Stephen King, who said a few years ago that he was finished with writing, that he had run out of ideas (and who has had several best sellers since), has come up with yet another cool notion. He’s decided to try his hand at a “pulp-style” crime novel. A great personal fan of numerous pulpy writers, such as Jim Thompson, Mr. King, with “The Colorado Kid,” is going to give it a shot, so to speak, himself.

“The Colorado Kid” will be published as a mass-market paperback original by a fairly new publishing company, Hard Case Crime, which, Mr. King states, “presents good, clean, bare-knuckled storytelling, and even though ‘The Colorado Kid’ is probably more bleu than outright noir, I think it has some of those old-fashioned kick-ass story-telling virtues. It ought to; this is where I started out, and I’m pleased to be back.”

Set on an island off the coast of Maine, King’s forthcoming mystery is the story of two veteran newspapermen and their investigation into the death of a resident of the island. It will be interesting to see what the Colorado Kid is doing in Maine.

***

There are a lot of mystery conferences every year, from the great-grandaddy of them all, the Bouchercon (to be held in Chicago this year), which celebrates every form of mystery fiction, to those less inclusive like Malice Domestic, which celebrates the cozy, or traditional mystery.

Now there is one with an even narrower scope. It’s not nearby, but if you are sincerely interested, you might like to know about the one-day Chester Himes Black Mystery Writers Conference in Oakland, Calif., on May 14. Those in attendance are a who’s who of African-American crime writers, including Gary Phillips, Robert Greer, and Eleanor Taylor Bland.

There will, presumably, be discussions of noir literature.

For more information, call 510-433-4044 or e-mail tfoch2000@yahoo.com.

***

How about a dollop of philosophy from the wonderful Dick Francis? One of his characters in “In the Frame” says, “The most damaging lies are told by those who believe they’re true.”

***

I don’t write about children’s books because I don’t know anything about them – neither the books nor the adorable little monsters for whom they’re produced. But it’s worth mentioning, I believe, that the Ian Fleming estate has given permission to Charlie Higson to write a series about the teenage years of James Bond.

There aren’t any Bond Girls in “Silverfin” (Miramax, 352 pages, $16.95) and the level of weaponry doesn’t quite measure up to the world-threatening paraphernalia employed by the assorted villains of the older Bond novels, but this charming chronicle, aimed at those of us who are over 10 years old, otherwise follows the structure of the more mature works.

Young James has just started school at Eton in the 1930s. While visiting his aunt in the Highlands, he discovers that the dark waters surrounding the castle harbor an eerie secret, and he is forced to do battle against a deadly enemy. Just as in the Fleming canon, the opening scene stretches credulity, but it nonetheless will have you holding your breath as you turn the page.

For those of us who could never get quite enough of the joyous, fast-paced James Bond thrillers, this clever new adventure is a trip to 007th heaven.

***

Some people will study Aristotle, Kierkegaard, or Voltaire to acquire wisdom, but the best mystery writers will do it for most of us.

Ross Macdonald: “Never sleep with anyone whose troubles are worse than your own.”

Raymond Chandler: “There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.”

Robert B. Parker: “You don’t have much chance of getting the truth if you think you know in advance what the truth ought to be.”

***

Everyone has opinions about which books are really good. Since every book published has to be good enough to impress at least one editor, there is undoubtedly something to recommend every book that has ever seen the light of day. Since this isn’t very helpful when searching for something really terrific, it is often useful to turn to awards for good recommendations.

One group that has a record of nominating good books for its annual honor is the International Association of Crime Writers. This year, the North American branch has nominated the following books for the Hammett Prize, given to a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing by an American or Canadian author: Colin Harrison, “The Havana Room” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux); Chuck Hogan, “Prince of Thieves” (Scribner); John Katzenbach, “The Madman’s Tale” (Ballantine); T. Jefferson Parker, “California Girl” (Morrow); Peter Robinson, “Playing With Fire” (Morrow).

***

And now news of yet another literary award, the Quills. This could be pretty good. As the National Book Awards have become more and more irrelevant over the years, selecting arcane little works read mainly by the authors’ immediate families (some of whom never got past the dust-jacket flap), a number of people in the publishing world decided something needed to be done.

Instead of a group of academics attempting to prove that their tastes are more elevated than yours can ever dream of being, the Quills actually are designed to matter. A “board” of approximately 6,000 booksellers and librarians will nominate books in 18 categories, the most interesting one being, it goes without saying, Suspense/Mystery.

The top five nominees will be announced, and the final vote will be by actual readers. Booksellers will offer their clients registration cards so that they can vote online for their favorite. This will occur from August 15 to September 15. In October, the awards ceremony will be televised on NBC Universal Stations.

Now you have an obligation to show that you can do this better than the alleged professionals.

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 atopenzler@nysun.com.