Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind: Too Many Crime & Thriller Awards? Think Again

Picks of the Week

Harry Dolan: Bad Things Happen
BAD THINGS HAPPEN is a nifty debut, cleverly told and unfurled from the very first line: "The shovel has to meet certain requirements" on through meeting "the man who calls himself David Loogan." There are reasons for concealment, just as there are reasons the editor of a mystery magazine bearing little resemblance to EQMM or AHMM might bring him into the fold, thus catalyzing a series of murderous events. The twists come quickly and the dialogue is sharp and if it falls apart slightly at the end, no matter - I want to read much more from Dolan from now on.
Ian MacKenzie: City of Strangers: A Novel
MacKenzie's debut novel reminded me a lot of Paul Auster's NEW YORK TRILOGY, whether it was intended or not, in terms of his choice of words, the thrust of the narrative and the existential nature of the main character (whose first name, incidentally, is Paul) caught up in a snowballing sequence of strange and violent events in and around New York City. MacKenzie straddles the line between thriller and internal examination of a man's failings, and his ability to do so establishes him as a young writer of serious talent and future.
Megan Abbott: Bury Me Deep
In a word: amazing. In more words: Megan Abbott, who has never delivered anything less than an excellent novel, exceeds expectations and takes a very bold and very necessary step forward both in the quality of the prose, the development of her characters and especially in portraying how obsession seeps into the very soul of people, transforming them into their worst nightmares all too easily. Just read this book. And then tell many others to do so as well.
Ninni Holmqvist: The Unit
Understandably, echoes of THE HANDMAID'S TALE are hard to ignore in this dystopic examination of a society where fertility is so high a priority that older, single, marginal women are shut away in secret locales to live out the rest of their lives in seemingly perfect harmony - at least, until the "donations" begin. But Holmqvist's marvelous book doesn't browbeat her thesis into the reader and smartly expands her ideas to look at the plight of all marginalized folk, women and men alike, and how the promise of comforts can be the most horrifying of all. Prepare to be disturbed, but prepare further to think about the ramifications.
Paula Froelich: Mercury in Retrograde
This is possibly the most perfect novel for today's economically challenged times. Why? Because it has plenty of glitz and glamor and blind items, as befitting a narrative by the deputy editor of Page Six, but Froelich isn't arch or snarky or acid-tongued in the slightest. Her trio of protagonists land in all manner of embarrassing situations but they aren't played for mean-spirited laughs. The New York here is something of a fantasy-land, but not so far off the mark that it's completely unbelievable. Most of all it's clear Froelich remains sincere and optimistic about her chosen city, and has retained her sense of fun. So no need to check your brain at the door, but sometimes it just needs to chill out and relax.

May 02, 2008

Too Many Crime & Thriller Awards? Think Again

And this new one has some degree of muscle, what with it being the ITV3 Crime & Thriller Awards and the brainchild of Cactus TV's Amanda "Richard & Judy" Ross. More from the Bookseller:

ITV3 has teamed up with Cactus TV to launch a six-week Crime Thriller Season this autumn, culminating in televised ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards to celebrate crime fiction in film, TV and books.

Cactus has support from major publishers and retailers to promote the season, with posters and stickered books to be placed in shops and supermarkets.

Launching with an event at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival (17th–20th July), the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards will focus on the best of British and international crime novels, with around 15 categories in books, film and TV. The winners will be voted for by a panel of publishing industry figures, with an ITV3 viewers’ choice award for the top crime author.

If this has a Richard & Judy-esque effect on sales of crime fiction in the UK, that'll work pretty well...

Posted at 11:00 AM in World of Mystery | Permalink

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Comments

"And this new one has some degree of muscle, what with it being the ITV3 ..."

... and that's where you lost me.

Posted by: Ray | May 02, 2008 at 08:12 PM

I blogged about this today Sarah - I couldn't find information about the timing of the awards process. Thanks for the further info. Wish I lived in the UK - I hope the series penetrates to DownUnder TV but somehow think it won't.

Posted by: Kerrie Smith | May 03, 2008 at 04:10 AM

What a great idea. TV is so much more popular than reading these days, why not sell a few books, and have a review.

I googled ITV and came up with this:

http://www.itv.com/Channels/ITV3/default.html

It's not like American TV, with satellite, cable, etc. We have more reality channels like Biography, National Geographic, etc. I can't think of any fiction mystery in US except CSI like shows. I guess they don't have any real crime over there so they have to make it up. I mean pretty soon we are going to have a serial killer channel with your host Charlie Manson. I know I would watch.

Posted by: John Cecil | May 03, 2008 at 08:50 AM

It will no doubt be watched by tens of people.

Posted by: David J. Montgomery | May 03, 2008 at 02:26 PM

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