Here There Be Smatterings

First, a hearty thank-you to Nick and Charles for their thoughtful guest-blogs. Now it's my turn for more scattershot links:

John Gardner, thriller writer and the second author to write James Bond novels after Ian Fleming's death, passed away on Monday at the age of 80.

Barry Forshaw has a nice overview essay of Ruth Rendell's career in the Times.

From a while ago but only just online: Olen Steinhauer's recommendations of where to go and what to do in Budapest.

Catherine Sampson picks her 10 favorite crime novels set in Asia.

The Louisville Courier-Journal profiles JT Lindroos and Kathleen Martin, the brainchildren behind Point Blank Press.

Signandsight.com chronicles Amir Valle's difficult journey to writing crime fiction as a Cuban exile.

Ben Dolnick talks with the Washington Post about being a young writer, working in zoos and his literary influences.

Helon Habila wonders if this is the year of the Nigerian writer.

And finally, a most unusual way of promoting the Spanish-language edition of Rebecca Pawel's DEATH OF A NATIONALIST.

Comments

[Mike]

I'm not absolutely certain of this and it's too hot and I'm too damn lazy to look it up, but didn't Kingsley Amis write a Bond novel years before John Gardner resumed the series? I think it was called "Colonel Sun", and may have been written under a pseudonym.

[GB]

Hi,

Two things:

- Amis' pseudonym was Robert Markham.

- The Rebbeca Pawels book you are referring to is in Portuguese, not Spanish.

[Cara]

Ola...even in Portugese Death of a Nationalist will fit pefectly in Saco grande para levar tudo a bordo, em pele, preço sob consulta, Burberry....so important these accessories and to be stylish at the playa. Congrats Rebecca!

[Rebecca]

Thanks, Cara. And Sarah, thanks for the shout-out. But GB is right, these are definitely stylish accessories for "a praia" in the Algarve, not to be confused with "la playa" over the border in Cadiz.

Now if I can just convince people that the mysterious mascaraed woman on the cover is an author photo.....

[Clea Simon]

Psyched to see this,as I just borrowed "Death of a Red Heroine" from a friend who frequently visits China. Sorry that Colin Cotterill's wonderful Laos series, with the delightful Dr. Siri Paiboun, didn't make her list though -- and so I'm mentioning them here!

[ChrisR]

Same day that John Gardner dies, so did Ingmar Bergman.
Coincidence, I think not.

[Juri Nummelin]

The Point Blank link is the same as the one leading to the Asian crime novels.