In this issue

The Strand Magazine: New Steinbeck Article, Plus an Exclusive with Louise Penny, and fiction by Gar Anthony Haywood (Issue 67)
(A new Steinbeck article, fiction by Gar Anthony Haywood, Melissa Yi, and David Bart and an exclusive interview with Louise Penny)

In our 67th issue, we’re proud to present the first American release of John Steinbeck’s “How About McCarthyism”. Like his works of fiction, which are sure to remain classics for as long as people still read, this article, with its clear-eyed analysis of the relationship between democracies and demagogues, is as relevant today as it was in the McCarthy era. John Steinbeck penned this article when he and his third wife Elaine moved briefly to Paris. The couple fell in love with the City of Lights, and the great American author was so captivated that he chose to pen a weekly column called One American in Paris for a French literary magazine, chronicling his observations as an American. These were to be light-hearted fare—and yet Steinbeck, a keen social critic, was unable to entirely filter out his concerns about life back home and penned this prescient article. He also wrote a whimsical little tale titled “The Amiable Fleas” which the Strand published in English for the first time in 2019.

For our spotlight interview we caught up with bestselling author Louise Penny, who not only has earned critical and popular acclaim for her mystery novels, but has a reputation as being one of the most friendly mystery writers in the business. Penny shared her experiences as an aspiring author while working for CBC Canada, spoke about the real-life character who served as the inspiration for Inspector Armand Gamache and told us how she survived during quarantine.

The Strand Magazine Description:

The Strand is the magazine for mystery fans, a full sized, full color glossy magazine that is published four times a year. Whether it is a story set in Victorian London - or a contemporary hardboiled story - The Strand has something for everyone.

Each issue of The Strand Magazine features short stories by award-winning writers such as Alexander McCall Smith, Ray Bradbury, Michael Connelly, Faye Kellerman, and R.L. Stine, plus interviews with actors and best-selling writers such as David Baldacci, Christopher Plummer, Sandra Brown, Jonathan Kellerman, and Peter Falk. The Strand has a wide array of articles from our series on "The Great Detectives" to profiles of mystery authors past and present. The Strand also publishes articles about true crimes, recent articles have included a study of the Jack the Ripper murders and an investigation into the Da Vinci code phenomenon. In addition, each issue of The Strand has at least twenty book and audiobook reviews which look at the newest releases from large as well as smaller publishers.