Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind: Just Another Weekend Update Down the Pike

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.

NYTBR: Seth Mnookin goes inside John Darnton's murder mystery version of the Times; Tom LeClair has some grievances with MAN IN THE DARK; Christopher Hitchens on BHL; and Amy Finnerty has her say on Chelsea Cain's new thriller SWEETHEART.

And in Week in Review, A.O. Scott on David Foster Wallace.

WaPo Book World: Jonathan Yardley has his say on THE GIVEN DAY; Robert Olen Butler on writing by dreams and instinct; and Ron Charles applauds a new change in direction for Francine Prose.

LA Times: Richard Rayner travels back in time to the crimes of AMERICAN LIGHTNING; Sonja Bolle on a YA parody of reality television; Scott Timberg considers the legacy of Michael Dibdin; and Susan Salter Reynolds is wowed by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum's new collection of linked stories.

G&M: Chris Scott wanders through the fires of Papua New Guinea with Kira Salak; A psychiatrist tries to expose the dark side of medication for moods; and Margaret Cannon has her say on crime fiction by Richard Montanari, Kathy Reichs, Pat Capponi, Tess Gerritsen, Deborah Crombie and Amy MacKinnon.

Guardian Review: Alasdair Gray reacts to Rodge Glass's just published biography of himself, which Iain Sansom reviews approvingly; Andrew Marr raves about Ian Rankin's post-Rebus caper; Matthew Lewin reviews new thrillers by Faye Kellerman, Catherine Sampson, William Brodrick and James Lee Burke; and Christopher Tayler on the loss of DFW.

Observer: Tom Stoppard explains why the War on Terror worries him; Joshua Ferris reminisces about interviewing David Foster Wallace as a college student; and Euan Ferguson is knocked for six by A MOST WANTED MAN.

The Times: Stephen Amidon falls all over himself to praise HOMICIDE; Marcel Berlins rounds up crime and thrillers by Ian Rankin, Kathy Reichs and Val McDermid; Doug Johnstone sits down with Arnaldur Indridason to talk about crime fiction in Iceland; and Bryan Appleyard sings the praises of Marilynne Robinson.

The Scotsman: Andrew Davidson discusses THE GARGOYLE with the Scottish crowd; Adrian Turpin looks at the current status of the Wigtown Festival; and Tom Adair examines Peter Ackroyd's reinvention of Victor Frankenstein.

The Telegraph: Susanna Yager reviews recent crime novels by Teresa Solana and Kathy Reichs; the section evaluates literature's 50 greatest villains; and a whole lot to do with John Le Carre's new novel, A MOST WANTED MAN.

The Rest:

Oline Cogdill finds parallels between historical and contemporary, literary and thriller in Dennis Lehane's THE GIVEN DAY.

Adam Woog also finds much to enjoy in Dennis Lehane's historical epic.

David Montgomery rounds up recent crime fiction by Tess Gerritsen, Alafair Burke, Ellen Crosby, Alison Gaylin and William Kent Krueger.

Declan Burke reports on the crime fiction element of Books 2008 in Dun Laoghaire.

The Rocky Mountain News is pretty damn thrilled THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE is Oprah's newest Book Club selection.

From last week: The Denver Post on mystery's place in fiction following the pick of THE THIN MAN as the city's newest One Book selection.

The Sydney Morning Herald's Malcolm Knox discusses the difficulty of trying to verify truth of a memoir's claims.

The Age's Jane Sullivan looks at Edgar Allan Poe's enduring legacy.

And finally, a thought from my brain this morning: if we're in the midst of End Times, can I at least get my bookcases built and delivered to my apartment first? That would be nice.

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Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind

Crime fiction, and more.

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September 21, 2008

Just Another Weekend Update Down the Pike

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