Celine by Peter Heller Alfred A Knopf/Penguin Random House, $25.95, 334 pages, ISBN 978-0-451-49389-7 In order to be successful, today’s crime fiction writer must be able to come up with a unique, new and different kind of detective that readers haven’t encountered before. Let’s face it, we’ve all seen Sam Spade, Spenser, Marlowe and Miss Marple many many times already . . . as well as an endless number
Blood on Snow by Jo Nesbo Alfred A. Knopf, $23.95, 208 pages, ISBN 978-0-385-35419-6 It seems like we’ve been reviewing a lot of first time authors lately, so we’re going to toss in a few of our favorite A-listers over the next couple of MBRs and mix it up a bit. First on the agenda is the “maddening-addictive,” critically acclaimed crown prince of Nordic Noir and a personal exemplar
The Cartel by Don Winslow Alfred A. Knopf, Random House/Penguin, $27.95, 617 pages, ISBN 978-1-101-87499-8 PART TWO: The Cartel, by Don Winslow has been published to rave reviews by the likes of: Lee Child-Sensationally good, Harlen Coben-Absolute must-read, Michael Connelly-First rate thriller, James Ellroy-Stunningly plotted . . . to which I’m going to add my own humble accolades. The Cartel is a big, hefty novel that will give the
The Cartel by Don Winslow Alfred A. Knopf, Random House/Penguin, $27.95, 617 pages, ISBN 978-1-101-87499-8 PART ONE: Every now and then, a fictional novel comes along that informs as it entertains, and in doing so, the-word-of-mouth buzz about it creates a public dialogue of national significance where none existed before. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe, The Gulag Archipelago, by Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Ironweed, by William Kennedy are
The Painter by Peter Heller Alfred A. Knopf/ Random House, $24.95, 365 pages, ISBN 978-0-385-35209-3 I keep a couple of different stacks of books to be reviewed in my office—actually it’s our dining room table–at all times. The stacks increase and decrease as I read and review, and sometimes, a new novel gets inadvertently shoved down the pile . . . which means that it doesn’t get the attention
All Our Names by Dinaw Mengestu Alfred A. Knopf, $25.95, 256 pages, ISBN 978-0-385-34998-7 This week’s MBR is a diversion from our usual focus on the mystery and crime fiction genres, to take a brief sojourn into literary fiction with a novel about a love affair and the intersection of two wholly different cultures during the 1970s—a time when the entire world was adjusting to a new reality. All
The Son by Jo Nesbo Alfred A. Knopf, $25.95, 402 pages, ISBN 978-0-385-35137-9 There’s only two types of crime fiction and hard-boiled detective story readers . . . those who are Jo Nesbo fans . . . and those who will be Jo Nesbo fans as soon as they read one of his kick-ass novels. Nesbo is the international best-selling author from Norway who first blazed onto the scene
Ghostman by Roger Hobbs Alfred A. Knopf, $24.95, 321 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-95996-6 Who among us hasn’t dreamed, at one time or another, of chucking it all; going off the grid and living a life of anonymity? No name, no taxes and no responsibilities . . . answerable only to oneself and the whims of chance. Soon however, like running off to join the circus, or driving a Corvette from