Publishing Deal - Anders de la Motte

Just spotted this on twitter, (retweeted by its translator Neil Smith) - a new in English Swedish crime fiction trilogy by Anders de la Motte has been snapped up by a US publisher. The first part, The Game, will be out in 2013:

Update: UK publication will be by Blue Door, hopefully also in 2013.

DVD News: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (remake)

The R2 DVD of the English language remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will be released on Monday.

The only special feature mentioned (on play.com) is an audio commentary with the director David Fincher.

I haven't seen this version yet but am vaguely curious. I will probably rent it from the library when it comes in.

CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Speculation (2012)

My fellow crime blogger, crimeficreader, at It's a Crime!, is one of the judges for the CWA John Creasey Dagger so I thought I would try and provide a similar, though not as comprehensive sadly as my International Dagger eligibles, list of eligibles for this dagger.

The criteria for eligibility is (from the CWA's website):

This award is for the best crime novel by a first-time author of any nationality first published in the UK in English during the Judging Period. ‘Best crime novel by a first time author’ means that the author must not have had a novel of any sort published before under any name whatsoever. In the case of novels with more than one author, all the authors must meet this requirement.
(The Judging Period runs from June 1, 2011 to May 31, 2012 inclusive. )

"Euro"

Geraint Anderson - Just Business (6/11)
George Arion - Attack in the Library (11/11)
M K Bates - The Little Girl of the Favela (7/11)
Anouar Benmalek - Abduction, tr. Simon Pare (9/11)
Tom Benn - The Doll Princess (1/12)
Nancy Bilyeau - The Crown (1/12)
Laurent Binet - HHrH (5/12)
Horst Bosetzky - Cold Angel: Murder in Berlin, 1949 (2/12)
Conor Brady - A June Of Ordinary Murders (2/12)
Constance Briscoe - The Accused (8/11)
Peter James Cottrell - England's Janissary (2/12)
James Craig - London Calling (6/11)
Howard Cunnell - The Sea on Fire (apa Marine Boy) (3/12)
Kate Darby - The Whores' Asylum (2/12)
Jason Dean - The Wrong Man (5/12)
Maurizio De Giovanni - I Will Have Vengeance tr. Anne Milano Appel (2/12)
Hannah Dennison - A Vicky Hill Exclusive (5/12)
Zoran Drvenkar - Sorry tr. Shaun Whiteside (3/12)
Matthew Dunn - Spartan (apa Spycatcher) (8/11)
Elanor Dymott - Every Contact Leaves A Trace (4/12)
Thomas Enger - Burned tr. Charlotte Barslund (7/11)
Kjell Eriksson - The Hand That Trembles tr. Ebba Segerberg (10/11)
Kjell Eriksson- The Princess of Burundi tr. Ebba Segerberg (10/11)
Sergios Gakas - Ashes tr. Anne-Marie Stanton-Ife (7/11)
Sissel-Jo Gazan - The Dinosaur Feather tr. Charlotte Barslund (6/11 moved from May 2011)
Andrea Gillies - The White Lie (2/12)
Penny Hancock - Tideline (apa Kept in the Dark) (1/12)
Mari Hannah - The Murder Wall (4/12)
Tessa Harris - The Anatomist's Apprentice (12/11)
Annie Hauxwell - In Her Blood (5/12)
Keigo Higashino - The Devotion of Suspect X tr. Alexander O Smith & Elye J Alexander (7/11)
Antonio Hill - The Summer of Dead Toys (5/12)
Jørn Lier Horst - Dregs tr. Anne Bruce (8/11)
Bogdan Hrib - Kill the General (9/11)
Fabrice Humbert - The Origin of Violence, tr. Frank Wynne (12/11)
Ewart Hutton - Good People (2/12)
Bernhard Jaumann - The Hour of the Jackal tr. John Brownjohn (8/11)
Eva Joly & Judith Perrignon - The Eyes of Lira Kazan (4/12)
Mons Kallentoft - Midwinter Sacrifice tr. Neil Smith (10/11)
A J Kazinski - The Last Good Man tr. Tiina Nunnally (3/12)
Graeme Kent - Devil-Devil (6/11)
Clea Koff - Freezing (8/11)
Hans Koppel - She's Never Coming Back tr. Kari Dickson (1/12)
Jens Lapidus - Easy Money tr. Astri von Arbin Ahlander (11/11)
Charlotte Link - The Other Child tr. Stefan Tobler (3/12)
Anya Lipska - Where the Devil Can't Go (11/11) (not eligible?)
Claire McGowan - The Fall (2/12)
Matt McGuire - Dark Dawn (4/12)
Susan Elia MacNeal - Mr Churchill's Secretary (4/12)
David Mark - The Dark Winter (3/12)
Louise Millar - The Playdate (4/12)
Harri Nykanen - Nights of Awe tr. Kristian London (2/12)
Laurence O'Bryan - The Istanbul Puzzle (1/12)
Kristina Ohlsson - Unwanted tr. Sarah Death (9/11)
Chris Pavone - The Expats (3/12)
Mark Peterson - Flesh and Blood (4/12)
Joanna Price - A Means of Escape (11/11)
Anna Raverat - Signs of Life (4/12)
Jacqui Rose - Taken (3/12)
Lloyd Shepherd - The English Monster (3/12)
Dag Solstad - Professor Andersen's Night tr. Agnes Scott Langeland (11/11)
Oana Stoica-Mujea - Anatomical Clues (12/11)
Stefan Tegenfalk - Anger Mode (8/11)
Marco Vichi - Death in August tr. Stephen Sartarelli (6/11)
Evonne Wareham - Never Coming Home (3/12)
Jan Merete Weiss - These Dark Things (7/11)
VM Whitworth - The Bone Thief (2/12)
Robert Wilton - The Emperor's Gold (6/11)

Non-Euro
(These are ones I've spotted but I'm sure there are loads more!)

Alice LaPlante - Turn of Mind (July 11)
Todd Ritter - Death Notice (Dec 11)
Paul McEuen - Spiral (Dec 11)
Cara Hoffman - So Much Pretty (Feb 12)
Mark Allen Smith - The Inquisitor (Feb 12)
Wiley Cash - A land more kind than home (Mar 12)
Sean Hemingway - The Tomb of Alexander (Mar 12)
Robert Pobi - Bloodman (Mar 12)
M L Stedman - The Light Between Oceans (Apr 12)
Terry Hayes - I am Pilgrim (May 12)
Lisa Brackman - Year of the Tiger (May 12)
Tom Wright - What Dies in Summer (May 12)

Dagger in the Library - Longlist

The longlist for the 2012 CWA Dagger in the Library has been announced. Firstly, here's a bit of information on the award from the CWA's website:

Authors like Val McDermid and Ian Rankin are well-known amongst the readers of crime fiction but, beneath the top rank of bestsellers are a host of writers, some new and some who have built loyal followings over the years but who have never quite broken through. It is to give a boost to these authors that the Crime Writers’ Association Dagger in the Library Award exists. Again kindly sponsored by the publishers, Random House, the Dagger is awarded to a writer nominated by library users and chosen by a panel of librarians, all of whom work with the public.

Unlike most other literary prizes, the Dagger in the Library is awarded not for an individual book but for the author’s body of work. Last year’s winner was Mo Hayder, and previous winners have included Colin Cotterill, Stuart MacBride and Craig Russell; whilst Lesley Horton and C J Sansom have been Highly Commended.

The nominated authors must be alive, preferably working in Britain and cannot have won the award before. As the award is for a body of work, authors should have published at least three books. Entries from reading groups or individuals are submitted through libraries.

[drumroll]...the longlisted authors are:

Belinda Bauer
Simon Beckett
S J Bolton
Frances Brody
Gordon Ferris
Elena Forbes
Nicci French
Elly Griffiths
John Harvey
Susan Hill
Shona MacLean
Peter May
Steve Mosby
Imogen Robertson
M J Trow

(links are to the Euro Crime website's bibliographies pages with reviews of many of the authors' titles)

The shortlist will be announced on 15 May at CrimeFest and the winner on 5 July 2012.

New Reviews: James, Link, Persson, Russell, Ryan, Shepherd, Spedding, Steinhauer, Varesi

During April you can enter a competition to win a copy of Julia Crouch's Every Vow You Break. There are no geographical restrictions.

Answer the question and fill in the form here.

Here are this week's reviews of which there are 9 again this week as I'm taking next weekend off. There are also plenty of updates to the new releases pages (see below):

Susan White reviews Dan James's (aka Dan Waddell's) Unsinkable set on the Titanic;

Maxine Clarke reviews Charlotte Link's The Other Child, tr. Stefan Tobler set in Scarborough;

Laura Root reviews Leif GW Persson's Another Time, Another Life tr. Paul Norlen, the second in the "Story of a Crime" trilogy;

Amanda Gillies reviews the paperback release of Craig Russell's A Fear of Dark Water which is the latest in the Jan Fabel series;

Rich Westwood reviews William Ryan's The Holy Thief, the first in his Captain Alexei Dmitriyevich Korolev series, set in 1936;

Terry Halligan reviews Lloyd Shepherd's debut, a historical crime novel - The English Monster, calling it "superb";

Geoff Jones reviews Sally Spedding's creepy thriller Cold Remains;

Lynn Harvey reviews Olen Steinhauer's "gripping" globe-trotting spy thriller An American Spy

and Michelle Peckham reviews Valerio Varesi follow-up to his International Dagger short-listed River of Shadows, The Dark Valley tr. Joseph Farrell.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive.

Forthcoming titles can be found by author or date or by category, here along with releases by year. Titles by Elizabeth Bailey, M C Beaton, C C Benison, Rhys Bowen, Audrey Braun, Alison Bruce, Tania Carver, Kimberley Chambers, Lee Child, Sam Christer, Elizabeth J Duncan, Carola Dunn, Ruth Dudley Edwards, Charles Finch, Friis & Kaaberbol, Frances Fyfield, Eliza Graham, Susanna Gregory, Helene Gremillon, Penny Hancock, Anne Holt, Will Jordan, Ali Knight, Stephen Leather, M L Longworth, G M Malliet, Edward Marston, Peter May, Andy McNab, Fergus McNeill, Regina O’Melveny, Andrea Penrose, Anne Perry, Ann Purser, Rob Ryan, Lloyd Shepherd, A K Shevchenko, Eva Maria Staal, Nick Stone, Peter Tickler, Simon Tolkien, Lee Weeks, Jeri Westerson and Timothy Williams have been added to these pages this week.

Sky Atlantic says Hello to Jason Isaacs's Awake

Great news this, after hearing all abut it on the BBC's flagship film programme, Wittertainment aka Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews, it's been announced that Jason Isaacs' Awake will air on Sky Atlantic this Spring.

Awake features Isaacs, who has appeared in films including Harry Potter and The Patriot, as a detective who survives a serious car accident only to then find he is living simultaneously in two parallel worlds.

In one world his wife dies and son lives, in the other it is his wife who lives and son who dies.

Trailer:

Death in the Caribbean

Timothy Williams' Another Sun which was first published in 2011 in France (and was written in French originally) gets its English language debut in October 2012.

If it ever got televised then surely Camille (Sara Martins) from the BBC's Murder in Paradise, set on the fictional island of Saint-Marie but filmed on Guadeloupe, would be a contender for the role of Anne Marie Laveaud?


French judge Anne Marie Laveaud has to rethink her murder investigation techniques when she is assigned to the tiny French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.

On a plantation in the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, a man's body is found in a pond, riddled with bullets. The victim is Monsieur Calais, a wealthy land-owner. Within twenty-four hours, a suspect is arrested. He had been making death threats against Calais, claiming that land had been stolen from him, and the gun used to shoot Calais was found buried on his property. This, coupled with the fact that the man had just returned from a forty-year exile in French Guyana for murdering his wife, is enough to convince the gendarmes of his guilt.

Anne Marie Laveaud, a French-born judge who has recently been transferred to Guadeloupe, is called in to make a ruling. With a keen sense of compassion for the accused, she must navigate the world of Caribbean justice—very different from what she was used to in France—to confirm her suspicion that all is not as it seems.

Publishing Deal - M D Villiers

I've received this press release today with details of a publishing deal for M D Villiers:

Alison Hennessey, Senior Crime Editor at Harvill Secker, has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights including Canada for two books from debut crime author M. D. Villiers. The first book will be titled Western Deep.

Alison Hennessey at Harvill Secker says: ‘Western Deep is an incredibly compelling read, with a central character you’re rooting for from the very first page. Everyone I have shared it with so far here at Random House has fallen in love with Martie’s writing, and I know that she has a very bright career ahead of her.’

M. D. Villiers was shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger in 2007.

McCarthy Letswe, notorious South African crime lord, has returned to Johannesburg after several years in exile, determined to wreak his revenge on Abaju, the Nigerian gangster responsible for Letswe’s departure, who has now taken his place at the head of the criminal hierarchy. Caught up in the turf war between the two ruthless gang leaders is Siphiwe – a 19 year old orphan determined not to let the brutality around him detract from his dreams of a better life. But as the violence on the streets intensifies, and the danger to those he loves most increases, Siphiwe is soon forced to seek help amongst criminals and police alike.

DVD News: Those Who Kill

I confess I have this series stored on my Sky+ box, along with Borgen, Braquo and Montalbano!

It's recently been released on DVD, at around £18 online.

Criminal commissioner Katrina Ries Jensen and legal psychiatrist Thomas Schaeffer are part of a unique police unit investigating a series of gruesome serial killings.. In each case they face dangerous threats in the race to uncover the bizarre motives and patterns of the killer. Only once they have an understanding of the victims and of the killer's psychology can they hope to catch him.

Based on an original idea by best-selling Danish crime novelist Elsebeth Egholm, Those Who Kill is a gripping crime thriller that will keep you guessing.

Montalbano's tenth

The next and final episode in the current run of of Inspector Montalbano, at 9pm on 14 April, is The Goldfinch and the Cat, which is not based on any of the books in Camilleri's series but is presumably based on a Camilleri short story.

A series of mysterious muggings takes place in Vigata, ending in tragedy when one of the victims is killed. Meanwhile, a man virtually destroys the emergency room at the hospital after finding out that his young daughter is pregnant. A local doctor is also missing and presumed dead. Montalbano investigates all three cases, gradually uncovering the links between them.

Poster Frenzy

This was taken a few days ago (before the new Jenny Colgan book took over - pink everywhere). It's at Four Oaks station in North Birmingham. Mark Billingham's Good as Dead bracketing Jo Nesbo's Phantom and the film of (his) Headhunters:

New Reviews: Chattam, Goddard, Hochgatterer, Kerr, Leon, McGuire, Nesser, Tremayne, Wareham & New Competition

New month, new competition time. During April you can enter a competition to win a copy of Julia Crouch's Every Vow You Break. There are no geographical restrictions.

Answer the question and fill in the form here.

Here are this week's reviews:

I recently reviewed on the blog Maxime Chattam's novella, Carnage, tr. Isabel Reid and Emily Boyce which is about school massacres in New York;

Geoff Jones reviews the new title from Robert Goddard Fault Line set in Cornwall and Capri;

Lynn Harvey reviews the paperback release of Paulus Hochgatterer's The Sweetness of Life, tr. Jamie Bulloch, the first in the Austrian "Kovacs and Horn" series;

Laura Root reviews Philip Kerr's latest Bernie Gunther novel, Prague Fatale stating that it's "quite simply, an excellent novel";

Michelle Peckham reviews Donna Leon's Beastly Things, the twenty-first outing for Venice policeman Brunetti;

Terry Halligan reviews Matt McGuire's debut, set in Belfast, Dark Dawn writing that the lead character "O'Neill is a great creation";

Maxine Clarke reviews Hakan Nesser's latest Van Veeteren (and team) Hour of the Wolf, tr. Laurie Thompson which she highly recommends;

Sister Fidelma's has her twentieth adventure in Peter Tremayne's Behold a Pale Horse reviewed here by Amanda Gillies

and Lizzie Hayes recommends Evonne Wareham's debut novel, Never Coming Home to those who like romance along with a good mystery.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive.

Forthcoming titles can be found by author or date or by category, here and new titles by Aifric Campbell, Kate Darby, Matthew Dunn, Sam Eastland, Ewart Hutton, Michael Marshall, Val McDermid, Shirley McKay, Louise Millar, Denise Mina, Niamh O'Connor, Marco Vichi, Voss & Edwards and Tom Winship have been added to these pages this week.

Win: Every Vow You Break by Julia Crouch

Thanks to the generosity of Headline, Euro Crime has five copies of Every Vow You Break by Julia Couch to giveaway.

To enter the draw, just answer the question and include your details in the form below.

This competition is open to residents of the world and will close on 30 April 2012.
Only 1 entry per person/per household please.
(All entries will be deleted once the winners have been notified.)

The Wayland family - Lara and Marcus and their three children - leave England to spend a long, hot summer in Trout Island, Upstate New York. Lara, still reeling from an abortion that Marcus insisted on, hopes the summer away from home will give her time to learn to love her husband again.

A chance meeting at a party reacquaints the family with Marcus's old actor friend, Stephen, with whom Lara once had an affair. Lara feels herself drawn towards Stephen and they pick up their secret relationship where they left off. Lara knows she's playing a dangerous game; what she doesn't know is that it's also a deadly one.

Secrets of Scandinavian Cooking

To further the pleasure in reading Scandinavian crime fiction, why not surround yourself with authentic food at the same time....

The new Hodder catalogue lists Scandilicious Baking by Signe Johansen, out 5 July 2012:

Discover the secrets of great baking with Scandilicious flair...Scandinavian baking is among the best in the world. Deeply ingrained in the culture, it is a distinctive part of the Nordic identity, history and well-being. Welcome to a place where cakes made with real butter are celebrated rather than feared, where entire festivals are dedicated to baking and where it is believed there is nothing quite like the thrill of making one's own bread, Christmas biscuits or cardamom buns. Signe Johansen shares with us a mouth-watering selection of traditional and modern baked treats. Think moreish muesli bread hot from the oven; pumpkin, cheese and sage muffins that pack a real flavour punch; and irresistible redcurrant mazarin tart or upside-down blueberry cake - perfect for summer entertaining.


which is a sequel to last year's Scandilicious:

We've long looked south for our food inspiration - but what about our neighbours to the north? We share a climate, a history (those Vikings got everywhere) and a love of cool, from sleek Nordic design to clear frosty November mornings. We also share our love of the outdoors - bracing autumn days, bright spring mornings, lazy summers by the water and long winter walks - and the pleasure of sharing good food with friends around the kitchen table. Discover the secrets of Scandinavian cooking - from delicious healthy breakfasts and leisurely brunches to tasty suppers and plenty of stress-free crowd-pleaser puddings. Learn the knack of putting together the perfect smorrebrod for a speedy Scandi lunch, and discover some very more-ish cakes and biscuits to accompany your afternoon cuppa. From cinnamon chestnut bread, cardamom cream buns and home-made gravadlax to soups, salads, smoothies and much more, Signe Johansen, a young cook steeped in the traditions of Scandinavia and trained by the best British chefs, shows us that it's not all herrings and meatballs...although you will find them in here too. Fresh, light, surprisingly indulgent, this is food to lift your spirits - it's quite simply Scandilicious!

Film News: Babycall

Norwegian thriller Babycall starring Noomi Rapace has just been released in the UK

Synopsis:
Anna and her eight year old son Anders are under the witness protection program following a difficult relationship with Anders' father. They move into a large apartment complex. Anna becomes overprotective of her son and even buys a babycall to keep track of him. Soon, strange noises from other apartments appear on the monitor, and Anna overhears what might be the murder of a child. Meanwhile, Anders' mysterious new friend starts visiting at odd hours, claiming that he has keys for all the doors in the building... Does this new friend know anything about the murder? And why is Anders' drawing stained with blood? Is Anna's son still in danger?



Trailer



Should you have difficulty tracking it down in your local cinema, it will be available on DVD on 4 June 2012.

Film News: Switch

Switch, a crime drama starring Eric Cantona and co-written by crime writer Jean-Christophe Grangé has just been released in the UK:

Synopsis from IMDB:
In Montreal, the unemployed fashion designer Sophie Malaterre is summoned by Claire Maras to show her work to her boss. When Sophie arrives in the company, Clare apologizes and tells that her boss is on vacation and will return only two months later. Clare invites Sophie to have lunch with her and tells Sophie about the website switch.com, where it is possible to switch houses with a stranger for vacation. Sophie seeks an apartment in Paris nearby the Eiffel Tower that belongs to Bénédicte Serteaux and they change apartments. Sophie arrives in Paris on Saturday morning and has a dream day riding a bicycle through the tourist area. However, on the next morning, policemen break in the apartment and arrest Sophie while she is having a bath. Detective Damien Forgeat interrogates Sophie believing that she is Bénédicte and she learns that a beheaded body was found in her room. Further, all the evidences of her life has been deleted and she can not prove that she is Sophie.



However in the unlikely event that Switch is not shown in your area...then it will be out on DVD on 9 April with the tag line:

"The Fugitive meets The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"...

Set the Recorder: Braquo Series 2

The second series of French crime drama Braquo will be start on FX (UK) on 29 April at 10pm:

Braquo series 2 comes exclusively to FX and is set to be darker,grittier and a whole lot more violent.

This season, the game is up for hard-hitting cops Caplan, Morlighem, Roxanne and Vachewski. Caplan is put on remand, Morlighem and Roxanne are reassigned to junior posts and Théo Vachewski is forced to kiss his badge goodbye...for good!

As with series 1 there will be 8 episodes. The official French website is here.

New UK paperbacks for April 2012

From The Bookseller's April Paperback Preview (in the 16/23/30 December edition), crime titles published in paperback this month include:

"Euro-Crime" Authors

1st April

Gordon Ferris - Truth Dare Kill

5th April

Alan Glynn - Bloodland
Simon Lewis - Border Run
Shirley McKay - Time and Tide
Fred Vargas - An Uncertain Place


12th April

S J Bolton - Now You See Me
Will Carver - The Two
Kimberley Chambers - The Schemer
Nick Drake - Egypt: The Book of Chaos
Jeremy Duns - The Moscow Option
Anton Gill - The Sacred Scroll
Mari Hannah - The Murder Wall
Lars Kepler - The Hypnotist
S(hona) G MacLean - Crucible
Hakan Nesser - The Unlucky Lottery
Yrsa Sigurdardottir - The Day is Dark


26th April

Alex Dryden - Death in Siberia
Louise Millar - The Playdate
Niamh O'Connor - Taken
Danielle Ramsay - Vanishing Point
Gerald Seymour - A Deniable Death
Marco Vichi - Death and the Olive Grove
Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Midnight Palace

30th April

Adrian Magson - Death on the Rive Nord


US Authors

Steve Berry - The Jefferson Key (12th)
Lisa Brackman - Year of the Tiger (26th)
Sandra Brown - Lethal (26th)
Patricia Cornwell - Red Mist (26th)
Andrew Gross - 15 Seconds (26th)
Alice LaPlante - Turn of Mind (5th)
James Patterson & Neil McMahon - Toys (12th)
Preston & Child - Gideon's Sword (26th)
S J Rozan - Blood Rites (12th)


Other

Shamini Flint - Inspector Singh Investigates: A Curious Indian Cadaver (5th)


A list of "Euro-Crime" books that are being published for the first time in April can be found on the New Releases page on the website. This is a first publication anywhere in the world, rather than UK specific.

For titles that are published in the UK during 2012, there is a separate list here. This is also available for the following sub-categories: Translated, Historical, First Novel (Debut) and Anthology.

Inspector Montalbano's Sense of Smell

The next and ninth episode of Inspector Montalbano, at 9pm on 7 April, is The Scent of the Night, which is based on the sixth book in Camilleri's series.

Investor Emanuele Gargano has disappeared with the savings entrusted to him by the people of Montelusa. Montalbano's investigation brings him into contact with some of Gargano's staff - his obsessively loyal secretary Mariastella Cosentino and the provocative Michela Manganaro. Meanwhile, Augello is getting cold feet about the prospect of his wedding.

Review: Carnage by Maxime Chattam

Carnage by Maxime Chattam, tr. Isabel Reid and Emily Boyce (102 pages, March 2012, Gallic Books, ISBN: 1906040419)

CARNAGE is a novella length detective story set in New York City by French author Maxime Chattam. The prologue describes the mass-shooting by a student of his fellow pupils at East Harlem Academy.

Enter, Lamar Gallineo, a giant of a man, an African-American who has risen to the rank of Lieutenant. He is called to the scene at the Academy where the shooting has now ceased and the perpetrator, believed dead by suicide. A witness is found who saw the boy kill himself. The tragic case is closed.

However the following week another mass-shooting occurs at a school, outside of Gallineo's jurisdiction this time and then a third, all the shooters are dead. What is going on? Then a link appears between the guns used at the crimes and a deeper evil is revealed. Gallineo uses a combination of intuition and going through files and paperwork to reveal the cause of these shocking events.

Being a short book, there isn't much room for character development but I would love to see more of Gallineo and his diminutive partner Doris in a full-length novel. The author plays fair with the reader, the clues are there to be spotted though there is still room for a twist. Good use is made of the New York setting and wintry weather. Overall, a quick read with intriguing main characters and a good puzzle but with occasionally unpleasant descriptions, especially in the prologue.

Win a copy of Carnage (UK only) closes 31 March 2012.

Next on Montalbano, the Inspector's Croquettes

The next and eighth episode of Inspector Montalbano, at 9pm on 31 March, Montalbano's Croquettes, is one of the two episodes previously shown on BBC4 and is not based on one of the books but rather a short story,The arancini di Montalbano, not (yet) available in English.

As the small town of Vigata prepares for its New Year celebrations, local police inspector Salvo Montalbano is reluctantly making arrangements to travel to Paris with his girlfriend. What he would much rather do, however, is accept a dinner invitation by his cleaner Adelina, who has promised to cook rice croquettes.

A wealthy husband and wife are found dead in what appears to be a car accident, but quickly turns into a murder investigation. And as the circumstances surrounding the death of the couple grow more and more mysterious, clues point to the involvement of Adelina's son Pasquale.

Flashbang Writing Contest

The Flashbang writing competition is now open. Just write a story in 150 words or less and you could win two tickets to CrimeFest in May.

Here's some information from the official website:

Flashbang is a new crime writing contest, sponsored by CrimeFest, who are providing the first prize of two weekend passes, as well as the second prize of DVD boxed sets of The Killing (plus its new novelisation). Hersilia Press is sponsoring the third prize: four of their Italian crime books. Comma Press is kindly providing five copies of MO: Crimes of Practice to runners up.

As well as terrific prizes, Flashbang is free to enter and gives eight lucky writers the chance to be published on websites read by crime buffs the world over. Deadline is midnight BST Sunday 15 April.

For more information on the rules and prizes go here and the judges (who include some familiar faces) reveal what they are looking for.

New Reviews: Dickinson, Horst, Jungstedt, Mark, Meade, Regan, Rickman

Win Carnage by Maxim Chattam (UK only). Closes 31st March.

Here are this week's reviews:

Terry Halligan reviews the paperback release of the tenth in David Dickinson's pre WW1 series Death in a Scarlet Coat;

Last week I reviewed Dregs by Jorn Lier Horst, tr. Anne Bruce, an intriguing police-procedural set in a small Norwegian town;

Maxine Clarke reviews the just published Dark Angel by Mari Jungstedt, tr. Tiina Nunnally, the sixth in this Gotland based series, and a very good entry;

Geoff Jones reviews David Mark's debut, The Dark Winter set in Hull which introduces DS McAvoy;

Amanda Gillies reviews Glenn Meade's The Second Messiah which is about the danger of finding a new Dead Sea Scroll;

Lizzie Hayes reviews the first in Linda Regan's new series, Brotherhood of Blades which revolves around the inhabitants of a rundown housing estate

and Susan White reviews the paperback release of Phil Rickman's The Prayer of the Night Shepherd.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive.

Forthcoming titles can be found by author or date or by category, here and new titles by Elizabeth Darrell, Luke Delaney, P C/Paul Doherty, Elanor Dymott, Howard Linskey, Keith McCarthy, Brian McGilloway, Steve Mosby, Philip Sington, Sally Spencer and M J Trow have been added to these pages this week.

Stieg Larsson: The Expo Files

The Expo Files is a collection of some of Stieg Larsson's essays and articles, edited by Daniel Poohl, translated by Laurie Thompson and with an introduction by Tariq Ali. It's published next week by MacLehose Press:

Official Blurb: Now almost exclusively known as the author of the best-selling Trilogy, as a professional journalist Stieg Larsson was an untiring crusader for democracy and equality. As a reporter and editor-in-chief on the journal Expo he researched the extreme right both in Sweden and at an international level. Collected here for the first time are essays and articles on right-wing extremism and racism, on violence against women and women's rights, on homophobia and honour killings. Included also is an account written for Vagabond magazine of his travels aboard the Trans-Siberian Express from Moscow to Beijing.

His most important writings - perceptive, learned and committed texts - illustrate the breadth of his journalistic and political activities in connection with matters that were closest to his heart, and to which he devoted his life.

Despite death threats and financial difficulties, Larsson never ceased to fight for and write about his most firmly held principles; it was his commitment to these which gave his best-selling novels their explosive force.

Event News: Chipping Norton Literary Festival

The first Chipping Norton Literary Festival takes place between 20-22 April 2012.

Browse the full programme and buy tickets from the website and follow them on twitter: @ChipLitFest.


For crime fans, the main events are on the Sunday:

Crime Writers' Forum - Plot the Perfect Murder

What makes the perfect murder? A fictional one, at least? Come and find out in this session with four of the UK’s most celebrated crime-writers, Mark Billingham, Sophie Hannah, Dan Waddell and S J Bolton.

Chaired by Peter Guttridge

10am, Sunday 22nd April 2012 £12.50 The Theatre, Chipping Norton


An Audience with Colin Dexter

Colin Dexter is the creator of the world’s most famous detectives: the Oxford-based Morse and his side-kick Lewis. Learn about the life behind the fiction, in this fascinating interview.

Interviewed by Peter Guttridge.

12pm, Sunday 22nd April 2012 £12.50 The Theatre Chipping Norton


Jasper Fforde - Publishing Unconventional Novels

Jasper Fforde explains how Jane Eyre can share a novel with Time Travel and Werewolves, and why he believes genre is the measles of the Book world.

2pm, Sunday 21st April 2012 The Chequers Inn £7.50


Crime Writing Workshop with Helen Black

You’ve written a crime story. How do you add suspense? What exactly is pace? How do you turn your idea into a page-turning bestseller? Find out in this hands-on workshop with crime-writer Helen Black

3pm, Sunday 22nd April 2012 £7.50 Jaffé & Neale, Chipping Norton

Review: Dregs by Jørn Lier Horst

Dregs by Jørn Lier Horst, tr. Anne Bruce (310 pages, August 2011, Sandstone Press Ltd, ISBN: 1905207670)

DREGS is the sixth in the Chief Inspector William Wisting series set in the small coastal Norwegian town of Stavern, and the first to be translated into English.

The book opens with the discovery of a left foot washed up by the tide. What is strange is that it is the second left foot to have appeared in recent days. An extensive search has not turned up any right feet. There have been only four people reported missing in the last few months: three old men and one young woman. The men all disappeared within a week of each other and the woman a few days afterwards. No trace of them or reason for their absence has ever been determined. Wisting decides to reinvestigate the disappearances as a key witness was overlooked first time around but then she also disappears.

Meanwhile, Wisting's journalist daughter is back in the area researching a new article on what affect prison has had on criminals and her interview subjects begin to overlap with her father's.

Still more feet keep turning up and then a very large clue is also washed up which allows Wisting to steadily crack this very puzzling mystery.

At the core of DREGS is a very well thought-out plot, which keeps the reader and police baffled until the very end. The widowed Wisting is a steady, thoughtful detective with a wry outlook on life who is ably supported by a small team. I do hope that more of this series is translated as, based on DREGS, it is well worth seeking out.

Publishing Deal - Luke Delaney

News of a publishing deal for a former Met police officer, in today's Bookseller:

HarperCollins has signed a three-book crime thriller series written by debut author and former Metropolitan police detective Luke Delaney.

HC will publish the first novel, Senseless, which features DI Sean Corrigan on the case of an unusually vicious murderer, in early 2013.

[HC] said: ..."Luke Delaney has not only written a fabulously gripping and accomplished crime debut, but he also brings a fascinating authenticity to the genre which gives him a genuinely stand-out position in the market."

Inspector Montalbano at Sea

The next and seventh episode of Inspector Montalbano, at 9pm on 24 March, The Sense of Touch, is a new episode and is not based on one of the books but rather a short story, from a collection (Montalbano's Oranges?) not (yet) available in English.

The seemingly accidental death of a blind man leads Montalbano to an island off the coast of Siciliy. Here the Inspector discovers that both the murder victim and a local fisherman had each deposited huge sums of money in their respective bank accounts. Following the mysterious demise of a second man, who was also blind, the investigation begins to focus on the operations of a charitable foundation which increasingly looks not so charitable after all.

New Reviews: Campbell, Crawford, Easter, Mackenzie, Nesbo, Spurrier, Taylor

Win Carnage by Maxim Chattam (UK only).

Here are this week's reviews:

Amanda Gillies reviews the paperback release of Karen Campbell's Proof of Life, the fourth in this esteemed series;

Terry Halligan goes globe-trotting in Dean Crawford's Covenant;

Rich Westwood reviews Patrick Easter's second in his historical-naval-crime series, The River of Fire;

Maxine Clarke reviews South African author Jassy Mackenzie's first Jade de Jong thriller, Random Violence;

Earlier this week, I reviewed Jo Nesbo's Phantom, tr. Don Bartlett;

Lynn Harvey reviews Simon Spurrier's A Serpent Uncoiled

and Susan White reviews D J Taylor's 1930s set Secondhand Daylight.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive.

Forthcoming titles can be found by author or date or by category, here and new titles by Alex Churton, Dick (Felix) Francis, Anton Gill, Susan Hill, Caro Ramsay, Felix Riley, Barbara Vine and Tim Weaver have been added to these pages this week.

Spooky House - Copycat Covers

The one on the left is a teenage/YA title and on the right a German edition of a Mark Billingham crime novel.

Review: Phantom by Jo Nesbo

I thought I'd post my review straight into the blog so people can comment on it if they so wish. Phantom is published today in the UK.


Phantom by Jo Nesbo, tr Don Bartlett (March 2012, Harvill Secker, ISBN: 1846555213)

"My name's Harry and I come from Hong Kong. Where is she?"

The man arched an eyebrow. "The Harry?"

"Since it has been one of Norway's least trendy names for the last fifty years, we can probably assume it is."

After the serial killer books, THE SNOWMAN and THE LEOPARD, with their gruesome scenes of murder, comes PHANTOM a quieter book which returns to the more mundane but still devastating world of drugs. Oslo, in Harry Hole's world at least, has the most drug-deaths in a capital city in all of Europe. A new drug, less fatal but more addictive and pricey than heroin has swept over Oslo: "violin". One of the youngsters caught up in its strings is Oleg, to whom Harry was a father figure when Harry was with Rakel, Oleg's mother and the love of Harry's life.

The arrest of Oleg for the murder of Gusto, Oleg's best friend and partner in crime, is what brings Harry back from a three-year exile in Hong Kong. Harry has cleaned-up - off the booze and drugs - and looks well. Though he is no longer a policeman, it doesn't stop him setting out to discover who did kill Gusto. Harry has to unravel the current drug-scene to find out who the lads were working for, the so-called Phantom. A man whom no-one has seen, who's said to haunt Oslo at night. His investigation reveals police and local-government corruption and becomes increasingly more dangerous, with an escalation in the methods used to try and kill him and Harry's previously good health deteriorates in parallel.

Running alongside Harry's actions is a narrative told by the dying Gusto to the father he never knew and so the reader is privy to more information than Harry but is equally ignorant of who did shoot Gusto. This is probably the weakest part of PHANTOM as Gusto seems to live for quite a long time after his shooting, to tell his lengthy tale.

Whereas THE LEOPARD was about Harry being a son, PHANTOM has Harry in the role of father and he will do anything for Oleg and Rakel and gets help where he can. He even ropes in Oleg's upright solicitor for a bit of illegal grave-digging...

Familiar faces from THE LEOPARD reappear in the shape of fellow police officers Bellman and his sidekick "Beavis", and Beate Lonn provides forensic support to her old friend.

Though PHANTOM is quite a sombre read, set as it is against a backdrop of so many damaged young people and greedy criminals, it is not without Harry's trademark wit. The plotting is incredibly thorough, you know that anything that gets mentioned will have a use later and yet there are still clues that can be overlooked, such as a one line reference to a man which proves significant later, and there is a fantastic set-piece when Harry confronts the Phantom in his lair. Due to the compelling nature of Harry's character and life, PHANTOM is difficult to put down, though the last couple of chapters are, emotionally, quite difficult to read.

I've been a big fan of Harry Hole since reading THE REDBREAST in 2007 (and there is a circular link to that book in PHANTOM). PHANTOM deliberately leaves some significant loose ends and I really don't know where Harry's going to go from here, but I'll be there.

Here are Jo Nesbo's books in order.

Film News: Reykjavik - Rotterdam & Contraband

Two versions of the same premise are now available to UK viewers. The original Icelandic film from 2008, Reykjavik - Rotterdam, has just come out on R2 DVD and the US remake, Contraband opens in cinemas this week. Interstingly the star of the former is the director of the latter, Baltasar Kormákur,

An Icelandic crime thriller with the gloss stripped away - leaving a bleak, sad and despairing narrative - director Oskar Jonasson's Reykjavik-Rotterdam hones in on a down-and-outer at the very end of his rope. For Kristofer (Baltasar Kormakur) life has been little more than a never ending series of failures and disappointments. Among other things, he made the colossal mistake of smuggling alcohol during his tenure as a shipworker - a little stunt that promptly landed him behind bars. Now, following release, he struggles to pull his life together while working as a security guard and continually attempts to support his family. Then the opportunity arises for Kristofer to do one final tour on a freighter running from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Rotterdam, Holland. Kristofer initially embraces the opportunity to work with his old friends once again - little foreseeing the malestorm of crime into which this move will plunge him.

vs


Chris Farraday long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs, Chris is forced back into doing what he does best-running contraband-to settle Andy's debt. Chris is a legendary smuggler and quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian, to head to Panama and return with millions in counterfeit bills.

Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate, and sons become their target.

Inspector Montalbano steps away from the canon

The next and sixth episode of Inspector Montalbano, at 9pm on 17 March, The Artist's Touch, is a new episode and is the first one not to based on one of the books.

Goldsmith Alberto Larussa appears to have committed suicide by turning his wheelchair into an electric chair. But Inspector Montalbano discovers that the dead man's will, which leaves everything to his brother Giacomo, was forged. Giacomo is arrested, but he maintains that he did not kill Alberto. Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector Mimi' Augello is working on the case of a mysteriously-murdered electrician.

TV News: Endeavour & Lewis to return

The Radio Times is reporting that ITV have commissioned four two-hour episodes of Endeavour and a new series of Lewis will be shown in May:

Shaun Evans will return to the role of Endeavour Morse for four 120-minute episodes, to be filmed on location in Oxford later this year. Joining him will be Roger Allam as senior partner Inspector Fred Thursday and James Bradshaw as Dr Max Debryn, while John Thaw's daughter will make further guest appearances.

The new series will be produced by Dan McCulloch and executive produced by Mammoth Screen’s joint managing directors, Michele Buck and Damien Timmer.

“We’re delighted to be making a series of Endeavour and have been overwhelmed by the reaction to the first film,” said McCulloch. “Russell Lewis has some bold plans to further enrich the mythology of Morse, introducing some significant new characters, and re-establishing some old favourites, all of whom are destined to have a massive impact on the future inspector's life.”

Novelist Colin Dextor, whose first Morse story Last Bus to Woodstock was published in 1975, will act as consultant for the series.

Michele Buck and Damien Timmer also oversee Lewis in conjunction with ITV Studios and the broadcaster also reports that new episodes of the drama are set to air in May.

Four x 120-minute films have been produced with Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox in the lead roles of Inspector Robbie Lewis and DS James Hathaway with Clare Holman also returns as Dr Laura Hobson and Rebecca Front as Chief Superintendent Innocent.

Good as Dead - Cover & Title Opinions

This week's selection for "cover opinions" is the US and UK covers and titles for Mark Billingham's Good as Dead which is being published in the US as The Demands in June 2012.

So what are your thoughts on the US (LHS) and UK (RHS) covers and titles? Which would entice you to pick the book up if you were not familiar with the books of Mark Billingham? One has a quote from Lee Child, the other from the Daily Mail.

If you have read it, how well do the covers/titles match the story?

Read the Euro Crime review by Geoff of Good as Dead.

New Reviews: Bilal, Brandreth, Carter, de Giovanni, McGowan, Smith

Win Carnage by Maxim Chattam (UK only).

Here are this week's reviews, with two set in Italy, two with missing children themes, plus non Euro settings including Cairo, Russia and the USA:

Lynn Harvey strongly recommends Parker Bilal's The Golden Scales, which introduces Makana, a Sudanese exile who's fetched up in Cairo, now working as a PI;

There are more literary capers from Gyles Brandreth in his Oscar Wilde and the Vatican Murders, out in paperback this week, and reviewed here by Terry Halligan;

Michelle Peckham suspends disbelief and rather enjoys Philip Carter's globe-trotting Altar of Bones now out in paperback;

Maxine Clarke reviews one of an increasing number of titles from Italian authors being translated into English, with Maurizio de Giovanni's I Will Have Vengeance, tr. Anne Milano Appel the first in the Commissario Ricciardi series;

Lizzie Hayes reviews Claire McGowan's debut novel, The Fall set in London and calls it "an amazing first book"

and Susan White reviews Anna Smith's second Rosie Gilmour book, To Tell the Truth which she found slightly uncomfortable reading due to its similarity to the 'Maddy' case.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive.

Forthcoming titles can be found by author or date or by category, here and new titles by Janet Laurence, James Runcie, Carlos Ruiz Zafon and Anne Zouroudi have been added to these pages this week.

Book News: Janet Laurence

It's been around ten years since Janet Laurence's last (fiction) book was published but I'm pleased to see that she has a new series beginning with Deadly Inheritance, which is published on 29 April by The History Press.

Official synopsis: American Ursula Grandison accompanies Belle Seldon to visit her sister, Helen, Countess of Mountstanton, commissioned by their father, multi-millionaire Chauncey Seldon, to discover what is wrong with Helen's marriage and what has happened to her dowry. At decaying stately Mountstanton House, Ursula finds the Earl is a cold fish, the Dowager Countess of Mounstanton the mother-in-law from hell, and Helen has not forgiven her for stealing her great love. Ursula discovers the drowned body of Polly, the nursemaid, thought to have deserted the household. Neither the Earl's brother, Colonel Charles Stanhope, nor Ursula believes Polly's death was an accident. Investigating against the Earl's wishes, they uncover a tangle of deception reaching into the past that threatens the reputation of the house of Mountstanton. After another death, Ursula fights to reveal the truth, to save Belle from dreadful scandal, and to fulfil Mr Seldon's commission, with a final shocking denouement.

Inspector Montalbano's back on track

The next and fifth episode of Inspector Montalbano, at 9pm on 10 March, is a repeat of: Excursion to Tindari, which was first shown on BBC4 in 2008, and is based on the fifth book in Camilleri's series.

A young Don Juan is found murdered in front of his apartment building and an elderly couple are reported missing after an excursion to the ancient site of Tindari. Inspector Montalbano tries to solve these two seemingly unrelated cases amid the daily complications of life at Vigata police station. But when he discovers that the couple and the murdered young man lived in the same building, his investigation stumbles onto Sicily's brutal 'New Mafia' and leads him down a path more twisted and far-reaching than any he has ever been down before.

Film News: Carancho

Just released in the UK is the Argentinian film Carancho (Vulture):

Trapero's sixth feature is a knife-edge thriller set in the murky legal quagmire of accident insurance scams. Sosa (Ricardo Darín) is an unlicensed lawyer who chases down road accident victims, representing them against insurance companies, but knowing that his clients will receive only a fraction of the financial reward. When he meets Luján (Martina Gusman), a paramedic, he sees in her hope of a new life. But to escape, he must cross his ruthless boss.


UK Trailer




For some splendid Argentinian crime fiction, I recommend Ernesto Mallo's Needle in a Haystack and Sweet Money and Claudia Pineiro's less crime, more satire Thursday Night Widows.

New Reviews: Bale, Dunn, Hall, Jardine, Ridpath, Smith & a New Competition

It's March and here's a new competition plus reviews of 6 more books...

Win Carnage by Maxim Chattam (UK only).

Here are this week's reviews:

Maxine Clarke reviews the new Joe Clayton thriller from Tom Bale, Blood Falls, now out in paperback;

Terry Halligan reviews the twentieth appearance by Daisy Dalrymple in Carola Dunn's Gone West;

Coroner Jenny Cooper is back in M R Hall's The Flight reviewed here by Sarah Hilary;

Susan White reviews Quintin Jardine's new Primavera Blackstone adventure, As Easy as Murder;

Lynn Harvey supplies the third glowing review on Euro Crime for Michael Ridpath's 66 Degrees North the second in this series set in Iceland, now out in paperback

and fans of Alexander McCall Smith's Mma (Precious) Ramtoswe won't want to miss her first case Precious and the Monkeys which I reviewed last week on the blog.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive.

Forthcoming titles can be found by author or date or by category, here and new titles by David Belbin, Fiona Buckley, N J Cooper, David Downing, Gillian Galbraith, Dolores Gordon-Smith, Tessa Harris, Cora Harrison, Veronica Heley, Diane Janes, Meurig Jones, Margaret Mayhew, Susanna Quinn, Jean Rowden, EV Seymour, John Gordon Sinclair and Simon Toyne have been added to these pages this week.