It’s been such a treat reading so many excellent entries from such talented writers for the Mysterious Murders Short Story Competition alongside my four fellow judges.

Shortlist

On 1 December the shortlist was announced! A huge congratulations to the six finalists who’ve each crafted a brilliant short story featuring a murder mystery with a fun twist:

• Alan Reville, ‘The Artist’
• Josie Turner, ‘Long Ago, Far Away’
• Kathy Schilbach, ‘The Gambler’s Tale’
• Lee Adam, ‘Black and Gold’
• Oluwatomi Sanni, ‘The Boys’ Quarters’
• Theresa Baumgartner, ‘Death of a Detective’

Be sure to keep an eye out for the online award ceremony on 20 December where the winner will be announced!

Why was the competition created?

The late Anja Boersma had a deep love of writing and the Mysterious Murders Short Story Competition was created in her honour to help nurture that same passion in others.

The competition was co-founded by Anja’s husband Jeroen and Angela C. Nurse (my friend, fellow mystery author, and a creative writing coach).

Who are the competition judges?

Angela C. Nurse is the author of the Rowan McFarlane Detective Mysteries and the DI Ravenscroft & Professor Laing Thrillers. She will be judging the entries alongside four other authors, including…

Mark Stay, author of The Witches of Woodville and The End of Magic, screenwriter of the 2023 Warner Bros. horror movie Unwelcome, and the co-presenter of the award-winning Bestseller Experiment podcast.

Rupa Mahadevan, winner of the 2024 Joffe Book Prize, her debut novel The Goddess of Death is out September 2025.

T.E. Scott, author of The Wronged Women’s Co-operative, a mystery series set in the fictional Scottish town of Invergryff, currently with ten books to get into.

And then there’s the final judge: G.B. Ralph (that’s me!). I am currently documenting the increasingly implausible series of murders sweeping an enchanting small New Zealand town in cosy mystery series The Milverton Mysteries, once described as “Agatha Christie, but make it gay.”