California Literary Review

Tony Hillerman, Novelist, Dies at 83: Tony Hillerman, whose lyrical, authentic and compelling mystery novels set among the Navajos of the Southwest blazed innovative trails in the American detective story, died Sunday at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque. [NYT]

Atlas reveals how you are likely to die: The geographical pattern of mortality in Great Britain over the past quarter century has been mapped for the first time, revealing how each of us is most likely to die depending on where we live. The Grim Reaper’s Road Map: An Atlas of Mortality in Britain shows exactly how people’s deaths are affected by where they live, how much money they have, the type of work they do and their lifestyle. [Guardian]

Forgotten authors No 10: Gladys Mitchell: Born in 1901, she was one of the “Big Three” female mystery novelists, judged the equal of Dorothy L Sayers and Agatha Christie, but that’s not quite accurate – she’s more like a mad combination of both. [Independent]

Libraries: Writing on the wall: Libraries are redefining themselves as Idea Stores, introducing jazz mornings, even allowing users to eat or take phone calls while they read. More and more customers do not disturb the book section at all. The uncomfortable truth for traditionalists who see libraries as temples of silence is that, for this part of their purpose to survive, they have to do much more as well. [Guardian]

Pat Kavanagh, Literary Agent, Dies at 68: Pat Kavanagh, a British literary agent whose hauteur, business acumen and abiding aura of mystery kept her distinguished string of writers and publishers fascinated, died on Monday at her home in London. She was 68. The cause was a brain tumor, said a spokesman for United Agents, the literary agency where she worked. [NYT]