Currently reading: THE RIDGE by Michael Koryta

I am currently reading THE RIDGE by Michael Koryta, which is published on 29 August in Australia and New Zealand. A couple of years ago I read and enjoyed THE SILENT HOUR, the last (thusfar) of Koryta's series starring private eye Lincoln Perry. The past three books - SO COLD THE RIVER, THE CYPRESS HOUSE, and now THE RIDGE, have all been standalones that have taken a different tack - thrillers that veer more towards horror and the supernatural.

I'm about 50 pages into THE RIDGE, and really enjoying it so far - there's a definite sense of creepiness and unease, and Koryta has me wondering what is really going on in his rural setting. Here's a blurb:

On an isolated ridge in Kentucky stands a lighthouse that illuminates nothing more than the surrounding woods. The lighthouse has long been dismissed as an eccentric local landmark - until its builder and keeper is found dead.

For deputy sheriff Kevin Kimble, the lighthouse keeper's death is disturbing and personal. Years ago, Kimble was shot while on duty and this recent death feels somehow connected.

Meanwhile, Audrey Clark is in the midst of moving her big-cat sanctuary to land adjacent to the lighthouse. Sixty-seven tigers, lions, leopards and one legendary black panther are about to have a new home there. Her husband, the sanctuary's founder, died scouting the new property, but Audrey is determined to see his vision through.

As strange occurrences multiply near the lighthouse, the sanctuary's animals grow ever more restless, and Kimble and Audrey struggle to understand what evil forces are at work just past the divide between dark and light . . .

Sounds spooky.
 
You can read my 9mm interview with Koryta, who rivals our own Ben Sanders when it comes to getting an early start in the published crime writing world, here.
 
Have you read any of Koryta's novels? What do you think? Do you like the sound of THE RIDGE? What are your feelings on bringing a touch of supernatural into thrillers? Comments welcome.

The excitement of opening a book you've really been looking forward to...

Who are your favourite authors? You know, the ones you can't wait to get around to reading, whether their latest book, or an older one you hadn't yet read? How exciting is it to have a book from one of those authors in your hands? And what about those authors or books you've heard great things about, but haven't yet experienced? How cool is it to 'discover', for yourself, a new-to-you author that you really, really enjoy?

Reading is a wonderful thing, but some books and some authors can create a level of anticipation more than others - based on our own preferences and reading experiences/history etc. I love reading crime fiction, but will admit that although the act of starting every new-to-me crime novel I open is cool, there are always some books that excite more than others, even before you've turned to the opening page. Books that beckon you from your TBR pile, promising much, and whetting your appetite well ahead of time. Of course some of these books deliver on their promise and anticipation, and some don't.

Today I finally started a book that I've been meaning to get to for a fair while; RED WOLF by Liza Marklund. Only a few chapters in, I'm already enjoying it greatly - and looking forward to seeing how it evolves over the next 400 plus pages. Here's a backcover-style blurb:

AN ACCIDENTAL DEATH? Reporter Annika Bengtzon is working on the story of a devastating crime when she hears that a journalist investigating the same incident has been killed. It appears to be a hit-and-run accident.

A SERIES OF MURDERS. Several brutal killings follow - all linked by handwritten letters sent to the victims' relatives. When Annika unravels a connection with the story she's writing, she is thrown on to the trail of a deadly psychopath.

THE HUNT IS ON. Caught in a frenzied spiral of secrets and violence, Annika finds herself and her marriage at breaking point. Will her refusal to stop pursuing the truth eventually destroy her?

Marklund is one of the biggest names in Scandinavian crime writing, and one of the biggest sellers across Europe, particularly in the non-English language regions. She is becoming much more well-known in English-speaking countries now, thanks to recent translations. I have read one of 'her' books previously, kind of; POSTCARD KILLERS, which she 'co-wrote' with publishing behemoth James Patterson. Although I didn't think very much of that book (see my review here), I remained keen to try one of her own, solo-author efforts. So today is a good reading day, the day I started RED WOLF.

You can read prolific Eurocrime reviewer Maxine Clarke's review of RED WOLF here. I will share my own thought in due course. I hope I like the book as much as Maxine did.

Have you read RED WOLF, or any of Marklund's other tales (in English or other languages)? If not, will you give them a go, or are you a little 'over' the Scandinavian crime wave and it's relentless publicity?

Currently reading: SMILING JACK by Ken Catran (young adult mystery)

Taking a brief hiatus from the adult crime and thriller fiction, in the past day or so I've dipped into a young adult mystery written by one of New Zealand's most prolific and beloved children's authors, Ken Catran.

SMILING JACK was published late last year. Here's the blurb: "There's something wrong with this picture. Robert lives in a small, prosperous rural town where his father is a respected and trusted pillar of the local community and financial advisor to the eccentric but essentially harmless community of Atenists who live nearby.

When Robert's father and uncle are killed in road accident his comfortable world rapidly begins to unravel. With so much to deal with, he barely thinks about the evil grin on the playing card Jack found at the site of the accident. Until the second death, and the third, when once again Jack's leering malicious grin is found nearby.

As Robert realises he never knew his father, those people his father betrayed turn against him, and he is forced to look deep into the shadows that are closing in if he is to get out alive. A classic whodunnit with a startling and unexpected twist, Ken Catran's dark and brooding murder mystery is a real page-turner that will have you looking over your shoulder like Robert, desperately trying to second guess Smiling Jack."

I'm about 2/3 of the way through, and enjoying the read, although it is of course a bit more 'basic' than most of the crime fiction I'm used to reading. Catran has created an intriguing story, and I'm still wondering what exactly is going on in the town of Tucker. He also evokes a nice sense of 'small town-ness', where the locals all know each other, and each other's business. Which isn't always a good thing. He sprinkles some mythological, historical, and literary references throughout too (eg Kipling's poetry, Beowulf, etc), which is kind of fun.

Catran has won nine writing awards and written close to fifty books, and was also the 2007 recipient of the Margaret Mahy Award for services to children's literature. Here's part of his bio from the New Zealand Book Council website:

"An award-winning children’s writer and scriptwriter who has written for some of New Zealands best-loved television series. He has won many awards for his television scripts and in 1986 was a finalist for Best Overseas Programme at the US Emmy Awards. His books for children and young adults engage with the historical, the fantastical, and science fiction. He has been shortlisted many times in the New Zealand Post Book Awards and won Book of the Year in 2001. In 2004 he won the Esther Glen Award for a distinguished contribution to literature at the LIANZA Childrens Book Awards."

You can read more about Ken Catran on Wikipedia here, at the New Zealand Book Council website here, at NZ On Screen (for his TV credits etc) here, and in an interview with kid readers at the Christchurch City Library here.

Currently reading: MIXED BLOOD by Roger Smith

I've been doing a lot of reading the first three months of this year, but I am a little behind in my reviewing. And my reading choices have been a little constrained too - along with reading new New Zealand books and upcoming or recently released books for some newspaper columns and in preparation for feature interviews with the likes of Robert Crais, Peter Corris, Michael Connelly, and Henning Mankell, I am also participating in Dorte Jakobsen's excellent 2011 Global Reading Challenge.

For one of my 'Africa' crime novels for the expert level of the challenge, I have now started reading a book from a 'new-to-me' author, Roger Smith. I've heard some very good things about Smith's writing, so when I saw a new copy of MIXED BLOOD on a discount table at Whitcoulls a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't resist grabbing it.

Here's the short blurb for MIXED BLOOD: "An American, hiding out in Cape Town, South Africa, after being blackmailed into a bank heist back home, is building a new life for his pregnant wife and young son, when an incident of random violence sets him on a collision course with street gangs and a rogue cop who loves killing almost as much as he loves Jesus Christ."

Smith was born in Johannesburg, and now lives in Cape Town. Before becoming a crime writer, he was a screenwriter, producer and director. MIXED BLOOD was his debut novel, and was published in the US and Germany in 2009. It won the Deutschen Krimi Preis 2010 in Germany and has been nominated for a Spinetingler Best Novel award. His second book is WAKE UP DEAD. According to Smith's website, GreeneStreet Films (NYC) is developing the movie version of MIXED BLOOD – scheduled to start shooting in Cape Town in 2011 – starring Samuel L. Jackson, with Phillip Noyce directing.

Have you read MIXED BLOOD or WAKE UP DEAD? Do you like South African-set crime fiction? Are you participating in the 2011 Global Reading Challenge? If so, what African novels have you chosen? Thoughts welcome.

Currently reading: LOVE YOU MORE by Lisa Gardner

This weekend I've started reading LOVE YOU MORE, the latest novel from New Hampshire-based thriller writer Lisa Gardner, who I've heard terrific things about and have been meaning to read for ages (I have a copy of her earlier novel THE NEIGHBOUR in my TBR pile too).

LOVE YOU MORE was released in New Zealand this month. Here's the publisher's blurb:

"For Boston homicide detective D.D Warren, the scene is all too typical: young abused wife, finally pushed too far, shoots and kills her abusive husband. That the young wife is a [state trooper] will make the press rabid for details, but it's nothing D.D can't handle. But the little suburban home yields not only a dead body - there is also a little girl's bed and a little girl's toys, but no little girl. Where's the child? Soon, a homicide becomes a high profile missing person case, one that drills to the core of what makes Warren tick as both a detective and a human being. While a team searches the city for missing Sophie, D.D finds that every one answer leads to two more questions and that time is running out. Somewhere is a little girl, whispering, 'Save me...'"

I am enjoying it thusfar. You can read more about Gardner, a New York Times #1 bestseller, at her website here. Like some other bestselling US female thriller writers (eg Tami Hoag, Sandra Brown), Gardner cut her teeth on romance and romantic suspense before fully coming across to the 'dark side' with crime and thrillers. From all accounts, many are glad she's made the switch.

Have you read Lisa Gardner (her romance novels or crime thrillers)? Thoughts welcome.

Currently reading: CANDIED CRIME by Dorte Jakobsen

I don't know about you, but I'm a fan of mystery short stories. I read far more crime and thriller novels, but I do like to dip into a short story collection every know and then, to break things up.

Over the weekend I've been reading and enjoying a new collection of short stories from Danish book blogger and writer Dorte Jakobsen. You may recognise Dorte's name from her excellent DJ's Krimiblog, or the Global Reading Challenges she has organised the past couple of years.

CANDIED CRIME is a collection of 13 short stories described as 'cosy mystery flash fiction' - so they're very short, ranging in length from about half a page to 2 1/2 pages - perfect 'bite-size' chunks, mystery morsels.

I will post a review of the collection later, once I've finished all 13 stories. The collection is available for purchase through the Smashwords website, for only $0.99.

Have you read CANDIED CRIME? Do you like 'flash' mystery fiction? What makes a good mystery short story?

Currently reading: HOLLYWOOD HILLS by Joseph Wambaugh

Although I've slowed from my fairly frantic book-a-day start to 2011, I'm still finding that I'm churning through the titles this year - and with plenty of great reading to be had both from my creaking bookshelves at home and the new books that find themselves in my hands on a regular occurence, that's a great thing. Though I do need to take a breath and catch up on some long overdue reviewing soon, both here on Crime Watch and for other fantastic outlets.

Now I'm a few chapters into HOLLYWOOD HILLS, the latest novel from iconic author Joseph Wambaugh. It's my first taste of Wambaugh, who has been on my 'must-read' list for quite a while - one of those greats who emerged in the 1960s-1970s-1980s and influenced the evolving genre after the likes of the cosy Golden Age Queens of Crime and the Hammett-Chandler hardboileds. An author that as any self-respecting crime fiction reviewer you 'should' read - along with the likes of Ed McBain, Tony Hillerman, Sarah Paretsky, Robert B. Parker, etc.

Wambaugh is a former Marine and active policeman who is credited as 'transforming the police procedural sub-genre' of crime writing. According to DetNovel.com, Wambaugh's "first four books and his work on the Police Story television series in the 1970s set standards of realism, dialogue, and character development for subsequent writers or turned them in new directions. In a very real sense he is the father of modern television police drama."

Looking at many things that have been said about Wambaugh over the years, it seems that it has been his 'authenticity' that really resonated, both in his novels and television work, and that this is something that has influenced a whole generation of novelists, TV and movie writers (even if some may not realise that their influences trace back to Wambaugh).

I have had a couple of Wambaugh books in my TBR pile for a while, but just hadn't got to them yet. When a copy of HOLLYWOOD HILLS arrived just after I finished Brian McGilloway's excellent debut BORDERLANDS earlier this week, I decided that now was the perfect time to address my Wambaugh-oversight, with a newer novel from the old master (I will still go back and read his classic ones from decades past). Here's a publisher's description of HOLLYWOOD HILLS, the fourth novel in Wambaugh's more recent 'Hollywood' series:

"For the streetwise cops of Hollywood Station, dealing with the panhandlers, prostitutes and costumed crackheads of the boulevard is all in a day's work. If they're lucky, surf-mad partners Flotsam and Jetsam can spend the morning calming the crazies and the afternoon policing the babes on the beach. But beyond the lights and the crowds on the Walk of Fame, the real Los Angeles simmers dangerously. And when things heat up, even veterans like Viv Daley will see things that they'll wish they could forget.In the hills above town, it's a different world, where sports-car-studded driveways lead to sprawling villas stuffed with clothes and jewels. Up here, pickings are easy for the Bling Ring, a group of photogenic young addicts who knock off celebrity cribs to fund their next fix.

Even experienced cop and wannabe filmstar Nate 'Hollywood' Weiss has struck gold in the hills. Leona Bruger, wife of an Industry Mover and Shaker, has taken a fancy to him. Although he knows the Hollywood maxim - you don't pet the cougars, especially if they belong to the boss - Nate reckons that a leg-over might be just the leg-up he needs. What Weiss doesn't realise is that his new flame's crooked art-dealer is about to pull a forgery scam right under his nose. And when a pair of desperate junkies hit on a foolproof plan to pay their drug debts with a stolen painting, things get very complicated indeed ..."

I'm enjoying it thusfar.

Have you read HOLLYWOOD HILLS, or any of Joseph Wambaugh's classic crime fiction? Do you enjoy 'police procedural' novels? Do you try to read some 'classic' or 'legendary' crime writers along with the plethora of newer authors clogging the shelves? Comments appreciated.

Currently reading: BORDERLANDS by Brian McGilloway

Well, as predicted I raced through the very, very good STILL MISSING by Chevy Stevens on Friday night and Saturday, and am now onto another 'new to me' author, and another country for the 2011 edition of Dorte Jakobsen's fantastic Global Reading Challenge (highly recommended - information available and register here).

Scanning my bookshelves again, I decided to go green, so to speak, and head to Ireland with Brian McGilloway's debut BORDERLANDS. I've heard good things about this author, but hadn't yet come across his novels in New Zealand - but while I was in Hanoi at New Years, I picked up a copy of BORDERLANDS from the excellent Bookworm store (a must-visit if you're ever in the Vietnamese capital).

Here's the blurb for the first Inspector Devlin book, which was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger: "The corpse of local teenager Angela Cashell is found on the Tyrone- Donegal border, between the North and South of Ireland, in an area known as the borderlands. Garda Inspector Benedict Devlin heads the investigation: 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.

As a thickening snow storm blurs the border between North and South, Devlin finds the distinction between right and wrong, vengeance and justice, and even police-officer and criminal becoming equally unclear. A dazzling and lyrical debut crime novel, Borderlands marks the beginning of a compelling new series featuring Inspector Benedict Devlin."

Certainly sounds intriguing, and I like the prospect of a crime novel set on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland (seems particularly apt for the 2011 Global Reading Challenge).

You can read more about McGilloway at his website here.

Have you read BORDERLANDS, or any of McGilloway's other Devlin tales? If so, what did you think? Do you like reading 'globally' when it comes to crime fiction? Who are some of your favourite Irish crime writers? Comments welcome.

Currently reading: A POLITICAL AFFAIR by Andrew Porteous

After a fantastic four weeks of travel and 'holiday' (vacation for those of you in North America), I'm now back in the saddle in Auckland - so expect to see far more regular Crime Watch posting moving forward in 2011. In the first week and a bit of 2011 I've read five crime novels - THE LAST CAR TO ELYSIAN FIELDS by James Lee Burke, IN PLAIN SIGHT by CJ Box, THE EXECUTIONER by Jay Bennett, PROMISED LAND by Davide Hewson and THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN by James Lee Burke - the latter just finished on the plane from Nelson to Auckland this morning.

After five US-set novels, I thought it was time to read my first Kiwi crime novel of 2011. So for my sixth crime novel of 2011 (there is no way this pace keeps up all year) and first New Zealand-set/written one, I've started reading A POLITICAL AFFAIR by debutant Dunedin crime writer Andrew Porteous. You may recall from last year that Porteous won an international unpublished crime writing competition with the manuscript for this novel.

Here is the back cover blurb for A POLITICAL AFFAIR: "Lachlan Doyle is the product of a Scottish doctor and a Maori mother. Orphaned while still young, Lachlan has one great ambition, to be a detective with the New Zealand CIB.

He achieves that ambition and is posted to Dunedin. This is hardly likely to win the young detective notice and national attention. But when a woman is found dead in her own home, apparently having fallen down the stairs and broken her neck, Lachlan decides to dig beneath the surface. Soon he is convinced he has on his hands a case of murder. And no ordinary case, for he is being urged by colleagues and superiors to keep the case under wraps.

Lachlan refuses to be deterred. Soon he finds himself in very deep water, with his own life at stake, for the death of one woman leads right to the top, to the office of the Prime Minister himself. This is, in every sense, a political affair."

You can read more about Porteous and his debut novel in articles in the Otago Daily Times here,, and the Wanganui Chronicle here. Those in New Zealand can buy A POLITICAL AFFAIR (with free delivery) from here. For those overseas, you can buy A POLITICAL AFFAIR from Amazon.co.uk here.

Currently reading: B-VERY FLAT by Margot Kinberg

As some of you may have gathered, things have been pretty frantic down this way lately, both on the crime fiction-related front and elsewhere. I have still been reading lots, although sometimes I'm not entirely sure where I've found the time - the good news is its become such a good habit that I'm still reading even when I'm really, really busy. It's a good way to relax and unwind. Though I am pretty behind in my reviewing (the other day I tallied up about 16-17 books I'd read fairly recently and not yet reviewed anywhere, oops).

The thing is, I've had a big run of reading-related commitments in the past couple/few months, from books that needed to be read in preparation for various Weekend Herald and Good Reading feature articles, to various reviewing commitments with new books - so I haven't been able to address some other terrific books in my TBR pile that have been sitting there for quite a while.

However this week I've managed to start reading some of those other books, and I'm very pleased to say that right now the book that's got my attention is B-VERY FLAT by California-based mystery writer Margot Kinberg. It's a pleasant change of pace after a couple of darker thrillers I've read recently, and I'm enjoying the intriguing read so far. Can't wait to see how it all comes together. Here's the backcover blurb:

"Is anyone really safe? Not necessarily. At nineteen years old, Serena Brinkman, an undergraduate violin major at Tilton University, seems to have a very secure future; she's got good looks, money, people who love her, and rare musical talent. She's also got a coveted Amati violin, a musical rival, friends whose secrets she knows, and an obsessed fan.

Serena's dreams are shattered when she suddenly dies on the night of a major music competition. Serena's partner, sure that her death was not an accident, asks for help from Dr. Joel Williams of Tilton's Department of Criminal Justice. Williams, a former detective, becomes convinced that Serena was murdered, when he learns how unsafe her world really was. As he works with the Tilton Police Department to uncover the truth, Williams finds that Serena's looks, money, and talent, far from securing her future, made her a target."

You can watch a video of the author reading a passage from this book below:



I will post a review here after I've finished the book. In the meantime, if you just can't wait to hear whether it's worth getting your hands on this book (my early indications say yes), here are some reviews:

• Mysteries in Paradise
• Petrona
• DJs Krimiblog
• Reactions to Reading
• The Thrill of it All

You can also read the author's excellent blog, Confessions of a Mystery Novelist, here, and my 9mm interview with the author here.

Currently reading: MIRROR IMAGE by Dennis Palumbo

Earlier this year a terrific article by Hollywood screenwriter turned licensed psychotherapist Dennis Palumbo in the Huffington Post sparked one of my longest-ever blog posts, looking at how crime fiction is perhaps one of the very best literary formats for examining society.

You can read Palumbo's article "Through a Glass Darkly: Crime Fiction as a Window on American Culture" here, and my lengthy post, which included some great comments and insights garnered from a variety of authors I'd interviewed in recent times (at the time), here. It's a topic I've returned to in interviews with several authors since, including the likes of James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, and PD James - it seems to be something that is bubbling away in the minds of many people who write or read crime fiction.

Anyway, Palumbo has now released his own debut crime novel, MIRROR IMAGE, which is touted as the first in a series starring clinical psychologist and former boxer Daniel Rinaldi. After it had sat in my TBR pile for a while (I was distracted by the Ngaio Marsh Award and several books I had to review for various interviews, articles, and other commitments), I started reading it this morning, and immediately kicked myself for not getting around to it sooner. I was hooked within a couple of pages, and I've found myself reading it here and there throughout the day as mini-breaks from work. If it keeps going in this form, then it could very well end up being one of the best debut thrillers/crime novels I've read in the past few years.

The blurb for MIRROR IMAGE says, "Dr. Daniel Rinaldi [is] a psychologist who consults with the Pittsburgh Police. His specialty is treating victims of violent crime—those who’ve survived an armed robbery or kidnapping, but whose traumatic experience still haunts them. Kevin Merrick, a college student and victim of an armed assault, is one of these people. A fragile, troubled kid desperate for a role model, a sense of identity, Kevin has begun dressing like Rinaldi, acting like him, mirroring his appearance. Before Daniel has a chance to work this through with his patient, he finds Kevin brutally murdered. Stunned, he and the police suspect that he, not Kevin, had been the intended target.

Feeling responsible, Rinaldi is determined to help find the killer, who’s begun leaving death threats for the psychologist. His journey takes him through a labyrinth of friends and colleagues, any one of whom may be the killer. It also includes an affair with a beautiful, free-spirited Assistant DA with secrets of her own. And when Kevin’s identity as the estranged son of a Bill Gates-like biotech giant is revealed, the investigation of his murder turns into a national story…even as another person turns up dead. A page-turning novel of suspense, MIRROR IMAGE weaves together a puzzling mystery, full of unexpected twists, with an intense, erotic love story."

Perhaps due to his screenwriting background, I've already found that Palumbo has a terrific touch for pithy yet vivid description, and good, layered characterisation. I'm really looking forward to reading more (in fact I'm picking it up again as soon as I upload this blog post).

You can read my 9mm interview with Dennis Palumbo here.

Have you read MIRROR IMAGE? Do you like the sound of the book? What are some of the best debut crime novels you've read in the past few years? Who are some of the newer, lesser-known authors that you think are 'on the rise'? Thoughts and comments welcome.