Monster Attack on the Weekend Update

NYTBR: Marilyn Stasio reviews new crime novels by Cornelia Read, Minette Walters, Loren Estleman and Christopher G. Moore; Terrence Raffefty does the same with recent horror offerings by Joe Hill, Clive Barker, Laird Barron and John Shirley; Troy Patterson fends off the magic jazz hands of Adam Langer’s ELLINGTON BOULEVARD; and David Oshinsky considers a movement attempting to defend Senator Joe McCarthy. Also, in the Magazine, Chip McGrath hangs out in Vegas with debut novelist Charles Bock.

WaPo Book World: Clare Clark tours Jason Goodwin’s depiction of 19th Century Istanbul; Michael Kazin considers the links between the CIA and the cultural intelligentsia; and the paper also runs a brief obituary of Benjamin Schutz, who died earlier this month at the age of 58.

LA Times: Ed Park finally discovers the Discworld series; Ed Champion mines his inner lycanthrope in reviewing Toby Barlow’s debut; Carolyn Kellogg appreciates the contradictions of Lydia Millet’s new novel; but Richard Schickel seems cranky about reading AN ORDINARY SPY for whatever reason.

G&M: Hannah Hoag enjoys Richard Reeves’ depiction of the Nobel-winning physicist Ernest Rutherford; Judy Rebick celebrates the 20th anniversary of Canada’s move to make it fully legal to have an abortion; and Catherine Bush sends nothing but hosannas Lydia Millet’s way.

Guardian Review: James Wood considers the nature of character in story; Tariq Ali finds European connections to Anthony Powell’s landmark DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME; and Matthew Lewin reviews new thrillers by John Grisham, Jonathan Kellerman, John Harvey and James Lee Burke.

Observer: Mills & Boon celebrates its 100th anniversary; Francesca Segal profiles one M&B writer, Ida Cook, who helped save Jews from the Nazi warpath; and Peter Guttridge rounds up the latest in crime by James Lee Burke, John Harvey, Jennifer Lee Carrell and Simon Lewis.

The Times: Melissa Katsoulis explains – tongue firmly in cheek – how to write a Mills & Boon novel; John Grisham’s new novel leaves a sour taste in John Dugdale’s mouth; Sarah Birke investigates where the next generation of writers are coming from; and John Freeman goes to Boston to pick James Wood’s brain.

The Scotsman: Stuart Kelly talks to A.L Kennedy just after she won the Costa Award; Michael Pye raves about Andrea Camilleri’s latest crime novel; and David Sexton ponders the concept of anonymity in literature.

The Rest:

Oline Cogdill would enjoy J.A. Jance’s HAND OF EVIL even more if the plot twists were more credible.

Adam Woog has many good things to say about Robert Ferrigno’s SINS OF THE ASSASSIN, which is even better than the excellent first book in the trilogy.

John Orr, whose reviews I don’t link to often enough, is wowed by Douglas Preston’s new science thriller BLASPHEMY.

Hallie Ephron reviews new mysteries by C.J. Box, Sarah Graves and Louise Ure for the Boston Globe. Chuck Leddy reviews John Grisham’s THE APPEAL and makes the grave mistake of invoking the dreaded phrase “transcends the genre.” Didn’t he know the damn phrase has been outlawed in review-speak? Oh wait, that’s only according to Sarah’s Rules, which don’t count, regrettably. Sigh.

The Toronto Star’s Jack Batten follows Inspector Sejer through his latest outing in Karin Fossum’s BLACK SECONDS.

Louise Penny talks to the Malaysia Star about her long road to publication and the short road to crime fiction stardom.

The Southwest Florida News-Press catches up with Elaine Viets, on the road to recovery and writing after last spring’s massive stroke.

The WSJ’s Jeff Trachtenberg talks with Lee Siegel, who clearly did not spend enough time on USENET in the 1990s otherwise his polemic might never have been written.

And finally, this is one nutty arrest photo.