Crime TV this week - from Dexter to Rankin

It's been a good week for crime fiction on tv this week. ITV1 with Lewis (a spin-off from 'Morse' based on Colin Dexter's books) on Sunday followed by two part drama Instinct on Monday and Tuesday, from the writer of Messiah.

The BBC follows up with Andy McNab's The Grey Man on BBC1 Thursday afternoon and BBC4 showing Ian Rankin's Reichenbach Falls in the evening of the same day.

Reichenbach Falls was previously known as 'The Acid Test' when I blogged about it back in September and will be showing at 9pm-10.15pm and repeated at 1.55am-3.15am and Saturday at 9.05pm-10.25pm.

You can read more and watch a couple of video clips at the BBC website.

Final Call for February's Competitions

In a few hours time I'll be closing the shutters on February's excellent competitions. The lucky winners should be announced tomorrow night/Friday and the new competitions for March will go live on Sunday.

Click on http://www.eurocrime.co.uk/Competition.html to view the prizes and how to enter.

Ruth Dudley Edwards' new book

It's been a six-year wait but Ruth Dudley Edwards' Baroness Troutbeck and Robert Amiss are back. Poisoned Pen Press are publishing the eleventh Amiss, 'Murdering Americans' in April.

Synopsis from Amazon.com:
Academia (n.): a profession filled with bad food, knee-jerk liberalism, and murder...

Being a member of the House of Lords and Mistress of St Martha’s College in Cambridge might seem enough to keep anyone busy, but Baroness (Jack) Troutbeck likes new challenges. When a combination of weddings, work, and spookery deprives her of five of her closest allies, she leaps at an invitation to become a Distinguished Visiting Professor on an American campus.

With her head full of romantic fantasies inspired by 1950s Hollywood, and accompanied by Horace, her loquacious and disconcerting parrot, this intellectually-rigorous right-winger sets off from England blissfully unaware that academia in the United States is dominated by knee-jerk liberalism, contempt for Western civilization, and the institutionalisation of a form of insane political-correctness.

Will the bon viveuse Baroness Troutbeck be able to cope with the culinary and vinous desert that is New Paddington, Indiana? Can this insensitive and tactless human battering-ram defeat the thought-police who run Freeman State University like a gulag? Does she believe the late Provost was murdered? If so, what should she do about it? And will she manage to persuade Robert Amiss—who describes himself bitterly as Watson to her Holmes and Goodwin to her Nero Wolfe—to abandon his honeymoon and fly to her side?

Set the recorder for...

...The Grey Man by Andy McNab on BBC1, Thursday 1 Mar at 2:35 pm - 3:20 pm.

From the BBC listings page:

"The Grey Man is a sweet story of a downtrodden bank clerk, Kevin Dodds who eventually fights back; giving his wife the perfect anniversary present and exacting mild revenge on his tyrannical boss at the same time.

Written by Andrew Rattenbury based on a 'quick read' by Andy McNab for World Book Day 2007. Daniel Ryan and Olivia Colman play Kevin and Linda Dodds, Christopher Fulford, the uncompromising bank manager and Nitin Ganatra is Gary, Kevin's 'fool' of a best friend. Daisy Donovan and Billy Murray also appear."

Information on the ex-SAS author can be found here on wikipedia.

Euro Crime News-page updated

I updated the Euro Crime News page yesterday with links to the latest reviews in the UK papers and the NY Times.

ITV's Instinct - is it any good?

I've noticed a number of hits on the blog to do with Instinct which I blogged about recently. I've recorded the first part - is it worth watching and shall I tape part 2. It's all very complicated with Instinct/Life on Mars/CSI/Battlestar Galactica all being on at the same time tomorrow.

The Unexpected Guest on tour in the UK

Agatha Christie's, The Unexpected Guest, starring Simon MacCorkindale, is currently touring the UK. The full list of dates and venues is here.

"Following widespread critical acclaim for their star-studded production of The Hollow, the second production from The Agatha Christie Theatre Company promises to be another “beautifully staged and executed murder-mystery... a killer production of classic Christie class” (The Argus).

Lost in the fog on a lonely road, a stranger seeks refuge in a nearby house, only to find that he has stumbled onto the scene of a murder! When the dead man’s wife confesses to killing her much despised husband, the stranger agrees to provide her with an alibi. But, who is he really protecting? And, in a house full of suspects, whose are the unidentified fingerprints found at the scene?

Credited as one of Agatha Christie’s most mischievous and chilling whodunnits, The Unexpected Guest is filled with all the suspense, intrigue and surprise twists that make Christie one of the world’s best-loved authors and the undisputed first lady of crime."

If you can't make the play, Charles Osbourne wrote it up as a novel in 1999 and it is available most recently as a 2003 paperback.

Competition reminder, New Reviews & Updates

Only a few days left to enter February's competitions to win books by A C Baantjer, Simon Levack and K O Dahl.

The latest reviews are:
'Shooting Elvis' by Stuart Pawson, reviewed by Sunnie Gill
'Roots of Evil' by Sarah Rayne, reviewed by Terry Halligan
'The Three Evangelists' by Fred Vargas, reviewed by Maxine (Petrona) Clarke.

The 'Authors' list of homepages has been updated.

The 'New Releases' pages have been updated.

In 'Books' there are now bibliographies for 1041 authors (5681 titles with links to 888 reviews). I've added bibliographies for the following: Anne Brooke, Mary Rose Callaghan, Arnauld Delalande, Mike Duff, Chris Ewan, J G Goodhind, Cora Harrison, Sam Hayes, Juan Gómez Jurado, Ian Macpherson, Jenni Mills, Frank Muir, Malcolm Noble, Catherine O'Flynn, Olivier Pauvert, Jay Rayner, Patrick Redmond, Ivo Stourton, Nicola Upson, Andrew Wilson, Tom Wilson, Mark Worrall.

In 'Books' I've updated the bibliographies (ie added new titles) for: Jane Adams, Tessa Barclay, Tony Cornberg, Duncan Falconer, Lesley Glaister, Susanna Gregory, Quintin Jardine, Andrew Martin, Brian McGilloway, Natasha Mostert, Tony Saint, Roger Silverwood.

Meet Josephine Tey, amateur sleuth

From Publishing News:

London theatreland in the 1930s is the setting for a new series of detective novels by Nicola Upson, who has worked in theatre management and been crime fiction reviewer for the New Statesman. Faber's Walter Donohue clinched a two-book deal for UK/ Commonwealth rights from Karolina Sutton at ICM. An Expert in Murder features real-life playwright Josephine Tey, who divided her time between Scotland and the West End, enjoying extraordinary success and launching the career of John Gielgud, among others. Already, P D James is a fan, and Donohue believes the novel is “an exhilarating read and a remarkably authentic tribute to the golden age of British crime fiction”.

...your father has been reading too much Dante

Giulio Leoni has written a trilogy *starring* Dante Alighieri. Naturally the first one to be translated was the middle part, published in January 2007 as 'The Third Heaven Conspiracy'(UK)/'The Mosaic Crimes'(US).

However a recent snippet from Publisher's Lunch-

Giulio Leoni's second novel (I DELITTI DELLA LUCE) in his medieval literary thriller series featuring Prior Dante Aligheri, to James Gurbutt at Harvill Secker, by Philip Patterson of Marjacq Scripts, on behalf of Piergiorgio Nicolazzini.

-reveals that (in fact) the final part of the trilogy is to be translated next.

The information about the order of the books is given on the English part of Leoni's website:

In 2000 I won the Premio Alberto Tedeschi, a prestigious Italian award for mystery novels. The book was Dante Alighieri e i delitti della Medusa (The Medusa Crimes), a historical tale in which the unexpected investigations of the great poet Dante Alighieri were unveiled for the first time. A famous singer, Vana del Moggio, is found slain and beheaded. And in place of the head, is a horrible image of Medusa, the work of the accursed Guido Bigarelli, the mad sculptor who has been banned

In 2004 I delitti del mosaico (The Mosaic Crimes) was published, a new investigation by Dante Alighieri, followed the next year by I delitti della luce (The Crimes of the Light), another novel set in the early 14th century that completes the trilogy inspired by the three parts of the Divine Comedy.

And the first part will be translated when.....?

Euro Crime 'news' page updated

I've updated the News page on Euro Crime to include links to recent reviews in the UK's papers.

PS. Do check out the Book Competitions which will close at the end of the month.

A Reginald Hill appreciation by Mike Ripley

Newly posted on the Shots website, a "meandering appreciation over fell and under hill" of Reginald Hill, by Mike Ripley.

The latest Dalziel and Pascoe is out on the 12th March as 'The Death of Dalziel' in the UK and is pre-empted by its US release on the 1st March - retitled as 'Death Comes for the Fat Man'.

Passport to Crime

This appears to be out in the US and will be out in the UK in March, according to the relevant Amazons. I hope to get my hands on it at some point:

From Carroll & Graf:

Description:
Derived from a series launched in 2003 by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, called Passports to Crime, this volume collects stories from some of the world's most popular and talented crime writers. Originally published monthly in Ellery Queen, these stories are appearing for the first time in book form. Authors include: Boris Akunin, a major bestseller in Russia, who has many other works translated in the U.S.; Ingrid Noll, Germany's “Queen of Crime,” whose books have been translated into 23 languages and adapted for German television; Ruben Fonseca, one of Brazil's best-known literary figures; Baantjer, the most widely read author in the Netherlands, with over 5 million books sold in a country with a population of 15 million; Paul Halter, the winner of two of France's coveted literary awards; France's most admired author of traditional mysteries — Dominic Manotti, a winner of the French Crime Writers Association prize for best thriller; and Rene Appel, three-time winner of the Netherlands' Jouden Strop Prize

New Reviews & Competition reminder (early!)

This weekend's new reviews are:

'Gone to Ground' by John Harvey, reviewed by Geoff Jones, 'Living on a Prayer' by Sheila Quigley, reviewed by Pat Austin and 'Ice Trap' by Kitty Sewell, reviewed by Rhian "It's a Crime (or a mystery)..." Davies.

You can still enter this month's very exciting competitions - win:

- 5 copies of Aztec: City of Spies by Simon Levack
- 5 copies of The Fourth Man by K O Dahl
- 5 copies of a set of three Dekok books by A C Baantjer.

http://www.eurocrime.co.uk/Competition.html

Actress who plays Linda Wallander has died

From the official Henning Mankell website:

The actress Johanna Sällström is dead. She was found lifeless in her apartment in Malmö late at night at the 12th of February. According to the police, there is no suspicion of crime related to her death.

Johanna Sällström was born in 1974 and grew up in Hässelby in Stockholm. She became famous at the age of 13 when she stared in the TV-series Tre Kronor, and she had her big break through in 1997 as she was awarded a guldbagge, the Swedish film prize, for her part in Daniel Fridells movie Under ytan. The last few years Johanna Sällström became internationally famous for her part as the daughter Linda in the 13 movies based on Henning Mankell's character Kurt Wallander.

Craig Russell wins the Hamburg Polizeistern Award

Book 2 Book reports that:

Craig Russell, author the series of thrillers featuring Jan Fabel of the Hamburg murder squad - Blood Eagle, Brother Grimm and the soon to be released Eternal (Hutchinson, 7th May) - has been awarded the Hamburg Polizeistern Award (the annual Police Star Award).

The award is given in recognition of the person who has done most to support the work of the Polizei Hamburg and to raise awareness of the force and its work. This is the only time a Hamburg Police award has been bestowed on a non-German.

The award was presented by Polizeipräsident Werner Jantosch, Chief of Police for Hamburg and there was an audience of 300 consisting of senior police officers, press, TV and radio, and politicians, including Udo Nagel, Hamburg’s Innensenator (Interior Minister)

In his speech, Herr Jantosch thanked Craig for his support of the Hamburg Police and the fact that the Jan Fabel series of thrillers had raised the profile of the Polizei Hamburg in more than twenty countries. Craig made his acceptance speech in German, thanking the Polizei Hamburg for their support and technical advice throughout the writing of the series, and explaining his goal to portray modern Germany to British and worldwide audience.

Find out more about the Jan Fabel series at Craig Russell's website.

A Dublin PI called Leo

For the visitor to Euro Crime wanting to know the author of a series featuring a Dublin PI called Leo, I believe it's Pauline McLynn. She's written three books in that series:

Something for the Weekend
Better Than a Rest
Right on Time

Thierry Jonquet's Tarantula to be filmed

From Serpent's Tail:

Leading Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar is adapting Thierry Jonquet's novel Tarantula - to star Penelope Cruz.

The project sees the director reunited with Cruz, who has won rave reviews for her performance in Volver.

A deftly-constructed noir thriller - with an explosive twist in the tale - Tarantula touches on familiar Almodóvar territory of sexual identity and desire. A plastic surgeon's daughter is raped, leading him to seek revenge on her attackers. Cruz has been cast as the daughter, with Antonio Banderas mooted for the role of surgeon.

The film, which is based on Jonquet's 1995 novel, goes into production in 2007, under the working title of 'The Skin I Live In'.

New ITV Drama - Instinct

From Digital Spy:

Take a look below at our exclusive clip from new ITV murder drama Instinct.

The show - airing soon - stars Anthony Flanagan as troubled DCI Thomas Flynn hunting a serial killer, with the shady Ian Stanford (actor Tom Ward) his chief suspect.

Both the leads have a crime pedigree. Anthony Flanagan was in the last Cracker, as the murderous policeman, as well as Life on Mars. The Manchester Evening News has more details and Tom Ward appears in Silent Witness.

You can watch another trailer here

Harrogate Crime Writing Festival - some programme information

From Natasha Cooper's new website:

"The programme is in place now, and we have a terrific line up of authors and stellar interviewers: Jenni Murray will be interviewing Val McDermid; Mark Lawson will take on Frederick Forsyth; Paul Blezard will talk to Lee Child; and Laura Lippman will cross-question Harlan Coben. With more than fifty other fantastic crime writers discussing everything from Country Matters and Crime in the City to Snobbery with Violence, and Secrets, Spies and Foreign Affairs the scene is set for a great time."

and from the Festival website:

"Val McDermid who will be in conversation with Jenni Murray, Lee Child is set to be interviewed by Paul Blezard and Frederick Forsyth will be discussing his characters and crime fiction with BBC Radio 4 Front Row presenter and Arts Journalist, Mark Lawson.

Other events include Harlan Coben who will be in conversation with Laura Lippman. Panel discussions will include the hilarious What Really Gets Me Going covering the panel’s lives, loves, crime writing and other people’s novels and Plumbing The Depths getting to the bottom of psychological crime. Plus Daphne du Maurier Centenary Panel, which celebrates the centenary of Daphne Du Maurier’s birth.

Firm Festival favourites also include, New Blood, championing new authors, as well as the hysterical Foul Play and the Late Night Quiz Show, which, in fine tradition will be hosted by our present Programming Chair Natasha Cooper and the 2008 Programming Chair, Simon Kernick.

The 2007 Festival also sees the announcement of the 3rd Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, the only literary award of its kind to be voted for by readers. Won in 2006 by Val McDermid for The Torment of Others. The shortlisted authors will be interviewed on Thurs 19th July in a panel chaired by Jenni Murray, followed by the announcement of the winner at 8.30pm.

The Theakston’s Old Peculier Harrogate Crime Writing Festival takes place at the Crown Hotel, Harrogate from 19 – 22 July 2007. Accommodation and Weekend Rover ticket packages are available now on 01423 562303. Individual tickets and Day Passes available from April 2007.

The full programme is due to be posted shortly.

Blood Ties by Sam Hayes

I know it's common in Hollywood to pitch a new film as X meets Y but it's not that common in books (or is it?) so I was amused to see the blurb for 'Blood Ties' by Sam Hayes which is out in April:

From amazon.co.uk: "Jodi Picoult meets Martina Cole in this shocking, gritty novel from a stunning new British voice A mother searches frantically for her missing baby. A few streets away, a teenager gives birth in her bedroom, frightened and alone. Thirteen years later, Robert Knight, a solicitor, wonders why his new wife is so cagey about her past, and so strangely protective of her thirteen-year-old daughter. Three separate lives, bound by one shocking secret. The past is about to catch up with the present..."

I believe Picoult is more at the literary end of popular fiction and her novels are set in America whereas Cole writes gritty, down to earth East End crime novels, based on experience. Interesting hybrid!

New Reviews & Updates on Euro Crime

Firstly, the competions are still open. Lots of free books on offer.

This week's new reviews are 'Betrayal' by Paul Carson reviewed by Maxine Clarke aka Petrona, 'He Who Fears The Wolf' by Karin Fossum (audio) reviewed by Karen Meek and 'The Sword of Shame' by The Medieval Murderers reviewed by Terry Halligan.

The 'Authors' page has been updated (510 author homepages currently listed).

The 'New Releases' pages have been updated.

In 'Books' there are now bibliographies for 1019 authors (5634 titles with links to 886 reviews). I've added bibliographies for the following: Jill Dawson, James Fleming, Paul Halter, Martin Langfield and Stef Penney. Also in 'Books' I've updated the bibliographies (ie added new titles) for: Henning Mankell, David McKeowen and Minette Walters.

Judge John Deed DVD out on Monday

Series 2 is out on Monday 12th Feb. The episodes included are:

1. Political Expediency
2. Abuse Of Power
3. Nobody's Fool
4. Everyone's Child

News-page updated on Euro Crime

I've updated the 'News' page on Euro Crime with links to the latest reviews and news including The Independent's interview of Fred Vargas.

Another Life on Mars Trailer - Gene Hunt being blunt

As d-day draws near, a second trailer for Life on Mars series 2 has been released. Watch it at Digital Spy.

Stef Penney wins Costa Book of the Year

An unknown British writer shook the book world last night, winning the first £30,000 Costa Book of the Year Award (for 35 years it was the Whitbread Award) for her debut novel about Canada - despite a severe medical condition that made it impossible for her to go there.

Stef Penney’s portrait of a small Canadian settlement in deep midwinter was so authentic that when her winning novel, The Tenderness of Wolves, was published in north America, Canadians were convinced that she had spent weeks researching the book there.

In fact, the author who lives in east London, did all her research at the British Library. Acute agoraphobia meant that she could not travel by aeroplane or train for 15 years.

The Tenderness of Wolves is a murder mystery that takes place in 1967 on Dove River, a lonely snowbound town on the Hudson Bay.

More in today's Telegraph.

For some reason I had either not considered the author Euro or the subject crime. It's been remedied now and Stef Penney will appear on the next upload to the website.

Free Books! An early midweek reminder of the competitions running on Euro Crime

As I'll be away from the pc tomorrow I'd just like to remind blog visitors that there are three competitions running until the end of February on the website and that everyone is welcome to enter, no matter where they reside.

Win one of five copies of 'AZTEC City of Spies' by Simon Levack

Win one of five copies of 'The Fourth Man' by K O Dahl

Win one of five sets of three DeKok books by A C Baantjer.

See the Henning Mankell-Wallander films in New York

From the Inspector Wallander website:

Scandinavia House is offering audiences in New York another chance to see films from Yellow Bird's Wallander series. They have lined up three films to be shown during the three weeks between January 31-February 17th.

As with previous screenings, each film will be presented with the original Swedish dialog and English subtitles. The schedule is as follows:

The Castle Ruins / Luftslottet
Wednesday, January 31, 6:30 pm & Saturday, February 3, 3 pm

A bulldozer careens wildly down a sandy road and tips over on the beach—the driver is dead, and the cab stinks of gin. The man is a confirmed alcoholic, but the autopsy shows that he was sober when he died. Kurt, Linda, and Stefan start their investigation by examining the background of the victim, who had made a career of digging. They are led to a ruined castle where they discover a buried clue integral to the case. The team is working together better than ever, but beneath the surface something remains unspoken, and it could thwart justice.


The Black King / Blodsband
Wednesday, February 7, 6:30 pm & Saturday, February 10, 3 pm

A woman is dead, and for once there is a suspect with an obvious motive. But Linda, Wallander's daughter, knows the suspect and is not convinced of his guilt. Stefan, Linda's lover and colleague, is certain, however, and with Kurt's backing digs into the man's background—with grave consequences. To prove the suspect’s innocence Linda must solve the case herself. Is the murdered woman's interest in chess the key to solving the mystery?


The Forger / Jokern
Thursday (not Wednesday), February 15, 6:30 pm & Saturday, February 17, 3 pm

Hans Wiman's remains are revealed when a house burns to the ground. When the initial investigation shows that he was dead before the fire, the police start looking for a murderer. Wiman, however, proves to be a master of mystery. Detective Wallander is drawn into the case when he finds a warehouse, rented in Wiman's name, filled with counterfeit paintings. When he engages the help of Katrin, a local art expert, both the investigation and Kurt's pulse move into high gear as the detective finds himself taking a personal interest in his new colleague. However, Kurt risks overstepping boundaries and taking things into his own hands as he tries to determine what is real and what is not.

Tickets are $8 and can be purchased in advance or at the event. For more information visit the Scandinavia House web site.

I expect you to win, Mr Bond

The name's Craig. The award-winning Daniel Craig.

The Bond star won best actor for Casino Royale at the Evening Standard British Film Awards. Celebrating a vintage 12 months for British cinema, other winners included United 93, Dame Judi Dench and Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen.

News that Craig, 38, would become the sixth James Bond provoked a mixed reception from Bond fans when it was first announced. But with Casino Royale taking £55 million in Britain alone, the attention paid to Craig's performance has been overwhelmingly positive.

At the ceremony at the Ivy, Craig said he was delighted at being the first actor to win a major award for playing 007.

He said: "This is tremendous. It makes you think that the success of the film might not be a fluke. We wanted to make an exciting and sexy Bond and tell a good yarn at the same time."

More details on Bond and the other award winners at This is London1 and This is London2.

New Competitions, Reviews & Updates to the Euro Crime website

There's still time for US residents to chance their arm at winning a DVD of Proof (ends at midnight today). In addition there are three new competitions for books which are open to *all*:

- 5 copies of 'Aztec: City of Spies' by Simon Levack
- 5 copies of 'The Fourth Man' by K O Dahl
- 5 copies of a set of three 'Dekok' books by A C Baantjer.

These competitions will run until the end of February.

The new reviews are :

'Saturnalia' by Lindsey Davis reviewed by Pat Austin.
The 18th in the much loved Falco series, set in Ancient Rome

'The Savage Garden' by Mark Mills, reviewed by Terry Halligan
Another Italian setting. The second book from the author of Amagansett (apa The Whaleboat House)

Mike Ripley's January Crime File.
He also reviews 'Saturnalia' and 'The Savage Garden' plus 'A Gentle Axe' by
R N Morris and 'Redcap' by Brian Callison

Finally, Carla McKay's January roundup has been updated to include 'The Dinner Club' by Saskia Noort.

Other Updates:

The 'Authors' (505 sites) page has been increased.

The 'New Releases' pages have been updated.

In 'Books' there are now bibliographies for 1015 authors. I've added bibliographies for the following: Ken Begg, Diego De Silva, Elena Ferrante, Stephen Hunt, Romilly & Katherine John, Maureen Martellas, Ken McClure, Simon Spurrier and Sam Taylor. Also in 'Books' I've updated the bibliographies (ie added new titles) for: Kate Ellis, Reginald Hill, Susanna Jones and Martin O'Brien.

Donna Moore wins the Lefty at LCC

The word from Left Coast Crime is that Donna Moore's won the Lefty for 'Go to Helena Handbasket'.

The Lefty Award is for the year's most humorous mystery. The nominees were:

Murder Unleashed by Elaine Viets (NAL)
Go to Helena Handbasket by Donna Moore (Point Blank)
47 Rules of Highly Effective Robbers by Troy Cook (Capital Crimes Press)
Monkey Man by Steve Brewer (Intrigue Press)
No Nest for the Wicket by Donna Andrews (St. Martins Press)

Another thriller about Princess Di's crash

From the Guardian today,

More writers are to join the fray that will surround the 10th anniversary of Princess Diana's death this summer. Aside from a conspiracy thriller from Transworld (Tom Cain's The Accident Man), Faber will publish Eoin McNamee's 12:23, which uncovers the "stirrings in the covert world" that apparently surrounded the fatal crash. And Century will handle the UK release of former New Yorker editor Tina Brown's The Diana Chronicles. Brown, who was paid $2m by Doubleday US for the book, will "penetrate Diana's world with a keen eye for its rich gallery of characters and veiled truths, its sexual peccadilloes and social politics"

12:23 Synopsis:
August 1997. Diana Spencer and her Egyptian lover are rumoured to be about to visit Paris. According to some accounts they will become engaged. And according to some accounts there are those who will go to any lengths to put an end to Spencer`s unpredictable trajectory. There are stirrings in the covert world. As the Harrods Gulfstream bearing the lovers nears Paris, an international fixer with an interest to protect puts in place a team to watch the Princess. Former Special Branch operative John Harper is recruited by the man who was once his handler. They are joined by an old flame of Harper's, Grace, who also has a background in espionage. Their surveillance targets are the Deputy Director of Security at the Ritz Hotel, Henri Paul, and paparazzo supreme James Andanson. But they are not the only ones watching Spencer, and their street-level chicanery doesn’t appear to be equal to the events unfolding around them.

12:23 is due out in July 2007.

A little bit more on Life on Mars Series 2

The BBC's press release reveals not surprisingly that:

The second series marks the thrilling finale of the smash hit show and viewers will finally learn the truth about time travelling DI Sam Tyler (John Simm) and how he came to be stuck in 1973. However, fans will have to keep watching until the end of the series on BBC One before their speculative theories are laid to rest.

Executive producer, and joint MD of Kudos, Jane Featherstone, says: "Obviously, we will not be revealing in advance what eventually happens to Sam, as we wouldn't want to spoil everyone's enjoyment of the second half of his story when they watch series two.

"But they can certainly expect some shocking revelations along the way. We have even filmed two endings because we want to keep everyone guessing until the very end."

Synopses of the first four episodes are also available.

What I'm Reading...

I'm 70 pages or so into 'The Arsenic Labyrinth' by Martin Edwards. This is the third of his marvellous Lake District mysteries following on from The Coffin Trail and The Cipher Garden. This series features historian Daniel Kind and head of the cold case review team, Hannah Scarlett. Both currently have partners but it seems inevitable that eventually they'll end up together. As well as strong plots these books have a great sense of place which makes me want to explore the Lakes much more than I have so far.

Synopsis from amazon.co.uk:
'You'd never believe it to look at me now, but once upon a time I killed a man.' Daniel Kind is finding the long winter months at Brackdale tough, especially as his relationship with Miranda is also going through a dark time. Far from the bright lights of London and beginning to feel isolated in their rural idyll, Miranda has a bad case of itchy feet. The fear that she may just get up and leave isn't far from his thoughts. And Miranda wouldn't be the first: ten years ago a solitary woman called Emma Bestwick left her cottage and never came back. Police at the time were unable to establish whether she left of her own accord or was the victim of suicide, accident or murder. Her disappearance went unaccounted for, and the unresolved case has always irked DCI Hannah Scarlett, who heads the local Cold Case Review Team. But in a small, rural community, someone is bound to know something. And that someone has recently started calling the local newspaper and dropping hints about Emma's death. With the case reopened, Hannah and Daniel are drawn together again, and discover to their cost that one person will preserve the secrets of the past at any price.

The US edition by Poisoned Press came out in January whereas the UK edition by Allison & Busby is out on the 15th.

Over on The Rap Sheet Ali has a lengthy post on Martin Edwards and lawyers and it being a small world!

Life on Mars & Harry Potter important dates

Just saw the posters in London today. Life on Mars is back on 13th February on BBC1 and also today, an email from Waterstones informs me that 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' will be out on 21st July. (I'm probably the last person in the world to know this having been incommunicado all day).