Posts

(I’ll be adding to this throughout the day as meetings pretty much wipe out my morning. So check back a little later on and there’ll be even more here…)

So let’s open with the …

One of the most delightful new additions to my blogroll is Bob Tinsley’s The Short of It, devoted to all things short fiction. Not only are his reviews of stories, available both in print or …

James Reasoner, author of TEXAS WIND and about a zillion other books, thought that blogging might cut into his productivity. But it looks like that was far from the case, as he explains in his …

David Milofsky of the Denver Post expounds on the joys of litblogs, and naturally includes some of my friends, favorites and other cool customers.

Patrick Anderson’s latest column looks at …

When Duane Swierczynski isn’t writing novels, books on beer or freelance pieces, he’s the editor in chief of the Philadelphia City Paper. And this week, they announced a brand new writing …

Question of the day: will this book sell like hotcakes or sink like a stone? And will the publisher’s marketing campaign manage to be anything other than any variation on a theme of crassness?

NYTBR: As editor Sam Tanenhaus introduces a new column for the New Year, the rest of the Review’s rather sparse. Highlights include a new essay by Cynthia Ozick, John Simon talking up …

Now that the hangover’s subsided, the resolutions have been slowly abandoned, and the sense of hope grows after what was most certainly a tumultuous year for all (and certainly for me) …

I’ll return you back to your regularly scheduled hiatus (which will officially break on Sunday morning) but dammit, the news just keeps getting worse.

The entire world’s covered the …

Like many of my litblogging colleagues, I’ll be shutting down the joint for the most part from now till after New Year’s. But stay tuned for my last Sun column, which ran on Sunday the …

And let’s start with Duane Swierczynski, taking time out from his insane life (as the editor-in-chief of the Philadelphia City Paper, novelist, and beer lover) to interview Ray Banks on the …

Of course, that fabulous song comes to mind as news of a new horse-racing anthology hits the PM airwaves:

Maggie Estep and Jason Starr’s anthology BLOODLINES: Stories of Glory,

Guts and …

I’m a sucker for a good cause, and doing my bit to ensure that HBO’s THE WIRE gets renewed for a fourth season certainly counts.

The show’s been on the bubble for a number of …

The Telegraph is chock-a-block with mystery-related reviews today. There’s Susanna Yager’s regular column, featuring new releases by John Connor, Paul Adam, C.J. Sansom, Michael Crichton, …

So it seems that Bill Crider has been waiting around for someone to interview him, what with this new trend of interviews by writers of other writers on their blogs and whatnot. But instead of waiting …

As Publishers Marketplace first reported late last night:

Harry Potter fan sites have been abuzz this month with speculation that an announcement about the release of the next book was …

In a long feature for the Sunday Times, Ian Rankin turns candid, explaining how his youngest son’s  disability (he suffers from Angelman’s Syndrome) may have made the bestselling …

It may well be the simplest question to ask a writer, and yet, if it elicits a response at all, usually it’s vague, amorphous and rather unformed. Mostly because there are a great many reasons …

Matthew Cox studied art at the University of South Florida, went into insurance, and wrote a novel called THE ASSOCIATES. The problem is, as federal agents are finding out, the manuscript served as a …

Once again, the venerable online magazine puts together a doorstopper of a crime fiction list, highlighting the usual suspects and many lesser-known books that deserve a chance at the spotlight. To …

(Today’s posts appear below over the course of the morning, so please check back for new content.)

There’s something mildly ironic about the fact that I’ve had bylines in a number …

Greg Iles was in Britain recently for pre-publication promotion of his newest novel BLOOD MEMORY, due out in April. Aside from traumatizing the poor Brits with anecdotes about Amy Tan’s penchant …

I’m really–OK, really late on this news, but what I can’t make up in time I can make up in extra content.

Mysterious Press has finally announced the winner of the Sara Ann Freed …

Because next week is Christmas, and there won’t be that much going on anyway, so indeed, this will be the last Massively Huge Roundup of Reviews and Links of this year. Enjoy.

NYTBR: OK first …

Or very, very scary. For Jon Jordan, editor of Crime Spree, coffee freak and mystery fan extraordinaire, now has a blog.

Now if only someone could convince Ruth to start one….

I’ve been thinking a lot about potential lately. Unfortunately, it does bring to mind those late, not-so-lamented high school teachers of old who would fix their gazes upon me and opine that my …

The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association has announced their nominees for the 2005 Dilys Awards, given to the book “they most enjoyed selling during the past year”:

THE ENEMY, by …

As I’ve said many times (over and over again) Emily Maguire’s debut novel TAMING THE BEAST is one that made an indelible impression upon me when I read it this past summer. But for the …

One of these days I might see a new deal reported and not want to be snarky about it. But that day has not arrived yet:

Keith Raffel’s DOT DEAD, a debut Silicon Valley mystery, about a high …

It’s a slow news day, no question. Though I could start a protracted rant about “outsourcing” book edits or cackle in glee over the meltdown that is L’Affaire Kerik, or yet …

Memo to the New York Times: so you love bloggers and want to write about them every single day. But honestly, it’s been annoying for months, and articles like this (“Look ma, bloggers with …

Writers interviewing writers is the new black, but that doesn’t mean that new entries aren’t welcome. Steven Torres, author of the PRECINCT PUERTO RICO series, has started with with a new …

Though  many rising stars and established veterans have jumped ship of late, Harlan Coben–who did some jumping himself a couple of years ago–will stick around with Dutton, as just …

I had it all planned–I was tired, I went to bed early, I’d be a good little keener and get to the office early and have everything–bloglinks included–by the time most of you …

I realize that publishing is often governed by trends, especially when they are au courant and written about constantly in the media. But for god’s sake, does the new one mean we’ll be …

REDWOOD CITY, California (CNN) — A jury recommended Monday that Scott Peterson, the former fertilizer salesman whose case grabbed national headlines, be sentenced to death for killing his …

First, Carmen Reid writes in Scotland on Sunday about what may be the worst form of writer humiliation:

As a writer, I’ve heard some truly awful tales of author humiliation. Let’s see: books that …

Ah, the holidays. For some, a time of giving, frantically shopping for presents, and spending time with loved ones, For others, it’s a struggle not to overeat, overimbibe and overembarass …

(The rest of today’s posts will appear below over the course of the morning.)

First, the professional: I’ve got a standalone review in today’s Baltimore Sun as I read my very first …

Teddy Hayes may not be a Renaissance man, but he comes pretty close as a writer (of the Devil Barnett crime novels) a producer, a filmmaker and a musical booking agent. Now he’s turned his …

As first reported by Publisher’s Lunch, UK uberagent Jonny Geller is crowing about a “DA VINCI CODE-style” manuscript written by an editor-turned-writer whose name is heretofore …

NYTBR: And of course, 10 Best books notwithstanding, it’s best to begin with Marilyn Stasio, adopting an international tone for her column this week as she reviews books by Ruth Rendell, Batya …

I forgot to post this before–day job upheaval will do that–but Lev Grossman’s recent essay in TIME about “highbrow fiction being assaulted by lowbrow genre” (the quotes …

I’ve made mention of this before but I’m rather intrigued by the fact that Weiner (who was one of the first on the block with a writer’s blog) is shifting her attention from straight …

One of the things I lament is how too often a novel has a different title in the US and the UK. But HarperCollins UK has taken things a step too far. Mark Mills’ debut novel was published last …

Several folks have sent me some lovely reminscences about the groundbreaking crime writer, and two have consented to let me repost their thoughts here.

From Ed Gorman:

Over the years we (Marty …

I could have sworn I read this article already, but a new piece in Legal Week wonders why UK lawyers aren’t writing novels in the same quantity as do US-based ones.

Dan Brown–the New …

One of my favorite activities is looking through the Mystery Writers of America submission lists, and not just to faint dead away at the sheer number of books published in a calendar year (for those …

And in this installment, mega-nominated mystery writer and all around good sport Julia Spencer-Fleming answer’s Mr. Gischler’s questions, like this one:

What are you working on now? What …

Julie Burchill, fresh from penning a book for teen girls, picks her top ten books for teens.

And she gives special props to one of my favorites, the Sadler’s Wells

novels. I cannot count how …

Seeing as I have this degree I never use (and by the looks of things, I’ll probably never actually work in a forensic lab proper) it seems a good idea to keep a note of the latest news and deals …

Though Book TV hasn’t chosen a date to air the “What the Blog?” panel that took place at Housing Works in Manhattan last Friday, the reports are streaming in (pictures included!) …

It took a few weeks, but the news of Joseph Hansen’s death is now official. As ghoulish as this sounds, maybe this is what’s needed to bring his works back into public consciousness. The …

The ensuing fallout deriving from Lee Goldberg’s reasoned puzzlement over the hype surrounding Ken Bruen’s THE GUARDS has taken some unexpected, and interestingly uncomfortable, turns. It’s hard to …

I can’t really be bothered to go through the whole history of Jessica “The Washingtonienne” Cutler for those not up to speed, but this article from last summer should provide enough …

And I know it’s only Monday, but it’s going to be hard to top Eurotrash’s weekend revelations about the men she meets. Girls, it’s not that He’s Just Not Into You, …

The seeds were sown in a meeting held during this year’s Bouchercon, but as begun by founding members Gayle Lynds and David Morrell, this new organization has been set up to recognize the …

And by doing so, lands me pretty much right where I started–with a difference, of course.

As you’re reading this, I’m just about to leave the house to start my first day at my new …

Jervey Tervalon will likely be better known in a few months as the co-editor (along with Gary Phillips) of the anthology The Cocaine Chronicles. But he’s also published several novels, although …

Washington University in St. Louis has a fairly active student newspaper, and its staff rounds up some of their favorite young adult writers in a sort of mock “where are they now?” …

Because of the sheer number of them, I’ve created a new category. Why not, after all?

David Montgomery surveyed over 50 people in the crime fiction world–writers, reviewers, knowledgeable …

It’s all about the “Best of” Lists this week, most of which, btw, can be found at this incredibly handy link. But for those who want to scour the papers like I do, let’s go: …

Yeah, yeah I’m posting on a Friday, but that’s because I was running around like a crazed banshee yesterday, the reason for such to be explained on the weekend.

Anyway, January Magazine …

Now, I do admit that the childish part of me screaming “Fight! fight!” in the back of my head is contributing to why I’ve decided to post this, but truly, there’s a point to be …

Or at least, it is to me:

CHARLESTON, West Virginia (AP) — A man who won a record $315 million in the Powerball lottery was taken to jail on charges of drunken driving and carrying a pistol, …

If you’re in the New York City area, then there’s no earthly reason not to check out this panel, which will be held this Friday evening at Housing Works Cafe and is slated to be broadcast …

Remember Caleb Carr? He wrote this book called THE ALIENIST about 10 years ago which sold like hotcakes and lots of people loved because it was a serial killer thriller set in 1890s New York with a …

It’s been in the works for a while (with speculation begun when the UK deal was announced first even though previously, world rights for her series had been awarded to her former US publishers) …

A new initiative by UK broadcaster David Freeman called “Book Bites”  invites authors to read from their own work, as he believes that the best person to promote a book is the author. …

Pierre Berton was one of those writers whose name was an inextricable part of the CanLit landscape. I just sort of assumed he’d always be there, but of course, that’s never the case. He …

As the “Best of” lists pile up in the papers and around the Internet, some people are getting cranky, like the Guardian’s “embittered former literary editor,” Stephen …

Back in 1998, it seemed like female crime novelists were everywhere, and more were just around the corner. Laura Lippman had just begun, while SJ Rozan was just about to hit her stride. Val McDermid …

Because some stories truly write themselves:

A cross-dressing Orthodox Jew pleaded not guilty yesterday to killing an elderly Brooklyn rabbi.

Howard Goldstein was arrested last month at the …

But instead, the crossover appeal of crime and thriller types moving towards younger readers has yet to be exhausted. This news from my favorite source ever:

Bestelling author and ex-special forces …

David Freeman recently launched an initiative called “Book Bites” where writers could make short video clips to talk about their books. Galley Cat spent the last few days browsing the site …

As already noted by my fine friends, Laura Lippman (heretofore referred to from now on as Empathy Girl) was peppered with all sorts of random questions by Victor “Lemur Lover” Gischler. …

Lindsey Davis is best known for her series starring itinerant Roman PI Marcus Didius Falco. The books, which sell incredibly well in the UK, aren’t doing nearly the same business in the US, …

Alas, the rumors are true. The brand new issue of the much-acclaimed, highly respected and down-and-dirty noir online magazine, PLOTS WITH GUNS, is the last. Though some very cool projects are in the …

Crime Time, one of the UK’s leading crime fiction mags, has updated their website with Natasha Cooper’s essay on John Le Carre and reviews of books by Ken Bruen, Stephen Hunter & …

I’m not sure how I managed to miss this in yesterday’s roundup–bad me–but the lovely Maud has spread her reviewing wings to Newsday, where she looks at Turkish author Elif …

My latest column at the paper concentrates somewhat on the heavy hitters, but I do get in a deservedly good word for some lesser-known writers as well. And I promise: after this weekend, a moratorium …

Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt novels sell in the gazillions, a phenomenon that’s almost 30 years in the making. But now that Cussler’s getting on in years–he’s 73 …

The thanksgiving hiatus made me lose track of some things, and alarmingly, a lot of good and important writers passed on during the last week. A brief note for each to remember them for their work: …

Now that the turkey hangover has subsided somewhat, it’s time to catch up on your regular Sunday book reading. But before that, a stray movie recommendation for the SpongeBob SquarePants movie, …

Happy Thanksgiving to my neighbors to the south. Since most of my litblogging colleagues are taking the weekend off, I shall follow their lead, and return with a reasonably fresh Weekend Update on …

There’s something oddly perverse in posting this particular information considering the subject matter’s all about keeping secrets. But that’s the fun of this worldwideinterweb …

One of the most curious and yet strangely wonderful finds was discovering the author interviews at Bankrate.com, which–not surprisingly–focus on the financial side of the writing life. The …

Did someone forget to tell me and it’s been up for a long time already? In any case, the new edition of Allan Guthrie’s spiffy online mag Noir Originals is now up, and the contents are …

Victor Gischler has embraced blogging with a vengeance, telling the world about his pathological hatred of lemurs, his newfound remembrance of liking Jethro Tull, and much more. Now, he introduces a …

Nicolas Cage’s new wife, Alice Kim, is, I grant, rather young, and who knows what they are or aren’t teaching the kiddies in school these days. But even though it’s probably not …

I read and re-read this Sydney Morning Herald interview of David Baldacci and damned if I don’t  keep arriving at the conclusion that Daphne Guinness, the interviewer in question, …

Over the course of this blog’s history, I’ve linked to many an article about the UK’s bestselling crime writer. How can I not when weird and bizarre things keep happening to him? …

Nelson DeMille is interviewed in Newsday about his new novel, a fictional examination of the TWA Flight 800 crash and what might have caused the disaster to happen.

Christopher Rice reviews Peter …

I got the link from Publisher’s Lunch but it’s circulating around the ‘sphere at a furious pace. Anyway, Lit Idol–that oh-so-utterly fabulous exercise in catapulting …

NYTBR (and additional daily stuff): It’s the poetry issue, which means I’ll link to this overall symposium, but since I’m more of a fiction/non-fic kind of girl, it also means …

After almost a week away, it’s kind of hard to catch up. So many emails to respond to, so many links to fetch, so many blogs to read. Oh, and maybe some other real life stuff. But in any case, I …

You know this is special because I’m posting on a Friday. But as it looks ever unlikely I’ll be blogging again until sometime on Monday, I thought I’d pop my head in and play some …

Mitch Albom, Jim Cash & Jack Epps, Judith Guest, Jim Harrison, Ernest Hemingway, Lev Raphael, Loren D. Estleman, Steve Hamilton, Elmore Leonard, Rob Kantner, Deborah Morgan, Susan Holtzer. …

I was in a cafe last night, trying to work on a story away from the seductive powers of my high speed internet connection, and I was suddenly inspired to write a poem. It’s only the second …

There are not one, but two radio stations in my area now playing nothing but Christmas music 24 freakin’ hours a day. In response to this, the weather gods have zapped us with 60 degree temps …

…that your host is a dope. Apparently I got my days mixed up and the National Book Awards will be announced tonight not last night. So sorry, this is what I get for reading McNews. On this theme …

Ok, I’m awake now and properly rested. It’s about time for a proper introduction if I haven’t scared everyone away already. I’m even going to attempt a link roundup if I can …

Crap, is it Wednesday already? Well, my name is Mr. Quertermous and I will be your substitute for the next couple of days. Ms. Weinman didn’t leave me any lesson plans so I guess–Hey you …

I’ll be away for the rest of this week, doing the usual mix of socializing, drinking, and even the occasional bit of business. Also, this Thursday, November 18th, I’ll be participating in …

I’ve been meaning to put up a long winded report of the goings-on at last week’s Giller Light, but dammit, I’ve run out of time. Maybe next week. So to amuse you all, check out some …

As reported at the Bookseller:

Orion fiction publisher Jane Wood is to relinquish her management role

to work across the group as editor-in-chief from 1st January. She will

be succeeded by Jon …

Hey, hey, wait a minute–wasn’t the IMPAC Literary Prize longlist just announced for this year? God, time flies..anyway, 140 books are on the longlist for next year, and the winner will be …

While attending the New England Crime Bake in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, held this past weekend, Al Blanchard died of  a heart attack yesterday. He was the author of several novels, including …

Even before the Sharp v. Patterson lawsuit made headlines, I’d
decided to do a little sleuthing into the people who give Patterson the help he
needs on his books. Even though it’s only been fairly …

As I said last week,  I’m getting the peanuts ready for opening arguments in the civil trial of Christina Sharp vs. her ex-lover James Patterson. Yesterday, the New York Daily News printed …

Tart City holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the first mystery-themed sites I started hanging out in, and I’ve been a regular on its message board since near the beginning, five …

Just when I wondered if Kate Atkinson’s CASE HISTORIES would be completely ignored in the newspapers (no reviews over the weekend? Huh?!) Janet Maslin comes along and well, likes it but seems to …

Most pieces that talk about blurbs usually deal with those who are inundated with requests. Lee Goldberg turns the subject on its ear by explaining why soliciting them from his friends is one of his …

My colleague Ali Karim, who’s been sadly silent of late in the crime fiction world due to other commitments, emerged from hibernation to attend the Dagger Lunch last week, and provides this …

Now, usually if I see something in the window of the Gap, it means it’s about to be over, but evidently, in the case of ponchos, that is not the case. Luckily Amanda Fortini at Slate agrees with …

And considering all the backlash and brouhaha about the National Book Award nominees, it’s only fitting to start with the NYTBR, which features a long essay from Laura Miller about the alleged …

As mentioned in the backblogs by Naomi Hirahara, the San Francisco Chronicle has further details on the tragic suicide of Iris Chang, who appears to have been deeply affected by her current project …

Sometimes, I wonder if I shouldn’t prejudge. I haven’t read the manuscript, after all, and boiling down an entire novel to a few short keystrokes often lessens the impact considerably. And …

Thanks to all who sent in well-wishes–feeling much better this morning, but still more on the tortoise side rather than hare-like in terms of speed. Anyway:

What the hell got Caryn James so …

Last weekend the Southern California Booksellers Association handed out prizes for Best in Fiction and Best in Mystery in 2004–although really, the eligibility goes from summer 2003 to summer …

Thanks to a rather nasty bout of food poisoning that managed to mess up my evening and early morning, things might be rather sluggish, off or light today. Or all of the above. In any case:

The …

Earlier this afternoon, I spoke with John Rickards (calling from the pub, natch) who, in a stroke of luck, sat through the entire ceremony next to James Patterson’s UK publisher. Talk about …

As phoned in by one of my faithful spies:

Macallan Gold Dagger: Sara Paretsky, BLACKLIST (Hamish Hamilton)

Silver Dagger: John Harvey, FLESH AND BLOOD (Heinemann)

Dagger in the Library: Alexander …

One thing I have noticed informally as I compare the Gold & Silver Dagger winners to say, the Edgar Award winners is how the CWA tends to pick more (for lack of a better term) high-falutin’ …

The CWA began its Debut Dagger competition for unpublished writers back in 1998, and the winner of that was Joolz Denby (known primarily as a poet and spoken-word artist) for STONE BABY. To say that …

To get things started, let’s take a look at a new award that’s been created

by the Book Club Association, parent owner of MysteryThriller.co.uk and one of

the sponsors of the Dagger …

So because I feel like it and because the CWA’s Dagger Lunch is ongoing as I post this, today’s been designated as Dagger Day on the blog. I’m not sure if I’ve ever done a …

Remember Scott Peterson? Granted, lots of other things have taken precedence of late, but his murder trial has gone to the jury, and they’re having just a bit of trouble:

**REDWOOD CITY, …

Mad Max Perkins, the pseudonymous blogger and editor at a major publishing house, recently conducted a survey of a handful of other editors about what to expect if you’re a midlist author. The …

I’d been looking for information about this for a whie, but finally, it’s forthcoming: the 2004 Pendleton May Award for best first novel published in the UK was awarded to Panos Karnezis …

At 10 AM, I’ll be listening to my compadres Maud Newton, Dennis Loy Johnson, and Ron Hogan talking about their sites and the literary scene in general on WAMC’s The Roundtable. Streaming …

To get things started, let’s take a look at a new award that’s been created

by the Book Club Association, parent owner of MysteryThriller.co.uk and one of

the sponsors of the Dagger …

David Montgomery’s new Sun-Times Column ran yesterday, and features reviews of new books by Raelynn Hillhouse, Sam Hill, Steve Brewer, Jeffrey Cruikshank, and Lisa Reardon, plus the reissue of …

James Patterson seems to have it all–riches, fame and fortune, a legion of monkeys doing the gruntwork for him on his books–but alas, he made the fatal mistake of mixing business with …

Looks like Ken Bruen’s going to have to appease some folks that he is, in fact, actually alive, at least if the Galway Advertiser is to be believed:

Galway author Ken Bruen may have to

start …

NYTBR:  I guess I might as well accept it–under the new system, fewer crime fiction releases will be reviewed per column by Marilyn Stasio. Maybe she just doesn’t want to read as fast …

We’ve either all seen this before, or been there: it’s the latest book event by favorite author x, and you loved the book and can’t wait to see him or her read. And then, alas, the …

It’s a question that several people have asked me since Tuesday, and so, I can provide two primers. The serious version ran at Harper’s Magazine last month and was reprinted yesterday …

The latest edition of Robert Crais‘ newsletter went out this morning and within it, some real news about his next Elvis Cole novel:

THE FORGOTTEN MAN will be released in February 2005. The …

So when did quoting Amazon.com become de rigeur for Grey Lady reviews? You have to wait till the very end of Janet Maslin’s double review of Janet Evanovich and Stuart Woods but believe …

Although it’s a phrase clearly designed to drive people both within and outside the mystery community up the wall, I’ve been giving it a lot of thought lately. In no small part this is due to the fact …

Does anyone really feel like talking about books this morning?

I’m not sure why I feel so down right now. Oh yeah, I do: it’s because it would have been nice to have a definitive result …

So when did quoting Amazon.com become de rigeur for Grey Lady reviews? You have to wait till the very end of Janet Maslin’s double review of Janet Evanovich and Stuart Woods but believe …

Courtesy of Ed (who got it from Wonkette), it seems that porn director Seymore Butts (of ADVENTURES OF…fame) is offering some goodies to people who turn up to vote today:

PORN director Seymore …

Anthony Bonanza decided to try his hand at selling books one time, but unfortunately for him, he really wasn’t cut out for the job:

wo middle-aged ladies wandered in to a branch of a …

Normally, I don’t get political on this site, nor do I much want to. (There’s a damn good reason this is a literary-themed blog about crime fiction, after all: that’s what I’d …

On a day where staying inside was a smart thing to do, what with the torrential downpour that occurred off and on throughout, I ventured back to the Harbourfront Centre for the last day of the …

In some ways, this event, held Friday, October 29, was the coup of the Festival. Even though I have absolutely no doubt that the organizers suspected both authors would be hot tickets because the …

So once upon a time, it was seen as a great pasttime to spend many hours and days hitchhiking. Baby Boomers look back on those days with fondness. But now, people just aren’t standing in the …

Dan Wickett, the tireless proprietor of the Emerging Writers Forum, conducted an online interview of many notable literary bloggers, including Maud Newton, Laila Lalami, Ron Hogan, Mark Sarvas, Carrie …

Who’s the most popular author in Japan at the moment? A good argument could be made for Koji Suzuki, the man responsible for RING and its equally popular sequel, SPIRAL.

The International …

It’s that time of month again, and so check here for my latest column at the Baltimore Sun, where I review new releases by Carol O’Connell, Michael Koryta, Greg Rucka, Melissa Clark …

So if you’ve visited Laura’s website more often than the once-a-month updates on the main page, you might find a picture of her from her senior high school days when she captained her …

And as usual, some very choice links, news, and reviews of new books written by folks like Natalie Collins, Sam Hill, Stephanie Kane, the Hard Case Crime boys, and many more. Also, Anthony Rainone was …

As provided, of course, by the fine people who make them available at Publisher’s Marketplace (what would I do without them? I honestly have no clue…)

First, it’s been a very good …

Happy Halloween, everybody. Though honestly, it’s not a holiday I celebrate very much (probably because of the whole being Jewish thing. Or that’s what I tell myself) and more often than …

Jennifer Jordan’s eagle eyes found this first, and frankly, I’m still recoiling in horror:

NEW YORK — Readers hungry for a good thriller can get ready to welcome an old friend:. A …

NOCTURNES, John Connolly’s new short story collection, began life way back in 2000 when Radio 4 producer Lawrence Jackson requested the Irish writer pen some ghost stories that could be …

William Dahlby’s marriage was in serious trouble, so he came up with a rather drastic solution:

LA CROSSE, Wisconsin (AP) — A man who said he threw a live electrical wire into his …

Janet Maslin takes on T Jefferson Parker’s CALIFORNIA GIRL, and the result’s a head-scratcher. I mean, is she really as condescending about the book as I think she is? Bizarre….

The …

So is it me, or is this whole Red Sox winning the World Series just a bit anticlimatic? I mean, it’s great to watch history in the making, see an 86 year curse broken, etc., but…I wonder …

Brian Bethune of Maclean’s magazine, Canada’s equivalent to Time and Newsweek, happened to be in attendance at Bouchercon and caught the literary vs. crime panel featuring Stephen Booth, …

So now that I live in Toronto, I’m slowly trying to ingratiate myself into the so-called literary community here. Which essentially means crashing book launches and drinking heavily. But these …

Robert B. Parker, author of a gazillion novels, talks to Benjamin Ivry at the Bloomberg syndicate about his newest book in the Sunny Randall series, his unusual living arrangements with his wife Joan, …

The shortlist for Canada’s Governor General Prize has been announced, including big names like Alice Munro and Miriam Toews, and newcomers like David Bezmozgis, Trevor Cole and Colin McAdam. …

Although several others have made mention of it already, I refrained from putting anything here about my new article in Mystery Scene because, um, I only got my contributor’s copies this …

Want to be part of a cool anthology? Then Akashic Press, the folks responsible for the success that was last summer’s BROOKLYN NOIR, is your best bet. Their next offering is out in April, edited …

The news that BBC television is reviving the Miss Marple series was met with delight–till the news broke that the stories would be “updated” and the sleuth made to be rather more …

Andrew Klavan, the novelist and screenwriter, wonders when and why the arts in America got more narrow-minded over the last few years, and why the stories told in books, movies and TV only uses a …

It was of special interest to read Terry Teachout’s answer to one of his readers, who’d asked how long it took to read a book:

I don’t know how fast I read, but I can polish off a book …

So Tod Goldberg has stepped in to guest-blog over at the Elegant Variation, and he’s already demonstrated his ability to be as obsessively prolific as the rest of us (and his family, as well.) …

Now, don’t get me wrong, I like to frame my reviews in some sort of context. And I know that Patrick Anderson is working on a book about thrillers through the ages, and so his brain may be ready …

If Edinburgh is such a World City of Literature, why do its tourist attractions only stock schlocky books like tartan guides and ghost stories? The Herald goes on a tear about the so-called lack of …

The Eye Award, given by the Private Eye Writers of America, is the association’s lifetime achievement award. This year, the honor went to Donald Westlake, but unfortunately, he couldn’t be …

NYTBR: All right, I throw up my hands. So I take it the revamped TBR version of La Stasio’s column means there are a) fewer releases and b) it appears less frequently. So confused, am I! Anyway, …

One of the more interesting anecdotal trends I’ve noticed in the few years I’ve been a serious crime fiction fan is the tendency for some people to prefer novels written in the other …

So some people watched Game 7 and started rejoicing, getting smashed, the usual things. Others saw dollar signs and book deals, as Publishers Marketplace reports:

Jennifer Joel & Sloan …

So Ana Marie Cox (that’s Mrs. Lehmann to some of you) has finally scored the big book deal:

“Wonkette” Ana Marie Cox’s novel DOG DAYS, a comic tale about what happens inside …

Biba Caggiano is a Sacramento-based chef who’s authored a number of cookbooks. The problem is, her agent, the now MIA Maureen Lasher, decided to negotiate six-figure advance deals for two more …

So Hunter S. Thompson signed books at Book Soup on Monday night. Granted, he’s an unpredictable fellow, but as these three accounts of the event attest, even he went a little overboard:

I was …

So here’s the thing about watching baseball at my place: bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, 10-3 Red Sox and believe me: we’re still just seconds away from a major ulcer.

[

But they did it]1. …

Like Michael Schaub at Bookslut, I have a hard time trying to describe Kinky Friedman, so better I don’t, especially in light of this new, rather odd interview over at Nerve.com. Here, he …

In the fall of 2001, just after I’d started grad school and begun my part-time thing at Partners & Crime, I noticed some handsome looking trade paperbacks on the shelves with beautiful …

Thanks to the wonders of actually having something approximating a life–i.e., an appointment that requires me to leave the vicinity of my apartment for the first time in days–content will …

Last night this Dagger was awarded in a special ceremony in London, and the winner is Barbara Cleverly for THE DAMASCENED BLADE, the third entry in her India-set series starring Joe Sandilands. …

And the big shiny prize goes to Alan Hollinghurst for his much-acclaimed novel LINE OF BEAUTY. Although this seems to be considered an upset, really the prize was between David Mitchell, Hollinghurst …

Although the issue of why authors would hire someone else to write their work is a complex and important issue, more fascinating to me is what prompts someone to ghostwrite in the first place. One who …

I’m not surprised to see that yesterday’s Michael Gruber post provoked the beginnings of an interesting discussion, with David Montgomery one of the ones in the fray. He’d posted …

One of the things I’ve often hoped would happen in this nascent litblogging world is that more industry types–editors, agents, publicists, and the like–would get blogging and add …

It all started when I got an email asking if I knew who’d won. Because, curiously, I hadn’t heard this at Bouchercon, where the news was supposed to break during the Shamus Awards. But a …

It’s funny how some stories have a cyclical effect–there’s an immediate reaction when it first becomes known, but then people who either were focusing their attention elsewhere or …

Couldn’t be at Bouchercon? Well, if you were at the LA-based Mystery Bookstore over the weekend, like Aldo Calcagno was, you experienced the next best thing–a slew of authors crowded into …

With issue three in the process of arriving in subscribers’ mailboxes as we speak (after being the hit of the convention dealer room) Crime Spree saw fit to get a new look on its website. …

It’s been a fairly productive weekend at Weinman HQ–one interview transcribed (look for it here later this week), one column turned in, two articles started, and the rough draft of a new …

I’m a bit late on this but Cabana Boy Duane Swierczynski, who was an unfortunate last-minute no-show at Bouchercon, is riding some serious momentum of late. His first book, SECRET DEAD MEN, will …

Gosh, it’s been ages since I did a proper turn around the weekend book sections of major newspapers. Kind of like exercising for the first time in weeks and realizing that there are muscles I …

One of Canada’s coldest, flattest cities has obviously decided it needs to get more attention, and if this sticks around, then the city certainly will get more notice:

Going to The Library …

George Easter, the proprietor of Deadly Pleasures, posted his own lengthy report on the mystery zine’s website. He talks about who he was happy to see again and which authors he got to meet for …

The National Book Award nominees were announced yesterday, and the big surprises are that the fiction list is all female (naturally, I haven’t read any of the nominees, though MADELINE IS …

So as any longtime reader knows, I’m a big fan of the late, lamented blogger known as TMFTML. But it seems the mourning’s premature, because really, as Maud reported yesterday, he’s …

Although M.J. Rose enjoyed Bouchercon for meeting fellow authors, fans and the general social environment, she raises a much-needed point about the overall lack of publicity and attention given the …

John Rickards attended his first Bouchercon and naturally, spent much of his time surrounded by drink (no matter what those sober pictures of him would have you believe.) If you thought my report was …

Manchester police sargeant Karl Thurgood’s in a spot of trouble after a recent ebay item he sold was found to be rather, well unorthodox:

A POLICE sergeant is being investigated over claims he …

Sir Anthony Sher, a Shakespearean actor and the author of four novels over a two-decade period, is fed up and plans to quit writing. Why? Because of an “exclusive literary club” that is …

While the crime fiction world at large was at Bouchercon, the rest of the world still carried on with reviews, interviews, and other choice bits. Here’s a select few:

David Montgomery’s …

This post may be continuously updated throughout the week so please do check in from time to time. But the first person out of the gate with incriminating photos is fellow reprobate Bryon Quertermous, …

Things are more than a little hectic this morning due to some prior commitments and errands to run. Hence, new stuff, including a gigantic backlog of mystery-related links, won’t appear till …

Thanks to the technical wizardry of Jennifer Jordan, I can now show the world the Before (carrots & potatoes only) and After (with eggplant added) pics of the vegetarian meal from the Anthony …

Like Jim, I learned a hell of a lot at this year’s convention, and besides, it’s so much easier to do a bulletpoint listing instead of a long-winded report (aside from the fact that I may …

So I’m a little late getting started on this Thanksgiving/Columbus Day afternoon because last night, I finally earned my very own Ken Bruen Drinking Story. Never has eating at Movenpick–a …

Lots of awards were given out during Bouchercon, and though more commentary will likely appear here and elsewhere, for now, just the facts:

The Barry Awards were the first to be handed out during …

Although some stragglers still remain and some last gasps of the week that was, Bouchercon 2004 is now in the memory banks. It will be discussed in future as, I think, one of the better ones of the …

So, unless you’re living under a rock, you might be aware that the 35th Annual World Mystery Convention–otherwise known as Bouchercon—begins officially tomorrow morning, but a whole …

Anthony Rainone, one of my colleagues at January Magazine, prepared this thoughtful, in-depth interview with one of crime fiction’s current masters, James Lee Burke. They discuss his career, the …

So it’s bad enough that Starbucks (better known as Starf**ks among certain friends of mine) has infested the culture so much that there’s pretty much one on every block in major cities …

Hey, it’s not my fault there are just so damned many that keep popping up on my radar. But this profile in the Grey Lady goes somewhat beyond standard boilerplate fare, as along with talking …

Fiona (who also provides some incisive commentary on the Dagger nomination lists) gets into a snit about the new James Patterson novel. And not for the usual reasons, either, but because of the UK …

Though I’m still rather sad that John Connolly, a fairly popular writer (both in terms of books sold and rounds bought) won’t be attending Bouchercon this week, he has a fairly good …

Marcel Berlins, who seemingly writes for every major UK paper about crime fiction, shows up in the Guardian to wonder publicly about the country’s lack of bestselling legal thriller writers, a …

Especially as they’ve piled up over the week, so the concentration will skew towards the crime side this time around:

Although I’ve got plenty to say about the newly revamped NYTBR, …

So I’m settling back into my apartment, looking at the mountain of unanswered email and links that have piled up to the heavens (I should sort through them for an early morning post tomorrow) …

Well, it’s been a great week in New York City, doing the social rounds, inadvertently making people jealous, hanging out at Book Country (whether at the street fair or at most excellent readings …

Courtesy of Deadly Pleasures, the complete list is available now. Comments to follow in the next post.

THE CWA JOHN CREASEY MEMORIAL DAGGER

Denise Hamilton – THE JASMINE TRADE – Orion …

The longwinded version got lost, so the bulletpoint version follows of the four main categories:

Gold/Silver Dagger: An interesting list. Especially because it skews more towards women than men. …

I suppose I should have some long, terribly profound reflection upon the fact that today marks the first anniversary of the blog (which started with a typically throwaway post about, well, not much) …

So remember that “how to write a serial killer novel” post from earlier this week? Looks like Maddy forgot one important thing–now everyone wants funny, as just reported at PM:

UK …

So I’m late on this, but then again, I’m actually a bit surprised to be as lucid as I am this morning, considering I lost count how many vodka tonics I had (let alone my friends, who went …

As I’ve said before, as a youngster, I spent far, far too many hours in front of the television watching CNN. Quite the junkie, I was. So that’s how I was introduced to the odd accent and …

It’s time to make a shameful admission: I am hopelessly, utterly addicted to Cecily Von Ziegesar’s GOSSIP GIRL series. I’m not totally sure how this happened, but when the first two …

Boris Akunin’s Erast Fandorin novels are incredibly popular in his native Russia, and this popularity has spread to a whole host of other countries. Next year will see publication of TURKISH …

Looks like Tim Cockey, author of the Hitchcock Sewell series starring a handsome Baltimore-based undertaker, is switching gears in a major way, at least if PM is to be believed:

Tim Cockey, writing …

By the time you read this, I’ll be taking the slow route to the airport in preparation for a weeklong stint in New York. Though there’s a fair amount of pre-posted stuff due today (mostly …

Normally, when perusing Publisher’s Marketplace for the latest deals (and there are so many good ones posted lately that there’ll be more on that tomorrow), my thoughts range from …

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 …

Oh ho! La Maslin gets her hands on Alexander McCall Smith’s new book, and the end result? Well, she’s of mixed minds, spending more time assuring readers that they’ll come back for …

There may be something relevant to the fact that my first column for the Baltimore Sun is posted just as Yom Kippur drew to a close and a new year has begun, but then again, there might not be. In any …

So this Thursday, the first ever Descant Book Ball will take place in Toronto, where you can get really up close and personal with your favorite authors–by booking a private peep-show booth to …

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 …

NYTBR: With only weeks until the revamp, change is already well afoot this week, with Jonathan Mahler’s in-depth essay about how some writers never quite manage the whole deadline business and …

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 …

Normalcy, it seems, is the order once again. Good thing, as being somewhat unbalanced, hung over, or otherwise cloudy may not be the best way to approach a seriously Major Fast that begins tonight. …

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 …

Although I’m not quite exactly hung over, I might as well be judging by the utter fog my brain happens to be in at the moment. It’s really quite remarkable. Hence, the “flights of …

Now that Arthur Phillips’ sophomore effort THE EGYPTOLOGIST is getting, shall we say, rather mixed reviews, this allows expat Erik D’Amato to speak on behalf of Hungarian-based writers …

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 …

Yeah, I’m late on this, so I’ll just direct to you to Fiona’s post about it. It seems fairly obvious to me that the judges had Toibin, Hollingshurst and Mitchell in mind, and the …

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 …

The Scotsman asked Alexander McCall Smith to write an autobiographical essay for the paper, which is being run in three parts. Part one describes his childhood; part two explains how his original …

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, …

Michiko met THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA and they didn’t really get along. “Provocative, but lumpy.” Somehow I doubt that’ll be a blurb anytime soon….

Another day, another …

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 …

Blogging, I think, will be of the non-existent variety today. Maybe for the rest of this week, at the rate I’m going. To steal from one of blogging’s best, we are never drinking again. …

The folks at Kirkus Reviews have decided, presumably in the interest of making more money at the expense of self-published and print-on-demand suckers, that they will start a new section called …

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 …

NARA — An elderly man arrested for driving a stolen car has turned out to be the famous author of crime prevention books, police said.

Mototsugu Taoka, 68, of no fixed address, has been jailed …

NYTBR: You know, I can’t really get so upset that La Stasio devoted most of her column space to Patricia Cornwell this week. Because she does, kinda, explain why TRACE is better than the last …

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia (AP) — Authorities are investigating a suspicious mailing — initially thought to be a bomb — that was sent to bestselling author John Grisham at his farm …

Posting will be light today and probably non-existent for the rest of the week due to the annual foodfest known as Rosh Hashanah. Which means that raisin challah, honey cake and other goodies …

Judy Blume has been named as a distinguished author of letters by the National Book Foundation. As she was a fairly strong influence upon our childhood reading, this is very cool. (Her books for …

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 …

Happy Anniversary, Faber & Faber! The venerable UK publisher turns 75 and the Independent traces its illustrious history and the many fine authors it has published.

Irshad Manji has made it to …

I know it would take me a while to get over the sheer incredulity:

LONDON, England (CNN) — London’s police chief has demanded an urgent inquiry after a fathers rights campaigner …

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’re kind of running behind today–way behind. Blame the Film Festival, visiting friends, and the all-too-close proximity to some seriously unhealthy obsessions (this time, not ours). So …

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 …

(ed. note: the original edition got mysteriously lost in transit, so if this seems rushed, well, that’s because it kind of is.)

NYTBR: Art Spiegelman’s ⁹⁄₁₁-centric graphic novel is …

We’re not ignoring the current talk of the litblogosphere, it’s just that there’s not a hell of a lot to add after reading the reactions from Terry, OGIC, and Jenny D.

Having said …

So John Scalzi and some buddies of his were sitting around the bar at Noreascon and devised more realistic terms for book deals as a complement to what Publisher’s Lunch uses:

$0 to $3,000: A …

Otherwise, why would I stumble across this choice bit of news?

Publishers Dinamo will make a first presentation of an unusual book project, the Penis Atlas, on Thursday. The work of four sexologists …

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 …

It was in late spring that I first heard that guys at the door of the Phish show had been accepting cash instead of tickets. Not just the occasional bribe: according to someone who was at a Coney …

The Telegraph does its regular later-than-usual update of its Sunday content, including a review of Natsuo Kirino’s OUT, another of Alan Furst’s DARK VOYAGE (claiming that he writes sex …

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 …

So evidently Marks & Spencer (or M&S, or Marks & Sparks, or whatever the hell you want to call it this week) has decided to forgo their no-questions-asked return policy*. So, in a fit of …

The erotica writer Zane is finally going public, and the Boston Globe presents a very long profile of the pseudonymous author. OK, I thought her name was outed some time ago…Erika something? Was …

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 …

Pity Patrick Anderson. He’d never read Patricia Cornwell before now (really? Not even the first book, POST-MORTEM?) and thanks to TRACE, won’t be doing so again. In fact, you …

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 …

This topic has been brought up a time or two before because hell, it’s many a person’s worst nightmare as well, but Goldberg, in his newest column for the Las Vegas Mercury, explains the …

I couldn’t even begin to catch up on the news of the past week but at least this weekend’s got a heavy dose of mystery, which makes things a little easier for me. Onward:

NYTBR: La …

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 have returned from my vacation. Thanks to several nights and days spent variously on precarious overnight trains, cramped motel rooms, water taxis, actual taxis, and other more dubious forms of …

My playtime is over. Thanks all so much for the insight and laughs over the past couple of days. It’s been so much fun, and quite therapeutic too.

Thanks for inviting me to do this Sarah. …

Something my editor said to me yesterday has been bothering me, and I‘d like to hear your thoughts on it. She said that when the real world is in a mess and the future looks bleak, (i.e. now) people …

Considering less than 150 Australian adult fiction books are published here each year, there’s actually a great deal of good stuff, no matter what the critics claim . Since most of the better known …

The accepted orthodoxy in the literary world is that first novels – particularly first novels by authors under 30 – are thinly veiled autobiographies. Now this is no doubt because a great deal …

Whenever Australia signs an international trade deal, invades a sovereign nation or wins lots of medals commentators boast that although small, ‘Australian punches above its weight’. The Oscars bring …

The Australian book market is much like its foreign counterparts in that the books that sell are usually not the books receiving critical acclaim and international prizes. Typical also is the …