crime

Best selling American crime writer Patricia Cornwell is in Dublin today, here to take part in one of the opening events of the Bram Stoker Festival, happening this weekend. The event, The Anatomy of Fear - From Stoker to Scarpetta with Patricia Cornwell, takes place in Trinity College, and the author will be introduced by the state pathologist, Dr. Marie Cassidy! Very appropriate given the subject matter and the significant role forensic science plays in her Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.

Cornwell has sold over 100 million copies of her books worldwide, and wouldn't you know it, you can borrow her books in our branch libraries and read away to your heart's content (check below).

Right: Patricia Cornwell in Trinity College, 26th October 2012 (click thumbnail to enlarge)

The 20th novel in the Scarpetta series (The Bone Bed) has just been published (25th October in fact), so while not yet on our bookshelves is on order and soon to arrive. In this latest, Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta returns to solve the mysterious disappearance of a paleontologist. Read more »

Irish novelist and newspaper columnist Gene Kerrigan was last night announced as the winner of the Crime Writers' Association's (CWA) Gold Dagger for crime novel of the year in the UK for his fourth novel, 'The Rage'. 'The Rage' is set in the backstreets of Dublin, and intertwines the stories of professional thief Vincent Naylor, just out of jail and planning a new robbery, and detective Bob Tidey, investigating the murder of a banker.

According to a report in the Guardian newpaper, judges described 'The Rage' as 'a complex noir thriller that's multi-layered and solidly written, with great style and pace'.

The shortlist was as follows:

Vengeance in Mind by N.J. Cooper (Simon & Schuster)
The Flight by M.R. Hall (Mantle)
The Rage by Gene Kerrigan (Vintage)
Bereft by Chris Womersley (Quercus)
  Read more »

It's been too long since my last post here on crime reads, so time to catch up. In this post I am going to take you through my most recent reads, covering four nations, and not all Nordic! Starting with Italy we will then visit Iceland, Sweden and finally Denmark.

From Italy:

Number 21 in the Commissario Brunetti series, 'Beastly Things'  convinces me that Donna Leon has not after all grown tired of the Venetian detective. Thank heavens, this is a definite return to form. Four stars (out of five) from me. A well developed plot (yet another body retrieved from a canal) with Brunetti as ever a joy to accompany as he meanders through Venice and its surrounds while unravelling the mystery. The abattoir visit is quite descriptive! In contrast to a reviewer for the Independent newspaper, I long for even more of wife Paolo and the culinary delights. A likeable read, a perfect holiday read if looking for one. Read more »

Continuing with my series on recent crime reads (see first in series), I include here the new to me (Kallentoft), the relatively new to me (Meyer) and some old stalwarts (Nesbo, Nesser et al).

'Midwinter Sacrifice'  was my first encounter with Swedish writer Mons Kallentoft, and I give it a definite thumbs up. This I understand is his first crime novel, though not his first book. He tells a good story and I like his style. Set in Linköping, Sweden, it is a murder investigation that, though slow moving, kept my interest throughout. I liked the insight into the various characters, but would have welcomed more of it in fact, if only because the author does it well, and his characters do stir your interest. None more so than the members of the suspect and rather unpleasant family. Principal investigator is Malin Fors, in her early thirties, divorced and with a 12-year old daughter. I have seen reviews compare her character with Sarah Lund of 'The Killing' fame! The voice of the murdered man being heard at various junctures worked for me in the end even if at first I was unsure. Eager to read his next up, 'Summertime Death'. Read more »

It's time to update you on some of the crime novels I have read in recent times. Hard not to notice that Nordic writers are ever present, no apologies, I am still working my way through the expansive library of Nordic crime fiction. But nice too that some of those Nordic authors mentioned here were new to me, as was the South African Deon Meyer. Always interesting to find someone new. But mentioned here too is one of my perennial favourites, Colin Cotterill. 

First up is 'At Night All Wolves are Grey' (1986)  by Gunnar Staalesen. Read more »

The shortlist for the 2012 CWA (Crime Writers' Association) International Dagger has just been announced. This is an annual competition for crime, thriller, suspense or spy fiction novels which have been translated into English. The six shortlisted titles are:

• The Potter's Field by Andrea Camilleri
• I will have Vengeance by Maurizio de Giovanni
• Until Thy Wrath Be Past by Åsa Larsson
• Trackers by Deon Meyer
• Phantom by Jo Nesbø
• The Dark Valley by Valerio Varesi

Read more »