POLL: Films of the book?

There are several films coming out into wide release (in the USA/UK/NZ/Australia etc) in the coming weeks, which are based upon books which fall (at least somewhat) into the crime or thriller category. Pleasingly, there are some great filmmakers and actors involved in these films adaptations, which should give readers and filmgoers cause for some anticipation.

So I thought I would run a poll (see sidebar to the right) about which film adaptation readers are most looking forward to. Here is some more information about the four choices (I advise you to watch the linked trailers, as they'll give you a much better idea of each film than my small blurbs):

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (Stieg Larsson)
The smash-hit first volume of the worldwide phenomenon ‘Millennium Trilogy’ introduced one of crime fiction’s most unique protagonists, disturbing punk heroine Lisbeth Salander, who along with crusading liberal journalist Mikael Blomkvist, investigates a forty-year old disappearance linked to a series of gruesome murders.

The film adaptation of Larsson's masterpiece stars Michael Nyquist as Blomkvist and Noomi Rapace as the irrepressible Salander, and has already grossed over $100 million at the box office in Europe. It is the most successful local film of all time at the Nordic box office.

You can watch the English-subtitled trailer HERE.

THE LOVELY BONES (Alice Sebold)

The highly-anticipated film version of Alice Sebold’s beloved novel; the heart-wrenching story of teenager Susie Salmon who, after being brutally raped and murdered, comes to terms with her own death as she watches from a personal heaven as her family, friends, and killer try to go on with their lives. An 'emotional thriller' where the chase for the killer isn't the main thrust of the book.

For a time this was thought an 'unfilmable' book; that is until it was placed in the hands of multiple Academy Award-winner Peter Jackson (who has already made film history with a superb adaptation of another beloved literary work long believed unfilmable - The Lord of the Rings trilogy). The film has a stellar cast - it stars Saoirse Ronan as Susie, alongside Oscar/Emmy/Golden Globe award-winners and nominees Susan Sarandon, Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Imperioli and Stanley Tucci. Unsurprisingly, it is already getting Oscar buzz.

You can watch the trailer HERE.

SHUTTER ISLAND (Dennis Lehane)

A 1954-set suspense tale where up-and-coming U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels (to be played by Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital.

Martin Scorcese is in the director's chair, and the rest of the cast is sprinkled with 'names' and solid actors aplenty; Ben Kingsley, Max Von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Mark Ruffalo, and Emily Mortimer amongst them

SHUTTER ISLAND is the third Lehane novel to be brought to the big screen, following acclaimed adaptations of MYSTIC RIVER and GONE BABY GONE.

You can watch the trailer HERE.

SHERLOCK HOLMES (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Unlike the other three films, this isn't based on a particular book, rather one of the most famous characters in English literature - the drug-taking, violin-playing, Baker Street-dwelling detective that popularised crime fiction more than a century ago.

Starring Robert Downer Jr as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law as dependable sidekick Watson, the Guy Ritchie-directed film certainly looks like quite a new take on the legendary detective, though in some ways you could argue its going back more to the original books, and focusing on things about Holmes that later adaptations overlooked (e.g. his fighting skills etc).

You can watch the trailer HERE.

Personally, I'm looking forward to all four. It's exciting to see great directors like Jackson and Scorcese involved with the adaptations, as well as some pretty stellar actors.

I would love to read your thoughts on the four above films (or other crime/thriller fiction adaptations past or future) and the books/characters they are based on. Do you have a favourite? Do you think your favourite book may not end up being your favourite film?

What do you think about the filmmakers involved? Do you like watching films adapted from books? Even if you usually don't, do some of the films above pique your interest, giving the quality cast and crew? What other crime/thriller novels or characters would you like to see brought to the big screen?

Watch crime for a great cause: charity preview screening of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

The film of Stieg Larsson's groundbreaking crime novel THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO opens in New Zealand cinemas on Boxing Day. However, for those of you that just can't wait, The Village Bookshop in Matakana, in the beautiful Rodney District north of Auckland, has arranged for a charity preview screening on Sunday 6 December.

Tickets are $20, and proceeds are going to Warkworth Christian Food Link, an interdenominational food bank that provides food to the needy, and to other organisations (such as the Women's Refuge). A very worthy cause.

The film adaptation of Larsson's award-winning masterpiece about a journalist and a young female hacker stars Michael Nyquist as Mikael Blomkvist and Noomi Rapace as the irrepressible Lisbeth Salander, and has already grossed over $100 million at the box office in Europe. It is the most successful local film of all time at the Nordic box office.

The charity screening is at 6pm on Sunday 6 December at the 110-seat Tivoli Theatre, Matakana Cinemas.

Tracey at The Village Bookshop says about half of the tickets have already been sold by word of mouth, so my advice is for those in Auckland and further north to get in quick. Matakana is a beautiful area; perfect for spending a lazy Sunday - make a day of it and visit some vineyards, head to The Village Bookshop at 4pm for pre-screening bubbles and refreshments (and discounts on books), and then see the movie in comfort in an boutique luxury theatre (lush, wide seats - and Tracey informs me you're allowed to take in wine etc) while supporting a very worthy cause.

You can book your tickets from the Village Bookshop - call (09) 423 0315. For those (like me) planning to head up, you can read more about the gorgeous Matakana area here.

More out of print and hard to find Kiwi crime and thriller books...

Continuing on from my posts of 5 October and 16 September, I've incrementally been building up something of a personal library of second-hand copies of out-of-print and hard-to-find Kiwi crime, mystery and thriller titles, to complement the newer books I have from more recent authors still in print like Paul Cleave, Vanda Symon, Dorothy Fowler, Michael Green, Neil Cross, Lindy Kelly etc etc.

It's been eye-opening to see how many largely forgotten Kiwi authors have put out a crime or thriller novel or two, let alone some I have come across (like Freda Bream) who have put out multiple titles in a series. As you can see from the seemingly ever-growing sidebar to the right,

I have been 'discovering' more and more Kiwi authors who've written crime or thriller books ... If any of you readers can think of others that I haven't yet included, please feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line. I'd appreciate any help building my ad-hoc list...

As I've been stumbling over more and more Kiwi authors and titles, I have also been digging through the online second-hand stores, particularly the TradeMe and Sella websites, to see if I can get my hands on copies of any of their out-of-print and hard-to-find books. I've purchased several more recently, which I will be reviewing on this site at some stage in future (including those mentioned in my earlier posts).

Then on the weekend, I stopped off and browsed the bookshelves of Jason's Books in Lorne Street, Auckland - quite a cool upstairs second-hand bookstore. Looking through the New Zealand fiction section I found a few books, including some I'd never heard of, that could fall into the crime, mystery or thriller category. Despite my 60+ book TBR pile, I couldn't resist buying four of them. Here are two of those recent purchases:

RESPONSIBILITY by Nigel Cox (VUP, 2005)

A darkly comic thriller set in contemporary Berlin. Martin Rumsfield, an international museums expert from New Zealand, is feeling hemmed in by the pressures of work and the demands of family. When a shady character from his past turns up with a sure-fire plan to scam the scammers, Martin is seduced by the glamour of a walk on the wild side. Then, in a shattering moment, he realises that he has put what he values most at deadly risk.

You can read more about Nigel Cox, who passed away in 2006, and the variety of novels he has written and his museum-related work, here.

GRIEVOUS BODILY by Craig Harrison

(Penguin, 1991)

A saga of infidelity, deceit, thwarted lust and mad dogs, not to speak of grievous bodily harm with a cricket bat. A sedate university community goes to pieces when two of its members make off with a cache of stolen money belonging to a gang of ruthless idiots. The most unlikely people are thrown together in a spectacular fashion, the highlight of which is the amazing case of the exploding pudding.

I'm guessing this is something of a comic novel that happens to have some crime interwoven into the plot - should be a bit of a nice breather from all the serial killers, murder, and darkness I'm usually reading.

Craig Harrison has written several novels, plays, short stories, satirical works and television comedies. His plays have won various awards, and his novel, THE QUIET EARTH, shortlisted for NZ Book of the Year in 1982, was adapted into a feature film. You can read more about him here.

Thoughts on the two books above? Do you like browsing second-hand bookstores to find older books that aren't available on booksellers' shelves? If so, what are some gems you have discovered?

CRIME BEAT: TRUE STORIES OF COPS AND KILLERS by Michael Connelly

I was in Devonport (a nice little 'village' on the North Shore of Auckland) on the weekend, visiting a good friend who'd recently returned from several years living in the UK. While waiting for the ferry back to the CBD, we were browsing the nice second-hand bookstore in the ferry terminal. Turns out she's a crime fiction fan, and she picked a Peter James book.

Now, I shouldn't really be buying too many (cough, any) books, because I have a gigantic TBR pile already, to review etc. But when I came across CRIME BEAT: TRUE STORIES OF COPS AND KILLERS by Michael Connelly, I couldn't resist.

As a crime fiction writer, Michael Connelly has been one of my favourites since I stumbled over THE POET in a bookstore several years ago. But as many of you may know, before he was Connelly the crime writer, he was Connelly the crime reporter. He was an award-winning journalist before he became one of the leading crime writers of his generation.

CRIME BEAT includes several of his 'true crime' stories from his days as a reporter in Florida and Los Angeles. As the blurb says, "These true stories help to chart the development of his work as a novelist - guaranteed to make fascinating reading for any serious fan of crime writing."

As Connelly himself says in the introduction, "One morning an editor called me and told me to swing by a murder scene on my way to the office. Just like that, I was picking upa coffee on the way to work. The murder was on Woodrow Wilson Drive in the Hollywood Hills. I went as instructed and got the story. I also got the place where I would put the home of the fictional detective [Harry Bosch] I had secretly been writing about ..."

I don't read a whole lot of true crime, but this was a book I just couldn't resist.

What about you, dear readers? Are you Connelly fans? Have you read CRIME BEAT? Do you like true crime as well as fictional mysteries? Do you read non-fiction from your crime fiction favourites (e.g. THE INNOCENT MAN by John Grisham, PORTRAIT OF A KILLER by Patricia Cornwell (if that could be called non-fiction))?

Have you read Dorothy Fowler?

For the eleventh in this blog's regular series of author introductions on Kiwi crime, mystery, and thriller writers, we now take a look at recent debutant Dorothy Fowler, whose archaeological mystery WHAT REMAINS BEHIND was published in both New Zealand and Australia earlier this year.

Fowler lives on beautiful Waiheke Island, a laidback and somewhat rural gulf island in the Auckland harbour, about half an hour by ferry from the main CBD. She has worked in a variety of jobs over the years, including renovating houses and boat building. Eventually she decided to return to university as an adult student, to indulge her passion by studying archaeology and ancient history.

In an interview in July to celebrate her debut novel, she told her hometown newspaper, the Gulf News, that “I had been buying houses, doing them up and selling them. I had a bit of money as a result and woke up one morning and decided I wanted to take a few years out of my life to go back to university and study.”

It was while she was completing those studies for her Bachelor's degree, that Fowler decided to take a creative writing course. Her tutor happened to be iconic New Zealand writer Witi Ihimaera, whose award-winning works have included the book that became acclaimed film Whale Rider, and Ihimaera suggested she apply for a place in the small but diverse class in his very selective yearlong Masters programme. From 32 applicants for the course, six were accepted; all women, ranging in age from 23 to 56.

It was during the yearlong Masters course, in which students were asked to write a 70-90,000 word novel to second draft stage between March and October, that Fowler worked on WHAT REMAINS BEHIND, mentored by both Ihimaera and award-winning New Zealand author Emily Perkins. She was thrilled when it was picked up for publication by Random House New Zealand soon after - the only manuscript from a new writer they are publishing this year (from the 600 or so they receive from hopeful new/unpublished writers annually). Random House Fiction publisher Harriet Allan said Fowler's novel stood out from amongst the hundreds they are sent because, most importantly, "I simply wanted to keep reading".

Fowler’s debut combines her twin passions, centering as it does on a dig near a small rural town in the Kaipara. In WHAT REMAINS BEHIND, Chloe Davis is a contract archaeologist who has returned to her family-owned farm to excavate, before the farm is subdivided for lifestyle blocks, the ruins of a religious community that burned to the ground in the 1880s, killing several people. Already under time and budget pressure, Chloe and her team soon encounter local resistance, ranging from bar fights to sabotage and vandalism. Is someone worried that uncovering the past could upset the present?

Chloe’s life and work is further complicated by the unknown motives of old acquaintances and interfering relatives. The story switches regularly between Chloe’s present-day narration, and journal entries made by Charity, a young girl living in the isolated religious community in the lead-up to the tragedy.

You can read an extract from WHAT REMAINS BEHIND here, and my review of it here. You can also read a review by the Otago Daily Times (from the opposite end of New Zealand) here.

The novel has a slow build, and pulls you in gradually, unfolding leisurely rather than having an early or graphic hook, so in some ways it is paced like a traditional amateur detective novel. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, when speaking to the Gulf News, Fowler described her taste in fiction as ‘classic whodunnits’; Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh. Fowler is currently working on the second draft of the next Chloe Davis novel, which will be set on Waiheke Island.

You can listen to an extract from WHAT REMAINS BEHIND and a good interview with Fowler from Radio New Zealand's Arts on Sunday programme with Lynn Freeman, here. The interview covers the plot and writing of the book, Fowler's interest in archaeology, her next book, and some other fascinating topics.

Have you read Dorothy Fowler? What do you think of historic mysteries? Do you like books with a slow burn, rather than an early hook and fast-paced thrills? Please share your thoughts...

Fifty years after the murder that inspired a literary masterpiece

Sunday was a morbid anniversary for the small rural town of Holcomb, Kansas. A half-century ago, on 15 November 1959, a ghastly crime was committed; the slaughter of the Clutter family in their farmhouse.

Human history is filled with crime, with violence, with horrific and unthinkable acts. Some are remembered, many are forgotten, at least by the 'public at large'. But this brutal crime, in a peaceful farming region in what is (correctly or not) thought of as a 'simpler time', has resonated through the decades, remaining in society's wider consciousness.

The main reason for that was an unusual New York writer, Truman Capote, who spied a short newspaper account of the killings, and decided to make the 1000-mile journey from his home to Holcomb to chronicle the impact of terrible violence on a small community. The result was IN COLD BLOOD, considered one of the greatest works in 20th century American literature, and a book that changed journalism, especially the way true-life tales were told in longer (full-length book) forms. It was one of the first, and the most influential, of what became known as 'non-fiction novels', and is a pioneering work of both true crime writing, and also 'New Journalism' in general.

Capote begins his story a couple of days before the murders. Using extensive interviews with the townsfolk, he puts together the last day of the family in astonishing detail. He had brought his childhood friend and fellow author Harper Lee (TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD) along with him to Holcomb, and together they interviewed local residents and investigators assigned to the case and took thousands of pages of notes. The killers, Richard "Dick" Hickock and Perry Smith, were arrested not long after the murders, later executed, and Capote ultimately spent six years working on the book (including spending time with the murderers right up to and then witnessing their state-sanctioned hangings).

As he says in the book, "Four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives."

The story has been retold on television and film (multiple times), including a black and white 1967 movie (the year after the book came out, and two after the killers were executed) which was nominated for four Academy Awards, and then recently the Academy Award-winning Capote, starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, as well as Infamous, starring Toby Jones as Truman Capote. It has stayed in public consciousness, and seems to be one of those stories that many people are aware of.

Like many reviewers, I've even found myself giving nod's to Capote in reviews of crime novels such as DARK PLACES by Gillian Flynn (which has a similar farmhouse family slaughter, although it brings in Satanism and many other things) and THE MURDER FARM by Andrea Maria Schenkel (which is actually inspired by a real-life 1920s farmhouse murder in Germany, pre-dating the events of IN COLD BLOOD).

Ed Pilkington in The Guardian has written a wonderful piece on the 50-year anniversary, including visiting the town, talking to locals, and looking back over the murders, the book, and the aftermath. I highly recommend reading his article, which was posted online overnight NZT (Monday 16 November UK time) - you can read it HERE.

I'd love to read your thoughts and comments about Capote, the book, the crime, the movies, Pilkington's article, non-fiction novels, or any other related thoughts.

Crime Fiction Alphabet: G is for Green, Michael (Kiwi thriller writer)

Continuing the fun series started by fellow Anzac book blogger Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise, where each week bloggers from around the world write about a notable crime fiction novel or author (first name or surname) starting with a particular letter of the alphabet, this week is the turn of "G".

Given that in my "A" post I said I would regularly sprinkle my contributions with a New Zealand-related post or two, this week I am planning on doing a couple of contributions, starting with a post on Kiwi thriller writer Michael Green, whose second book in his thriller trilogy about the Chatfield family's quest for survival following a global pandemic, was released in New Zealand in September (and is scheduled to be released in Australia this month).

NB - this Crime Fiction Alphabet post is an edited reproduction of a profile post I did on Green earlier this year.

Born in Sevenoaks, England, 65 years ago, Green grew up as a naturally 'mouthy kid' who was never afraid of expressing his opinions. In his NZ Book Month blog in 2008, he recalled how growing up in a tough part of town, he learned to hold his own with his mouth, since he couldn' t with his fists. That growing comfort with speaking out led to speaking roles at the Boy Scouts, and some school plays when he was sent to serve as a cadet at the 'Training Ship Mercury' from the age of 13 to 17.

Along with that lifelong ability to speak well in public, Green developed a love of sailing and the sea from an early age. He now lives on his yacht, the 40' John Lidgard designed motor sailer Raconteur, in Gulf Harbour, north of Auckland. Although he has lived in New Zealand for decades, having transferred here as the IT Manager of a large British multinational, he still visits Europe regularly, and has recently spent time in France, working on the third book in the trilogy. He often spend the New Zealand winter in the northern hemisphere, and still has family in England.

Before becoming a full-time writer in recent years, Green worked as a successful international IT recruitment consultant, and as a professional public speaker. His love of sailing led to his first book, the humourous novel BIG AGGIE SALES THE GULF in 1986. He says this was based on his own "misadventures sailing around the Hauraki Gulf in a Davidson M20".

Green had also become involved in Toastmasters (a public speaking organisation) while living in New Zealand, and after seeing one of his presentations publishers approached him to write a book on giving great speeches - which resulted in SUCCESSFUL SPEECHMAKING. For many years Green has been an advocate of the importance of communicating well, both in business and other areas of life. In his NZ Book Month blog in 2008, he says: "It was while working as a recruitment consultant that I discovered one of the great truths of life. It isn’t the academically cleverest people who make the biggest salaries. It’s the people who can present and sell their ideas (or, as in the case of Bill Gates, present and sell other people’s ideas.)"

When Green retired from his IT consultancy business in 2003, he found he had more time to write, and notes in his blog that "like many who retire, I also felt it was time to ‘put something back’. " Combining his goals of writing a novel, and raising money for charity, he began work on a thriller, inspired by the SARS outbreak, looking at how the few survivors of a global pandemic that got out of control might act, and interact, when everything was stripped away from them.

"What would I do, how would protect myself and my family?" asked Green. "The answers to those questions became the basis of my novel The Crucial Gene. (The sequel to Big Aggie is on the back burner yet again!)" Green aimed to raise $10,000 for the telephone counselling charity Lifeline - a cause close to his heart due to New Zealand's high youth suicide rate, and the fact that years ago he'd lost his son, and an aunt back in England, in that way.

Green self-published THE CRUCIAL GENE, intending to raise $10,000 by selling 1,000 books, using his toastmaster skills to market the book - he sold out the print run (and more) by talking to Lions, Rotary, and Probus Clubs, and was able to exceed his planned donation to LifeLine. The book was then picked up by Randon House, and republished in late 2008 as BLOOD LINE (with some minor edits to make it a 'tighter' novel).


In BLOOD LINE, when a devastating global pandemic strikes, members of the Chatfield family seem to be the only survivors in New Zealand; a unique genetic twist allowing them to survive the virus. Guessing their relatives in England may have similarly survived, two of the NZ branch of the family embark on a perilous journey to the other side of the world in the small yacht Archangel. When they arrive in England they find their relatives living in a medieval style 'lor and master' community based on the rule of fear - not only may the Kiwi Chatfields not be able to take any relatives back home, they may not be able to escape themselves.


In September, the second book in the series, BLOOD BOND, was released. Again, many of the proceeds will go to LifeLine. BLOOD BOND picks up right where the first book left off. As the blurb states: "Now escaping the repressive regime at Haver Hall in the UK, a group sails back to the southern hemisphere. Stopping in South Africa and then Australia, they are faced by unexpected dangers but also the hope that there might be other survivors. What awaits them in New Zealand, though, is even more challenging. And can those left in the UK survive each other?"


My review of BLOOD BOND in NZLawyer was published in early October - you can read it HERE. You can read a press release Q&A with Michael Green here, and an extract from BLOOD BOND here. You can learn more about Lifeline here.