Weekend Update on the Spin Cycle
NYTBR: Marilyn Stasio doesn’t have nearly enough space to do Michael Dibdin justice, but she tries her best – and also reviews new offerings from Barbara Cleverly, Fred Vargas and Michael Harvey. Also, Nicholas Kulish reviews a novel and memoir about meth addicts; Liesl Schillinger finds lots to say about Glen Duncan’s latest fictional foray; and WTF is up with Jonathan Ames’ review of Matt Ruff’s BAD MONKEYS? Phoning it in isn’t the right phrase, but it’s not exactly scintillating criticism.
WaPo Book World: Steven Mufson finds out everything imaginable about China’s most infamous businessman; Wendy Smith is haunted by Lloyd Jones’ astounding MISTER PIP; and a new book takes stock of what really happened during Post-WWII Allied occupation.
LA Times: Ruth Andrew Ellenson mines for meaning within Ruth Wisse’s take on Jews and Power; Nick Owchar dares anyone to stay unmoved by Joyce Carol Oates’ tales of suspense; Sylvia Brownrigg dives into the intellectual confection that is Kate Christensen’s THE GREAT MAN; and Edward Champion teases out what’s embedded in Rupert Thomson’s DEATH OF A MURDERER.
G&M: Caroline Adderson calls Stephen Marche’s invented novel of Sanjania an unexpected delight; Andrew Allentuck tries to explain why American markets are a big mess right now; and Katherine Gordon is both horrified and moved by the terrible beauty of MISTER PIP.
Guardian Review: Carmen Callil continues to put up a fight about her book on Vichy France; Andy Beckett wishes Hari Kunzru could be less predictable; Fatema Ahmed is similarly disappointed with David Davidar’s somewhat hyped latest effort; and Matthew Lewin reviews new thrillers by RJ Ellory, Christopher Brookmyre, Adrian Hyland and Stella Rimington.
Observer: Philip French explains why Bonnie & Clyde proved groundbreaking on the violence front; Edward Marriott is disappointed with Ann Patchett’s new novel RUN; and the Observer Team picks its 10 must-reads for the fall.
The Times: Catherine Shoard has some fun with a new biography of Joan Collins; Stella Gemmell explains why she felt urged to complete her late husband David’s Troy trilogy; and John Dugdale is soooooooooo the wrong person to review David Peace’s TOKYO YEAR ZERO.
The Scotsman: Mike Duffy catches up with William Gibson before the author appears at the Edinburgh Book Festival; Pattie Boyd talks to Jackie McGlone about being caught between George Harrison and Eric Clapton; Fiona Atherton can’t say enough good things about Denise Mina’s new Paddy Meehan tale; and Ann Patchett tells Lesley MacDowell about how her friendship with Lucy Grealy informed not only a memoir, but now her newest novel RUN.
The Rest:
Oline Cogdill gets caught up in the thrill ride of Joseph Finder’s POWER PLAY and Robert Ellis’s CITY OF FIRE.
On the heels of his fictional case study at the Harvard Business Review, Joseph Finder gets attention from the Economist as well as a rave review from David Montgomery at the Chicago Sun-Times.
In the Chicago Tribune, Adam Langer pretty much pinpoints exactly what ails Michael Harvey’s well-intentioned debut crime novel THE CHICAGO WAY.
Hallie Ephron has a different opinion of Harvey’s novel, and also has her say about new offerings from Ken Bruen and Faye Kellerman in her Boston Globe column.
Susanna Yager at the Telegraph offers her opinion on new crime novels by Adrian Hyland and Gregg Hurwitz.
The Independent’s Katy Guest is clearly glad to be spending some time with Joyce Carol Oates to talk about her body of work.
Olen Steinhauer talks with Jeff Salomon at the Austin-American Statesman about his career-altering trip to Romania, the five-book “People’s Militia” series and what he’s working on next.
A plethora of new podcasts are available from the Bat Segundo Show, but the William Gibson one just posted is far and away my favorite.
The Associated Press’s David Fischer meets Jeff Lindsay and talks of all things Dexter.
Gabe Rotter and Leslie Arfin were childhood best friends who reconnected recently and realized they were both writing books. Newsday’s Aileen Jacobson reveals what happened next in this friendship reunited.
Regis Behe chats with Nancy Horan, author of the New York Times bestselling LOVING FRANK.
Colin Cotterill tells the Deseret Morning News about why he moved to Asia, the sarcastic approach needed to depict Laos, and his next plans for Dr. Siri.