The Mesdames of Mayhem celebrate a decade of dark deeds

For the past 10 years, a cabal of senior ladies have met to commit murder — well, murders, on paper, at least.

The Mesdames of Mayhem is a collective of 24 mystery writers. And this year they’re celebrating a decade of discussing and detailing dark deeds. To mark the occasion, they have released their fifth anthology of spine-tingling stories, “In the Spirit of 13,” which debuts at the Sleuth of Baker Street book shop Sunday, with a virtual launch to follow via Zoom on Nov. 13.

They’ll be sharing a free story on their website each month as well. A prolific bunch, they’re already planning their next anthology, a best-of collection with one story from each member of the collective.

This bloodthirsty band was co-founded by Madeleine Harris-Callway and Donna Carrick from two separate literary critique groups in 2013. Their goal? To pool their talent and promote the work of women authors in the Canadian crime market.

“Our initial vision was to create a collective that would work together for our common good. Along the line, we found that we were far more than that,” Carrick said. The group has also offered an invaluable camaraderie with fellow elders: most members’ age ranges from their 50s to their 80s. “We have become friends: that was a real sweet outcome of our work,” she added.

Their fellowship has also yielded award-nominated and -winning content, thanks to the support each member offers.

“For the past 20 years, I’ve worked closely with four Toronto-based Mesdames of Mayhem — Madeleine Harris-Callway, Catherine Dunphy, Lynne Murphy and Sylvia Warsh — in a writers’ critique group, so I know first-hand how helpful working with fellow writers can be. I’ve grown as a writer in the company of these women,” Rosemary McCracken said.

“The Mesdames have now expanded to 24 members across Canada. And I have benefitted from my exposure to all of them. Some provide critiques of works in progress, others share advice and offer marketing opportunities. Each Madame — and Monsieur — brings valuable gifts to the table.”

Wait, a Monsieur? Yes, over the years, their mandate has evolved, according to Carrick. “We opened our doors to be more inclusive, replacing our initial aim of helping female authors with the goal of bringing any newer or lesser-known author to the genre. Hence, we now include Messieurs in our group.”

There are so many genres these burgeoning mystery writers can explore, Harris-Callway said. “Crime fiction offers readers such a marvellous variety of books to escape into, ranging from laugh-out-loud comedy to noir.

“We have genres, like cozies, police procedurals, private eye stories, thrillers and romantic suspense. And within each category, we have substantial sub-genres like cat detectives. We even have sub-sub-genres like magical cat detectives!”

The new anthology might not boast any magical cat detectives, but there is some levity lurking within its pages, according to Warsh. “‘Spirits’ are given a wide range, from ghosts — sometimes debunked — to imaginary dogs that wreak revenge, to possessed computers, to demons and delusions brought on by alcohol.

“To counter the world’s dark and turbulent times, the authors have slanted their stories to the lighter side, but darkness does creep into a few of them,” she said.

Crafting these twisty little tales can help the Mesdames stay sharp during their senior years. Murphy, for example, is turning 85 this fall and still churning out stories. “My friends and relations keep coming up with plot lines for me. And then I say, ‘What if?’ and that gets the creative juices flowing.”

One recent moment of inspiration: Murphy’s sister lives in a retirement home and her neighbour came home to find a man in her bed wearing only black Jockey shorts. “You can’t make this stuff up!” Murphy said. “I wrote the story, but in my version the man is dead.”

Offing the intruder is a good example of how writing mysteries gives a little more agency than many have the chance to experience in real life. “It exhilarates me because of the opportunity to create some order from the chaos of real life,” said Warsh. “In the real world, we often have little control over the terrible things that happen around us. Bad people do bad things and get away with impunity. But on the page, I have full control.”

Carrick thinks this power is what draws so many women to write and read mysteries. “I believe that, by comparison, women, more than men, have experienced what it’s like to be victims of crime or violence or oppression. As a result, we may be more interested in seeking justice.

“In the real world, justice is a spotty, hit-and-miss concept and is often not satisfactory. However, in crime fiction, justice can be found.”

Just being able to listen to women’s voices is a political act, Dunphy said. “Women read and write crime novels because we are outliers. Still. And that means we are outraged. And that means we have something to say. And we want to read that which speaks to us and to what we see and experience around us.

“Current crime fiction is nuanced, sophisticated, startling. It can be poetic, thought-provoking, raw. It is always relevant. It’s never been as exciting as it is now. And that’s because women are writing it.”