Crime novel wins Man Booker Prize!

Marlon James became the first Jamaican author to win the prestigious Man Booker Prize when his searing literary crime novel A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS was announced as the surprise winner in London earlier today (NZT). 

James's outstanding novel was inspired by the attempted assassination of the legendary singer Bob Marley in the 1970s. Spanning three decades, the novel uses the true story of the attempt on the life of the reggae star to explore the turbulent world of Jamaican gangs and politics. Not your typical Booker winner, A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS has been described as "full of violence and swearing". At almost 700 pages, the epic tale often switches perspectives, narrators, and voices, which "went from Jamaican slang to Biblical heights", said Michael Wood, Chair of Judges.

While the win came as a surprise to some observers, it has pleased and invigorated many in the books world. Wood called A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS the most exciting book on the shortlist, and said it took the judges less than two hours this year to unanimously agree on it as the winner.

It is very interesting to see the Man Booker Prize embrace such and exciting and violent tale that veers deeply into 'crime novel' territory. While Eleanor Catton won two years ago for a book she herself called an 'historical, astrological murder mystery', in general the Booker Prize has generally eschewed anything that leaned towards 'genre fiction', and A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS is definitely a crime novel. Full of violence and murder and gangs and exploring the issues of crime and its effect on those involved,  A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS may be literary in style, but it is without doubt crime in nature.

Acclaimed British novelist Stav Sherez, who has been vociferously singing the praises of A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS on Twitter in recent weeks, says "it is more of a crime novel than most things that are sold as crime novels", with crime not being tangential, as in Catton's THE LUMINARIES, but "at the core of every character, plot line, theme, and scene". 

Judging Chair Wood notes that A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS is not the typical Booker winner, stating that the content might be too much for some readers. "Someone said to me they like to give Booker winners to their mother to read, but this might be a little difficult." 

However, the inclusion of such an exciting and vivid novel on the Booker shortlist, and now its win, appears to have pleased many in the books world. On BBC.co.uk, Foyles bookshop web editor Jonathan Ruppin said: "It's a visceral and uncompromising novel that sheds a stark light on a profoundly disturbing chapter of Jamaica's history, but it's also an ingeniously structured feat of storytelling that draws the reader in with its eye-catching use of language. For booksellers, it's truly heartening to see such ambition and originality recognised and rewarded, and readers have already been embracing it with great enthusiasm."

The 44-year-old James said he was stunned to win, and be the first Jamaican to receive the accolade. "This is so ridiculous, I think I'm going to wake up tomorrow and it didn't happen," he said. "Jamaica has a really rich literary tradition. It's kind of surreal being the first. I really hope I'm not the last, and I don't think I will be, because there is this real spunky creativity that's happening.

In The Telegraph, Tim Martin notes that James, who teaches creative writing in Minnesota, "cites influences as diverse as Greek tragedy, William Faulkner, the LA crime novelist James Ellroy, Shakespeare, Batman and the X-Men" and that the author is also in the process of adapting A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS into an HBO television series. James's tale, says Martin:

"seems in every way the obvious victory for people who like novels. It’s a vast, ambitious burning mansion of a book, designed to reflect all the languages of its teeming island and the chambers of the human heart. It’s irreverent, difficult, funny, argumentative, sometimes horribly violent and very often pleased with itself. Following Ellroy, it involves itself deeply in the intricate plotlines of the crime genre. Following Faulkner, it beguiles the reader with a variety of narrative set-ups and registers. Some of it is in verse. Some of it is in dialogue, without stage directions. Much of it takes the form of stream-of-consciousness recollection, often in various forms of Jamaican patois and dialect."

Read Martin's full appraisal of the book as a very worth winner here.

It is fantastic to see the Booker Prize broadening its outlook and embracing a more diverse winner. Although you could legitimately call A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLING an historical novel - as some have - and so it continues the recent Booker preference for such tales, it is significantly different to the likes of Hilary Mantel, Richard Flanagan, and Eleanor Catton - much more contemporary, much more visceral. While still being stylish, inventive, and challenging readers in a literary as well as storytelling sense.

So overall, it's a superb and exciting day for the books world.

GO SET A WATCHMAN: first chapter of Harper Lee's new novel revealed

"Since Atlanta, she had looked out the dining-car window with a delight almost physical."

Fifty-five years after TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD was released, going on to become one of the most iconic and beloved books of all time, readers around the world can finally read more words from the pen of the great Harper Lee. The phrase above is the first sentence of Lee's much-anticipated second novel, GO SET A WATCHMAN.

Mere moments ago, The Guardian newspaper in London published an exclusive sneak peek at the first chapter of GO SET A WATCHMAN, which is released around the world on 14 July.

As well as reading the chapter online, there is also a 23-minutes audiobook version, where you can listen to acclaimed Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon narrating the tale.

More to come on this book, but for now head over to The Guardian website for a read.

Welcome Back Pussy!: Bond is back!

Anthony Horowitz reveals today (28 May), on what would have been James Bond creator Ian Fleming’s 107th birthday, that his forthcoming official 007 adventure is to be titled Trigger Mortis. In a move that will whet the appetite of fans worldwide and is unprecedented among recent Bond novels – the contents have always been shrouded in mystery until publication – Horowitz divulges that the secret agent’s new adventure begins in 1957, two weeks after the events of Fleming’s Goldfinger.

Horowitz places Bond in the middle of the Soviet-American Space Race as the United States prepares for a critical rocket launch, and brings back the most famous Bond Girl of all: Pussy Galore!

Horowitz is the latest contemporary novelist to tackle literature’s greatest action hero, and the first to place his work directly within Fleming’s original canon. As well as Pussy Galore, the book features: brand new Bond Girl Jeopardy Lane; Jai Seung Sin, a sadistic, scheming Korean adversary hell-bent on vengeance; and breathless, globe-trotting adventure. Uniquely among latter-day Bond authors, Horowitz has included original Ian Fleming material: a treatment for Murder on Wheels, an episode of a television series that was never made. Fleming’s text sees Bond in the high-octane world of motor racing and it is his never-used plot that kicks off the action of Trigger Mortis.

Anthony Horowitz said: “It was always my intention to go back to the true Bond, which is to say, the Bond that Fleming created and it was a fantastic bonus having some original, unseen material from the master to launch my story. I was so glad that I was allowed to set the book two weeks after my favourite Bond novel, Goldfinger, and I'm delighted that Pussy Galore is back! It was great fun revisiting the most famous Bond Girl of all - although she is by no means the only dangerous lady in Trigger Mortis. I hope fans enjoy it. My aim was to make this the most authentic James Bond novel anyone could have written.”

Like previous new James Bond adventures, Trigger Mortis was commissioned and authorised by Ian Fleming Publications and the Ian Fleming Estate.

Lucy Fleming, the niece of Ian Fleming, said: “What a brilliant birthday present for Ian - Anthony has written a James Bond book with a nail-biting adventure that could have come from Ian’s own typewriter. Anthony has cleverly incorporated Ian’s original ideas in to his own plot to produce a Bond book to remember.”

Jon Wood, Orion Publisher, said: “Anthony has delivered a stunning novel: non-stop action, a deadly, deranged opponent, and not one but two fantastic Bond women. His genius is to brilliantly capture the essence of a Fleming original and give it a 21st century edge. James Bond fans, and Anthony Horowitz fans, will absolutely love Trigger Mortis.”

One of the country’s most successful writers, the prolific Anthony Horowitz has over 40 books to his name. He has written two official Sherlock Holmes novels, The House of Silk and Moriarty, to both critical acclaim and commercial success, and his bestselling teen spy series, Alex Rider, has sold over 19 million copies. As a TV screenwriter he created both Midsomer Murders and the BAFTA-winning Foyles War. His play, "Dinner with Saddam", opens at the Menier Chocolate Factory in September.

James Bond Books 

• Over 100 million James Bond books have been sold worldwide.
• Ian Fleming wrote 14 James Bond books: Casino Royale (1953); Live and Let Die (1954); Moonraker (1955); Diamonds Are Forever (1956); From Russia with Love (1957); Dr. No (1958); Goldfinger (1959); For Your Eyes Only (1960); Thunderball (1961); The Spy Who Loved Me (1962); On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1963); You Only Live Twice (1964); The Man With The Golden Gun (1965); and Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966).
• Fleming’s other works include the children’s favourite Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1964), which was made into a film and stage musical; The Diamond Smugglers (1957); and a collection of travel writings called Thrilling Cities (1963).
• Vintage Publishing, a division of Penguin Random House, currently holds the license to publish Ian Fleming’s entire James Bond backlist in print and ebook format, along with Fleming’s two non-fiction titles in the English language worldwide excluding USA/Canada.
• Other previous authors of official James Bond novels include: Kingsley Amis, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver and William Boyd.
•  Steve Cole is the author of the new series of ‘Young Bond’ books, the first of which, Shoot to Kill, was published by Doubleday in 2014.

Mash-up of Jane Austen and Sherlock Holmes

New Zealand author and English teacher Debbie Cowens, who previously published a literary mash-up of legendary short story writer Katherine Mansfield with the horror genre, has now turned her hand to combining a classic romance with crime fiction. In MURDER & MATCHMAKING, Cowens blends aspects of Jane Austen's PRIDE & PREJUDICE with Sherlock Holmesian Victorian-era detective fiction.

Early reviews have been very positive, with yesterday's Herald on Sunday saying:

"Cowens does a fantastic job of melding the writing styles of Austen and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, crafting a story that is equal parts intriguing and hilarious. Is it mash-up, parody, horror, satire, homage or just good writing? I say, all of them."

The Booksellers NZ blog calls the book "delightful" and that "the prose is just so utterly engaging that you cannot help but be compelled along with it". Le Petite Mania says the book is "funny, macabre, dry and clever", and this week's New Zealand Listener has headlined its coverage with "Murder Most Fun", before saying that Cowens' writing "hits the tone spot on, and her clever twists on the source material should elicit knowing chuckles".

Cowens signing at her book launch last month

I'm stoked that readers and reviewers are enjoying Cowens' book. I first came across MURDER & MATCHMAKING several months ago, when there was a PledgeMe campaign running to see the book more widely available in New Zealand bookstores. It was to be published by Paper Road Press in ebook and print-on-demand, but those involved decided to fundraise to get print copies more widely available. That seems to have paid off, with a successful book launch late last month, reports of the book selling out in the likes of Unity Books, and getting good reviews from readers and in major magazines and newspapers.

It's great to see authors and publishers thinking creatively and getting proactive in terms of getting their books into the hands of potential readers. There can often be a lot of doom and gloom in the reporting of the state of the books world, so I'm pleased to see Cowens and Paper Road Press having some success.

Here's the blurb for MURDER & MATCHMAKING:

The young ladies of Hertfordshire are dropping like flies. 

Miss Elizabeth Bennet could not be more pleased when the famous London detective Mr Sherlock Darcy makes it his business to solve the mystery of three young ladies’ deaths – not least because he shares her suspicion that there must be more behind the deaths than mere accident. But even she never could have guessed, as they embark upon the investigation, how close to home the solution lies. 

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a mother in possession of unmarried daughters must be in want of eligible bachelors. Less well known are the lengths to which she might go to attract them… 

Bursting with subterfuge, flirtation, and murder most foul, Murder & Matchmaking will lure you into a world of romantic intrigue, family drama, and amateur detectiving. Jane Austen’s witty prose meets the perplexing mysteries of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in a book that finally answers the question: if Mrs Bennet is so concerned about her daughters finding suitable matches, why doesn’t she really do something about their chances?

Cowens is a Kapiti-based writer and English teacher. She co-authored the award-winning Mansfield with Monsters with her husband and her stories have been published in both New Zealand and international publications and anthologies. Murder & Matchmaking is her first novel and she says it weaves together many of her favourite things: Jane Austen heroines, a Sherlock Holmes-inspired detective, mischievous canines and intrigues. You can read more at her website here.

Top crime and controversy: Anthony Award nominees

Tana French, Louise Penny, and Laura Lippman are among the nominees for the 2015 Anthony Awards that were announced overnight (NZT). The Anthony Awards were established in 1986 and are presented at the annual Bouchercon conference.

Unlike many other awards, the Anthonys are determined by conference attendees rather than an expert judging panel. The Awards celebrate Anthony Boucher (a founder of Mystery Writers of America) and past winners read like a Who's Who of the crime writing community.

This year's winners will be selected and announced at the Bouchercon in Raleigh, North Carolina on 8-11 October. I know that organiser Ali Karim and his team are working very hard to ensure the Raleigh conference is a terrific event. Here are the nominations for this year's awards (with a few comments):

Best Novel

• Lamentation - Joe Clifford
• The Secret Place - Tana French
• After I'm Gone - Laura Lippman
• The Long Way Home - Louise Penny
• Truth Be Told - Hank Phillippi Ryan

My take: Well, I haven't read any of those books, although I've read stories by Penny and Lippman and have a couple of Tana French novels on my TBR pile. I've heard some good things about Hank Phillipi Ryan too. Interesting quintet, given all the good and great crime novels that came out last year.

Best First Novel

• Blessed Are the Dead - Kristi Belcamino
• Ice Shear - M.P. Cooley
• Invisible City - Julia Dahl
• The Life We Bury - Allen Eskens 
• The Black Hour - Lori Rader-Day

Best Paperback Original

• Stay With Me - Alison Gaylin
• The Killer Next Door - Alex Marwood
• The Day She Died - Catriona McPherson
• World of Trouble - Ben H. Winters
• No Stone Unturned - James W. Ziskin

My take: 0 for 5 again here. But I've heard good things about Marwood. 

Best Critical or Non-Fiction Work

• The Figure of the Detective: A Literary History and Analysis - Charles Brownson
• Death Dealer: How Cops and Cadaver Dogs Brought a Killer to Justice - Kate Clark Flora 
• Dru's Book Musings - Dru Ann Love [http://drusbookmusing.com]
• Poe-Land: The Hallowed Haunts of Edgar Allan Poe - J.W. Ocker
• Writes of Passage: Adventures on the Writer's Journey - Hank Phillippi Ryan, ed.

My take: this category is already causing a bit of controversy, with the inclusion of a blog amongst the nominees, and in particular a blog that has been noted on some forums for focusing on cosy-style mysteries, giving only positive, publisher-friendly reviews, and has been accused by some of having too many ties to publishers or lacking objectivity. Some commentators seem to decry the inclusion of any blog, while others would be happy if it were a more critically substantive blog. It's certainly an interesting inclusion by the Bouchercon attendees and registrants - clearly Dru's Book Musings is valued by many people in that group. 

Best Short Story

• "Honeymoon Sweet" Murder at the Beach: The Bouchercon Anthology 2014 - Craig Faustus Buck 
• "The Shadow Knows" Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays - Barb Goffman
• "Howling at the Moon" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Nov 2014 - Paul D. Marks
• "Of Dogs & Deceit" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Nov 2014 - John Shepphird
• "The Odds Are Against Us" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Nov 2014 - Art Taylor

Best Anthology or Collection

• FaceOff - David Baldacci, ed. 
• Murder at the Beach: The Bouchercon Anthology 2014 - Dana Cameron, ed.
• Trouble in the Heartland: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Bruce Springsteen - Joe Clifford, ed.
• In the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon - Laurie R. King & Leslie S. Klinger, eds.
• Carolina Crimes: 19 Tales of Love, Lust, and Longing - Karen Pullen, ed.

My take: It's unsurprising that the Bouchercon registrants/attendees voted for the nomination of the Bouchercon anthology. The concept behind FaceOff is intriguing - pairing up famous mystery protagonists. The anthology that most piques my interest however is Trouble in the Heartland. I'm a big Bruce Springsteen fan, and one of the things I most enjoy is his poetic, storytelling style of song writing. Movies have been written inspired by his songs, and I'm very intrigued by the idea of crime fiction inspired by his music. I'll have to look into that anthology and grab myself a copy. 

Congratulations to all the nominees! Hat tip to the wonderful Janet Rudolph of Mystery Fanfare. 

Dunedin author evokes best of Scandinavian thrillers

"New Zealander Paddy Richardson is one of the best thriller writers around these days, one who undoubtedly deserves a much bigger readership than she seems to have garnered."

So begins a brand new review of Richardson's latest novel, SWIMMING IN THE DARK, on acclaimed North American website Reviewing the Evidence. It is a very well-written, insightful and in-depth analysis and review of the Dunedin author's intriguing psychological thriller, by Australian reviewer Karen Chisholm. I always enjoy reading longer reviews, which delve more deeply into books, and why they are good (or not), and worth reading. In her review, Chisholm says:

"Reminiscent of some of the best of the Scandinavian psychological thriller writers, this book is a perfect illustration of the power of this author's storytelling and the cleverness of the writing."

I've been hearing lots of great things about SWIMMING IN THE DARK from a lot of knowledgeable readers. Like Chisholm, I think that Richardson is a terrific writer whose work can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best on the world stage. If more people knew about her or had access to her books, I'm sure she'd have a very large following. Perhaps those opportunities will arise in future.

Richardson is also part of a strong crime writing cabal that's to building in our southern city: 2014 Ngaio Marsh Award winner Liam McIlvanney, thrice Ngaio finalist Vanda Symon, and #1 bestselling Mexican crime writer Rogelio Guedea all also call Dunedin home. Readers get a chance to see all four at the "Murder Most Foul" event at the upcoming Dunedin Writers Festival on Sunday 10 May.

Reading Richardson's own words about this book from her launch last April make it very clear that, like Chisholm notes in today's review, SWIMMING IN THE DARK delves into a lot of intriguing issues that are broader than a pure crime tale. Like the best of Nordic Noir (as well as other great crime writing from other regions), the social, historic and personal issues that swirl around the characters feature strongly:

"Swimming in the Dark has been a joy to write. It’s about issues which are very important to me; the way family can be destructive or empowering, the longing for home and the making of home, corruption and the misuse of power and the potential of ordinary people to fight against that and, finally, fear and distrust and the restorative nature of love." Paddy Richardson, April 2014

I'd recommend you go and grab a copy of this book. It is a strong contender for this year's Ngaio Marsh Award, and just a flat out great story from a terrific storyteller. Read Chisholm's full review here.

Julie Thomas turns page on crime

Julie Thomas turns page on crime
By Nancy El-Gamel

Best-selling Waikato author Julie Thomas is taking a risk with her second novel. She's left historical romance behind in order to kill people. On the page, of course. And never has killing people been so much fun, especially since she's managed to tie up the blood with chocolate and wine. Research, clearly, was a blast.

Indeed, being a published author is a blast, especially since she almost wasn't. She produced her first novel as an ebook. When it sold 40,000 copies, a publisher noticed and sent her an email.

Her computer marked it junk and sent it to spam. "I nearly didn't open it at all," Thomas says.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE (front page story in Waikato Times, 23 February 2015)

Julie Thomas's blackly comic murder mystery, BLOOD WINE & CHOCOLATE (HarperCollins, 2015), will be officially launched at Paper Plus in Cambridge at 5.30pm on Monday 9 March 2015 (next Monday). Chocolate and wine available. BYO blood.  

Ngaio Marsh's name a mystery to US public

Ngaio Marsh appearing onscreen as part of a 1977 documentary. Credit: NZ On Air

Ngaio Marsh's name a mystery to US public
TOM HUNT - Dominion Post, 21 February 2015

She was a queen of crime, her name mentioned in the same breath as Agatha Christie. But the American public were baffled by detective novelist Ngaio Marsh. How, they wanted to know, was her name pronounced?

By the time Dame Ngaio Marsh died on February 18, 1982 - 33 years ago this week - she had published 32 detective novels. When, in September 1939, The Evening Post reported on the pronunciation debacle across the Pacific, Marsh was already a well-established writer, not to mention a thespian and painter. Her scholarly, gentlemanly English detective Roderick Alleyn had by then appeared in eight books and would appear in many more.

"Various startling attempts have been made to bend unaccustomed tongues round this pleasant Maori name," the newspaper reported. "Naggio" was overheard in one bookshop before her American publisher stepped in with authority. "Her name may be pronounced either 'Gay-o' or 'Guy-o'," they declared. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

HUGE News: Harper Lee to release 'sequel' to TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

In news just in here in Britain, it has been announced on the BBC that Harper Lee, author of the classic tale TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, and long held up as the author who perhaps wrote the greatest single book, without ever writing another, will later this year release a 'sequel' to her masterpiece.

'Sequel' is in quote marks because it is a rediscovered manuscript that she actually worked on prior to TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, including some of the same characters, but with Scout Finch as an adult returning to her hometown. As reported by the BBC, this 60-year-old manuscript was found by a friend of Lee's, and the author has said she was originally working on this but put it aside to write TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, which arose from flashback scenes in this novel - to be called GO SET A WATCHMAN.

GO SET A WATCHMAN, which may become the most highly anticipated 'second novel' of all time, will be released on 14 July with a planned first print run of 2 million copies. I imagine they will have to reprint rather quickly.

In the six years I have been interviewing crime writer, I can say that TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is one of the books that gets the most mentions from authors when I ask them about influences or their favourite and most memorable books from childhood. Crime writers such as Michael Connelly, Mark Gimenez and Shamini Flint, amongst others, have specifically mentioned it in 9mm interviews.

More to come on this amazing breaking news.

You can read the full BBC story, with quotes from Harper Lee and other information, here. 

A mighty totara has fallen: PD James passes away

Sad news here in London today, as the marvellous PD James has passed away, aged 94. The creator of the Adam Dalgliesh series of crime novels, MWA Grand Master, CWA Diamond Dagger Award winner. A true legend and icon of crime writing. I had the pleasure of interviewing her for her 90th birthday. Just an amazing, intelligent, kind, and articulate woman. Generous with her time and comments. A very, very sad day.

FALLOUT to be published in UK and US

Unfortunately New Zealand crime novels aren't always easy to find in the northern hemisphere. Despite the great reviews, high quality storytelling, and award wins, there are many terrific Kiwi crime writers whose work isn't readily available in the UK and US. Which is a real shame.

Every year the international judges on the Ngaio Marsh Award judging panel rave about the range and quality of New Zealand crime writing. A repeated refrain is "I wish we could get this over here".

Fortunately, some contemporary Kiwi crime writers have been picked up by UK/US publishers, including 2013 Ngaio Marsh Award winner Paul Thomas. After publishing the book that won that award, DEATH ON DEMAND, Bitter Lemon Press is set to publish the follow-up (and fifth in the Ihaka series), FALLOUT - which has recently been released in New Zealand.

I read the latest Ihaka before coming to Europe, and really enjoyed it. I actually think it may be better than DEATH ON DEMAND, which was very well received. According to the Bitter Lemon website, their version will be released in the US in April 2015 and the UK in September 2015.

An excellent cover too. Here's the blurb for the new Ihaka:

Tito Ihaka, the unkempt, overweight Maori cop was demoted to Sergeant due to insubordination and pigheadedness. He investigates the unsolved killing of 17 year old girl at an election night party in a ritzy villa near Auckland. Ihaka is also embroiled in a very personal mystery. A freelance journalist has stumbled across information that Ihaka's father Jimmy, a trade union firebrand and renegade Marxist, didn't die of natural causes. The stories weave themselves into an exciting climax in an atmosphere of political manoeuvring and intrigue surrounding the USA's confrontation with New Zealand over its anti-nuclear stance.

You can read an extract here.

Whither THE LUMINARIES?

When the finalists for the 2014 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel were announced earlier this month, I did wonder if anyone would comment on or query the fact that THE LUMINARIES, the superb Man Booker Prize-winning novel from Eleanor Catton, hadn't made the cut from eight longlistees to four finalists. Especially as Alan Duff's FREDERICK'S COAT, another atypical 'crime novel', was a finalist.

Well, after a few days of not hearing a peep from anywhere, Philip Matthews of The Press asked the question, leading to his piece about the 2014 finalists in the Your Weekend supplement last Saturday (see right). Philip contacted me, as the Judging Convenor for the Award, asking about what was behind THE LUMINARIES missing out.

In the end, it was simple: the international judging panel praised the book, but collectively preferred the four finalists - although, as noted in Matthews' article, some of the judges had selected THE LUMINARIES as a finalist. It was that type of year, with eight excellent and very different books in the running - every single one of which was selected as a finalist by at least one judge. Four had to miss out. Close year. Tough decisions. Great books.

I thought I would include my full interview with Philip Matthews about the Ngaio Marsh Awards finalists here, as only some of it made it into the eventual article (I know what that's like as an interviewer - you only ever use part of the interview in the article), and perhaps some of you may find some of the rest of it interesting too.

PM: Do you expect people to be surprised that The Luminaries missed the shortlist given its awards success so far? 
CS: I do expect some people will be surprised THE LUMINARIES isn't a finalist, given it has deservedly won many awards already, and is a superb book in so many ways. There was nothing that disqualified it from the finalists list - it was in fact chosen as a finalist by some judges, but in a year when there were eight books that all explored and expressed crime, mystery, and thriller writing in very different ways, THE LUMINARIES, along with three other very good books, missed out. It was without a doubt the toughest year in the Award's history for the judges, and this was reflected in some very divergent opinions.

PM: Was there something about it that disqualified it from the final shortlist? Or was it never really a "crime" novel to start with?
CS: Although THE LUMINARIES is certainly not a crime novel in the "traditional" Christie, Marsh, or Chandler-esque detective fiction sense, it is a novel involving a murder mystery, and the Ngaio Marsh Award from the beginning has been focused on celebrating the best local books in the broader crime, mystery, and thriller genre. Crime is a broad church, and goes beyond detective fiction.

THE LUMINARIES certainly fell within the parameters, as did Alan Duff's FREDERICK'S COAT, which may have been a surprise finalist to some (who likewise may not have thought of it as a crime novel). I agree with Harriet Allan's comments about such books.

Last year, LITTLE SISTER by Julian Novitz was a finalist, and in previous years THE CRIME OF HUEY DUNSTAN by James McNeish and ACCESS ROAD by Maurice Gee have made the longlist. So we welcome books that span the literary and crime/mystery spectrum.

In the end, all four books that missed out on being finalists received some high praise from judges, and THE LUMINARIES received particular praise for its language and evocation of 19th century New Zealand, but more judges preferred the eventual four finalists when it came to what they personally were looking for. Eight had to go into four, and THE LUMINARIES missed out.

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Have you read THE LUMINARIES? If so, how do you think it stacks up as a crime, mystery or thrillr novel? What did you most enjoy about the book? 

Cat Connor talks about DATABYTE

Although we've been focusing a bit lately on the authors who are in the running for this year's Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, there are several other terrific Kiwi crime and thriller writers putting some good books out there that'd I'd recommend you try. One of those in Cat Connor, the Wellington-based author of the FBI Special Agent Ellie Conway series.

I read one of the earlier books in this series a few years ago, and really enjoyed it. It was a fun read - Connor has an exciting, visual style of storytelling, and nicely mixes some darkness, humour and character relationships into her storylines.

Connor's latest book is the sixth in the series, DATABYTE. In a recent interview with Writers and Authors, Connor talks about her writing and this latest instalment in the Conway saga, which sees the FBI Agent on the run, suspected of murder herself. At the same time she needs to protect the younger brother of one of her team members. In the interview Connor says it takes her between three and six months to complete a first draft, although it isn't quite correct to call it a first draft:

"There is no such thing in my world. It’s not like I write it beginning to end then re-write the whole book, that’s not how it happens at all. Six months work gives me a completed novel. It’s my version of a first draft. No one sees it until I’ve gone over it a few times and added detail, moved scenes, tweaked bits and pieces – that can take another few weeks. There are exceptions to my ‘no one sees it’ rule. I do, at this point, pull out various scenes and send them to the appropriate experts. So, medical, action, and anything I’m not sure about, gets vetted while I’m tweaking other parts of the manuscript. Once everyone’s happy then the manuscript goes out to a few well trusted readers, comments are considered and changes made."

When asked specifically about whether she'd learned anything unexpected while writing DATABYTE, Connor says she learned she can't write while listening to Leonard Cohen! "Well I could, but all my characters would end up dead," she tells Writers and Authors. "I also learned more than I ever needed to know about Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP). Ellie surprised me at one point during the writing process, I didn’t expect her to be quite as jumpy as she was about lying to a priest. That fascinated me."

Having interviewed almost 100 crime writers from more than a dozen countries over the years, I've always found it fascinating how many speak of their characters as these distinct people external to themselves, how they're like friends, and take on their own personalities beyond what the author ever would have expected or planned - like the character speaks to the author or just does what he or she wants, regardless.

You can read the full interview with Cat Connor on Writers and Authors here.

Connelly reveals: Harry Bosch as an 11-year-old

When I interviewed Michael Connelly for a feature in the New Zealand Herald back in 2010, he said that THE LAST COYOTE, his fourth novel, was his favourite amongst his own books, for a number of reasons:

"One is that in my life it was the first book I wrote as a full-time novelist, I was able in the months before I started writing it to retire from journalism, and so the year I was writing THE LAST COYOTE I was just amazed that I was a full-time novelist, and I kind of revelled in that. And I also saw, I could quite clearly see, that the writing had improved because it was my only focus, and I wasn't writing at night and then going to the newspaper during the day. It had my undivided attention and I could see improvements almost every day. That was very exciting to me. And the last part was that it’s the case of Harry’s life, it’s about his mother, and so it’s very meaningful on a character level to write that story. Obviously it was my fourth book and I had no idea that Harry Bosch would be around for at least another 15 years, but I was getting the idea that he had some longevity, and that I was going to be writing more about him. And to write more about him I had to kind of … this is a kind of foundation story of what he’s about."

I remembered that final reason, about the book being the case of Harry's life, when I saw today that Connelly has now shared an 'unpublished chapter' from the novel, which explains even more about one of contemporary crime fictions most intriguing and layered characters, Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch.

The lost chapter takes us back to 1961 when Harry is 11 years old. Says Connelly on his website, "It was originally written as the prologue to the book. It takes place at the youth hall where an 11-year-old Harry was placed after he was removed from his mother’s custody because she was deemed an unfit mother."

The scene, as Connelly explains, was the last time Harry ever saw his mother, and this fuelled things about him, and the emotion about the case in THE LAST COYOTE. Later this was cut from the published version so readers could jump straight into the present day action, with mentions of the past woven into the book.

So Bosch fans, here is a chance to get more of an insight into LA's finest detective.

You can read the lost chapter here. 

First tastes: 11 terrific female crime fiction stars

Earlier this week I debuted a new series here on Crime Watch, "First Tastes", which will be looking back at novels in which some terrific authors first introduced their series protagonist (often the author's debut novel). I already have some great guest bloggers lined up to contribute to the series - message me or leave a comment if you're interested in being part of it - and it seems there is something in the water, as today The Reading Room, an Australian books website, highlighted "11 Must-Read Debuts of Female Leads in Crime Fiction", listing some great books and characters that I am intending to cover in more depth in my series.

While the men of crime fiction often grab the attention, there are some terrific female leads out there too, and so it's great to see The Reading Room making this high-quality list of intriguing crime characters:

• THE OLD SCHOOL by PM Newton (Nhu "Ned" Kelly);
• ONE FOR THE MONEY by Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum);
• THE MERMAID'S SINGING by Val McDermid (Carol Jordan);
• STILL MIDNIGHT by Denise Mina (Alex Morrow);
• BLINDSIGHTED by Karin Slaughter (Sara Linton);
• INDEMNITY ONLY by Sarah Paretsky (VI Warshawski);
• POSTMORTEM by Patricia Cornwell (Kay Scarpetta);
• COCAINE BLUES by Kerry Greenwood (Phryne Fisher);
• THE SURGEON by Tess Gerritsen (Jane Rizzoli);
• A IS FOR ALIBI by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone);
• DEJA DEAD by Kathy Reichs (Temperance Brennan). 

That's a pretty good list. Like any list, there are of course many other authors/heroines that could be added, that some readers will think are better than some on the list. I commend The Reading Room for putting together what is a pretty damned good list though, and highlighting some great female crime writers and crime characters. I own books by all of those authors, but have only read three of those specific 'character debut' tales. Worth going back to the beginning, perhaps. 

For my own part, I'd add the following authors and characters to a "Must-Read Debuts of Female Crime Reads" list: 

• OVERKILL by Vanda Symon (Sam Shephard);
• THE BOMBER by Liza Marklund (Annika Bengtzon);
• THE ICE PRINCESS by Camilla Lackberg (Erica Falck)
• THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson (Lisbeth Salander). 

I'd also put a plug in for CUT & RUN by Alix Bosco (Anna Markunas), SURRENDER by Donna Malane (Diane Rowe)  - books that introduce a couple of the best, most layered and interesting female leads that I've read in the past decade. At the moment those two characters have only appeared in two books each so far, so perhaps they don't quite fit in a mix focused on longer-running series. Definitely worth reading though!

Advice from an icon: read Hemingway

As an interviewer and reviewer, I try to remain reasonably objective, to approach things from a fresh and open-minded perspective and not play favourites. But let's be honest, there are books, people, issues and other things that we just connect with more, truly, not because of any skewed sense of agenda or wanting to be seen or thought of a particular way by people. And once we've had that connection, it does linger. Perhaps favouritism isn't a bad thing, if it's genuine, based on how we truly feel, rather than for other agendas. And as long as we're open to questioning things, if or when they change.

Amongst the many amazing people I've had the pleasure of interviewing for magazine and newspaper articles over the years, from sportspeople to politicians to human rights workers to entrepreneurs, I've interviewed more than 80 crime writers from around the world. I've enjoyed each interview, whether it was in front of a small library crowd, a large festival crowd, one-on-one over coffee or beers, over the phone, or over the Internet. Writers have passion, and are inspiring in that they create, they express themselves and put themselves out there. Regardless of success or acclaim, that takes courage. Something the world needs a lot more of, when so many muddle through life, distracted and 'busy'. Writers also create books, which have been a lifelong love affair of mine, so yeah, writers are some of my favourites to interview. Sorry I'm not sorry.

Like many, I don't like to pick favourites, as I guess there's that underlying feeling that by picking one thing over another, one awesome person over others, we are in some way diminishing the other people, as if to say they aren't as good (when in fact they're awesome too). Human nature to avoid things like that.

But deep down I know the truth. If someone was about to go all Sons of Anarchy or Game of Thrones gruesome death scene on me if I didn't spill my guts, it would take less than a second for me to take a stand and choose my favourite interviewee: James Lee Burke.

There are so many reasons I could give, but perhaps a snapshot of my most recent interview with the great man provides some insight: we chatted for more than an hour, and his then-latest book was mentioned for less than a few minutes of that. It was an interview timed for a book release, but we chatted about everything from the nature of war, social media as the modern Roman Coliseum, the Anzacs, art in genre writing, humanity, and so much more. Burke was engaging, intelligent, compassionate, and kind. I know his books aren't for everyone, but I am very glad that I enjoy them so much, and that I've been lucky enough to interview him over the phone a couple of times. His work, and he himself, resonate with me.

[Side note: I love the word 'resonate', as I think there's a genuineness and truth there. There's energy all around us, and some things just click with us more, deep down, we're on "the same wavelength". We should embrace that rather than hiding from it or mitigating it. Own who we are].

Anyway, the above longwinded, rather philosophical intro (yeah, I'm in that mood today) was inspired by an Esquire piece with Burke I read online this morning, where Burke recommends THE COMPLETE SHORT STORIES OF ERNEST HEMINGWAY as the book every man should read.

In the article (read in full here), Burke says:

"I know of no book that contains more information about the experience a man goes through before he attains knowledge about the world, himself, and the nature of courage. Hemingway was a great artist, but our fascination with him is the fact that, for good or bad, he was an emblematic figure whose life seemed to be a microcosm of all men. Hemingway learned that most rhetoric about war was largely made up by liars, men who try to erase the paucity of their own lives by creating suffering for others. He also learned that love was transcendent and that the world was a fine place and well worth the fighting."

So Burke is one of my favourites, and Hemingway is one of his, flaws and all. It might be time for me to read more Hemingway, as I continue my own journey learning about the world, myself, and courage.

Cat Connor in the news

Wellington-based thriller writer Cat Connor was recently featured in her local newspaper (see story to the right). It's great to see New Zealand crime and thriller writers getting a bit of mainstream publicity now and then.

Connor is the author of the 'Byte' series of novels starring FBI agent Ellie Conway. I've highlighted Connor and her thrillers here on Crime Watch here a few times - I think she's one of our underrated writers, perhaps because she isn't tied to one of the bigger publishing houses. However, she's received some critical acclaim for her series, which now numbers six books with the release of DATABYTE.

In a review for Crime Watch, well-respected California-based reviewer and mystery novelist Margot Kinberg had this to say of KILLERBYTE: "Killerbyte is a fast-paced techno-thriller with welcome black humour, a likeable pair of protagonists with some real depths, and a mystery full of twists and turns. Readers may want to peek through their fingers now and again, but it’ll be worth it."

You can read our 9mm interview with Cat Connor here.

I read and enjoyed Connor's EXACERBYTE in 2011. She has a very slick writing style that reminds me of some American authors, with plenty of action and excitement that keeps the pages turning. I'm looking forward to reading more of the 'Byte series in future.

Have you read any of Cat Connor's books?

Raymond Chandler to join Hollywood Walk of Fame

One of the all-time great crime writers, Raymond Chandler, a man who influenced so many novelists who came since, in his genre and beyond, will be honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Los Angeles Times has reported. He will join the 2015 class, alongside the likes of Will Ferrell (Talladega Nights, Anchorman, etc), Juliana Marguiles (ER, The Good Wife), and Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe. An interesting crowd.

It's great that Chandler will be recognised in this way - few writers ever are (it's an 'honour' normally reserved for on-screen talent). Along with his hardboiled crime novels that helped reshape the genre, the creator of Phillip Marlowe was also a working screenwriter - more involved with adapting others' novels rather than his own, including Strangers on a Train and Double Indemnity. 

In a way, it's fitting that Chandler's name will now forever be etched on the seamy sidewalks of a city which he brought to vivid life in all its glory and squalor in his gritty tales. He has influenced countless Los Angeles writers since, including the likes of Michael Connelly and Jonathan Kellerman, who said of Chandler: "What keeps the reader turning pages are dead-eye observations of hypocrisy, self-delusion and evil, tormented characters about whose fate we come to care and an hypnotic sense of place that has never been surpassed by any other crime writer." Big call by Kellerman on the 'sense of place' comment, but many might agree. 

Chandler's honouring in this way also brings to mind the fact that few authors have been honoured in this way (Ray Bradbury and Dr Seuss are amongst the others). Are there other crime writers you think should be on the Hollywood Walk of Fame due to the adaptation of their books to the big and small screens? Should Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle make the grade? Or perhaps some more modern authors? 

Should crime writing include more clean-living cops?

'Realism' - it's something I've always found fascinating about the stories we absorb for enjoyment and entertainment, whether on page or screen - the whole idea is to suspend our disbelief, but within those broad parameters we often want the story to be 'realistic' as well. Over the years I wondered about this dichotomy - especially since many stories are inherently super-unrealistic (fantasy, sci-fi etc), at least in terms of their worlds if not the character interactions, conflicts, development, and emotions - but if you think about it, the seeming contradiction does make sense; because we want to be swept away in the story, no matter how fantastical, and not see the writer's hand pulling the strings. Anything that pulls us out of the story, whether crappy dialogue, cardboard characters, or something that seems 'too unrealistic' will kind of jar, distract us, and makes us realise we are reading/watching a story, rather than being absorbed in it and fully enjoying the ride. We become conscious of it... rather than being fully 'in the moment', where time just passes...

I was thinking about this today when I read a semi-recent article in The Guardian (hat tip to the amazing Graham Beattie) about a British police Chief Constable saying crime writing needed more clean-living cops. "I'd quite like to see some cheery, well-balanced, well-adjusted, equally successful investigators," said Nick Gargan of the Avon & Somerset Police. Gargan, who was speaking at a literary festival, noted that there were "pretty damaged individuals in too many of these books", and that the way they worked (including the amount of work they did - Gargan said some fictional detectives did the work of 40 people in stories - doing things solo, bending the rules, etc) was also completely unrealistic.

We can't really argue that the hard-living damaged detective fills the pages of crime fiction - it's become a cliche in many ways, and perhaps is a 'go-to' archetype for the less imaginative, although the best crime writers manage to keep their (anti)heroes fresh and interesting within that form.

But is the high-ranking Garland, who has received a Queen Service Medal, right? Should there be more clean-living detectives in crime fiction? Or would that sort of 'reality' be too boring for readers, who, let's be honest, want thrills and drama as part of turning the page and following interesting characters? As an analogy, I remember when I worked in a large commercial law firm as a young solicitor, we joked that if anyone made a TV series about what our document-filled lives were like - nothing like Ally McBeal or Boston Legal - that no-one would ever watch it.

But isn't the essence of drama in general - stories are in a way a hyper-reality, a compressed/more exciting version of even the most realistic parts of life? Screenwriters and authors tighten dialogue (internal or external), setting, and action to heighten drama or comedy, so that we are engaged, our emotions and minds are pricked into greater life, as an escape, an entertainment, an education, or a mixed platter combo ... I guess it's just a question of where we draw the line - the sheen of realism that means the story can flow along and not pull us out of it, while still being dramatic enough to hold our attention and make us turn the page or keep watching?

What do you think about Garland's call for more clean-living cops?

The 20 best crime novels of all time!!!!!!!!!!

Well, that's what writers at The Telegraph, a fairly prominent British newspaper, would have us believe.

In a recently published piece that may be more about generating hits with the headline and comments with the choices, the following were selected as crime's best of all time:

• THE WOMAN IN WHITE by Wilkie Collins
• STRANGERS ON A TRAIN by Patricia Highsmith
• THE DAUGHTER OF TIME by Josephine Tey
• THE COMPLETE SHERLOCK HOLMES by Arthur Conan Doyle
• THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD by Agatha Christie
• THE MADMAN OF BERGERAC by Georges Simenon
• THE NINE TAILORS by Dorothy L. Sayers
• REBECCA by Daphne de Maurier
• MISS SMILLA'S FEELING FOR SNOW by Peter Hoeg
• IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote
• THE NAME OF THE ROSE by Umberto Eco
• THE NEW YORK TRILOGY by Paul Auster
• MISERY by Stephen King
• THE BIG SLEEP by Raymond Chandler
• LA CONFIDENTIAL by James Ellroy
• FATHERLAND by Robert Harris
• TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG by Peter Carey
• FINGERSMITH by Sarah Waters
• THE SUSPICIONS OF MR WHICHER by Kate Summerscale
• GET SHORTY by Elmore Leonard

Phew... well, plenty to create discussion there, and I guess in this modern hit-focused world of online journalism, that's the key consideration. Throw something up, with a little bit of thought or research (maybe), and then get people clicking and commenting... fair enough, that's how it goes nowadays, so I guess I should keep that in mind when analysing The Telegraphs' effort here.

I've seen a few such 'best crime novels' lists in my time, and this, for me, isn't one of the better ones. It seems they've picked a whole lot of names they think should be in there from the history of the genre, and represented them with a book (debatable in many cases whether it truly is the author's best novel), then added in some well-known other novels, and a few outliers. Not the worst way to put together such a list, but overall I find this one a bit 'meh'. 

A few thoughts and ponderings from someone who's loved the genre since childhood days of Hardy Boys, Agathie Christie, and Sherlock Holmes, and reads a wide range of authors old and new for interest and as a reviewer-interviewer: 

• It seems like the list is trying to nod to history, but no Dashiell Hammett, Ross Macdonald, Edgar Allan Poe, EC Bentley or Ngaio Marsh, amongst others? Authors who were seen at the time and since as superior crime writers to contemporaries on the list? (okay, a couple of them got 'honourable mentions' at the end of the article in an additional 'contenders' section, but still... )
• SMILLA'S FEELING FOR SNOW as the Nordic noir representative? (THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO was mentioned in 'the contenders' add-on ... and even then, Larsson's book bolstered the Nordic crime wave beyond fans to the wider populace, but are either really superior to some of the novels of Sjowall and Wahloo (who along with Ed McBain created a storytelling style influencing many others, in books and on-screen since) or contemporary stuff from the likes of Jo Nesbo)?
• A few 'modern' novels in amongst the history lesson, but nothing on either list from the likes of James Lee Burke (massive, massive oversight), let alone Ian Rankin, John Hart, Michael Connelly, Daniel Woodrell, and many, many  other terrific, talented crime writing wordsmiths? 
• Several of the books on 'the contenders' epilogue seem superior to some on the 'top 20' list, but worse, there are plenty of books on both lists that seem to take the place of terrific authors and books that don't make either list... 
• No love for books that shifted the genre, such as Thomas Harris's novels, or Patricia Cornwell's earlier forensic-focused work? 
• The list does seem a little Euro/Brit focused, either in terms of authors or books that have done well/won awards there... although that is understandable, as its The Telegraph.

So, that's some initial thoughts from me. I'd love to hear what you think. What books have been overlooked? What books shouldn't be on the list? How many hits and misses for The Telegraph?