For New Yorkers who enjoy reading thrillers (and if you’re reading this column there’s at least a 50-50 chance that you do), this weekend provides a rare opportunity to meet favorite authors, listen to them speak about thrillers in general and their own work in particular, get books autographed, etc.

The second annual Thriller-Fest will be held all weekend at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Day passes are available, but only if space is available. To be sure to miss none of the festivities, you should sign up for the entire event.

Among the authors who will be present are Jeffery Deaver, Heather Graham, Vince Flynn, Lisa Gardner, Steve Berry, Lee Child, Gayle Lynds, David Morrell, Douglas Preston, and Clive Cussler, who was named ThrillerMaster last year. The guest of honor, given the same award in 2007, is James Patterson, who will be the keynote speaker at Saturday’s dinner banquet.

Awards will be given in five other categories that night. The nominees for Best Novel are “False Impression” by Jeffrey Archer (St. Martin’s), “Killer Instinct” by Joseph Finder (St. Martin’s), “Cold Kill” by Stephen Leather (Hodder & Stoughton), “The Messenger” by Daniel Silva (Putnam) and “Beautiful Lies” by Lisa Unger (Shaye Areheart/ Bantam).

In the Best First Novel category, the nominees are “Shadow of Death” by Patricia Gussin (Oceanview), “Switchback” by Matthew Klein (Orion), “18 Seconds” by George D. Shuman (Simon & Schuster), and “Mr. Clarinet” by Nick Stone (Michael Joseph/Penguin).

For a complete list of those attending (more than a hundred authors attended last year’s inaugural event), and the schedule of events, including a cocktail party with the authors, speakers, and what is billed as a rousing performance by the Killer Thriller Band (don’t say you haven’t been warned), as well as the opportunity to register, visit the Web site of the International Thrillers Writers (thrillerwriters.org.)

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It should come as no surprise that a number of America’s most popular mystery writers have turned their talented hands to producing novels for young readers. Much as Mickey Spillane did when he wrote “The Day the Sea RolledBack”(1981), crime fiction writers who make best-seller lists with adult novels have had tremendous success with their young adult novels.

Carol Hiaasen led the recent trend with the Newbery awardwinner “Hoot” (2002), which was filmed in 2006 with songs by Jimmy Buffett, who also was a member of the cast; this longrunning best-seller was followed by “Flush” in 2005.

Elmore Leonard, noted for his gritty crime novels, produced the charming “A Coyote’s in the House” in 2004. Mike Lupica, one of America’s most famous sportswriters who wrote four mystery novels, the first of which, “Dead Air,” was nominated for an Edgar, has become a regular on best-seller lists for such young adult books as “Travel Team” (2004), “Heat” (2006), “Miracle on 49th Street” (2006) and will undoubtedly reappear when “Summer Ball” is released in September.

The latest player on this field is Robert B. Parker, who appears to have extra time on his hands between the annual adventures of Spenser, Sunny Randall and Jess Stone. His “Edenville Owls” (Philomel, 224 pages, $17.99) is a suspense story worthy of being read by grown-ups.

In addition to the expected coming-of-age stuff that is de rigeur for books aimed at teenagers, there is a terrific noir moment when an eighth-grader, Bobby, sees his pretty teacher, Miss Delaney, in a parking-lot confrontation with a guy who looks like a criminal.

When she shows up with a bruised face the next day, Bobby is sure he knows who did it and organizes some friends to protect her. This is the material of a book for adults, and the 1945 setting provides a delicious tone of nostalgia to the proceedings.

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And I’ll give the prolific novelist Rose Macaulay the final thought for today: “It was a book to kill time for those who like it better dead.”

Mr. Penzler is the proprietor of the Mysterious Bookshop in Manhattan and the series editor of the annual “Best American Mystery Stories.” He can be reached at ottopenzler@mysteriousbookshop.com.