Idris Elba scoops Golden Globe nomination for playing Neil Cross's 'Luther'

Idris Elba, the star of BBC AMERICA’s critically acclaimed crime drama, Luther, has been nominated for a Golden Globe® Award, it was announced this week. He was nominated in the category Best Performance By An Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television.

Perry Simon, BBC Worldwide America’s GM, Channels says: “Idris’ portrayal of John Luther breaks the mould of TV detectives. He is a central character that is quite possibly just as dangerous as the criminals he’s chasing. Idris’ stellar performance truly deserves this nomination and has set a bench-mark for quality drama on BBC AMERICA.”

Elba plays the title role in the BBC AMERICA co-production about a brilliant and emotionally impulsive detective. The mini-series was lauded by fans and critics alike when it was first broadcast on BBC AMERICA in October. TV Guide said it was, “Criminally good... Luther is Prime Suspect on crack,” USA Today called it a “...terrific six part thriller... you have to watch,” and Variety declared “Luther is well worth the investment… there haven't been many recent offerings in this genre on either side of the pond superior to Luther.”

Luther was created and written by Neil Cross, the acclaimed suspense novelist and one of the lead writers on MI-5. You can watch a trailer for Luther below:

Neil Cross makes Variety's list of "Ten Screenwriters to Watch"

There are many that think, due to our geographical location, that creative New Zealanders need to leave the country in order to succeed on a bigger, or global, stage. And while opportunities aplenty do exist all over the world, there are certainly examples that show you can have a world-class career, based right here in New Zealand. It may not be a well-trodden path, but it is possible.

Peter Jackson (amongst others behind the cameras, from costume designers to special effects wizards) have proven it with film. Paul Cleave is on the rise in the crime ficiton world (particularly amongst non-English speakers). And now, as highlighted by a recent article in Variety magazine (the Hollywood bible), Wellington-based Neil Cross, twice a Ngaio Marsh Award finalist, is showing that you can have one heck of a career from New Zealand suburbia.

Cross, who along with producing several terrific thriller novels has been lead writer on the acclaimed British spy show Spooks and creator and writer of the award-winning BBC series Luther, all from his Wellington home, has been chosen by Variety as one of "Ten Screenwriters to Watch", due to the film projects he is working on. Books, television, and now film; Cross could be accused of quietly taking over a small piece of the world, in a thriller writing sense.

"Don't let his dark stories and disturbed characters fool you; for a guy who has made a living out of weaving tales of crooked cops, mass murderers and scheming psychopaths, Neil Cross is a damn funny man. It's a fact that sometimes takes fans by surprise," begins the article by Justin Shady for Variety.

Read the full article here.

Almost three years ago, Cross was one of the first author interviews I ever did - for a feature in Australian books magazine, Good Reading. I remember him talking about how he'd taught himself screenwriting by adapting his own Booker longlisted novel, ALWAYS THE SUN, into a teleplay. That never sold, but it did provide a foot in the door for Cross to become involved with Spooks.

"I just like the idea of scriptwriting," he told me at the time. "It's portrayed with a sense of mystery, like you have to be one of the initiated to understand it. But, actually, I decided in the end - and I'd read a few books about how to do it - that the only way to do it was teach myself to do it."

Learn by doing; it's not a bad way to go when it comes to creative endeavours.

I've really enjoyed Cross's novels (so far I've read Holloway Falls, Burial, Captured, and Luther: the Calling) and his TV screenwriting - on both Spooks and Luther - so I am looking forward to seeing how his big screen projects turn out. As Variety have noted, he is certainly a writer to watch.

The Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2011: Winners Revealed

Cactus TV and ITV3, in partnership with the Crime Writers' Association (CWA), are pleased to announce the winners of the Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2011, a celebration of all things criminal in literature, TV and film.

A host of famous faces from the TV, Film and Publishing crime scenes gathered on the black carpet for a gala awards ceremony celebrating the very best law-breaking of the year at London's Grosvenor House Hotel. Marcus Brigstocke returned to lead the charge as presenter, in an evening which perfectly topped the six-week build up over the 2011 season documentary series The A-Z of Crime, featuring the shortlisted nominees for the ITV3 People's Bestseller Dagger 2011.

Winners on the night were:

• ITV3 People's Bestseller Dagger 2011: Peter James
• CWA Gold Dagger: Tom Franklin's Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
• CWA Ian Fleming: Steel Dagger for Best Thriller: Steve Hamilton's The Lock Artist
• CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger: S.J. Watson's Before I Go To Sleep.

The CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger was awarded to S.J. Watson, named the best new crime author of the year for Before I Go To Sleep. With the film rights already owned by Ridley Scott we hope to see the film version back to blag the Film Dagger before too long! It was a tough slog to the finish however, and each of the shortlisted authors (Danny Miller for Kiss Me Quick, Sam Hawken for The Dead Woman of Juarez, and Conor Fitzgerald for The Dogs of Rome) are sure to become regular faces on the black carpet.
SJ Watson said: "I'm stunned and delighted! It was such an honour to have been shortlisted for the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger, but to have actually won, especially when up against such fine books, is incredible!"

Tom Franklin's Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter beat of stiff competition for CWA Gold Dagger from A.D. Miller's Snowdrops, Denise Mina's The End of The Wasp Season, and The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton, in a fitting climax to the evening. Tom Franklin said: "What an amazing long list! What an amazing short list! I'm truly happy just for the company, and everything else is gravy. All my thanks."

Steve Hamilton did not leave the night empty-handed however - as much like his protagonist Mike who picks locks and breaks safes, The Lock Artist snuck past its rivals to win the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller. The title saw off competition from S.J.Watson's Before I Go To Sleep, The Good Son by Michael Gruber and Craig Smith's Cold Rain.

Steve Hamilton said: "Ian Fleming's work represents everything I've always loved about storytelling, whether it be books or movies. I can't even express how honoured I am to receive an award with his name on it."

ITV3 People's Bestseller Dagger 2011 was given to Peter James. Peter James said: "The is a wonderful award that strikes at the very heart of what good books are all about: Enthralling readers with gripping, page-turning fiction - and decided not by an elite committee but by the very people who read and loved them - the general public. I don't think there can be a higher accolade for any author and I could not be more thrilled."

The viewers had been voting over the 6 week Crime Thriller Season to decide on the winner of the People's Bestseller Award. Amanda Ross, creator and Executive Producer of the Awards said: "It was amazing to see such a close fought contest and thanks to the success of the pre-awards series, more people than ever before voted for their favourite author".

TV and film are the perfect media for crime fiction, and some of the genre's best-loved detectives - from Marple to Morse - have been immortalised in this way. This year's Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards honoured the stars of the small and silver screens, as well as the films and series they feature in. The nominees included actors Idris Elba, last year's Best Actress Dagger winner Maxine Peake, Brenda Blethyn, Rufus Sewell and Rafe Spall, and the winners are as follows:

• THE FILM DAGGER: True Grit (Paramount Pictures)
• THE TV DAGGER: Case Histories (Ruby Films, BBC One)
• THE INTERNATIONAL TV DAGGER: The Killing, (Arrow Films, BBC4)
• BEST ACTRESS DAGGER: Sofie Gråbøl for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC4)
• BEST ACTOR DAGGER: Idris Elba for Luther (BBC One) - pictured
• BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR DAGGER: Rafe Spall for The Shadow Line (Company Pictures, BBC Two)
• BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS DAGGER: Ann Eleonora Jørgensen for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC 4)

Review - LUTHER: THE CALLING

Luther: The Calling by Neil Cross (Simon & Schuster, 2011)

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

Storytelling on screen is very different to storytelling via the pages of a book, even when those involved are dealing with the same characters and plots. There are far too many examples of good and great books turned into mediocre movies or TV shows; although, to be fair, there have also been some terrific book-to-screen adaptations over the years too, bringing well-loved characters to a new audience.

But while there are plenty of examples of crime novels that have been adapted, loosely or authentically, for the big and small screen, the reverse is far less common: a crime drama on the big or small screen becoming a book series. As a general rule, TV tie-in books can be pretty mediocre, but a recent release bucks that trend magnificently. Perhaps because Neil Cross, the creator and writer of the award-winning TV series Luther, is in fact himself an acclaimed crime novelist, and has been the one to bring his onscreen characters to the page, in all their volatile and vivid glory.

Cross takes us back before the beginning with Luther: The Calling, a prequel novel that explores the events leading to DCI John Luther (played wonderfully by Idris Elba in the TV series) being on long-term leave, having lost so much professionally and personally, at the beginning of season one. Just like on screen, the hulking London copper is a riveting protagonist; a simmering volcano of a man, stumbling a tightrope between intelligence and insight and insanity. Faced with a horrific crime while juggling personal drama at work and home, he begins to devolve, crossing various lines in order to chase down a terrible predator and protect the vulnerable. Cross has created a character that is neither black nor white, but smudged shades of grey; he’s not corrupt, but is he bad – even if only to serve good?

Cross writes in crisp, vivid prose that brings his characters and world to startling life. Luther: The Calling is a good read that will interest and intrigue newbies and fans of the TV series alike (the author salts in plenty of foreshadowing, subtle and obvious, for later events). Unflinching, brutal, and brilliant.

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This review was first published in the 7 October 2011 issue of NZLawyer magazine, and is reprinted here with permission.

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Comments welcome

Luther to return for a third season

The award-winning BBC crime series Luther, written by Wellington-based novelist and screenwriter Neil Cross, will return for a third series next year. The psychological crime drama, which polarised critics and fans in its first season (which won the prestigious Edgar Award earlier this year, and Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for its star Idris Elba), revolves around volatile and self-destructive DCI John Luther, who has a talent for understanding criminals matched only by his ability to mess up his own personal life. The second series, which is due to begin screening in the United States this month, received much wider acclaim, and very strong ratings, when it was shown in the UK earlier this year.

I have not yet seen the second series, but I was one of the viewers and critics who found the first series riveting, when I watched it on DVD recently. You can read my review of series one here. As I said then:

"Elba is magnetic as Luther, bringing a gravitas to the role that transfixes even when things veer towards theatrical. Whether he was throwing things through windows or sitting quietly alone, I was mesmerised by his portrayal of a troubled man treading a tightrope between intelligence and insanity. But it’s not a one-man show; there are strong performances across the board, from Morgan’s Alice, to Indira Varma as Zoe, Saskia Reeves as Luther’s boss, and Paul McGann as Zoe’s new lover. Each brings emotion and authenticity to the roles, none are caricatures."

For me, it was one of the best TV shows I've seen in recent years - but I could also see why other viewers and crime fiction fans might not like it.

Recently, LUTHER: THE CALLING (a novel that acts as a prequel to the first episode of the first series, providing an interesting insight into how the (anti)hero came to be where he was then) was also released. I really enjoyed the book, which was also written by Cross, the creator and writer of the TV series. It had all the taut prose, simmering violence, and pacy storylines we've come to expect from Cross, and I would recommend it to all who enjoyed the TV show (and perhaps even to those who didn't).

Neil Cross discusses LUTHER: THE CALLING - his prequel novel to his hit TV series

It's been a pretty terrific past year plus for Wellington-based crime novelist and screenwriter Neil Cross. The first season of the cop drama he created and wrote, Luther, earned Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for its star, Idris Elba, and secured Cross a prestigious Edgar Award. Cross was also a finalist for the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime novel, for his 2009 novel BURIAL, and then in the past fortnight he was named amongst the finalists for the 2011 Ngaio Marsh Award, for his novel CAPTURED.

On top of that the recent second season of Luther was received very well in the UK, with big ratings and plenty of positive reviews - moreso than the first season, which divided critics and viewers a little, despite the overall acclaim. Cross has also been working on a number of other projects for TV and film, and then in the past couple of days his latest novel, inspired by his TV series, has been released in the UK - LUTHER: THE CALLING. Here's the blurb:

"Meet Detective Chief Inspector John Luther.


He's a murder detective. A near-genius. He's brilliant; he's intense; he's instinctive. He's obsessional.

He's dangerous.

DCI John Luther has an extraordinary clearance rate. He commands outstanding loyalty from friends and colleagues. Nobody who ever stood at his side has a bad word to say about him. And yet there are rumours that DCI Luther is bad - not corrupt, not on the take, but tormented. Luther seethes with a hidden fury that at times he can barely control. Sometimes it sends him to the brink of madness, making him do things he shouldn't; things way beyond the limits of the law.

Luther: The Calling, the first in a new series of novels featuring DCI John Luther, takes us into Luther's past and into his mind. It is the story of the case that tore his personal and professional relationships apart and propelled him over the precipice. Beyond fury, beyond vengeance. All the way to murder."
 
I really enjoyed the TV show (see my review of the award-winning first season here), and I've really enjoyed Cross's novels previously, so I am looking forward to reading LUTHER: THE CALLING.
 
You can watch a short clip of Cross discussing the novel, above.
 
Comments welcome.

Review: Luther Season One DVD

Luther Series One DVD (BBC, 2010)
Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

Luther is one of those television shows that divides people, viewers and critics alike. To say the psychological crime drama received a mixed response when its first season, created and written by Wellington-based novelist and screenwriter Neil Cross, debuted in the UK last year, doesn’t do justice to the divergent viewpoints it incited. Some hailed Luther as one of the very best things on TV in years. Others wrote it off as violent, over-the-top nonsense. One prominent UK critic even publicly changed his mind mid-season, backtracking on an earlier negative review – almost unheard of. The show received awards acclaim – including Golden Globe and Emmy Nominations for Best Actor for lead Idris Elba (who plays John Luther) and a prestigious TV writing award for Cross – but first season ratings were so-so.

Given all the above, it was with more than mild curiosity that I recently popped the first disc into my DVD player, and settled in to watch Cross’s creation, and make up my own mind. As the title credits rolled, I wondered, would I love it, or hate it? Or fall somewhere in between.

Luther (Elba, of The Wire fame) is a near-genius detective with an explosive personality. He gets inside the heads of the worst criminals, but his work weighs heavy on him, and his personal life has fractured. In the first episode, Luther returns from extended leave (months earlier a child killer he was pursuing ‘fell’ and is now in a coma) to investigate a brutal killing, a case that introduces him to Alice (Ruth Morgan), a young woman with much going on beneath her cold exterior. His planned reconciliation with estranged wife Zoe flops – she’s met someone else – and he throws himself even more into work, the very thing that’s undone his equilibrium in the past.

Elba is magnetic as Luther, bringing a gravitas to the role that transfixes even when things veer towards theatrical. Whether he was throwing things through windows or sitting quietly alone, I was mesmerised by his portrayal of a troubled man treading a tightrope between intelligence and insanity. But it’s not a one-man show; there are strong performances across the board, from Morgan’s Alice, to Indira Varma as Zoe, Saskia Reeves as Luther’s boss, and Paul McGann as Zoe’s new lover. Each brings emotion and authenticity to the roles, none are caricatures.

Viewers will quickly notice Luther ‘looks’ different to other British TV. It is shot beautifully, giving it a more cinematic than ultra-real ‘police procedural’ look and feel. Each of the six episodes of the first season is exciting in itself, while at the same time ongoing issues bubble away in the background, exploding by the finale, where Luther is accused of a brutal murder and must enlist some unlikely allies to help catch the real killer before his colleagues – who think he’s finally gone off the deep end – catch him.

Overall, I absolutely loved Luther. Was it over-the-top, less than realistic, as some said? Yes. Did it verge on theatrical? Yes. But damn it is good. Very, very good. For me, one of the best TV shows I’ve watched in years. I accept it’s the type of show that not everyone will enjoy – it will ‘click’ or resonate with some, and not others. I’m just glad it works for me, because now I can really look forward to season two, which recently screened in Britain to widespread acclaim, and much higher ratings.

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This article was published in the 29 July 2011 issue of NZLawyer, and is republished here with permission.

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Have you watched Luther? What do you think of the TV show? Did you like it, or not? Thoughts welcome.

Idris Elba nominated for Emmy for lead role in Neil Cross's 'Luther' series

I am very pleased to share the news that Idris Elba has been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie at the primetime Emmy Awards, a terrific acknowledgement for what is a great character and a great performance. Nomination announcement day got even better for Elba though, as he also received an Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Emmy nomination for his guest spot in 'The Big C'.

“This has been such an amazing morning for me! I am extremely honored to be nominated in two categories,” Elba said in a statement. “Luther’has been such a passion project for me and working on The Big C was a great time. Also, my daughter told me I am going to be as famous as the guy from Twilight."

I've been reading and hearing about Luther for two years now, since I first interviewed Neil Cross back in mid 2009 for an article in Australian-based Good Reading magazine, and he told me a little about the show he was in the process of creating and writing at the time. Until this week, I hadn't seen it for myself, however - the first season, which got positive if somewhat mixed reviews (some critics and viewers thought it was the best thing on British TV in ages, others weren't keen at all) screened on Sky TV in New Zealand (I don't have a subscription) earlier this year, and the second season recently screened to rather more widespread acclaim and higher viewer numbers in UK recently. Earlier this year Neil Cross also won a prestigious Edgar Award for his writing of the series.

My Luther DVD finally arrived on Wednesday, so at last I can give my own opinion, rather than just sharing comments from others. I watched all six episodes yesterday, and absolutely loved it. Was it a little over-the-top, as some critics said? Yes. Was it less-than-realistic at times? Yes. Did the acting verge on theatrical, rather than 'police procedural' at times? Yes.

But god-damned it is good. Very, very, very good. I was quite ready to love it, hate it, or fall somewhere in between, but I was blown away from the opening episode, and the first season just got better as it went on. The acting performances (led by Elba, but ably supported by three great female actors/characters and a couple of great turns from other male cop characters too, as well as Paul McGann as Luther's ex-wife's lover) were riveting, and full of subtle layers amongst the emotion. The storylines were exciting, with more to them than it may appear to those just looking at the surface. Just all-around a great series. Honestly, I was ready to be disappointed or dislike it, given some reviews I've read, but I just really, really loved it. One of the best TV shows I've watched in years. I sat down yesterday, played the first episode, and then watched all six back-to-back-to-back. Clearly I am one of the viewers Cross had in mind, that 'got', what he and the cast were trying to do. I accept not everyone will fall into that category, but I'm glad I do, and I'm really looking forward to season two when it's released on DVD.

It's a shame the show itself wasn't  nominated for an Emmy (it's not the only Emmy oversight - Entourage is a top quality, multi-layered show that's been ignored the past couple of years as other lesser shows have become favoured by Emmy voters), but great to see Elba's very fine performance as John Luther being hailed. I was also very pleased to see Timothy Olyphant get a nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Drama, for his role in Justified, which has recently started screening in New Zealand.

Neil Cross talks about second season of Luther

While I was away overseas in Turkey and Greece, Wellington-based novelist and screenwriter Neil Cross won the prestigious Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America - the Oscar of the crime fiction world - for his teleplay for episode 1 of Luther, the acclaimed BBC TV series he created and wrote, starring Idris Elba of The Wire fame. Unfortunately it seems the New Zealand media haven't really picked up on or celebrated what is a fantastic accolade for Cross.

A second series of Luther will soon be shown in the Northern Hemisphere, and hopefully we will get it down here in New Zealand sooner rather than later. The first series screened earlier this year. I've embedded above a recent short interview with Cross about the Luther series, courtesy of the BBC and YouTube.

Luther seems to be one of those series that divides viewers - it has some ardent fans, and has got some fantastic reviews and accolades, but some viewers and reviewers just don't like it. Sometimes that is a sign of a really good series (ie not too mainstream), but I can't provide a personal comment as unfortunately I still haven't watched it - an oversight I hope to rectify via DVD in the very near future.

Crime writer Neil Cross talks about writing for British TV and Hollywood movies from his Wellington home

Recently there was a cool article in the Dominion Post (the daily newspaper for the Wellington region) about acclaimed crime writer Neil Cross, who has lived in our capital city for several years, after immigrating from Britain. Things have been very, very busy for Cross in recent times - along with writing his disturbing psychological thrillers (such as Ngaio Marsh Award finalist BURIAL) he has also been screenwriting for both British television shows (first as lead writer for the award-winning Spooks, then as creator and writer of the acclaimed but polarising Luther) and for TV and big-screen films. All while based in Wellington.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Cross for an article in Good Reading back in 2009, one of the very first 'author features' I ever wrote, and then meeting him at the Whodunnit and Whowunnit? event last year (see photo above, left to right: Ruth Todd of the Christchurch Writers Festival, thriller writer Andrew Grant, myself, Paul Cleave, Cross, and Vanda Symon).

In person Cross is a very witty, intelligent, and interesting guy.

In her article for the Dominion Post, Rebecca Palmer writes that Cross is keen to maintain his distance from overt success and celebrity, and values his sense that it's still weird for him to be meeting people like Hollywood actor Willem Dafoe and director Guillermo del Toro, that he's still somehow 'getting away with it'.

Cross shares why and how he created the TV cop show Luther, and the drive behind its extremely morally ambigious lead character. It's a show that has been slammed by some, while acclaimed by more; it's certainly been divisive when it comes to reviewers and viewers (sometimes a sign of a very good show). Cross also reveals he is particularly proud of getting a printed apology from Guardian entertainment writer Stuart Heritage, who wrote a "sick- makingly bad review" of the first episode of Luther, but later proclaimed it a "genuinely great cop show".

There is a lot more in Palmer's Dominion Post article on Cross, including updates on the myriad of book, TV and film projects he now has on the go. You can read the full article here.

Reminder: Luther starts on Kiwi TV screens tonight

I was browsing through the Sunday papers this grey Auckland afternoon (I enjoy reading both the Sunday Star-Times and the Herald on Sunday - there are others, but those are my go-to Sunday papers), when I glanced at the television section of the Herald on Sunday and saw that Neil Cross's acclaimed/criticised new cop show, Luther, was highlighted as the "Pick of the Day" from everything on TV on all channels, free-to-air and pay-TV, today and tonight. I have heard some very, very good things about this show, along with plenty of criticism and dislike as well. It seems to be a television show that is quite polarising; viewers and critics seem to either love it, or hate it. There doesn't seem much of a middle ground.

That can sometimes (but not always) be the sign of a good show - something that isn't middling and pandering to the widest audience - so I am very interested to see what my own response will be. Will I be a viewer who loves it, or one that doesn't? Will it resonate with me, or not? Will I care about the exceedingly-troubled cop played by the often-brilliant Idris Elba, or not?

Unfortunately, as I don't have the UKTV channel (part of the Sky pay-TV package) at home, I won't be finding out tonight. But for all of you Kiwi television watchers who do, go and check out Luther at 8:30pm tonight, and make up your own minds.

Comments welcome.

Great news: Neil Cross's acclaimed TV series LUTHER is coming to New Zealand TV screens

Last week I shared the news that Wellington-based novelist and TV screenwriter Neil Cross, whose novel BURIAL was one of the three finalists for the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, had received two Edgar Award nominations this year - for the writing in his acclaimed six-part BBC TV detective show Luther (see a trailer for the series above).

The show stars Idris Elba (of The Wire fame) as John Luther, a very unorthodox and troubled British cop. Elba received a Golden Globe nomination for his compelling performances in the role.
You can read more about the show (which has been picked up for a second season in the UK, and has also inspired a series of spin-off books, to be written by Cross), at Neil Cross's website here.

Now I can confirm that Luther is finally coming to New Zealand television screens, next month. The series will be shown on the UKTV channel, beginning on Sunday 6 February at 8:30pm.

You can read more about Luther in an article from yesterday's New Zealand Herald, here.

Have you seen Luther, in the US or UK? If so, what do you think? Have you read or watched any of Cross's other storytelling (the TV show Spooks, or books like BURIAL, CAPTURED, the Booker-longlisted ALWAYS THE SUN, and HOLLOWAY FALLS)?

Kiwi flag flies amongst Edgar nominations!

With two writing nominations for Wellington-based crime novelist and screenwriter Neil Cross's excellent TV series Luther, and one for Hamilton-based short story writer Stephen Ross for his story "Monsieur Alice is Absent" (published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine), the New Zealand flag is certainly flying proudly amongst the Edgar Award nominations announced overnight (New Zealand time). Great stuff, terrific to see.

As many of you will know, the Edgars are like the Oscars of crime writing (possibly sharing that status with the Daggers - I'll let the organisers of each battle it out for which one is the Oscars, which the Golden Globes). Regardless of eventual results, it's fantastic to see a couple of New Zealand-based writers getting recognised in this way by the Mystery Writers of America.

You can read a bit more about Stephen Ross here, and at his website here.

You can read more about Neil Cross here, and at his website here.

Hopefully the bigger New Zealand media (TV, radio, newspapers/magazines) will pick up on the story and share it with more New Zealanders, because both Neil Cross and Stephen Ross deserve congratulations and wider acclaim for their achievements.

I will have more to say on the rest of the Edgar nominations (see here for full list), especially the best novel lineup, soon, but for now, go the Kiwis!

Comments welcome.

Crime Fiction in the news and on the 'Net: Weekly Round-up

There's been some more great crime fiction stories on the Web this past week - from newspapers, magazines, and fellow bloggers. Hopefully you will all like finding an interesting article or two linked here, that you enjoy reading.

Before I dive into all the fantastic stories out there however, I thought I'd quickly mention my own feature that was in last weekend's Weekend Herald, for those that missed it. You can read my article on bestselling British crime writers Peter James and Peter Robinson, here.

I was fortunate enough to also meet Peter James in person earlier this week, at a great, packed event at Takapuna Library on Tuesday evening. He had the audience in stitches, and is a very funny, interesting, and humble guy. I am currently about two thirds of the way through DEAD LIKE YOU, and enjoying it a lot.

Onto the round-up.

Crime Watch Weekly Round-Up: In the News and on the 'Net

• In his regular slot for the Huffington Post, thriller writer Jason Pinter shares a cool little post from Don Winslow (SAVAGES, THE GENTLEMAN'S HOUR) - whose books Pinter describes jabbing "a fountain pen in the eye of anyone who can read one of his tomes and state with conviction that crime fiction isn't literature" - about using a little poetic license in his latest novel.
• Katie Allan of The Bookseller reveals that Wellington-based crime writer and TV screenwriter - and Ngaio Marsh Award finalist - Neil Cross is to write three spin-off novels for Simon & Schuster, based on his character Luther, made famous by Idris Alba in the recent TV series of the same name.
• In further Neil Cross-related news, it has been announced that Luther will premiere in the United States on 17 October, and that the BBC has also commissioned "a spine-chilling new single drama" from Cross for Christmas - Whistle And I'll Come To You, a "thoroughly modern re-working of the evocative Edwardian ghost story "Oh, Whistle and I'll come to You, My Lad" by M.R. James". Busy man, Mr Cross.
• Echoing a view that I've shared on this blog several times, Justin Peacock of The Daily Beast takes a much more eloquent and lengthy look at how crime fiction really has become the modern social novel. "Tom Wolfe and other writers used to tell us about the state of America, but now if you’re looking for great social novels you’d better turn to crime writers like Richard Price and Dennis Lehane", says Peacock.
• Paul Robinson of the Yorkshire Post talks to actor Stephen Tompkinson about playing Peter Robinson's famous sleuth Inspector Alan Banks in the upcoming "gritty" ITV crime drama, DCI Banks: Aftermath.
• Mike Nicol of Crime Beat SA interviews longstanding South African crime writer Wessel Ebersohn about his latest novel, and much more, as his new political thriller Those Who Love Night, which sees the return of Abigail Bukula, the brilliant young lawyer, is released.
• In a nice little article, "Murder, we read", that seems to have only recently popped up online, Malcolm Jones of Newsweek takes a closer look at our centuries-long preference for crime fiction, a literary trend that dwarfs temporarily 'hot' phenomena like vampires or boy wizards.

What do you think of the round-up? Which articles do you find interesting? Is crime the modern social novel? Is crime fiction the biggest, most longstanding modern literary trend of all? Are you looking forward to DCI Banks: Aftermath? Will you read books centred on the intriguing 'Luther'? Please share your thoughts. I'd love to read what you think.