Currently reading....

Sworn to secrecy (in fact signed to secrecy, courtesy of a strict confidentiality agreement) about any of the content, until its release in the UK and New Zealand etc on 26 May 2011. I will just say that I am very much enjoying the book, and Deaver's take on Bond.

You can read some of the official publicity releases about the new Bond book here.

Review: SMILING JACK

SMILING JACK by Ken Catran (HarperCollins, 2010)

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

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. 

This is an intriguing young adult murder mystery that would be a terrific read for teenagers interested in crime/thriller tales, and can still be thoroughly enjoyed by adult readers too. Although it is of course a bit more 'basic' in terms of the storytelling than the adult crime novels I'm used to reading (being targeted at school-age readers), I was still caught up in Robert's predicament and small-town world. Catran has crafted a compelling page-turner, and creates a good narrative drive.

The story centres on Robert, a down-to-earth 18-year-old who suffers huge tragedy, which is then compounded by how he's treated by the townsfolk. Robert is likable and an easy character to follow and 'root for' in the story, especially given some of what he has to put up with.

Catran evokes a nice sense of place, bringing the rural area to life. Tucker is the type of small town where the locals all know each other, and each other's business - which isn't always a good thing.

I also enjoyed how Catran sprinkled some mythological, historical, and literary references throughout SMILING JACK, from Kipling's poetry to Beowulf. This added extra layers to the basic story.

Without giving too much away, there are plenty of twists along the way too. Overall SMILING JACK is an interesting read from a talented storyteller (who has written more than 50 books for children and young adults, won numerous awards, and had an Emmy nomination for his TV work).

Recommended for teenage readers looking to add some mystery and thrills to their reading.

Craig Sisterson is a lapsed lawyer who writes features for leading magazines and newspapers in several countries. 

CWA Young Crime Writers' Competition 2011 National Shortlist Revealed

The Crime Writers' Association has released the names of the 13 regional winners of its short story competition for young people age 18 and under. The young authors will now have to wait until National Crime Writing Week (13 - 19 June) when the name of the winner will be revealed.

The winning entrant will receive an exciting package of prizes, including the opportunity to meet and mingle with best selling crime writers at Crimefest 2012, an annual celebration of crime writing which takes place in Bristol. The final stage of the competition will be judged by Tom Harper, the 2010-11 Chair of the CWA, and multi-award winning crime writer Martin Edwards.

Those remaining in contention are:

• ‘A Cordial Encounter’ by Charlotte Gordon age 15 of Thurso
• ‘A Cushion Out Of Place’ by Claudia Hyde age 15 of London
• ‘The Photograph’ by George Neame age 15 of Bognor Regis
• ‘Reasons’ by Caroline Angus age 14 of Carlisle
• ‘A Girl I Once Knew’ by Beth Tucker age 15 of Newton Abbot
• ‘Reaction’ by Laura Aldworth-Beswick age 16 of Manchester
• ‘She’s a Rebel, She’s a Saint’ by Laura Waters age 14 of Isle of Man
• ‘Severing Ties’ by Jessica Cooper age 17 of Nantwich
• ‘The End’ by Lily Scanlan age 17 of Invergordon
• ‘The Witness’ by Emily Lumbard age 11 of Bristol
• ‘Button’ by Aileigh MacGregor age 13 of Buckie
• ‘Anarchy’ by Connor Sterling age 13 of Darlington
• ‘A Dreamer’s Nightmare’ by Rachael Wallis age 17 of Frome

The competition is sponsored by CRIMEFEST, Britain’s international crime fiction convention.

For more information visit www.crimefest.com.

If writers have a Crime Writing Week event in mind, they will be able to log the details on a national map of events at nationalcrimewritingweek.co.uk

National Crime Writing Week will be coordinated by CWA press officer John Dean at media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk

For press enquiries or more information on the CWA, please visit the website, www.thecwa.co.uk

2011 Global Reading Challenge: An Update

Last year, respected book blogger and Danish author Dorte Jakobsen created the Global Reading Challenge, a terrific initiative that had dozens of book reviewers and bloggers from around the world stretching themselves reading-wise, by encouraging them to read far more broadly.

I am very pleased to say that following the success of the 2010 Global Reading Challenge, Dorte (with the assistance of Kerrie of Mysteries in Paradise fame) has brought back the GRC for 2011. By early March almost 100 people had already signed up, and now that we are over a third of the way through the year, the reading is well and truly underway.

You can read about the challenge, the three levels (easy, medium, expert), and sign up for the 2011 Global Reading Challenge (I recommend it) here.

I have signed up, and will be aiming for Expert Level (which is the equivalent of Extremist from last year, with the adjustment being that the 'seventh continent' doesn't have to be Antarctica):

The Expert Challenge
Read three novels from each of these continents in the course of 2010:

• Africa


• Asia


• Australasia


• Europe


• North America


• South America (please include Central America where it is most convenient for you)


• The Seventh Continent

Select novels from twenty-one different countries or states if possible. (For Australasia, selecting a different state for your last book will be acceptable).


I have already read more than 30 crime novels this year, and I'm now 15/21 done in terms of the different countries/areas/regions needed for the 2011 Global Reading Challenge. I have completed four of the seven continents, and have 1, 2 and 3 books remaining for each of the other three continents. Except for my final Africa-set books, I've already sourced/chosen my remaining books to complete the challenge.

Here's my 2011 Global Reading Challenge line-up thusfar:

Africa

1. MIXED BLOOD by Roger Smith (South Africa)


2. tbc


3. tbc

Asia

1. BANGKOK HAUNTS by John Burdett (Thailand)


2. PHNOM PENH EXPRESS by Johan Smits (Cambodia)


3. PAYBACK by Simon Kernick (Philippines)

Australasia

1. THE CRIME OF HUEY DUNSTAN by James McNeish (New Zealand)


2. FOLLOW THE MONEY by Peter Corris (Sydney, Australia)


3. FRIENDLY FIRE by Michael Wall (Wellington, New Zealand)

Also read: A POLITICAL AFFAIR by Andrew Porteous (Dunedin, New Zealand), BOUND by Vanda Symon (Dunedin, New Zealand), SMILING JACK by Ken Catran (New Zealand)


Europe

1. BORDERLANDS by Brian McGilloway (Northern Ireland/Ireland)


2. SHADOW SISTER by Simone van der Vlugt (The Netherlands)


3. THE TROUBLED MAN by Henning Mankell (Sweden)

Also read: SHATTER THE BONES by Stuart MacBride (Scotland)

North America

1. HOLLYWOOD HILLS by Joseph Wambaugh (Los Angeles, USA)


2. STILL MISSING by Chevy Stevens (Vancouver Island, Canada)


3. IN PLAIN SIGHT by CJ Box (Wyoming, USA)

Also read: LAST CAR FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS by James Lee Burke (Louisiana, USA), THE TIN-ROOF BLOWDOWN by James Lee Burke (Louisiana, USA), BURIED ALIVE by Jack Kerley (Kentucky, USA), CITY OF BONES by Michael Connelly (Los Angeles, USA), THE FIFTH WITNESS by Michael Connelly (Los Angeles, USA), BLACK WATER by T. Jefferson Parker (Orange County, USA), DROP SHOT by Harlan Coben (New York, USA), THE PROMISED LAND by David Hewson (USA), THE SENTRY by Robert Crais (Los Angeles, USA), THE EXECUTIONER by Jay Bennett (USA), YOU’RE NEXT by Gregg Hurwitz (California, USA), LIVE WIRE by Harlan Coben (Northeast USA), LOVE YOU MORE by Lisa Gardner (Massachusetts, USA)

Latin America (South and Central America)

1. HAVANA GOLD by Leonardo Padura (Cuba) - TBR


2. EVERY BITTER THING by Leighton Gage (Brazil) - TBR


3. THE BOOK OF MURDER by Guillermo Martinez (Argentina) - TBR

The Seventh Continent

For this final continent, I have chosen 'history', specifically crime novels written in modern times but set in historic times (ie this won't include the likes of Ngaio Marsh, Agatha Christie, or Conan Doyle, who wrote about their contemporary times, but whose work is now 'historic' or 'period' in nature). I've decided (on something of a whim) that since New Zealand was founded in 1840, I would focus on crime novels set prior to that date.

1. THE JANISSARY TREE by Jason Goodwin (1830s Turkey)
2. THE ATHENIAN MURDERS by Jose Carlos Somoza (Ancient Greece)
3. SHARK ISLAND by Joan Druett (1830s Pacific Ocean sea voyage) - TBR

So I have three South American, two African, and one historic novel left to complete the expert level of the 2011 Global Reading Challenge.

Are you participating in the 2011 Global Reading Challenge? Do you enjoy reading crime novels from a wide variety of countries/settings? What are some of your favourite recent non-UK/US reads? Comments welcome.

Crime Writers’ Association launches campaign on behalf of libraries

The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) has launched a campaign to help promote libraries at a time when the service is under threat from public sector cutbacks.

Most library services are run by local authorities, which are having to save 29% of their budget over four years, with a larger proportion of the saving likely to fall in 2011/12. Libraries are vulnerable because many local authorities do not appear to see them as a high priority. Even though libraries may not close, they may find their staff reduced and their book funds cut.

The CWA, which represents the interests of published crime writers, say that with 321.5million visits to UK libraries in 2009-10 alone, it is crucial that authors help them to survive and thrive. Crime is the most borrowed genre from UK libraries.

The association already runs the annual Young Crime Writers Competition exclusively through libraries, acknowledging the role that they play in encouraging young people to read. CWA members also hold a large number of meet-the-author sessions. In addition, the CWA organises National Crime Writing Week, which will this year run between June 13 and 19, and again involves events and readings in libraries. The winner of the Young Crime Writers Competition will be announced during the week.

The CWA campaign includes asking all its members to consider staging at least three events in their local library each year and establishing co-ordinators who can help libraries to contact authors for events. CWA members will be approaching their local libraries to discuss the campaign and the CWA is talking to publishers to seek their support.

CWA Chair, the best-selling crime novelist Peter James, said: “We feel it is not enough to say that we oppose cuts to libraries. We want to do more, to offer practical help to libraries in their hour of need, hence our programme of initiatives to raise their profile. We feel passionate about libraries and want to do everything that we can to help in these difficult times. Libraries have been very good to the crime writers of the UK and we wish to acknowledge that through our campaign.”

According to library lending figures, crime fiction made up almost two-thirds of the 100 most- borrowed books during 2010.

For more information on the CWA, please visit the website, http://www.thecwa.co.uk/ or http://www.nationalcrimewritingweek.co.uk/ or contact media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk

Review: MIXED BLOOD by Roger Smith

MIXED BLOOD by Roger Smith (Henry Holt, 2009)

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

South Africa is definitely gaining in stature on the international crime fiction stage. Deon Meyer has garnered plenty of acclaim, and other authors like Smith and Margie Orford, amongst several others, are certainly putting their local crime fiction on the map.

In MIXED BLOOD, reluctant bank robber Jack Burn is on the run after a heist in the United States that left $3 million missing and one cop dead. Hiding out in Cape Town, he is desperate to build a new life for his pregnant wife and young son. But on a tranquil evening in their new suburban neighborhood they are the victims of a random gangland assault that changes everything.

Benny Mongrel, an ex-con night watchman guarding a building site next to Burn’s home, is another man desperate to escape his past. After years in the ghetto gangs of Cape Town he knows who went into Burn’s house. And what the American did to them. He also knows his only chance to save his own skin is to forget what he saw. Burn’s actions on that night trap them both in a cat-and-mouse game with Rudi "Gatsby" Barnard - a corrupt Afrikaner cop who loves killing almost as much as he loves Jesus Christ - and Disaster Zondi, a fastidious Zulu detective who wishes to settle an old score. Once Gatsby smells those missing American millions, the four men are drawn into a web of murder and vengeance.

I really enjoyed MIXED BLOOD. It twists and turns in a violent yet engaging journey that is filled with memorable characters. It's quite dark in parts, but Smith keeps the pace up and his lively prose means it never feels that we're wallowing in that darkness. I'll definitely be reading more of Smith's work.

Travel Crime: The Greek Edition

Further to my post on Saturday 23 April, I am now in Greece, having finished a wonderful 11-day trip through in Turkey. And just like I brought Istanbul-set THE JANISSARY TREE with me to read while I was in Turkey, I've also found myself a Greek-set crime novel for this leg of the journey; THE ATHENIAN MURDERS by Spanish author José Carlos Somoza. It is Somoza's first novel to be translated into English.

Here's a plot summary, courtesy of Wikipedia (I've cut out the bit about the ending, so no spoilers):

The novel interweaves two apparently disparate storylines: the first being an ancient Greek novel published in Athens just after the Peloponnesian War and the second contained within a modern-day scholar's notes on his translation. In the ancient novel (which is itself called The Athenian Murders) a young ephebe named Tramachus is discovered on the slopes of Mount Lycabettus, apparently attacked by wolves. His tutor at the Academy, Diagoras, enlists the help of a "Decipherer of Enigmas" (a detective named Heracles Pontor) to learn more about Tramachus's death. As Diagoras and Heracles investigate, more youths from the Academy are discovered brutally murdered. Their investigation takes them all over Athens, from mystery cult worship services to a symposium hosted by Plato

Meanwhile, the translator (who is never named) provides frequent commentary on the work, especially as it appears to him to be an example of a (fictional) ancient literary device called eidesis. "Eidesis" is supposedly the practice of repeating words or phrases so as to evoke a particular image or idea in the reader's mind, as it were a kind of literary steganography. As the translator works on the novel, he soon deduces that the "eidetic" secret concealed within the novel is The Twelve Labors of Heracles, one labor for each of the twelve chapters of the novel. The translator becomes obsessed with the imagery, going so far as to see himself depicted within the ancient work.

Partway through the novel, the translator is kidnapped and forced to continue the translation in a cell...

It sounds somewhat intriguing, and was the only Greek-set novel I had on hand for my trip, although I will see if I can find any others while I'm over here (in English). Have you read Somoza's novel? Any other Greek crime fiction? Do you have some recommendations?

P is for PRESCRIPTION FOR DANGER

For my second go around at the Crime Fiction Alphabet (read my 2010 posts here), I've set myself the challenging task of focusing not only just on New Zealand-themed posts, but just on Kiwi crime fiction books (ie I won't do any author profiles etc this time around) - although sometimes it may be the author's name that is relevant to the letter of the week.

This week I’m featuring another out-of-print Kiwi crime novel, PRESCRIPTION FOR DANGER by Selwyn Carson. Arrow (part of Random House) published two novels from Christchurch doctor Carson in the mid 1990s, each starring New Zealand GP (general practitioner) Sam Wood, who gets caught up in criminal activities and investigations. PRESCRIPTION FOR DANGER (1995) was Carson’s debut. Here’s the back cover blurb:

“... They were watching him. In the uniform of black sweat-shirts, black leather trousers, heavy combat boots and studded belts. The logos on the jackets were familiar: a large letter ‘R’ mounted on a skull. The Rejects.

... They began to close in...

Hard-working GP, family man, ex-rugby player Sam Woods is living an unexceptional life in that peaceful, conservative and most English of New Zealand cities, Christchurch. That is, until he stumbles into a dark, dangerous, hidden world of drug trafficking and gang warfare and ends up fighting for his life.

Fast-paced, exciting, full of ingenious twists and turns, Prescription for Danger is just the right medicine if you’re after a thriller that’s impossible to put down.”
It certainly sounds interesting, and I’m looking forward to giving it a read (I found a copy in a secondhand store, and later also got my hands on a copy of Carson’s second Sam Woods tale, also a ‘p’ title: PAYDAY IN SAUDI). I’m curious as to how Carson deals with the issues of drugs and gangs, which of course continue to be a major problem in societies around the world, today, fifteen years on.

Do you like mysteries centred on amateur sleuths like Sam Woods (ie not law enforcement, private eyes, or lawyers)? Do you like digging out old, forgotten, crime fiction tales from secondhand stores or libraries? Comments welcome.