Mystery Melange

I'm amazed at how the "literary vs. genre" war keeps playing out, especially in this day and age when the borderlines are so often blurred. Good fiction is good fiction, no matter what kind of categorical package it comes wrapped in. Ken Bruen talked about this on the Mulholland Books blog recently, pointing out examples of high-quality writing that just happens to fall in the crime fiction genre. He also mentions his so-called friend who writes "traditional" fiction and decided he wanted to "dash off a potboiler" to make some quick cash (so he thought), only to say he couldn't do it because, "My problem is, I’ve tried to write badly, but I keep lapsing into literature." Justin Peacock over at the Daily Beast adds his own thought to the topic, declaring crime fiction "the new social novel."

Dick Lochte author and the current President of The Private Eye Writers of America, created lists of his Top 20 Private Eye Novels, as well as top 20 PI's in the movies and on TV. Ed Gorman posted the lists on his blog, remarking that it was especially interesting to him because Lochte lists novels even Gorman had never seen on any other list before.

Mike Ripley of Shots Ezine has his latest "Getting Away With Murder" column out. He has news about his efforts as series editor of Top Notch Thrillers, the new imprint of Ostara Publishing, that's reviving great British thrillers before they're forgotten. He also has other news and reviews and his recent American noir reads.

Speaking of noir, in case you missed it, the online 'zine A Twist of Noir recently announced some changes. Editor Christopher Grant has decided to shorten the word-count of stories (for the most part) in order to print more, and allow for interviews with writers and even videos. He's also gearing up for the 600 to 700 Challenge, with a story each within those word counts (e.g. 601, 602, etc.)

Stumped for a vacation idea? Try a literary tour! The Stieg Larrson was created in 2008 by the Stockholm City Museum for fans of his Lisbeth Salander trilogy. This year alone, they'll be arranging some 300 tours. Or, if Scotland is more your thing, you can try a new (and free) Ian Rankin app that provides a personal tour of Edinburgh from the Rebus-series author, taking you to 30 of Rankin's literary locations, including the Oxford Pub.