417Z Winter 2026 Mysteries: Light to Dark

The mystery genre is actually a wide range of subgenres and approaches, a spectrum stretching from the traditional clue-driven detective story—witty sleuths pursuing truth and restoring justice—to the noir tale, whose morally compromised protagonists often spiral into increasingly dangerous waters, and with many other varieties in between. Local authors whose work ranges from comic to tough to tragic survey the breadth of the mystery genre and reflect on how they engage questions of crime, justice, ethics, morality, and more. Participants include Cheryl Head, author of the Charlie Mack Motown Mysteries and the standalone historical novel Time’s Undoing; Mindy Quigley, author of the Deep Dish Mysteries; and Marcia Talley, author of the Hannah Ives Mysteries. Short story writer and Mason Professor Art Taylor moderates the discussion.

Art Taylor is an Edgar Award-winning short story writer whose most recent book is The Adventure of the Castle Thief and Other Expeditions and Indiscretions. He recently won the Short Mystery Fiction Society’s Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement. He is a professor at George Mason University.