Smatterings

A million years ago I thought about and sent around some half-hearted pitches on Bob Barnett, literary lawyer to pretty much everyone who’s anyone. So I’m glad Leon Neyfakh thought of the same thing and got to write about Mr. Barnett, Esq.

January Magazine presents its holiday gift guide, crime-fiction style.

Ha’aretz looks at Israel-based crime fiction, from early pulps (which I now want to track down, my crappy Hebrew reading comprehension be damned) to Matthew Rees’ Omar Yussef novels.

After reading Mike Ripley’s newest SHOTS column, I realize he’s the genre’s equivalent of a society reporter, and I really dig it.

At the Village Voice, Elizabeth Hand highlights some overlooked titles, including thrillers by Yrsa Sigudardottir and John Connolly.

Dick Lochte is generally favorable about T IS FOR TRESPASS, Kinsey Millhone’s latest escapade.

The 10 Most Manly Writers Ever? (via)

100 years of Mills & Boon and there is point/counterpoint from Daisy Cummins and Julie Bindel in the Guardian.

I have read far, far too much about Gawker’s recent editor mutiny in the last few days, and my feelings are a mix of this and this.

Elizabeth Hardwick is dead at the age of 91.

Memo to the Atlantic: when B.R. Myers writes a review, make the whole thing available online immediately so we can get reactions like these far earlier. Another reason why paywalls suck ass.

And finally, I’m not sure it benefited a cover, but I swear by them, too.