Following its excellent review from Crime Fiction Lover in January 2016 and many other journals, Hard Cheese has just been named to: www.crimefictionlovers.com/2016/12/top-10-nordic-noir-novels-of-2016
Congratulations to the author, Ulf Durling, and to the translator, Bertil Falk, who gave so generously of his time. Bertil has just published a critically acclaimed book on Feroze Gandhi, Indira’s husband: http://www.amazon.in/Feroze-Gandhi-Forgotten-Bertil-Falk/dp/9351941760
Paul Halter’s The Vampire Tree is now available on Amazon TPB and Kindle formats. I am delighted to report that it was named to Publishers Weekly’s Top Mystery/Thriller list of 2016: http://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2016/mystery#book/book-10. A more detailed review is here: http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-539139-35-5
This is LRI’s third appearance on the PW list, following Halter’s The Crimson Fog in 2013 and Ayatsuji’s The Decagon House Murders in 2015.
Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, as my grandmother used to say.
Delighted to announce that, for the third time, Publisher’s Weekly has named one of LRI’s books in its Best Books of 201x, in the Mystery category. This time it’s Paul Halter’s The Vampire Tree http://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2016/mystery#book/book-10 You can read the full review on the Reviews page
Previously Paul’s The Crimson Fog had made the the list in 2013 and Yukito Ajatsuji’s The Decagon House Murders in 2015.
And, to fill in the missing year, The Derek Smith Omnibus appeared in the Washington Post’s Top Fiction Books of 2014.
For the third year in a row, teeny little LRI gets a review in the Washington Post alongside Penguin, Vintage, Pegasus and other major publishing houses. We must be doing something right!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/a-summer-book-list-like-no-other-michael-dirda-picks-10-hidden-gems/2016/07/27/094a80a8-4f6f-11e6-aa14-e0c1087f7583_story.html
Four stars from Crime Fiction Lover. Expect more soon.
The second conference organised by the British Library on Golden Age detective fiction was held on June 11, 2016. About 200 enthusiasts filled the cozy (so to speak) auditorium and were entertained for quite a full day (British Library 6_11_2016). All the presentations were relaxed and humorous and there was a very enjoyable atmosphere. An additional benefit was meeting people I had only corresponded with over the internet.
There was a lot of kidding about all the awards Martin Edwards’ has (deservedly) received for The Golden Age of Murder. Martin became president of The Detection Club recently and Taku Ashibe (seen below with moi ) was given a warm welcome as the representative of the Honkaku Mystery Writers of Japan, which has based itself on The Detection Club. Ashibe-san brought along a suitcase full of Japanese equivalents to all the books discussed throughout the day, an extremely generous gesture which was very well received.
A straw poll indicated interest in another conference in 2017 and I would encourage anyone interested in the genre to attend
Publisher’s Weekly has just given Noel Vindry’s The Howling Beast a starred review. http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-530995080
. It is regarded as one of the masterpieces of French locked room detective fiction, and follows The House That Kills, which was also starred
Publisher’s Weekly starred review, the sixth since we started submitting our publications to them: http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-523935130
As of today, the following prices have been reduced:
The Invisible Circle and The Picture from the Past: tpb from $19.99 to $15.99 and e-book from $9.99 to 7.99
The Derek Smith Omnibus tpb from $29.99 tpb to $19.99 and e-book to $9.99
This review of Hard Cheese appeared in issue #72 of Crime and Detective Stories (affectionately known as CADS to its readers, among the most sophisticated and knowledgeable around, present company excepted.) “The funniest book I’ve read in a long time” is hardly what you’d expect to read about a locked room mystery.