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

There have 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 we dive in however, I'll just quickly mention that those of you in the North Island of New Zealand who are interesed in crime fiction should pick up a copy of this today's Weekend Herald, as it includes my review of the latest Kiwi crime novel to hit booksellers' shelves - SURRENDER by Donna Malane - in the Canvas magazine.

Onto the round-up.

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

• Last night in The Guardian, 2010 Cartier Diamond Dagger recipient and crime writing legend Val McDermid, whose latest acclaimed thriller TRICK OF THE DARK is partially set back in her old university haunts of Oxford, selected her favourite ten novels set in the 'venerable university town', a list that ranges from the crime tales of Colin Dexter, Edmund Crispin and Dorothy L. Sayers to Evelyn Waugh's BRIDESHEAD REVISITED.
• It was announced earlier this week that UK-born, Toronto-based crime writer Peter Robinson (who appeared on New Zealand TV in recent weeks) has been awarded the $10,000 Harbourfront Festival Prize, which which rewards writers who have had a "substantial contribution to the world of books". Read the full CBC.ca story here.
• Monsters and Critics reviews the DVD of the second season of Castle, a TV cop show that stars Nathan Fillion as a crime novelist who gets involved in the investigation of real-life cases alongside a female cop he is basing his new character on.
• The Idaho Mountain Express has a nice interview article with prolific crime writer Ridley Pearson, who has written more than 25 crime novels, been on the New York Times bestseller list, and whose latest release IN HARM'S WAY is another instalment in the adventures of small-town Sheriff Walt Fleming, who apparently is based on a real-life Sheriff who is a close friend of the author.
• Keith Stuart of The Guardian blog asks whether interactive fiction is the future in the digital age, and if so, how it might work well, and not so well.
• Susan Fish of The Record reviews the latest novel from multiple-award-winning Canadian crime writer Louise Penny, BURY YOUR DEAD, while also touching on the 'Good Reads' programme - 100 page books designed for adult literacy learners by top Canadian authors. Penny's THE HANGMAN is one of six Good Reads books being released in 2010.
• Gina Doggett of AFP talks to bestselling crime writer Donna Leon about living in, writing about, but still maintaing a largely anonymous life in Venice, Italy.

So what stories most intrigue you this week? Do you agree with Val McDermid's top 10 Oxford-set stories - has she missed any great ones out? Have you watched the TV show Castle or read Ridley Pearson's novels? What are your thoughts on interactive fiction - did you used to read the 'choose your own adventure' books that were very popular back in the 1980s? What do you think about big-name authors like Louise Penny writing shorter books specifically for adult literacy learners? Thoughts and comments welcome.