Happy New Year from Hanoi, Vietnam

Kia ora everyone. As 2010 winds down I hope things are going well for you, wherever you find yourself on the planet. It's been quite a full-on year for me, but a good one.

I'm spending my last night of 2010 (and first couple of days of 2011) in Hanoi, Vietnam. In amongst the Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, water puppet theatre and other assorted sight-seeing and food tasting, I've also stumbled across a truly excellent second hand bookstore: Bookworm Hanoi. It touts itself as the 'best bookstore in Southeast Asia', and in my opinion (having travelled Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam over the past three weeks), it certainly is. I've been reading a bit on this trip (four crime novels thusfar - PHNOM PENH EXPRESS by Johan Smits (good), BANGKOK HAUNTS by John Burdett (great), THE NEON RAIN by James Lee Burke (great) and PROBABLE CAUSE by Theresa Schwegel (good)), but largely from books I either brought from New Zealand or picked up at the Brunei or Bangkok airports at the start. There has been little in the way of good, available crime novels on my travels - the odd one here or there in a hotel book exchange; that's where I picked up the Shwegel book - but Bookworm has a truly terrific selection (several hundred books), at great and fair prices (from 25 cents to US$5 for most - compared to the US$13 that a Hoi Ann bookstore specialising in 'new' photocopied books wanted for a secondhand real Michael Connelly book). Could do with a few more Kiwi crime novels, but oh well.

Honestly, I could spend hours in Bookworm browsing the shelves. My better half had to drag me out yesterday - but I guess that makes up for all the times I've been waiting, eyes glazed over, in handbag/dress/souvenir/handicraft/shoestores on this trip. Haha.

I'd upload a photo, but the Internet can be temperamental here, so the logo above will just have to do. Click on it for more information. I talked to the owner yesterday, and he's looking to start holding some literary events here in the city in 2011, including perhaps some crime fiction ones. So watch this space, and pop on in, if you're in this part of the world.

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful New Years. See you in 2011.

Currently reading: THE NEON RAIN by James Lee Burke

Greetings from Vietnam. Along with all my reviewing etc for various newspapers, magazines, and websites, and the odd Reading Challenge or two, I've decided that over the next few months I'm going to do a bit of an 'Origins' series, looking at the debut books of popular and longstanding detectives or crime fiction characters. To go back and read the first books in long series. To look at how these characters were first introduced, described, etc - often before the authors had any idea they would end up being a series character (or at least such a long-running or popular one).

So while I'm travelling here in Vietnam, and having finished PHNOM PENH EXPRESS by Johan Smits (good) and BANGKOK HAUNTS by John Burdett (great), I'm now reading THE NEON RAIN by James Lee Burke, which introduces Cajun detective Dave Robicheaux. Unsurprisingly, it's terrific.

I will post more about this on my return to New Zealand in the New Year. In the meantime, have you read any of the Dave Robicheaux novels? What do you think of him as a character, a detective? Who are some of your favourite longstanding detectives? What other 'origins' books should I have in my series. Comments appreciated.

Greg McGee flattered, but denies he's Alix Bosco

Apologies for the lack of blog activity - I am travelling through Vietnam with little to no Internet access. Hope you have all been having a wonderful lead-up to Xmas and the holiday season.

Onto the crime fiction stuff - as many of you who regularly read this blog will know, there has been a fair bit of speculation over the past few months as to the identity of pseudonymed New Zealand thriller writer 'Alix Bosco', speculation that only increased when the author became a finalist, then won, the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel. There have been many rumours about possible identities, and one recurring one centres on acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Greg McGee (pictured). In the current (Summer) edition of Book Notes, the magazine of the New Zealand Book Council, McGee addresses the rumours at the end of an article looking at some recent thrillers. You can read his article, including his comments about Alix Bosco, his/her thrillers (McGee has been part of the team adapting CUT & RUN for television), etc, here.

Hat tip to the always-excellent Graham Beattie for the heads-up on the Book Notes article (I'm a little out of the loop over here in SE Asia).

Merry Xmas to all, wherever you may be in this wonderful world of ours. Hope you enjoy some great holiday reading!

Crime Wave: New Zealand highlighted by prestigious current affairs magazine (read in full online)

The excellent recent New Zealand Listener article on the Ngaio Marsh Award and New Zealand crime fiction is now available to be read in full online. Click on the image above to read, or here.

Comments and feedback welcome. And yes, it is me looking all strange in the photo.

More 2010 Kiwi crime fiction: SMILING JACK by Ken Catran

Earlier this year I introduced Crime Watch readers to a debutant Kiwi author who wrote crime/thriller fiction for young adults; Palmerston North Boys' High physics teacher Ken Benn, whose debut LETHAL DELIVERIES is intended to be the first in a trilogy.

Soon afterwards I discovered that well-known New Zealand writer Ken Catran had also written some young adult books with a crime fiction bent - I managed to get my hands on BLUE MURDER and a couple of his other young adult crime novels (which are sitting, waiting to be read, on my ever-burgeoning Kiwi crime fiction bookshelves at home).

Here's part of Catran's 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."

Catran, who has won nine writing awards and written close to fifty books, was also the 2007 recipient of the Margaret Mahy Award for services to children's literature. And this year he has released another mystery novel for young adults, SMILING JACK.

Here's his new book's 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 going to try and get my hands on a copy of SMILING JACK soon too. Good to see more and more New Zealand crime fiction (adult and young adult) being published.

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.

Upcoming Kiwi crime fiction: BOUND by Vanda Symon

As we hurtle towards the end of what has been a frantic 2010, it's only natural that we not only take time to reflect and look back on the year that's passed, and look ahead to what's on the horizon in 2011. When it comes to crime fiction, there are a few upcoming books that I am already really looking forward to reading in the new year.

One of those books is BOUND, the fourth Sam Shephard tale by Dunedin-based crime writer Vanda Symon. Our own modern Kiwi crime queen, and part of a growing Otago cadre of crime writers (alongside Paddy Richardson, Liam McIlvanney, and now Andrew Porteous), Symon looks to have put Shephard in all sorts of strife once again. And I can't wait to read it.

The cover for BOUND was publicised by Symon and Graham Beattie recently, and I've got to say that in my opinion it's one of the very best book covers for a New Zealand crime novel I've seen; striking, eye-catching, and evocative. While we've had some very talented writers here for a while, some of our New Zealand crime novel covers have been a little, well, 'blah', which is a shame. Not that you should judge a book by its cover, of course.

Here's the back-cover blurb:

"A brutal home invasion shocks the nation. A man is murdered, his wife bound, gagged and left to watch.

But when Detective Sam Shephard scratches the surface, the victim, a successful businessman, is not all he seems to be. And when the evidence points to two of Dunedin's most hated criminals, the case seems cut and dried... until the body count starts to rise.

Meanwhile, Sam is in big trouble again…"

You can read an extract of BOUND here, or by clicking on the book cover above. The book is due for release in New Zealand and Australia on 31 January.

Have you read any of Vanda Symon's crime novels? Are you looking forward to BOUND? What do you think of Sam Shephard as a character? Of Dunedin as a setting? Thoughts and comments appreciated.

Southeast Asian crime

Well, I've just arrived in Bangkok, and have a couple of hours to kill before Helen arrives from London. So of course I hit the bookstores in the airport. I've picked myself up a couple of 'locally'-set crime/thriller novels to read on my Bangkok/Cambodia/Vietnam travels over the next couple of weeks; BANGKOK HAUNTS by John Burdett (one of my favourite 'new to me' authors of 2010), and PHNOM PENH EXPRESS by Johan Smits - a book I came across thanks to some Internet surfing earlier in the week.

The cool thing about BANGKOK HAUNTS is that it is set in both Bangkok (where I am now) and Cambodia (where I'm heading on Tuesday). Cool.

Looking forward to reading them both.

PS Crime Watch will become a little more irregular over the coming month, just the sporadic post now and then as I'm traversing Southeast Asia. But we'll be back bigger and better in 2011, don't you worry.

Local and international crime featured in the New Zealand Listener's 100 Best Books of 2010

Last year, you might recall, I was a little disappointed at the relative lack of crime, mystery or thriller fiction titles, New Zealand or international, in the annual 100 Best Books list put out by the New Zealand Listener magazine. Especially as there were several very good crime novels that came out, and despite its literary leanings, the Listener had listed crime novels, including New Zealand crime novels, in the past, such as those of Paul Cleave and Vanda Symon.

As I said last year, 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 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.

Well, this week the 2010 100 Best Books List has been published (in the issue pictured), and I am very pleased to say that there are several crime fiction titles amongst the 'best books' of the year, according to the reviewing team of the Listener. The crime fiction titles on the list are:

• BLACKLANDS by Belinda Bauer
• BLOOD MEN by Paul Cleave
• THE FALLEN by Ben Sanders
• HUNTING BLIND by Paddy Richardson
• THE REVERSAL by Michael Connelly
• SURRENDER by Donna Malane

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.

Listen to my Plains FM radio interview about New Zealand crime fiction and the Ngaio Marsh Award

Last week, the day after the announcement of Alix Bosco's CUT & RUN as the inaugural winner of the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, I was interviewed live on air on Plains FM, a Canterbury radio station, about the creation and future of the Award, what books might be in the running for next year, and New Zealand crime fiction in general.

You can listen to the short (8mins) interview by clicking on the logo above, or here.

It's my first ever radio interview, so any feedback is welcomed. What books do you think might be in the running for the 2011 Ngaio Marsh Award? Have you read any Kiwi crime writers? What have you thought? Who are your favourites? Are New Zealanders a bit reticent at appreciating our creative people, compared to our sportspeople?

Travel crime: reading 'local' mystery fiction while you're travelling to exotic and different locations

Well, later this week I'm off on my Christmas/summer holiday (while some of you are enjoying a traditional white Xmas, it is of course summer down in this part of the world). Early Saturday morning I hop on a flight to Bangkok, via Brunei, to start three and a bit weeks of touring around Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It should be terrific. I'd say 'all going to plan', but let's be honest, some of the very best travel memories and stories come from the off-plan moments.

Over the past couple/few years, as I've been doing lots of travel, I've started to look for crime fiction set in the locations I'm travelling - preferably written by locals, where possible. Last year I spent Christmas in Germany, and read SELF'S MURDER by Bernhard Schlink (translated from the German). While travelling through Egypt in December and January, I picked up a copy of THE ANUBIS SLAYINGS by PC Doherty, and read that. And when stopping over in the Kuala Lumpur airport on the way home, I went searching for Malaysian crime fiction. Finding none, I settled for BANGKOK EIGHT by John Burdett (I had spent about 30mins in Bangkok airport too) - a very fortuitious purchase - it was excellent.

So, with a Thailand/Cambodia/Vietnam itinerary on the cards, I've been wondering about crime fiction set in Southeast Asia. Clearly Burdett is an uber-terrific option when it comes to evoking a rich sense of Bangkok and Thailand. But what about Cambodia and Vietnam? Are there any local authors with books in English translation? Are there any English-speaking authors who've set good or great crime novels there?

A quick surf of the Internet, and I haven't come up with much so far, to be honest. In terms of Cambodia, it seems one of my favourite 'new to me' authors of 2010, Shamini Flint, will set her upcoming Inspector Singh tale there (A DEADLY CAMBODIAN CRIME SPREE), but that doesn't come out until April next year - so I'll be waiting a little while.

With a bit more digging, I came across a thriller novel set in Cambodia's capital, released earlier this year: PHNOM PENH EXPRESS by Johan Smits, a Belgian author who has been living for several years in Cambodia as an ex-pat. I'm quite excited about this one, especially by some comparisons to Burdett. Apparently PHNOM PENH EXPRESS is available from Monument Books in Phnom Penh, so I'll have to see if I can arrange a little detour while we're in the city, if I can't get my hands on it beforehand. You can read more about PHNOM PENH EXPRESS here.

UPDATE: According to Smit's Facebook page for the book, it is now available in Thailand as well, including from Bangkok airport - so I will try to get my hands on a copy before I enter Cambodia. I have a few hours to kill in the airport until Helen arrives from London anyway.

When it comes to Vietnam, well, I'm not quite as sure. You'd think there'd be plenty of crime and thriller novels set there. There are certainly many crime fiction heroes with a connection to Vietnam, often as returned GIs (eg Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, who was a "tunnel rat"), but what about crime fiction actually set in Vietnam? I guess Graham Greene's THE QUIET AMERICAN is something of a possibility? Any other suggestions?

Crime on the rise: Herald on Sunday feature on the Ngaio Marsh Award, New Zealand crime fiction, and me (gulp)

On Sunday the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, along with your Crime Watch host, was featured in the Books section of the Herald on Sunday, one of New Zealand's biggest, and best (according to the Qantas Media Awards), newspapers. It's great to see New Zealand crime fiction getting more of this kind of coverage recently (eg the likewise excellent features in the New Zealand Listener, The Press and The Dominion Post, and the Sunday-Star-Times).

I was interviewed, and the article was written, by Books Editor Nicky Pellegrino, who is herself an acclaimed author of bestselling novels (eg Delicious, The Italian Wedding, Recipe for Life) that have been sold in 14 countries and translated into 10 languages. She is also a freelance writer and former editor of the Women's Weekly (she's just stepped back into that role on an interim basis too). You can read a review of her latest novel, RECIPE FOR LIFE, here.

It's a very good article (if a little too focused on me), and hopefully some of you will find it interesting. I'd just add one minor correction - Paul Cleave has of course sold several hundred thousand novels in Germany, not several thousand. Sometimes I mumble.

You can now read the full article on the New Zealand Herald website, by clicking on the image above, or here. Oh, and the books I'm holding with the award - HUNTING BLIND by Paddy Richardson, THE FALLEN by Ben Sanders, SURRENDER by Donna Malane, CAPTURED by Neil Cross, SLAUGHTER FALLS by Alix Bosco and BLOOD MEN by Paul Cleave - are some (but not all) of the 2010 Kiwi crime and thriller novels that could be in the running for next year's award. The future looks bright for New Zealand crime fiction. Perhaps I should have worn shades.

What do you think of the article? Have you read more New Zealand crime novels in recent times? Who are some of your favourite authors/books? Who are your favourites for the 2011 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel? Thoughts and comments appreciated.

Dunedin author's debut crime novel launched in UK

Last month I shared how budding Dunedin crime writer Andrew Porteous had won the crime section of the Kinglake competition (one at least four New Zealanders to win unpublished author competitions with crime or suspense novels in 2010), and would soon have his debut novel A POLITICAL AFFAIR published in the UK.

I'm pleased to report that A POLITICAL AFFAIR is now available from Amazon.co.uk for a very reasonable price. Here is the blurb: "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. You can buy A POLITICAL AFFAIR from Amazon.co.uk here.

MURDER IN THE SECOND ROW: another 2010 Kiwi crime fiction debut!

I was trawling around the Internet in the past couple of days, looking for some New Zealand crime fiction-related content, when I stumbled upon another New Zealand-based author who had published a debut murder mystery this year.

Bev Robitaille is a photographer for publications in New Zealand and overseas and a freelance writer for magazines like Next. Born in the UK, she has lived on Auckland's North Shore for 12 years, and spent the prior two decades in Nelson (my hometown). Her first crime novel, MURDER IN THE SECOND ROW, was launched at the Theatre Royal in Nelson earlier this year (the eagle-eyed among you will have noted the name discrepency on the book jacket - Robitaille has published her murder mystery under the name Bev Robitai). Here is the blurb for the debut mystery:

"There are many things that can go wrong between casting a show and Opening Night. Finding a body in the second row is just one of them.

Jessica Jones is well aware that the old Regent Theatre is at crisis point. As theatre manager she is responsible for most of the productions staged there, and this show is the last chance to prove that the place can make enough money to be worth saving.

Rehearsals begin, and it’s not long before hot little Tamara Fitzpatrick is distracting all the guys under 70 with her wicked ways. Someone disapproves, and Tamara is found dead in the auditorium after the promotional photoshoot.

Now Jessica has to cope with finding a replacement for Tamara, and finding a new rehearsal venue. And as if life wasn’t complicated enough, Jack Matherson, the police officer heading the investigation, seems to be taking an unusual interest in her."

There is of course a great tradition of mixing murder mysteries and the theatre. Our very own Dame Ngaio Marsh, who was awarded her "damery" for services to theatre - she played a strong role in resurrecting the flagging theatre scene in New Zealand, set several of her Inspector Alleyn mysteries in theatre-related locations. I am currently reading MURDER IN THE SECOND ROW, having purchased an ebook copy on Smashwords (a good option for overseas readers of Crime Watch; it's available at a very reasonable price there).

For those in New Zealand who'd like a hard copy of the book, I understand that Borders Albany is stocking the book, and it is also available for order from online booksellers Wheelers.

It's great to see more New Zealand-written crime fiction hitting booksellers shelves (online and physical). Maybe it's just my skewed perspective, but I really do think we have something building here downunder, and its great to see.

Do you like the sound of MURDER IN THE SECOND ROW? Do you like murder mysteries set in the world of theatre? If you've read it, what do you think? Thoughts and comments welcome.

Good News: The Press Christchurch Writers Festival to stage mini-festival in May 2011!

As many of you will be aware, this year's The Press Christchurch Writers Festival, which was shaping up to be a truly terrific event packed with lots of great authors and sessions - including several crime fiction-related ones, and the scheduled presentation of the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel - had to be cancelled due to the Canterbury earthquake.

Usually the festival is run every two years. However, The Press Christchurch Writers Festival has now announced that it will stage a mini-festival from 6-8 May 2011 as a way of saying thank you to its loyal supporters. This is terrific news. Hopefully there will be a few crime fiction sessions in amongst the mini-festival line-up (three days instead of the usual four days).

"We are aware that while our audience understood our decision to cancel, there was also some disappointment that the event could not go ahead,'' says festival manager Marianne Hargreaves. "It was a very hard decision to make. So we're pleased to be able to announce new dates for 2011. We also expect to put on some of the sessions that had strong audience support in 2010.''

The 2011 mini-festival will be held at the Christchurch Art Gallery auditorium from May 6 to May 8. Some of the sessions expected to return from the 2010 programme include ‘Ladies a Plate’, ‘Your Skirt’s Too Short’ and ‘Speed Dating an Author’. There will also be new international guests, in association with the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival, who generously offered to help the Christchurch festival in the aftermath of the September earthquake, Hargreaves said. Popular events from the past, such as the schools programme and ‘Poetry for Lunch’, will also return.

From my perspective, I'm hoping that a couple/few crime fiction authors - both international and New Zealand - will be part of the new line-up. Perhaps the Auckland Festival, unlike recent years, may even take the opportunity to host an international crime fiction author or two in 2011 as well. That would certainly be fantastic.

What sort of events would you most like to see at the Christchurch Writers Festival in 2011?

The Weekend Herald's Top 5 Thrillers of 2010

Well, it's getting to that time of the year, where we start reflecting on the road travelled, before looking ahead to what the next year will bring. As we near Xmas and New Years, all the 'best of' lists for 2010 are being compiled and published, including several 'best books of the year' variants.

While The Press and the Dominion Post didn't include any crime novels, New Zealand or international, in their version of the best books of the year list in today's edition, the Canvas magazine of the Weekend Herald (who I write crime fiction-related reviews and interview-based features for, eg Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke and Val McDermid articles recently-ish) did have a 'best thrillers' part to their comprehensive best books feature.

The list of five top thrillers was compiled by regular Weekend Herald books reviewer Michelle Hewitson. Here are her choices:

• THIS BODY OF DEATH by Elizabeth George - DI Lynley's latest adventure;
• FLORENCE AND GILES by John Harding - troubling times in a spooky house;
• DANDY GILVER & THE PROPER TREATMENT OF BLOOD STAINS by Catriona McPherson - a whodunnit set in 1926;
• THE SHADOWS IN THE STREET by Susan Hill - the fifth Simon Serrailler book;
• TONY & SUSAN by Austin Wright - a woman reads her ex-husbands novel, and his story overtakes her life.

You can read Hewitson's full take on each of her choice's in print version of the Canvas magazine in this weekend's edition of the Weekend Herald.

What do you think of this list of top thrillers? Which have you read? What are you own personal stand-out crime or thriller titles from 2010?

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

Kia ora everyone. I hope you've all had a great week. It's been a very busy one down here, as we finally presented the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel. It was quite a journey from the first stirrings of the concept many, many months ago, to seeing the eventual award being presented to Louise Crisp of Penguin (accepting on behalf of an absent Alix Bosco, for the pseudonymed author's excellent debut, CUT & RUN) this week.

You can read more about the Ngaio Marsh Award result, including comments from the judges and Dame Ngaio's family, here. As you can imagine, there has been a fair bit of speculation following the announcement, about the potential identity of 'Alix Bosco'. Along with the discussions on Crime Watch earlier this year (read here), you can check out some more speculation (and comments from the authors agent) on Beattie's Book Blog here and here, and other theories or comments here, here and here.

Finalist Vanda Symon has also just published her thoughts on the evening, along with some photos, here. I will do the same shortly. It was fantastic to get a whole group of crime fiction writers and readers together in this way, and hopefully it will be the start of something even bigger down here in Aotearoa. Just wait for 2011.

But now, onto the weekly round-up. Once again there have been some more great crime fiction stories on the Internet this past week - from newspapers, magazines, and several of my fellow bloggers. As usual, I've listed a few that have caught my eye below. Hopefully you will all find an interesting article or post or two linked here, that you enjoy reading.

• Andy Martin of The Independent gets up close and personal with the man behind Jack Reacher, in an interesting feature interview ("Adventures of an over-reacher") with #1 bestseller Lee Child, who reinvented himself after being fired from British television.
• A team of reviewers in the Otago Daily Times takes a look at some recent crime fiction releases, including the latest books by Mark Billingham and Val McDermid.
• The Hartford Books Examiner shares a new Q&A with the crime writer credited as kickstarting the 'forensic' sub-genre that is so popular on books and screen now; Patricia Cornwell.
• Opinionated Canadian crime writer R. Scott Bakker speaks freely and doesn't hold back ("literature is dead", "I embrace the conventions of a genre and then I attack it with as much subversive material as I can get away with,” other shots taken at the CanLit scene and various books-related topics) in an interview with Jane Sims of the London Free Press.
• The Los Angeles Times takes a look at the bestselling TV-series inspired 'Castle' books.
• A Massachussetts-based micro-brewery has teamed up with a mystery writer for a unique promotion - a selection of limited edition beer bottles covered in a 12-part detective series label. Each ‘chapter’ of crime fiction is printed on a 22oz bottle of the recently-released India Pale Ale, telling the story of a 1920’s-inspired detective melodrama about a wealthy brewer and his intrigues…full of brewing references and industry puns.
• In a very interesting article, Meghan Casserly of Forbes blog profiles Kate White, editor in chief of Cosmopolitan, the world's biggest-selling women's magazine, who found ways amongst her hectic work and family schedule to also pursue her 'back-pocket dream' to be a mystery writer.
• Joann Alberstat of Canada's Chronicle-Herald reviews books by James Lee Burke, Janet Evanovich, and Val McDermid.

Do you agree with R. Scott Bakker that literature is dead? What do you think of Cosmo editor Kate White's theories and advice on finding the time to follow you 'back-pocket dream'? Will/have you read the Castle books? What do you think of the mystery serial beer label promotion? Thoughts and comments welcome.

Murder Down the Line: murder mystery dinner theatre at Nelson's historic Founders Park tonight and tomorrow

When I was back in Nelson earlier this week, visiting friends and family before heading to Christchurch for the presentation of the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award, I noticed a poster in a bookstore about an interesting dinner theatre event on this weekend.

Tonight and tomorrow night at Nelson's historic Founders Park, Nelson Repertory Theatre are performing 'Murder Down the Line', a classic 'Golden Age' murder mystery specially written for the 'stage' by Nelson local Penny Taylor and produced and directed by her husband, Gordon, who also plays the part of the train conductor (see Nelson Mail news story for more information).

According to the Nelson Mail, the audience will follow the action as it moves from setting to setting. "Beginning on the train, the action soon moves to the engine shed, where the murder is revealed, before a brief return to the train setting and a break for dinner – during which the characters continue in their roles – before an exciting conclusion. In true Christie style, after supper the murderer will be revealed, with a prize going to the first correct guess."

Founders Park is a charming heritage park in Nelson (my childhood hometown), that evokes "life as it was in Nelson in the 1880s to 1930s". You can read more about Founders Park at the Nelson City Council website here. So this fun setting should make for a very intriguing and enjoyable night out. Wish I could be there. I suggest any crime fiction fans in or around Nelson, especially those who are fans of Ngaio Marsh or Agatha Christie-esque classic murder mysteries, head along tonight or tomorrow for what promises to be a good show.

Murder Down the Line: a supper theatre event,

Friday and Saturday December 3-4 at 7pm,

tickets $27, dinner included.

For tickets and further information:

phone Gordon and Penny on 03 545 1765 or email gordonandpenny@actrix.co.nz

'Secret’ author wins inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award

AN AUTHOR who is herself a mystery has scooped New Zealand’s first-ever crime fiction award. ‘Alix Bosco’, the crime writing pseudonym for a “successful writer in other media” was announced as the winner of the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, for her debut thriller Cut & Run, at the conclusion of the popular Whodunnit and Whowunnit? event in Christchurch on Tuesday 30 November 2010.

“Cut & Run is a great page-turning thriller, filled with characters of depth and complexity, set right here in New Zealand,” said Judging Convenor Craig Sisterson. “It was a tough decision for the judges, given the high quality of the finalists, but Bosco’s debut is a worthy winner of the first-ever Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, which recognises the best of our contemporary crime writers, while also honouring the memory of one of our country’s true literary legends, who we have at times overlooked or underappreciated in the past.”

Cut & Run centres on Auckland-based heroine Anna Markunas, a middle-aged legal researcher who has been easing herself back into work after suffering several family tragedies. She finds herself investigating the circumstances of a celebrity murder for a defence lawyer friend, and puts herself in grave danger when she suspects a rugby star killed in the arms of a beautiful socialite wasn’t simply the victim of a drug deal gone wrong.

The judging panel said Cut & Run was “complex and suspenseful with fully rounded, unique characters” and had “scenes and incidents which are jaw-droppingly good”. “I was immediately struck by the likeability and realism of the central character,” said one international judge. “She is a breath of fresh air in the crime genre, being a middle-aged woman with both flaws and considerable intelligence. The book was beautifully paced. I found it hard to put down.” Bosco did a “superb job” integrating her heroine’s personal and domestic life into a compelling thriller, “a rare feat”, said another international judge.

John Dacres-Mannings, the nephew of Dame Ngaio Marsh, sent a message praising the establishment of New Zealand’s own crime fiction award, and congratulating everyone involved. “I congratulate all the finalists for what sounds to be a very high standard of detective story writing. I know that Dame Ngaio would be so proud of all the entrants, and to know that her name is associated with the award.”

Bosco won a distinctive handcrafted trophy designed and created by New Zealand sculptor and Unitec art lecturer Gina Ferguson, a selection of 22 Ngaio Marsh-related books from HarperCollins, and a cheque for $500 from the Christchurch Writers Festival Trust.

The award was accepted on Bosco's behalf by Louise Crisp of Penguin, Bosco's publisher (see photo left).

New Zealand television audiences may also soon be able to view Bosco’s award-winning story on screen, with Cut & Run having been optioned by Screenworks for production as a television mini-series. Chris Hampson of Screenworks confirmed that the mini-series based on Cut & Run has been scripted, actress Robyn Malcolm has been cast as Anna Markunas, and a great crew has been confirmed.

For more information, please contact:
Craig Sisterson: craigsisterson@hotmail.com or (021) 184 1206