It was an appropriately dark and stormy night in Milwaukee (courtesy of Hurricane Gustav) when Ruth Jordan took time to talk about the world mystery-and-crime-book convention, known as Bouchercon, conferring in Baltimore Oct. 9-12.

As co-chair of this year's event, affectionately known as "Charmed to Death," Jordan couldn't be more enthusiastic.

"It's a wonderful convention. It's geared for fans, but authors -- published and unpublished -- and publishing companies have all embraced it. Although it's a working event for them, they're there as fans first," she says of the fan-run gathering that has been taking place since 1970 and met in Baltimore once previously, in 1986.

The festivities are named after critic Anthony Boucher (that's BOW-cher, not Boo-SHAY, by the way), the first reviewer with a mystery column in the New York Times Book Review, running from 1951 until his death in 1968.

Following his philosophy that the mystery genre deserves more respect than it gets, some 60 folks got together in Santa Monica, Calif. to celebrate the form. This go-round, 1,400 are expected.

The first time Jordan attended a Bouchercon in 1999, she met some of her own writer-heroes, such as Scotland's Val Mcdermid -- "they were talking to me just like regular people!" she remembers thinking at the time -- and also her future husband, Jon.

"The energy is so kinetic you just want to give back," she says, and sure enough, within two years the couple had begun Crimespree magazine.

Genre's giants

Bouchercon basically consists of discussion panels and the dealer room (with 22 vendors to serve both new reader and collector), and what panels! No fewer than five go on during any given hour-long block of time, with 20 such blocks over the course of four days.

Just the smallest sampling of participants includes this year's toastmaster Mark Billingham, Rhys Bowen, Lee Child, Marcia Talley, locally-connected trio Dan Fesperman, Stephen Hunter and Laura Lippman (American guest of honor), John Harvey (international guest of honor) and Lawrence Block (distinguished contribution to the genre honoree).

Among topics to be discussed are assorted subjects such as tackling social issues in crime fiction, getting research right, young adult readers, "The Wire" and "Homicide," what authors wish they had known starting out, the business of publishing, noir for the new century, serial killers and -- Holy Hardcovers, Batman! -- Batman himself.

It's an embarrassment of riches, one might say, or, so many panelists/subjects, so little time.

Even so, other activities are scheduled, including one-on-one author interviews, award ceremonies, an auction of writer-supplied goodies, the Authors without Borders cocktail party and even a basketball game, besides which all writers on panels will be signing books immediately following their respective discussions.

That's why Andi of Seattle in a Bouchercon-related chat online advises newbies how to have the best experience:

"Do not try to do it all ... Go to some programs, yes. Go to some where the topic might be interesting even if you've never heard of the participants. Even if (gasp) some of them are not authors, but readers, fans, reviewers. People like us. Because we know a lot ..."

Jordan suggests looking at the online list of those attending, decide who you want to hear and start there. "It'll snowball."

What better place?

Why, even the esteemed John Harvey himself, acclaimed Brit author of the "Charlie Resnick" series and "Frank Elder" trilogy, reminisces about his earlier Bouchercon attendance: "I loved, especially, the chance to spend time with a bunch of American authors whose work I'd read and enjoyed, but whom I'd never met: Sue Grafton, Walter Mosley, Linda Barnes, Julie Smith, etc., etc."

Back in 1996, Baltimore's own Laura Lippman attended her first Bouchercon and made it to only one panel, which happened to be moderated by Harvey, the very one with whom she'll share guest-of-honor honors. One of the few writers she met then was "this kid named Dennis Lehane (later to write "Gone Baby Gone" and "Mystic River") who had published his first book a year earlier. He did pretty well for himself."

As, of course, has Lippman, who over the years has made it to the New York Times bestseller list, had her novel "Every Secret Thing" optioned by Frances McDormand and is currently writing the serial for the New York Times Magazine.

Poe, Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, "Homicide" and "The Wire," Baltimore's got 'em all, she says. What better place could there be for a mystery and crime convention?

And what better topic for a convention of like minds? More books that can be considered mysteries are printed per year than in the entire decade of the 1970s, says Jordan. She also refers to a Publishers Weekly interview of readers of more than 10 books a year which include fiction; 48 percent of them -- the largest group -- read mysteries. The next largest group was readers of all literature at 32 percent; third was science fiction and fourth, romance.

Then, with her Bouchercon arrangements coming right along, Jordan was free to join them, snuggled into her cozy chair with an advance copy of Jeffery Deaver's latest, "The Bodies Left Behind." Ah yes, it's good to be Crimespree Queen.

Bouchercon will take place Oct. 9-12 at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center on West Fayette Street. Register at charmedtodeath.com, where almost every conceivable thing you'd want to know about the event may also be found. As of mid-September, the cost remained $175. Jordan will take registrations up to the last minute, she assures, noting that in her eight years of attendance she has only been aware of three standing-room-only panels.

The convention's block of rooms at the Sheraton is filled, but the secondary hotel, 20 yards down West Baltimore Street, is the Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore. If this also fills, Jordan recommends Day's Inn, only two blocks away. Not that this is likely to be a problem for locals, unless tearing oneself away from all the fun would be just criminal.

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