Crystal Clear Sunday Smatterings

Julia Keller's newest "Lit Life" column in the Chicago Tribune focuses on the still-strong appeal of Scandinavian crime fiction, and quotes, among others, Andrew Gulli, Centuries & Sleuths' Augie Alesky, and yours truly.

In the NYTBR, Marilyn Stasio rounds up recent crime fiction by Charles Todd, Steve Hamilton, Betty Webb and Andrea Camilleri.

The Seattle Times' Adam Woog drops his first review of 2010, the "ultra-violent and elegant" new novel by Robert Crais. And there's more! Woog also has his say on new offerings from James Thompson, Stan Jones and Jonathan Gash, not to mention PD James' TALKING ABOUT DETECTIVE FICTION and THE LINEUP, edited by Otto Penzler.

Jason Goodwin has his say on John Burdett's new Bangkok crime novel THE GODFATHER OF KATHMANDU in the Washington Post.

Edmund Gordon examines Peter Temples newest crime novel, TRUTH, in the Observer.

The Telegraph's Roger Perkins extols the virtues of Mark Sanderson's evocative 1930s-set noir, SNOW HILL.

Tom & Enid Schantz opine on new mysteries by Paul Adam, Martin Edwards and Lenny Bartulin.

The Guardian puts together James Ellroy and David Peace for a short conversation piece. (I know. Couldn't resist.)

Scott Timberg looks at the perils and pleasures of adapting Elmore Leonard in the Los Angeles Times.

Bookgasm's Rod Lott interviews Lou Berney for the Oklahoma Gazette about how GUTSHOT STRAIGHT, Berney's first work of prose in almost 20 years, grew out of the 2007 writer's strike.

T. Jefferson Parker talks to the OC Register about his new Charlie Hood tale, IRON RIVER.

It's supposed to be a golden age for Irish writing - but John Spain is skeptical.

The Observer tours Brooklyn with Jonathan Lethem on the occasion of his new, Manhattan-set novel CHRONIC CITY.

Melanie Benjamin tells the Chicago Sun-Times about the impetus for ALICE I HAVE BEEN, which re-imagines all of Alice Liddell's life -not just the parts to do with Lewis Carroll.

Wow, there's a hell of a literary fight going on in France between two of its leading female writers, Camille Laurens and Marie Darrieussecq.

And R.I.P Art Clokey, dammit.

Comments

[I.J.Parker]

Amazing story about the two French woman novelists feuding over a "dead baby" belonging to one and a book about a dead baby belonging to the other. Frankly, one wonders about the sanity of both, in particular regarding their peculiar mental attachment to their publisher/editor. And they are leading novelists?

[Cornelia Read]

Contemporary Irish writers "lack philosophical depth and don't have the time or patience or the ability to sustain excellence in writing over a complete book"? Gee... maybe John Spain should trying reading some Tana French and Ken Bruen.

[jf]

Or some Declan Hughes, Brian McGilloway, John Connolly (he's still Irish even if Charlie Parker is a Yank), or Banville-as-Black. Plus other Irish writers I'm surely forgetting...

[Cornelia Read]

Exactly so.