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 unreliable account of a dotty older woman in a tiny […]
Continue Reading...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 Brigance and the other leading characters […]
Continue Reading...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 common feeling toward Baccala. They are scared to death […]
Continue Reading...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, the effort was worthy enough that The Guardian characterized […]
Continue Reading...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 series of police procedurals by […]
Continue Reading...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 that matter). Yet, for some unstated […]
Continue Reading...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 them, actually — but they tend […]
Continue Reading...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 […]
Continue Reading...This is a tale of two Nigerian sisters. Some time ago, under circumstances unknown to us at the outset, Ayoola has killed their abusive father. Since then, she has murdered two other men for reasons that are at first obscure. She acts unconcerned and unashamed. And when her older sister, Kobede, asks her to give […]
Continue Reading...The Witch Elm is a 500-page psychological thriller that should have been limited to 300 pages. Not that it isn’t well written. Tana French is an elegant stylist, and her command of human psychology is impressive. The story is reasonably interesting, and the ending surprising. The problem is it takes such a long time to […]
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