MALICE DOMESTIC - WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME by Teresa Inge

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending Malice Domestic, an annual convention that celebrates traditional mysteries, with a focus on Agatha Christie-style storytelling. Since its inception in 1989, this event has brought fans and authors together for a fun and friendly experience. Currently held each April in Bethesda, Maryland, it offers a mix of author panels, book signings, and engaging mystery-themed activities.

My own journey with Malice began twenty years ago, accompanied by my husband, daughter, and mother. Although I was initially nervous—surrounded by so many accomplished writers and knowing no one—I was warmly welcomed by Malice volunteers, members of Sisters in Crime (SinC) an organization dedicated to supporting female crime writers, as well as other authors and fans. I then realized I had found a place where I truly belonged which reminded me of the Cheers show theme song.

Fast forward to last month, and Malice Domestic still exudes the same heartwarming “family reunion” vibe, complete with cheerful hugs, laughter, and enthusiasm shared with old friends and new ones. Over the years, this convention has had a profound impact on my writing career. It has helped me forge connections with fellow writers, build lasting friendships, discover publishing opportunities, and hone my writing craft. Now, I take pride in welcoming newcomers, just as I was embraced all those years ago.

This year's highlights included Malice Go Round Speed Dating, New Authors Breakfast, an annual lunch with the Short Mystery Fiction Society, a SinC gathering featuring an "Agatha signature cocktail" and appetizers, a captivating Sherlock Holmes play, the Agatha Awards banquet, an after-party, and panels like "Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys" and "Living in a Modern World: Women Take the Lead." There were fabulous interviews with the guest of honor Marcia Talley, lifetime achievement honoree Donna Andrews, and toastmaster Gigi Pandian as well as a book room overflowing with literary treasures, rounded out an unforgettable experience. 

How Do I Kill Thee? Let Me Count the Ways by Teresa Inge

While participating on the Women Solving Crimes panel at Malice Domestic this year, the moderator asked us about the different weapons we use to kill people in our novels and short stories.

Fortunately for me, the panel had received the questions in advance, which gave me time to review all the homicides I’d written and determine my methods of murder. With sixteen books, I was beginning to lose track of how I kill people!

I began my murderous review with Mutt Mysteries, a four-book series with dogwalker, Catt Ramsey, who solves crime and murder with her dogs, Cagney and Lacey. I had multiple victims and killings in these books. The weapons include a cutting board, knife, gun, pruning shears, and a dog trimmer. All of which fit right into each killer’s homicidal hands.

In Virginia is for Mysteries, a three-book series, I was on a killing spree with boards! I gave one victim a blow to the head with yet another cutting board, then used three wooden boards in various stories to kill people, smashed a killer in the face with a chalkboard, and used a glass vase to kill another.

In other books, I used different methods and weapons. These include strangulation with a lanyard lassoed around a victim’s neck, a chest stabbing with a road sign, a stab in the neck with a pink beach charm, and three shootings in three stories. I then pushed a killer over a riverboat’s balcony and shot him for good measure before lodging a corkscrew in a victim’s neck…twice. I finished the review with blunt objects to kill two victims, and a fatal allergy reaction to another.

After the review, I realized that I had never poisoned anyone. What would Agatha Christie think? That’s when I began tracking my methods of murder and vowed to use poison in my next story. Check out the attached graph to see the weapon that I used the most.