Sunday Smatterings Post-Halloween

Marilyn Stasio reviews new crime fiction offerings by Michael Connelly, Ruth Rendell, Archer Mayor, and Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom.

Oline Cogdill hears the McBain-like echoes in Lou Manfredo’s debut cop novel RIZZO’S WAR.

Janet Maslin adores THE LINE-UP, Otto Penzler’s anthology of crime writers talking about their iconic series characters.

Denise Hamilton hails John Connolly’s THE GATES as a potential middle-school Halloween classic in the LA Times.The Chicago Sun-Times’ Jeffrey Westhoff is also enthusiastic about the book.

The Guardian’s John O’Connell has his say on new thrillers by Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke, Michael Robotham and Emili Rosales.

Over at the Times of London, Marcel Berlins looks at new crime novels by Attica Locke and Ryan David Jahn as well as PD James’ nonfiction treatise on detective fiction.

The Globe & Mail’s Margaret Cannon analyzes recent mysteries and thrillers by Arnaldur Indridason, Louise Penny, Barbara Fradkin, R.J. Harlick, Leslie Crewe and Ethan Brown.

Tom & Enid Schantz round up new mysteries by Tasha Alexander, Carola Dunn, Louise Penny and Ann Cleeves in the Denver Post.

The Scotsman fetes Philip Kerr on his Ellis Peters Historical Dagger win for IF THE DEAD RISE NOT.

Ian Rankin talks about his newest standalone novel THE COMPLAINTS with Maclean’s.

Val McDermid explains to Janet Rudolph how her deservedly acclaimed novel A PLACE FOR EXECUTION was adapted for a film, now airing on PBS.

Michael Connelly relates how the fictional premise of NINE DRAGONS intersected with a real-life (and still unresolved) missing persons case in an essay for CNN.

John Le Carre, who recently switched UK publishers from Hodder to Penguin after 38 years, is profiled in the Observer.

NPR’s Glen Weldon talks up a new comics anthology of noir stories.

And finally, yeah, I want to read Andre Agassi’s memoir. Even if it seems to have left out the most important part.