Kat Sanders Guest Blog

Kat Sanders (isn't that a brilliant name?) is a Forensic Science Technician, and as such, you'd be pretty damn interested in finding out what kind of crime fiction she enjoys. So I was delighted to hear from her. She offered to take a break from the site she regularly writes for (The Forensic Scientist Blog) to pen me a short article on her favourite Irish crime writers.

Take it away, Kat!

5 Must-Read Irish Crime Fiction Writers

If there is one genre that makes for easy reading, it is crime fiction, particularly the books without too much gore and brutality. If you’re a fan of crime fiction, and if you like the way the Irish write, here are five authors you could try out:

· Declan Burke: One of the more popular and well-known faces of Irish crime fiction, Burke has been hailed as “the future of Irish crime fiction” because of his novels Eight Ball Boogie and The Big O. His blog Crime Always Pays is extremely popular on the Internet.

· Patrick McCabe: Mostly known for his psychotic thrillers, this author is a Booker Prize nominee for his book Breakfast on Pluto. Both this novel and The Butcher Boy are dark thrillers set in small Irish towns.

· Joseph O’Connor: This man’s initial claim to fame was being the brother of Sinead O’Connor, the bald crooner. But with his historical thriller Star of the Sea, he came into his own as a novelist who could engross the reader with his way with words. Star of the Sea was listed by The Economist as one of the best books of 2003.

· John Banville: Banville has been nominated for the Booker Prize for The Book of Evidence and has won the Man Booker Prize for his novel The Sea. He also writes under the pseudonym Benjamin Black, with books like Christine Falls and The Silver Swan.

· Liz Allen: This former newspaper correspondent turned her hand to writing crime and struck it rich with the bestseller Last to Know. She has put to use all her knowledge and experience about being a crime correspondent in order to come up with a really engrossing tale. Now a full-time author, she is involved in churning out other best-selling novels.

By-line:

This article is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of forensic science technician schools at her blog Forensic Scientist Blog. She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com.

Critical Mick Does The Charitable Thing

This just in from Critical Mick Halpin (Well, it came in a couple of nights ago, but I've been busy, right?):

This month, I am hoping to put some of the signed Irish crime titles that I have accumulated into the hands of fellow book fans, and raise some much-needed dough for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. The first book is up for bids on ebay.ie already, with five more that will follow every few days. (If there are tons of hits, I have a slightly more ambitious Phase Two planned... stay tuned!) The best bit: I'm paying all shipping and charges and my employer matches charitable contributions penny for penny, so double the full winning bid will go directly to the ASI. Full details and links to the relevant eBay pages can be found here.

So what are you waiting for? Of the six on offer right now, I'd most highly recommend Neville Thompson's Have Ye No Homes To Go To? and The Secret World of the Irish Male by Joseph O'Connor, in that order.

Happy bidding!

The Friday Project - The Salesman by Joseph O'Connor

Declan Burke, thon ragamuffin from CAP alerted me to this project, spear-headed by Patti Abbot. Seems like a just cause. So, feast your eyes on the latest CSNI offering.

Joseph O'Connor shot to fame after his book, Star of the Sea, was featured on The Richard and Judy Book Club. But before he penned this historical fiction, O'Connor wrote quite a few novels and non-fiction books that enjoyed a decent cult following. Among them, the crime story titled The Salesman.

Some blurbage...

It's Dublin, June 1995, the hottest summer since records began. But Billy Sweeney, a middle-aged salesman with a failed marriage, a faltering career and a tumbledown house, has more than weather on his mind. His youngest daughter lies in a coma in hospital following a mysterious attack on the petrol station where she worked. Devastated by the unfolding consequences of that hot, violent night, frustrated by officialdom and failed by the system, Billy finally tires of seeking legal justice. He decides to take the law into his own hands...

Personally, I'd probably recommend this over his more successful Star of the Sea. But sure, Judge for yourself some time. Pick up one of his books. Most likely to be found in Dublin Airport.

The Friday Project - Father's Music by Dermot Bolger

Declan Burke, thon ragamuffin from CAP alerted me to this project, spear-headed by Patti Abbot. Seems like a just cause. So, feast your eyes on the latest CSNI offering.

This week's choice cleverly coincides with Father's Day weekend. I'm wild smart, aren't I?

Father's Music is a book that may slip under most crime aficionado's radar's as Dermot Bolger is better known as a literary novelist. However, this offering is crime fiction through and through. I read this years ago; not long after I discovered Colin Bateman and Joseph O'Connor, in fact. I thought it was a real cracker, but it's not fresh enough in my mind to do it justice review-wise. Luckily, that geezer Critical Mick has written a great review of it. Go read it. Bet you're intrigued.