It’s hard to find the correct word to use when describing Otto Penzler’s relation to America’s greatest mystery novels and thrillers.
The first expression that pops into my mind is “the god of …” but that would probably make him roll his eyes. So maybe “impresario” works better, even if it doesn’t fully capture his importance and the reverence with which his name is treated, especially among voracious fans of crime fiction, and especially among such fans who have lived in New York City and shopped at Penzler’s Mysterious Bookshop in SoHo.
To continue the religious theme, the bookstore is the temple over which Penzler presides. From it (and his love of and encyclopedic knowledge of the genre) grew the Mysterious Press, which publishes detective fiction (including 20th-century American icons such as Donald Westlake, James Ellroy and Ed McBain).
Anyone looking for the perfect holiday gift for a mystery fan need only search for Otto Penzler anthologies online; there is even a collection called, “The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries.” I know, because I own a copy.
Although he mostly lives in New York City, Penzler is also frequently up here at the house in Kent, Conn., that he built in the 1980s (with a giant library that at one point housed 60,000 books — he auctioned most of them off a year ago).
Sadly, when he is up here in Litchfield County, Penzler says he is usually at home, reading manuscripts and sifting through wonderful tales that are worthy of inclusion in an anthology.
So you’re unlikely to fulfill your dream (well, my personal dream) of finding him alone at a coffee shop and plonking down to discuss your favorite mystery tales.
However, a rare opportunity to meet Penzler in person is coming up this weekend when he interviews mystery author Gregory Galloway in a live and Zoom event on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m.
Galloway, a resident of Cornwall, Conn., is a relative newcomer to crime fiction, with three novels including the brand new “Just Thieves,” which starts off with the memorable line: “We didn’t know how it happened, but when we woke up there was a dead horse in the street in front of the hotel.” And, as they say, from there you’re off to the races (but no, this is not a racehorse-themed Dick Francis tale).
Galloway’s writing has been described as a combination of George V. Higgins, Patricia Highsmith and David Mamet. I found “Just Thieves” to have a strong feeling of Georges Simenon and especially his Inspector Maigret police procedurals. These are stories that are less about explosions and chase scenes and more about psychology and worldview — told in this novel by the two thieves for whom the book is named.
Does Otto Penzler think Galloway is destined to join the ranks of America’s greatest mystery writers? I guess I’ll find out when I join the Zoom on Saturday.
For those who want to come in person, this will be the final opportunity to spend time in the cozy little boutique that has been home to the House of Books on Main Street in Kent for the past couple years, while extensive renovations were done to the (actual) home of House of Books. The date of the Grand Opening and Big Reveal for the return to 10 North Main in Kent was just announced: It will be Saturday, Nov. 27, just in time for holiday book shopping.
To reserve a space for the in-person conversation between OttoPenzler and Gregory Galloway, or to sign up for the Zoom (and to get details on the return to 10 North Main), go to https://houseofbooksct.com.
AMENIA — The first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School went smoothly, with teachers enthusiastically greeting the eager young students disembarking from buses. Excitement was measurable, with only a few tears from parents, but school began anyway.
Ready for her first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School, Liliana Cawley, 7, would soon join her second grade class, but first she posed for a photo to mark the occasion.Photo by Leila Hawken
Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik shows off the new gear. Brand new police cruisers arrived last week.
MILLERTON — The Millerton Police Department has received two new patrol cars to replace vehicles destroyed in the February 2025 fire at the Village Water and Highway Department.
The new Ford Interceptors are custom-built for law enforcement. “They’re more rugged than a Ford Explorer,” said Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik, noting the all-wheel drive, heavy-duty suspension and larger tires and engine. “They call it the ‘Police Package.’”
Olenik worked with The Cruiser’s Division in Mamaroneck, New York, to design the vehicles.
“We really want to thank the Pine Plains Police Department for their tremendous support,” Olenik said. After the fire, “they were the first ones to come forward and offer help.”
The new police cruisers are outfitted with lights with automatically adjusting brightness to best perform in ambient conditions.Photo by Aly Morrissey
Since February, Millerton officers have been borrowing a patrol car from Pine Plains. With the new vehicles now in service, Olenik said he plans to thank Pine Plains officers by treating them to dinner at Four Brothers in Amenia and having their car detailed
The main entrance to Kent Hollow Mine at 341 South Amenia Road in Amenia.
AMENIA — Amenia residents and a Wassaic business have filed suit against the Town Board and Kent Hollow Inc., alleging a settlement between the town and the mine amounts to illegal contract zoning that allows the circumvention of environmental review.
Petitioners Laurence Levin, Theodore Schiffman and Clark Hill LLC filed the suit on Aug. 22. Town officials were served with documents for the case last week and took first steps in organizing a response to the suit at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, Sept. 4.
The lawsuit is the latest in a multi-year long legal battle surrounding the mine on South Amenia Road. After Kent Hollow Inc. — a subsidiary of Bethel, Connecticut, based homebuilder Steiner Inc. — applied for a state mining permit in 2017, the Amenia code enforcement officer issued the business a notice of violation.
At the time, Kent Hollow Inc. did not possess a special permit to conduct mining operations as required by Amenia zoning code, and the property did not reside in the Special Mining Overlay district established as part of rezoning efforts coinciding with the 2007 adoption of the town’s comprehensive plan.
Kent Hollow Inc. appealed the violation, claiming the use of the property as a mine predates amendments to town and state regulations. The Zoning Board of Appeals denied the appeal citing insufficient evidence in 2019. That spurred Kent Hollow to file two lawsuits — one in the New York State Supreme Court and a federal civil rights lawsuit — challenging the town’s order.
In July 2025, those lawsuits were brought to a close when the Town Board voted at a special meeting to accept a settlement agreement allowing Kent Hollow to continue mining operations under limited hours and quantities.
The most recent suit alleges the 2025 settlement amounts to contract zoning that allows Kent Hollow Inc. to skirt environmental review and the scrutiny of the permitting and rezoning process. Court documents allege Kent Hollow did not adequately prove a continuous, legal nonconforming use.
Supporting the argument, petitioners have submitted the court documents and decision from the 2019 New York Supreme Court case against the town Zoning Board of Appeals, and the documents from the preceding ZBA appeals process including receipts and tax returns from Kent Hollow Inc. purporting to establish the nonconforming use.
Kent Hollow Inc. formed as a subsidiary of housing developer Steiner Inc. and purchased the property in 1971, according to state and county real estate records.
Millerton News reporting from 1971 Amenia planning board meetings detail Kent Hollow’s pursuit of a four-section, 40-unit apartment complex on the property.
The News reported Kent Hollow was granted tentative approval on July 6, 1971, to build eight units on the site with the expectation that more would be built later.
The additional units never came to fruition and Kent Hollow apparently abandoned the housing project, opting to use the property as a gravel mine.
Attorneys for the Town of Amenia or Kent Hollow Inc. have not filed responses to the lawsuit as of press time.
AMENIA — While the courage and perseverance of Revolutionary era patriots is well understood and celebrated, the stories of the fate of British loyalists in New York are not as clear.
Seen as the initial event in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Amenia Historical Society will present a talk titled, “The Plight of a Loyalist in Revolutionary New York,” examining the journal of Cadwallader Colden, Jr., spanning the period of 1777-1779. The speaker will be noted author, genealogist and historian Jay Campbell.
The talk is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. at the Smithfield Presbyterian Church in Amenia. The handicapped-accessible church is located at 656 Smithfield Valley Road. Refreshments will be served.
Colden was the son of a New York Lieutenant Governor. He was a surveyor, farmer and mercantilist, serving as a judge in Ulster County. His fortunes changed dramatically with the dawn of the Revolutionary War when he remained loyal to the British Crown. His arrest came in 1776, just before the start of his journal.
Campbell is a historian specializing in Hudson Valley history, and the regional stories of Revolutionary era families.
