The blisteringly hot Weekend Update

And before I get to all the links and stuff, a huge congratulations to Mark Billingham, winner of the very first Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award (given to the UK public’s favorite paperback novel of 2004.)  He beat out some pretty top-flight competition to win for LAZYBONES, and I must say he looks rather spiffy next posing next to the beer barrel.

So, maybe it’s time US mystery readers buy his books in sufficient quantities to make him as popular here as he is in the UK, where you can’t go into a Tube station without seeing an ad for his newest book, LIFELESS?

Now, everything else:

NYTBR: Amazingly, La Stasio and I are in serious agreement this week. She loves THE BLOOD-DIMMED TIDE? I quite dug it a lot myself. She’s high on TPOs by Charlie Huston and Quinton Skinner? Ditto. And as for DEARLY DEVOTED DEXTER…well, let’s just say that I have some fun with it in my column next week.

Otherwise, Walter Kirn considers the noir underpinnings of Cormac McCarthy’s newest novel; Naomi Wolf rants about the treatment of women, Hillary Clinton and other stuff;  and Maud’s cracked the NYTBR! Yay!

WaPo Book World: Maureen Corrigan finds much to praise about Michelle Wan’s flowery debut DEADLY SLIPPER; a new authorized biography of Alec Guinness probes the man behind the starmaking parts; Ron Charles marvels at the translator’s ability to make Marcel Beyer’s SPIES even better in English; and I get the feeling that Sheri Holman doesn’t quite get Lydia Millet’s take on physics in her newest novel.

G&M: The book section went a little nuts this week with good stuff alongside Margaret Cannon’s biweekly crime column, which features new stuff by Jeffery Deaver, James Lee Burke, Henry Porter, Nicole Lundrigan, Philip Kerr & Michael Robotham (who is not, I repeat not, from Britain. He only lives there.) Otherwise, Rick Moody puts Cormac McCarthy’s career in context before disappointment sets in about the new book;  Natasha Cooper tries to explain why Kathy Reichs sells so many books; Robert McCrum offers up suggestions on what London-based books to read; Robert Wiersma goes against the grain and HEARTS the new John Irving!

Guardian Review: Peter Singer’s crusades get high profile coverage; James Wood is utterly charmed by a new book about an isolated incident in Dostoyevsky’s life; and perhaps there can be some subtlety in the debate about evolution after all.

Observer: Catherine Humble enjoys uncovering the many layers of Jonathan Smith’s newest novel;  Robert McCrum is slightly taken aback by the direction of a new reading group prize; and I’m sorry, but what universe allows Toby Young to write about Jude Law and the nanny and of course, make it all about himself? Sheesh.

The Times: Marcel Berlins wonders if by being too chicken to kill Aurelio Zen off, Michael Dibdin doomed the series; Simon Barnes wonders why horseracing continues to inspire decent thrillers when other sports just don’t;  Someone should tell Peter Millar that the whole Rain-naming theme continues on in the US (though I think RAIN IN SPAIN would only work if Barry Eisler’s books were turned into a musical…)  David Baddiel ponders the success of Dan Brown and all this religious business; Ben MacIntyre implores people to please, please make fun of celebrity novelists — hey, so what if the books sell?

The Scotsman: Allan Massie wishes the publishers would drop the conceit that Michael Dibdin is writing mysteries when they are really comic capers; Denise Mina is just the latest crime writer to venture forth in the world of comics; and Dan Rhodes talks books, page-folding and why he can’t finish a Salman Rushdie novel.

The Rest:

Emily Gordon (Emdashes to the blogosphere) meets Kate White and Sam Baker, two Cosmo editors who also write frothy but well-plotted mystery novels.

Oline Cogdill finds much to like about new mysteries by Sandra Scoppettone, Denise Swanson and Reed Arvin.

Johnny Temple ponders the pros and cons of ghettoizing books by category for his column in the Book Standard.

The Chambersburg (PA) Public Opinion catches up with Valerie Malmont, who’s put the Tori Miracle series on hold to write a historical novel for the moment.