Tour Reading

Now and then, we all go through a spell of reading where everything we pick up, well, sorta sucks. I'm having the pleasure of blazing through a winning streak, where I like every book as much as the last. Having just wrapped my main part of my book tour (which gives me lots of reading time), I have a few new favorites to report on.

Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston. This was recommended to me by my editor at Marvel, as Charlie writes Moon Knight for him. It is gritty, smart, intelligent, and fast-paced. A great down-and-dirty noir read. I've heard his next up, The Shotgun Rule, is also excellent.

Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk. I came into this one reluctantly, having never read Palahniuk, and being the only male in the United States who didn't love the movie version of the Fight Club. I was really blown away by Palahniuk's skill—amazing character development, sharp dialogue, and real poetic beauty.

Bangkok 8 by John Burdett. I know, I know, I'm behind the times, as usual. I generally don't like books set in "exotic locations" (forgive the term), because said locations are usually an excuse to avoid a plot, but Burdett handles all sides of this dirty little mystery with mastery.

Fuck Noir, anthology edited by Jennifer Jordan. A cracking, really smart introduction by Mark Billingham sets the tone for this edgy collection. And a variety of names you'll recognize contribute, all giving an homage to that king of all words.

Along my tour, smart mystery booksellers insisted I buy: Big City, Bad Blood, by Sean Chercover, and The Blonde, by Duane Swiercynski. So I have more reading—recommended from reliable sources—to come.

I See You

I SEE YOU is the name of THE CRIME WRITER in the UK, and the book has just rolled out these past few weeks (jumping from #22 to #7 on the bestseller list for Ireland). Chris High, master of crime-fiction reviews and interviews, posted one of each for me on his superb website. Click here for an interview with yours truly, and here to see his take on I See You.

I've been getting lots of emails from readers of I SEE YOU, from England to Ireland to Australia. Keep 'em coming!

Tour Update

Hello all,

Apologies that I've been scarce around here. I've been on tour, and so far have hit San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Minneapolis, Houston, and Phoenix. Great events, and even greater meeting readers from all over. The booksellers have been really spectacular this time around, making The Crime Writer a staff or club pick in numerous places, and I've greatly appreciated that. The Crime Writer hit the top ten on bestseller lists in Los Angeles and Ireland this week, too, which has been great. I've got a few more stops left -- around LA, Boston, Milwaukee, and will be adding more, so if you haven't yet, please come by and say hello.

Tales From Minneapolis

You've probably read about the terrible bridge collapse by now. While I was stock signing, my escort/driver, Tim Hedges, decided to take a different route into the city, so we steered clear of the bridge. This was in the same half hour of the collapse.

The city was pretty shocked, but I was pleased to arrive at Scene of the Crime to a happier scene; Gary and Pat had gotten married in the store about 15 minutes before my arrival. I've never had to be the follow-up act to a wedding, and I fear I paled in comparison, but here's wishing two wonderful people a wonderful marriage.