The Hungry Detective

The Agatha nominations made their appearance tonight. The Hungry Detective has been known to read a Cozy-Traditional just not frequently. I got my start in Crime Fiction reading Cozy-Traditional. I followed the lead of my sister who I suspect has little clue that I owe a lot of interest in Crime Fiction to her. (Thanks Jen!) I'll be rooting for Ms. Barrett and Ms. Bork as they are local Rochester writers. THD is pretty bad at supporting local writers, so with that in mind I'll have to give BOOKPLATE SPECIAL and FOR BETTER FOR MURDER a go... and so should you. Awards are handed out at Malice Domestic . The Hungry Detective extents their well wishes to all the nominees. Best Novel: Swan for the Money by Donna Andrews - St. Martin’s Minotaur Bookplate Special by Lorna Barrett - Berkley Prime Crime Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen - Berkley Prime Crime A Brutal Telling by Louise Penny - Minotaur Books Air Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan - MIRA Again, I'll be pulling f...

Prominently mentioned in a few places is that Lou Berney's GUTSHOT STRAIGHT reads like early Elmore Leonard. So no pressure Mr. Berney. The only thing riding on whether I like this book is if it compares to who many think is the greatest living Crime Fiction writer of all time. I get it. The review/blurb is only trying to associate Mr. Berney with Mr. Leonard, so that the reader will be able to make an informed decision; 'I like Elmore Leonard so let me give this guy a try.' But the unfortunate consequence for this reader is that I found it difficult to divorce myself from the constant checklist running in my head. Affable ex-con with rakish looks? Check Not so tough as nails heroine? Check. Loose collection of bad guy thugs who register pretty high on the stupid and cruel meter? Check. Witty back and forth between hero/heroine/thugs? Check. It was frustrating and distracting and for about the first 80 pages I didn't think GUTSHOT STRAIGHT was going to be anything mo...

It is the good fortune of The Hungry Detective to now and again receive books from publishers or their associated marketing agencies. WINTERLAND - Alan Glynn - Minotaur/Thomas Dunne Books THE TOURIST - Olen Steinhauer - Minotaur Books SLOW FIRE - Ken Mercer - Minotaur Books Beginning in 2010, on the first of the month, I will post a 'Book Received' entry. Primarily I want to recognize the books, authors and publisher. Some of the books will be reviewed on this blog, some of the books will not. These entries will be THD's way of acknowledging the books and thanking those that directed them to my doorstep.