

The Hunt for the Beltway Snipers
If you lived in the D.C. Metro Area in October, 2002, you remember the terror you felt as the Beltway Snipers killed people randomly on...


Historical Research: Mining for Gold
I am sometimes asked to speak on historical research for writers because of my two historical novels, Shadow of the Rock and In...


Hawke's Discovery - A Study in Ethics
Beacon Junction, Vermont, is a small town with a small town newspaper, the Weekly Clarion, but the ethical issues confronting the editor,...
More Stories Than Gold
Last week, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) television channel featured a documentary on the thousands of reels of early films discovered in...


Museums - Gold Mines for Writers
Shabby row houses lined this block of Maryland Avenue, and a small sign identified one of them as The Dime Museum. Parking was easy—a...


Mystery Review: Abandoned Homes
Abandoned Homes: Vietnam Revenge Murders by Frank E. Hopkins looks back at the turmoil, deception, intrigue, and anger of the late...


Reading Florida
I once lived on a boat, sailed into Fort Lauderdale and stayed there for 15 years. I didn’t live at the Bahia Mar Marina like John D....
For Writers: Question (An) Authority
Former cop Mark Bergin spoke at the Chesapeake Chapter, Sisters in Crime, meeting in Bethesda, MD, on Saturday, June 2. His topic: What...
Mystery Genres Have Many Faces
In April I attended the 30th anniversary of Malice Domestic, an annual conference held in Bethesda of mystery authors and fans. I’ve...
The Golden Age of Mystery Writers
I just finished a three-hour class on Dorothy L. Sayers and her book, Gaudy Night. This is the book where Lord Peter Wimsey proposes to...