Pen In Hand

E-books may be gaining in popularity while more bookstores seem to be closing every week, but there are still many indie bookstores supporting the crime fiction community and authors. Here are some of the upcoming signings and events in April where you can see some of your favorite writers in person, including rare tours by Sweden's Camilla Läckberg and Henning Mankell (with only 5 stops in the U.S.) and Venice, Italy-based author Donna Leon:

Aunt Agatha's, Ann Arbor, MI:  Libby Fischer Hellmann & Cara Black, D.E. Johnson, Rhys Bowen

Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA: Kate Atkinson, Camilla Läckberg, Henning Mankell

Booked for Murder, Madison, WI: Tony Hays

Book 'Em, South Pasadena, CA:  Carola Dunn

Centuries and Sleuths, Forest Park, IL: Cara Black, Donna Leon, Richard Davidson, Alex Matthews, Jeanne M. Dams,

M is for Mystery, San Mateo, CA:  Kate Atkinson, Carola Dunn, Janet Dawson and Teresa Grant, Camilla Läckberg, Linda Reid, Lisa Lutz and David Hayward, Joyce Carol Oates, Manuel Munoz, Henning Mankell, Rhys Bowen, Cara Black, Russell Hill, J.A. Jance, Charles Baxter, Meg Waite Clayton, Jason Goodwin, Jayne Ann Krentz, Luanne Rice.

Murder by the Book, Houston, TX:  Susan Wittig Albert, Susan Rogers Cooper, Michael Connelly, Cara Black, Libby Fischer Hellman, Leann Sweeney, Lisa Lutz & David Hayward, Diane Mott Davidson, Greg McCarthy, Rita Mae, Brown, Jason Goodwin, Michael Lee West, Phillip Kerr, Joe Lansdale, Michael Haskins, Dan Wells, Amanda Stevens, Martha Wells

Murder on the Beach, Delray Beach, FL: Wendy Dingwall

Mysteries to Die For, Thousand Oaks, CA:  Camilla Läckberg, Judi McCoy, Lisa Lutz & David Hayward, Jason Goodwin

Mysterious Bookshop, New York City: Nathan Larson, Persia Walker, Jessica Speart

Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, San Diego, CA: Carol Costa, Brett Battles, Susan Goldstein, Linda Wisdom, Linda Thomas-Sundstrom, Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, Carola Dunn, Lisa Lutz & David Hayward, Nancy Holder, Cindy Pon, Dr. Linda Reid, Thomas Matthews, John Vorhaus workshop, Ronald E. Feist, Peter Orullian, Dan Wells, Linda O. Johnston, J.A. Jance, Jason Goodwin, John Flanagan

Mystery Lovers Bookshop, Oakmond, PA: Nancy Martin, Hallie Ephron, Lisa Scottoline, Stuart Woods, and the authors of stories in Pittsburgh Noir

Mystery on Main Street, Brattleboro, VT:  Ken Wishnia

Once Upon a Crime Books, Minneapolis, MN: Write of Spring IX – Meet four dozen local authors, purchase the latest new crime fiction, and meet special guests, Jon & Ruth Jordan; also Libby Fischer Hellmann, Camilla Läckberg, Virginia Lowell, Larry Millett, Philip Kerr, Lisa Lutz and David Hayward, Lisa Scottoline

One More Page, Falls Church, VA: Beth Groundwater, M.L. Malcolm

Poisoned Pen, Scottsdale, AZ: C.J. Box, Michael Connelly, Jean Auel, Lisa Lutz and David Hayward, Brett Battles, Don Winslow, Ridley Pearson, Jason Goodwin, Philip Kerr, Joe R. Lansdale, Daniel Abraham, Lisa Scottoline, Diane Mott Davidson, Stuart Woods, Brent Ghelfi, Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark

Politics and Prose, Washington, DC:  Jacqueline Winspear, Henning Mankell, Louis Bayard, Donna Leon, Anthony Horowitz

Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Seattle, WA: Kate Atkinson, Jacqueline Winspear, Camilla Läckberg, Lisa Lutz and David Hayward, Mary Daheim, Amanda Quick, Kevin O'Brien, Carola Dunn

Uncle Edgar's Mystery Bookstore, Minneapolis, MN: Doug Hulick, Dan Wells, Larry Correia

Vroman’s Bookstore, Pasadena, CA:  Camilla Läckberg, John Vorhaus, Jacqueline Winspear, Lauren Willig, Lisa Lutz and David Heyward, Philip Kerr, Jason Goodwin

Remembering an Icon

Crime fiction author, editor and critic H.R.F. Keating has died at the age of 84. There are many notices and tributes already up on the Web, including the Rap Sheet, Mike Ripley for The Guardian, Mystery Fanfare, Shots Magazine and The Telegraph. I had featured his novel Is Skin Deep, Is Fatal just a month ago for Patti Abbott's Friday's Forgotten Books. Keating is also known for his listing of personal favorites in Crime and Mystery: The 100 Best Books (through 1986), a fine list indeed of books you should seek out (an update in 2000 was created jointly with Mike Ripley).

 Although Keating didn't include his own novels on that list, while you're adding his suggestions to your TRB pile, add some of the titles in Keating's series featuring Indian policeman Inspector Ganesh Ghote. If you want to start at the beginning of the Ghote saga, look for The Perfect Murder, which won the CWA Gold Dagger and was made into a film in 1988.

Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

The remake of The Thin Man, based on Dashiell Hammett's classic novel with Nick and Nora Charles, appears to be full steam ahead, with author and screenwriter Jerry Stahl hired to craft the script. Johnny Depp is the driving force behind the project, as both producer and star.

A film adaptation taken from Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series is looking more and more likely, too, as Connelly is in talks with Yellow Bird, the same Swedish film company behind the Stieg Larsson crime novel trilogy.

Katherine Heigl's film portrayal of bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is still in the works, but the studio is moving the premiere from this summer to January 2012. The story is taken from the 1994 novel One for the Money by author Janet Evanovich. (Hat tip to Omnimystery.)

Robert De Niro will star in the upcoming cop drama Freelancers, directed by Jessy Terrero. Joining him in the cast is Curtis Jackson, playing the son of a slain NYPD officer who joins the Police Academy and is taken under the wing of his father's former partner Captain Vic Sarcone (De Niro), only to be pulled into a rogue street vice task force. Actor Forest Whitaker is also in talks to join the production.

TV

The Sheriff Longmire series by author Craig Allen Johnson being adapted for a TV pilot has added Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) to the cast. She'll play a deputy opposite Wyoming Sheriff Longmire (Matrix actor Robert Taylor), to be joined by fellow castmates Lou Diamond Phillips, Bailey Chase (Saving Grace) and Cassidy Freeman (Smallville).

Shots Magazine has more information on the two-part ITV dramatization of Sophie Hannah's Point of Rescue (retitled Case Sensitive), premiering May 2-3 in the UK. Olivie Williams stars in the lead role of DS Charlie Zailer, with Darren Boyd playing DC Simon Waterhouse. Rounding out the cast are Rupert Graves and Amy Beath Hayes. BBC Worldwide has picked up international distribution, so look for it to appear in the U.S. at some future date.

Elizabeth Foxwell makes note of a new series on Canada's Showcase TV titled Endgame, which features an agoraphobic chessmaster as sleuth. She includes links to a trailer and review, and points out some other chess ties to crime fiction.

Rizzoli and Isles has a new recurring cast member. Chris Vance from Prison Break will play Sgt. Major Charles "Casey" Jones, an old flame of Rizzoli's (Angie Harmon) who comes back into her life just as she's struggling to recover from being shot and nearly killed in the line of duty. The season two opener is scheduled for July 11th.

The Canadian drama Rookie Blue, a summer hit for ABC last year, also returns for a second season, beginning June 16th. The show follows the professional and personal lives of five rookie cops as they navigate their first years on the job, and stars Missy Peregrym, Gregory Smith, Charlotte Sullivan, Enuka Okuma, Travis Milne, Ben Bass and Eric Johnson.

TNT has renewed critically the acclaimed drama Southland for a 4th season, ordering 10 new episodes. The network also greenlighted 10 episodes of a new drama, Perception, starring Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) as Dr. Geoffrey Pierce, an eccentric neuroscientist who helps the federal government crack difficult cases. The cast includes Rachael Leigh Cook (She's All That), as FBI agent Kate Rossi, Pierce's former student and the person responsible for recruiting him to work for the government, and Kelly Rowan (The O.C.) as Natalie Vincent, Pierce's best friend and his intellectual equal. The show is expected to premiere in 2012.

PODCASTS/RADIO

WGVU interviewed Harlan Coben, with the author discussing his latest Myron Bolitar novel, Live Wire.

Ian Rankin was one of the authors chosen to talk about the craft of writing for The Guardian, and admits he's "really not in control at all of what I'm writing. It's almost as though before I start writing there's a shape sitting there that I've not seen yet, and when I start to write the novel the shape will reveal itself to me, the novel will decide which way it wants to go."

THEATER

Agatha Christie—in Chinese! Two institutions in Shanghai, the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and the Shanghai Mousetrap Drama Studio, have been authorized to produce a total of 19 Chinese stage versions of various Christie novels.

Mystery Week!

Mayor Bloomberg is declaring the week of April 25th as Mystery Week in New York City, to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Edgar Awards presented by the Mystery Writers of America. Some of the events already scheduled include:

Monday, April 25th
8–10pm – FREE – Bar 82 at 149 2nd Avenue
Bar 82 Literary Series presents writers from Mystery Writers of America's NY Chapter who will read from new books. Featured authors include Megan Abbott, Peter Blauner, Jane Cleland, Stefanie Pintoff, Charles Salzberg, Persia Walker

Tuesday, April 26th
6-8pm – FREE – The Mysterious Bookshop, 58 Warren St.
Mystery Writers of America launch party for their newest anthology, The Rich and the Dead, edited by Nelson DeMille. 

Wednesday, April 27
All day – Lighthouse International, 111 E 59th St, advance registration required
2011 Edgar Week Symposium: "65 Years of Edgar: The Past, Present and Future of Mystery Writing"

Thursday, April 28
Reception: 6:30 -7:30 pm • Dinner & Awards 7:30-11:00pm
The Edgar Awards – 65th Gala Banquet at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, East 42nd at Lexington Ave.
The annual black tie gala celebrating the best and brightest in crime fiction, non-fiction, plays and television.

A Mini Mystery Melange

Elizabeth Foxwell, the editor of Clues: A Journal of Detection, tells us that the latest issue has just been published. Articles in Volume 29, No. 1 include  Maria Hebert-Leiter on detecting crime after Hurricane Katrina, via James Lee Burke and New Orleans Noir, edited by Julie Smith; Stephen Knight on the work of Australian author Peter Temple; Linda S. Maier on similarities between Jorge Luis Borges and Wilkie Collins; Rachel Schaffer on sources of moral authority in Julia Spencer-Fleming's series; and Emanuela Gutkowski's explanation using linguistic theory of just how Agatha Christie fools the reader regarding the murderer's identity in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. And more…

From Craig Sisterson over at Crime Watch comes word of a new "definitive" biography on John le Carré by Adam Sisman, planned for release in 2014 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. Sisman says: "David Cornwell (John le Carré's real name) is a rich subject for a biographer. His writing is intensely personal, and permeated by strongly-held values. From the moment when his identity became public, readers around the world have speculated about the degree to which he has drawn on his own experiences in his fiction, in particular on his career with the intelligence services. His semi-autobiographical novel A Perfect Spy provided tantalising clues to his extraordinary childhood."

From the Book Bitch: Karin Slaughter's recent campaign "Save the Libraries" has garnered the author the 2011 Silver Bullet Award to be presented at ThrillerFest in July. In addition to ThrillerMaster R. L. Stine, 2010 ThrillerMaster Ken Follett, and Spotlight Authors Diana Gabaldon, John Lescroart, and Robert Crais, this year's conference includes AgentFest, the largest event of its kind in the world with over 55 agents.

Jane Friedman posted an interview with Lawrence Block that originally appeared in the October 1982 issue of Writer's Digest magazine. It ran under the headline "Crockpot Macramé" and explains why the author believes writing can be learned, but it can't be taught.

The Night Season

There haven't been quite as many books about violent female serial killers as there have been males, one reason Chelsea Cain's Portland-based series featuring the "Beauty Killer" Gretchen Lowell, has intrigued readers and reviewers alike. Of course, female serial killers do exist in real-life, e.g. Eileen Wuornos, Amelia Dyer, Belle Gunness, but the standard FBI profile is more likely to include a middle-aged white male psychopath.

Cain ups the ante in her series by creating a twisted and disturbing physical and emotional relationship between Gretchen and the detective she captured and tortured, Archie Sheridan, leaving him with a valentine-shaped scar she carved into his chest with an X-Acto knife and even worse psychological scars. The New York Times Book Review's Kathryn Harrison called the first book, Heartsick, a "dizzying novel. Lurid and suspenseful with well-drawn characters, plenty of grisly surprises and tart dialogue," and Stephen King placed both it and its follow-up, Sweetheart, on his ten best books of 2008 list.

Cain says her interest in serial killers all started with the Green River Killer. "He was our local serial murderer. They found his first victims in 1982. I was ten years old. He went on to kill dozens of women, mostly prostitutes, many of them teenagers. It was the first time that I was aware that there was that sort of danger in the world—That you could go out one day, and they might find you the next day, dead, naked in a river. His main killing ground was about an hour and half from the town I grew up in. But I still thought about him when I was walking my dog alone at night. I followed the stories in the newspaper and I knew that there was a task force assigned to catch him. I liked that idea—a team of professionals who were working really hard to keep me safe from the bogeyman."

In addition to Gretchen and Sheridan, the third character fleshing out the A-list cast in Cain's series is journalist Susan Ward, who takes over a primary narrative role in the latest installment, The Night Season. Sheridan is still part of the action, but Gretchen is present more in Sheridan's psyche than in person, locked away as she is behind bars. Night Season starts with a flashback to 1948 when the railroad town of Vanport, Oregon, is washed away when a dike breaks. After a skeleton is found 60 years later in present day Portland during new flooding of the Willamette River, Susan believes it may be related to the historic Vanport flood.

Detective Archie Sheridan is called in to investigate when a new body is found on a carousel in an amusement park, apparently drowned and then dragged from the river to the park. A brown puncture wound is discovered on the woman's palm, which leads to the realization that this drowning and two others are actually murders caused by a rare poison with an unusual delivery method. Soon, the recent murders, the Vanport skeleton and a young boy rescued from the raging river by Sheridan all become part of the same case. Sheridan and Susan work together to track down the culprit, all the while dancing around their growing  feelings for each other.

Cain says with this book she decided to write a page-turner…with less stabbing. "It's a little different than the others, but still loads of fun (maybe even more fun), and you get to see the characters doing stuff they don't usually do." However, she hastens to reassure fans of the first three books that the beautiful, complicated and twisted Gretchen will be returning to full force in book five, or as Gretchen herself says to Sheridan, "we're not done yet."

What About the Afterlife?

 

What do the above have in common? They're all 1,000 years old or older (in the case of the Cuneiform stone, close to 4,000 years old). As the publishing world breathlessly awaits the latest eDevelopment, I find myself wondering about the future of today's books. I embrace digital technology every day, enjoy eBooks and believe they have a variety of uses and loads of potential for readers and writers.

However. Ask my audio engineer hubster how easily it is to get music or audio off an old 8-track tape or cassette. How many times has he tried to rescue something from a reel-to-reel tape, only to have it disintigrate? How many records has he painstakingly restored with a laser turntable, to find some parts just can't be decoded? DAT tape? Hardly anyone has DAT players anymore. CDs certainly aren't permanent.

Even in today's eBook realm, not every book can be read on every device due to the differences in software, hardware and formatting (.azf? .opf? tr2? chm? PDF?). Will our ancestors a thousand years from now have the technology to scan these binary bits when our current technology seems as ancient as a stone and chisel?

What do you think? How permanent are today's books—digital or print (those not published on acid-free or high-quality paper)?

Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

Samuel L. Jackson  (due to start shooting The Avengers) has signed to on to star in the indie crime movie The Samaritan as a man who leaves prison after two decades only to find himself caught up in a life of crime again. Director David Weaver said the project is inspired by British crime thrillers such as Sexy Beast, The Crying Game and Mona Lisa. Previously signed actors include Luke Kirby (Law and Order) and Ruth Negga (Misfits).

Tyler Perry was already cast as Alex Cross in the upcoming thriller I, Alex Cross, based on the James Patterson character and novels. Now, Matthew Fox (formerly of Lost) has signed on to play the villain, Michael Sullivan, also known as "the Butcher of Sligo," a man who kills for both money and thrills. Mark Moss wrote the script that he and director Rob Cohen have changed "to include twists that weren't in the novel."

Oliver Stone's adaptation of the Don Winslow novel Savages is close to a distribution deal. Stone is looking at actors Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson to portray the two Laguna-based pot growers arm-twisted into working for a Mexican cartel when they kidnap O, the free spirited best friend of the growers. Selma Hayek is in talks to play the cartel matriarch, "an iron-fisted beauty who becomes intrigued and practically maternal over the kidnapped gal."

Now that Liam Neeson and Luc Besson have worked out scheduling problems for Taken 2, Neeson is apparently close to signing  a deal to reprise his signature role as Bryan Mills, the retired government operative who took on the Paris underworld to free his kidnapped daughter. Production may start by the end of this year or the beginning of 2012.

TV

Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck) will play the lead in CBS' untitled Ed Redlich/John Bellucci pilot, to be directed by The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo's Niels Arden Oplev. The pilot centers on Carrie Wells (Poppy Montgomery), a former detective and now nursing-home volunteer, with the special ability to remember everything. Walsh plays Detective Al Burns, the chief of a crack team of NYPD detectives, who used to partner with Carrie both professionally and romantically, but when her unique ability destroyed their relationship, he got engaged to another woman. When Carrie's neighbor is murdered, he finds himself once again enlisting her help as a consultant.

Grant Show has landed a recurring guest star role on USA's Burn Notice, playing a CIA operative named Max opposite Jeffrey Donovan's Michael Westen. He'll appear in the fifth season premiere, titled "Company Man," as well as in two more episodes. USA hasn't announced a premiere date for the new season of Burn Notice, although the prequel film is scheduled for April 17th.

Former Numb3rs star Alimi Ballard and ex-NFL'er Matthew Willig have been cast as two recurring NCIS agents who join the regular team in the hunt for a psychopath called the Port-to-Port Killer. Willig plays Special Agent Simon Cade, a hulking but friendly federal agent with a photographic memory who has an Ivy League education to go along with his intimidating presence. Ballard plays Special Agent Gayne Levin, a weathered, well-traveled federal agent who's just happy to be back in Washington.

Jimmy Smits has bounced back quickly from his recently short-lived Outlaw drama on NBC, signing to star in Special Investigations L.A. The pilot/series looks at Los Angeles through multiple perspectives, including law enforcement, the justice system, city hall and the criminal underworld, with Smits playing Alfonso Morales, the ambitious Los Angeles mayor who created the Special Investigations Unit.

The video-rental company Netflix is making Hollywood nervous in many ways, not the least of which is the announcement it's acquired the political thriller drama series House of Cards starring Kevin Spacey. The deal marks Netflix's first foray into original programming to be distributed exclusively via the company's Internet subscription service. Originally written as a novel by former U.K. Conservative Party Chief of Staff Michael Dobbs, House of Cards explores the ruthless underside of British politics at the end of the Thatcher era.

Art imitates life for Law & Order: Los Angeles (which the network is shortening to LOLA), with an episode loosely based on the murder of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen. LOLA's take on the story centers on the murder of a Hollywood stylist in what appears to be a random robbery gone bad, although the team soon learns that it was a murder for hire, with dark family secrets from the past as the motive for the killing.

PODCASTS/RADIO

If you hurry, you can still catch the first episode on BBC Radio 7 online of PD James' A Taste for Death with poetic Commander Adam Dalgliesh's new unit investigating an unlikely double murder in a London church. The radio drama stars Richard Derrington. There are currently six episodes available, although the end date for Part One happens later today.

Jim Widner's Radio Detective Story Hour continues its look at spy-detective series, with Part Three showcasing Bulldog Drummond from 1941. In the beginning it starred George Coulouris, then later Ned Wever as this decidedly British spy-detective moved to America for radio adventures.

Frank Calabrese Jr. talks to NPR on the show "Fresh Air" about his role in the sting that brought down his father, one of the central figures in the Chicago mafia, and 14 other mafia members. He's written a new memoir, Operation Family Secrets.

Media Murder Update

Just in:  Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes is teaming up with director Neil LaBute for a film adaptation of Agatha Christie's standalone novel Crooked House, which the author said was one of her favorite novels. Fellowes is also the creative force behind ITV's current hit period drama Downton Abbey. Filming is scheduled to start in London later this year.

Mystery Melange, the St. Patrick’s Edition

 Mystery author Mary Higgins Clark is the grand marshal for this year's Saint Patrick's Day Parade at 11 a.m. today, which this year marks the parade's 250th anniversary. Clark said of the honor, "It never occurred to me. Last year I congratulated Ray Kelly, [Police] Commissioner Kelly. And I said, what an honor it must be to be the head of the parade. I no more envisioned myself doing it than I envisioned being on a rocket to the moon."

Janet Rudolph has a lineup of St. Patrick's day mysteries over at her Mystery Fanfare blog. My favorite title of the lot: Paddy Whacked (by S. Furlong-Bollinger).

Peter Rozovky's Detectives Beyond Borders blog looks at some upcoming titles from Soho, which set him thinking about Northern Irish crime writing recently and how one of its big themes is that tentative sectarian peace leaves paramilitary gunmen on both sides of The Troubles unemployed—and ready to move into "ordinary" crime.

Craig Sisterson revisits the 9mm-author interviews he's done with writers from the Emerald Isle, including a trio of terrific Irish crime writers: Rob Kitchin, Declan Burke, and John Connolly (who's also been a journalist for the Irish Times). Declan Burke talks about his current home town of Wicklow, called "the Garden of Ireland," as well as his childhood home of Sligo, which has an ancient history including perfectly preserved settlements at Carrowkeel that predate the better-known Newgrange by about 500 years and the Egyptian pyramids by about 1,000 years.

In case you missed the recent Val McDermit interview, check out this link where she chats with Gerard O'Donovan for The Telegraph about why Irish crime fiction is all the rage and the documentary she made on the subject for Radio 4, titled Emerald Noir (which is unfortunately no longer available online). She notes that "Ireland, north and south, has gone through seismic changes. That's given Irish writers a challenge of material. You really have got something to write about."

For some of those Irish authors Val mentions (and more), hop on over to the web sites of Benjamin Black, Gerard Brennan, Ken Bruen, Declan Burke, John Connolly, Tana French, Declan Hughes and Stuart Neville.

The Irish Times notes this year's St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin will be led not by a theme, not by a historical figure or event, not by a thousand shades of green but by a new short story, Roddy Doyle's "Brilliant," commissioned for the occasion and brought to life by street-theatre groups and performance artists. Reporter Arminta Wallace also talks with some Irish crime fiction authors about how Dublin has changed in recent years and how writers are using that in their novels.

For all you Michael Flatley fans (you know who you are, even if you don't want to admit it), you can spend your St. Patrick's Day at a showing of the film Lord of the Dance 3-D, which opens worldwide today.

And finally, even Angry Birds are getting into the spirit of the holiday, with a St. Patrick's Day version, complete with green pigs, gold-buckled top hats, a plethora of shamrocks and pots of gold and a "festive" soundtrack.

One of Our Thursdays Is Missing

British novelist Jasper Fforde has written several novels in his Nursery Crime, Last Dragonslayer and Shades of Grey series, but he may be best known for the series featuring Thursday Next. First introduced in The Eyre Affair in 2001, ace literary detective Thursday divides her time between Realworld (a Britain that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike ours) and Bookworld where literary characters have their own existence.

Meek, mousy written-Thursday lives at the quiet end of Speculative Fiction in Bookworld, trying to keep her small four-book series respectful to her illustrious namesake and away from being remaindered. Every time someone picks up a Thursday Next novel in Realworld, written-Thursday has to be ready to jump into action and act out the parts, aided by her supporting cast that includes her pet dodo and Mrs. Malaprop.

In the sixth installment of the series (released this month), titled One of Our Thursdays Is Missing, written-Thursday Next gets called into action by the Jurisfiction department to investigate when a novel suffers an in-read breakup and deposits a narrative debris-field halfway across Bookworld. Upon closer investigation, written-Thursday realizes the real Thursday has disappeared and it's up to her literary counterpart to figure out what has happened.

When written-Thursday realizes someone has ground off the ISBN number from the wreakage, she finds herself playing the usual action-adventure heroine roles intended for her real counterpart, dodging the mysterious Men in Plaid who want her dead and navigating the Bookworld's elite as they try to deal with a border dispute between Racy Novel and Women's Fiction genres. Only trips to Realworld and up Bookworld's Mighty Metaphoric River will help written-Thursday save the day.

Fforde's genre-bending novel dips its pen into an inkwell-maelstrom of satire, romance, fantasy,  suspense, steampunk, science fiction and of course, detective fiction, a sort of publishing-world version of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Or, as the author himself said in an interview, Benny Hill meets Heart of Darkness. Fforde's creativity and imagination appear effortless and boundless—which is probably close to the truth, seeing as how the author says he sits down to write these books without much of a plan and finishes them in about 100 days or do. Maybe that's because his "years in the film industry makes me think visually and I construct the scenes in my head before putting them on paper."

The premise sounds confusing and the satire is so densely packed, you may find yourself stopping and re-reading passages over and over again to make sure you get all the references, but don't let that discourage you from an entertaining literary roller-coaster reading experience. And when you're done, head on over to the Thursday Next web site for all sorts of clever special features and extras.

Welcome to the Fold

 

From Publishers Weekly comes word that Pegasus Books has a new fiction imprint, Pegasus Crime. The line will publish crime fiction, mystery novels, police procedurals, espionage thrillers, and paranormal suspense. The imprint's first title will be The Preacher, a follow-up to Camilla Lackberg's international bestseller, The Ice Princess, is due in April.

Coming later this summer: debut author Holly Luhning's gothic thriller Quiver (already out in Canada from HarperCollins Canada), and Danish crime writer Sara Blaedel's first American release, Call Me Princess. Pegasus Crime will publish 12 titles the first year, including hardcovers and trade paperbacks.

Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

January Jones (Mad Men) has optioned the first three books in the Archie Sheriden series of thrillers by author Chelsea Cain, as a starring vehicle for the actress to portray Cain's serial killer Gretchen Lowell, first introduced in the novel Heartsick.

Ross Katz is writing and directing the action-thriller film The Amateur American as a vehicle for British actor Luke Evans (who will be seen alongside John Cusack in the upcoming Poe-based film The Raven). The film centers on a young American in Paris who accepts a job with a shadowy employer and is subsequently caught up in a web of deceit and framed for murder.

It appears there's a chance the next James Bond villain will be none other than…Anthony Hopkins. Although the enticing casting tidbit hasn't been verified, the untitled Bond film is scheduled to begin filming at the end of this year, with Daniel Craig returning as Bond.

TV

The late Stephen J. Cannell appeared on the TV series Castle a couple of times, playing himself in a poker game with Castle and other crime novelists. As an homage to the author, Castle's producers plan on mentioning Cannell in the April 11th episode that will feature another poker game with Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane.

A newly revamped Law & Order: Los Angeles will be re-launched on April 11 by NBC, before moving to its regular timeslot on Mondays. Former cast members Skeet Ulrich, Regina Hall and Megan Boone are gone, while part-time cast members Alfred Molina and Terrence Howard are now full-time regulars. Alana De La Garza will also reprise her role of A.D.A. Connie Rubirosa to team with Howard's character in the courtroom.

Jennifer Morrison, formerly of House, will star as the lead in the pilot for the supernatural TV show Once Upon a Time. Morrison plays Anna, who moves to a small town in Maine where fairy tales really do come true.  Josh Dallas will play Prince Charming and Jamie Dornan is the handsome and authoritative sheriff of Storybrooke.

Are you eagerly awaiting the fall schedule? Confused over the seemingly daily stream of changing news about casting and show possibilities? Entertainment Weekly has a casting roundup that may help, and TV Guide has compiled the latest project updates.

PODCASTS

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine both have podcasts featuring some of their stories. For one of the latest, check out Bill Crider reading "The Case of the Headless Man." 

Vick Mickunas interviews Robert Crais about his latest literary crime fiction novel, The Sentry, in which the author discusses how the series developed and talks more about his two main characters, wise-cracking private eye Elvis Cole, and Cole's mysterious and lethal sidekick, Joe Pike.

An Imagination Library

Growing up in East Tennessee, I knew of Dolly Parton as a home-grown icon to many folks in those parts. Yes, she's famous for her acting, singing, song-writing (over 5,000 songs!), an amusement park and even a line of wigs (as well as certain, um…anatomical features). But there's something else the residents in her native Sevierville appreciate her for, something that has spread to other states.

in 1996, she founded a literacy program, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which mailed one book per month to each enrolled child from the time of their birth until they entered kindergarten. Although it began in Sevier County, it's now in 566 counties across 36 U.S. states, and in Canada and the UK, including most recently, Scotland. Under the Scottish Book Trust, 3,341 Scottish children will have a free book every month.

I always did like Dolly, who is apparently as genuine and down-to-earth in person as she appears in public, but in a time when the Charlie Sheens get all the attention, it's good to note there are celebrities who actually care about making a difference.

And now for what got her started…her songs and singing. Her low-key bittersweet interpretation of her own song "I Will Always Love You," beats any others, in my opinion (including the famous movie version by Whitney Houston).

A Few Words from the Library World

The residents of Los Angeles passed Measure L yesterday, an initiative to increase dedicated spending for the Los Angeles Public Library system by $50 million over the next few years without raising taxes. LA had been the only major city in the U.S. other than Detroit to eliminate two days of library service, but now will be able to return to six or seven days for its branches. Lucy McCoy, chairwoman of Yes on Measure L, said: "Tonight was a vote for keeping our kids safe after school, for helping job seekers get back to work, for seniors looking for a warm place to read and for all the Library goers young and old.  Angelenos have sent a clear message that our libraries are a critical part of the fabric of our community."

Speaking of saving the libraries, author Karin Slaughter (Broken) has organized a Save the Libraries event, serving as Honorary Chair, along with fellow authors Mary Kay Andrews (Hissy Fit) and Kathryn Stockett (The Help). They're teaming up with businesses and donors to offer items to auction off (signed books, artwork, a meeting with authors) with all proceeds benefiting the DeKalb County Public Library Foundation in Georgia. The event is coming up this Saturday, March 12th.

The grim budget news coming out of the UK includes the very real possibility that over 400 libraries could be closed due to government budget cuts, according to the Guardian. Charging into that void may be Library Systems & Services, a Maryland-based firm that owns 13 public libraries in the US. LSSI hopes to take over and manage 15 per cent of Britain's public libraries within the next five years. The plan is to turn them into "multifunctional spaces" with murder mystery nights, poetry evenings, open-mic sessions and coffee bars. That is, if LSSI can avoid lawsuits such as those filed against them in California.

And, if you haven't heard, Harper Collins is setting limits (to 26) on how many times its eBooks can be checked out from public library eReader devices. As you can imagine, libaries are not thrilled with the idea. Dan Misener of CBC News explains it all and adds, "it seems this is just another example of an old, scarcity-based business model butting heads with a new digital model. It's a story that's playing out across the digital media landscape and has repercussions far beyond libraries. For me, the danger with the HarperCollins decision has to do with the precedent it sets and the slippery slope it might send us down."

Gurney Month

As an adjunct to the Media Murder for Monday posting, here's a little bit of Saturday Night Live fun, in case you missed it:  It's Gurney Month on CBS! so buckle up for non-stop crime dramas!

http://widget.nbc.com/videos/nbcshort_at.swf?CXNID=1000004.10045NXC&widID=4727a250e66f9723&clipID=1311383&showID=61

E-Readerpalooza

As Patti Abbott mused on her blog, eBooks have been getting a lot of "e"xposure lately. As if the dizzying array of millions of stories, anthologies and books wasn't enough to set your head spinning, you also have to worry about which eReader to choose or the best place to find your eBooks. So, for those thinking about taking the plunge (and to help authors, too), I thought I'd take an informal survey to see what you think about eBooks, and—if you're already on board—your preferred source.

First, much ado about ebooks?
http://www.blogpolls.com/poll/73407.js
Blog Polls

Now, to get to the source (check all that apply):

http://www.blogpolls.com/poll/73406.js
Blog Polls

Signs of the E-Times

If you're old enough, you may fondly remember (or maybe not so fondly), the old-style wooden card-catalog cabinets at your local library. It was quite a challenge flipping through those index cards looking for the right entry, and although part of me misses that tactile experience, I have to admit it's a lot easier using a digital search.

The librarians at the Bloomington Junior High School Media Center decided to put the old cabinets to a more modern use: the drawers are a perfect size for most eReaders, and if you drill holes in the back and run power cables for recharging, you get something that looks like this:

 

The Best of February

he monthly bestseller list from member stores belonging to the Independent Mystery Booksellers Assocation is from the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookstore in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, for February:

1. Night Kill by Ann Littlewood (Poisoned Pen Press) Trade Paperback
2. Town in a Lobster Stew by B. B. Haywood (Berkley Prime Crime) Mass Market Paperback 
3. Bedeviled Eggs by Laura Childs (Berkley Prime Crime) Mass Market Paperback 
4. Wicked Craving by G. A. McKevett (Kensington Publishing Corporation) Mass Market Paperback 
5. Death of a Valentine by M. C. Beaton (Grand Central Publishing) Mass Market Paperback 
6. A Killer Plot by Ellery Adams (Berkley) Mass Market Paperback 
7. The World’s Greatest Sleuth by Steve Hockensmith (Minotaur Books) Hardcover 
8. The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (Twelve) Hardcover 
9. The Last Greatest Magician in the World by Jim Steinmeyer (Jeremy P. Tarcher) Hardcover
10. Winter of Secrets by Vicki Delany (Poisoned Pen Press) Mass Market Paperback

 

Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

Universal Pictures has acquired domestic distribution rights to the film adaptation of John Le Carre's novel Tinker, Tailor, Solder, Spy, currently in post-production and planned for a November or December release. Scripted by Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan and directed by Tomas Alfredson, the film stars Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong and Ciaran Hinds.

MGM is in negotiations with Brazilian director José Padilha to oversee the remake of the 1987 futuristic film Robocop, originally directed by Paul Verhoeven. The original starred Peter Weller as a police officer near death who was turned into a powerful cyborg cop, until suppressed memories of his past life come back to haunt him.

TV

Chuck, the NBC series about an average computer geek who unwittingly gets the only remaining copy of the world's greatest spy secrets downloaded into his brain, is taking on a murder mystery in an upcoming episode. Co-creator Chris Fedak says he's always wanted to do a murder mystery and "Chuck and Co. are given the Sherlockian job of figuring out who the murderer is."

The Danish murder mystery drama The Killing became a cult hit for the UK's digital channel BBC Four, doing so well that the BBC just announced it will show the 10-episode second series, already broadcast in Denmark. A third series has been commissioned for 2012, and AMC has commissioned an American remake. The Killing features "unflappable detective Sarah Lund," played by Sofie Grabol, who unravels the murder of Copenhagen teenager Nanna Birk Larsen amidst a web of political intrigue.

Actor Mark Harmon (NCIS) has been cast in a television movie for the USA Network based on a novel written by John Sandford, starring as Minneapolis Deputy Police Chief Lucas Davenport. The movie is taken from Sandford's novel The Prey, and adapted by Chris Gerolmo (Mississippi Burning).

In more casting news, Chris Egan will star as Edgar Allan Poe in ABC’s new series remaking the author into an investigator who solves crimes in 1840s Boston using "unconventional" methods. (Hat tip to Omnimystery)

Jim Caviezel (Passion of the Christ, The Prisoner), is set to headline CBS’s crime drama pilot Person of Interest from J.J. Abrams. Caviezel will play a paramilitary ex-CIA agent who is presumed killed in the line of duty but resurfaces in New York City to team up with an an eccentric billionaire (Michael Emerson) to clean up the city's violent underworld.

It's Battletar Galactica take 2, only set in a police department in the fictional town of Excelsior. The new paranormal police procedural from Ron Moore first cast BG alum Jamie Bamber as a crime scene expert and has now added James Callis as a homicide detective and Tricia Helfer as Morgana, a necromancer (the magical equivalent of a coroner).

Cary Elwes (Princess Bride, X-Files) is joining the reboot of the NBC series Wonder Woman. He'll play Henry Detmer, acting CEO of Themyscira Industries, who's deeply devoted to Diana (WW's alter ego) and could be a possible love interest down the line.

PODCASTS

Part Four of Mark Coggins' novel The Immortal Game is available on CrimeWav, with P.I. August Riordan taking you on a "wisecracking, action-packed ramble through San Francisco's kinky sex milieux."

On the Mystery Scene

In the new issue of Mystery Scene magazine, author Robert Crais discusses his latest Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novel, The Sentry, and Jill Paton Walsh talks about the challenges of continuing Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. Also, Lawrence Block recalls his friend Evan Hunter (a/k/a Ed McBain), Kevin Burton Smith nominates Kalinda Sharma from The Good Wife as the "Best 'Tec on TV" and Steve Hockensmith is lassoed into a chat about his Holmes on the Range adventures. There are also online-exclusives you can check out, including Oline Cogdill's report on Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus who turns 20.

SeussNoir

As part of the celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday yesterday, the hubster and I thought it would be fun to toss out a Seussnoir Twitter hashtag (#seussnoir) and see what folks came up with. (In case you don't know about Twitter hashtags, this FAQ may be helpful.) The results, some 1,000+ offerings, include some truly creative and witty satirical takes on some of the famous Seussian book titles. There were far too many to print here, but I thought I'd post some of the highlights below:

And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street

And to Think That I Was Shot on Mulberry Street (@YWIR)
And To Think I Saw It On Mulholland Drive (@sblackmoore)

Cat in the Hat

Gat in the Hat (several people contributed this one)
The Cat in the Trenchcoat and Fedora (@zucchinislice)
The Cat in the Hat Goes SPLAT! (@rkmacpherson)

Daisy-Head Mayzie

Missing-Head Mayzie (@DocOrlando70)
Pushing Up Daisy-Head Maisy (@smithla8)
Scorsese-Head Maisy (@BVLawson)

Dr. Seuss' Sleep Book

Dr. Seuss' Big Sleep Book (several)
Dr. Seuss' Sleeping With the Fishes Book (several)

Fox in Socks

Fox with Glocks (several)
Fox In Cement Socks (@Markho23)

Green Eggs and Ham

Green Eggs and Hammett (several folks posted this)
Green Eggs and Sam Spade (@mmmarystweets)
Green Eggs and Son of Sam (@MARK_Gu)
Green Yeggs and Gams (@swierczy)

Hop on Pop

Cop On Pop (more than one)
Chop up Pop! (@ZoltanMS)
Hopped-Up Pop (@swierczy)

Horton Hears a Who

Horton Hangs a Who (@Skychazz)
Horton Hears a Whodunnit (from several different people)
Horton Hears a No-Good Squealer (@ShearersBooks)
Horton Hears Too Much (various)
Horton, Who Shot You? (@ninatypewriter)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The Grinch Always Steals Twice (@mikepriceinla)
How a Dame Made the Grinch Steal Christmas and Then Hung Him Out to Dry (@jameshynes)

If I Ran the Circus (or Zoo)

If I Ran the Mob (several)
If I Ran the Asphalt Jungle (@thecitizeNY)

McElligot's Pool

McElligot's Dead Pool (@laurakcurtis)
McElligot's Drowning Pool (@sblackmoore)
Floating in McElligot's Pool (@Skychazz)

Oh the Places You'll Go

Oh the People You'll Snuff (@thenoirguy)
Oh the Places You'll Go, Philip Marlowe (@thecitizeNY)
All The Places You'll Die (various)

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

One Fish, Two Fish, Sleep with the Blue Fish (various)
One Snitch, Two Snitch, Dead Snitch, In The Ditch (@ChuckWendig)
One Fish, Two Fish, Black Fish, Blue Fish (@jenforbus)

The Butter Battle Book

The Bitter Butter Battle Book (@BarrowmanCrime)
The Gutter Battle Book  (@BVLawson)

The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins

The 500 Victims of Bartholomew Cubbins (@Markho23)
The 500 Hits of Bart Cubbins (more than one)

The Lorax

Lorax Confidential (@RORER_714)
The Maltese Lorax (several)

There's a Wocket in My Pocket

There's a Hatchet in My Pocket (@sexbiscuit)
There's a Glock on My Pocket (@word_czar)

Yertle the Turtle

The Talented Mr. Yertle (@jeremygattis)
Yertle Soup (@ninatypewriter)

And a Miscellaneous Category:

Whoville Confidential (@VictorGischler)

Oh, the Books You Can Book

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as "Dr. Seuss," was born on March 2nd in 1904 and published over 40 children's books that have been published in at least 20 languages and sold over 500 million copies worldwide. Some of his lesser-known, but equally remarkable accomplishments include his work during World War II in an animation department of the U.S Army, where he wrote the film Design for Death that ended up winning the Academy Award for Documentary Feature in 1947.

But Dr. Seuss' legacy has also long been associated with literacy, which is why the National Education Association holds its annual Read Across America initiative on this date. In schools throughout the U.S. today (and even around the world), reading will be a special focus. In hundreds of towns teenagers, librarians, politicians, actors, athletes, parents and grandparents will read aloud to students. Readers have been logging in to the NEA's site to make pledges, with California leading the charge with the most reading pledges in the U.S. with 386 submissions. Pledges have also come in from readers in Brazil, Finland, Gabon, Germany, Israel and Turkmenistan, among others.

 Tomorrow, the book/literacy focus shifts even more globally for World Book Day, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, marked in over 100 countries world-wide. It's particularly popular in the UK, which this year is celebrating with a World Book Night where one million books will be given away. There's also a star-studded launch event in Trafalgar Square the night before.

It's not too late to participate in any of these events and help spread some book love and literacy in your little corner of the world. But don't just make it one day a year; volunteer in a literacy organization in your town, buy books for all the kids on your gift list and support your local libraries.