New Poll - Violence

I just finished listening to Open Book from a couple of editions ago, the one that featured NJ Cooper and Tania Carver (Martyn Waites).

Publishers apparently wanted a UK equivalent to the best-selling US female writers who have a high violence content in their books such as Chelsea Cain and Karin Slaughter and Martyn Waites said that he could do that. He has now co-written with his wife, The Surrogate and The Creeper. Publishers believe that women love to read about violence against women, written by women. So, what do you think? I've put a poll on the top-right of the blog, to see if you agree or disagree with that statement.

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.

TV News: Sherlock S2 & DVD

The BBC has released more information about the recommissioning of Sherlock:

Following a highly successful launch with over 7.5m viewers watching the first episode in July 2010, Sherlock returns for three new 90-minute episodes in Autumn 2011

"Sherlock was the hit of the Summer."

Talking of the Sherlock recommission, co-creators, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, say: "We've been overwhelmed by the warmth of response to our new Sherlock Holmes and John Watson and can't wait to take them on three new adventures next year. There'll be baffling new puzzles, old friends and new enemies – whether on two, or four legs. And we might well be seeing the cold master of logic and reason unexpectedly falling. But in love? Or over a precipice? Who can tell?"

In the meantime the DVD of the first series of Sherlock is available to buy today, online price is around £13. The special features include an unaired 60 minute pilot.

Special Features

60 minute pilot episode

Commentaries:
Episode One - Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Sue Vertue

Episode Three - Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Mark Gatiss

Synopsis:
A contemporary take on the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories, Sherlock is a thrilling, funny, fast-paced adventure series set in present-day London. Co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the new Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as his loyal friend, Doctor John Watson. Rupert Graves plays Inspector Lestrade.

John Watson: doctor, soldier, war hero, lost soul. Fresh from fighting the war in Afghanistan, a chance encounter brings him into the world of Sherlock Holmes: loner, detective, genius. A woman in pink lies murdered in an abandoned house. The fifth victim of a seemingly motiveless killer. Inspector Lestrade is the best Scotland Yard has got. But he knows he’s nothing compared to a young man called Sherlock. Sherlock can tell a software designer by his tie, an airline pilot by his thumb. He has a unique analytical brain unlike anyone else in the world, who earns his living and staves off boredom by solving crimes. The weirder and more baffling the better…

The two men couldn’t be more different, but Sherlock’s inspired leaps of intellect coupled with John’s pragmatism soon forge an unbreakable alliance. Across three, 90 minute, thrilling, scary, action-packed and highly entertaining television movies, Sherlock and John navigate a maze of cryptic clues and lethal killers to get at the truth.

The world’s favourite detective has come out of the fog. With sparkling scripts and unforgettable performances from the two leads, this is Sherlock for a new generation.

New Reviews: Cregan, Desai, Kitson, Nesser, Pears, Staincliffe

Two competitions for August and one is open internationally closes 31st:
Win one of three sets of Lockdown and Deadlock by Sean Black (Worldwide)
Win one of five copies of Inspector Cataldo's Criminal Summer by Luigi Guicciardi, tr Iain Halliday (UK & Europe)

Here are this week's reviews, which include several novels which, though crime-related you may have to hunt in the fiction section for...:

Paul Blackburn reviews the urban gothic thriller, The Levels by Sean Cregan, which is set on the East Coast of America;

Maxine Clarke goes to India in Kishwar Desai's Witness the Night writing that "Although the book does not hold up too well as a crime novel, it is excellent";

Amanda Brown reviews Bill Kitson's second DI Mike Nash book, Chosen concluding that it's "a good addition to the rich wealth of British crime fiction";

Geoff Jones review the latest paperback release in Hakan Nesser's "absorbing series" - Woman With Birthmark, tr. Laurie Thompson;

Terry Halligan reviews the lengthy Stone's Fall by Iain Pears writing "this is historical fiction par excellence"

and I review Cath Staincliffe's The Kindest Thing which technically has a crime in it but is more about love and loss (hankies may be required).

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive and forthcoming titles can be found by author or date, here.

TV Cover for Aftermath

Spotted yesterday in Waterstone's: Peter Robinson's Aftermath has been reissued with Stephen Tompkinson as Banks on the cover. No news yet of the transmission date of this ITV series.

Crime Writers on Open Book

The current edition of Radio 4's Open Book has a plethora of crime writers in it:

Dreda Say Mitchell talks to former bookseller Tim Waterstone about his new novel. Writer Fay Weldon discusses how she has used Maori myths in her new book. And crime writers NJ Cooper and Tania Carver* explain why they have been encouraged to write under names which mask their real gender.

You can listen again or download the podcast.

N J Cooper=Natasha Cooper
Tania Carver=Martyn Waites and wife

Mark Billingham will be on the next show (Sunday).

TV News: Dirk Gently

It appears that a pilot episode of Douglas Adams's Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is being made for BBC Four. From the BBC's press-release:

Dirk Gently

Anti-hero Dirk Gently operates his eponymous detective agency based on the "fundamental interconnectedness of all things." He is lazy, untidy, dismissive, an awful boss and his methods verge on the criminal.

When Dirk sets out to solve an apparently simple and harmless disappearance of a cat from an old lady's house, he unwittingly uncovers a double murder which, in turn, leads to a host of even more extraordinary events.

From the author of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, Douglas Adams, this one-off pilot of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is adapted by Bafta-award winning Howard Overman (Misfits). It is the first time this celebrated character has appeared on screen.

Jo Nesbo on Front Row

Mark Lawson recently interviewed Jo Nesbo on Front Row. You can hear the 8 minute piece from the 22nd minute in, on the Front Row page.

Jo Nesbo's bibliography.

Other Norwegian crime writers available in English.

Trailer Thursday - Deathtrap

I mentioned the play Deathtrap a few weeks ago. There's now an extended trailer, see below.

The play opens on 7th September at the Noel Coward Theatre.

TV News: Law and Order UK

From the ITV press release issued today:

LAW & ORDER: UK – SERIES 3

The cream of British acting talent are back together for the third series of the hugely successful ‘Law & Order: UK’. Series 1 and 2 have proved a huge hit with viewers, averaging 5.9 million viewers an episode. The programme covers diverse storylines taken from the original hit US series but all with a distinctly British perspective. Now the teams are back to solve more perplexing crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice.

BRADLEY WALSH is DS Ronnie Brooks, a real East End, copper’s copper, friend and partner to the charming DS Matt Devlin, JAMIE BAMBER whose approach to policing is part seduction part force. Both report to DI Natalie Chandler, HARRIET WALTER, a working mum who would back them to the end.

While the CPS team comprises BEN DANIELS as dedicated Senior Crown Prosecutor James Steel, a man on a mission for justice; FREEMA AGYEMAN , as hard working, strong-willed young prosecutor Alesha Phillips; and BILL PATERSON as their respected boss CPS director George Castle, a man trying to balance his ideals with the bigger picture.

The new cases faced by the teams are even more compelling and shocking then those featured in previous series. They include: a toddler being led to his death, a 16 year old girl found dead in her home in the middle of the afternoon, a prison officer shot dead on a council estate, a mysterious killer using a bayonet to slay his victims, the stabbing of a student and the murder case of DS Matt Devlin’s best friend.

Guest stars across the new series include: Rupert Graves, Deborah Findlay, Kevin Doyle, Rocky Marshall, Patrick Malahide, Ruth Gemmell, Matthew Marsh, Celyn Jones, Wunmi Mosaku, and Robbie Gee.

‘Law & Order: UK - Series 3’ is brand new and exclusive to ITV1, Thursdays from 9^th September at 9pm

Elegy for April - Cover Opinions

This week's selection for "cover opinions" is the two very different hardback editions of Benjamin Black's Elegy for April, the third in his Quirke series, which is set in 1950s Dublin.

Both editions are published in 2010. The US edition (on the left) came out in April, the UK edition (on the right) is to be published on 1 October.

So what are you thoughts on the US and UK covers? Which would entice you to pick the book up if you were not familiar with Benjamin Black?

Here is the Euro Crime review, by Laura, of Elegy for April.

My Hands are Tied - Cover Theme

Covers with predominantly women's hands tied, including a copy-cat cover. I've added in a "feet" one too.
Reviews of The Dispossessed, Gagged and Bound, The Birthday Present.

New Reviews: Creed, Forrester, Franklin, Neville, Nickson, Sjowall & Wahloo

Two competitions for August and one is open internationally:
Win one of three sets of Lockdown and Deadlock by Sean Black (Worldwide)
Win one of five copies of Inspector Cataldo's Criminal Summer by Luigi Guicciardi, tr Iain Halliday (UK & Europe)

Here are this week's reviews, which this week include several historical novels:

I review Adam Creed's second outing for DI Staffe, Willing Flesh set in a seedy, modern-day London;

Terry Halligan goes back to the Elizabethan era for James Forrester's debut novel Sacred Treason;

Norman Price travels back to Henry II's time when he reviews Ariana Franklin's, fourth Adelia Aguilar outing, The Assassin's Prayer in which the leads traipse off to Sicily;

Back in modern-day, Laura Root reviews Collusion, Stuart Neville's follow-up to the very well-received The Twelve (apa The Ghosts of Belfast);

Michelle Peckham travels back to eighteenth century Leeds in The Broken Token by Chris Nickson

and Maxine Clarke reviews the penultimate title in the classic Martin Beck series by Sjowall and Wahloo, Cop Killer, tr. Thomas Teal.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive and forthcoming titles can be found by author or date, here.

OT: It's Cat-urday

Haven't had a cat photo or three for a while, I think. Foxy's up to his usual tricks. The bad weather means he's actually in the house in daylight...

(The vet commented on his pink collar!)


This one's from a few days ago when the scratch on his nose was more visible, if you zoom in. (I found him bleeding from a 3 inch scratch across his face a couple of weeks ago but it seems to fading now):

Started Early, Took My Dog - Ebook prices

I've had a Sony ebook reader for a while now and have used it quite a lot for free books and review copies. I haven't bought many books as it seems ludicrous to pay lots more for an electronic copy than a paper copy, so I'm very pleased that WH Smiths have reduced their prices by 50%.

I thought I'd illustrate the range of prices for the same ebook with Kate Atkinson's Started Early, Took My Dog which has just been published.

Print RRP = £18.99
Epub RRP = £19.40

Amazon Print: £8.16
Amazon Kindle: 5.71

Bookdepository Print: £12.51
Bookdepository Epub; £14.55

Waterstones Print: £8.99
Waterstones Epub: £18.23

WH Smiths Print: £8.99
WH Smiths Epub: £9.70

The cheapest Epub version (of this title) I've found is at Kobo at £5.71 and they are currently offering £1 off all ebooks this weekend if you use the discount code smashing1.

News: Karin Fossum

There is confirmation on Karin Fossum's Norwegian Agent's page that the tenth and latest Inspector Sejer novel, 'The Caller', has been bought by Harvill Secker:

Karin Fossum´s latest novel in the Konrad Sejer-series, Varsleren (The Caller), was recently sold to Italy and France. It has now been sold to ten countries all together.

Karin Fossum has found a new French publisher after an auction won by Seuil. They will publish her latest novel Varsleren. Italian Sperling & Kupfer also just bought the rights for this novel. The other countries to publish this book are: Denmark (Gyldendal), Sweden (Forum), UK (Harvill Secker), Germany (Piper), Spain (Random House Mondadori), Estonia (Eesti Raamat), Belgium (Standaard) and the Netherlands (Ambo Anthos).

Varsleren received great reviews in Norway when it was launched last year:

'Hardly anything beats a good, psychological thriller, and The Caller is an exquisite example of that.'
–Dagbladet

'To read The Caller is a refreshing reminder of what good crime is like.'
–Aftenposten

'A new victory for Karin Fossum […] The quivering excitement takes off from page one.'
–Dagsavisen

'The Caller is Karin Fossum’s best novel since The Indian Bride.'
–Adresseavisen

Here is the blurb from the same website:

“Hell Begins Here,” says the card that detective Konrad Sejer finds outside his door late one night. Earlier that day the young couple Lily and Karsten found their baby in a pool of blood in the pram. The little community is plagued by events that frighten them all. But does the perpetrator intend to follow through or is it all a bad joke? The Caller is Fossum’s tenth novel about Konrad Sejer.

Trailer Thursday - Amberville

Amberville by pseudonymous Swedish author, Tim Davys is now out in paperback. It's the first of an unusual trilogy, as you can see from the blurb and trailer below:

Eric Bear thinks he has escaped his violent past, but when crime boss Nicholas Dove threatens Eric's beloved wife Emma Rabbit, Eric has no choice but to do what he asks: find a way to remove Dove's name from the Death List. Problem is, no one knows if the Death List really exists. Nevertheless, Eric gathers his old team together - sadistic male prostitute Sam Gazelle, sweet but dangerous Tom-Tom Crow, and wily Snake Marek - and they set off to find the elusive list. What Eric learns will forever change the way he thinks about his life, his family, and his town.

Trailer

Death Wore White - cover opinions

The second of Jim Kelly's new series was reviewed on Euro Crime at the weekend, but I'd like to look at the covers from the first book in the series, Death Wore White.

Both editions were published in 2009. The US edition (on the left) came out as a hardback, the UK edition (on the right) came out as a paperback original.

So what are you thoughts on the US and UK covers? Which would entice you to pick the book up if you were not familiar with Jim Kelly?

Here is the Euro Crime review, by Pat, of Death Wore White.





(This series is set in North Norfolk, a rural part of England, so I'm a bit puzzled by what looks to be an American squad car! ps If you click on the US cover you can read the writing.)

International Competition - Win 2 books by Sean Black

The current competition for copies of Lockdown and Deadlock by Sean Black is open internationally and closes on 31 August.

Enter the competition here.

Euro Crime has now reviewed Lockdown and Deadlock.

Between the Lines, reveals 5 things you didn't know about Sean Black.

And finally you can sample each book via the widgets below:

Strike a Match - cover theme

I was browsing the crime ebooks last night and spotted these two on the same page. The cover on the left was used in 2008 (Xlibris) and the one on the right (Little, Brown) is out next month.