Raymond Chandler Combo Pack

 In our latest issue, we witness Chandler’s humor—and his progressive side—in “Advice to a Secretary.” Published here for the first time, the article covers everything from his contempt for grammarians to his discomfort with the employer-employee relationship. It also makes clear that, like his most famous protagonist, Chandler’s sympathies lay with those less powerful. Raymond Chandler scholar Professor Sarah Trott pens an introduction providing not only context but also an in-depth analysis of Raymond Chandler’s unpublished article.

As for the rest of this issue, if you’re looking for a short story that turns snobbery on its head, thumb quickly to Alexander McCall Smith’s humorous “Lord Lucan, Fugitive.” If you prefer prisoners on the loose, try John Floyd’s “The Road to Bellville.” And if you want to witness a new writer destined for more pages, check out “My Friend Edward” by Christine DeVine. Whichever tickles your fancy, I think we’d all agree the Great Detective should never leave the building—and Thomas Burns brings him home with “The Camberwell Poisoner,” replete with Baker Street Irregulars, suspicious sweets, and a spurned lover. As always, for the best works beyond these pages, our skilled critics dissect the latest books and DVDs in our review section.

We have an exclusive interview with Michael Koryta. A breakout success from an early age, Michael has continuously spurned conventional wisdom by experimenting in whatever direction moved him. The result has been an outstanding writing career and a varied list of thought-provoking and unforgettable novels that have repeatedly hit the best-sellers lists.

The Strand Magazine continues to bring our readers the best in fiction, interviews with authors, and book and audiobook reviews. In the past nine years, we’ve featured unpublished works by writers ranging from Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Raymond Chandler,H.G. Wells, Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, Tennessee Williams, and Joseph Heller . Issue 63 of Strand Magazine: Unpublished Raymond Chandler Article PLUS Fiction by Alexander McCall Smith is available as a single issue, or part of a subscription or back issue package.

Issue 61

(Strand Magazine: Unpublished Raymond Chandler and the first US appearance of Christmas Adventure by Agatha Christie. Fiction by John Floyd, David Marcum, Rob Witherspoon, and an exclusive interview with James Lee Burke.)

We’re proud to present an unpublished Raymond Chandler in the latest issue of the Strand. Professor Sarah Trott provides an introduction and examines the biographical context of this gem. Chandler was a career oil executive before achieving fame as an author, and suffered the loss of his job at age forty-four.  “Advice to an Employer” shows a different side to Raymond Chandler. The wry humor is there, but the piece also reveals a silly, fun side to an author long associated with novels about the seamy side of LA.

We are also pleased to share a story featuring a certain little Belgian detective with a waxed moustache and egg-shaped head. He finds himself far away from the comforts of his usual London life, celebrating an old-fashioned family Christmas in the English countryside. Agatha Christie later expanded her “Christmas Adventure” (originally published in the UK in 1923) into the longer story many readers are familiar with. This is the first time Christie’s shorter version has appeared in publication in the US. The original version is just as fun as the expanded one, complete with a sprawling mansion, a house-party of young people, and an unlikely trinket in the pudding. HarperCollins will release “Christmas Adventure” in Midwinter Murder this fall, an anthology of Christie’s short stories featuring Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.

John Floyd continues with humor in “The Ironwood File” when a sleazy boss gets the tables turned on him from an unlikely source. Meanwhile, Rob Witherspoon’s “Le Morte d’Author” shows that even the personification of death has a witty side. We round off our fiction this issue with the Great Detective and his loyal sidekick solving a medical mystery involving one of Watson’s patients in David Marcum’s “The Triangle of Death.”

An interview with the incomparable James Lee Burke, creator of the equally incomparable Dave Robicheaux, proves Burke to be every bit as interesting as his creation. He spoke on his favorite Western films, the creative process behind his works, and the current state of the world.

Also in this issue, we have the scoop on the nominees for The Strand Critics Awards. The nominees for Best Debut and Best Novel are a varied bunch, chosen by critics from CNN, NPR, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, LA Times, and USA Today. This year’s Strand Magazine Lifetime Achievement Awards go to the trailblazing Tess Gerritsen and the always innovative Walter Mosley. And as usual our skilled staff of book reviewers spotlights the latest mystery and thriller novels and DVDs.