The Hungry Detective

Another Edgar Awards has come and gone. The Hungry Detective has done its usual bad job of prognostication . 4 out 12 is not good, but I did get Best Novel. WooHoo! As for the rest. Oh well. I am only listing the winners... and congratulations to them! A complete list of nominees and my picks can be found here . Special thanks to Ms. Weinman's Twitter account. Cheers! Best Nove l Blue Heaven - C.J. Box Best First Novel by an American Author The Foreigner - Francie Lin Best Paperback Original China Lake - Meg Gardiner Best Fact Crime American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century - Howard Blum Best Critical/Biographical Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories - Dr. Harry Lee Poe Best Short Story “Skinhead Central,” - T. Jefferson Parker (from The Blue Religion, edited by Michael Connelly) Best Juvenile The Postcard - Tony Abbott Best Young Adult Paper Towns - John Green Best Play The Ballad of Emmett Till - Ifa...

Here we are again, and I'll be honest since their announcement last January I have hardly looked over the list. Elaborate plans to read more of the nominated fell through very quickly. The relative obscurity of some of these titles made it difficult to track down books via the library. I am sure the books are all fine, written by gifted and talented writers. And I don't think anyone wants the Edgar's to turn into a popularity contest, but many of the noms in the 'Big Three' Fiction category are definite thinkers. They almost seem like a rejection of what was generally agreed as the best books of 2008. Still it awfully easy for me to 'Monday Morning Quarterback' the whole thing. So let me again wish all the nominees the grandest of congratulations and best of luck on the 30th of April. The Hungry Detective's picks are in RED . Best Nove l Missing - Karin Alvtegen Blue Heaven - C.J. Box Sins of the Assassin - Robert Ferrigno The Price of Blood - Declan Hu...

Book 3 in Mr. Ellroy's Underworld Trilogy is finally nearing publication. The great Chip Kidd has been Mr. Ellroy's designer for many books dating back to, I think, WHITE JAZZ, but I am unsure if that trend continues with this book. It certainly has the look of Mr. Kidd's work BLOOD'S A ROVER purportedly follows US Government shenanigans post RFK assassination into the early 1970's. As with the past novels in the trilogy Ellroy focuses his gaze on the unknown and unremembered bagmen of history. The tools of corruption fascinate Ellroy more so than the puppet masters. The book is in stores on September 22, 2009.

THE KING OF LIES was Edgar nominated for Best First Novel, and the follow up DOWN RIVER won the Best Novel Edgar last year. Mr. Hart's track record is impressive. THE KING OF LIES is at its core a family drama. The book opens with the discovery of the body of Ezra Pickens, the patriarch of a seriously maladjusted family. Left behind are a son and daughter who were abused by their father in equally dreadful ways. Each thinks the other is responsible for the murder. Work is the son, and it is with him that we discovery the tortured path of this family. It is here where one could use the over used phrase of Southern Gothic, but that would be cheat to imbue this book with kind of mysticism that doesn't suit the book. Family'a are just as screwed up North of the Mason-Dixon Line. Calling this Southern Gothic only serves to distance a reader from the palpable reality of THE KING OF LIES. The chief benefit of this tag is to be able to blurb William Faulkner's name, as if he is...

Location, Location, Location. This dictum rules the realty market, but I would say that it is a less governing principle in the Crime Fiction world. Character is king in Crimelandia. That is not to say location does not have its place, but rarely do I put down a book or fail to read it because of location. Unless that location is Florida. Crime Fiction set in the state of Florida had its last big moment in the late 80's and early 90's. This period coincides with my entry into the Crime Novel, but almost all of the great Florida authors did nothing for me. Believe me I tried. When everyone was telling me how much they enjoyed the latest James W. Hall or the newest Carl Hiaasen , it was a bummer that I could only shrug my shoulders and wonder what the heck was wrong with me. If there is a palm tree on the cover and a vague mention of tropic climates in the title I don't even bother cracking the spine. It was an odd sense of dismay when I discovered that the Ace Atkins had w...

File this under things I didn't even know were happening. This has the look of a straight to video release. On the positive side I am generally pro Gary Oldman. Thanks to Jared Case and The Rap Sheet for making me aware.