Collect-a-link

Because I am woefully behind on updating the Picks, sometimes I forget to mention books that I really really like. Which is why it’s good that AP’s Bruce DeSilva reminds me of how wonderful Ace Atkins’ new book WHITE SHADOW is, because I needed to be reminded. The St. Petersburg Times Floridian has a great piece on Atkins, too.

My take is less enthusiastic about John Sandford’s latest, DEAD WATCH, and Patrick Anderson offers some pretty good explanations in his review of the book yesterday.

Also in the Post, Jonathan Yardley dubs Chad Taylor’s DEPARTURE LOUNGE “ smart, original, surprising and just about as cool as a novel can get.” Nice.

The Boston Globe’s Sam Allis has great things to say about Boris Akunin’s THE DEATH OF ACHILLES, the latest Erast Fandorin mysteyr.

Jamie Portman of the Ottawa Citizen, my former hometown paper, profiles Maureen Jennings on the publication of her newest historical Toronto crime novel, VICES OF MY BLOOD.

Leigh Montville didn’t really want to do another biography on Babe Ruth, but he had some unexpected help – the papers and collections of the Sultan of Swat’s previous biographers.

Oooh, opera gossip – it gets dishy and dirty in former Metropolitan Opera general manager Joe Volpe’s memoir, as the Hartford Courant discovers.

Who do mystery writers turn to when they need to get a fact absolutely right? Consultants and experts of course, as Columbia News Service’s Mike Stevens finds out.

The Times names Martin Edwards – who’s among the 20 shortlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier crime novel of the year award – [its Lawyer of the Week][10]. What does he see himself in 10 years? “still writing crime fiction, but probably not in a tax haven.” Ha.

And finally, I’m surprised New York doesn’t have its own version yet…(link via Ed)

[10]: writing crime fiction. But probably not in a tax haven.