Booklist Online: Book Reviews from the American Library Association

Mary Frances Wilkens sent me a link to John E. McIntyre’s “Grammarnoir,” from his blog You Don’t Say, writing, “Reminds me of something I once read about a book reviewer and his curmudgeonly boss . . . ” She’s referring, of course, to “Reading Is My Business,” from last year’s Mystery Showcase. “Grammarnoir” is very funny, [...]

On Flavorwire, Caroline Stanley complains that it can be hard to find a copy of Richard Price’s New York City-set Lush Life in New York City. “Why has Lush Life gained so much steam in recent months?” she asks. Well, Booklist’s mother raised it to be modest, but I have to point out that a spot [...]

I know I said I wouldn’t post anything until next Monday, but this is too good to wait that long. Just before Christmas, Craig Johnson, author of the very fine Walt Longmire series (Another Man’s Moccasins, 2008), gave a great gift to everyone on his mailing list: an original short story, “Slick-Tongued Devil.” I planned to link to it, but the busy [...]

It goes without saying that you shouldn’t write in library books. But when you’re reading a library book, isn’t it always interesting to see what the scofflaws have written? Here’s a photo of a piece of marginalia, from a book believed to be The Plunder Squad, by Richard Stark (aka Donald E. Westlake), that proves [...]

I just handed in my review of Walter Mosley’s The Long Fall, the first book in a new mystery series set in New York City and starring Leonid McGill, private eye. I liked it better than the Fearless Jones books, but McGill is no Easy Rawlins, either. I couldn’t help but notice the following paragraph (read it with [...]

Maybe I’m just a soft-hearted guy who’s more interested in books and movies than in news about how much money books and movies earn, but NPR’s segment yesterday (”The Making of a Posthumous Best-Seller“) about Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo left me cold. The focus of the piece wasn’t so much about the book or its author as [...]

More Bouchermania. I couldn’t stay for the Anthony Awards, but here are the winners, linked to their Booklist reviews when applicable. Looks as if conference attendees really swooned for guest of honor Laura Lippmann. And, if you enjoy trendspotting, take note of the fact that two of these winners also won Edgars.
Best Novel
What the Dead [...]

I’m back in the office, caught up on e-mail, and beginning to go over the notes that I scribbled in the margins of the Bouchercon program, on the backs of flyers, and on a piece of lined paper ripped from an unsuspecting victim’s spiral-bound notebook. I doubt I’ll get around to writing any kind of comprehensive [...]

 
Since I’m surrounded by crime fiction writers, I guess the moment is right to reveal that a piece of my own crime fiction, the short story, “Untitled,” was the second runner-up in Time Out Chicago’s “Chicago Crime Writers Competition.” The first round was judged by Random House/Vintage Books editorial staff, and Michael Harvey (The Fifth Floor, 2008) selected [...]

I’m in Baltimore at Bouchercon, having a hard time blogging but finding it easy to enjoy lots of panels with a wonderful assortment of crime fiction writers. I’ll try to make some sense of my notes and offer a wrapup on Monday–I’ll also assemble some linked lists of the various award winners. (I’ll be at [...]