Memorial Day Weekend Smatterings

Marilyn Stasio reviews new crime fiction by Michael Connelly, Alan Bradley, Simon Beckett and John Shannon.

Chuck Leddy finds Michael Connelly’s THE SCARECROW to “fit the bill” as summer reading, as does Janet Maslin, while Connelly talks about the book in a brief profile by the Denver Post.

Marcel Berlins has his say on crime and thrillers by Mr. Connelly, Walter Mosley and Imogen Robertson.

At Things I’d Rather Be Doing, John Kenyon interviews both Castle Freeman and Lawrence Block, who was also profiled in USA TODAY and appeared on the Craig Ferguson show to promote his memoir STEP BY STEP. 

The Chicago Sun-Times’ Jeff Johnson meets up with Bryan Gruley to talk of his excellent debut novel STARVATION LAKE and has many words of praise for Ace Atkins’ DEVIL’S GARDEN.

John Harvey talks with This is Nottingham about his newest novel FAR CRY.

David Hosp discusses his dual legal and writing careers at Law.com.

Barbara Nadel goes in search of hookahs as a 400-year-old tradition comes to an end in Istanbul.

Jake Arnott tells Scotland on Sunday why he’s delving into the life of occultist Aleister Crowley in his new novel THE DEVIL’S PAINTBRUSH.

At the Times of London, Jonathan Ross talks about the secret life of Superman, Helen Oyeyemi is profiled and Carlos Ruiz Zafon extols the virtues of libraries in an electronic age.

Sara Nelson picks a baker’s dozen of summer reads for The Daily Beast.

Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout talks with the Globe & Mail’s Simon Houpt about OLIVE KITTERIDGE, the book that won her the prize.

Rich Cohen wonders whether our constant need for connectivity will kill the novelist’s need to escape. If anythng, I’d think social media overload would increase the desire to get away, but maybe that’s just me.

This lady read Agatha Christie novels a bit too literally, it seems.

And finally, who knew that Donald Duck was the Jerry Lewis of Germany?