Mystery News to Cease Publication with October/November 2009 Issue

The subject header says it all, but here is the letter that Chris Aldrich just sent out tonight:

It’s with a mixture of regret and relief that Lynn Kaczmarek and I announce that Mystery News will cease publication with the October/November 2009 issue. We are thrilled that Kate Stine and Brian Skupin, publishers of Mystery Scene, have graciously agreed to fulfill our outstanding subscriptions with issues of their well-known andhighly professional publication. And you may just find us in their pages in the future.

We knew from the beginning that publishing Mystery News would be a labor of love but between changes in our lives and the state of the economy, the labor has started to overpower the love. We’ve had a wonderful time over these past twelve years sharing our love of mystery and crime fiction, and becoming part of a community of readers and authors that have filled our hearts with friendship and the gift of wonderful stories.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed to Mystery News over the years, to our families and most of all, to our readers.

Mystery News was founded in 1982 by Patricia and Jack Schnell, and six years later was taken over by Harriet and Larry Stay, who published it for ten years before we revived it in 1997 under the banner of Black Raven Press. In 2001, Mystery News won the Anthony Award for Best Fan Publication at Bouchercon; we were also nominated for Anthony Awards in 2004, 2006 and 2007.

Mystery Scene was established in 1986 by writers Ed Gorman and Robert Randisi. Since being acquired  in 2002 by Kate Stine and Brian Skupin, the magazine has focused on informing readers about the best and most interesting work in the crime fiction field.

Mystery Scene has won the Anthony Award from the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention (2004), the Ellery Queen Award from Mystery Writers of America (2006), and the Poirot Award from the Malice Domestic Mystery Convention (2009).

I think it's fair to say that this is a real blow to the mystery community. There are a lot of magazines - a lot of great ones, professional and amateur - Mystery News really strove to keep track of what was happening in the community at large, spotlighting new authors with its "In the Beginning..." column, and the reviews written by fans for fans. So let's raise glasses, metaphorical for now and for real at Bouchercon, to Chris and Lynn for their yeoman's work, above and beyond, these last few years. Mystery News will be missed, but I look forward to seeing them contribute to Mystery Scene and staying a part of the general world of crime fiction.

Comments

[Sean Chercover]

Much thanks are due to Lynn and Chris!
This is sad news, indeed, but we will look for them in Mystery Scene.

[Leann Sweeney]

Sorry to hear this. Mystery News will be sorely missed but I understand the "regret and relief" phrase. Good luck to Lynn and Chris in their future endeavors.

Leann Sweeney

[Steven Torres]

Terrible news. Lynn and Chris have been very supportive of myself and untold others and their mag was top notch.

[Chris Aldrich]

Thanks for all the kind words. Lynn and I are looking forward to celebrating the next phase (whatever that turns out to be!) with everyone at Bouchercon. We're planning one last stint in the book dealer's room, this time sharing our space with Kate & Brian, and we'll still do our "Meet & Greet" sessions.