World of Mystery

Maddy Van Hertbruggen, a noted amateur reviewer and regular on several mailing lists, hit a wall recently when she read one serial killer book too many. And so she posted this how-to guide on the 4 …

So it’s basically all Ian Rankin, all the time now–FLESHMARKET CLOSE is out, he’s packing the bookstores, and preparing for another gargantuan-sized book tour. But evidently a …

After much begging, pleading, prodding and cajoling, Duane “Leblanc” Swierczynski has become a newly minted Cabana Boy, launching a new blog just as his first novel, SECRET DEAD MEN, is …

The new edition of the crime fiction newsletter is now available, and is chock full of all the usual goodness: reviews, roundups, and so much more. My token contribution (to the point where I’d …

Ian Rankin, the “king of tartan noir” (can someone retire the phrase already? Please?!) is the featured interview at the Independent where he seems to surprise Lesley McDowell by being so …

Al Guthrie, author of TWO-WAY SPLIT who doubles as one of PointBlank’s commissioning editors, read from his novel at last night’s event in Edinburgh, and judging from the write-up by Ray …

Deadly Pleasures breaks the news of the Historical Dagger nominees (while the CWA’s website seems to have been caught napping). They are:

Barbara Cleverly, THE DAMASCENED BLADE

Marjorie …

And this, no doubt, will be welcome news for his fans, who hope that he’ll grow beyond cult status finally:

Author of TOMATO RED and THE DEATH OF SWEET MISTER, Daniel Woodrell’s new …

Jeff Abbott continues his interview series with noted crime writers, talking to Lee Child about all things Reacher, the writing process, why his use of dialogue is underrated, and whether the …

AfterEllen.com, a website devoted to gay and lesbian issues, has a nice feature on those writers who make use of a lesbian protagonist in their mysteries. They speak to Nicola Griffith, Ellen Hart, …

Still hung over (well, things don’t change *that* quickly) but feeling a little more human, enough to point to the prologue of Donna’s upcoming debut novel, GO TO HELENA HANDBASKET, which …

Now that the third season of the HBO series THE WIRE is about to launch (the first episode airs tonight), it seems all the major papers are doing the “look! crime novelists write this …

It was with considerable interest that I read Ed Gorman’s recent dispatch on how tastes change with each generation:

A good number of the over-fifty writers–my peer group–will tell you …

Granted, I’m probably not helping by linking to every bloody review of the book I can find, but come on. Is there really that much sense in giving Patricia Cornwell so much space in the …

Jennifer Jordan points me to a recent interview given by Michael Collins about his new novel LOST SOULS (and why I have to spring for the US edition because it’s 60 pages longer!) living and …

It strikes us as rather coincidental that Leo Carey’s appreciation of the writer of the Charlie Mortdecai novels appears in the New Yorker a mere day after scouring the bookshelves at the local …

The full list is now up. Once again, we’re tearing our hair out at all the conflicts, but what’s great is that there are only four tracks, plus the new “20 on the 20” feature …

We’ve been waiting on this for a while and it’s finally here: Allan Guthrie, aka the author of the fabulous TWO-WAY SPLIT and commissioning editor of PointBlank Press, guest-edited the new …

Trawling through the PM archives and came across some mystery-related ones:

First up: now granted, I think Stabenow’s done big one-off thrillers before, but probably not with the fanfare this …

Jenny Davidson has discovered Ken Bruen, and boy, is it a great match. Although we might not have recommended reading all four Jack Taylor books in succession, if only because the net effect might …

USA Today has a great feature on Hard Case Crime, the just-launched paperback imprint which is dedicated to reissuing lost pulp classic and uncovering new ones. The co-founders, Max Phillips and …

Lots of good responses in yesterday’s post, and a lot of the ideas bleed into what I want to get into today. It’s hardly a new topic, granted. Just a few days ago, Karin Slaughter wrote in the …

Like we weren’t excited about Donna “Kafka” Moore’s book before, but now that she has a real live bio available on the PointBlank website, well, where the hell’s our …

Yesterday I linked to a survey that showed that 50% of boys in the UK don’t read at all. Reading habits are interesting me of late on a number of levels, especially as applied to crime fiction. As …

Evidently, the Carroll & Graf imprint died some time ago, although someone forgot to tell me when it happened. But have no fear, for Penzler, who does so many things and wears so many hats …

Laura Lippman, fresh off a very nice write-up in the New York Times, gets similar treatment by her former employer (and my current one) The Baltimore Sun. There’s the requisite biographical info …

Karin Slaughter, in Friday’s Financial TImes, writes about the growing trend of female crime writers like Mo Hayder, Denise Mina and Tess Gerritsen–as well as herself–who explore the …

As first reported by the esteemed Mr. Hogan:

IT used to be that every novelist had a screenplay in the drawer, just waiting for an actor to get interested. These days, it’s the actors who have …

I’m pretty sure I’ve ranted at length before on the disturbing trend of using real-life figures as mystery sleuths, but considering this article last week in the Chicago Tribune, …

I thought I’d finish up (almost – just one more post to go before you get to wave off projectile-vomiting Aunt Gertie) with some forthcoming, not quite published yet, books I’m looking …

Since I know you’ll be missing Sarah’s wonderful link round-ups, here’s a rather pathetic version of my own. A grab-bag of miscellaneous stuff that I happened to come across over the …

So, having dealt with the facts (or my version of them at least) what of Scottish crime fiction? Scotland is a place with a gothic sensibility and a dark sense of humour, and both those aspects show …

Since I live in Scotland, I thought I’d start off by talking a bit about Scottish crime fiction. As well as the king of Tartan Noir himself, Ian Rankin, quite a wide variety of crime fiction writers …

For the rest of the working week, the blog will be in the capable hands of Jason Starr. If you like the noir side of crime fiction, then chances are very good that you know his books and dig them. If, …

Although I don’t know much in the way of details, Mo Hayder’s agency, Gregory & Company, reports on their website that they have sold the US rights to TOKYO to Grove/Atlantic. I must …

Aldo Calcagno is finally back in form and posting reports from all sorts of signings he attended recently, including that of Lee Goldberg’s for his newest Diagnosis Murder novel. But who stole …

Laura Lippman gets the New York Times treatment in the Saturday edition, talking to Mel Gussow about the new Tess Monaghan novel, the real-life basis for the Snoop Sisters, and of course, Baltimore: …

Well, it’s finally happened. Yours truly will be moderating a panel at Bouchercon called “New Wave Murder” on Thursday, October 7 from 4:00-5:00 PM. It seems to be a classic example …

Now that the Olympics are underway, if you’re inclined to look for some crime fiction set in Ancient or Contemporary Greece, I’ve pulled together a list of notable books and authors in …

The big feature over at the Boston Globe this past weekend was on the state of crime fiction as directly applied to Boston. So, some of the usual suspects–Dennis Lehane, Robert B. …

We have to admit that we’re nursing a bit of a crush on John Rickards, the Brit-based author of WINTER’S END and THE TOUCH OF GHOSTS, that started a few days ago after stumbling across his …

When British High Commissioner Edward Clay launched a tirade against corruption in Kenya, he used a curious metaphor involving fruits and nuts. The BBC got the bright idea to fashion a mystery novel …

Mark Timlin, writing for the Independent on Sunday (no link yet, alas) goes on a major offensive attacking those writers who think that switching gears from literary fiction to mystery will win them …

So as we’ve said before, we’re going to be here and there, intermittently posting over the next month, as various changes of the personal and professional variety take hold. To get things …

There are lots of good reasons to read Olen Steinhauer’s second edition of the Monocle, his occasional newsletter: his thoughts on Ken Bruen and Kevin Wignall, news of his latest projects, and a …

Aileen Jacobson of Newsday writes a rather lengthy feature on how contemporary crime fiction is far more focused upon incorporating social issues within the contents of a given novel and as such, has …

Sally Owen, the former manager of the Mysterious Bookshop who now operates her own bookselling business, releases a monthly newsletter rounding up the major crime fiction releases of a given period. …

I like hearing when writers are rewarded for their efforts, especially when it’s been a long time coming. In one of the blog’s earliest posts, I pretty much waxed rhapsodic about Sean …

It all started when Jim Winter posted a screed a few days back about what restrictions he’d put upon those enterprising folks who might want to adapt his Nick Kepler novels for the screen: …

Marietta Dunn, writing for the Philadelphia Inquirer, looks at the Feminist Press’s new line of female pulp fiction writers, specifically the two books by Dorothy B. Hughes

:The Feminist Press …

Last month, Jim Huang–publisher, editor, writer, bookseller, and more importantly, reader—gave the keynote address to the Midwest Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America about the …

When I first heard about the news a couple of weeks ago, I asked my friends over at the Literary Saloon to keep an eye out on the story, and finally, some mention of it appears in the Telegraph …

It seems the just-completed Harrogate Crime Festival wasn’t just an unqualified success; it also was the impetus for the creation of a new award for the Best Crime Fiction book of the year: …

Few authors burst upon the crime fiction scene with the level of fanfare and acclaim that was accorded Boston Teran five short years ago, when his debut novel GOD IS A BULLET hit stores everywhere. …

We’re still waiting for more detailed reports, but Ayo Onatade, who will be reporting for both SHOTS and Mystery Women, has posted a brief precis in the comments section of last week’s …

More catch-up: the July edition of January Magazine‘s Rap Sheet is now available for perusal. Choice offerings include Kevin Burton Smith’s rather curious reaction to BY A SPIDER’S …

As mentioned previously, M.J. Rose, whose new novel THE HALO EFFECT is in stores now, will be helming the blog tomorrow as part of her Virtual Book Tour, where she’ll hit seven sites in one day. …

Well, folks, the not-so-secret project is finally live. There’s still a few kinks to iron out, which will be taken care of in the next day or two, but the piping hot content is all there to …

No, I don’t normally post on Saturdays, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t put up the newly-announced list of the 2004 Anthony Awards. The winners will be announced in an evening banquet …

Gosh, today proved to be a hypergraphic’s delight. But before I sign off, a gentle reminder:

On Monday, July 26th, M.J. Rose will be participating in a Virtual Book Tour for her new novel THE …

After last year’s smashing success, followed by a bit of uncertainty thanks to funding issues, the 2nd Harrogate Crime Writing Festival gets underway later today. I am trying very hard to …

Fiona, one of the Crime Fiction Dossier’s co-bloggers, has returned from her vacation in Greece*, and although she got quite a lot of reading done (14 books) one of them decidedly did not …

As David Thayer, one of Collected Miscellany’s adjunct bloggers, interviews Kevin about the new book, his attitude towards blogs (“the most exciting media development in years”), and …

Faye and Jonathan Kellerman are both incredibly successful thriller writers who happen to be married to each other. But that isn’t enough for the family, because now their eldest son is getting …

Well, not really, but he does cop to some things that wouldn’t normally come up in one of those boilerplate interviews you’re used to seeing, answering questions about whether he sings in …

With a decidedly different take than last week’s review in the Washington Post, David Thayer critiques Kevin Wignall’s FOR THE DOGS at Collected Miscellany:

Kevin Wignall doesn’t …

It’s not that difficult to extract a juicy nugget and spin it into a story. But sometimes, it sure as hell seems that way. Case in point: we know, just know that a full-length story exists about …

The news broke first on the 4 Mystery Addicts mailing list yesterday, though I’ve known what was in the works for a little while. Joining the ranks of soon-to-be-published is Glaswegian Wonder …

A couple of interesting interviews appeared over the weekend in the Daily Yomiuri Times. The first is with Edgar nominee Natsuo Kirino, who was happy to be nominated for OUT (which she actually …

Jeff Abbott, a regular reader and an acclaimed crime writer in his own right, has started a new series of author interviews that focus on the process and craft of writing. The first two installments …

I think this is the first, and likely last, time I’ll ever post a want ad on the blog, but Otto Penzler, owner of the Mysterious Bookshop who does a great many other tasks in the mystery world, …

George Easter, editor of Deadly Pleasures Magazine, has announced the nominees for the annual Barry Awards, which will be held on the first night of Bouchercon:

BEST MYSTERY NOVEL

THE GUARDS by Ken …

Crime fiction editor J. Kingston Pierce recently conducted a lengthy interview with veteran writer Loren Estleman, author of the Amos Walker PI series and really, one of the hardest-working, most …

The saga continues, as dethroned Brooklyn prosecutor turned acclaimed crime writer Rob Reuland faces off against his former boss, Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes, in court. (For the background, read this …

Earlier this month I linked to an interview that PWG co-editor Trevor Maviano gave to Sex and Guts Magazine. Thought-provoking as the interview was, it turns out, according to Maviano, that it …

In a perfect world, this blog would be 100% objective about reviews because in the end, it’s just one person’s opinion about another person’s book. But sometimes I’ll run …

Normally, writers give a blurb for books they like from time to time. But Ken Bruen is not a normal author, and when he likes someone, he really likes them. So it goes for the new writers of …

Crime writer G.M. Ford–“Jerry” to most people who know him–is one of the more colorful characters in the business. Even though he hasn’t written a “funny” …

The new issue of Thrilling Detective Magazine is up and something that has been in the works for a while has finally come to fruition: Ray Banks, David White, and Jim Winter all together, sharing the …

Starting tomorrow, the National Film Theatre will host the fourth annual Crime Scene festival devoted to film and literature related to the mystery field. I had the opportunity to go last year, as I …

My tendency to scrutinize author interviews has, naturally, gone into hyperdrive since I started interviewing them myself. So my inclination, upon reading William Leith’s interview of Lawrence …

Darley Anderson is one of the top UK-based literary agents, best known for his roster of crime and thriller writers including Lee Child, John Connolly, and Martina Cole. Kate Miciak is the VP of …

My latest full-length review was actually posted yesterday at January Magazine, but it escaped my notice till today. I was introduced to Dan Fesperman’s work in a big way last year and the love …

Yesterday, Publisher’s Lunch linked to a piece in the Wall Street Journal (full text after the jump, thanks to the donation of a kind blog reader) written by noted crime writer Jim Fusilli about …

I do hope that eventually, Simon Kernick will get the same kind of attention in the US that he does in his native England, but in the meantime, his profile will likely increase even more over there …

A couple of leading lights in the mystery community have passed away recently, and I’d like to devote a little bit of space to each of them now.

Jon Teta, one of the original owners of my …

Allan Guthrie, the man who wears so many hats I don’t even know if he can keep them all straight (author, editor, you name it) puts on his webzine hat just in time for the new issue of Noir …

Gene Gregorits, the man behind the anarchic journal SEX AND GUTS, engages Plots With Guns co-editor Trev Maviano in a conversation that takes “freewheeling” to new heights, as they rap …

Earlier today I had a post that detailed a proposed deal that would have had Ray Banks and Ken Bruen collaborating on a project. Unfortunately, due to contractual issues, the project will not go ahead …

Oh my goodness, when the Telegraph decides to jump on a bandwagon, they do it with substantial force. To wit:

–Two contrasting reviews by Jessica Mann and Sam Leith of Dame Stella …

For a while, it looked like Don Winslow was going to be a good candidate for being a Disappeared Author. After writing five acclaimed PI novels starring former pickpocket Neal Carey, he wrote THE LIFE …

It always happens this way. Last week, hardly anything from the crime fiction world. This time? It’s bloody everywhere. So, onward:

The more I read the newly revamped Times Book …

Ahh, the Rap Sheet, I did miss it so. For good reason, as J. Kingston Pierce spent the better part of April and May on vacation in Europe, and so, a double issue. All the usual suspects (Kevin Burton …

Ian Rankin was recently in South Africa to promote his Rebus novels, and he tells the South African Sunday Times about some of the more bizarre experiences he had during the trip:

Rankin related, …

Over the last little while I’ve been not-so-surreptiously planting the idea of attending the annual mystery convention (held this year in Toronto) in the minds of certain folks. Although I gave …

Mystery Readers International announces the Nominees for the 2003 Macavity Awards:

BEST MYSTERY NOVEL

The Delicate Storm by Giles Blunt (Putnam)

For the Love of Mike by Rhys Bowen (St. …

I’ve been waiting on this all day, and finally, the annual awards given by the Private Eye Writers of America have been announced:

BEST NOVEL

Scavenger Hunt by Robert Ferrigno (Pantheon)

The …

My comrade-in-arms, Ali Karim, wasn’t satisifed with interviewing the entire crime fiction world for the latest edition of SHOTS. His newest mammoth interview for January Magazine is up, and he …

A few years ago, Rob Reuland was a hotshot assistant DA in the King’s County office (better known to most people as Brooklyn) where he prosecuted a variety of cases such as the Prospect Park …

I am pleased to announce that the latest issue of SHOTS Magazine is now live. Mike Stotter promised it would be a mammoth issue, and boy, is it ever. In keeping with the theme of bigger and better, I …

Just over the transom:

Two new books in Ken Bruen’s Edgar-nominated crime series set in Ireland featuring hard-boiled, a darkly comic p.i. Jack Taylor, along with two new books in …

The Crime Writers of Canada have announced the winners of the Arthur Ellis Awards, given to the best in Canadian crime fiction for 2003:

BEST NOVEL:

Giles Blunt, The Delicate Storm (Random House …

Not surprisingly, the UK bestseller list smackdown that appeared in yesterday’s Sunday (Glasgow) Herald was greeted with something less than kindness in the crime fiction community. As I pointed …

I just received a missive from Anthony Neil Smith (aka one of the fine editors of PLOTS WITH GUNS) that he and his friend and fellow crime writer Victor Gischler will be reading from their work …

The lovely Fiona has alerted me to an alarming new development, which I’ll just blurt out right now:

James Patterson has a blog.

Ostensibly it’s set up to promote his newest slushfest, …

Since I won’t be posting anything tomorrow (seriously! I mean it) I’m providing some mystery-only fare to tide you over till the Big Sunday Wrap-up:

Roger L. Simon, who is about the only …

but this time, not from Marketplace, because one has to spread the wealth a little bit. So instead I turn to my other main source of dish, Booktrade.info:

Kate Elton, Publishing Director of Arrow, …

With Book Expo America looming (more on that later, probably tomorrow) my geek self kicked in and I went to the website and started scrolling through all the authors who are scheduled to sign …

Write a retrospective on Ross Thomas, as Richard Giller did yesterday for the Boston Globe. Instead of listening to me wax rhapsodic, let Giller explain what made Thomas’s novels so wonderful: …

First up: a shiny new issue of Plots With Guns, with the usual mix of great stories, insane interviews, and other things that make it such a special magazine. Like Trev Maviano’s conversation …

And first, for those who wrote in after Friday’s kvetch-inflected post, thank you. It finally hit me what the problem is–I’m not very good at reacting to cars that honk at me or are …

I’m surprised the Washington Post took so long to review THE NARROWS, but maybe it took that much time to line up the reviewer in question, I don’t know. Anyway, John Katzenbach (who has a …

Hardluck Stories has updated with its spring edition, guest edited by Charlie Stella. It’s a killer issue, and I’d say this even if I weren’t in it. I’ll let Charlie introduce …

Deadly Pleasures reports that finally, amazingly, Rennie Airth’s THE BLOOD-DIMMED TIDE will actually be published–and this year, at that. As reported by Ralph Spurrier, the owner of the …

Aldo reports on a most interesting development with regards to the Black Dahlia, whose real name was, of course, Ms. Short. She’s fascinated a whole host of people, but the most famous devotees …