Overstuffed with links

Janet Maslin continues to expose the world to her unrequited crushes on Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson — or maybe it’s on their alter egos Rebus and Banks. Who really knows anymore? Although it might behoove her to know that the “refreshing lack of rivalry” might also be traced to their having had the same agent for, oh, a zillion years…

Speaking of Robinson, he gets good treatment by Patrick Anderson as well, commended for shining lights into society’s dark corners and such.

Oline Cogdill looks at Linda Fairstein’s newest novel ENTOMBED and explains what works, and is similarly enthused about Tim Dorsey’s TORPEDO JUICE.

Adam Woog returns with his crime column for the Seattle Times, rounding up new releases by Henning Mankell, Natsuo Kirino, Rebecca Pawel, Luis Alfredo Garcia-Roza, Ian Rankin, Andrea Camilleri and two by new foreign crime imprint Bitter Lemon Press.

The Boston Globe’s Clea Simon looks at Robert Wilson’s THE VANISHED HANDS and is impressed with the author’s ability to depict low-key psychological drama.

In yesterday’s NYTBR the books of note included Charles Taylor’s examination of Louise Welsh’s TAMBURLAINE MUST DIE (he was disappointed with the end result), Joe Klein’s approval of Thomas Kelly’s long awaited new novel, and of course, A.J. Jacobs’ striking back at Joe Queenan for using his bad mood to write an overly snarky review of Jacob’s book.

The Casper (WY) Star-Tribune interviews local author Craig Johnson, whose debut THE COLD DISH has garnered some nice notices since its release at the beginning of the year.

The Jerusalem Post examines Julius Lester’s ambitious but odd novel THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF GOD, and doesn’t quite know what to make of the book.

More snippets from Weekend Update land: at the Guardian Review, Alfred Hickling seems to wish Danny Leigh’s THE MONSTERS OF GRAMERCY PARK acted more like a thriller and less like a hybrid; at the Observer, Etgar Keret speaks to Hepzibah Anderson and Robert McCrum scoffs at publishing embargos; at the Globe and Mail, Maria Kubacki looks at Catherine Gildener’s “literary crime” effort, and Margaret Atwood — finally! — sets the record straight about Unotchit, the story that Will Not Die.

In honor of some holiday or another, here’s an interview with a so-called “Cupid for Hire”  and what may be the most TMI-laden memoir I’ve heard about in ages.

And finally, I still haven’t made up my mind about The Gates. I mean, it’s beautiful, but after a while, it gets sort of repetitive…