Next week, hundreds of people from across the US, Canada, England, Europe—oh, let’s just say the world will be coming to Long Beach, California, to celebrate mystery fiction.

Bouchercon 2014 will be Nov. 13 to 16 in beautiful Long Beach. The setting alone makes this trip worthwhile as Long Beach is a lovely city.

But Bouchercon, which moves to a different locale each year, is worth the trip alone.

Bouchercon has been taking place since 1970 and is named in honor of famed mystery critic Anthony Boucher. During the convention there are panels, discussions, and interviews with authors and people from the mystery community covering all parts of the genre.

But that description doesn’t really say why Bouchercon matters and why authors and fans should attend.

Bouchercon is more than just panels and discussions. It is a conference that has its finger on the pulse of the genre. It shows through those panels and discussions what and who is on the cutting edge of the genre; what kinds of stories we will be reading in the future and what kinds of plots authors want to tackle.

Bouchercon gives us who love mysteries a chance to really look at the genre we love and see its past and future. For fans, it’s a chance to hear the authors they love talk about their work, get their books signed, and maybe even talk to them between events.

For authors, it’s a chance to meet those readers—and make new ones.

For me, as a critic, it is a chance to see which authors are up and coming, and just learn more about the genre.

I’ve been coming to Bouchercons since 1997, when it was in Monterey. I have only had to miss one since then and that was the Alaska
Bouchercon and that was only because we had taken a family vacation to Alaska the year before.

I have never had a bad time at a Bouchercon. Even the two that stand out as badly organized and chaotic were still fun.

Not every author will make every Bouchercon. Some can’t come because of other commitments, family issues, or they don’t have a book that is new. I can understand skipping Bouchercons because authors need to commit their time to work—creating new and strong stories.

That adage that you get what you give certainly applies to Bouchercon. There are panels and events geared for every kind of mystery writer, and a chance to meet readers. And isn’t meeting readers the best reason to go?

And that is one of the beauties of our genre—it is so wide and embracing. If readers can’t find a mystery they like, then they are just not looking hard enough. Or they are…well…I don’t have to go into details about what I think of people who look down on crime fiction.

The Long Beach Bouchercon looks to be a great conference. The organizers have thoughtfully pulled together a good list of honorees and panels.

The American Guest of Honor will be J.A. Jance, whom I will have the pleasure of interviewing on the first day of Bouchercon.

Edward Marston will be the International Guest of Honor. Simon Wood the witty Toastmaster. Eoin Colfer the Y.A. Guest of Honor.

Jeffery Deaver is being honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

There is still time to register for Bouchercon. Come to a beautiful area, and stay for the lively discussions that Bouchercon will offer.

Photos: Top, J.A. Jance; bottom, Jeffery Deaver