Call For Papers: BIPOC Female Detectives (Theme Issue of Clues: A Journal of Detection)

 

BIPOC Female Detectives 

(Theme Issue of Clues: A Journal of Detection) 

Guest Editor: Sam Naidu, Rhodes University, South Africa 

Seeking to illuminate an often marginalized space, this Clues theme issue will focus on female detectives who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color); span eras, genres, and geographical locations; and appear in texts, TV programs, films, and other media. Of particular interest are intersections among race, indigeneity, gender, age, class, or sexuality in these works, as well as projects that center BIPOC scholarship. 

Some Suggested Topics: 

• • BIPOC female detective figures in African and Asian crime fiction, such as in works by Leye Adenle, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Angela Makholwa, and Jane De Suza. 

• BIPOC female detectives in hard-boiled and traditional mysteries that might include characters such as Carolina Garcia-Aguilera’s Lupe Solano, Eleanor Taylor Bland’s Marti MacAlister, Leslie Glass’s April Woo, Sujata Massey’s Rei Shimura and Perveen Mistry, Marcia Muller’s Sharon McCone, Barbara Neely’s Blanche White, S. J. Rozan’s Lydia Chin, Valerie Wilson Wesley’s Tamara Hayle and Odessa Jones, and Paula L. Woods’s Charlotte Justice. 

• BIPOC female detectives in film and television series such as Get Christie Love! (1974–75, TV movie 2018), Angie Tribeca (2016), and Black Earth Rising (2018). 

• BIPOC female detectives in comics and graphic novels such as Storm and Misty Knight of Marvel Comics, Martha Washington of Dark Horse Comics, and Vixen of DC Comics. 

• BIPOC female sidekicks such as Janet Evanovich’s Lula, or Elementary’s Joan H. Watson, or BIPOC detecting teams such as those in Cheryl Head’s Charlie Mack series or Ausmat Zehanat Khan’s Inaya Rahman series. 

• BIPOC female detectives of male authors such as Kwei Quartey, Deon Meyer, and Alexander McCall Smith. 

• Analyses of historical BIPOC female detectives in crime fiction such as that in Pauline E. Hopkins’s Hagar’s Daughter (1901). 

• Queering the BIPOC female detective. 

• Relationships between BIPOC female detectives and criminals/criminality. 

Submissions should include a proposal of approximately 250 words and a brief biosketch. Proposals due: April 30, 2023. Submit proposals to: Prof. Sam Naidu, email: s.naidu@ru.ac.za. Full manuscripts of approximately 6,000 words based on an accepted proposal will be due by September 30, 2023. 

About Clues: Published biannually by McFarland & Co., the peer-reviewed Clues: A Journal of Detection features academic articles on all aspects of mystery and detective material in print, television, and film without limit to period or country covered. It also reviews nonfiction mystery works (biographies, reference works, and the like) and materials applicable to classroom use (such as films). Executive Editor: Caroline Reitz, John Jay College/The CUNY Graduate Center; 

Managing Editor: Elizabeth Foxwell, McFarland & Co. 

Clues Website: https://sites.google.com/site/cluesjournal/ 

In The St Hilda's Spotlight - Leye Adenle

 

Name:- Leye Adenle

Job:- Author, business and personal coach who has also appeared on stage in London

Website:- http://leyeadenle.com

Twitter: - @LeyeAdenle

Introduction:-

Leye Adenle comes from a family of writers. His novel Easy Motion Tourist was the winner of the first ever Prix Marianne in 2016. His short story The Assassination (which was published in the anthology Sunshine Noir) was a finalist for the CWA 2016 Short Story Dagger. He is currently writing the fourth book in the Amaka series.

Current book? (This can either be the current book that you are reading or writing)

I’m currently working on the fourth book in my Amaka Thriller Series. The current working title is AMAKA.

Favourite book

The Palm Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola

Which two characters would you invite to dinner and why? 

Jack Reacher and Lisbeth Salander. Why? I find them both very intriguing and I want to see how they get along. 

How do you relax?

Long walks

Which book do you wish you had written and why? 

The Spy Who Came in from The Cold by John Le Carré I think it’s a perfect thriller. 

What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as a writer.

Trust yourself. Have fun. It all works out in the end. You got this. 

How would you describe your latest published book?

Magical. The Beautiful Side of the Moon (Ouida Press 2022) is a speculative fiction thriller in which a Nigerian is called upon to save the world.

With Town and Country: Green Lanes to Mean Streets being the theme at St Hilda's this year, Where is your favourite town and where is your favourite country? Why have you chosen these?

Lagos, Nigeria. It’s the craziest, most fun, most colourful, most accommodating, most unpredictable city I’ve ever lived in. 

What are you looking forward to at St Hilda's?

Friends and readers!

The Beautiful Side of the Moon (Ouida Press 2022)

In which a Nigerian saves the world. Drawing on age-old African story-telling traditions, modern science-fiction and contemporary thriller writing, The Beautiful Side of the Moon conjures up an entirely new way of seeing the world. The central character, Osaterin, thinks he is just a modest IT guy living in Lagos – but it turns out he is much, much more than that…

Information about 2022 St Hilda's College Crime Fiction Weekend and how to book tickets can be found here.

St Hilda's Crime and Mystery Weekend - Town and Country: Green Lanes to Mean Streets

St Hilda's Crime and Mystery Weekend is taking place from 12 – 14 August 2022.  

We have an homage to Mo Hayder by Nadine Matheson, an expose of rural noir by S.A. Cosby, an evening with Mick Herron (on Slow Horses) and Elly Griffiths (on Cold Comfort Farm).

Peter May is talking about his early influences. 

Ann Cleeves is looking at the Human Geography of Crime.

Philip Gooden has penned our Murder Mystery with roles performed by crime writers, and special prizes to be won.

Plus intriguing and entertaining talks by Imran Mahmood, Abir Mukherjee, Beth Lewis, Greg Buchanan, Leye Adenle, Anna Bailey, Anthony J Quinn, Trevor Wood and William Shaw. 

It is going to be spectacular!

You can book to attend in person, either the whole weekend or just Friday night with Mick and Elly (and a three-course dinner). 

Accommodation is available, and meals can be booked at the college (where the food is delicious and vegan options are available).

The full programme is here.

More details and links to ticket sales can be found here.

Line-up for Lyme Crime announced

The line-up for Lyme Crime has been announced and there is a wealth of authors attending. It is going to be a wonderful event and I shall be moderating a panel.

Come and spend a murderously good weekend by the sea in sunny Dorset, so do not miss out. Early bird tickets go on sale from March!

https://www.lymecrime.co.uk 

CWA 2017 Dagger Awards

On Thursday 26^th October the 2017 Crime Writers Dagger Awards were given out at the Grange City Hotel London.  The evening started with a drinks reception before the dinner. It was a lovely chance to get to say hello and catch up with so many friends and crime writers who were in attendance.

Belinda Bauer &Abir Mukherjee

Christine Poulson &Ayo Onatade

Current Chair of the CWA Martin Edwards kicked off the evening by welcoming everyone to the event after dinner.  This was followed by a very witty and entertaining after dinner speech by Robert Thorogood who is best known as being the author of the Death in Paradise series. 

Before the formal awards were given out Barry Forshaw was awarded the Red Herring award, which is normally given to someone whose contributions to the work of the CWA, are of special merit and should be celebrated and recognised.   Huge congratulations go to Barry Forshaw for the Red Herrings Award.

The following Dagger Awards were awarded –

Diamond Dagger to Anne Cleeves

Dagger in the Library to Mari Hannah

In their acceptance speeches both Anne Cleeves and Mari Hannah extolled the virtues of local libraries and urged people to support them.

Sophie Goodfellow & William Ryan

Debut Dagger sponsored by Orion Publishing Group
For the opening of a crime novel from a writer with no publishing contract (presented Leigh Russell)
Strange Fire by Sherry Rankin (Winner)
The Reincarnation of Himmat Gupte by Neeraj Shah
Lost Boys by Spike Dawkins
Red Haven by Mette McLeod
Broken by Victoria Slotover

Ayo Onatade &Thalia Proctor

The CWA Short Story Dagger (Presented by Ayo Onatade)
The Assassination by Leye Adenle in Sunshine Noir Edited by AnnaMaria Alfieri & Michael Stanley (White Sun Books)
Murder and its Motives by Martin Edwards Edited by Martin Edwards in Motives for Murder (Sphere)
The Super Recogniser of Vik by Michael Ridpath Edited by Martin Edwards in Motives for Murder (Sphere)
What You Were Fighting For by James Sallis Edited by Patrick Millikin in The Highway Kind (Mulholland Books)
The Trials of Margaret by LC Tyler in Motives for Murder Edited by Martin Edwards (Sphere) (Winner)
Snakeskin by Ovidia Yu in Sunshine Noir Edited by AnnaMaria Alfieri & Michael Stanley (White Sun Books)

Ayo Onatade & Ali Karim

The CWA International Dagger (Presented by Janet Laurence)

A Cold Death by Antonio Manzini, (4th Estate) Tr Antony Shugaar
A Fine Line by Gianrico Carofiglio, (Bitter Lemon Press)  Tr Howard Curtis
Blood Wedding by Pierre Lemaître, (MacLehose Press) Tr Frank Wynne
Climate of Fear by Fred Vargas, (Harvill Secker) Tr Siân Reynolds
The Dying Detective by Leif G W Persson, (Doubleday) Tr Neil Smith (Winner)
The Legacy of the Bones by Delores Redondo, (HarperCollins) Tr Nick Casiter & Lorenza Garcia

Leye Adenle & Ayo Onatade

The CWA Endeavour Historical Dagger (presented by Jon Coates)
The Devil’s Feast by M. J. Carter (Fig Tree)
The Ashes of Berlin by Luke McCallin (No Exit Press)
The Long Drop by Denise Mina (Harvill Secker)
A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee (Harvill Secker) (Winner)
By Gaslight by Steven Price (Point Blank)
The City in Darkness by Michael Russell (Constable)

Sophie Goodfellow &Ayo Onatade

The John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger (Presented by Maxim Jakubowski)
The Pictures by Guy Bolton (Point Blank)
Ragdoll by Daniel Cole (Trapeze)
Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard (Corvus)
Sirens by Joseph Knox (Doubleday)
Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land (Michael Joseph)
Tall Oaks by Chris Whitaker (Twenty 7) (Winner)

Joseph Knox’s novel Siren was also highly commended.

AnnaMaria Alfieri & Leye Adenle

CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger (presented by Corrine Turner)
You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott (Picador)
The Killing Game by J S Carol (Bookouture)
We Go Around in the Night and Are Consumed by Fire by Jules Grant (Myriad Editions)
Redemption Road by John Hart (Hodder & Stoughton)
Spook Street by Mick Herron (John Murray) (Winner)
The Constant Soldier by William Ryan (Mantle)

Wayne Brookes & Ayo Onatade

The CWA Gold Dagger (Presented by Richard Reynolds)
The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer (Bantam Press)
Dead Man’s Blues by Ray Celestin (Mantle)
The Dry by Jane Harper (Little, Brown) Winner
Spook Street by Mick Herron (John Murray)
A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee (Harvill Secker)
The Girl in Green by Derek B. Miller (Faber & Faber)

Congratulations to all the winners and nominated authors.

Martin Edwards

Robert Thorogood & Ayo Onatade

Ayo Onatade & Anne Cleeves

Anne Cleeves & Leye Adenle

L-R Mari Hannah, Mick Herron, Chris Whittaker & L C Tyler

Abir Mukherjee & Mari Hannah

Ayo Onatade & Barry Forshaw

Ayo Onatade & L C Tyler

 © All pictures Ayo Onatade 2017

Easy Motion Tourist: The Nigerian Police in Crime Fiction

A murder is reported. You are a policeman. You arrive on the scene, you and half a dozen other armed officers. Indeed there is a body. But there are no witnesses. The corpse is bloated and festering on the pavement of a bridge. It has been there for a while, cooking under the relentless African sun. Lorries, vans, trailers, and motorcycles speed past, only slowing down slightly due to the parked police van. Meters ahead and behind on the pavement, as far as the odour of putrefaction is carried, pedestrians cross the dangerously impatient traffic to get to the other side, and there they carry on. Nobody stops. They see the body, they place their palms over their noses, but they don’t stop. It is not anything new for them and it is not their problem.

Your colleagues are taking pictures with their mobile phones. You go in for a closer look. What makes this one interesting enough to share with phone contacts?

The discoloured corpse is female. Naked, as such dumped bodies tend to be. Perhaps it was clothed when it was first dumped on the bridge. Perhaps the road people; beggars, hawkers, thieves, stripped it of clothes and shoes it no longer needed. The body appears intact. Eyes: check. Breasts: check. Incisions: none. Strange. But maybe the tongue. Maybe that’s all they took. You lean in for an even closer look. You're holding your breath but the offensive odour still registers. The mouth does not look disturbed. You can’t be sure if the purplish dark brown of the lips is blood or just decay. Lipstick? You won't know for sure until  you look inside the mouth. A fly rises quickly to your face. You swat but it lands on your cheek.

You turn from the body and walk away as you scrub the spot on your cheek with your handkerchief. You spit on the cloth and scrub again. You fold it inside out, spit, and scrub again, then you throw it far from you, over the side of the bridge and into the lagoon. You’re done.

Maybe they took her tongue; maybe they didn’t. But it's not your problem. It’s no one's problem. In fact, you’re only there because a caller to a morning radio show complained of a body on the bridge. He called on his mobile from his car on his way to work. Phoning and driving. An offence. The self-righteous show host then called the chief of the local police station. On air! Then your boss, the chief, had no choice but to promise, on air, to send her boys to investigate. But everyone knows that no one investigates a naked, butchered body dumped on the road. Or bridge. Well, maybe this one is different. Maybe they didn’t even take the tongue. Maybe it was a hit and run. A hit and run that may or may not have been witnessed. Witnesses who, if identified, might mention the make and colour of a car. Maybe even the registration number.

You had suggested, when your boss got off the phone from the radio show presenter and after she finished questioning the intelligence of the minister of police whose decision it was to publish the mobile phone numbers of all police officers above a certain rank, that the matter be passed on to the environmental agency. ‘It is their job, after all’. And thus you secured your ride in the police van that carried you to the scene because, as your boss, who had just been spoken down to by a common radio presenter, reminded you, in case you had forgotten, ‘It is the job of the police to investigate all crimes.’ Not just crimes with a known suspect and reliable witnesses. Not just crimes where the motive is clear and arrests are guaranteed. Not just ‘open and close’ cases. All crimes.

As you walk further away from the naked corpse, spitting because you can now taste the odour, paranoid over the spot on your cheek where the fly had landed, you fantasise about collecting fingerprints post mortem, combing the body for alien DNA, running the prints and DNA through a database, finding a match and a suspect. Doing your job. But it's all fantasy because there is no national database to query. There is no lab to process the body. There is no lab to process gathered materials and isolate DNA. Your investigation is over - you have seen the body. You will now call the environmental agency and they will arrive at their own convenience to remove the body destined for an unmarked grave or the cadaver market.

There will be no investigation. The victim is unknown. The murderer is unknown. And in this case, with no apparent body parts missing, the motive is unknown. Perhaps the coroner would determine a cause of death. Perhaps not. Perhaps the shaven head means something, perhaps not. Perhaps they now use hair as well. But why kill a person just for their hair?

They are people who deal in human body parts for rituals. Wealth magic. Power magic. Protection magic. And you are a Nigerian policeman. Underpaid, under-trained, under-equipped. And I am a writer. A Nigerian author. My genre is crime fiction. Between you and them, do you see my problem? How do I write a recognisable police procedural? My debut novel does just that, and truthfully too, as a subplot to a far more macabre plot: the illicit trade in human body parts.

More information about Leye Adenle and his writing can be found on his website. You can also follow him on Twitter @LeyeAdenle and find him on Facebook.