As Ken Follett notes in an introduction, “This book was written in 1976, immediately before Eye of the Needle, and I think it is the best of my unsuccessful books.” Of course, as everyone who reads thrillers must be aware, Eye of the Needle was a publishing sensation, becoming one of...
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Since Intruder in the Dust (1948) by William Faulkner and James Dickey’s Deliverance (1970) pioneered the genre, Southern noir has attracted a wide following. Scores of other authors have rushed to create works that evoke the grim atmospherics of the rural American South. But in recent years...
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Adrian Gyle has been working with little distinction or reward as a reporter in Hong Kong for more than twenty years. He had “arrived in Hong Kong just after the Handover, knowing nobody except my old university friend Jimmy Tang.” He and Jimmy, a notorious womanizer, had been...
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Corruption rises to the top in India. Forty percent of sitting MPs in the Lok Sabha, India’s Parliament, have criminal records, according to a study reported in The Wire in May 2023. Of them, 25 percent faced charges of serious crimes including murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, rape,...
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Robert Goddard writes suspenseful crime thrillers that typically span many years of British history. Invariably, they demonstrate graphically the unforeseen consequences of long-ago acts. Long Time Coming is one of the 31 novels he has written since the 1980s. It’s a thriller that reveals...
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You’re not likely to find yourself laughing out loud in a typical story about murder. Oh, there are those authors who set out to write crime novels with a smile or a chuckle on every page. Carl Hiaasen or Janet Evanovich, for example. But Parini Shroff doesn’t write like that. Though...
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You can depend on three things when you pick up any one of the first seven books in the Junior Bender series. They’re action-packed, full of surprises, and often hilarious as well. But that’s not the case with the eighth in the series, Rock of Ages. Oh, it’s funny from time to...
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Don’t pick up John Grisham’s latest book expecting another novel in the ongoing saga of Jake Brigance, even though it’s described as the fourth in that series. Sparring Partners is a collection of three unrelated novellas that probe John Grisham’s favorite theme: lawyers...
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The Palestine Quartet by Welsh journalist Matt Rees skillfully explores the dynamics of Palestinian and Israeli society during the Second Intifada (2000-2005). In four novels published from 2007 to 2010, Rees plumbs the depths of the conflict that roiled the tiny Mediterranean land, with echoes...
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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes His cousin Freddie brought him on the heist one hot night in early June.” So opens Colson Whitehead’s glorious recreation of the sights and sounds of the early 1960s in New York City. Grounded in Harlem, his crime novel offers up a colorful view of...
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Even if you’re not a mother, this novel is likely to grab you from the outset. “It’s a widely known fact that most moms are ready to kill someone by eight thirty A.M. on any given morning.” So muses Finlay Donovan—divorced mother of two, hack author of murder mysteries,...
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Then-Senator John F. Kennedy’s 1958 book, A Nation of Immigrants, brought to light a historical reality that few at the time had thought much about. Fewer than ten million out of 180 million Americans were foreign-born then. But by 1990, following the generous Immigration Act of 1965, that...
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The title of this strange murder mystery set in Poland comes from “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” by the prophetic British poet William Blake (1757-1827), whose work figures throughout the book. Olga Tokarczuk, the Nobel Prize-winning author, tells the tale through the addled and...
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Since A Time to Kill was published in 1989, John Grisham has sold more than 300 million books and become one of the world’s wealthiest authors. Nine of his books—all bestsellers—have been adapted into films. A Time for Mercy, his 42nd novel, brings back to life Mississippi attorney Jake...
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So, these wise guys, see, you’ve got a difference of opinion. On one side you’ve got Anthony Pastrumo, Sr., “one of the five big bosses of the Mafia gangsters in New York.” He’s known as “‘Baccala’ by his friends and associates, all of whom share a...
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In her debut as a novelist, the award-winning mystery author Attica Locke explored themes of Black Power, trade union racism, corporate crime and political corruption. It’s the stuff that might have elevated Black Water Rising into the ranks of Great American Novels. Although she fell short,...
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Wendy Lesser reads more Nordic noir than I do, and that says a lot. As she notes in her charming new book, Scandinavian Noir, she’s been addicted to the stuff for nearly forty years. It all started for her when someone (she can’t remember who) recommended the ten-book Martin Beck...
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I’ll say this about Disappearing Earth: I have never before read a novel set in Kamchatka. I doubt you have either. And I suspect you might be having trouble even locating Kamchatka on the globe. It’s not exactly a popular destination for Europeans or Americans (or anyone else, for...
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When we read fiction, few of us notice the point of view the author’s employing. Typically, a novel or short story is written in either the first person (“I did it”) or the third (“She did it”). Period. Of course, there are variations on these approaches — many of...
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What does it take for a novel to become iconic—to embody the essence of an era and become a classic in its genre? Clearly, a book needs to feature some aspect of style, characterization, or plotting that sets a new trend. For example, take The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep. Sam Spade and Philip...
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Mysteries & Thrillers Tuesday includes my latest mystery and thriller book review, with links to other science fiction content.
Science Fiction Monday includes my latest SF book review, with links to other science fiction content.
Mysteries & Thrillers Tuesday includes my latest mystery and thriller book review, with links to other science fiction content.
Nonfiction Wednesday includes my latest nonfiction book review, with links to other nonfiction content.
The Weekly includes summaries and links to all the previous week’s three to five book reviews, including some that don’t appear in any of the other newsletters.
Science Fiction Monday includes my latest SF book review, with links to other science fiction content.
Mysteries & Thrillers Tuesday includes my latest mystery and thriller book review, with links to other science fiction content.
Nonfiction Wednesday includes my latest nonfiction book review, with links to other nonfiction content.
The Weekly includes summaries and links to all the previous week’s three to five book reviews, including some that don’t appear in any of the other newsletters.