I'm a fan of lists, and I've been having fun lately making lists using Riffle. Here are some of the award lists I've made, of both nominees and winners...enjoy!
May 9, 2013
May 7, 2013
An American's Guide to Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year
The festival lasts a whole weekend, and if you have the opportunity to attend, I can't recommend it highly enough. Coming from America, it's a journey--and will cost you a pretty penny--but it is worth every second of a screaming kid on a plane and overpriced cup of coffee.
The festival kicks off with a bang at the opening ceremonies, where the annual Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year is awarded. The selection process is different from most American awards, with an initial long list of eighteen books being whittled down to six finalists, who are then announced on July 1 and voted on by the public, with a final winner being decided by an illustrious committee, which this year includes one of my favorite authors (and festival chair) Val McDermid.
Of all the many award lists I've seen so far this year, this is my favorite by far. Because not all of the books have gotten a wide release (or, for that matter, marketing attention) over here, I wanted to share my thoughts on those I've read, and let you know how to get your hands on 'em. For the ones that are published in the US, you can, of course, also get them from your local library.
This is an exceptional first novel, an intricate tale of crimes in both the present and the past. The modern crime—the death of an eight-year-old by possibly at the hand of his eleven-year-old friend—was less interesting to me than the past of the accused’s lawyer, but both combine for a strong story.
As far as I can tell, this one has not been released in the US, but it looks like a super story (I’m a sucker for flawed heroes). Here’s the jacket copy:
At the height of summer a dark shadow falls across Exmoor. Children are being stolen from cars. Each disappearance is marked only by a terse note – a brutal accusation. There are no explanations, no ransom demands… and no hope.
Policeman Jonas Holly faces a precarious journey into the warped mind of the kidnapper if he’s to stand any chance of catching him. But – still reeling from a personal tragedy – is Jonas really up to the task?
Because there’s at least one person on Exmoor who thinks that, when it comes to being the first line of defence, Jonas Holly may be the last man to trust…
Despite it not being officially released over here, you can get this one from Amazon. Also, BLACKLANDS and DARKSIDE, her first two books, are available in the US.
In a decided departure from his Tom Thorne police procedurals (which are fantastic), this stand-alone psychological thriller knocks it out of the proverbial park. Part whodunit and part whydunnit, you’ll be rooting for (and against) characters throughout. Oh, and as an American reader, it might be helpful for you to know that “pudding” in England means “dessert.”
Available as an ebook in the US from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, or you can order it from Amazon.co.uk.
This one has been on my To-Read pile for ages now. It’s gotten nothing but fantastic reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. Jacket copy:
When a rash of suicides tears through Cambridge University, DI Mark Joesbury recruits DC Lacey Flint to go undercover as a student to investigate. Although each student’s death appears to be a suicide, the psychological histories, social networks, and online activities of the students involved share remarkable similarities, and the London police are not convinced that the victims acted alone. They believe that someone might be preying on lonely and insecure students and either encouraging them to take their own lives or actually luring them to their deaths. As long as Lacey can play the role of a vulnerable young woman, she may be able to stop these deaths, but is it just a role for her? With her fragile past, is she drawing out the killers, or is she herself being drawn into a deadly game where she’s a perfect victim?
Sixteen books in, Jack Reacher is still a reader favorite, and with good reason. In this one, we hang out with Reacher back in 1997.
If you don’t know where and how to get a Lee Child book, there’s something wrong with you. This one is available everywhere.
I haven’t read this one, but it looks like a cracker, especially if spy tales are your thing. Here’s the jacket copy:
Six weeks before she is due to take up her position as the first female head of MI6, Amelia Levene vanishes without a trace.
Her disappearance is the gravest crisis MI6 has faced for more than a decade. There has been no ransom demand, no word from foreign intelligence services, no hint of a defection.
One of my favorites on this list, SAFE HOUSE introduces Rebecca Lewis, a kick-ass heroine, in the midst of a twisty mystery on the Isle of Man. It even has motorcycles!
Peter James’ books make me want to move to Brighton. Seriously. This is the eighth Roy Grace novel, and as always, it delivers.
This is another I haven’t read, but if you’re looking for a “race against time” thriller, it sounds like it fits the bill.
This one will be out on June 4 in the US. You can preorder the paperback or ebook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Indiebound.
Kerr’s Bernie Gunther series is (yet) another that’s been on my To-Read list for years now. This might just be my first, and is a great choice if historical keep you turning pages. Jacket copy:
September 1941: Reinhard Heydrich is hosting a gathering to celebrate his appointment as Reichsprotector of Czechoslovakia. He has chosen his guests with care. All are high-ranking Party members and each is a suspect in a crime as yet to be committed: the murder of Heydrich himself.
Indeed, a murder does occur, but the victim is a young adjutant on Heydrich’s staff, found dead in his room, the door and windows bolted from the inside. Anticipating foul play, Heydrich had already ordered Bernie Gunther to Prague. After more than a decade in Berlin's Kripo, Bernie had jumped ship as the Nazis came to power, setting himself up as a private detective. But Heydrich, who managed to subsume Kripo into his own SS operations, has forced Bernie back to police work. Now, searching for the killer, Gunther must pick through the lives of some of the Reich’s most odious officials.
Yes, I’m biased toward Irish authors, but Gene Kerrigan really is one of those who should have a lot more visibility over here. This police procedural is a must-read, particularly for noir fans, and has received nothing but stellar reviews.
From the Too Many Books, Too Little Time department, this one has also been resting in my To-Read pile since it was released. People I trust say it’s excellent. Jacket copy:
Hull, East Yorkshire. Two weeks before Christmas, an elderly man - the only survivor of a fishing trawler tragedy 40 years before - is found murdered at sea. In a church, a young girl - the last surviving member of a family slaughtered during the conflict in Sierra Leone - is hacked to death with a machete. A junkie, who fled the burning house where he had set his family alight, is found incinerated on a rundown council estate. Someone is killing sole survivors in the manner they had escaped death. And it falls to Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy of Humberside CID to find out whom. McAvoy, despite being a six-foot-five, man mountain of a police officer, is not your typical bullish detective. A shy, gentle giant, he is a family man obsessed with being a good and decent cop; more dab hand with a database than gung-ho with a gun - traits that have seen him become increasingly isolated from his colleagues in the force. Desperate to prove his worth, McAvoy knows he must establish the motive behind the killings if he is to have any chance of pinning the perpetrator. And he must do so quickly, as this twisted yet ingenious killer appears to have an appetite for murder.
Proving that no matter how hard I try, I miss some books completely. This is one, but I’ve added it to my Scotlandpalooza list for this year! Here’s the jacket copy:
When Tormod's family approach Fin Macleod for help, Fin feels duty-bound to solve the mystery.
A perfectly preserved body is recovered from a peat bog on the Isle of Lewis.
The male Caucasian corpse – marked by several horrific stab wounds – is initially believed by its finders to be over two-thousand years old. Until they spot the Elvis tattoo on his right arm. The body, it transpires, is not evidence of an ancient ritual killing, but of a murder committed during the latter half of the twentieth century.
Meanwhile, Fin Macleod has returned to the island of his birth. Having left his wife, his life in Edinburgh and his career in the police force, the former Detective Inspector is intent on repairing past relationships and restoring his parents’ derelict croft.
But when DNA tests flag a familial match between the bog body and the father of Fin’s childhood sweetheart, Marsaili Macdonald, Fin finds his homecoming more turbulent than expected. Tormod Macdonald, now an elderly man in the grip of dementia, had always claimed to be an only child without close family.
A lie, Fin will soon discover, Tormod has had very good reason to hide behind.
This one has not been released in the US, but you can get it on Amazon or Amazon.co.uk.
Denise Mina won this award last year for THE END OF THE WASP SEASON, which I didn’t read until this year. Turns out, she really deserved to win, and I’m hoping to read GODS AND BEASTS before July. In the meantime…
A hold up in a Glasgow post office: A well dressed dotting grandfather hands his beloved grandson to a tattooed stranger, steps out of the queue and helps the robber. He seems to know that the man can't leave the post office and let him live. He stands, passive, and lets the man do what he wants.
Morrow begins the investigation with a bad feeling about it. She wants to go home. That's all she ever wants to do, to go home to her boys, but the robbery pulls her into the city and lives she could only begin to imagine.
So far this year, everyone’s been talking about Neville’s RATLINES, and rightfully so. I loved STOLEN SOULS, though, in no small part because of the intricately formed characters.
I’m putting the fact this is another I was unaware of down to the fact that I don’t read many historicals. If you do, though, this one sounds terrific. To wit:
London, summer of 1584: Radical philosopher, ex-monk, and spy Giordano Bruno suspects he is being followed by an old enemy. Instead, he is shocked to discover that his pursuer is in fact Sophia Underhill, a young woman with whom he was once in love. When Bruno learns that Sophia has been accused of murdering her husband, a prominent magistrate of Canterbury, he agrees to do anything he can to help clear her name.
But in the city that was once England’s greatest center of pilgrimage, Bruno uncovers a more dangerous plot in the making, one that forces him to turn his detective’s eye to the strange case of Saint Thomas Becket, a twelfth-century cardinal of Canterbury Cathedral whose mysterious murder is only matched by the legend surrounding the disappearance of his body.
I’m really looking forward to meeting Stuart MacBride, whose CLOSE TO THE BONE knocked my socks off (almost literally) earlier this year. His nominated title, a stand-alone novel, is one of the books I’m most looking forward to reading before July.
This book is an excellent example of why I’m such an advocate of Harrogate. Last year, I met in person author Stav Sherez, whom I’d only known online before, and our too-brief chat ensured that I grabbed a copy of A DARK REDEMPTION before departing. (Have I mentioned that the festival has an awesome bookstore on site? It does.)
This one comes out in the US on June 4. You can preorder it now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Indiebound.
So there you have the long-list. Were I in charge of such things, my short list would comprise:
- Rush of Blood by Mark Billingham
- Safe House by Chris Ewan
- Not Dead Yet by Peter James
- Stolen Souls by Stuart Neville
- Birthdays for the Dead by Stuart MacBride
- A Dark Redemption by Stav Sherez
Come July 18, I’ll be reporting from Harrogate on the winner (on Twitter in real time, if you’d like to follow along).
Good luck to all the nominees…and happy reading!
May 3, 2013
The Book That Should Have Won
Last night crime fiction’s glitterati came out in force for
the 2013 Edgar Awards. I don’t usually give
a hoot about awards of any sort, but this time, there was one book in the
running that I was really pulling
for.
Which is not to say I didn't care at all about other
nominees and categories. I was thrilled that reviewer Oline Cogdill was
receiving a Raven. I like the TV show Sherlock, and so was happy it won. I
think Karin Slaughter’s short stories are exceptional—she has a gift for the form—and
I cheered when she won for “The Unremarkable Heart.” LIVE BY NIGHT is some of
the finest storytelling I've had the privilege to read in recent memory, and
Dennis Lehane is deserving of every accolade he receives. I really wanted to
see DEVIL IN THE GROVE win, but (I think) I understand why it didn't, and, hey,
it did just win a Pulitzer.
That said…
The Best Critical/Biographical category included four
nominees. Three of them are books about series, authors, and characters that
have impacted the crime fiction genre beyond measure: Raymond Chandler's Philip
Marlowe, Robert B. Parker’s Spenser, and Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.
The last nominee was BOOKS TO DIE FOR,
a compendium of essays from almost 120 crime fiction authors about their
favorite crime novels. It describes itself best, in the introduction to the
book:
This is not a pollsters' assembly of popular novels, compiled with calculators and spreadsheets. Neither is it a potentially exhausting list of titles that winds back to the dawn of fiction, chiding the reader for his or her presumed ignorance in the manner of a compulsory reading list handed out in a bad school at the start of summer to cast a pall over its students' vacation time. What we sought from each of the contributors to this volume was passionate advocacy: we wanted them to pick one novel, just one, that they would place in the canon. If you found them in a bar some evening, and the talk turned (as it almost inevitably would) to favorite writers, it would be the single book that each writer would press upon you, the book that, if there was time and the stores were still open, they would leave the bar in order to purchase for you, so that they could be sure they had done all in their power to make you read it.
And the winner was…THE SCIENTIFIC SHERLOCK HOLMES, penned by
an emeritus professor of chemistry, Dr. James O’Brien, which The
New York Times described as:
…a stolid academic treatise, rife with abbreviations
Huh. Now, I haven’t read this treatise, nor do I plan to.
From what I've read about it, I’m
sure Dr. O’Brien worked hard on it, and it’s probably interesting to people who
care about science and have at least a passing interest in Sherlock Holmes.
But here’s the rub: BOOKS TO DIE FOR is a book by readers,
for readers. It celebrates with abandon books both famous and less well known.
The essays it contains are a joy to read. A century from now, people will still
be reveling in BOOKS TO DIE FOR.
Editors John
Connolly and Declan
Burke, assisted by the immensely talented Clair Lamb, created an extraordinary
work in BOOKS TO DIE FOR, and it was no feeble undertaking. The authors who
contributed are from all corners of our planet, and the finished product runs
to 700-some odd pages. It documents a moment in time insomuch as each
contributor approached his or her essay as a reader, but it spans our entire
reading consciousness, documenting our collective.
I would like to think that ultimately, even awards handed
out by industry associations and attended by insiders are about celebrating
readers and the stories that thrill them. This is exactly what BOOKS TO DIE FOR
does.
Luckily, it is not dependent on any recognition other than
readers’ eyes and enthusiasm to do this. At Bouchercon last year, there was a
signing event that included many of the BOOKS TO DIE FOR contributors that was,
predictably, mobbed. The authors were in fine form—each of them patient and
funny as they chatted with those in a queue that seemed never-ending. The
palpable excitement that afternoon is why BOOKS TO DIE FOR should have won an
Edgar, but will endure regardless.
p.s.: As much as I’m
not an affable loser, I should be clear that the aforementioned editors are
incredibly gracious, and when they say, “it’s an honor just to be nominated,” I’m
quite certain that they mean it. The sentiments herein are mine alone.
April 26, 2013
Beware of False Gurus
It’s relatively simple to trace the history of social media back more than a decade. If you’re reading this, then you have access to the vast interwebs, which means you also know that social media is in a state of constant flux. As a result, some of us use social media these days, while others gravitate toward social media.
And here’s the news flash: Neither is wrong. There are no rules. Opinions vary.
To be fair, after Sandy Hook, I suggested that when tragedy strikes, scheduled marketing should be paused. I hope I wasn't mean or school-marmish when I did so, and if I was, I apologize. Because ultimately there are no rules, just opinions.
I have no quarrel with tools that allow brands and people to schedule tweets and posts. To me, social media is just that: A form of media. It is not a party, a fete, a gathering, or jamboree. That said, I use it for social interaction quite often. But that’s my choice. If you can’t be live and in virtual person all the time in all the outlets, I don’t think this means you should forego them completely.
You can use the tools available—including getting help with content—in a manner that is transparent, and therefore no less genuine.
I schedule posts and tweets for clients. I have no problem being up-front about this. I also schedule blog posts, and for some clients, have their Twitter and/or Facebook accounts linked to their blogging platform, so that when these posts go live, word is spread through all the (social) media channels available.
I also choose to pause these when a major hard news story breaks, mostly because at that time, nobody really cares about anything other than that news story. So posting content then is pretty much a waste of time. If you’re an author (or publisher, for that matter) who chooses to carry on with “BUY MY BOOK” tweets and posts in the face of news like this, I’d suggest you reconsider.
And while we’re talking rules, some of you might have seen this nonsense about manual vs. not retweets. Despite what this post says, it’s fine to share information however you see fit. Whomever originated the information you’re sharing should just be grateful you do.
April 5, 2013
Ode to Serials
Some years back I enjoyed reading Laura Lippman's THE GIRL IN THE GREEN RAINCOAT. When I wrote to her to tell her how much I'd liked it, she mentioned that it had been originally serialized in the New York Times. While I had missed this original publication, I wasn't surprised, because the structure of the story lends itself to being read in bits.
As most things do, serialized stories are gearing up for a comeback. Considering that many of us communicate these days in 140-character tweets and Facebook photo captions, this makes sense. From a practical perspective, too, many readers do so in settings—public transportation or waiting rooms come immediately to mind—that are suited to shorter bursts of reading.
Amazon has quietly launched Kindle Serials, and I have it on good authority that they will be feeding it with some exciting content in the coming months. I also heard a reliable rumor that Crimespree Magazine will be serializing novels starting soon. These examples represent two models—paid and free—each of which has marketing pros and cons. They share one important thing, though: a serialized story builds reader loyalty.
I'm a fan of serials because they exercise a portion of my brain that modern rapid-fire short-form communication tends to atrophy. When I read a portion of a story and then have to wait a week for the next, the brain files it under "remember this." I pay more attention to details that I might otherwise miss. I feel more engaged in the story because I'm following along, pausing to consider each installment before getting to the next.
And while delivery methods have evolved, serials hearken back to a time when the world was a bit slower, more considered, we didn't necessarily need it all right now, and we took the time to revel in a great story.
March 13, 2013
A Leprechaun Walked Into a Bar...
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| Dad's beloved book, which sits on my bookshelf to this day, although I rarely hit anyone with it now. |
About this time last year, someone we know in passing
gleefully proclaimed to my (Irish) husband that he'd told his (kindergartner-aged)
daughter all about leprechauns, the midgets who dance around at the end of
rainbows hoarding over pots of gold in funny green hats in Ireland.
I rolled my eyes and bit my tongue.
Not because I have anything against Irish folklore; quite
the opposite, in fact (if you're interested, you can read more about the
mythology of leprechauns--and their connection to Denmark--here or here). I do, however, object to ignorance that
translates to disrespect for other cultures, places and beliefs. I'm all for
celebrating Paddy's Day, whether it's by getting stupid drunk on Guinness or
feasting on corned beef and cabbage, but I fail to see the value in propagating
marketing myths that have become little more than insulting.
Ireland is populated by storytellers. Get into a cab, go to
a pub, or go into a shop in Ireland, and chances are good you'll get a story.
Often these stories are self-deprecating and/or funny. Because storytelling
underlies almost every aspect of Irish culture, it is welcoming to visitors.
I've spoken with hundreds of people who've visited Ireland and never has
someone said, "I had a terrible time. The people were so rude."
Which is not to say every Irish person is sweet, or that the
place doesn't have problems. But that's just it--it's a real place.
So what would I have had the aforementioned individual tell
his daughter? He could have started with an accurate (and much more interesting) explanation of the
mythological leipreachán, rather than
a stereotype developed by the marketing departments at General Mills and
Colgate-Palmolive. He could have introduced her to Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series. He could have showed her pictures of the Lake Isle of Innisfree or read
her A Prayer for my Daughter. He
could have told her about Saint Patrick or, better yet--given that she's a
strong young woman--the lesser known patron saint of Ireland, Saint Brigid.
When I was his kid's age, there was a "tradition"
in elementary school that dictated that anyone not wearing green on St.
Patrick's Day should be pinched. This always annoyed my dad, who told me that being
Irish had nothing to do with the color I wore, and pinching people is mean. He
told me to wear whatever I like on March 17 and sent me to school armed with
his beloved copy of The Collected Poems
of WB Yeats, telling me to use it to hit anyone who pinched me.
So as you celebrate on March 17--and I hope you will--I hope
you'll take a moment to fete what is laudable about the real Ireland. Have a
read of Barbara Scully's insightful, funny, and beautifully written blog. Pick
up a book by John Connolly, Declan Burke, Colette Caddle, Maria Duffy, or Maeve Binchy. Sing a chorus or two of The Rising of the Moon. Tell someone a story.
Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh.
March 8, 2013
The Value of Being a Jerk
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| This is Steve Martin, who probably is not, in fact, a jerk, but who made a hilarious movie called The Jerk. |
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