Cover from Crimespree issue 1, June 2004
From The Editor
Brothers and sisters, let me speak to you today about the power.
The power that has shaped me into the man I am today. The power that has taken me to new places. The power that has brought me together with people from all over the world. The power that makes me think harder. The power that lights a fire inside of me.
And that power, brothers and sisters, is yours, too. If you are reading this, it’s because that power is near you, around you, in you. It’s the power of Mystery.
Power of Mystery, you ask? Oh yes. POWER!
Mysteries take you places you haven’t been, and introduce you to people you wouldn’t ordinarily meet. They can make you think about things you might never have thought about otherwise, give you ideas you would never have heard about.
And yes, I’m talking about the books. Of course I am. But I’m also talking about the mystery community. A community I never knew existed when I picked up my first 87th precinct novel from my mother’s headboard. A group of people, all connected by at least one common bond: a love of mystery. It drives us. It has power over us. And it gives us power. It is different people in different amounts, but it is there, brothers and sisters.
For me, the first real glimpse was when the mystery compelled me to stay up much too late on a school night, forcing me to finish the book in my hands. It pulled me to the school library, and then bookstores. But it has bigger powers, too. It gave me a focus when I quit drinking. Mystery became something to occupy my time and my mind when I was unsure what to do with myself. The power of mystery brought me to a gathering of others who have been touched by the power. A whole convention of them! And it was this same power that drew the woman I would marry to that same convention. The power of mystery brought my wife and me together. It drew me to the Internet. And lo and behold, even more of these people, gathering in chat rooms, and news groups, message boards. They put up websites devoted to the power. And because of this I’ve talked with people from around the world about mystery. We share our love of mystery with each other, and the piles of books we want to read grow and grow.
Because of this power I hug people I’ve never met in person before, only know through words on a screen. We exchange music and food. We share beverages and meals. We have a whole world full of people sharing something in common, over looking boundaries and political beliefs. We overlook all kinds of differences and come together in our common love of the mystery.
And while each person partakes of this limitless power in their own way, in the amount they need, it is there. And it has an effect on each and every reader of mysteries. This power has brought together a group of people to share what they love in this magazine. Not just looking at the books, but the people who write them, and the people who read them. The world of mystery is vast and contains many aspects. And what we hope to do with this periodical is to put a telescope to your eye and let you look into it a bit. But truth be told, it’s more of a kaleidoscope, changing its view with every twist and turn, letting you see things you might not have thought to look at.
And so I welcome you, dear reader, to join us in this, a celebration of the power of the mystery.
Jon Jordan
