Short Story: “The Care and Feeding of Houseplants” in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

Ellery Queen has just published the first of two of my stories scheduled for 2013. “The Care and Feeding of Houseplants,” which appears in EQMM‘s March/April issue (on newstands in late January), delves into a  treacherous little love triangle—exploring the crisscrossed relationships through the memories and musings of each of the participants. And while I’ve been fortunate to have several stories published in the magazine in recent years, this is the first time my name has appeared on the cover. What a nice surprise and a terrific honor, especially in such fine company as Alison Gaylin, Clark Howard, Bill Pronzini (MWA Grand Master!), Cheryl Rogers, and Elizabeth Zelvin. Zowie! — Art Taylor

Review: Emily Winslow’s “The Start of Everything” in the Washington Post

An American author living in Cambridge, England, Emily Winslow has now published two mysteries set in her new home. The latest, The Start of Everything, follows five narrators to piece together a complex tale centered on the corpse of a young woman found caught in a fen sluice gate. Here’s the start of my review in today’s Washington Post:

Fr. Ronald Knox, a founding member of Britain’s famed Detection Club, concluded his 1929 “Decalogue” for detective fiction with this rule: “Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them.”

Despite being set in Cambridge and then in an English manor house, Emily Winslow’s second novel, The Start of Everything, is far removed from the Golden Age of British mysteries, but with the persistent doubling that dominates this intricately plotted tale, I could hardly help thinking about Knox’s rules. People are frequently mistaken for others. Pairs of objects play central roles (watches and sweaters, specifically). While no actual twins appear, the novel features two sets of brothers, and in one case the likeness between them provides both a poignant, unsettling scene of impersonation and a legacy of tension and trouble.

Read the full review here. — Art Taylor