100 books. He was also named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1994.

The character of burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr debuted in Burglars Can’t Be Choosers (1977). He was introduced as a New York City-based thief who excels in lockpicking and breaking and entering. Unfortunately, during some jobs he would stumble across a dead body—and then have to solve the murder just to clear his name.

Later in the series, Bernie becomes the owner of a used bookstore in Greenwich Village…and now has to burgle so he can pay for the upkeep.

As of 2022, the burglar and crime solver had appeared in at least a dozen books, including a few short stories. He was also portrayed in the 1987 movie Burglar by… Whoopie Goldberg. (Actually, I liked the movie in some ways. Even if the casting choice was a bit odd.)

Find the Bernie Rhodenbarr books on Amazon

Elle Cosimano

Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano’s witty, fast-paced Finlay Donovan mystery series follows a struggling suspense novelist and single mom turned-amateur-sleuth whose fiction begins to tread dangerously close to the truth. Author Cosimano is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, an International Thriller Writers Award winner, and an Edgar Award nominee. Elle’s debut novel for adults, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, kicked off a witty, fast-paced contemporary mystery series, which was a People magazine pick and was named one of New York Public Library's Best Books of 2021. The fourth book in the series—which at the time of this writing is just now coming out!—is Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice (Finlay Donovan Series #4).

Donna Andrews

Donna Andrews’ “hilarious” Meg Lanslow mystery series stars a successful decorative blacksmith and exceptional amateur sleuth. This mystery series is now at more than 30 books—and has won Agatha, Anthony and Lefty Awards.

Andrews has also won Barry Awards, an RT Book Reviews Award for best first novel, and two Toby Bromberg Awards for “funniest mystery.” She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Novelists, Inc.

Find Meg Lanslow mysteries on Amazon

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