The Hungry Detective

I read both of Jason Pinter's books back to back. The Mark was released last June. The Guilty just a few weeks ago, and believe or not his third is due for August. Three books in 13/14 months. Woah! I read The Mark to notch another 2007 book in my belt before I moved on to Michael Simon's Body Scissors . This obviously did not happen. This was a great first book and a terrific read. The Mark hits you right away and never really lets go of you until the final words. Compelling characters and a very nice Wrong Man plot are deftly handled here. I am also a sucker for journalism stories, and if I had a minor complaint I would have liked to have seen more of that aspect of the story. However, given that our lead, Henry Parker, is only on the job for a hot month before things head south and therefore spends the majority of his time on the run I can forgive the book. Both the Mob and Johnny Law want our dear Henry dead before he can wrangle out of killing a dirty cop. Pinter does...

Spring is here in name only. It snowed at THD's World Headquarters early today. Spring should mean consistently warmer temperatures of about 55-70 degrees. That does not happen around here until mid-May. Let me extend my thanks to ClueLass and Fantastic Fiction . Most of the books featured here were drawn from their authoritative lists. Empty Ever After - Reed Farrell Coleman - April 1 The latest in the Moe Prager series. The previous entry was nominated for an Edgar and I am going on record and calling that book the favorite to win. Don't be left out in the cold on who many feel is the best writer you are not reading. A Carrion of Death - Michael Stanley - April 1 Botswana is a hot bed. First Alexander McCall Smith. Now Michael Stanley. The axiom of never trusting someone with two first names will be put to the test with this author as Mr. Stanley is actually Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip . My attraction is the exotic locale and the promise of a slightly more gritty ...

Spring is just around the corner. Sadly, in name only. Everyone here at THD has been gathering the latest information on upcoming releases. This preview will cover the time period to mid June. Right now the list is heavily on male perspectives... when I say heavily... I mean exclusively. We will have to work on that. Anyway look for the list on Monday. Cheers!

This week brought me to the eastern most outpost in Western New York's Rust Belt. Syracuse has the effect of reminding that I happy to be living in Rochester. A work related assignment meant that some of my down time would be spent in a few used bookstores. After many years of insisting in only the finest quality of book condition I have dropped my standards to allow books of lesser vintage to rest on my shelf. That and the fact that the mylar book cover hides a multitude of sins. Buying used just makes financial sense. The Horse Latitudes and Cheshire Moon - Robert Ferrigno I have slowly been collecting all of this authors output. To date the only book of his I have read is the first in his assassin trilogy, Prayers for the Assassin . Glad to close out the first two from highly regarded author. The Crime Trade - Simon Kernick Maybe you have noticed by now but I am a sucker for British Crime Fiction, British anything really. I watch Premier League Football for goodness sake. I h...

I can not confirm if I am just making this up in my own head or not, but a poll conducted in Norway ranked this the best crime novel of all time! Now a quick search on the Googler should confirm or repudiate this story. I like the idea of living under this illusion, so I have not gone back to check the accuracy of this statement. The idea that I have read the best that Norwegian Crime Fiction has to offer sets up a tantalizing criteria. Collaboration is a an ugly word in the history of WWII, particularly if the you sided with the Germans. I am not capable of providing the dear readers of this humble blog with a lucid history of Norway in WWII, but I think it is enough to say that Norway has a troubling history in regards to their Nazi occupation. Jo Nesbo both embraces and keeps this history at an arms length. Our villain is a soldier of that war who fought with the Germans, but he is also a pitiably character who could not control many of the events he played apart in. He is a marione...

I read At the City's Edge, Marcus Sakey's second crime novel, while I was home on vacation. His first book, The Blade Itself, garnered a heck of a lot of attention. I think I have written on a few occasions that while I like the book, I didn't love the book (... sorry Marcus!). However, this is not the forum to regurgitate my minor qualms w/ Blade (the book not the hysterically trashy Wesley Snipes Vampire movies). At the City's Edge is a fantastic book, one that I devoured in three or four gulps. I certainly felt the stakes were a lot high in this book than the last. In Blade, Danny Carter, is trying to protect his family from the evil deeds of his past life. And in the end Danny is successful.... depending on your definition of success. With EDGE, the Evil strikes, killing our hero's brother. Jason Palmer loses his brother, but gains a nephew. It all just seemed a lot more immediate to me. There is a devastating quality to the story of a good person who loses the...

Well, I think I have alluded in a previous post that Lee Child blurbing your crime related thriller had reach epidemic proportions. The L.C. blurb that accompanies The Accident Man is "Audacious, authentic, full of tension and tradecraft... a great thriller read." Audacious, I guess, because of the too soon aspect of Diana, and possibly for the fact in the context of the book the author is asking you to root for the murderer of the most famous person ever. So I approached this book with great trepidation, and early on I felt the sinking sensation of a thriller that starts with... at least a very interesting idea... and has absolutely no follow though. But once we are in the clear of the act the book turns into a very surprising read. I enjoyed the hell out of this book from about the 100 page mark. Cynically, I could say why even use the salaciousness of Diana being murdered, but it is a great hook. Our Accident Man, Carver, and his Russian accomplice, Alix, are well de...

Where has THD been? Why bother asking. Body Scissors - Micheal Simon I read this author's first book, Dirty Sally , a few years ago and dug the he-hi-heck out of it. But for one reason or another his second and third books never made it into my shopping cart. I found this in the overstock and was excited. I will probably knock this book off after The Redbreast and The Mark . The Bookman's Last Fling - John Dunning Booked to Die, the first in this series, was so much fun that I have always come back to the series, even if it has been mostly about diminishing returns. The lead is a former cop named Cliff Janeway. His current occupation is as a used and rare bookstore owner. As a collector of almost anything this spells doom to the pocket book. Down River - John Hart This book has been nominated for an Edgar this year. His first book King of Lies did the same last year. I am on the bandwagon to see what all the fuss is about. The Shotgun Rule - Charlie Huston Other than the ...