Crime Fiction Dossier

Latest Chicago Sun-Times roundup column

At long last, I have a new roundup column in this morning's Chicago Sun-Times. It includes brief critiques of the following books:

• Lawrence Block - Hit and Run
• James Rollins - The Last Oracle
• Julia Spencer-Fleming - I Shall Not Want
• Janet Evanovich - Fearless Fourteen
• Jon Land - The Seven Sins

Enjoy!

Book of the Week: James Rollins' "The Last Oracle"

James Rollins' latest Sigma Force novel is another smart and suspenseful thrill ride. Some Russian scientists are working on a project to harness the savant-like abilities of autistic children. Their goal is to unleash the hidden powers of the human brain in order to further their plans for world domination -- and it’s up to the men and women of Sigma to stop them. Rollins combines real-world science with high-octane action to create rousing stories of adventure that are sure to please. The Last Oracle takes a little while to get going, but once it does, there’s no stopping it.

Good things come in threes

Some of the reviewers I know read new books as soon as they come in, especially if they're by favorite authors. I usually don't do that, though. I'm perpetually behind in my reading, so I often can't get to a particular book for a while. I also like to save books I expect to be good for ideal spots in my reading schedule.

Over the past couple of months I received books by three of my favorite authors: Michael Connelly, Robert Crais and George Pelecanos. But I didn't read them right away. I put them in a nice little stack and saved them for just the right time.

Finally, about ten days ago, I was ready. I read all three in a row: Connelly's The Brass Verdict, Crais' Chasing Darkness and Pelecanos' The Turnaround. And I'm delighted to report that all three are excellent -- no disappointments here.

The Connelly book is the best of them -- a twisty legal thriller featuring Mickey Haller from The Lincoln Lawyer -- but the other two are also very good. It's books like these that made me want to be a mystery critic in the first place (and also remind me of why I keep doing it).

I know these won't be published for a while yet. But keep your eyes out for when they are. You won't be disappointed.

Three authors you couldn't live without

I saw this question on a message board and thought I'd steal it...

Who are the three authors whose work you would miss the most if they stopped writing?

The choices are inevitably somewhat arbitrary... But after thinking about it for a while, I came up with a solid top 3:

• Lawrence Block
• Michael Connelly
• George Pelecanos

I look forward to books by those three writers more than anyone else. So I'd be the most disappointed if any of them stopped writing.

How about you? Who's in your top 3?

New Evil E

Elain Flinn has a new Evil E column up, featuring an interview with author Jason Starr. Here is my contribution:

DAVID:

Jason, you’re closing in on 50…Isn’t it time to cut the hair?  Do you ever get tired of writing about creeps, crooks and cons and just want to write about a preschool teacher or something?  (not that I want you to do that…unless it’s a preschool teacher who’s also a dominatrix.)

JASON:

Whoa, Dave, I think I have about a decade to go before 50, but nope, I ain’t cuttin’ it, not until it starts falling out in a serious clip anyway, and you never know when that’ll start to happen.  We have a picture in my family of a great uncle who lived in Russia about 80 years ago.  In most of the pictures he has this thick, dark hair, and then in the next picture, boom, Kojack.  So I may wake up one day and find it all on the pillow…  But I’ll tell you what - if Barry Eisler gets a crew cut, I will too.  Deal?  If I thought of a preschool teacher who I thought would make a great character in a crime novel, I’d go for it.  But, as you say, there would have to be something off about him or her.  I think my strength is in writing about edgy people, though I think in my recent books like THE FOLLOWER, and some of the other projects I’m working on (including a graphic novel for DC) I’ve been expanding my approach, varying points of view more.

Check out the whole thing. It's good.

My story in Plots with Guns

The new issue of Plots with Guns is now up and it features a story of mine, "Friday Night at Trout's," along with offerings from Bryon Quertermous, Patti Abbott, Todd Robinson and others.

Many thanks to Neil for choosing my story.

Ask the Critic: Reviews of non-crime fiction

An anonymous reader in Huntsville, Alabama writes:

"Why do you never review bass fishing books?"

I initially assumed that "Hooked in Huntsville" (as I like to think of him) was just a joker, and not a very funny one. But our subsequent email exchange indicated that he was indeed serious.

So it's a good question: Why don't I review books other than crime novels?

I do occasionally write about a SF or Fantasy novel or book of non-fiction, but it's true that I don't do it often. The simplest reason is that I don't really have much time to read things other than crime fiction (which is my bread and butter genre). I can't keep up with more than a fraction of the mysteries and thrillers published each month, let along try to read anything else.

More than that, publishers rarely send me other kinds of books. And I have a hard and fast rule: I only review books that publishers (or authors) send me. If I have to buy it, I ain't writing about it.

But the bottom line is that I'm open to writing about other kinds of books. (Especially other genre fiction, like SF, horror, etc.) Someone just needs to convince the publishers to send them to me.

Now I have a question for my Alabama reader: Other than the intended target, how does bass fishing differ from other types of fishing? Is the bass in and of itself such a wonderful fish that it deserves its own sub-genre of fishing?

Too many books?

Liz Seymour, deputy editor of the Washington Post Home section, is struggling with the clutter in her house. Among her dilemmas is what to do with the 600 books she and her husband have accumulated.

This is a dilemma? 600 books??

In our house, we call that the dining room.

I don't know how many books we have -- we purge all the time, including a huge cull several years back when we moved -- but it's a lot. At least a couple thousand, I'm sure.

How about you? Do you have way too books in your house?

Depressing quote of the day

From the New Yorker's piece on Michael Seidenberg's secret bookstore in New York City...

After closing a previous iteration of his bookstore, Seidenberg tried selling books on the street.

“Once, a couple stopped,” he recalled. “And the man asked his girlfriend, ‘Do you want a book?’ She said, ‘No, I already have a book.’”

(hat tip)

Book of the Week: Julia Spencer-Fleming's "I Shall Not Want"

Julia Spencer-Fleming's series featuring Episcopal priest Clare Fergusson and police chief Russ Van Alstyne remains one of my favorites in the mystery world. It's not that the plots are so good -- they're fine, but nothing outstanding -- but rather because spending time with the characters is so pleasing. Their problems might be a little more melodramatic than those faced by us normal folks -- interfering bishops, nosy congregations, dead wives -- but the trick is that Spencer-Fleming makes us care. She has invested her creations with so much life, and made them so likable and real, that we can't help but be drawn into their world. The ups and downs and ins and outs of their relationship keep me coming back each year for more. I'm already looking forward to the next one.