I thought I was well read in the Northern Irish crime fiction scene. Well, there's one guy who seems to have gotten to all the books on my immediate NI reading list first. He's blurbed Bleed A River Deep, The Twelve and now this; Adrian McKinty has released his latest Fifty Grand blurb at his blog. It's from none other than Ken Bruen, and it's quite good. Here's a wee bit of it.“Adrian McKinty has been blowing us out of the mystery water for quite some time now. The Bloomsday Dead—superb, Dead I Well May Be, phew-oh, but he has totally taken over the whole field with Fifty Grand... [B]ut what I found most compulsive was the wondrous compassion of the book. It moved me in ways I never anticipated. This is going to be the BIG BOOK of 2009.”—Ken Bruen, author of The Guards
Did I say quite good? It's probably closer to glowing. To read the blurb in all its glory, pop on over to Adrian McKinty's blog. I'll have to read Mystery Man before Mister Bruen does or else hand the CSNI reins over.
Also, have a peek at the monstrous comment count that began as a short review of Fifty Grand at Detectives Beyond Borders.
39 comments:
Healthy, my friend, not monstrous.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
I finished Adrian's 'The Dead Yard' last night and *whistles long and low* twas a real blinder. The first book was my fave of 2008, and this one will be up there in the top three for 2009, I'm sure.'Fifty Grand' is on the essential purchase list.
Ger
I believe that comment threat is indicative somehow of our modern condition, what began as a humble account of a humble book was the butterfly wing beat that launched an epic tide of nonsense.
Michael
Thanks man, I really appreciate the comment. I worked hard on that bloody book and lived a good ninety percent of it. (Not the killings and such, or the jailbait sex)
Peter - We're raised on spuds and hyperbole in this country. Monstrous it is.
Mike - I defy you to hold out on Reading The Bloomsday Dead before 50G is released.
Adrian - The Butterfly Effect, eh? Someone should make a movie about that kind of thing.
gb
"Peter - We're raised on spuds and hyperbole in this country. Monstrous it is."
Hmm, two words I heard often were "terrible" and "lovely," so you may be right.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Congrats to Adrian on this, and I've said it before, but that's a cracking cover design.
"The Butterfly Effect, eh? Someone should make a movie about that kind of thing."
There is a piece of crime fiction called "The Butterfly Effect" by the Norwegian crime writer Pernille Rygg.
You know what I'd like to see?
Bernd and Peter in a Crime Fiction Trivia Contest.
Standard pub quiz rules: 10 questions a round, drinks, crisps (no smokes anymore). Winner gets bragging rights for a year. Maybe we could throw Sarah W in there too.
And of course you're welcome too Marco if you think you're up to it.
Adrian,
taking a look at Michael Forsythe I'd think that you are sitting in a glass house.
PS A Commentator on my blog ask me whether the title "The Dead Yard" is a subtle reference to the fact that there are a lot of pop cultural bits and peaces buried in that book.
Bernd you dont get off that easy.
This contest will happen if Peter has the bottle and Marco and Sarah have too.
It could be the new Eurovision.
If I were competing it would be Ireland du Nord nul points.
Dead Yard's title was complicated. I wanted Bandit Country and that was the working title but then the publishers felt it "sounded too Mexican." So about that time I'd been reading a lot of books about the US Civil War and Andersonville Prison had a Dead Yard that was very gruesome and when I learned that old US railway lines also had a Dead Yard I liked it a lot because it tied esp because it tied in so well with the first book.
Maybe we can seed the contest so that you and Peter meet in the final?
Here's a good qualifying question: what was the name of the very first mystery novel that takes place in my local manor Saint Kilda?
Saint Kilda, Australia ?
Germany: Nil
Sorry, the only association of St. Kilda would be "The Hebrides" by Mendelssohn Bartholdy.
I read in my whole life about six Australian novels. The first was by Pat Flower which I read as a teenager thrice [I know the word is outdated, but I love it].
While I've read my fair share of crime novels I don't think I'll stand a chance against Bernd.
Maybe Norm at Crime Scraps could be a worthy competitor.
Dave at No Alibis would bring the Ireland du Nord score up, Adrian. So long as it was held between jazz nights and book signings.
gb
Speaking of large inner city suburbs with a red-light district,a lively subculture and a lower income/student/immigrant population as ideal location for crime stories,Bernd,do you know of any good novels set in St.Pauli?
Bernd and Peter in a Crime Fiction Trivia Contest.
While I've read my fair share of crime novels I don't think I'll stand a chance against Bernd.
Now,if it was a 50-50 crime/sci-fi contest I could probably rout Peter,since he's a sci-fi virgin.
Don't know about Bernd.
Would that be "Mystery of a Hansom Cab" by Fergus Hume?
I might consider such a contest, but only if I were wired to some of the folks you mentioned and maybe to Ali Karim and Kevin Smith as well. Winner must submit to one of the Crime Scraps quirky quizzes, which ought to take the wind out of his or her sails.
I'll tell you, if we do this my countries, I've got Kevin Smith and Sarah W on my team, which means we could we could well be hearing "O, Canada" on the podium after the quiz. And Phillip, the guy who keeps winning the quirky quizzes, also lives in Canada.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
That's Kevin Burton Smith, by the way, the Thrilling Detective guy. I don't know if any wiseass slacker movie directors would be part of this, but they would be welcome, of course.
Peter - I think wiseass Kevin Smith's area of expertise is comic books. Never know what he reads on the side, though.
gb
Peter
Yup you win the qualifier!
Kevin Smith (the other one) is a sci fi buff so he'd help with that angle, but I think it should be strictly crime fiction.
Also the advantage of the pub quiz format is that everyone gets progressively drunker as time wears on, so that by the final round its a test of ones knowledge and impaired powers of recall.
Also since its a pub quiz there has to be a huge and pointless argument in there at some point too.
"Also since its a pub quiz there has to be a huge and pointless argument in there at some point too."
No, there doesn't.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
But on the subject, the best pointless pub arguments in crime fiction take place at the O.J. Bar & Grill on Amsterdam Avenue in Donald Westlake's Dortmunder novels.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Damn me, I'm not trying to build up your traffic or anything, but I took part in the crime-fiction pub quiz at Bouchercon. My team didn't win, possible because it had just two Canadians. But we did clean up in the section on international mysteries.
Who were my teammates? A clue: One has recently made an appearance as a fictio0nal character.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Peter - Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh! Fetch, right?
Adrian - I'm getting Hidden River pub quiz flashbacks, man.
gb
Nope, not Fetch. (Boy, what a great question I made up. What artful misdirection!)
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Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Peter - Misdirection, eh? Hmmmm, so he's not Canadian. Ali Karim?
gb
You'll find the correct answer at the bottom of this post, you old male chauvinist, you.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Pete - Ah. Fista Kraus, then. I'm suitably chastised.
gb
Correct! And are you starting to understand how one's traffic can mount? You just have to swallow hard and be willing to stray far, far from the point if the occasion demands.
And you, McKinty and Dave Torrans would make a fine Northern Ireland team. We might snicker at the obvious wordplay if someone tries to play "Londonderry Air" when you guys accept your medals, though.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Peter - Yeah, I think I'm getting it. Should we talk about helicopters now?
Acceptance songs might be a bone of contention. Torrans is gonna want jazz, McKinty will probably opt for Duffy and I'd go for something classy like Baby Got Back.
gb
No, McKinty has a special saxophone player in Melbourne that he'll want to bring in.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/</a
We could combine all 3. My saxophone loving neighbour plays Coltrane over the fat base beat to Sir Mixalot.
We could tell the other teams that that will be our victory music, thus providing them with a very high incentive not to lose.
You've never mentioned the sax guy with such equanimity before. I believe you have attained acceptance and wisdom.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Adrian - Ooooh, a sick mash-up. They're all the rage, now.
Peter - It's either acceptance and wisdom, or the Pink Panther theme tune has melted his brain.
Cheers
gb
Marco, the best crime fiction situated in St. Pauli is by Frank Göhre who has also written a biography about Glauser.
I wouldn't say that I'm a sci-fi virgin, but close to it - but my brother-in-law is a hugh Philip K. Dick-fan, so I read one of his books recently.
If Peters is teaming up, so do I. I know a crime fiction blogger who once played guitar in a program with Scorpions and wrote later a biography of Joni Mitchell.
venceremos
vword: deadjoja
Frank Göhre sounds worth investigating. You know I enjoy Glauser's writing.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Bernd - You should introduce your brother-in-law to Marco and Adrian. Both are huge PKD fans.
gb
Gerard,
I know, and he could be even in their league.
I think my brother-in-law and Adrian share also a devotion to cinema and film and so forth. But, alas, my b-in-l is not a great surfer.
Peter,
Yes I thought of you ! I haven't read it myself, but those how did liked it a lot.
Bernd
I am not a great surfer either. In fact very poor and very cowardly
Adrian - I took a canoe out on Carlingford Lough once. Not the easiest way to travel, but my da wouldn't spring for the wind-surfing hire. I'd like to try real surfing some day, but I'd probably need to get a bit fitter first. It's on the list, though.
Bernd - It's a pity that so many people haven't discovered the joys of cyber-surfing. I don't know what it's like in Germany, but most of the people I know have no time for the internet beyond Bebo and Facebook. They're missing out on so much interesting stuff.
Rereading this comment, I'm aware I sound like a bit of a geek. Ah well. So be it.
gb
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