Newsy Stuff!

The BBC are indulging us viewers with more foreign crime fiction. In this case it is Danish crime fiction in the shape of The Killing a twenty-part series which takes place over 20 hours. The first two episodes are due to be shown on Saturday 22 January between 9:00pm and 10:50 pm on BBC 4. More information can be found on the BBC website.

The estate of the late Arthur Conan Doyle has authorised an official new Sherlock Holmes story. The novel is due to be published in September and is to be written by author Anthony Horowitz who is best known for his Alex Rider novels and as a director. The full article in the Guardian can be found here.

According to the Bookseller Jonathan Cape has acquired a literary thriller set in an Oxford College. The novel The novel Every Contact Leaves a Trace is by Elanor Dymott and is narrated by Alex, a young London lawyer trying to piece together the mystery surrounding his wife's brutal murder in the grounds of Worcester College, Oxford.

Not strictly crime fiction related but related to the law is the Justice series due to be shown on BBC 4. The episode that may be of interest is “The Highest Court in the Land” where four of the Justices of the Supreme Court talk frankly and openly about the nature of justice and what it means to them. More information can be found on the BBC website.

The saga of Stieg Larsson still continues. According to the Guardian Eva Gabrielsson the late author’s partner is planning on finishing the last millennium novel. The full article can be found here.

According to Book Trade author Pauline Rowson has teamed up with libraries across the south coast to launch the search for the South's best young crime writers in a national competition organised by the Crime Writers' Association (CWA) and sponsored by Crimefest, Britain's international crime fiction convention. More information can be found on Pauline Rowson’s website and the full press release can be found here.

Hodder Editor Sue Fletcher has bought the rights to a debut thriller set in Tokyo by Journalist Su Quinn. More info can be found here.

According to January Magazine talks are in progress over a TV detective series set in bath during Jane Austen’s time. The series which will be 8 one hour episodes have already been written and are due to be filmed next year in Bath. The series will revolve around ex-Bow Street Runner Jack Swann, who moves from London to Bath and will each week confront the city’s villains. Read here for more information. (Thanks to Janet Rudolph at Mystery Fanfare for the above information)

Newsy Stuff

Some news worthy bits of information –

Left Coast Crime has come and gone and some awards were given out in the process. They are as follows –

The Dilys Award (given out by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association to “the mystery title of the year which the member booksellers have most enjoyed selling”): The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley (Delacorte)
The Lefty Award (for a humorous mystery): Getting Old Is a Disaster, by Rita Lakin (Dell)
The Bruce Alexander Award (for a historical mystery set before 1950): A Trace of Smoke, by Rebecca Cantrell (Forge)
The Panik Award (for L.A.-based noir, honoring deceased LCC 2010 chairman Paul Anik): Death Was in the Picture, by Linda L. Richards (St. Martin’s Press). Congratulations to all the winners. A full list of the nominations can be found here

According to Publishers Weekly David Baldacci’s new book Deliver Us from Evil will be published not only as a hardback but also as an e-book and an enhanced e-book. The enhanced e-book he explains will contain audio, video and photos along with deleted original text so that the reader can see the creative process. The full article can be found here.

Dutton are pinning high hopes on John Grisham’s young readers book that is due out on May 25. The initial print run for Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer is a million. More information can be found here.

Not one to beat about the bush Ian Rankin in an interview with Breandain O'Shea of Deutsche Welle just before the Lit Cologne explains why he believes that some of the best crime fiction is literature. And some of the best literature is crime fiction. He also talks about the bitchiness that can be found at literary festivals. The whole interview can be found here.


Nordic Bookblog have the first review of the collaborative effort between James Patterson and Liza Marklund. The novel is called Postcard Killers and the whole review can be found on the Nordic Bookblog.

According to Booktrade, best selling author Caroline Lawrence who is known for her Roman Mysteries is set to start a new series. The rights for The Western Mysteries: The Case Of The Counterfeit Injuns and three further 'cases' in the series have been sold to Orion publishers. More information can be found here.

Authors may have to think carefully where they set their books in future if this Montmartre fabric store has anything to do with it. They are suing author Lalie Walker after she set her recent crime novel in the area. The full article can be found in the Guardian.

It is a shame that Stieg Larsson is not alive to see how much his work is being appreciated. According to The Local (Sweden’s News in English) the film of The Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo has opened to rousing reviews in the US. The article can be found here.

Mark Timlin in the Independent gives Lee Child’s new Reacher book 61 Hours the thumbs up. The continuation will make for a most interesting read when it is released this March.