And now for some reviews, interviews, and picks:
Reviews
- The Washington Post recently reviewed two crime fiction novels, Careless in Red by Elizabeth George, which is the latest Inspector Lynley novel, and Quiver by Peter Leonard (best known right now, at least, as the son of bestselling author Elmore Leonard). Quiver is Leonard Jr.'s first published effort, and although the review is overall positive, it concludes that "the son's fictional skills, as demonstrated in his first novel, are not in the same ballpark as his father's. Of course, neither are those of just about anyone else who writes crime fiction." The paper was much kinder to Elizabeth George, however: "Readers who value writing that is intelligent, surprising, sexy, funny, compassionate and wise should find Careless in Red a delight."
- The Seattle Times featured several new titles, including John Straley's The Big Both Ways ("a thrilling journey"); Donna Leon's new Venetian police commissario Guido Brunetti outing, The Girl of His Dreams ("she's brilliant at bringing to life the city, the people who live there, and their problems and joys"); High Hat by Greg Mandel; Peter Leonard's Quiver (this reviewer thought it was a "strong debut"), C.J. Box's Blood Trail, and Robert Goddard's Past Caring.
Interviews
- The Vacaville, California Reporter interviewed author David Corbett, a former private investigator and author of the Edgar-nominated Blood of Paradise (2007), set in El Salvador which he likens to Iraq (i.e. both countries where America's heavyhandedness has brought social and political turmoil).
- The Manchester UK Confidential "interrogated" crime writer Chris Simms, who is close to publishing his sixth novel, Hell's Fire, the fourth to feature Manchester-based Detective Inspector Jon Spicer and his Major Crime Incident Team. Simms sees his copywriting career, which he still pursues part-time, as being the perfect preparation for a crime writer: "You have to employ economy with words and the novel becomes a sort of elongated ad with an image and a headline that provides the momentum. No one can write crime fiction successfully unless you charge up that momentum."
- Shelf Awareness pinned down Tom Rob Smith, author of the hot new property Child 44 (pre-optioned before publication by Ridley Scott) as part of the site's Book Brahmins series. In answer to "What's on your nightstand right now," he replied, "Robert Conquest's The Great Terror. Conquest was the first historian I read when I decided to write Child 44. His The Harvest of Sorrow was pivotal in making me realize how much I wanted to write my story."
Picks
- The National Book Critics Circle recently chose their Spring Good Reads list, which included among others, Lush Life by Richard Price, an author Publishers Weekly called "one of the masters of American urban crime fiction," and Dangerous Laugher by Steven Millhauser, an anthology which the Washington Post Book World called "a collection of stories that explore these ideas with the mixture of dark suspense and good humor implied by the title."
