The Hungry Detective

In contributing to Friday's Forgotten Book project I was confronted with my beginnings in Crime Fiction. THE BLACK HAND GANG was a children's book I read with my sister when I was 10 or 11. There is THE FIRM or DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS purchased the same day from the Walden Books in the mall. THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD? Over my head. Too young. The book is A DRY WHITE TEAR by Stephen F. Wilcox . This was the first book in two series that Mr. Wilcox wrote. The hero of this and three other books written between 1989 and 1994 was T.S.W Sheridan. Mr Sheridan is a crime reporter who moves to the Finger Lakes area in upstate New York to investigate the murder of his Uncle. I have not read the book in twenty years, and I always flunked reading comprehension, but I still recall my very strong reaction to it. Not until this book had I encountered a character like Sheridan. Rough, but amiable. Cynical, but hopeful. Sheridan was the first fully realized person I had read in crime fic...

On the plus side of the recent economic skid is this chart. This chart... well... charts the slide of the British Pound Sterling to our Americano Dollar. From nearly $2.00 in early August to what is today $1.60! For all of my youth the Pound basically converted to $1.50, but as The Hungry Detective's interest in English Premier League soccer grew so did the exchange rate. This made travel and the acquisition of UK released books nigh to impossible. Our cherished Billingham's, Booth's, Connolly's, Kernick's, McDermid's were all a heavy financial burden for this poor soul, and with shipping via the Royal Mail...Oof! Luckily all of our UK related purchases are being made via The Book Depository . Is there any more magical collision of words than, 'Free Shipping'? Yes, there is 'Free Shipping Worldwide'. In any case, the latest additions to the THD library have been R.J Ellory's A Simple Act of Violence , and Tom Cain's The Survivor . THD wo...

Just a couple things to mention. A) My computer has passed on into the great beyond to frolic with the Apple IIc of my childhood. More specifically the hard drive is longer... hard driving. Was the stupid, wasteful service plan purchased? Surprisingly yes it was. Do I want to be without my computer for the next 6-8 weeks? No. The second thing? The Hungry Detective realizes a post is a bit overdue, so I'll take this rainy Saturday to write a few quick reviews. The Bookman's Last Fling - John Dunning Here is a series for which I have a great affection. The series follows Cliff Janeway, a former cop turned bookseller. Mr. Dunning filled his first couple books with book collecting minutia that made for very fun reading... even if the mystery was nothing all that special. Books three and four of the series were distinct disappointments for me as Mr. Dunning abandoned much of the book collecting charm of the previous books. The mystery was at the fore, and sadly I was bored. The Last...

Back home, and the lawn has been mowed. Baltimore is already fading behind a haze of husband and home duties that piled up in my absence. First and foremost let me extend my congratulations (...among the many) to Ruth Jordan and Judy Bobalik. Nothing but great things are being said about the work they did to put on the Baltimore Bouchercon. As for the experience of The Hungry Detective, I am not really sure how to close this out. Great fun was had, and surprisingly not as many books were purchased. At least financial I feel good about the long weekend. Perhaps it is best not to look back too much. Nostalgia is both a beautiful and stunting organism. I'll just wait for my FedEx to arrive and look forward Indianapolis . I'll close like I probably should. Here is what I bought. The Amateur Spy - Dan Fesperman The Snake Stone - Jason Goodwin Scared to Live - Stephen Booth Mr. Timothy - Louis Bayard Voices - Arnaldur Indridason Trigger City - Sean Chercover Wicked City - Ace Atkins

This is the second awards ceremony that I have attended. The other one was 2007 Academy Awards. Slightly better seats for this one. I'll add some commentary on Monday. Columbus Day tomorrow means I have the day to recover. Let me refer you to our picks ... made all the way back in June. Winners are in Red and bold . THD picks in Blue . I picked against Laura Lippman because why again? Oh yes, stupidity. Best Novel Tin Roof Blowdown - James Lee Burke Bad Luck and Trouble - Lee Child The Watchman - Robert Crais Thunder Bay - William Kent Krueger What the Dead Know - Laura Lippman Best First Novel Big City, Bad Blood - Sean Chercover In the Woods - Tana French The Spellman Files - Lisa Lutz Head Games - Craig McDonald The Blade Itself - Marcus Sakey Best Paperback Original Queenpin - Megan Abbott Slide - Ken Bruen and Jason Starr Blood of Paradise - David Corbett Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues - Robert Fate A Thousand Bones - P.J. Parrish Short Story Watch Your Step - Rhys Bowen (T...

The Shamus Awards were handed out tonight. Tickets were a cool $60. The Hungry Detective wishes we had enough money in the petty cash fund to afford a ticket. Banquets last for a couple hours.... but book purchases are forever! More commentary later. Monday. Winners in Red and bold. THD made some picks about a million months ago; they are in Blue . Best Hardcover Head Games - Thomas B. Cavanagh Soul Patch - Reed Farrel Coleman The Color of Blood - Declan Hughes A Welcome Grave - Michael Koryta A Killer’s Kiss - William Lashner Best Paperback Original Songs of Innocence - Richard Aleas Exit Strategy - Kelley Armstrong Stone Rain - Linwood Barclay Deadly Beloved - Max Allan Collins Blood of Paradise - David Corbett Best First Novel The Cleaner - Brett Battles Keep It Real - Bill Bryan Big City, Bad Blood - Sean Chercover When One Man Dies - Dave White The Last Striptease - Michael Wiley Best Short Story Kill The Cat - Loren D. Estleman (Detroit Noir) Trust Me - Loren Estleman (Alfred Hi...

I have nearly 'Been Around the World' in the last two years. Brazil and India so the 8:30 panel on Saturday morning seemed a natural. The focus here was on writers who have chosen exotic locales or who are writing from exotic locales. All five of the authors, Charles Benoit , Jason Goodwin , Arnaldur Indridason, and Michael Stanley are guys I have either read or want to read. They all acquitted themselves very nicely. This was a panel where I got up to dash to the book room in search of books for all the authors I don't already own. I was especially drawn to Mr. Stanley and Mr. Goodwin. Mr Stanley is one half of the writing team that has authored A Carrion of Death. Mr. Goodwin writes about the declining days of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. His first was the 2007 Edgar winner, The Janissary Tree. ( Arnaldur Indridoason) The PI panel at 11:30 was one of the best I heard this weekend. The two things to be learned is that whether it is 1st person or 3rd person the...