Reduced Calorie Sunday Smatterings

I’ve just finished reading the one and only novel from Dennis Richard Murphy, who passed away months before its publication. The Edmonton Journal profiles Murphy and how DARKNESS AT THE STROKE OF NOON’s complicated birth.

Oline Cogdill is disappointed with Harlan Coben’s latest Myron Bolitar novel, LONG LOST, but is more positive about Bryan Gruley’s STARVATION LAKE. 

David Montgomery reviews recent crime fiction by Laura Lippman, Olen Steinhauer, Sean Doolittle, Michael Robotham and Harley Jane Kozak for the Sun-Times. 

Hallie Ephron looks at new releases by Joe Gores, Paul Tremblay and Lisa Lutz in the Boston Globe.

Peter Rozovsky analyzes Matt Rees’ newest Palestinian crime novel in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Guardian’s John O’Connell reviews new thrillers by Richard North Patterson, Nicci French, Duncan Campbell and Robert Ellis.

Marcel Berlins has his say on crime fiction by Mo Hayder, Declan Hughes, Gene Kerrigan and Saskia Noort in the Times.

In the G&M, Margaret Cannon looks at the latest in crime by Laura Lippman, Deon Meyer, Walter Mosley, Domenico Starnone and M.C. Beaton.

Scott Timberg hangs out with James Ellroy,

who announces he is in the midst of an “erotic frenzy” timed to the

four-part publication of his relationships with women in PLAYBOY.

Also in the LAT, Dick Lochte expresses his views on T Jefferson Parker’s recent thriller THE RENEGADES.

Over the week, Walter Mosley’s THE LONG FALL got a lot of attention. Anna Mundow had her say in the Washington Post, Josh Getlin profiles him in the LA Times and Mosley picks five of his favorite books for The Daily Beast.

Laura Lippman talks further about LIFE SENTENCES to Rege Behe at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Kate Atkinson updates LA TRAVIATA for the 21st century as part of the 75th anniversary celebration of Glyndebourne.

The final part of Robert Wilson’s Inspector Falcon quartet, THE IGNORANCE OF BLOOD, has just been published in the UK, spurring him to talk about the book and the series to Expatica.com.

Ed Siegel looks at the Gothic overtones of Barbara Vine’s THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT in the Boston Globe. 

Your obligatory link to a preview of the #1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY show that premieres tonight on HBO, which is why the books’ creator, Alexander McCall Smith, sat down with the G&M’s Simon Houpt. 

Louise Penny has agreed to co-sponsor the John Creasey Dagger Award.

Why are there no sleuths based in Iran? Or Iraq, for that matter.

And finally, Yu-Na Kim gives me a reason to get back into the clutches of figure skating fandom. The long program was pretty good, but really, it’s all about the short.