Local and international crime featured in the New Zealand Listener's 100 Best Books of 2011

Last year, you might recall, I was very pleased to see several crime novels make the annual 100 Best Books list put out by the New Zealand Listener magazine (especially as the list the year before had had a distinct lack of crime, mystery or thriller fiction titles, New Zealand or international). The New Zealand Listener has long been considered one of our premier magazines. It is a weekly current affairs and entertainment magazine, renowned for having one of the best books sections around.

Near the end of each year the Listener has a “100 Best Books of the Year” issue, where its reviewers, with help from nominations from booksellers and others, compile their list of best novels, short stories, poetry, biography, memoir, and other non-fiction (eg history, science, journalism and essays, art, and food and drink) books of the year.

The 100 Best Books issue (see cover image above right) for 2011 has now hit newstands etc, and I am very pleased to share that it too includes several crime, mystery or thriller titles on the latest list:

• BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP by SJ Watson
• BOUND by Vanda Symon
• DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY by PD James
• FEAST DAY OF FOOLS by James Lee Burke
• LUTHER: THE CALLING by Neil Cross
• AN UNCERTAIN PLACE by Fred Vargas
• THE WRECKAGE by Michael Robotham

So a nice mix of UK, US, New Zealand, Australian, and continental European authors, and a variety of different 'types' of crime or thriller fiction there, which is cool to see. Some cracking books there, and hopefully more Kiwi readers might give some of them a go, after reading about them in this week's issue of the Listener. Congratulations to the Kiwi crime writers who made the list.

Have you read any of the crime novels mentioned? If so, what did you think? If not, which ones catch your eye? Thoughts and comments welcome.

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.