Following invigorating crime
fictions parties at Hodder and Stoughton, Quercus, Mulholland & Headline
Publishing, as well as Penguin-Random House
and Macmillan
it was now time to see what was coming from Simon and Schuster.
The Shots Team and our
fellow Crime & Thriller Fiction colleagues met up on a somewhat surreal
London evening, to investigate the upcoming 2017 releases from Simon and
Schuster Publishing. This publishing house hosted their inaugural crime fiction
party / showcase in the heart of London’s West End.
Earlier that day, there had
been a tragic terrorist incident in Westminster that resulted in loss of life and serious injury.
Though, stoically as Londoners we all followed that WW2 Mantra ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’.
Sometimes the embrace of dark literature is a coping mechanism for managing the
more disturbing aspects of our reality, and for not allowing madmen to cloud
our world-view of humanity.
Simon and Schuster
aptly chose London’s Phoenix Artists Club
as the venue for their Crime Fiction Showcase, drawing upon their enthusiasm
for the genre. With many of S & S Editorial team, under Publishing Director Jo Dickinson, their authors joined the assembled guests which
consisted of book reviewers, booksellers, editors, literary commentators such
as Laura Wilson, Marcel Berlins, Barry Forshaw, Chris Simmons, Mike Stotter,
Ayo Onatade and many, many others.
Diversity is a keyword when
it comes to Simon and Schuster’s Crime Fiction list. There had been recent
celebration when Chris Carter’s THE CALLER reached No 1 hardcover in the UK. Shots reviewer John Parker read in one-sitting, after realising that the author is
unrelated to the creator of The X-Files.
Another author who is
gaining much traction is the renowned journalist turned crime-writer, Craig Robertson.
Many of us know of Robertson for his work with Bloody Scotland, as well as being one
of the Guests of Honour at last year’s Bouchercon New Orleans [click
here to see the Opening
Ceremonies, including Craig dressed New Orleans Mardi Gras style]. Shots
reviewer Les Hurst wrote about his remarkable Glasgow based peep into the damp
floor of the internet MURDERABILIA here.
It was also good to see Rob
Ryan and his wife who it was revealed are R J Bailey with their remarkable Safe From Harm, which Shots reviewed earlier this year.
Also present were authors
Lee Weeks, Alan Judd, Andrew Wilson, Chris Petit, Sandrone Dazieri (who had
flown in from Italy), as well as Luca Veste,
who I discovered is penning his first standalone The Bone Keeper
and is planned for release in November. I would urge you to visit the podcast
TWO CRIMEWRITERS AND A MICROPHONE which Luca produces in-concert with fellow
crime-writer Steve Cavanagh.
This podcast is one that always makes me laugh, and can be accessed here.
There were goody bags for
the reviewers, which included advanced proof copies of upcoming work, of which Sarah Vaughan’s Anatomy of a Scandal is one I am eagerly anticipating, though not scheduled for
release until January 2018.
So after mingling and
sampling the wine and canapes it was soon time for Joanna Dickinson of Simon
and Schuster to welcome us all to the party and introduce the assembled
authors.
And so it was time to mingle
further, with the attendees at the first Simon and Schuster Crime Fiction
Party, and we present a selection of photos from the event.
Soon it was time to say
farewell and thank the S & S Team for throwing a fine party, on what was a
dark day in London, made bearable by the comfort of friends who share our
enthusiasm for Literature’s darkest Genre, Crime, Mystery and Thriller Fiction.
Footnote :
Many of us have applauded Simon and
Schuster’s US Imprint Threshold Editions for dropping the book deal for the
so-called ‘Alt-Right’ Kent Schoolboy Milo Yiannopoulos – Read More
Top biff reporting
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