Mystery, Crime, and Mayhem: City of Angels is Out!

Mystery, Crime, and Mayhem: City of Angels is Out!

 

The new issue of Mystery, Crime, and Mayhem, with a noir detective theme, is out on Kindle!   The paperback edition will be coming soon!

 

I have two pieces in it: a true crime profile of Frances Glessner Lee, the woman who revolutionized forensic science education in America, and my Funderburke short story “The Man Who Forgot He Was a Murderer,” set during his training days as a private investigator, before he started working for Cuthbertson Hall.

 

Please take a look!

 

 

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

 

Chris Chan’s flash fiction collection 156 Homicides will be published soon! His book Sherlock Poems retells the entire Sherlock Holmes Canon in verse.  He is also the author of the CWA Dagger Long Listed The Autistic Sleuth, written with the professional guidance of his mother Dr. Patricia Meyer Chan, and he has also written the Agatha, Macavity, and Anthony-nominated book on the Columbo killers, Some of My Best Friends Are Murderers! He is the author of the Funderburke and Kaiming novels Ghosting My Friend and She Ruined Our Lives and Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History, released by Level Best Books.  He is also the author of the comedic novels Sherlock’s Secretary and Nessie’s Nemesis, published by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

A Preview of Absolute Justice

 A Preview of Absolute Justice

 

Here is a snippet from the introduction of Absolute Justice: The History and Legacy of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None!

 

"I read a story once – about two judges that came to a small American town - from the Supreme Court. They administered justice - Absolute Justice. Because - they didn't come from this world at all..."

                                    ­                        –Vera Claythorne, And Then There Were None[1]

 

And Then Then Were None is the world’s bestselling mystery novel, written by the world’s bestselling novelist.  Agatha Christie (1890–1976) produced scores of books, short stories, and plays over more than fifty-five years as a professional writer, shattering publishing and box-office records along the way.  Few authors have achieved this much success, let alone maintained it for so long.  While other prolific crime writers have gone out of print and faded into obscurity, Christie remains a cultural force to be reckoned with nearly half a century after she passed away.  Having been translated into over a hundred languages, Christie has fans around the world.  The twenty-first century has seen an explosion in adaptations of her work for film, television, stage, and radio, some of which have won or been nominated for major awards.

A commonly-cited estimate from the Guinness Book of World Records  claims that Christie has sold over two billion books, half in English, half in other languages combined, and approximately one hundred thousand copies of And Then There Were None alone have been purchased since its publication in 1939.  With over ninety books to her credit, it’s surprising that just one novel makes up a disproportionate five percent of her total sales.[2]   

As a global bestseller with widespread recognition, And Then There Were None is a cultural phenomenon.  Few other novels have had such a widespread readership, and for so long.  Like many influential creative works, And Then There Were None has developed a story of its own, reaching far beyond the confines of a book binding.  It has been adapted, parodied, and shaped literary boundaries ranging from the crime genre and beyond.

 

 

The release date will be announced soon!

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

 

Chris Chan’s flash fiction collection 156 Homicides will be published soon! His book Sherlock Poems retells the entire Sherlock Holmes Canon in verse.  He is also the author of the CWA Dagger Long Listed The Autistic Sleuth, written with the professional guidance of his mother Dr. Patricia Meyer Chan, and he has also written the Agatha, Macavity, and Anthony-nominated book on the Columbo killers, Some of My Best Friends Are Murderers! He is the author of the Funderburke and Kaiming novels Ghosting My Friend and She Ruined Our Lives and Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History, released by Level Best Books.  He is also the author of the comedic novels Sherlock’s Secretary and Nessie’s Nemesis, published by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

---

[1] Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None.  HarperCollins, 1939, 2009 ed.  Kindle.

[2] Christie, And Then There Were None.  Due to inadequate sales tracking, no standard global means of collecting worldwide sales statistics, bootleg copies of Christie’s work for which she received no royalties, and the chaos resulting from WWII, it’s impossible to produce an exact number of sales, so this number ought to be viewed as an educated estimate. For much of her life, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was Christie’s bestselling novel, but And Then There Were None has since overtaken it.

Shorewood Public Library’s Favorite Books of 2025

 Shorewood Public Library’s Favorite Books of 2025

 

The Shorewood Public Library has put up a list of some recommended reads of 2025, and both Sherlock Poems and Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History are on the list!  Take a look!

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

 

Chris Chan’s flash fiction collection 156 Homicides will be published soon! His book Sherlock Poems retells the entire Sherlock Holmes Canon in verse.  He is also the author of the CWA Dagger Long Listed The Autistic Sleuth, written with the professional guidance of his mother Dr. Patricia Meyer Chan, and he has also written the Agatha, Macavity, and Anthony-nominated book on the Columbo killers, Some of My Best Friends Are Murderers! He is the author of the Funderburke and Kaiming novels Ghosting My Friend and She Ruined Our Lives and Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History, released by Level Best Books.  He is also the author of the comedic novels Sherlock’s Secretary and Nessie’s Nemesis, published by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

 

Announcing Absolute Justice!

 Announcing Absolute Justice!

 

A big announcement– the third book in my “Nonfiction Crime and Criticism” series is coming soon!  This one is Absolute Justice: The History and Legacy of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.  This book is more than just a critical deep dive into the novel’s plot, hidden clues, characters, and themes, it explores the film, television, stage, radio, game, and other adaptations, parodies, and the book’s lasting impact on multiple genres. 

 

Here’s the back cover copy:

 

It’s the world’s bestselling mystery novel and one of the most popular books of all time.  But despite its fame, the complex history and cultural impact of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None is largely unknown to most readers.  Absolute Justice analyzes the book’s characters and hidden clues, describes the novel’s many stage, screen, and other media adaptations, and explores how And Then There Were None became a cultural phenomenon, reshaping not just the crime genre, but the horror genre as well, inspired fans all over the world, and even raised the spirits of WWII prisoners of war.

 

And here’s the cover art!

 

 

Absolute Justice should be released within the next two months– specific release date details will be announced soon!

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

 

Chris Chan’s flash fiction collection 156 Homicides will be published soon! His book Sherlock Poems retells the entire Sherlock Holmes Canon in verse.  He is also the author of the CWA Dagger Long Listed The Autistic Sleuth, written with the professional guidance of his mother Dr. Patricia Meyer Chan, and he has also written the Agatha, Macavity, and Anthony-nominated book on the Columbo killers, Some of My Best Friends Are Murderers! He is the author of the Funderburke and Kaiming novels Ghosting My Friend and She Ruined Our Lives and Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History, released by Level Best Books.  He is also the author of the comedic novels Sherlock’s Secretary and Nessie’s Nemesis, published by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

 

Check Out My New Level Best Books Author Page!

Check Out My New Level Best Books Author Page!

 

Level Best Books has revamped its website, and now I have a new author page featuring all five of my released books and some of my upcoming work as well!  Please take a look, and check out some of the other author pages– you may find something you really want to read!

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

 

Chris Chan’s flash fiction collection 156 Homicides will be published soon! His book Sherlock Poems retells the entire Sherlock Holmes Canon in verse.  He is also the author of the CWA Dagger Long Listed The Autistic Sleuth, written with the professional guidance of his mother Dr. Patricia Meyer Chan, and he has also written the Agatha and Anthony-nominated book on the Columbo killers, Some of My Best Friends Are Murderers! He is the author of the Funderburke and Kaiming novels Ghosting My Friend and She Ruined Our Lives and Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History, released by Level Best Books.  He is also the author of the comedic novels Sherlock’s Secretary and Nessie’s Nemesis, published by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

 

Sherlock Poems Won a Doylean Honors Award!

Sherlock Poems Won a Doylean Honors Award!

 

This week. The ACD Society (Arthur Conan Doyle) announced its annual Doylean Honors Awards.  They offer awards in five categories: “Fiction and Poetry,” “Performing Arts,” “Visual Arts,” “Scholarly Writing,” and “Lifetime Service.”  Winners receive a gift certificate to The Mysterious Bookshop and a certificate decorated with a doily (note the pun).

 

And my book Sherlock Poems won an award in the “Fiction and Poetry” category!  Not only that, but the short story collection Sherlock Holmes: Into the Fire, edited by Margie Deck, was also honored in the same category!  My story “The Revealed Room” is in that collection.

 

Huge thanks to the judges and congratulations to all of the other winners! 

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

 

Chris Chan’s flash fiction collection 156 Homicides will be published soon! His book Sherlock Poems retells the entire Sherlock Holmes Canon in verse.  He is also the author of the CWA Dagger Long Listed The Autistic Sleuth, written with the professional guidance of his mother Dr. Patricia Meyer Chan, and he has also written the Agatha and Anthony-nominated book on the Columbo killers, Some of My Best Friends Are Murderers! He is the author of the Funderburke and Kaiming novels Ghosting My Friend and She Ruined Our Lives and Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History, released by Level Best Books.  He is also the author of the comedic novels Sherlock’s Secretary and Nessie’s Nemesis, published by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

 

 

My Talk on Sherlock Poems and The Autistic Sleuth is on YouTube!

My Talk on Sherlock Poems and The Autistic Sleuth is on YouTube!

 

Yesterday, I gave a talk on Sherlock Poems and The Autistic Sleuth for the online Sherlock Holmes society Five Miles From Anywhere.  If you’re interested, you can check it out on YouTube here!  Huge thanks to Derrick Belanger for inviting me back to talk!

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

 

Chris Chan’s flash fiction collection 156 Homicides will be published soon! His book Sherlock Poems retells the entire Sherlock Holmes Canon in verse.  He is also the author of the CWA Dagger Long Listed The Autistic Sleuth, written with the professional guidance of his mother Dr. Patricia Meyer Chan, and he has also written the Agatha and Anthony-nominated book on the Columbo killers, Some of My Best Friends Are Murderers! He is the author of the Funderburke and Kaiming novels Ghosting My Friend and She Ruined Our Lives and Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History, released by Level Best Books.  He is also the author of the comedic novels Sherlock’s Secretary and Nessie’s Nemesis, published by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.