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Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Famous People as Sleuths

One of our themes last year at Crime Reading Group was famous people as detectives and we did struggle for titles but I feel more confident that, should this topic re-emerge, I'll now be able to suggest a few more ideas. I've mentioned some before on this blog - last year Gyles Brandreth began his Oscar Wilde series and in March, Nicola Upson's first novel starring Josephine Tey is released as well as Justine Picardie's Daphne.

Of course, long before this, Jane Austen had been detecting away in the series by Stephanie Barron which now numbers nine and began with Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor.

She's now being joined in the mystery and adventure world by another classic female writer...Charlotte Bronte. It does look like this is planned as a one-off outing but The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte will be out in the US, also in March.

Written by Laura Joh Rowland, the blurb states:

THE SECRET ADVENTURES OF CHARLOTTE BRONTË, by Laura Joh Rowland (author of the Sano Ichiro mystery series) is an epic, world-at-stake thriller starring the legendary 19th century author and her equally famous family. It’s a tour of Victorian England from gutter to palace, featuring a hero who combines Mr. Rochester with Agent 007 and a villain whose devious schemes threaten the very fabric of the British Empire. Charlotte Brontë is plunged headlong into the sort of thrilling adventures and passionate romance she never actually experienced, but secretly craved.
Read an except on the author's website.

I wonder which current celebrity/famous person will star in their own series as written by a future generation of crime writers and who is the most unlikely sleuth...George Bush, Tony Blair, Jade Goody?
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8 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:16 pm

    Oh, Karen, don't go encouraging those celebrities to "write" more books, please - we have enough of them already ;-)

    But famous people who are famous for "proper" reasons, yes, intriguing. There is the book that Norman Price recommends, The Interpretation of Murder, with Freud as a sleuth in New York, by Jeb Rubenfeld. (I could not remember the title or author-- knew it was Jeb someone beginning with R -- so keyed in "Freud" and "detective" to Google and up it came, marvellous). And maybe this doesn't count, but those Fforde books - the Eyre Affair et al. I read the first one and it was detectivy. He's also writing a second series now about nursery rhyme characters.

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  2. Peter Rozovsky10:35 pm

    By odd coincidence, I was flipping through one of the Stephanie Barron books for the first time at a bookshop last night. I was prepared to roll my eyes, but the book's opening chapter did a nice job of capturing Jane Austen's tone without going too far over the top, which can't be all that easy to do.
    ==============
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

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  3. Uriah Robinson9:33 am

    The Interpretation of Murder as well as getting my seal of approval was trumpeted by some people I have never watched called Richard and Judy ;).

    I don't know about your list as unlikely sleuths but they would certainly feature in a list of unlikely world leaders.

    Isn't there a series with Edgar Allan Poe as a detective?

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  4. Peter Rozovsky10:24 am

    "He's also writing a second series now about nursery rhyme characters."

    Now, there's an idea ripe with potential for crime stories. The notions of Humpty Dumpty and hard-boiled occur to me, for some reason.
    ==============
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot

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  5. Anonymous8:49 pm

    Well, Norm, I always go by your recommendations and I presume that these Richard and Judy people, whoever they are, have the same wisdom as me.

    Peter, the first (at least) of the FForde Nursery Rhyme books is certainly out, in the UK at least. He is a very funny author-- to my mind he is not as funny as the Flaxboroughs but I would love to know your take.

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  6. Peter Rozovsky10:29 pm

    You have piqued my interest!
    ===================
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

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  7. Karen (Euro Crime)10:38 pm

    The first nursery crime book is indeed about Humpty Dumpty! There is a follow up called The Fourth Bear. List of Jasper Fforde's titles here.

    I haven't read the Stephanie Barron books but the reviews are quite positive I believe. Haven't read the Rubenfeld either.

    Don't know the Poe series but there is one with Louisa M Alcott sleuthing away :-).

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  8. Peter Rozovsky8:03 am

    I have now read The Big Over Easy and posted a comment about it. You'll that I was impressed, and I owe it all to you. Thanks!
    ==============
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

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