Every Last Drop by Charlie Huston
"As much as I really enjoyed Every Last Drop, and there is a lot to like, I can’t help but being just a little disappointed."
The Clinch Knot by John Galligan
The Cat Trap by K T McCaffrey
Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse by Victor Gischler
His last four novels have been crime fiction and it was a huge gamble that took a lot of guts to go in a completely different direction. This is the zig that should be celebrated. Not just celebrated for merely existing, but celebrated for being a success. Gischler kicked down the doors of possibility and stormed the house with this one. I hope he continues to go in whatever direction the voices in his head tell him to and that others take his lead.
The Cutting Crew by Steve Mosby
"Mosby is a hell of a writer, one who is infusing new ideas into the crime fiction genre. As a result his books are fresh, original and among the best out there."
Caine Black Knife by Matthew Stover
Skin Lane by Neil Bartlett
The Jones Men by Verne E. Smith
My mention of The Wire above was deliberate because I believe that The Jones Men, from broad plot points down to character names, stands as the single greatest fiction influence on The Wire, whether it’s acknowledged or not. On a deeper level there are similarities in the way that the plots are structured and the way that the large cast of characters is handled. And on a surface level there are specific plot points that bolster The Jones Men’s claim of influence on The Wire.
Batman: Murder at Wayne Manor by Duane Swierczyynski
CSI NY Four Walls by Keith R.A. DeCandido
Severance Package by Duane Swierczynski
With a comic book feel and a throw the physics out the window off handed approach it takes the dog-eat-dog, crabs-in-a-barrel mentality of co-workers; the it’s hard to kiss ass with a knife in your back feeling of maneuvering the office mine field; the my-nuts-just- shriveled-into-my-stomach feeling that happens when you boss calls an unexpected meeting the tensions and concerns of the modern cube rat errrr I mean office employee are perfectly captured. Cranked up to 11 and distorted like a Ralph Steadman picture sure, but captured perfectly nonetheless.
The Given Day by Dennis Lehane
It’s a different book then Lehane’s previous novels and should be read that way. There are echoes of the plot mechanics of the Kenzie & Gennaro books; there are echoes of the densely compacted intensity of a few decades of history of Mystic River; there are echoes of the Gothic and dramatic setting of Shutter Island. The Given Day incorporates them all (and more) into a book that should be read, thought about and grappled with on its own terms, using the previous books only as a solid foundation.
Stalking the Vampire by Mike Resnick
Jessa Crispin on Self-Publishing
"Jessa Crispin Hates Self-Published Books, Except Self-Published Comics, Which Are Even Cooler Than Legit Books."
Jay Tomio's Top 10 comics and graphic novels
"Watchmen is not a fucking graphic novel; neither was 300, and Sin City wasn’t either. You film going, non-pull list having, hipster fans will acknowledge that I was buying Hellboy off the racks in the 90’s damn it!"
Interv iew with K.T. McCaffrey
"The plot she hatches with her friends is intended to redress the situation but when it goes wrong, the results are, by any standards, totally unacceptable."
Interview with Matthew Woodring Stover
"I’ve been wanting to write hard-boiled crime fiction my whole life. Caine’s narrative voice is unquestionably a literary descendant of Philip Marlowe, CW Sughrue and the Continental Op. If I ever get caught up on my SFF projects, I have a couple of contemporary thrillers I’d like to try, as well as a historical or two."
Saturday Sound Off*: Where’s The Love? by Sandra Seamans
"Reading is a learned love. Teach your kids how to love books and the words that spill from the pages into their open minds by choosing books that reflect what fascinates them. Don’t cram reading down their throats by giving them books you think they should read. Buy something that will grab their attention and capture their imagination, not what captured yours when you were growing up. You can always share those books later, once you’ve sparked the fire for reading in them."
Interview with Hal Duncan
"It’s a hitman, a hooker, a homo and a hobo in the ultimate prison break… escape from Hell itself. It’s about these four people damned for their sins – murder, fornication, sodomy and suicide – deciding, “fuck this shit,” and trying to blast their way to freedom. Think if you took a Neil Gaiman story but turned it into an early John Carpenter movie. We’re talking fast-paced, balls-out pulp fiction, an action/adventure story with angels, lost souls and a whole lot of gunfire."
Saturday Sound Off*: Good Money After Bad by Sandra Ruttan
Saturday sound Off*: Making A List, Checking It Twice by Sandra Ruttan
Saturday Sound off*: You Worked Hard To Be Lucky by Sandra Ruttan
Saturday Sound Off*: The Names Don't Get a Free Pass by Sandra Ruttan
Saturday Sound Off*: Crime Fictions's Bastard Child
Digging the Scene With a Gangster Lean: Bouchercon 2008
*Saturday’s Sound Off is an open venue for speaking out on issues related to books, book publishing, magazines, etc. The plan is that there will be no regular, sole contributor, but that this column space will serve as an online speakers’ corner, providing a platform for people passionate about books with something to say.
Can you count Suckas! The Bookspot community is now hosting Wordpress blogs. If you would be interested in moving your blog (regardless of platform) over shoot me a message. When it comes to numbers we bring it strong and get bigger everyday.
Please stop by and comment on any of these if you like. If you disagree with any of the reviews then let us know because honest discussion of books will only make the genre better. If you don't like any of the forum topics then come and start another
--Thanks from BSC
