Yet Another Crime Fiction Blog

Noir is crime fiction written by pessimists.

Hardcase Crime creator/author Charles Ardai weighs in on what is noir? in an article he posted on Little, Brown’s Mulholland Books website, “The Dark Heart of Noir” I like his definition better. Aside from that, Mulholland Books (about us page) so far has posted excellent content from several authors like Alan Glynn and Megan Abott to name a few. Here is the guest list of bloggers/authors who have discussed suspense fiction that we all enjoy reading. Mystery fans should check it out.

Source via Twitter: Mike Cane

I’ll probably regret posting this article with that title (no I won’t). Everyone is entitled to their opinion and here I am about to share mine. The one thing everyone complains about when they read or try to read The Millennium Trilogy written by the late Stieg Larsson is the lack of editing or bad writing. There’s also the other two charges of misogyny and the glorification of violence against women. When you read the opinion of dissenters it seems as if they are trying to one up each other on why Stieg Larsson’s books suck.

Fact: Stieg Larsson died before his books were published in Sweden. Opinion: How are you gonna edit a dead author’s work without treading on the author’s vision? I feel that the three novels are more than just crime fiction novels. They represent the last artistic work of a man who identified himself more with his heroine, Lisbeth Salander than with the journalist Mikael Blomkvist. I didn’t care that they were published unedited. The man’s vision is intact and that’s all that matters.

Fact: The combined total for all of his novels have sold 30 million copies worldwide. Readers have spoken. His books are entertaining. Who knows why Stieg Larsson’s work struck a chord with readers. It just did. A lot of my female friends enjoyed the novels as well. What’s wrong with us? Enjoying books that glorify rape and violence toward women? Every popular writer has his/her detractors. I can respect readers who disliked the books. But there are those who just want to dig beneath the surface to make accusations apropos of nothing. They are all beginning to sound alike to me quite frankly. Like a scratched record, repeating itself over and over. It’s just fiction.

Photo source: Photobucket

I bought “Baltimore Blues” by Laura Lippman earlier this week (thanks to reader feedback!) and on Twitter, Mike Cane posted a link to an Laura Lippman interview that was conducted by mystery writer Alafair Burke whose Elly Hatcher series I am enjoying at the moment. I’d Know Laura Lippman Anywhere – Blog – Murderati. Ms. Lippman discusses her new book “i’d know you anywhere” a stand alone novel that is out right now. Of course I didn’t see it at B&N yet (but I didn’t look today to see if it’s been added yet).

Also, Alafair Burke posted on her website (link above) a joint interview with her dad, author, James Lee Burke. It’s on YouTube as well. I had no idea that James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux series was being made into a film starring Tommy Lee Jones as who else, Dave Robicheaux ! I have the first book for that series too: Neon Rain and I just looked! There’s 18 books in the series thus far and it seems to be going strong. Edited: Title for better clarity.

Detectives Beyond Borders: What the hell does “literary” mean?.

Glad to know that I’m not alone! I’ve pondered this myself and drew a blank. I’ve seen the terms “literary thriller” and “literary crime fiction” bandied about but what the hell does it actually mean? ::crickets::

The Guardian posted an article on Twitter today about Ian Rankin’s reaction to his first book, “The Flood.” Needless to say he’s embarrassed and I don’t see why. Every writer must start somewhere. Looking up the book reviews on Amazon the readers don’t seem think it was that bad. I trust the writer when they say that their earlier work is shit. I don’t bother trying to find it to read it and see for myself. The reason for this post has nothing to do with that. Simply put, I liked this quote right here:

With 30 novels to his name today, an OBE and numerous literary awards, the Rebus creator says he now takes a different approach to language. “The style has got to be invisible. If something jars, or if a phrase is too flowery, suddenly the reader is aware that someone is writing a book,”

Exactly.

It just seems ridiculous to me to slap a label on a Norwegian writer or Swedish writer as “the NEXT Stieg Larsson” just because they’ve enjoyed some moderate success back home. But there are candidates waiting in the wings to take up where the late Stieg Larsson left off. But some readers at Amazon seem to disagree with the heir apparent.

I ignore such labels and hype. I choose to judge the writer on his/her own merits. U.S. publishers are desperate for another Stieg Larsson type of success though. Are they gonna find it? I think not. Success like that happens once in a blue moon. One last thing. I don’t understand why Jo Nesbø isn’t seen as the next big star of international crime fiction. Readers seem to love him here.

Source: Stieg Larsson’s English Translator