William Kent Krueger has been a Bouchercon favorite for years.  Krueger was on hand to promote his new Cork O'Connor novel, Spirit Crossing.  See him in person next year in Erlanger. He will give a book talk and sign books at the Erlanger branch on April 9, 2025.  

Panel programs are the heart of Bouchercon.  Attendees hear from favorite authors as well as newcomers. Here a panel of first-time authors greet their newest readers:

Books that made an impact and got plenty of notice include:

S.A. Cosby is Bouchercon regular and has written several bestselling mysteries. His newest book, All the Sinners Bleed won the Anthony Award for Best Novel at the Convention.

The Peacock and the Sparrow is a page-turning first novel by I.S. Berry. Her book is part of a trend of more female authors in the spy novel genre. 

Mick Herron's Slow Horses books have been made into a popular TV series starring Gary Oldman. He discussed this latest book, The Secret Hours.

Brad Thor, on the right, is interviewed by David Morrell, creator of the Rambo series.  Thor was on hand to promote Shadow of Doubt, his latest thriller.

Nancy Springer won the Anthony Award for Best Children's or Young Adult Mystery for Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose. Suitable for all ages, including adults, Springer's books feature Sherlock Holmes' long lost kid sister, Enola.  The books have been made into a TV series starring Millie Bobbie Brown. 

Rachel Howzell Hall's new thriller What Fire Brings generated a lot of buzz. 

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane is a mob mystery set in Boston in 1974.  Lehane did a solo interview at Bouchercon.  During his talk, he shared stories of writing for TV shows such as The Wire

Dennis Lehane

Nashville resident J. T. Ellison promoted her forthcoming thriller A Very Bad Thing  

Timothy Egan won the Anthony for Best Nonfiction for A Fever in the Heartland

Nina Simon won the Anthony Award for the Best First Novel for Mother-daughter Murder Night. 

Audiobooks and the Mystery genre are a great combination.  The convention featured a panel of leading narrators discussing their work:

Audiobook narrators and professionals at Bouchercon.  Left to right: Jessica Kaye, moderator; Andi Arndt, Marni Penning, Holly Adams, Amanda Stribling, and Brian Keany.  

Check out these and more mysteries in the Kenton County Public Library catalog.  

Love reading romance?  Love meeting your favorite authors and finding new authors to read?  Love to make new friends and see old ones?   

The Reader and Author Get Together, affectionately known as RAGT, was held on June 5th-8th. This annual event unites romance writers and fans for a fun weekend of crafts, autographs, and friends.  Nationally known romance writer Lori Foster, who lives in Greater Cincinnati, created this event and has hosted it for more than 20 years. For the past few years, it’s made its home at the Airport Holiday Inn, right here in Kenton County. RAGT 2025 has already been scheduled for June 18-21, 2025.  

Hundreds of attendees come from across the country to renew friendships, see their favorite authors, and meet up and coming writers, and raise funds for good causes.  

Plenty of big names attended this year’s event. Authors included: Lora Leigh, Jill Shalvis, Lori Wilde, Jenn McKinlay, RaeAnne Thayne, Nancy Naigle, and of course Lori Foster.   Prior years’ event bestselling authors such as: Carolyn Brown, Sylvia Day, Karen Marie Moning, J. R. Ward, Brenda Novak, among many others.  All in all, about 50 romance authors were on hand for this year’s RAGT.   

Lori Foster featured her newest book, The Love Shack. Copies of all books were for sale and could be autographed.  

Marni Penning, Lori Foster, and Jennifer Jill Araya, left to right.  Penning is also the co-founder of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.  Both Penning and Araya are successful audiobook narrators.  Penning has narrated several of Lori's bestselling audiobooks. 

Jill Shalvis is a familiar name to RAGT attendees. She was on hand to promote and sign copies of her newest books, including The Bright Spot. She has a fresh take on series fiction: “I promise these books truly stand alone.  They’re connected by setting, not characters,” her website states for this title and others in the same series.  Read in any order you like, in other words.   

Lori Foster, left, and Jill Shalvis at the 2024 Reader and Author Get Together. 

Priscilla Oliveras stands out for her books centered on Latinx culture. Her West Side Love Story and Kiss Me, Catalina spotlight the Mariachi music culture in San Antonio.  The first book follows a Romeo-and-Juliet theme with children of rival music families falling in love. The series continues with the youngest daughter romancing a famous Mariachi singer.

Jenn McKinlay’s Summer Reading will be welcomed by many readers, combining books & romance.     

Lori Wilde is the author of several Texas-based series. The latest in the Moonglow Cove series is The Wedding at Moonglow Bay. 

Jenn McKinlay, Lori Foster, and Lori Wilde, left to right, at this year's event. 

Photos courtesy of Lori Foster.