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DispatchesFromNoir
Bad Monkey
Written by Carl Hiaasen – Bad Monkey is another masterpiece by Carl Hiaasen, in his usual inimitable style. Hiaasen, longtime reporter and then columnist for the Miami Herald, is an astute observer of South Florida life and politics. His novels are steeped in the absurdities of the region, and combine Charles Willeford’s sense of ironic decay[...]
DispatchesFromNoir: the five books that got me hooked on crime fiction
I’ve been reading crime fiction almost since I learned to read. My tastes in crime fiction have changed markedly over the years, but that’s the great thing about this genre. It grows and evolves with us, always offering top-notch writing in many different styles. Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J Sobol My interest in crime fiction[...]
The Other Woman
Written by Hank Phillippi Ryan – The Other Woman is a title, and a phrase, shot through with double meaning in Ryan’s engaging thriller. Double meanings abound throughout Ryan’s tale, much to my delight. The publisher is billing the upcoming paperback release as a ‘beach read’, and you could do worse than schlep The Other[...]
Internal Security
Written by David Darracott – A shadowy conspiracy lurks behind the scenes. A lone reporter seeks to expose it. As the sinister cabal consolidates power and advances with their plans, our scrappy journalistic hero doggedly pursues the truth, for he is the only one who can. No-one else knows the danger that is building in[...]
In Pursuit of Spenser
Edited by Otto Penzler – In Pursuit of Spenser will certainly shed some light on its titular iconic PI. But Otto Penzler’s edited collection of essays is even more informative about Spenser’s creator. And through Bob Parker (as contributors always refer to him), we learn more about his literary creations: mostly Spenser, but also Jesse[...]
A classic revisited: The Deep Blue Good-by
Writing Travis McGee from 1964 to 1984, John D MacDonald earned admiration from a diverse but luminous cross-section of his fellow writers. Kingsley Amis, Stephen King, Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen have all praised him. The latter two are of particular note for crime fiction aficionados. With the possible exception of Charles Willeford, who came[...]
Driving Alone: A Love Story
Written by Kevin Lynn Helmick – Nothing much happens to protagonist Billy Keyhoe in Driving Alone. Then again, everything happens to Billy Keyhoe in Driving Alone. Helmick’s slim novella is a relatively short tale, but has all the suspense and significance of a much larger volume. The opening of Driving Alone will be familiar territory[...]
Gone Girl
Written by Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl has been one of the most talked-about novels (mystery or otherwise) from the past year. Gillian Flynn’s third novel has received a great deal of love from book reviewers from various outlets, been much buzzed-about on social media and is set to become a motion picture produced by[...]
DispatchesFromNoir: Top five books of 2012
Any year is a great year to read crime fiction, but 2012 was a great year to begin reviewing crime fiction. Since coming aboard in May, I’ve read quite a bit of crime fiction and have been impressed by much of it. My own tastes run towards hardboiled and noir, and 2012 was a banner[...]
Resurrection Express
Written by Stephen Romano – Horror scribe Stephen Romano makes his crime fiction debut in the sci-fi tinged thriller Resurrection Express. Romano makes the transition with aplomb – and how. The author’s ability to write horrific violence and monstrous evil are on display, and the suspense rarely flags. But Resurrection Express is not merely horror[...]
CIS: Deadly Image revisited
Classics in September -– George Harmon Coxe is largely forgotten now, though his career is emblematic of the development of American crime fiction. Coxe began writing crime fiction for pulp magazines in the Great Depression, one of a raft of writers churning out popular entertainment for a penny per word. We remember some of these[...]
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