Lee would have to be mad to send his divisions across that field. And Hunt was sure he would do it. When I finished reading Ralph Peters’ Civil War novel Cain at Gettysburg, I almost checked my clothing for blood spatter. Up until now Michael Shaara’s epic novel The Killer Angels has been considered not only the best Gettysburg novel ever written, but the best possible Gettysburg novel. It’s been a long time since I read Shaara’s book, but I’m fairly certain that, for all…
The republishing of classic genre fiction (which I know is a contradiction in terms for some people) continues apace as e-publishing and print-on-demand reduce publication costs. The latest good news: Amazon Publishing is reprinting most of the Saint novels by Leslie Charteris and the Mrs. Bradley books of Gladys Mitchell. Both series began in the late 1920s and lasted for several decades. Both still have very enthusiastic followings (and somewhat separate ones) among current-day aficionados of mystery and suspense fiction. Exemplifying this continuing interest, a…
“I just don’t know why you can’t have it both ways. You know, give unbridled effort in your defense but be conscientious about your work. Try for the best outcome.” “The best outcome for who? Your client? Society? Or for yourself? Your responsibility is to your client and the law, Bullocks. That’s it.” I gave her a long stare before continuing. “Don’t go growing a conscience on me,” I said. “I’ve been down that road. It doesn’t lead you to anything good.” I’ve said before…
Lars Walker, a regular contributor to this publication, just happens to be a highly talented and widely admired historical novelist. If you haven't read any of his books, you can remedy that quite easily tomorrow (April 16), for amazon.com is making his Hailstone Mountain Kindle edition free for one day. . . .
Today marks Bill Pronzini’s 70th birthday, and I want to join the discussion on the blogosphere with my own tribute to this admirable author of mystery, suspense, Western, and critical works. Pronzini is a well-known and respected author, but he’s something of a rarity on the modern mystery scene: he knows a lot about the genre’s history. His collection of books and pulp magazines is massive, and he has written and contributed to several reference volumes, including three books on “alternative classics” (i.e. books so bad that they…
“I’m jealous,” she said, pretending not to be. “You could have had room service with me.” She said that flatly, without stressing the innuendo – but the “nuendo” was in there, all right. “Kill your darlings” is writers’ jargon for one of the hardest lessons of the craft – that the particular passage you worked hardest on and are proudest of is very likely the one you need most to cut. Max Allan Collins’ early novel Kill Your Darlings is another of his Mallory books,…
I wonder if the recent popularity surge of Scandinavian detective novels influenced Michael Connelly to add a Scandinavian element to his latest Harry Bosch novel, The Black Box. It doesn’t really matter. The Bosch series continues very strong, and I think even Scandinavians will like it for its own sake. When Hieronymous (Harry) Bosch, Connelly’s most famous detective, first appeared in a novel, he was dealing with the chaos of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. This story takes us back to that surreal…
My first job after graduating from college was in Detroit. Prior to graduation, my high-school and college classmates and I would discuss our respective future plans — to a person we all declared we’d never take a job in Detroit. Once the mortar boards and graduation gowns were packed away, however, and wedding bells and wet nappies weighed-in on economic reality,At first, I lived in Dearborn, but eventually find an affordable house to rent in the Warrandale section on Detroit’s west side. In 1985, I…
"... the miracle of Fátima and my Cuban experiences inspired 'The Tragedy of Fidel Castro'."
"After the second ring, God answered the phone and heard a woman's anxious voice. 'Master, it’s me. The war's about to begin'."
See, I’d seen that look before. That wrinkled nose, that laughing sparkle in the eyes. In the movies, evil guys laugh out loud. Bwa-ha-ha. Or they chuckle suavely, swirling their drinks in their glasses. But this is the real deal, the real look most monsters have. A sort of cute, dainty, delicate recoil from speaking the thing out loud. The forbidden joke of it. Are we being naughty now? I know you’re used to seeing me review Andrew Klavan’s books, and I know you’ve come…
"She had a marvellous talent for weaving elegant mysteries around middle-class characters in a traditional English setting."
"Kerry attempts to make her way out of the 'hellbox' in which she is imprisoned, but it’s no easy feat, being guarded by a mean-looking, possibly carnivorous dog. Not only that, she is bound and the doors are locked, with nothing sharp around with which she can free herself or pick the lock. It’s a maddening scenario for anyone, let alone a character we’ve come to know and love over the course of the series. . . . 'Hellbox' is an interesting book. It’s quite…
MysteriousPress.com is introducing a new series of stories called Bibliomysteries. The concept of the series is relatively simple: these are all relatively short tales centered on some sort of deadly book, manuscript, etc. Four titles have been released, all written by prominent mystery authors: Anne Perry, C. J. Box, Jeffrey Deaver, and Ken Bruen all contribute tale. In Anne Perry’s 'The Scroll,' the book that sets the entire plot in motion is the titular scroll . . .
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