ODT picks THE SILENT GIRL as 'Crime Thriller of the Year'

Over the past few weeks there have been plenty of 'best of'' types of articles, reviews, and posts on blogs, newspapers and websites (online and in print). Of course, it is that time of year when we look back at what has passed, and try to distil all that has been read, said, and done into pithy comments and lists. Not that there is anything wrong with that - it's always good to pause and reflect, and the end of the year/start of the new year certainly provides an opportune time. While I haven't created any such lists or shared my thoughts about my 2011 crime fictionr reading (yet) here on Crime Watch, I've certainly pondered what I liked, loved, disliked and was indifferent to or underwhelmed by in terms of the 100 books I read in 2011.

It's also fascinating to see how other people felt about the books that we've read ourselves (in previous years one of my 'most underwhelming' books of the year has gone on to win a UK crime writing prize, for instance). One book that I read and enjoyed in 2011 has just got a big rap from a New Zealand newspaper; THE SILENT GIRL by Tess Gerritsen has been named 'best crime thriller of the year' by the Otago Daily Times' specialist reviewer Geoff Adams. You can read Adams' thoughts on the book here.

While it wasn't my personal 'thriller of the year', I did very much enjoyed reading THE SILENT GIRL, and certainly preferred it to the previous Gerritsen book I'd read, THE KILLING PLACE.

I gave THE SILENT GIRL 4 out of 5 stars in a review for Good Reading magazine in Australia, saying:

"The Silent Girl is Gerritsen’s first novel (of 23) to address her own Asian-American heritage in any way, and it’s all the better for it. An intriguing, layered setting, bewitching new characters, and insights into the lives of immigrants and minorities all add extra interest to the usual page-turning mystery plots and compelling heroines we’ve come to expect ..."

I also had the pleasure and privilege of interviewing Gerritsen about writing the novel for the New Zealand Herald (read article here), and meeting the author while she was touring New Zealand in August last year (see picture, right).

Have you read THE SILENT GIRL? What did you think? What was your favourite thriller of 2011?

LETHAL REFUGE by Vonnie Hughes

Earlier this month, I noted that while I'd gone on holiday over the Xmas break, Kiwi crime fiction had not, with the publication of John Ling's debut political thriller THE BLASPHEMER in late December.

Ling was not the only Kiwi author to publish a crime, mystery, thriller or suspense novel over the holiday period, however, with Vonnie Hughes (a New Zealander who now lives in Australia) releasing LETHAL REFUGE on Amazon on 15 December. It is available in Kindle and paperback editions.

The novel was officially published by Wild Rose Press this month:

LETHAL REFUGE is set in New Zealand. Celie Francis is plunged into the witness protection program (the Unit) after witnessing the aftermath of a murder. There, she is expected to trust complete strangers with her life, and trust is not something Celie does well after being abandoned as a child.

Brand Turner, the psychologist for the Unit, demands trust from the relocatees so he can ease them into their new identities, but someone inside the Unit is leaking information. He and Celie are menaced and they go on the run. Should Celie trust Brand with her life?

You can read more about Vonnie Hughes and her writing at her website here.

The Return of the King?

Next month Paul Thomas, one of the biggest names in Australasian crime fiction from the 1990s, returns to the crime writing stage with DEATH ON DEMAND, his first crime novel in a decade, and his first novel to feature Detective Tito Ihaka in 15 years.

Thomas won the inaugural Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Novel with his second novel, INSIDE DOPE, in 1995. In an overview of Australian crime writing (Thomas lived in Sydney for a time), Michael Pollack and Margaret MacNabb wrote about Thomas’ early novels, saying: "These comic novels leave the reader laughing, that’s for sure. The sparkling dialogue, absurd situations and all the crackling one-liners are pure entertainment. But there is always the shadow of doubt falling over the page…After reading Paul Thomas… one never reads a newspaper or watches a television newscast with the quite the same degree of innocence again."

You can read more about him and his crime writing history here.

In late 2010, Thomas's first three crime novels were republished as THE IHAKA TRILOGY, and I commented at the time that this was hopefully a sign that perhaps Thomas - who is also an acclaimed newspaper columnist and the author of several bestselling sports biographies - was considering a return to the crime writing page. As it turns out, that was true. DEATH ON DEMAND will be released on 28 February.

Here's a backcover blurb:

These days Maori cop Tito Ihaka is leading a quieter life in the Wairarapa. Five years earlier he'd sought to step into the shoes of his long-time boss Detective Inspector Finbar McGrail after the latter's promotion to Auckland District Commander. Dogged by the fall-out from his handling of the hit and run death of a prominent businesswoman, Ihaka was overlooked for a younger, more presentable candidate. After a men's room confrontation with his new boss's right-hand man, Ihaka was sent into exile.

Out of the blue McGrail summons him back to Auckland. Christopher Lilywhite, the businesswoman's terminally ill husband whom Ihaka suspected was behind his wife's death, wants to see him. Lilywhite confesses that he had his wife murdered, but he dealt with the hit-man at arm's length so has no idea who he is. In quick succession Lilywhite and another potential source of information are murdered.

Ihaka's old rival Detective Inspector Tony Charlton takes control of the case but with more corpses turning up and Auckland Central stretched to breaking point, he agrees to let Ihaka investigate the apparently unrelated murder of a young man about town. As the investigations expand uncovering a blackmail operation preying on married women, gang activities controlled from inside Paremeremo prison and possible police corruption, Ihaka realises that the cases are related and he's hunting a faceless and prolific hit-man. Or is the hit-man hunting him?

I was fortunate enough to read an advance version last month, and it's a rip-roaring read, packed with action and interesting characters. Without a doubt, it's great to see Ihaka back on the page.

I'll publish a full review once the book is published. In the meantime, keep an eye out for DEATH ON DEMAND. The return of Thomas certainly bolsters an already impressive line-up of contemporary Kiwi crime writers in recent years.

Eleanor Catton discusses her historical, astrological, murder mystery

A few years ago, young Kiwi author Eleanor Catton (who was born in Canada while her New Zealand father was studying there) burst onto the literary scene with her debut novel, THE REHEARSAL, which dealt with the reactions to an affair between a male teacher and a secondary school student, contrasted with the more muted response to the death of another student.

Over the couple of years after the novel's initial publication in 2007, Catton's star continued to rise and rise, as she was awarded a Writers' Fellowship to Iowa University, won the UK-based Betty Trask Award, the Montana Best First Book Award (in New Zealand), was shortlisted for The Guardian First Book Award, and longlisted for the Orange Prize, amongst other accolades and acclaim.

Late last year I stumbled across an interesting note online suggesting that Catton's second novel, which she was then working on, might include something of a murder mystery. Understandably, this piqued my interest.

Now Catton has been interviewed by the Book Council about her upcoming second novel, THE LUMINARIES, which is set in the Gold Rush era of New Zealand, in the 1860s (side note - this was named one of the 'hot books' being sold at the Frankfurt Book Fair late last year).

You can read that interview, where Catton talks about why she believes history should be strange, her (changing?) views on astrology, and the most inventive murder mysteries she's read, HERE.

A royal flush of crime writers at NZIAF

Yesterday, the programme for the upcoming 2012 New Zealand International Arts Festival's Writers and Readers Week was officially launched, and it contains a royal flush of crime writers - five world-class crime writers from here and abroad are on the programme. As already discussed here on Crime Watch, Norwegian crime king Jo Nesbo and acclaimed Scottish crime writer Denise Mina will be visiting for the Festival. Now it has also been officially announced that there will be a New Zealand crime fiction event featuring Paul Cleave, Vanda Symon and Paul Thomas, and also that Denise Mina will be appearing twice - once in a solo event, and once with American author Ron Rash, talking about how "place plays a vital and affecting role in their writing".

Click here to see the full line-up of events.

There are some terrific non-crime writing events too, but for all you crime-loving readers out there, here are the crime fiction related events at the Writers and Readers Week:

• Saturday 10 March 2012 - 2pm - Denise Mina: Tartan Noir, Scottish crime
• Saturday 10 March 2012 - 5pm - Jo Nesbo: Norwegian crime (note: there will also be a screening of the HEADHUNTERS film that evening, see my post from yesterday)
• Sunday 11 March 2012 - 9.30am - Denise Mina and Ron Rash: Examining Place
• Sunday 11 March 2012 - 11am - Paul Cleave, Vanda Symon, Paul Thomas: New Zealand crime

It's great to see the New Zealand International Arts Festival (along with a few other local arts and books festivals) embracing the crime fiction part of the books world in such a way. Hopefully the events get some great audiences, as I'm sure the sessions will be quite intriguing (Disclosure of interest - I'm involved with a couple of them as chair).

Jo Nesbø: full New Zealand tour details

Last year on Crime Watch I shared the great news that terrific Norwegian crime fiction superstar Jo Nesbø would be coming to New Zealand in March 2012, including as part of the New Zealand International Arts Festival in Wellington. As I said last year, Jo Nesbø would also be doing events in Auckland, Christchurch and Wanaka. I'm now pleased to share the full tour itinerary for Nesbø's visit, which includes a number of events, along with premiere screenings of the film adaptation of HEADHUNTERS. Great stuff!

Here's the full run-down from Random House, his New Zealand publisher:

Catch Jo Nesbo in NZ!

The über-cool Norwegian thriller writer, Jo Nesbo, is touring Down Under in March. He’s here to promote the Feb release of Phantom, his new Harry Hole thriller and the NZ release of film adaptation of Headhunters!

Tuesday 6 March – Auckland

• 12:30pm - 1:00pm: BOOK SIGNING ― Whitcoulls, cnr Queen St & Victoria St
• 6:00pm - 8:00pm: EVENT – Jo Nesbo in conversation with Graham Beattie followed by book signing, Event Tickets: http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/ and search for Jo Nesbo Interview & Book Signing Venue: Rialto, Broadway, Newmarket
• 8:30pm HEADHUNTERS MOVIE PREVIEW with a brief intro from Jo Nesbo, Movie tickets: For event details and booking information visit http://www.rialto.co.nz/, Venue: Rialto Cinemas, Broadway, Newmarket

Wednesday 7 March – Christchurch

• 1:15pm - 1:30pm: BOOK SIGNING – Riccarton Whitcoulls, Riccarton Mall
• 2:00pm - 2:15pm: BOOK SIGNING – Merivale Paper Plus, Merivale Mall
• 5:30pm - 7:30pm: EVENT – The Press Literary Liaison presents Jo Nesbo in conversation with Ken Strongman, Tickets available from 14 February through The Press. Please check the paper for details
• 8:30pm: HEADHUNTERS MOVIE PREVIEW with a brief intro from Jo Nesbo. Movie tickets: For event details and booking information visit http://www.rialto.co.nz/. Venue: The Palms, Reading Cinema, Shirley

Thursday 8 March – Wanaka

• 6:00pm: EVENT – An evening with Jo Nesbo. Tickets available through PaperPlus, Wanaka from 14 February. Please call 03 443 7532. Venue: Paradiso Cinema
• 8:30pm: HEADHUNTERS MOVIE PREVIEW with a brief intro from Jo Nesbo. Movie tickets: For event details and booking information visit http://www.rialto.co.nz/. Venue: Paradiso Cinema

Saturday 10 March – Wellington

• 2:30pm - 2:45pm: BOOK SIGNING – Whitcoulls, Lambton Quay
• 5:00pm - 7:00pm: EVENT – International Readers & Writers Festival presents Jo Nesbo in conversation with Craig Sisterson. Tickets & information.Venue: Embassy Theatre, 10 Kent Tce, City
• 8:00pm: HEADHUNTERS MOVIE PREVIEW with a brief intro from Jo Nesbo. Venue: Embassy Theatre, 10 Kent Tce, City. Tickets & information: http://www.rialto.co.nz/. Venue: Embassy, Kent Tce, Wellington

So there's plenty of chances to meet one of global crime fiction's biggest stars this March.

Have you read Jo Nesbø? Will you be going to any of the events?

Review: BEHIND THE HOOD

BEHIND THE HOOD by Marita A. Hansen

Reviewed by John Ling

I first encountered Marita A. Hansen when we bumped into each other on Goodreads. Goodreads, of course, is the largest networking site for readers and writers. And we immediately connected because we're both Kiwis writing urban fiction set in New Zealand.

On impulse, I picked up her novel, Behind The Hood, even though she didn't ask me to.

And, in hindsight, I'm glad I did.

Behind The Hood is tough, gritty and uncompromising. The kind of story that I like to call 'faction'. Where razor-sharp realism reinforces a propulsive narrative that's so gut-wrenchingly harrowing, it can only have come from the mind and soul of someone who's actually been there and done that.

Marita, you see, grew up in Manurewa. So she understands intimately and instinctively what it means to be young and desperate in a South Auckland ghetto. And she hammers her point home with prose that's punchy, gritty and unsentimental. It's incredibly precise in the the way it examines the minutiae of street life; the daily beats of the turf wars; the struggles of the underclass. Think George Pelecanos and Richard Price -- but executed with a Kiwi flair and sensibility. And if I had to compare Behind The Hood to celluloid, I would say it most closely resembles The Wire. It's not just sharp and compelling drama; it's a sociology class wrapped up in down-and-dirty observation.

This is incendiary stuff that slashes at your soul with all the power of a switchblade. And if only our politicians could read it, they would break down, weep and get their act together.

Behind the Hood is a hard-boiled story that's frighteningly authentic. So don't read it because you want to. Read it because you have to.

It's available now as an e-book and paperback from Amazon.

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John Ling is the Amazon best-selling author of THE BLASPHEMER. You can find out more about him and his work at www.johnling.net.

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Have you read BEHIND THE HOOD? Does it sound like the kind of book that would interest you? What do you think of John's review? Do you know any other recent New Zealand crime novels, print or ebook, that should be featured on Crime Watch? Comments appreciated.

Jane Campion to helm New Zealand-set thriller series

The Mountain Scene newspaper has revealed that acclaimed film director Jane Campion will soon begin filming a six-part thriller TV series near Queenstown. The fictional six-part series called Top of the Lake centres around a 12-year-old girl who is five months pregnant and goes missing under mysterious circumstances.

Oscar winner Holly Hunter (Saving Grace) and Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) will feature, along with Australian and New Zealand cast members. Campion has said about the project that: “It’s a detective story that’s very much influenced by the landscape around Glenorchy and explores ideas about paradise and community".

Campion, who has a long and illustrious career, is perhaps most famous for winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes, and the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Piano (which starred Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, and a young Anna Paquin - Hunter and Paquin also winning Oscars for Best Actress and Supporting Actress, respectively). Campion was only the second female director ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director (she remains one of only four female nominees ever in history).

Her most recent film was the acclaimed Bright Star (2009), about the poet John Keats.

I'm looking forward to seeing what a quality storyteller like Campion, bolstered by the likes of Hunter and the Central Otago scenery and atmosphere, will come up with for a television thriller series.

"Sharp, original and clever": Dame Kidman praises Kiwi crime

I just stumbled over something interesting today - in a recent article in the Sunday Star-Times, one of New Zealand's most popular newspapers, fifty New Zealanders - from sportspeople to actors to musicians to comedians to everyday folk - were asked what they were most optimistic about for the coming year. In amongst those fifty New Zealanders was 71-year-old Dame Fiona Kidman (pictured), a doyenne of the New Zealand literary scene. Dame Fiona, who amongst many accolades over a long and stellar career has been awarded both the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Artes et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) and the Légion d’Honneur (French Legion of Honour) by the French government.

Dame Fiona is a leading contemporary novelist, poet, short story writer and scriptwriter. She is the President of Honour of the New Zealand Book Council, and has been a judge for the Commonwealth Fiction Prize. Her bibliography includes almost 30 books and more than 60 film, TV, and radio scripts. Her latest short story collection, THE TROUBLE WITH FIRE, was released in 2011 and spent several months on the bestseller list. Her book, THE BOOK OF SECRETS, has continuously been in print for the past 25 years. In short, Dame Fiona is one of the pillars of the New Zealand literary community.

So, why I am so excited about stumbling across Dame Fiona's reasons for optimism for 2012? Well, because Dame Fiona noted the burgeoning New Zealand crime fiction scene. "I am more optimistic, more buoyant, than I can recall, about the future of good local fiction," said Dame Fiona to the Sunday Star-Times. "While my own past year felt positive, my work was in the company of so many wonderful novels and short-story collections that it seems as if New Zealand writers are finding a collective voice that roars. New Zealand crime writing is the new noir here and abroad; sharp, original and clever. As readers increasingly engage with historical fiction, writers are rising to the challenge of providing work of real literary quality in the genre. I predict another great year." (emphasis added).

When a literary voice of this stature gives a nod to the quality of local crime writing, well, perhaps things really are beginning to change down here. Thank you Dame Fiona, for putting a big smile on my face.

Plenty of internationals up for Edgar Award

Earlier today (NZT), the Mystery Writers of America announced the nominees for the 2012 Edgar Allan Poe Awards (the 'Edgars'), honoring the best in mystery fiction and nonfiction. The winners will be announced at a gala banquet on April 26 in New York. A quick skim of the main award (Best Novel) nominees reveals that non-US authors feature strongly this year:

• The Ranger by Ace Atkins;
• Gone by Mo Hayder;
• The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino;
• 1222 by Anne Holt;
• Field Gray by Philip Kerr.

By my calculation, that's an American author, a British author, a Japanese author, a Norwegian author, and a British author who sets his books in wartime Germany/Europe. So quite the geographical spread compared to most years, for a US-based award that is considered 'the Oscar of the crime writing world'.

I haven't read any of those five novels, although I have all but THE RANGER and 1222 on my TBR shelf at home, waiting to be read (I have a different Anne Holt book as well). So I can't given any thoughts on what book might be most deserving, or the favourite etc. As always, some very good books have missed out. I thought I might see Jo Nesbo's name there - he has previously been nominated for NEMESIS, and THE SNOWMAN and THE LEOPARD - both arguably better novels - were both released in the USA in 2011, so I would have thought might have featured. Also, James Lee Burke's FEAST DAY OF FOOLS has been lauded by many, and even the author himself thinks it might be his best book ever (which is an incredibly high bar), so I thought he might get some further recognition - although he seems to have been overlooked by the Edgars in recent years, in favour of newer and lesser-known authors (he has one the Award twice before).

Unfortunately there is also no nomination for Luther, even though the first series won last year's television Edgar, and many consider the second series as good or better (and Idris Elba just won a Golden Globe for the second series). However the five nominated TV shows - Blue Bloods, Justified, Whitechapel, Homeland, and Law & Order: SVU are all quality shows too. I would have maybe had Luther and Sons of Anarchy there somewhere - both have excellent writing - but that's the way these things go with awards ceremonies.

Have you read any of the five novels nominated for the Best Novel Edgar? Which is your pick to win?

You can read the full list of nominees, courtesy of Shots Mag!, here.

"A fair and balanced account of ... the Islamic world today"

Earlier this month, I noted that Malaysian-born writer John Ling (pictured), who now lives in New Zealand and works at our national broadcaster TVNZ, released his debut thriller, THE BLASPHEMER on Amazon (Kindle) in late December.

Now an interesting interview with Ling by Lydia Koh of The Malaysian Insider has been published, talking about his debut thriller, and dealing with the politics and global issues entwined within it. Ling talks to Koh about how at times Muslims are treated as "a single monolithic block", while nothing could be further from the truth. Ling says THE BLASPHEMER, which his debut novel, but his second publication after a collection of short stories, is his attempt to "provide a fair and balanced account of what's really shaping the Islamic world today - the conflict between progressive Muslims and fundamentalist Muslims".

In the interview, Ling also shares more about the extensive research he did to ensure he dealt with the issues and the Muslim faith "in a way that's as authentic and respectful as possible", including reading the Koran, the hadith and other Muslim writings, and seeking out non-Malaysian academics to get insight into a particular strain of Islam (the central character is a Sufi Muslim who faces a death threat after he publishes a controversial book). Ling also contacted special forces personnel to gather insights for other characters.

Ling also shares some thoughts on how digital publishing is changing the author-reader relationship, the feedback he used in honing the final version of the book, and much more. You can read the full piece on the Malaysian Insider website here.

THE BLASPHEMER is currently available from Amazon Kindle exclusively for three months, but will be available from other outlets, such as Smashwords after that time.

On Amazon, the book comes complete with an afterword discussing the inspiration and background behind the story; two non-fiction essays on Islam and terrorism; and two bonus excerpts from other works-in-progress.

Idris Elba wins Golden Globe for Luther role

Congratulations to outstanding British actor Idris Elba, who yesterday (NZT) won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television award at the 2012 Golden Globe Awards.

Elba won the Award for his excellent performances as the complex and compelling DCI John Luther in the tremendous Neil Cross-created and written crime drama Luther (read my review of the first season DVD here). For me, Luther is one of the very best crime dramas of the past few years, and Elba's performances are riveting, so I'm very glad to see him deservedly recognised by the Golden Globes. Cross has created a terrifically layered character, which Elba has brought to life on screen in all his volcanic and volatile glory.

Elba beat out Hugh Bonneville, (Downton Abbey), William Hurt, (Too Big to Fail), Bill Nighy, (Page Eight), and his former The Wire co-star Dominic West (The Hour) to win the award.

Through Scarpetta's eyes: my interview with Patricia Cornwell (full online version)

Through Scarpetta’s eyes
Godmother of forensic fiction Patricia Cornwell talks to Craig Sisterson about fresh storytelling, transcendent ideas, and the possibility of seeing Kay Scarpetta onscreen

Not only is Patricia Cornwell not bored with Kay Scarpetta, her incredibly popular medical examiner heroine she first brought to the page more than twenty years and 100 million book sales ago, she feels her interest has been renewed over the last couple of books, including Red Mist, released in New Zealand this week. “Switching back to the first person perspective was quite important, because it gave me a renewed sense of energy,” says Cornwell, who credits Scarpetta and the way she looks at things as “the one thing I have that nobody else does”.

Cornwell, who discovered a fascination for crime writing when she was on the police beat as a young reporter in North Carolina – even going so far as to later take a job at the medical examiner’s office to learn more about “a world that most people had never seen” – says she aims to come up with something new or different from a forensic or investigative standpoint for each novel. In Red Mist, it is the type of killing which is unusual, if chillingly believable.

But while she may have sparked the forensic fiction ‘sub-genre’ that has since swept through books, TV, and film – opening up the world of pathology and autopsy to mass audiences – Cornwell says it is Scarpetta and her point of view, rather than forensics, that is really “the centrepiece” of her books. “How does she look at things, how does she work a case, how does she go about her business? It really is about this character.”

Despite Red Mist being her nineteenth Scarpetta tale, on top of five other thrillers, a children’s book, and four works of non-fiction, Cornwell says ideas are never an issue, thanks to her passion for research. “As long as I go out into the world and do things, as opposed to just sitting in my office and writing, there are so many things I can get ideas from.” Instead, the challenge is to tell a story that “is really fresh, interesting, and has a lot of energy”.

To do that, she looks for an idea that truly captivates her – “if I’m not interested in it, then you’re not going to be interested in it” – comparing the selection process to flicking through photos and finding the one that “just seems to leap out at you”, that transcends just being an image of something to be an art form with real life to it. “That’s the way I feel about an idea. I’ll be doing some kind of research, and all of a sudden it’s like the lights are brighter, and it gets bigger, and seems to leap out at you. It might be a weapon someone shows me, something someone says to me, an adventure I’ve gone on and something happens to me. It’s a feeling you get where something becomes bigger than itself.”

Red Mist, which sees Scarpetta travelling to Savannah, Georgia – a town draped in history and Spanish moss – to meet a high-security prisoner perhaps holding answers about the murder of her deputy, came from Cornwell wanting to put Scarpetta in a place she doesn’t belong, to see what happens. “It’s almost like she’s entering a very gothic world of swamps and marshlands and places that are isolated and remote. She’s out of her comfort zone. I just know that something really bad is going to happen, because she shouldn’t be there.”

While there is plenty of visual storytelling in Red Mist, a novel which shows Cornwell is back to her best, Scarpetta fans may soon get an even clearer visual representation of the popular heroine; Oscar winner Angelina Jolie is tabbed to play the fearless medical examiner in a big screen adaptation. Cornwell is cautiously hopeful this project – the latest in a long line of several attempts to bring Scarpetta to the screen – will come to fruition. “The very best people in the business are involved right now,” she says, noting an original screenplay is in the works. “I don’t want to count on it too much until there’s something really tangible, but it is the most optimistic I’ve felt, and obviously when you have an actress of Angelina Jolie’s calibre, if she did it, it would be really amazing to see what she did with this character.”

Red Mist (Little, Brown, $39.99) is out now.

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This feature article was originally published in print in the 11 December 2011 issue of the Sunday Star-Times and is reprinted in full online here with permission

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Kiwi crime on the loose in 2012

It is great to see that local literary and arts festivals are increasingly embracing crime fiction, international and local, and including more and more crime writers amongst their event schedules.

We've had some terrific crime fiction events in the past couple of years, and things look to be going from strength to strength in 2012, with several large festivals having already announced or indicated that they will be including some great crime fiction events this year. Hopefully even more events will be added in the coming weeks and months.

First up on the festival front for lovers of crime writing is the 2012 Waikato Times Hamilton Garden Arts Festival, which kicks off next month. The Festival runs for the last couple of weeks of February, and consists of many terrific events, ranging from visual arts to music, comedy, film, theatre, dance, food and wine, and books. Held during what is often the best time of the New Zealand summer, it should be great.

There are four literary/books events at this year's festival, including a crime writing event on Sunday 19 February that features local crime writers of both the fictional and true crime persuasion. I have the pleasure of hosting/MCing the crime writing event. With five fantastic New Zealand writers in attendance, and at only $10 to attend, it's a complete steal:

Crime Writers
"Delve into the mind of crime"

Scott Bainbridge
New Zealand law means that all unsolved murder files are inaccessible for a period of 70 years. Even after this period, restricted access is rarely given. Bainbridge has been given unprecedented access to the police files for ten of New Zealand¹s most baffling unsolved murders.

Joan Rosier-Jones
In Joan's latest book, market gardener Chow Yat, lives on the outskirts of Whanganui in post-WWI New Zealand, a time of particularly rampant xenophobia. In 1922 this humble, hardworking Chinese man was brutally shot and the murder remained unsolved. Through sound enquiry Rosier-Jones single-handedly all but solves the case.

Ben Sanders
At 20 years of age, Ben Sanders fascination with crime fiction has paid off having just signed a two-book contract with HarperCollins Publishers. Ben's sophisticated and edgy writing style signals the emergence of a major new talent.

Vanda Symon
Vanda is the author of the Sam Shephard detective fiction series. Her latest novel Bound, went straight to number one in the New Zealand bestsellers lists.

Paul Cleave
At 24 Paul wrote The Killing Hour. A year later he wrote The Cleaner. In 2006, six years after it was written, The Cleaner was published. It became one of the biggest selling books ever to come out of New Zealand, picking up several international contracts within it's first year and introducing Joe, the 'loveable' serial killer who works at the Christchurch Police Department.

The Crime Writers event will be held at 5pm on Sunday 19 February 2012 at the Garden Terrace restaurant. Penny's Bookstore will be selling a range of the writers' books at the event.

I really hope to see some North Island-based Crime Watch readers and crime fiction fans there on the night. It should be a great evening! Thanks to the organisers of the 2012 Waikato Times Hamilton Garden Arts Festival for embracing local crime writing in such a great way.

Currently reading: ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL

Just popped into work (I'm not officially back until Thursday) and discovered a couple of books had been delivered in my festive season absence, including ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL by Declan Burke, which I'd ordered from Book Depository since it wasn't readily available here downunder. I really enjoy Burke's crime fiction-focused blog, and have been meaning to read some of his own crime fiction tales for a while now.

Here's a blurb for ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL:

Absolute Zero Cool is a post-modern take on the crime thriller genre. Adrift in the half-life limbo of an unpublished novel, hospital porter Billy needs to up the stakes. Euthanasia simply isn’t shocking anymore; would blowing up his hospital be enough to see Billy published, or be damned?

What follows is a gripping tale that subverts the crime genre’s grand tradition of liberal sadism, a novel that both excites and disturbs in equal measure. Absolute Zero Cool is not only an example of Irish crime writing at its best; it is an innovative, self-reflexive piece that turns every convention of crime fiction on its head.

Declan Burke’s latest book is an imaginative story that explores the human mind’s ability to both create and destroy, with equally devastating effects.

I'm looking forward to the read.

John Ling releases his debut thriller

Crime Watch may have been on a bit of a hiatus over the festive season, but it seems that New Zealand-written crime fiction certainly has not. Malaysian-born writer John Ling, who now lives in New Zealand and works at our national broadcaster TVNZ, released his debut thriller, THE BLASPHEMER on Amazon just after Xmas.

Here's the backcover blurb:

When Abraham Khan releases an e-book condemning radical Islam, the consequences hit him fast and hard — an armed fanatic smashes into his home one evening, trying to kill him. He survives the harrowing attempt. Just barely. But will he survive the next one?

Maya Raines is the security operator brought in to protect Abraham. She is tough and committed. The very best at what she does. Always one step ahead of the threat.

But Abraham is no ordinary principal — he will not hide, and he will not stay silent. And as rage explodes on the streets and the nation is propelled to the brink, Maya will have to ask herself the hardest question of all: how far would you go to protect one man’s right to speak?

You can visit Ling's website here, and read more about his debut novel, including an extract, here.

You can also read about the inspiration for the book, and the character of Abraham Khan (fyi, it's not Salman Rushdie, as some may think) at Ling's own blog here.