Who We Are

Who are we? Collectively, we are mystery/crime fiction readers from all over the map. A shared passion for the genre has drawn us together. 

 

Jon (Jon the Crimespree Guy) and Ruth Jordan (Ruth the Crimespree gal) are fans of the mystery genre going WAY back. They met at a mystery convention in 1999, getting married exactly a year later (and yes, they WERE introduced to each other by a wonderful Scottish author).  Since becoming a couple they have taken the love of all things mystery to new levels. They have each hosted a Bouchercon, Ruth in 2008 with Judy Bobalik in Baltimore and Jon in 2011 in St. Louis. They also help organize the annual Murder and Mayhem in Milwaukee held each November. When not running things Crimespree related they like movies, live music and travel, though these things usually end up being related to crime fiction. Both are on Twitter (@crimespreejon, @mrscrimespree) and on Facebook as Ruth Jordan and Crimespree Cats. Jon also has a bit of an obsession with Lego.

Ensconced in a haunted Victorian house made of books, cat fur and mismatched socks, Jennifer Jordan is writing and reading her way to Nirvana one word at a time. She edited the anthologies EXPLETIVE DELETED and UNCAGE ME!, and has her own fiction between a few anthology covers. She is currently hard at work breathing. She can be found on Facebook, where one never knows what will happen.

 

St. Paul native Jeremy Lynch has held a myriad of jobs, including radio DJ and jewelry repair. As an avid fan of music and movies, he was a natural choice for entertainment editor. He and his wife, Jill, also review some books, though when they find time is anyone’s guess… This is one busy couple! Jeremy is also on Twitter @MysterLynch.

 

Dan Malmon was launched from an exploding planet at a young age… No wait. Haunted by the murder of his parents in Crime Ally, he patrols the Gotham City night… Hold on. Wandering into an abandoned subway station, he met an ancient wizard who told him a magic word. But he wrote it on his palm, and then had to talk to a cute girl in English class. After the panic attack, the word read, “Shzzzmmm.” Needless to say, the boy is still a boy. And has to take the bus everywhere.

 

Kate Malmon: A stranger once invited me to a dinner party at a beautiful mansion in the hills. None of theguests were supposed to use our own name. Then, a murder happened. It was me. In the study with the candlestick. She and Dan edited an anthology called, “KILLING MALMON” with all the money going to MS research.

 

Elise Cooper holds a Bachelor’s Degree in history and a teaching credential in mathematics. She is an avid reader who enjoys most genres

but her favorites are mystery and thriller novels. For the past seven years she has written book reviews and Q/A’s whose interviews include best-selling and debut authors for various blogs. In addition for the last several years she has written numerous articles mostly dealing with national and homeland security issues.

 

In addition to writing for Crimespree Magazine, Tim Hennessy‘s work has appeared in Midwestern Gothic 

and The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel among other places. He lives and works in Milwaukee and rarely passes up bourbon or chili.

 

Bryan VanMeter: I am a lover of all things literary, but particularly of crime fiction. I read, I write, I eat. Kinda like that traveling chef guy, but with more books and less money. I have been with Crimespree for years now and love every minute of it. I currently live in New Orleans with my dog Booth, husband Kyle, my studies of literature at UNO stacks of books/LEGOS/Funko Pop figures.I am in the midst of my studies of literature at UNO.

 

 

Jo Kyle Schmidt (we call him Jo; you might call him Kyle) was discovered working

in a comics shop in Milwaukee while he finished his degree in film studies. He is a pop culture encyclopedia and a good guy to have around. He is also well versed in calligraphy, so while you may not see it on the web, his reviews look beautiful. He has also been a sheriff in the Punisher comics.

 

Erica Ruth Neubauer has been addicted to the mystery genre since she was a kid and someone put a Nancy Drew book in her hands.  Erica Ruth has spent 10 plus years in the military, two years as a cop and one year as a high school English teacher.  She has finally found her calling as an online bookseller, an author, and she dabbles in some photography: www.ericaruthphotography.zenfolio.com.  Erica Ruth lives in Milwaukee with her two cat—Mr. Darcy —and her husband Gunther, who pretends not to notice the ever-growing stacks of books.

Linda S. Brown was the Assistant Manager of The Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles for six years, where she leveraged her love of crime fiction into a position in which she developed and coordinated author events, acted as liaison with publishers and public relations firms, and coordinated media campaigns. Linda is now Book Lover at Large, reviewing and blogging about crime fiction at curiositybuilds.com, among others. She’s also a full-time mom.

Ayo Onatade is a member of the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain (CWA) and is currently Chair of the CWA Short Story Dagger. She has been reading crime fiction for nearly forty years. She also writes articles and gives papers on all aspects of the crime and mystery genre and has interviewed numerous authors including some of her personal favourites. Her eclectic tastes range from historical to hard-boiled, short stories, noir films and graphic novels of all kind. She also has a secret weakness for unusual pieces of jewellery, especially rings and necklaces and she also loves Gin. For her day job she works with senior Judges at the Supreme Court in London and specifically as the President’s PA.

Called a hard-boiled poet by NPR and the noir poet laureate by the Huffington Post, Reed Farrel Coleman

has published sixteen novels. He is a three-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year and a two-time Edgar Award nominee. Reed has also won the Macavity, Anthony, and Barry Awards. He is an adjunct professor of English at Hofstra University and a founding member of Mystery Writers of America University. He lives with his family on Long Island.

Frank De Blase  is an award-winning writer, photographer, ex-rockabilly crooner, social contrarian, and all-around troublemaker who always leaves room for dessert. His writing and photography has been published in CRIMESPREE,  LEG SHOW, LEG WORLD, SWANK, ULTRA, TEMPTRESS, RETRO LOVELY TABOO, OL’ SKOOL RODZ, CAR KULTURE DELUXE, REBEL INK, SKIN AND INK, URBAN INK, V MAGAZINE, DOWNBEAT, and CITY NEWSPAPER.

 

 

 

Craig McDonald is a globe-trotting bon vivant, raconteur, and sometimes man-of-mystery who chooses to make his home in an obscure part of central Ohio. He is the author of several novels and two works of nonfiction that have earned him nominations for the Edgar, Anthony, Gumshoe and Macavity awards, among others. His series of literary thrillers featuring crime novelist/screenwriter Hector Lassiter has been translated into numerous languages. The first of the Lassiter novels, HEAD GAMES, has being adapted as a graphic novel by First Second from a script by the author. McDonald has written standalone novels too, including 2011’s El Gavilan, about immigration tensions in a small Ohio town that is not secretly the author’s hometown of Grove City. McDonald is also an award-winning journalist and newspaper editor. His collections of candid interviews with major American and European crime and literary fiction authors include notable exchanges with James Crumley, Daniel Woodrell, James Sallis, Ken Bruen, James Ellroy and Walter Mosley, among many others. You can find him online at craigmcdonaldbooks.com

 

Rob Riley spent thirty-two years as a Milwaukee police officer: Seven years doing undercover narcotics investigations and twenty-two years as a major crimes detective. Of course, police work provided both the insight and inspiration for his PI mystery novel, Portrait Of Murder. Two additional novels that feature his main character, Private Investigator Jack Blanchard, have been completed.

 

 

 

Amy Alessio is a teen librarian for the Schaumburg Twnshp. Library in Illinois and has presented nationally on young adult library services. Her new co-authored title, A Year of Programs for Teens 2, is published by American Library Association Editions. Her book Mind Bending Mysteries for Teens was published in 2011. Her first young adult mystery, The High Ground, will be published in 2013. Learn about more mysteries and cookbooks she loves at amyalessio.com or vintagecookbooks.blogspot.com.

Ava Black is the pseudonym for an emerging author who creeps the cornfields by day and torments the

thesaurus by night. An active member of MWA, RWA, ITW, and SinC, she regularly attends Noir at the Bar and indie bookstores in search of twisted tales of darkness and peanut butter sandwiches. Coca-Cola and crime fiction keep her brain bent while insomnia keeps her keyboard clicking. Thankfully, the love of her life, Bucky, eases the loneliness of long nights with tail wags and face-licks.

 

 

Craig Sisterson I am a New Zealand features writer and book reviewer with a particular penchant for a well-told crime tale.