We note with sorrow the passing of Magdalen Nabb, author of the Marshal Guarnaccia mysteries. Nabb held the strongest claim of succeeding to the literary tradition of Georges Simenon, whose work she admired beyond all others. Simenon himself called Nabb's debut,DEATH OF AN ENGLISHMAN, "A coup de maitre … one of the tastiest books I have read in years." Her death, at only 60, is a great loss to the mystery community.
Author Madeleine L'Engle, whose novel "A Wrinkle in Time" has been enjoyed by generations of schoolchildren and adults since the 1960s, died Friday at the age of 88. L'Engle died Thursday at a nursing home in Litchfield of natural causes, according to Jennifer Doerr, publicity manager for publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The Newbery Medal winner wrote more than 60 books, including fantasies, poetry and memoirs, often highlighting spiritual themes and her Christian faith.