Favourite Discoveries 2012 (I)

As usual I have asked my fellow Euro Crime reviewers to come up with their top 5 reads of 2012 - these will be collated and announced in early January. Like last year, I have also asked them what their favourite crime fiction discovery of the past year - be it book, film or tv series - has been.

The first reveal comes from Amanda Gillies who chooses a DVD boxed set.

Amanda Gillies's Favourite Discovery of 2012

Following on from really rather enjoying reviewing Luther: the Calling, by Neil Cross, earlier this year, I decided to buy series 1 and 2 of the television series of the same name, and by the same author.

I absolutely loved it! Not having a TV, I was unaware of this series and fell in love with the tall, dark, tormented detective Luther, played incredibly well by the perfectly cast Idris Elba. I am delighted that there is to be a third series soon; Luther gets under your skin and I miss him now that I have finished watching both series.

Like most interesting TV policemen, Luther bends the rules a little in order to get the work done. The difference with Luther, though, is that he treads a very close line between "being a dirty cop and just getting his hands dirty", as one of his associates says when she discovers what he has done.

Luther's cases are rather on the dark side, and this appeals to me as well. They are never quite cut and dried and several span over a number of episodes. There is also more to the TV series than just Luther solving cases. His relationship with his ex-wife and her lover, for example, shows you more of the anguish locked up inside him. You frequently wonder what exactly it was that has made him into the person that he is.

If you have been given vouchers for Christmas and are still wondering what to do with them, I recommend purchasing this little beauty. You won't be disappointed.

Read Amanda's review of Luther: the Calling plus more of Amanda's reviews: crime and teenage/YA fiction.

Amanda blogs at Old Dogs and New Tricks.

Luther wins Golden Globe

More accurately Idris Elba has won a 2012 Golden Globe in the category Best Actor - Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for TV, for his portrayal of the character Luther in the series of the same name.

So far there have been two series of Luther, both are available on DVD and have been followed up by an original novel from the series creator, Neil Cross: Luther: the Calling which is reviewed here by Sarah Hilary for Euro Crime.

Luther: Coming Soon

The BBC have released a trailer for the upcoming series 2 of Luther, created by Neil Cross. The first series is available now on DVD and this second series is due to be released on DVD on 27 June.

There is also a book coming out in August, the first in a series of books featuring Luther:

Meet Detective Chief Inspector John Luther. He's a murder detective. A near-genius. He's brilliant; he's intense; he's instinctive. He's obsessional. He's dangerous. DCI John Luther has an extraordinary clearance rate. He commands outstanding loyalty from friends and colleagues. Nobody who ever stood at his side has a bad word to say about him. And yet there are rumours that DCI Luther is bad - not corrupt, not on the take, but tormented. Luther seethes with a hidden fury that at times he can barely control. Sometimes it sends him to the brink of madness, making him do things he shouldn't; things way beyond the limits of the law. Luther: The Calling, the first in a new series of novels featuring DCI John Luther, takes us into Luther's past and into his mind. It is the story of the case that tore his personal and professional relationships apart and propelled him over the precipice. Beyond fury, beyond vengeance. All the way to murder...

Trailer:

Book & TV News: Luther

Though I only made it through 1 episode of Luther, it seems to have been popular enough for more episodes and spin-off books. From The Bookseller:

Neil Cross, author and creator of BBC1's crime series "Luther" is to write three spin-off novels for Simon & Schuster.

The first of the three novels will be a prequel to the TV series, revealing the story behind the case that drove Luther to the edge, destroyed his marriage and nearly cost him his job. It will be titled Luther: The Calling; the other titles are tbc.

The first series of "Luther", starring Idris Elba, aired on BBC1 in May 2010. It has since been syndicated in over 10 territories. At an Edinburgh Television Festival event yesterday [30th August], BBC One Controller Jay Hunt announced that "Luther" will return in 2011, with two two-hour specials.

S&S is planning a "major" hardback launch of the first Luther novel in August 2011. The publisher will continue to publish Cross' non-Luther novels.

Read the whole article here.

Neil Cross news

Spotted on Twitter:

Neil Cross, author of NATURAL HISTORY and BURIAL has had a new crime show, LUTHER, commissioned by the BBC - to be aired in 2010.

Read the Euro Crime review of Burial.