The Hungry Detective

A few weekends ago I went to the Rare Books LA show in Pasadena, California. I have attended that show or a version of that show more often than not in the last 7-8 years. In the earlier years I tended to walk out of there with something. I grabbed Michael Connelly's THE BLACK ECHO with blue rebate band. On a couple of occasions I was able to mine some moderately priced Edward Gorey books. But the last few shows, as my interests have narrowed, have been slim pickings. On the Edward Gorey side, there always manages to be a bookseller or two. Gorey was a prolific producer. But as a prolific producer many of those books are small run, virtually hand produced copies. Some stray into the hundreds of dollars for that reason. I am not opposed to buying the occasional expensive book, but when there are 30 or 40 with that price tag...  and as much as I like Edward Gorey... I am not quite there. [ Editor's Note: He means 'yet'. He's not there yet. ] I have, also, never really

 Announced Monday was the new Craig Johnson. Always happy to see a new Walt Longmire and even better HELL AND BACK releases September 6th which is just a few days after my birthday. This will be a nice late present to myself. Coming September 6, 2022 - HELL AND BACK! What if you woke up lying in the middle of the street in the infamous town of Fort Pratt, Montana, where thirty-one, young Native boys perished in a tragic boarding school fire in 1896? pic.twitter.com/LolrhT8sGC — Craig Johnson (@ucrosspop25) February 28, 2022

At some point in the last year Barnes and Noble got interested in selling Crime Fiction. The last four Barnes & Noble in four different cities and in two different states I browsed now have large displays that feature Crime Fiction. For years Crime Fiction was shoe horned between Sci-Fi and the General Fiction section. Usually buried in the back half of the store taking up only 2 or 3 shelves with only meager hardcover availability. Now in 3 of the 4 stores I visited there was a large U-Shaped section encompassing 16-20 shelves. In all cases there were dozens of hardcover offerings. It looked great to see that much variety and it certainly spurred the purchase of the three books below. So after not buying from Barnes and Noble for the last handful of years...save for the most desperate circumstances...I think I might have to reconsider. Anyway these are my recent purchases. THE MAID - Nita Prose I went from definitely getting this, to not getting this, to putting a hold at the Libr

 Always a good day around the The Hungry Detective Office when Robert Crais announces the latest entry into the Cole/Pike series. November can not get here fast enough. Elvis Cole is back pic.twitter.com/LuIXKPnZRJ — robertcrais (@robertcrais) February 7, 2022

The Edgar nominees were released a couple weeks ago. I have thoughts as you would expect from someone who now seems to update this blog only 2-3 times a year. But before that let me again wonder aloud why this was not broadcasted. The MWA put the Awards on YouTube in 2021. I had hoped this would push the membership to announce the awards with something more dynamic than a press release. Put a couple people on a YouTube screen, little bit of a back and forth, and announce some nominations. They have a YouTube channel that has been dormant for 8 months... the irony is not lost on me... but alas.... As for the nominations, I always squint my eyes at the list and think... 'Not only have I not read these books, but I have also never heard of these books.' Please do not get me wrong. I love Crime Fiction. I have read it for 30 years. The vastness of the field ensures the possibility that with every new book you read you can discover a new favorite author or sub-genre that will se

Dear Kind Reader of The Hungry Detective, I wrote this post, which I am now publishing, in September of last year. It brought me more or less up to date on my reading habits during the Summer of 2021. LONDON RULES, JOE COUNTRY, SLOUGH HOUSE - Mick Herron I should have read these books at a more leisurely pace, instead of straining to finish one only to strain to finish the next in effort to read all seven books in a condensed timeline. Generally felt the diminishing returns as the series progressed. Character traits once amusing now slightly grate. I definitely favor the early books. My own taste runs more to the serious Spy Thriller whilst both feet of the Slow Horses series are grounded in comedy if not the outright absurd... which given the current reality is probably closer to the truth. I'll happily read the latest, BAD ACTORS, later this Summer. THE UNKINDNESS OF STRANGERS - M.E. Hilliard Like any self respecting Crime Fiction reader I picked this up because of the striking d