CRIME FICTION FOR EVERYONE

In Dog We Trust
by Neil Plakcy
ISBN: 2940000889596
Ebook available from
Amazon, Smashwords,
B&N.

Steve Levitan is a convicted felon. Through a lapse in internal discipline, he did a little computer hacking and soon found himself in prison. Released on parole, he returns to his home, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he obtains a position as a part time faculty, teaching English at a local college.
His marriage fell apart, which is another factor setting up everything that follows, murder, car chases, odd and interesting characters, such as a sort of hard guy named Santiago, Steve’s parole officer, and a couple of cops, one of whom is a long-time school buddy of Steve.

Then there is the dog. Who names their dog Rochester? The dog belonged to a dead woman, and dog and Steve bond almost immediately, although both seem to have serious issues with authority.
Without revealing too much, this is a very “now” detective novel, delving into computer and other crime. How closely do you reads your credit card statements? The novel is well written, smooth and interesting. It’s always good when a crime novel teaches or reminds readers of information they should know. This story does that, without preaching or lapsing into lecturing. The classroom scenes and internal dialogues regarding student attitudes are authentic. For anyone who enjoys a jaundiced look at small college academic life, this novel is a pleasure to read on another level.
Everything about this novel smacks of a professional, polished approach. The writing is smooth, the characters well developed, and they stay in character. The plot has been carefully laid out and proceeds at a good pace. It’s conclusion is satisfying. Then there’s the dog, Rochester.
Dog lovers will be pleased to know that the author refrains from anthropomorphizing the dog. Undeniably talented, Rochester is helpful throughout the novel, but only in naturally occurring, that is, doggy ways. “In Dog We Trust” is a completely enjoyable way to spend a reading afternoon.

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A Wasteland of Strangers
Author: Bill Pronzini
Publisher: Walker & Company.
ISBN: 0-8027-7560-8
257 pages


This is another of Bill Pronzini’s intensive, commanding, explorations of current social ideas and concerns which move a national colloquy in many forums. But this is not a social treatis full of statistics. This is a moving, intense, crime novel, that will captivate and enthrall the reader. Take one large, dangerous looking, individual, John Faith, by name. He’s a traveler, a seeker, a man on the move. Insert this stranger into a small resort community during the off season. This community happens to be in northern California, but such are the author’s skills, it could be anywhere. It could be your hometown.

John Faith is the immediate object of suspicion, because he’s a stranger and he doesn’t look like he belongs. His presence gradually reveals and widens long-standing cracks in the comfortable, biased attitudes and ideas of almost everyone in town. Why has this man come to town? What are his motives? His answers are enigmatic, and even at the end we are left with questions. John Faith’s encounters with the police chief, the bigoted lake-side resort owner, some local Native Americans, and a bartender or two, are like pebbles dropped in a placid pool. The ripples expand and expand until they reach the edge of the pool and die. Except in this case, the ripples grow larger, intersect and become irresistible waves that begin to tear at the base fabric of the town.

This psychological thriller is tightly plotted, and intricately presented. It’s pace is irresistible. “A Wasteland of Strangers” is a thoughtful, satisfying crime novel. Artist Doug Henry has presented a handsome, evocative cover illustration. Highly recommended.

ARMS AND THE WOMEN, A DENSE THRILLER

Author: Reginald Hill
Publisher: Delecourt Press
Copyright: 1999, HC, 408 pages
ISBN: 0-385-33279-3

Cover copy calls this a work of intricacy, precision and psychological complexity. I cannot agree more emphatically. Yes, it's another in what one hopes is an endless line of Dalziel and Pascoe mysteries. And yes, it contains powerful, evocative writing.

"Here four men labored with shovels, their faces wrapped with scarves, not for disguise but as barrier against the stench of the decaying bat droppings they disturbed, while high above them a sea of leathery bodies rippled and whispered uneasily as the sound of digging and the glow of bull-lamps drifted up to the natural vault."

Peter Pascoe's wife, Ellie, is hard at work on her book. Yes, she's hoping to be a published author one day. And then, abruptly, inexplicably, there is an abduction attempt on her. Though the attempt is thwarted by Ellie's nimble-mindedness, the act sets in motion a vast, complex investigation and a plot that ranges over wide spaces of the English coastal area and pits D&P against some very nasty characters. Adding to the complications are difficulties over jurisdictional questions affecting the National Interest.

This is a complex story with a large cast of interesting characters and a strong sub-plot. It is an excellent novel by an excellent writer. Hill handles his characters, his plot and his setting with consummate skill. .More than ten years old now, it’s well worth seeking out.

ANOTHER FINE MESS

Bitch Factor
Author: Chris Rogers
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0-553-58001-9
Price: $5.99
pub. date: October, 1998
319 pages, paper

A debut novel by an author who writes with authority, clarity, and tells a very good story. The title and cover hype shouldn’t put readers off. Someone has tried to position this female bounty hunter and ex assistant district attorney, into a hard-surfaced prickly feminazi who is supposed to have all the aggressive, macho attributes of some western male lawman. It isn’t true, which in no way detracts from a fine story or an interesting, worthwhile character. Dixie Flannigan is a Houston, Texas, based bounty hunter. She’s smart, competent, beset by an aggravating family, and seems to be the kind of interesting personality one would enjoy hanging out with. Her moral construct is strong and believable. She has a wide range of fascinating friends who are sometimes able to assist her in logical ways.

If the story sags a bit in the middle, the premise holds up well and the last third is a tense,
bounding race to a surprising conclusion. A worthy effort.

A WASTELAND OF STRANGERS

Author: Bill Pronzini
Publisher: Walker & Company.
ISBN: 0-8027-7560-8
Price: $8.95 (hard cover)
pub. date: 1999
257 pages


www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/pronzini.html

This is another of Bill Pronzini’s intensive, commanding, explorations of current social ideas and concerns which move a national colloquy in many forums. But this is not a social treatis full of statistics. This is a moving, intense, crime novel, that will captivate and enthrall the reader. Take one large, dangerous looking, individual, John Faith, by name. He’s a traveler, a seeker, a man on the move. Insert this stranger into a small resort community during the off season. This community happens to be in northern California, but such are the author’s skills, it could be anywhere. It could be your hometown.

John Faith is the immediate object of suspicion, because he’s a stranger and he doesn’t look like he belongs. His presence gradually reveals and widens long-standing cracks in the comfortable, biased attitudes and ideas of almost everyone in town. Why has this man come to town? What are his motives? His answers are enigmatic, and even at the end we are left with questions. John Faith’s encounters with the police chief, the bigoted lake-side resort owner, some local Native Americans, and a bartender or two, are like pebbles dropped in a placid pool. The ripples expand and expand until they reach the edge of the pool and die. Except in this case, the ripples grow larger, intersect and become irresistible waves that begin to tear at the base fabric of the town.

This psychological thriller is tightly plotted, and intricately presented. It’s pace is irresistible. “A Wasteland of Strangers” is a thoughtful, satisfying crime novel. Artist Doug Henry has presented a handsome, evocative cover illustration. Highly recommended.

Author Peter May

Peter May is a mystery writer with journalism training that supports his passion for writing. He has extensive contacts inside the law enforcement community, including China, amply reflected in his novels. Although he lives in France with his award-winning wife, Janice, he travels extensively in the U.S. When he comes your way, don’t miss an encounter with this charming Scot. I am pleased to present his answers to my questions.

When someone asks you what kind of books do you write? What’s your answer?
Good ones

When did you know you were going to be a mystery writer?
When my publisher told me I would have to change my name to write in another genre.

Tell us a little bit about your family background.
My Great Aunt Belle was a direct descendant of the famous Scottish outlaw, Rob Roy Macgregor; my father's great, great uncle was a disinherited earl; my parents have both gone to the great library in the sky (where, I am sure, they still cast a critical eye over my latest offerings); my wife is the award-winning playwright and screenwriter, Janice Hally; and my daughter insists I will never be a grandfather.


What is your educational background?
I got kicked out of school, and after a year selling cars in the university of life, studied journalism in Edinburgh.

What did you read as a child?
When I was eleven, my uncle's wife committed suicide and he came to stay at our house, displacing me from my bedroom. I slept on the sofa in the living room, and woke up each morning to look at all the books on the shelf beside it - Ernest Hemingway, Aldous Huxley, Raymond Chandler, Earl Stanley Gardner, Walter Scott, John Steinbeck, Lewis Grassic Gibbon. Strange names, and even stranger titles - Eyeless in Gaza, The Grapes of Wrath, The Case of the Black-Eyed Blond, Sunset Song, For Whom The Bell Tolls... Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me and I started reading them, working my way along the shelf. I was far too young for them, of course, but since I didn't know that I had no preconceptions. And in a way, these books shaped the rest of my life.

What’s your daily routine when you aren’t touring?
Research reading, cooking, wine-tasting, relaxing in the garden.


How much touring do you do?
I tour the States once a year these days. But since I live in France, and my books are published here, I get invited to book fairs all over the country, and usually do ten to twelve events a year.

What surprised you most about the writing community once you became a part of it?
The camaraderie, I guess. That shared sense of vulnerability and isolation.

What’s the hardest thing about being an author?
The next book.

Do you blog? How frequently? Is your blog a group or single effort?
I have a blog, but generally only keep it up to date when I am touring in the US - partly to keep a record for myself, and partly to keep friends and family (and readers) in touch with where I am and what is happening.

How frequently do you organize or participate in book tours?
My wife organises my annual book tours in the States. She is brilliant at it, producing a "book" with a daily itinerary, all our travel tickets and arrangements, car rental, hotels etc. She now knows the US hub airports by heart and most of the booksellers, and can plan a mean tour.

What kind of events or signings do you do?
In the States I talk to readers at as many independent mystery stores as I can fit into my itinerary - which can be as many as twenty. In France, almost every town has its own annual book fair. Authors are invited to attend, and all expenses are paid from the public purse. These events usually consist of contributing to one or more round table discussions in front of an audience, and sitting at tables piled high with your books to sign for readers. The biggest events can attract as many as a quarter of a million people over the course of a weekend. In Paris it is nearly half a million over four days.

In a typical year, how many times did you appear for your book?
Anywhere between 30 and 40 times.

How many fan conferences such as Bouchercon will you typically attend in a year?
Living in France, it is a very expensive business going to these events, so I try to arrange my US tours to coincide with one of the fan conferences - usually Left Coast Crime, although I have also been to Bouchercon.

Do you like to travel?
I love to experience different places around the world, although I hate the actual mechanics of travelling.

What surprised you the most when you became a published author?
How little promotion and support a writer receives from his publisher. My first book was published more than 30 years ago. I was very excited, waiting to hear from my publisher what my promotional itinerary would be, what newspaper and radio interviews I would do, and what papers I would be reviewed in. But when the book actually appeared, it seemed to vanish into a black hole. It had very few reviews, there was virtually no promotion, and I did one single radio interview. I quickly learned that if you wanted to achieve a profile for yourself and your books, you were going to have to do it yourself.

Do you think you’ll change direction or spread out a bit? Write a different kind of crime novel? If so, what kind?
I think it is quite hard to change direction as a writer, once you are establish in a genre. Publishers, and readers, always want more of the same. However, I have recently written two very different types of crime book - one set in a virtual world, the other a slow-burn psychological thriller set on a remote Scottish island. I found the latter very hard to sell in the UK, but my French publisher has snapped it up, buying world rights, and it will be published in French even before it appears in English.

Especially since 9/11, how do you respond to the accusation that you are trying to make money on a phenomenon in society we call murder? Or heinous crime?
I have always enjoyed reading crime books and thrillers, as well as movies of the same genre - something I have in common with many other people around the world. I write what I enjoy reading, and fortunately a lot of other people enjoy reading what I write. So I make no apologies for that. But, in the end, a crime story is only ever a vehicle for an exploration of the human condition. Which is what writers have always written about. An interesting coda to this is that one of my China Thrillers, "Snakehead" won a French literary award where the judges were panels of prisoners in French penitentiaries. I felt it was quite an accolade for a crime writer to get the thumbs up from criminals.

If you could be anything else in the world, have any other career, what would it be?
A professional musician.

What career would you least like to do, if writing was to become impossible?
I once worked as a civil servant in the UK, calculating the interest in the bank books of investors in the Department of National Savings. I sat in a huge shed, with hundreds of other people, having to achieve a target of ten bank books an hour, monitored by eagle-eyed senior functionaries. I had to ask to go to the toilet. After three months, I stood up one morning and simply walked out, never to return. I find it hard to imagine a worse job.

Have you ever collaborated on a novel? Would you consider it?
No, and no. As a script writer and story editor on TV series and serials, I worked as part of a team. Which was stimulating, and fun. But, for me, novel writing is a singularly solo occupation.


Who are the authors who you feel have had the most influence on your writing career.
The four most influential writers who shaped my style and ambition were Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway, H. E. Bates, and J. P. Donleavy.


Tell us one or two authors or books you absolutely universally recommend.
The most inspirational book, I think, that a writer can read is Ernest Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast". The only book I was ever moved to read twice was J.P. Donleavy's "The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B" - which made me both laugh out loud and weep copious tears.


Who is your favorite mystery author?
I think one of the best mystery writers around today is William Kent Krueger - simply for his marvelous characterisation, sensitivity, and observation of the human condition. These are qualities I rarely find in many contemporary mysteries and thrillers.

Where do you want your career to go?
I spent twenty years writing for television before turning to writing books full time. I would love now, to see some of my books adapted for the screen - big or small. I am fortunate in that the first of my China Thrillers series, "The Firemaker", is to be made into a movie - a French/Chinese co-production made in English for the international market, and directed by award-winning Chinese director Wang Chao. The third of my Enzo Files series, "Blacklight Blue", is currently being developed as a TV movie.


Who is your publisher? What’s your current book?
My US publisher is Poisoned Pen Press. My current books are "Blacklight Blue" (the Enzo Files), and "Snakehead" (the China Thrillers). The second of the China Thrillers, "The Fourth Sacrifice", is also just out in paperback. The fourth Enzo book, and my virtual thriller will both come out early next year.

Are you agented?
I have literary agents in New York and London.

What’s your take on the rise of electronic publishing?
An interesting development that could ultimately free the writer from being tied to a publisher.

What’s your favorite word?
"Smirr". It's a Scottish word meaning rain so fine that it is almost a mist (the Scots have more words for rain than anyone else in the world, I think). The reason I love it is that it always confuses the hell out of my English editors.

What’s your least favorite word?
"But" - particularly when following the phrase, "I loved your book".

If you could change one thing about the world what would that be?
While adjusting my bikini and freshening my lipstick, I'd put in my tuppenceworth for world peace.

Tell us about your upcoming book or other project.
The fifth book in the Enzo files is in the early stages of development. I have also been commissioned by a French publisher to write a short story of around 12,000 words using only the Latin-based vocabulary of the English language in an attempt to create something written in English that can be read by the French. It is an interesting idea, and I am going to use it as a vehicle for revisiting my characters from the China Thrillers series, Li Yan and Margaret Campbell.

Thank you for an interesting and insightful interview.

AFTER THE HOLDAY

Christmas is a memory.

I distributed fifteen copies of The Minnesota Crime Wave's audio anthology RESORT TO MURDER AUDIO to friends and family who didn’t yet have it. Unalloyed joy reigned. (yeah, right). I never get books as presents, either Christmas or birthday. People say, “we never know what to buy you.” When I give books, they always come with the proviso that either before or after reading, they should give the book to some deserving soul, or maybe to a retirement home or…”

I often give ARCs to retirement or hospice or hospital reading programs.

Whole wheat bread is rising in the proofing oven at the moment. Bread making when irked or frustrated about something is great therapy. Kneading bread is always a wonderful experience.

One wonders when—if ever—the Senate race in Minnesota will end. It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that whatever the canvassing and other boards decide and certify, there will be a court challenge. It is unsettling to discover that a lot of people who go to vote, don’t take the process seriously. We saw votes for Mickey Mouse, God and several other lesser lights. Voting is not the place for misplaced letters to the skypilot. Disallow all ballots that insert frivolity, say I.

I spent this morning (Sunday) watching and talking with (sort of) Peter May, a fine writer of thrilling mysteries. He was home in France, I was at home in the US. Such is the wonder of the electronic age in which we live. He does an occasional Internet program through the services of something called Mogulus. You can find his live blog here.

He was introducing a world wide audience to his latest Enzo MacLeod story, Blacklight Blue. It’s an excellent third book in his second series. It’s published in the US by Poisoned Pen.

I’ve just been elected to the board of the Midwest chapter of Mystery Writers of America. I think I better pay my dues to Sisters In Crime this week.

There are interesting things happening with the whole e-book universe after years in neutral. Kindle and the new Sony reader seem to be the motivators. I think today any publisher and author ignores e-publishing at their peril.

My new sailing book with Mary Whitney and Michael Tanner, titled DEVILS ISLAND from Echelon is on track for Spring, 2009. Mary has to wrestle with depredations from her ex-husband.

I’ve read some fascinating new mysteries in the past few weeks. Here’s a review of another. It’s called Barbados Heat, by Don Bruns

ISBN 0312304927

St. Martin’s Minotaur, $24.95,

November, 2003

Tock Tock, Tick tock. Like the sound of steel wheels over the gandy dancer’s rail joints, this novel rocks along. A Congressman is dead. He wanted to attack the Hip Hop and Rap music industry. He wanted to join his brother-in-law, the Reverend Joseph Evans in an attempt to rein in bad lyrics, violent lyrics, sexual lyrics. Now the congressman’s son, Nick, is charged with Congressman Shappley’s brutal murder. It’s said he’s in it up to his elbows along with Rap star, Chilli D, who may have been the triggerman. Chilli D’s producer, T-Beau wants to protect his investment so he calls on a music industry star, friend Mick Sever. Mick is already in Washington on the case.

Tick Tock. Time is running on and readers may have the feeling they’re on a fast train going downhill. The whistle screams and the scenery goes by in a blur, leaving out whole pieces. There are complications. Sever, whom we last saw in the author’s debut novel, Jamaica Blue, calls in his divorced wife, Ginny to do research. Tension. Sever once had a childhood friendship with the accused Nick, the Congressman’s son. More tension. There are other family presences, not just in D.C. Tick Tock. Sever’s off to Florida to talk to Nick’s sister, Amber, and then to Barbados, where old wounds still fester.

Page by page Barbados Heat gathers speed. Tock tock. And just when you think you’ve got the characters and their relationships sorted out, even with the missing bits of action, the train roars around a sharp curve and carries you off in a new direction. Author Bruns is evolving a fresh and breathless style of pell mell writing that may be a little short on detail but long on action and thrills. Tick Tock.

INDEPENDENCE DAY & MORE

And what a great day it was. family and close friends joined us for a backyard picnic/barbecue (classic cliche, right?) on an absolutely perfect afternoon. After years of hard work, Jean's efforts have really paid off and her garden is spectacular. I'll try to get some pictures to prove the point a little later.

David Housewright, a fine writer of mystery fiction and a past Edgar winner will be the Crime Wave's guest next week on our television series and I'm really looking forward to that. July 24 at 6 pm our tv program goes area wide on Channel 6 here in the Twin Cities. Anybody with even basic cable can watch the show. We hope you do and tell us what you think.

I'm pleased to note that one of my favorite characters, heiress and sailing wizard, adventuress Mary Whitney will be back in a new adventure. It's called Devils Island and it will be published next year by Echelon Press.

BARBADOS HEAT,
by Don Bruns

Tock Tock, Tick tock. Like the sound of steel wheels over the gandy dancer’s rail joints, this novel rocks along. A Congressman is dead. He wanted to attack the Hip Hop and Rap music industry. He wanted to join his brother-in-law, the Reverend Joseph Evans in an attempt to rein in bad lyrics, violent lyrics, sexual lyrics. Now the congressman’s son, Nick, is charged with Congressman Shappley’s brutal murder. It’s said he’s in it up to his elbows along with Rap star, Chilli D, who may have been the triggerman. Chilli D’s producer, T-Beau wants to protect his investment so he calls on a music industry star, friend Mick Sever. Mick is already in Washington on the case.

Tick Tock. Time is running on and readers may have the feeling they’re on a fast train going downhill. The whistle screams and the scenery goes by in a blur, leaving out whole pieces. There are complications. Sever, whom we last saw in the author’s debut novel, Jamaica Blue, calls in his divorced wife, Ginny to do research. Tension. Sever once had a childhood friendship with the accused Nick, the Congressman’s son. More tension. There are other family presences, not just in D.C. Tick Tock. Sever’s off to Florida to talk to Nick’s sister, Amber, and then to Barbados, where old wounds still fester.

Page by page Barbados Heat gathers speed. Tock tock. And just when you think you’ve got the characters and their relationships sorted out, even with the missing bits of action, the train roars around a sharp curve and carries you off in a new direction. Author Bruns is evolving a fresh and breathless style of pell mell writing that may be a little short on detail but long on action and thrills. Tick Tock. When’s the next one due?

THIS AND THAT

Classical music never fails to amaze me. Recently my wife and I attended a Minnesota Orchestra concert which featured percussionist Colin Currie. That's right, a percussionist, as in drums, gongs, and so on. The piece, by Jennifer Higdon, a young American composer, is called Percussion Concerto. It is dedicated to Currie. During the 24 minute piece the orchestra used crotales, Chinese suspended cymbal, a thin suspended cymbal, bass and snare drums, low bongo, guiro,marimba, rute, large tam-tam, temple blocks.

Currie, with his instrumdents arrayed across the front of the stage, used bongos, bowl, castanet, clave, cowbell, crotales, the Chinese suspended gong, brake drum and snares, Peking Opera gong, marimba, temple blocks, timbales, tom-toms, vibraphone and woodblocks.

Far out! It was an amazing piece. Take it in if it comes to your neck of the woods.

Harper Collins has apparently gone silent for the time on its venture into reshaping the business model of publishing. You remember--no big advances, shared royalties, greater emphasis on Internet sales, few automatic returns from bookstores. Good for H/C. Instead of publically documenting every step and possible misstep, get it started and then announce the gains.


The Minnesota Crime Wave has started a cable television program. With three hosts, Ellen Hart, Kent Krueger, and Carl Brookins, the half-hour programs feature lively discussion of all sorts of topics around publishing and mystery fiction. Each program also incudes a guest, often an author, but not always. Gary Schulze, co-owner of Once Upon A Crime independent mystery bookstore in Minneapolis, author/comedian Lorna Landvik, and National Book Award winner Pete Hautman, have appeared. The program is cablecast weekly to residents in ten northern suburbs of the Tin Cities and segments are available at the MCW website.


Krueger will have a new book, latest entry in his Cork O'Connor series, RED KNIFE, out later this year, and Brookins' second PI novel, THE CASE OF THE DECEIVING DON, is scheduled for release in August.

More, deponeth sayeth not