Crime Fiction Dossier

Book of the Week: Joyce Carol Oates' "The Museum of Dr. Moses"

Just in time for Halloween, an excellent collection of mystery stories from one of the most prolific and talented literary writers. (At least, people say she's talented. This is actually the first thing of hers that I read...but I really enjoyed it.) The Museum of Dr. Moses is a short collection of short stories, most of them suspenseful, mysterious or creepy in one way or another. Oates mines the horrors of everyday life -- always the best place to look -- for her material, crafting a satisfying and scary little book. (To read more about the collection, see my review in the Washington Post.)

Three reviews for the price of one!

As you can see, I've been busy...

My review of Joyce Carol Oates' short story collection, The Museum of Dr. Moses, runs this morning in the Washington Post.

Over in the Philadelphia Inquirer, I ruminate on Walter Mosley's latest (and possibly last) Easy Rawlins novel, Blonde Faith.

And, finally, my latest round-up column is in the Chicago Sun-Times. It features reviews of:

• John Hart - Down River
• Walter Mosley - Blonde Faith
• Jennifer Lee Carrell - Interred with Their Bones
• Gordon Campbell - Missing Witness
• I.J. Parker - Island of Exiles

If you can't find something out of all of those to read...  Well, you can't say I didn't try.

Book of the Week: Steve Brewer's "Cutthroat"

Solomon Gage is a fixer for a wealthy industrialist, solving all the problems the big man and his family get involved in. When Gage discovers that the industrialist's sons are involved in a dangerous and harebrained scheme to make a fortune, he's faced with his toughest problem yet. Cutthroat is darker and more serious than most of Brewer's books, which is something of a mixed blessing. Although it's a fine and engaging story, I found myself missing the comedic overtones of most of his work. (A lot of authors can write books like this one, but Brewer is one of the few who mixes comedy with suspense and makes it work.) For readers interested in an entertaining, straight-ahead thriller, however, this is recommended.

Review of "The Chopin Manuscript" in the Chicago Sun-Times

My latest review in the Chicago Sun-Times is of The Chopin Manuscript, the audio-only serial novel put together by ITW and featuring a slew of top thriller writers.

It's an interesting idea, but it didn't really work for me.

Book of the Week: Libby Fischer Hellmann's "Chicago Blues"

Editor Libby Fischer Hellmann presents a solid anthology of crime stories, all set in the city of Chicago. Most of them are originals, although a handful, including a couple of the better ones, are reprints. As is the case with all such collections, there are several misses mixed in with the hits, but the batting average of Chicago Blues is definitely higher than most. Stand-out contributions from Hellmann, Stuart Kaminsky, Jack Fredrickson, David J. Walker, Michael Allen Dymmoh and Barbara D'Amato in particular recommend it.

Bonus Book of the Week: Michael A. Black's "A Killing Frost"

Michael A. Black is one of the lesser-known private eye writers, but he shouldn't be. Black writes with authenticity and skill, and the Ron Shade series is definitely worthy of attention. Dorchester has reissued A Killing Frost (2002), the first book in the series, as a mass market paperback, thus its selection as a Bonus Book of the Week. Shade is hired to find a woman's missing fiancé, but when he turns up dead, the case takes on dangerous new dimensions. With action, suspense and even a little romance, A Killing Frost has it all.

Ask the Critic: Can you identify this book?

Donna Ginther writes:

Do you know of a mystery series where the main character is a female FBI agent whose supervisor is a man named Riveria and her family owns an apple orchard in the Northeast?

That stumped me -- but I'm sure one of you knows the answer. Help?

If you've got a question for Ask the Critic, please send it in.

Book of the Week: I.J. Parker's "Island of Exiles"

Island of Exiles is another stellar mystery from I.J. Parker featuring Sugawara Akitada, a nobleman in medieval Japan with a nose for detection. Akitada goes undercover as a convict on a penal colony in order to investigate the suspicious death of the Emperor's rebellious brother. He finds more than he bargained for, though, and ends up with his own life on the line. Parker makes the setting sparkle in lush, vibrant hues, with an interesting plot and wonderfully rich characters.

Ask the Critic: Attending writers conferences

Anonymous writes:

Is it worth it to attend a conference mostly to pitch a book or are the publishers present really there to sell books not to buy new ones?

I think most writers conferences, especially the larger ones like Bouchercon and ThrillerFest, probably aren't much use when it comes to pitching publishers. You can make contacts at them -- they're a good place to meet agents, for example -- but the hectic, frenetic nature of such conferences really doesn't lend itself to any kind of formal pitching. Also, editors generally attend to support their authors; they're not really looking for someone to hand them a manuscript.

Some of the smaller conferences, however, do schedule pitch meetings with representatives from publishers. They do that at Love Is Murder, for example, where attendees can register for pitch sessions with Bleak House Books, Tekno/Five Star Books and Echelon Press. If you're interested in one of those publishers, then attending the conference might prove to be a great deal of help.

I think that, for aspiring writers, conferences are most useful for making contacts, learning more about the craft and the business of publishing, talking shop and just enjoying the camaraderie of fellow writers. For that, they can be invaluable.

If you've got a question for Ask the Critic, please send it in.

Book of the Week: A.J. Jacobs' "The Year of Living Biblically"

A.J. Jacobs follows his bestselling book, The Know It All, with The Year of Living Biblically, an entertaining, thought-provoking and reverential memoir of the year he spent attempting to obey all the teachings of the Bible. While initially he finds the Bible's teachings to be strange and constricting, he gradually comes to feel a certain sense of liberation in the restrictions. He also gains a greater appreciation of the role that God can play in one's life, and a greater appreciation for life itself. Whether or not you agree with his conclusions, reading The Year of Living Biblically will likely make you think, and entertain you at the same time.