Let's start with some award news this month. Congratulations go to Peter Temple, who was awarded the Miles Franklin Literary Award for 2010 for his novel Truth at an award dinner in Sydney late last month. Congratulations are also in order for Lisa Gardner's The Neighbor, which won the 2010 Best Hardcover Novel of the Year Award from the International Thriller Writers of America at their annual convention.
Contest alert for fans of the wonderful Alexander McCall Smith: You could win a trip for two to London and a Kobo eReader preloaded with a library of Alexander McCall Smith's books! Click here to enter and for more information.
Special Feature: A World of Crime
This month, the World of Crime stops in Jolly Old, The Old Sod - you know, England! Grab a bag of crisps and some tea - you'll want to settle in with these great reads.
The UK has produced some of the world's best crime fiction. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie simply got the ball rolling. A Brit mystery writer you should definitely have on your radar is Elly Griffiths. Her Ruth Galloway novels, The Crossing Places and The Janus Stone are inspired by the work of her husband, who gave up a job in finance to train as an archaeologist, and by her aunt, who lives on the Norfolk coast and who filled Galloway's head with the myths and legends of that area. And while the Norfolk coast is a rather particular part of England, Griffiths truly captures life there - one that is poised on the edge of the world and imbued with history and mystery.
Speaking of history and mystery, Sussex-born C.J. Sansom earned a Ph.D in History, and then trained as a lawyer and worked on many social issues before quitting to write full time. Both are put to excellent effect in his utterly fantastic Shardlake mysteries, true historical mysteries set during King Henry VIII's lifetime. The books feature hunchbacked lawyer from Lincoln's Inn, Sargeant Matthew Shardlake - who's had his run-ins with Cromwell, various wives of Henry VIII, and Hank himself. The history of this incredibly tumultous period is woven into intricate stories which give us a fascinating insight into the times. Revelation deals with murder, heresy and witchcraft in London set against the battles of the faithful vs. Protestants and Henry's wooing of Catherine Parr. His next novel, Heartstone, will hit stores in September.
Susan Hill started with a ghost story, The Woman in Black, which was adapted for the stage and has been running for eighteen years. But perhaps she is best known for her Simon Serrailler crime series, set in the small Cathedral town of Lafferton, somewhere in the South of England. "I am often asked if it is based on a real place," says Susan. It's not. "But if you think of places like Exeter or Salisbury you are on the right lines." Her detective, Chief Inspector Serrailler, later promoted to Detective Chief Superintendent, is a bit of a heartbreaker and yet, a family man. His parents and sister play a big part in his life, and help to anchor Serrailler in his often brutal reality. His story begins in The Various Haunts of Men.
"If Serrailler were to compare himself to another policeman, it would likely be Adam Dalgliesh of the P.D. James books." - Country Life (UK)
Speaking of P.D. James, no trip to the UK would be complete without picking up one of her crime novels. Before her retirement in 1979, she served in the forensics and criminal justice departments of Great Britain’s Home Office, a job that has richly rewarded us by informing 20 brilliant mysteries. Scattered across England, with Scotland Yard’s Adam Dalgliesh as a common thread, you can take away a real sense of the country from reading her works. Setting is always the first piece of the puzzle for James when she is creating a new novel. "It establishes atmosphere, influences plot and character and enhances the horror of murder, sometimes by contrast between the beauty and outward peace of the scene and the turbulence of human emotions." As a point of interest, P.D. James will be celebrating her 90th birthday very soon! (More on that to come.)
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Alex is a struggling artist who has just inherited a huge expanse of land that could make him a rich man. The happiness is short-lived when he realizes there is something about his upcoming birthday, his name and the gorgeous woman whose life he just saved that have made him - and everyone he loves - a target for something terrible. In this thriller where nothing is what it seems you’ll be glued to your seat waiting to see if Alex can save himself and perhaps the world as we know it. Lovers of Dean Koontz and Michael Crichton will love this book.
The Thieves of Manhattan is a fun crime caper about literary fraud that is also a satire of the publishing industry, and in particular sanctimonious memoirs purporting to be the truth. Ian Minot is an aspiring writer, working in a coffee shop to pay the bills and watching his talented girlfriend about to nab a top literary agent. Broke and depressed, he gets drawn into a scheme by Jed Roth, a bitter ex-editor who has written a novel about the theft of a rare and priceless copy of The Tale of Genji. He persuades Ian to participate in an elaborate scheme to pass the novel off as his own true story, in order to get a two-book publishing deal for his short stories. But what is true and what is fiction? And how far will Ian go to have his book published? A very enjoyable literary thriller for those who like the mysteries of John Dunning.
In New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner’s compelling new novel, Live to Tell, the lives of three women unfold and connect in unexpected ways. Detective D. D. Warren knows there is more to her case than meets the eye. As sins from the past emerge and stunning secrets reveal just how tightly blood ties can bind, one thing becomes clear: Sometimes the most devastating crimes are the ones closest to home.
His first adult novel in years doesn't disappoint - Hiaasen takes on the cult of celebrity with trademark rapier wit. I was lucky enough to meet him on a previous book tour and reading this book was reminded of his answer to a reporter's question - Where do you get the ideas for all of your bizarre plot twists? Hiaasen replied - "I work for a newspaper, I couldn't make up stuff this twisted!!"
Star Island is ripped from the headlines - maybe not the Miami Herald where Hiaasen still writes weekly, but definitely from US Weekly or People! Pop tartlet Cherry Pie is about to mount her most recent comeback "after that unpleasantness in Philadelphia". Cherry is unaware that her parents and manager have engaged the services of Ann Delusia as a stunt double - she appears in public as Cherry, when Cherry is "indisposed". A disasterous situation spirals hilariously out of control when Ann-as-Cherry is kidnapped by a deranged paparazzi. Former governor Skink gets involved, as does the recently paroled Chemo (remember the weed-whacker hand!). The management team must get Ann back without Cherry's public, or Cherry herself, finding out.Loads of summer fun.
Rules of Betrayal is the most riveting novel yet in Christopher Reich's New York Times bestselling series. Dr. Jonathan Ransom returns as the resourceful doctor thrown into a shadowy world of double and triple agents where absolutely no one can be trusted. To stay alive, Ransom must unravel the mystery surrounding his wife, Emma, an enigmatic and lethal spy who plays by her own rules - and discover where her loyalties truly lie.
Rules of Betrayal is a masterfully plotted novel that cements Christopher Reich's reputation as one of the most admired espionage thriller writers today.
