Crime Fiction Update
Wellington Leg: As many of you realize by now this blog is now sponsored by the One Hundred Years War a mini-series that has the Leg by the proverbial throat and won’t let go. Due to a dreadful supply chain blunder Wellington Leg has no television sets, so the mini-series must be acted live. Thus the constant references to alternate side of the street parking: Wellington Leg is a stage, its long suffering residents mere bit players.
Not only do I review books for this blog, I play the role of the High Constable, the Dauphin’s military adviser. Imagine my exhaustion with these real time duties, although the new Spellchecker is certainly a boon, even if it does not recognize itself as a word. Without further ado here is the crime fiction roundup for this Mondayesque Tuesday:
WHO IS CONRAD HIRST? I submitted my review of Kevin Wignall’s latest novel to January Magazine, so I won’t spoil things by talking about it here. Wicked big twist makes for tough sledding when reviewing without spoiler.
POWER PLAY by Joseph Finder. Well-paced thriller and he talks about the K&R business, something your reporter actually knows a bit about. He does it well but it felt like research here and there.
BLOODSHOT by Stuart MacBride: Like Wignall before him, MacBride is on his way to the Wellington Leg Hall of Fame. We’d invite these guys to the Leg but cannot find a card table. They’re probably with the TVs.
THE CHICAGO WAY by Michael Harvey: this is good, really good, PI genre stuff of the first order. You’d think Chicago has been covered by Sean Chercover, Marcus Sakey, Barbara D’Amato, and Sarah Paretsky, but this is fresh, well written, and the story works.
Knopf should publish more crime fiction. They’ve got Peter Spiegelman and now Michael Harvey, but who else? I don’t know: do you?