RWC Quarterfinal 2: England vs France (Billingham vs Manotti)

As I said earlier today, one of the biggest sporting events on the planet  is currently being staged right here in New Zealand; the Rugby World Cup 2011. As a way of celebrating crime fiction from around the world, and joining in the 'everything rugby themed' atmosphere down this way at the moment, I'm creating crime fiction posts that mirror the playoff games being played. So for the next eight games (four quarterfinals, two semifinals, one 3rd/4th playoff, one final) I will highlight a crime, mystery, or thriller novel from each of the countries playing the game, that I have either read or purchased in the past year or so.

Second up (following the Celtic tussle), it's another ding-dong battle with plenty of history and tradition, as England meet France in the second quarterfinal of RWC 2011. Like the Ireland vs Wales game, I'm intending to go and watch the game at 'The Cloud' in downtown Auckland - a fan zone with food, drink, activities, and tonnes of big screens to watch the action. But onto the crime fiction match-up:

Representing England: GOOD AS DEAD by Mark Billingham
Just as England is the home of rugby (in the 'where it was created' sense), you could make an argument that England is something of the home of modern detective fiction - or at least the place where it first rose to great popularity with the likes of Wilkie Collins and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, then Agatha Christie (the bestselling author of all time, in any genre). As such, there's plenty of choices you could make to represent England in a crime fiction sense, but in terms of picking just one to highlight, I'm going to go with the most recent English born and based author, English setting, novel that I've read; GOOD AS DEAD by Mark Billingham.

Few if any are better than Billingham when it comes to contemporary British crime. His tenth novel to feature DI Tom Thorne finds the gritty London copper in a race-against time to save police officer Helen Weeks (from IN THE DARK), who’s being held hostage by a dairy owner who’s snapped. What does the gunman want? Not money or his personal safety, but for the Police to properly investigate the death of his son in custody; he’s sure it wasn’t suicide.

For me, Billingham never disappoints, and GOOD AS DEAD was no exception. An exciting plot (more of a 'ticking clock' type pace than Billingham usually uses) marries with compelling characters, and continuing threads that run throughout the series, to create a great, gripping read that will leave longtime readers wondering what is next for DI Tom Thorne. Billingham also gets you thinking about a few issues, salting in some nuggest of social commentary, in amongst the page-turning prose.

Representing France: THE LORRAINE CONNECTION by Dominique Manotti
In all honesty, I haven't yet read any French crime fiction - which is a travesty considering I go out of my way to source, purchase, and read plenty of translated crime fiction, and crime fiction from a variety of countries. I do have some French crime fiction that I have bought, but not yet read, however, including THE LORRAINE CONNECTION by Dominique Manotti, which I purchased earlier this year.

When a cathode ray tube factory in a small French town is hit first by a strike and then by a suspicious fire, the battle for the takeover of the plant’s beleaguered parent company heats up. The Lorraine factory is at the center of a strategic battle being played out in Paris, Brussels, and Asia for the takeover of the ailing state-owned electronics giant Thomson. Accusations of foul play fly, and rival contender Alcatel calls in its intrepid head of security Charles Montoya to investigate. He soon uncovers explosive revelations and a trail of murders, dirty tricks, blackmail, and corporate malfeasance.

Result: well, it's a bit unfair for me to call this one, considering I haven't yet read Manotti's book (not that not watching the games or knowing very much prevents far too many people commenting about the rugby on talkback radio and the Internet etc, of course). As for the real game, although I'd like to see France win - as badly as they've been playing, they have some flair and can play great rugby on their day - plus, it would be nice for them to finally do to someone else what they've done to New Zealand a couple of times - I think England will edge it in the end. But you never know in the oval ball game.

So, who do you think should win, England vs France - in the rugby, or the crime fiction context?

Updated (Sunday 9 October): Well, well, well. In the real life rugby result, the Manottis stormed out of the gate, getting a great first-half lead that the Billinghams just couldn't overcome. Another great RWC 2011 upset that sees Martin Johnson and his lads heading home to Blighty. There was certainly plenty of francophile celebrating here in Auckland last night, that's for sure. Here I am with a very proud and happy Frenchman at the Cloud, just after the final whistle.

Allez les bleus!

RWC Quarterfinal 1: Ireland vs Wales (McGilloway vs Bauer)

Currently, one of the biggest sporting events on the planet (some say the third biggest after the FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympics) is being held right here in New Zealand; the Rugby World Cup 2011. As you can imagine, all sorts of rugby-themed and linked things are happening up and down the country, and plenty of the the world's sporting media have their lens and pens (laptops) turned this way.

Given this weekend marks the kick-off of the knock-out stages of the tournament, I thought I would use this opportunity to have a little fun, and create crime fiction posts that mirror the games being played (ie the quarterfinal line-up). So for the next eight games over the next three weekends (four quarterfinals, two semifinals, one 3rd/4th playoff, one final) I will highlight a crime, mystery, or thriller novel from each of the countries playing the game, that I have either read or purchased in the past year or so.

First up, it's the Celts in the Ireland vs Wales quarterfinal, later this afternoon/evening in New Zealand:

Representing Ireland: BORDERLANDS by Brian McGilloway
I'd heard some good things about Irish writer Brian McGilloway before I bought a copy of BORDERLANDS and read it in January this year. McGilloway's debut novel introduces Garda Inspector Benedict Devlin, and involves a murder case where the body of a local teenager is found on the 'borderlands' that span Ireland and Northern Ireland. The only clues are a gold ring placed on the girl's finger and an old photograph, left where she died. Then another teenager is murdered, and things become further complicated when Devlin unearths a link between the recent killings and the disappearance of a prostitute twenty-five years earlier a case in which he believes one of his own colleagues is implicated.

I really, really enjoyed BORDERLANDS, and I'm very much looking forward to reading more of McGilloway's writing (I already have BLEED A RIVER DEEP on my TBR bookshelf at home). He has a nice writing style, and a great touch for weaving plot, theme, setting, and character together into something polished yet still distinctive. It's certainly one of the better debut crime novels I've read in the past few years, and a worthy initial representative of Ireland in my little RWC-themed blog series here.

Representing Wales: BLACKLANDS by Belinda Bauer
Another debutant on the crime fiction scene, Welsh author Bauer certainly hit the ground running with BLACKLANDS, which won the CWA Gold Dagger last year - a rare feat for a first novel. I read BLACKLANDS late last year, and enjoyed it. The novel centres on 12-year-old Steven Lamb, who spends his free time searching the windswept moors outside his small town, hoping to find trace of his uncle Billy whose disappearance two decades ago fractured the impoverished family in such a way that even though Steven wasn't born when it happened, he experiences the ongoing effects of the tragedy.

Desperate for closure, Steven turns to an imprisoned paedophile, writing him a letter that he hopes might garner some much-needed clues - but instead opening Pandora's Box to an even worse nightmare. I liked the way that even though Bauer's debut was seemingly simple in storyline terms and the way she writes, there was plenty going on underneath. BLACKLANDS delves deeply into character and human frailties, gives convincing “voice” to both child and child killer, and ably depicts the dark underbelly of English village life.

Result: for me, although I'm picking Wales to beat Ireland in the rugby, I think I'd have to go with BORDERLANDS over BLACKLANDS in the crime fiction match-up, in a close call. Both are very good books, and worthy representatives of their respective crime writing and rugby playing nations, but I'd probably rush back to read more McGilloway before more Bauer, just.

UPDATE: In the real-life result, the Bauers took down the McGilloways 22-10, deservedly moving ahead to the semifinals of RWC 2011. One of the form teams of the entire competition, the boyos from the valleys are certainly playing some scintillating rugby, and it will be a great game between them and France next weekend.

I enjoyed the Celtic tussle down at 'party central' in Auckland, where the game was displayed on huge screens and thousands of fans gathered, dressed up in their teams' colours. Here's a pic of me and a friend with a very happy Welshman, now living in New Zealand, following the final whistle (see left).

So, what do you think of Irish and Welsh rugby, and crime fiction? Comments welcome.

Seventy per cent

At the start of this year I decided to set myself the goal, as part of a reading challenge on the Good Reads website, of reading 100 books during 2011. Last year I read 65-70, and a similar amount in 2009. For most people, this is a phenomenal amount of novel reading - and for me it's a lot, particularly when I also do so much reading of other things as part of my at time very hectic hectic job. I know there are several other bloggers, reviewers, and readers for whom 100 books a year wouldn't necessarily be that big a number. For me, however, it was a stretch, so I thought it was a good target to set myself.

As of today, I'm right on target - 70 books read. Here's the line-up so far (in reverse order), with links to my reviews or articles, where they are available online. The titles marked with a (*) are 'new to me' crime writers in 2011:

• THE LOCK ARTIST by Steve Hamilton
• LUTHER: THE CALLING by Neil Cross
• A MAN YOU CAN BANK ON by Derek Hansen*
• BITTERROOT by James Lee Burke
• SIX SECONDS by Rick Mofina
• THE AFFAIR by Lee Child
• THE ACCIDENT by Linwood Barclay
• RETRIBUTION by Val McDermid
• THE DARK END OF THE STREET edited by Jonathan Santlofer and SJ Rozan
• CROSS FIRE by James Patterson
• THE RIDGE by Michael Koryta
• THE COLOR of LAW by Mark Gimenez
• FLASH AND BONES by Kathy Reichs
• SHELTER by Harlan Coben
• GOOD AS DEAD by Mark Billingham
• NGAIO MARSH: HER LIFE IN CRIME by Joanne Drayton
• THE SILENT GIRL by Tess Gerritsen
• COLLECTING COOPER by Paul Cleave
• TABOO by Casey Hill*
• THE FAT BURNING KITCHEN by Mike Geary
• LETHAL DELIVERIES by Ken Benn*
• BY ANY MEANS by Ben Sanders (plus feature article)
• THE TROUBLED MAN by Henning Mankell
• BACK OF BEYOND by CJ Box
• THEODORE BOONE: THE ABDUCTION by John Grisham
• RED WOLF by Liza Marklund
• IT’S NOT HOW GOOD YOU ARE, IT’S HOW GOOD YOU WANT TO BE by Paul Arden
• EXACERBYTE by Cat Connor
• MYSTERY by Jonathan Kellerman
• THE WRECKAGE by Michael Robotham
• THE KILLING PLACE by Tess Gerritsen*
• BLEACHERS by John Grisham
• LIFE’S GOLDEN TICKET by Brendon Burchard
• KILLING HOUR by Andrew Gross*
• IRON HOUSE by John Hart (plus feature article)
• CARTE BLANCHE by Jeffery Deaver (plus feature article)
• NO OPPORTUNITY WASTER by Phil Keoghan
• THE ATHENIAN MURDERS by Jose Carlos Somoza*
• BLACK WATER by T. Jefferson Parker*
• DROP SHOT by Harlan Coben
• THE JANISSARY TREE by Jason Goodwin*
• CITY OF BONES by Michael Connelly
• CURLY FROM SHIRLEY by Emma Pullar
• SMILING JACK by Ken Catran*
• SHADOW SISTER by Simone van der Vlugt*
• PAYBACK by Simon Kernick
• MIXED BLOOD by Roger Smith*
• THE FIFTH WITNESS by Michael Connelly (plus feature article)
• LOVE YOU MORE by Lisa Gardner*
• THE CRIME OF HUEY DUNSTAN by James McNeish*
• CANDIED CRIME by Dorte Jakobsen*
• YOU’RE NEXT by Gregg Hurwitz (plus feature article)
• LIVE WIRE by Harlan Coben
• SHAOLIN BURNING by Ant Sang
• FRIENDLY FIRE by Michael Wall*
• HOLLYWOOD HILLS by Joseph Wambaugh*
• THE SENTRY by Robert Crais
• THE MOON AND FARMER MCPHEE by Margaret Mahy
• FOLLOW THE MONEY by Peter Corris*
• SHATTER THE BONES by Stuart MacBride
• A POLITICAL AFFAIR by Andrew Porteous*
• BORDERLANDS by Brian McGilloway*
• STILL MISSING by Chevy Stevens*
• BOUND by Vanda Symon (plus feature article)
• BURIED ALIVE by JA Kerley
• THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN by James Lee Burke
• THE EXECUTIONER by Jay Bennett*
• THE PROMISED LAND by David Hewson*
• IN PLAIN SIGHT by CJ Box
• LAST CAR TO ELYSIAN FIELDS by James Lee Burke

I'll follow up with some thoughts on the overall range of titles I've read so far this year, in another post soon. Feel free to share your thoughts on any of the above titles or authors. Have you read any/many of these books this year? What have been your favourite books so far in 2011? Who are your 'new to you' writers this year? What is the best debut novel you've read? Who is the author you have read the most?

50 books down, 50 to go...

At the start of the year, I set myself a goal to read 100 books in 2011. I know some people read more than that, but for most people, that's a lot - and for me it's a big target, especially as I have a full-time job that can take up a good 60-70 hours a week, plus freelance writing and many other commitments on top of that. So it's not like I have a lot of leisure time to read. But I am a fast reader, and I do love it.

I've also got into the habit of reading almost every day, even if it's only a few chapters, so it seemed like a 100 books goal was achievable, if still difficult. I estimate I read about 70 novels last year - I'd have weeks where I read three or four books, and weeks where I read none. So I thought if I could average two books per week, then my 100 books target would be achievable.

And hey, even if I didn't make it, I'd still have plenty of fun getting to 60, 70, 80 books, or wherever I ended up, after all. I'm pleased to say, as we've just ticked over halfway through the year, that I am bang on target. I started my 51st book yesterday (1 July). In six months I read 50 books. Not bad. I'm also trying to include plenty of new-to-me readers.

Here's the line-up thusfar (in some semblance of reading order):

• LAST CAR TO ELYSIAN FIELDS by James Lee Burke
• IN PLAIN SIGHT by CJ Box
• PROMISED LAND by David Hewson
• THE EXECUTIONER by Jay Bennett
• THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN by James Lee Burke
• BURIED ALIVE by J. A. Kerley
• BOUND by Vanda Symon
• STILL MISSING by Chevy Stevens
• SHATTER THE BONES by Stuart MacBride
• FOLLOW THE MONEY by Peter Corris
• BORDERLANDS by Brian McGilloway
• A POLITICAL AFFAIR by Andrew Porteous
• THE MOON & FARMER MCPHEE by Margaret Mahy
• THE SENTRY by Robert Crais
• HOLLYWOOD HILLS by Joseph Wambaugh
• FRIENDLY FIRE by Michael Wall
• SHAOLIN BURNING by Ant Sang
• LIVE WIRE by Harlan Coben
• YOU'RE NEXT by Gregg Hurwitz
• CANDIED CRIME by Dorte Jakobsen
• THE CRIME OF HUEY DUNSTAN by James McNeish
• LOVE YOU MORE by Lisa Gardner
• THE FIFTH WITNESS by Michael Connelly
• MIXED BLOOD by Roger Smith
• PAYBACK by Simon Kernick
• SHADOW SISTER by Simone van der Vlugt
• SMILING JACK by Ken Catran
• CURLY FROM SHIRLEY by Emma Pullar
• CITY OF BONES by Michael Connelly
• THE JANISSARY TREE by Jason Goodwin
• DROP SHOT by Harlan Coben
• BLACK WATER by T. Jefferson Parker
• THE ATHENIAN MURDERS by Jose Carlos Somoza
• NO OPPORTUNITY WASTED by Phil Keoghan
• CARTE BLANCHE by Jeffery Deaver
• IRON HOUSE by John Hart
• KILLING HOUR by Andrew Gross
• LIFE'S GOLDEN TICKET by Brendan Burchard
• BLEACHERS by John Grisham
• THE KILLING PLACE by Tess Gerritsen
• THE WRECKAGE by Michael Robotham
• MYSTERY by Jonathan Kellerman
• EXACERBYTE by Cat Connor
• IT'S NOT HOW GOOD YOU ARE, IT'S HOW GOOD YOU WANT TO BE by Paul Arden
• RED WOLF by Liza Marklund
• THEODORE BOONE: THE ADBUCTION by John Grisham
• BACK OF BEYOND by CJ Box
• THE TROUBLED MAN by Henning Mankell
• BY ANY MEANS by Ben Sanders
• LETHAL DELIVERIES by Kenn Benn

That's the fifty books so far. I also read about five in the last few days of 2010, just before the New Year ticked over. At a quick skim, I've read 10 New Zealand books, and 40 from overseas (not a bad split, 20% local writers). I've read 44 books that come within crime/mystery/thriller, and six others (mainly non-fiction). So 88% of my reading this year has been crime/thriller - that perhaps is a little high, and I might have to purposely read a few other things to keep balance, although I'm happy with 75% or so being crime, because it's a genre I love reading. But it's always good to get some perspective too.

In terms of diversity of authors, I've read books by authors from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, USA, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, Denmark and Spain. The books have been set in even more countries, as some authors have set books in other countries (eg British author Simon Kernick's book is set in the Phillipines, Jason Goodwin's book in 1830s Turkey, etc).

There were also 27 new-to-me authors in the 50 books (and 46 authors), which is great. The only authors to feature more than once so far are James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben, and John Grisham (interestingly, in the latter case, neither book was one of the adult legal thrillers he's most famous for).

So at the halfway mark, I'm pretty happy with where things are.

I'd love to read your comments on my reading list so far

9mm: An interview with Simon Kernick

Welcome to the latest instalment in Crime Watch's ongoing series of author interviews; 9mm - 9 Murder Mystery questions put to a variety of New Zealand and international crime, thriller, and mystery authors.

Today, for the 41st instalment in the series, I have another fantastic international author for you; British thriller writer Simon Kernick, who I was fortunate enough to meet when he visited Auckland last month (see photo above).

Kernick is a former computer programmer in his early 40s who has been described as "Britain's most exciting new thriller writer". He debuted with THE BUSINESS OF DYING in 2002, and his ninth thriller, THE LAST 10 SECONDS, was published here in New Zealand in August. In 2007, his book RELENTLESS, after being selected by Richard and Judy for their recommended summer reads promotion, went on to become the bestselling thriller in the UK for that year.

Kernick is touted as having talked, during the research for his novels, "both on and off the record to members of Special Branch, the Anti-Terrorist Branch and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency, so he gets to hear first hand what actually happens in the dark and murky underbelly of UK crime." You can read my NZLawyer review of THE LAST 10 SECONDS here.

You can read more about Simon Kernick and his books here.

But for now, he stares down the barrel of 9mm.

The Crime Watch 9mm Author Interview: Simon Kernick

Who is your favourite recurring crime fiction hero/detective?
I really like Peter James’s Roy Grace. He’s flawed but he’s still a really nice bloke, and his flaws are I think more believable than some detectives out there. I always enjoy reading about him, and he has this ongoing mystery of his wife’s disappearance, and there always seems to be development in each book, but it never seems to be the development that I assume it would be, and it adds to the story, and it makes you want to read for more than one reason. I love the plots in the books, and I think it’s good to see a new British crime series coming through, and it’s also about a town I know very, very well - I went to college in Brighton - so I love them.

I love Hercule Poirot as well. I’ve read some good Marple ones, but the Poirot ones are probably the best. He was a great recurring detective. Lawrence Block’s Matt Scudder, I’ve always loved. Some of them are just absolutely superb - some can be slightly hit and miss but in general they’re a very, very good series. And what I like about them is that he ages through the books, you read the ‘70s ones and he’s about 30, and you read the latest ones and he’s about heading off for retirement, and I love that. You find out so much more about them, and you find out so much more about the author as well.

What was the very first book you remember reading and really loving, and why?

THE MURDER ON THE LINKS by Agatha Christie; I read it when I was about nine, and it was my first murder mystery book, and I guessed who did it and I got it right, and I loved it. To be honest, I very rarely got it right after that... it just sticks with me, it must have been about 1975 when I read it, and it was one of the old 1960s covers with a group of gendarmes standing around a body on a golf course. I can still picture it absolutely perfectly now - I haven’t thought about it for a long time, but it’s something that sticks in my mind.

Before your debut crime novel, what else had you written (if anything) unpublished manuscripts, short stories, articles?

I had unfortunately (I say unfortunately because it was hard work) written two crime novels that weren’t published, including the second one FINE NIGHT FOR A KILLING, a gang story in very small font that turned out to be about 950 pages, just ridiculously long. And one or two very rough fantasy books that I’d written, but I’d never had anything published at all, other than maybe in school magazines when I was about 15. So there was this sort of range of books I’d written, but they did get better as they went along. Just, you know, not that much better. So none of them will ever see the light of day, no doubt about that.

Outside of writing, and touring and promotional commitments, what do you really like to do, leisure and activity-wise?
I’m a bit of an outdoorsy person, which means I should be living in New Zealand really, because every time I’ve been talking to Rebecca my [NZ] publicist about what she gets up to, she kind of does the things I love doing. Which is hiking - I love walking, I mean often on a weekend where I don’t have my children I’ll do a 25-mile, a 40km walk, which is very tiring but great fun. Kayaking, I’m a big kayaker - river kayaking, I live on the river with a good stretch of water, and I’m planning on doing some longer trips on a bigger river, with some white-water. I love SCUBA diving.

What else do I do? I love cooking, and I do love to go to the pub and see my mates. It’s a two or three nights a week thing. I have a full life, I very rarely get bored.

What is one thing that visitors to your hometown should do, that isn't in the tourist brochures, or perhaps they wouldn’t initially consider?
I would hire a kayak and go kayaking down the river, a little bit out of town and there’s some great little nooks and crannies. I live in Henley on Thames, about an hour outside of London. Outdoor activities; kayaking, walking - it’s beautiful, they film Midsomer Murders around there, and they filmed Miss Marple around there... take a walk through there, it’s gorgeous.

If your life was a movie, which actor could you see playing you?

Blimey, that’s a good ‘un. Brad Pitt to capture my good looks, obviously. Oh God, that’s a question I’ve never been asked. Ah... you always imagine you’d go to actors you like now, and I’m thinking who I really like. Bloody hell, you’ve really caught me off guard here. I love the actor Clive Owen, yeah, Clive Owen - he was always going to be the Dennis Milne, my detective character, in my mind. Yeah Clive Owen, he’s a good actor, and there’s something solid about him.

Of your books, which is your favourite, and why?

Not necessarily the best, but the one that’s my favourite is the second book that I wrote, THE MURDER EXCHANGE, and the reason is I really enjoyed writing it, because parts of it are quite funny, and I enjoyed the comedic element, the gallows humour, and I really enjoyed it when I got a few good one-liners in there. And I don’t usually write with that level of humour much these days. The thing about it was that when I first wrote the first draft, it was bloody awful, and then I went on a trip to Australia and New Zealand and had a bit of time away from it, came back, and then it all just came together, and that’s what I loved about it as well. It just worked on the second draft. I was really worried about it, it was the classic second book, the classic ‘sophomore slump’, and then it just worked, and it was funny, and I think it’s quite a good plot - two thirds of the way through it, I came up with a final plot twist for the end, which I never normally do, and I thought oh yeah I’m glad I did that.

What was your initial reaction, and how did you celebrate, when you were first accepted for publication? Or when you first saw your debut story in book form on a bookseller’s shelf?

When I first walked into a bookstore and saw a book with my name on it on a shelf, I just stood there for about ten minutes looking at it, I remember. I was just so, so happy. Then I just celebrated to myself really, I went for a walk afterwards and just thought about it, and thought it’s been a brutal path in terms of rejections and thinking I’m never going to make it, and real ups and downs - a lot more downs than ups - and then I’ve done it. It was just an ecstatic feeling, a real ecstatic feeling.

What is the strangest or most unusual experience you have had at a book signing, author event, or literary festival?

Well I can think of one that was hugely bizarre. A woman was convinced that we were all being watched by aliens, and actually came up to me and said “do you know they’re watching?” She was an older woman dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, Daffy Duck or something; a very old lady in her 70s... and then the conversation went on from there. It was in a library, and the staff were trying to move her away from me, probably thinking it might be liable to turn into something more dramatic, they kept trying to shift her away, and she’d look back over her shoulder and say “they’re watching you, they know about you, I know you’re not one of them, but they’re everywhere, they’re everywhere”. And it’s like, ‘My God’, and she even had me convinced near the end, so I was scared [laughing].

Thank you Simon Kernick. We really appreciate you taking the time to talk with Crime Watch.

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So what do you think of this 9mm interview? Have you read THE LAST 10 SECONDS, THE MURDER EXCHANGE, or any of Kernick's other fast-paced thrillers? Have you met Kernick at any author events? What do you think? I'd love to read your comments. Please share your thoughts.

Bid on BLOODLINE and support MS research

A British booklover and multiple sclerosis (MS) sufferer who has set up a website-based organisation (Helen's Charity Auctions) to raise funds for MS research has just listed a fantastic auction item today that may be of great interest to crime fiction fans.

Mark Billingham, one of Britains top crime writers, has donated TWO signed galley editions of the upcoming US edition of his acclaimed recent Tom Thorne novel BLOODLINE. Galley editions are copies given to bookshops and reviewers - they are NOT available for sale. You won't be able to get your hands on these anywhere else.

BLOODLINE was released in New Zealand, Australia and the UK in late 2009, and was one of only two books I gave a 5-star rating to amongst the dozens of crime fiction reviews I wrote for Good Reading magazine in 2009. It is a terrific book, from one of the very best contemporary crime writers. The US edition won't be released until July 2011. You will also not be able to buy this edition in shops in the UK.

No matter where you are in the world, you can bid on the signed galley copies of BLOODLINE (and support a fantastic cause) here. The auction holder will ship internationally.

All proceeds from the auction go to MS research, and it's a great opportunity to get your hands on a signed copy of a rare version of a great book.

Multiple sclerosis is a condition of the central nervous system that can cause numbness, dizziness and balance issues, cognitive difficulties, severe fatigue, speech and swallowing difficulties, and bowel and bladder problems, amongst other symptoms. It is an autoimmune disease, which in effect means the body's immune system attacks itself. It is the most common disabling neurological disorder among young adults and affects over 2.5 million people worldwide. Women are around two to three times as likely as men to develop MS. Once diagnosed, MS stays with the person for life, but treatments and specialist care can help people to manage many symptoms well. Currently there is no cure.

For those interested in bidding for this signed, rare version of a great book, and/or supporting a great cause, bid here.

My review of CAPTURED on EuroCrime

Further to my post of last week about the excellent crime fiction website EuroCrime, and how the hundreds of reviews there can now also be searched and listed by reviewer, today my review of the latest thriller from Wellington-based crime writer Neil Cross (who was born, raised, and had his early career in the UK), CAPTURED, was published by EuroCrime.

CAPTURED features Kenny, a terminally ill young man who wants to find his childhood friend Callie Barton and thank her for her past kindness, before he dies. But when Kenny begins his search, he discovers that Callie has gone missing. Although cleared of any involvement, her husband Jonathan seems to be hiding something. Kenny has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. And knowing that time is running out on him, he's prepared to do whatever it takes...

"Cross hooks the reader early and has you completely engrossed," I says in the review. "Once you start, you'll struggle to put it down (and want to immediately get back to it if you do)."

CAPTURED is now available in paperback in the UK (see new cover above right), and you can read my full review of the book here.

You can see my full list of previous reviews for the excellent EuroCrime website, here.