The Heirs of Anthony Boucher Marvin Lachman

The Nineteen-Nineties and Twenty-First Century
scattered at six hotels, but a shuttle bus service minimized inconvenience.
For the first time, brief cases were given with registration material. The program,
in the form of a trade paperback, was the most unusual in Bouchercon history, including
twenty-seven short stories, to be published later as the anthology No Alibi,
edited by Maxim Jakubowski. Among the important writers in it, all attendees at
Nottingham, were Edward D. Hoch, John Harvey (also in charge of programming),
Peter Lovesey, and Val McDermid. It also reprinted an Anthony Boucher short story.
Unfortunately, due to health reasons, Phyllis White missed this Bouchercon.
There was much discussion during Bouchercon about P. D. James, who had cancelled
her appearance. A few months before, she had been interviewed on BBC radio
and made remarks some interpreted as her saying that only the middle class was educated
enough to make the moral choices that translate into good crime fiction. She
drew protests in the media, and a flyer for an upcoming anthology, Fresh Blood, edited
by Jakubowski and Mike Ripley, promised to “feature stories from most of the leading
‘anti-establishment’ British crime authors, who assert that in today’s mystery writing,
realism is far
more important
than outmoded
questions of
morality.” James
said later she was
talking of an author’s
choice of
fictional setting,
and the detective
novel “works best
for me when the
setting is orderly
and law-abiding
and the criminal
is intelligent and
capable of moral
choice.”
There were two Guests of Honor. Colin Dexter, creator of Inspector Morse,
proved to be congenial and likable. The American Guest of Honor, James Ellroy, using
four-letter words whenever he could, seemed intent on shocking but only managed
to bore. Ruth Rendell received a Lifetime Achievement Award, Reginald Hill
was Toastmaster, and Geoff Bradley, publisher and editor of CADS was Fan Guest of
Honor. There was more of an international flavor than at most Bouchercons, with
attendees from Japan, Australia, Finland, and Ireland. Twenty-four booksellers were
there, unfortunately given a cramped area, but that did not deter many buyers.
Some of the panels showed considerable originality. Friday began with “How to
Enjoy Bouchercon and Retain Your Sanity,” a light-hearted introduction, like 1994’s
“Bouchercon 101,” for newcomers. For “Two by Two,” teams of writers discussed
themselves and their work, while interacting. Among the combinations were Sue
120
Nottingham “Criminal Masterminds” (l. to r.) Martin Edwards, Sarah
Mason, Ed Hoch, Marv Lachman.