Sunday Smatterings on Ice

Laura Wilson rounds up new crime novels by Jacques Chessex, Jane Casey, Elly Griffiths and Carley Buckley.

The Times of London’s Marcel Berlins has his say on new offerings from Sam Eastland, Belinda Bauer, Ann Cleeves and Sara Paretsky.

With Sleuthfest upon us, Oline Cogdill chats with the convention’s featured speaker, Stephen J. Cannell. Cogdill also raves about Kelli Stanley’s new noir novel CITY OF DRAGONS. 

Rachel Cooke traveled to Stockholm to meet with Eva Gabrielsson, Stieg Larsson’s partner of three decades and embroiled in an already-well-documented imbroglio with regards to his estate.

Henning Mankell talks with the Guardian’s Nicholas Wroe about his newest novel, THE MAN FROM BEIJING, and his global life in writing.

Both those pieces naturally segue into the strangest, possibly the worst book review I’ve read so far this year. If you’re going to critique Henning Mankell’s new book, why on earth would you spend half the piece railing against Stieg Larsson? Surely there’s enough in THE MAN FROM BEIJING alone to justify 800-900 words? It’s altogether baffling.

The Toronto Star’s Jack Batten, on the other hand, gets how to review the new Mankell.

Sarah Graves’ home repair-themed mysteries provide a good jumping off point for a larger feature on all things DIY in the MIlwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Your 2009 Strand Critics Award nominees, as judged by Ron Charles, Tom Nolan, Hallie Ephron, Julia Keller and Paul Harris.

John Kenyon talks with Steve Hamilton about his recent standalone THE LOCK ARTIST, why he needed time away from Alex McKnight, and why technology won’t completely replace the old-fashioned stuff – especially locks. (via)

Authors including Margaret Atwood, Will Self, Ian Rankin, Zadie Smith and Richard Ford offer their own Rules for Writing in the Guardian, riffing on Elmore Leonard’s now-famous “Ten Rules.”

And finally, now that’s what I call an extended family!