The Picture of Deon Meyer

 

We hadn’t seen Deon Meyer in the UK for a few years, much of the interruption being the COVID-19 global pandemic – which was eerily echoed in his extraordinary novel FEVER released in the summer of 2017.

FEVER was met with huge acclaim – here’s the Shots Magazine review HERE – it also enjoyed a second burst of interest in 2020-2021 during the global pandemic years due to its apocalyptic themes that had migrated from fiction into fact.

I enjoyed spending an afternoon with him back in 2017 discussing our mutual interest in post-apocalyptic fiction both literary and film.

Deon highlighted his favourite Post-Apocalyptic works HERE and when we compared notes naturally Stephen King’s The Stand as well as Robert McCammon’s Swansong and Richard Matheson’s I am Legend came up.  We were also both readers of John Christopher [though he was actually Sam Youd and deployed an array of pennames over the years of which the John Christopher is the one he was most associated with]. From the pen of Christopher would come many science fiction novels that featured apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction. It was his 1956 novel The Death of Grass that allowed him to write full-time [filmed as No Blade of Grass] which he wrote while working in South Africa.

We had both read work such as Neville Shute’s On the Beach, A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr., John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids, PD James’ Children of Men, and then we discussed the films that evoke that Mad Max world, as well as the myriad disaster movies of this sub-genre.

The article that came from that afternoon in 2017 is archived HERE

But back to 2024, post pandemic…..

Hodder and Stoughton had organised a small gathering of London Book Reviewers at the renowned Vivat Bacchus restaurant in the Farringdon district of London.  We were treated to fine South African wine and exotic delicacies, while we chatted to Deon and his charming wife Marianne and our host Naimh Anderson from Hodder and Stoughton publishing.

Joining the Shots Teams of Mike Stotter and Ayo Onatade were the ubiquitous [and knowledgeable] Barry Forshaw from the Financial Times [among others], Jon Coates, editorial from The Express and other journalists.

Of great interest was the extraordinary Netflix action thriller Heart of the Hunter written by Deon Meyer and Willem Grobler based on Deon’s novel of the same name.

Deon’s book HEART OF THE HUNTER was first published in Afrikaans in 2002 (as PROTEUS) and has since been translated into 14 different languages worldwide. It is published in South Africa in Afrikaans by Human & Rousseau and translated into English by K.L. Seegers: in the UK it is published by Hodder & Stoughton, and in the US and Canada by Grove Atlantic. It was selected as one of Chicago Tribune’s 10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004, longlisted for the IMPAC Literary Award 2005 (now the Dublin Literary Award) and won the Deutsche Krimi Preis, International Category, 2006.

In the Netflix Original film adaptation, Zuko Khumalo is an unassuming family man with a deadly past – but his tranquil world is abruptly turned upside down when an old colleague calls on him to honour an oath he made and save the country from venal political interests. Though he resists being pulled back into his previous life, it becomes clear that events already pose a deadly threat to his domestic ambitions and the peaceful family life he holds so dear. HEART OF THE HUNTER is a tale of one man’s struggle for survival against a corrupt government, a group of bloodthirsty killers and, most of all, against his past.

Read More from Blake Freidman Agency HERE

Though the main talking point was Deon’s upcoming novel LEO which I just read –

It has been a little while since we’ve been riding shotgun with Detective Benny Griessel in South Africa but the wait is finally over with the release of this explosive and violent thriller.

While preparing for his upcoming wedding, Griessel with partner Vince Cupido get involved investigating the death of a female student cyclist on a desolate mountain pass, as well as the principal suspect Basie Small found dead with all the trappings of a professional assassination. Their superiors seem keen to dismiss Basie Small’s murder as a robbery gone tragically wrong. What Basie Small was ‘doing’ may lead Benny and Vince into dangerous intrigue and a conspiracy of sorts that lies at the heart of the country – or does it?

Read the full Shots Magazine review HERE

We present a few photos of the evening as well as Deon’s previous UK visits – I remarked to Deon Meyer that he must have a special painting in his attic, as he has not aged at all over the years we’ve known him – Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray comes to mind I said - which produced a roar of laughter. 

Shots Magazine would like to pass our thanks to Niamh Anderson of Hodder and Stoughton for managing a wonderful launch for Deon - and thanks to his wife Marianne for a wonderful chat.

Foot Note: In memory of Saul Reichlin (1943-2023) from Ali Karim

I would encourage our readers to seek out Deon’s audiobooks narrated by the late Saul Reichlin. His narration / readings are excellent, bringing Deon Meyers’ [and other authors] work to vibrant life.

I was fortunate to have been seated next to him during Crimefest 2009’s Gala Dinner – we had a memorable evening and he is without doubt one of the most interesting people I have met. To cap the evening in style, Saul Reichlin was presented with the best audiobook of the year as voted by Crimefest delegates for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. We kept in contact for a number of years, and I so miss his laughter.

Saul Reichlin worked for six decades as an actor, writer, producer and director, but was most in demand for his rich, warm vocal tones, which he lent to many video games and audiobooks. He narrated more than 245 books including work by Deon Meyer.

He was a tremendous man of the arts, and great raconteur.

Read More HERE

Criminal Splatterings

According to Charlotte Williams at The Bookseller Vintage has acquired the licence to publish Ian Fleming's James Bond titles across all formats including digital, reversing the decision made by Ian Fleming Publications 15 months ago to publish the e-books direct. For the first time for an author's backlist, Vintage will publish in both its Classic and standard paperback ranges.  The full article can be found here.  The Reuters article about it can also be found here.

The debut novel of British screenwriter and creative writing lecturer Jenny Mayhew has been acquired by Hutchinson. The Wolf Man of Hindelheim is described as both a mystery and a love story.  The story is set in a German village between the wars.  When a baby girl goes missing from the home of the village doctor local police constable Theodore Hildebrandt arrives to investigate the mystery.  The Wolf Man of Hindelheim is due to be published in March 2013.

More news on the rights front! Harper Collins have scooped in a three book crime thriller deal the debut novel of former Metropolitan Police Officer Luke Delaney. The first novel, Senseless, which features DI Sean Corrigan on the case of an unusually vicious murderer, will be published by Harper Collins in early 2013.

Lloyd Shepherd whose debut novel The English Monster was published recently has had an interesting discussion lately with the discussion board Mobilism when he found a request for his novel to be pirated being circulated on the board.  He decided to respond in an effort to try and understand why.  It resulted in an article for the Guardian as he describes his parley with eBook pirates.

So is Jo Nesbø the new Stieg Larsson?  This was a question that he was asked recently at the New Zealand International Arts Festival. And his response? Characteristically it was one that those of us that have heard him talk before would have expected from him. So what exactly did he say?  Apparently with the wryness that we have come to expect from him his response was "It could have been worse - I could have been the new Dan Brown.".  Barry Forshaw’s article in the Independent on his new book The Phantom can be found here.  The film of his book the Snowman is due to filmed shortly by Martin Scorsese.  

The Telegraph have got a list of 100 novels everyone should read. As can be expected there are not a large number of crime novels. Only thirteen by my calculations.  I have to say that aside from that minor quibble, I was pleased to see a number of my favourite non-crime books on the list.  The first and foremost being Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Beloved by Toni Morrison and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen to name a few.
 
The nominees for the 2011 Strand Critics Awards have been announced by The Strand Magazine for books published during 2011. Recognizing excellence in the field of mystery fiction, the nominees have been judged by, and winners selected from, book reviewers from the nation's top daily newspapers as well as Andrew F. Gulli, Managing Editor of the magazine and announced on July 11th, 2012 in New York City.
 
The nominees are –

Best First Novel:
The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Sister by Rosamund Lupton (Crown)
Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson (Harper)
The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis (Soho)
The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly (Pamela Dorman Books)

Best Novel
The Affair by Lee Child (Delacorte Press)
The Drop by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Company)
Buried Secrets by Joseph Finder (St Martin’s Press)
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James (Knopf)
The Cut by George Pelecanos (Reagan Arthur Books)
This is the fourth time that Michael Connelly has been nominated but the first time for the others in the Best Novel category.
 
Lifetime Achievement awards are being given to Joseph Wambaugh and John Sandford.
The awards will be presented at an invitation-only cocktail party, hosted by The Strand on July 11, 2012, in New York City.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros have optioned the film rights for William Landay’s novel Defending Jacob. It is a shame they have not realized that Defending Jacob is not his debut novel but in fact his third.  His first, Mission Flats, won in 2003 the prestigious CWA New Blood Dagger Award.
 
Bloody Scotland which is due to take place between 14^th and 16^th September 2012 have announced a crime fiction short story competition for budding writers. Glengoyne Highland Single Malt is sponsoring a short story writing competition as part of Bloody Scotland. With the aim of discovering the next big name in crime fiction, the competition gives you the opportunity to be published in an ebook anthology of short crime stories entitled Worth The Wait. Entries may be submitted now through June 29th, 2012. Stories must be original (not previously published), in English, and may not exceed 3000 words. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older and there are no restrictions on country of residence (though an entry fee of £10 or the local equivalent is required). See the competition page on the festival website for all the details.

ITV have commissioned a new series of Morse prequel Endeavour.  There will be 4x 120 minute episodes.  According to the press release from ITV it follows the well-received response to the recent one-off Inspector Morse prequel Endeavour.  Once again Morse author Colin Dexter will act as consultant.  Filming will take place in Oxford later on this year.
 
Fans of Karin Slaughter’s Grant County series will be pleased to hear that according to Deadline.com Entertainment One and Piller/Segan/Shepherd, partners on the Syfy series Haven, are re-teaming for another drama series project. The two companies have acquired the TV rights to best-selling author Karin Slaughter’s Grant County series of 6 books featuring the popular character Sara Linton. The project will go into development immediately, with Slaughter co-writing the pilot script with Piller/Segan/Shepherd principal Scott Shepherd.
 
According to Total Film the new Avengers character banners have been revealed.  What with the film Marvel Avenger Assemble due to be released in the UK on 27 April 2012 lots of us are waiting for it.  The trailer can be seen below-

Sometime ago Shotsmag Confidential blogged about the City University London establishing a dedicated MA course in Crime Writing.  Things have moved on since then and they have now listed some of the authors that will be guest lecturing.  The authors are, Mark Billingham, Natasha Cooper, Barry Forshaw, Sophie Hannah, John Harvey, Cathi Unsworth, Dan Waddell and Laura Wilson.

That Stieg Larsson just won’t go away. Maclehose Press have published (with an introduction by Tariq Ali)  The Expo Files: And Other Articles by the Crusading Journalist. The Expo Files is a collection of essays and articles on right-wing extremism and racism, violence against women and women’s rights, homophobia and honour killing. The Expo Files is due to be published in April 2012.

Crime Fiction News

A new poster for the forthcoming film The Raven which is based around the author Edgar Allan Poe. John Cusack who plays Poe becomes entangled in the search for a serial killer who is using the more gruesome pieces of his work as motivation. The new poster is definitely eye-catching, the blood-red wings creating a real sense of menace. The Raven is due to be released in the UK on 9 March 2012.

Date for your diary! The successful Crime in the Court that first took place last year in July and organised by David Headley of Goldsboro Books will once again take place this year. The date is 5 July and is to coincide with Independent Booksellers Week. Watch this space for further information.

Calling all budding US based writers! Poisoned Pen Press have announced the first annual Discover Mystery Award, a first book contest for unpublished writers trying to break into the mystery genre. This spring, join them by entering your mystery manuscript of 60,000-90,000 words in an effort to win a $1000 prize, the Discover Mystery title, and a publishing contract from Poisoned Pen Press.

At Poisoned Pen Press, they take their mission to “Discover Mystery” very seriously. They have always prided themselves on the discovery of new writers, and now they are on the hunt for fresh voices and new stories. They are not afraid of something different, either, so if you’ve got a mystery, they want to see it! Poisoned Pen Press is waiting to discover you!

Here’s what to do:
Visit www.poisonedpenpress.com/contest

Read the guidelines carefully and fill out the form on our website, pay the $20 entry fee, and attach your manuscript. All entries are due by 11:59 pm (Pacific), April 30th, 2012. A winner will be announced by May 31st, 2012. Entries will be judged based on their synopses and manuscript text, with the assistance of celebrity judge, Dana Stabenow!

Entry Requirements and Guidelines:
· Unfortunately, we will not be able to help you decide if your book is a good fit for our contest. If you have questions about the kinds of books we publish, please visit www.poisonedpenpress.com.
· Due to the number of entries, Poisoned Pen Press will not be able to answer questions regarding your contest entry.
· This is a first-book award. It is open to writers who have not published a full-length book in the mystery genre.
· Manuscripts previously submitted to Poisoned Pen Press are eligible for entry in Discover Mystery, provided that those manuscripts have undergone major revisions.
· Manuscripts previously published in print or digitally, including self-published, are not eligible.
· Manuscripts must be between 60,000 words and 90,000 words in length.
· The Poisoned Pen Press Discover Mystery Award is open to all authors writing original works in English for adult readers who reside in the United States .
· Non-fiction of any kind, including autobiography is not appropriate for this contest.
· To avoid conflict of interest and to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, friends and former students of a judge or a Poisoned Pen Press employee are ineligible to enter the competition for that year.
· Poisoned Pen Press makes every effort to vary the judges by region and aesthetics, so that writers, if ineligible one year, will certainly be eligible in future years.
· You may not submit your manuscript to other publishers while it is under consideration by Poisoned Pen Press.
· Poisoned Pen Press cannot consider manuscript revisions during the course of the contest. Winning authors will have an opportunity to revise their works in collaboration with our editorial staff before publication.
· Should no entry meet editorial approval, Poisoned Pen Press reserves the right NOT to declare a winner.
· Failure to pay the entry fee will exclude you from the contest.
Write. Win. Publish.
www.poisonedpenpress.com/contest

The third series of Whitechapel starts tonight at 9pm on ITV. The storyline for tonight’s episode is based around four people being butcher at a fortified tailor’s workshop in the East End. Soon everyone in the area are obsessed with horror and panic at this seemingly impossible and grisly murder.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will not be shown in India after all. India’s Central Board of Certification asked for five scenes to be cut which the director David Fincher refused to do. The film was due to be released on 10 February. The full article in the Guardian can be read here. The Telegraph’s take on it can be read here.


Very interesting and thought provoking article by Philip Hensher in the Guardian about Elmore Leonard under the subtitle “the great American novelist”. Whilst I admire Elmore Leonard a lot, I am not sure that I agree with him being cast as the great American novelist. I know that it is all about a matter of taste, but Chandler aside (who is my all time favourite crime writer) what about James Ellroy, George Pelecanos, Philip Roth, James Lee Burke, Hammett, James M Cain and Patricia Highsmith (and those are just a few off the top of my head) to name a few, they are all great American novelists as well.

A very interesting interview with Philip Kerr is in the Telegraph. Certainly worth reading for an insight as to how he started to write the Bernie Gunther novels.

As interviews go, a brilliant one in the Chicago Sun-Times with Walter Mosley who talks about the reaction he received when announced that his Easy Rawlins series was likely to end. Needless to say a lot of people were not happy with the news.

Not sure how I missed this but Hugh Bonneville of Downton Abbey fame has signed on according to Daily Screen to play the lead role in the feature version of Peter James’s Dead Simple.

Rather sadly it appears that the US are planning a remake of Spiral the French police procedural drama. According to the Guardian it will be transferred to the streets of Philadelphia and is being developed by Sam Mendes. It will be interesting to see how this turns out, as the original series that was shown on BBC 4 was a hit.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Worldwide Premier

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Worldwide Premier took place yesterday evening at the Odeon Leicester Square, London and I was lucky enough to have been invited to attend alongside my fellow Shots members Ali Karim, Mike Stotter and Chris Simmons of Crime Squad. One must give thanks to Lucy Ramsay of Quercus Books (his UK publishers) for inviting us.

There are of course remakes that work well and remakes that do not. One also sometimes wonders why they bother to make remakes. In the case of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, it is clear that some people will like it and some will not. I am going to say from the start that I enjoyed it. Nevertheless, I did have problems with it.

From the start, one can see that no expense has been spared, from the opening credits and scenes, which I admit reminded me of a sci-fi film was dark, metallic and full of flourishes. The score at the start was also just as powerful. The cinematography was wonderful. The excellent sharp visuals, the faultless design, the instinctive ability for melding sound and music, the chill and menace is what one has come to expect from a Fincher film. If you have seen the original films then you will be able to follow the film quite easily. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is stylishly filmed and the photography is outstanding, it is at times especially at the start quite bleak. The film does not however hold back. Compared to the original the blood and gore is not as graphic. The violent sex scenes are still there but they are in my opinion done a lot more subtly. They are still there but unlike in the Swedish version I did not feel the need to want to cover my eyes as some of it took place. Rooney Mara is good as Elisabeth Salander. Hollywood seemed to have used Noomi Rapace as a template. My only gripe is that the hairstyle that they gave her was awful. It did not suit her at all and in fact detracted from the rather good acting. She may not have replaced the original actor as well as she could have but she did a very good job. In my opinion, she came across as a lot harder than Noomi Rapace. But this is her film. Daniel Craig on the other hand was for me a disappointment. He was not Mikael Blomkvist. The original actor who played the character in the Swedish version was much better. Rather sadly, I kept on seeing Bond in his actions and his demeanour all the way through the film. Whilst he was not brash, arrogant or over the top as he sometimes comes across in the Bond films this time around he is diffident, understated, even back pedaling. Nevertheless, one could not dismiss that Bondish attitude especially at a critical moment in the film towards the end. There was a seediness about the original actor that was missing from Craig. He doesn't divulge much that's going on inside him beyond what's already called for on the outside. Christopher Plummer who plays Henrick was good. Unpretentious but well played. There are various bits of the film that have been changed but they certainly do not detract from what is the essence of the film from the book and the original Swedish version. One big change is the ending. No, I am not going to say what it is. Go and see it instead.

My opinion is if you have seen the Swedish version and enjoyed them then please do go and see the Hollywood remake. I was (and still am) a big fan of the original films as it was thus with a slight sense of trepidation and anticipation that I attended the premier. Would I go and see the other two remakes if they are done? Yes, I would if only to compare them to the original Swedish version. Would I get them on DVD? No but I would get the original Swedish versions instead notwithstanding the subtitles.

Crime fiction news!

December’s Edition of Getting Away With Murder (GAWM) includes: Shots of the Year

And now the moment the world of crime fiction has been waiting for…the awards which come with no ceremony, no prize money, little accolade and no celebration (unless you happen to be in the Four Ale Bar of The Carpenter’s Arms on Tuesday night). The Shots of the Year awards (often misheard) are made based on careful consideration of the 550 or so crime novels and thrillers published for the first time in the UK in 2011 by a panel of at least one democratically-elected judge. (And I use the term ‘democratically’ in its loosest, North Korean sense.)

The categories are for best crime novel (Crime Shot) and best thriller (Thriller Shot), funniest novel (Comic Shot), best crime novel/thriller in translation (Shot In Translation), best first novel (First Shot) and best historical mystery or thriller (Historical Shot).

Crime Shot of the Year, after much deliberation, goes to Three Stations by Martin Cruz Smith (Mantle), the new Renko novel which chillingly invokes the underside of modern Moscow and made us all remember what an important figure in crime fiction Renko is and has been for, incredibly, thirty years now.

The Thriller Shot of the Year title goes to South African Deon Meyer for his superb tour-de-force Trackers (Hodder) which combines a spy plot worthy of Le Carre (“spy the beloved country”) with several tense and violent criminal sub-plots and a complex and stunningly impressive narrative structure. All in all, a masterpiece of South African crime writing; which is rapidly proving to be the bench-mark of international crime fiction.

The 2011 Historical Shot goes, without question, to the disgracefully overlooked A Lily of the Field by John Lawton (Grove Atlantic). An immaculately researched thriller set in pre-war Europe and post-war London which takes in the Nazi Holocaust, Russian espionage and the development of the atomic bomb, but at heart it shows off what Lawton does best, which is to cast a worldly-wise, left-leaning, eye of the foibles of English society. This is a wonderful addition to the Detective Inspector Troy canon (Lawton’s Troy family novels have spanned the period 1930s-1960s though not necessarily in chronological order), and Troy, who has been on the scene for 16 years now, is one of the major characters of British crime fiction; and one of the most unsung.


The Shot in Translation goes to a new name in the UK, Domingo Villar for his Death on a Galician Shore (Little, Brown) which introduces a new detective duo, some memorable minor characters and some delightful insights into provincial Spanish life which are worth the price of admission alone. A translated crime novel with warmth and heart? Who’d have thought it?

First Shot, in a year which saw fewer than usual debut novels, has to go to the widely-applauded Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson (Doubleday), which is an outrageous “high concept” thriller brought off with confidence and élan, even if the dramatic conclusion is slightly confusing.

Comic Shot of 2011 is Carl Hiaasen’s Star Island (Sphere). It might not have the frenetic energy and hysterical set-pieces of his early work such as Tourist Season or the blissful Double Whammy, but then what could? Still, this is Hiaasen back on top form and picking his targets (pop stars and, as usual, property developers) with gleeful malice.

Faber and Spitalfields Life mark the bicentenary of the Ratcliffe Highway Murders -

The 7th December marks the bicentenary of the Ratcliffe Highway Murders, documented by P. D. James and T. A. Critchley in The Maul and the Pear Tree. Faber and Faber are working with influential lifestyle blog, Spitalfields Life on a series of events that trace the case as it unfolded between 7th December to 31st December 200 years ago. Please see the attached press release below for details of the events, which conclude with a murder mystery walk around the sites of this notorious case on the 28th December.

This Christmas, Spitalfields Life and Faber and Faber commemorate the bicentenary of the Ratcliffe Highway Murders – Britain’s first murder sensation - as retold by P.D. James in her classic of true crime, The Maul and the Pear Tree.

For release on 6th December 2011

On the 7th December 1811, a young linen draper and his family were cruelly murdered at night in their home at 29 Ratcliffe Highway in Wapping. Twelve days later, a publican and members of his household were slaughtered in similar fashion, just half a mile away.

The slaying of these innocent families created public hysteria amongst Londoners - whipped up by newspapers revelling in the gruesome details of the atrocities. Ill-equipped to investigate, on Christmas Eve the police hastily arrested the first suspect they could find, John Williams, and when he hung himself in prison on Boxing Day, it was taken as confirmation of his guilt.

180,000 people turned out to see Williams’ body paraded through Wapping, before he was buried with a stake through his heart at the crossroads of Cable Street and Cannon Street Road on New Year’s Eve. Yet it is now acknowledged that he was - in all likelihood - an innocent man.

At the birth of the British press, the Ratcliffe Highway Murders case was both the first national crime sensation and an early example of “tabloid justice” - engendering a widespread terror that led subsequently to the formation of the Metropolitan Police.

Between 7th -31st December, East End Culture Blog Spitalfields Life and Faber and Faber are collaborating on a series of events to keep everyone gripped:

MAPPING THE MURDERS

www.spitalfieldslife.com and Faber and Faber have commissioned illustrator, Paul Bommer, to create a map of the murders that will update, revealing key events in the case on the exact anniversaries of their occurrence. This beautiful creation can be downloaded as a screensaver or used as a handy guide to set out through the streets of Wapping yourself.

TELLING THE STORY

An extract from The Maul and the Pear Tree, the definitive account of the murders, by bestselling crime writer P. D. James and her former Home office colleague T. A Critchley, will be published on Faber and Faber’s blog www.thethoughtfox.co.uk, whilst www.spitalfieldslife.com will be reporting these momentous events day by day.

EXAMINING THE CRIME SCENES

Spitalfields Life will be hosting a dusk walk on Wednesday 28th December at 3pm from St Georges in the East, visiting the key locations and telling the bone-chilling story of Britain's first crime sensation. The walk will take approximately an hour and a half and conclude at the historic riverside pub The Prospect of Whitby. Please email spitalfieldslife@gmail.com to sign up. Tickets are £10.

For further information please contact:

The Gentle Author, Spitalfields Life: spitalfieldslife@gmail.com

Joanna Ellis, Faber and Faber: joannae@faber.co.uk

Orion sculpts 20th anniversary releases -
According to Charlotte Williams at Book2Book, Orion will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2012, marking the milestone by re-releasing 20 of its most distinctive titles with a united cover look using specially commissioned sculptures.

The books will be released on 20th February 2012, priced between £4.99 and £9.99. The 20 titles are:

The Copper Beach by Maeve Binchy,

The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser,
The Black Ice by Michael Connelly,

Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon,

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder,

Black and Blue by Ian Rankin,

The Reader by Benhard Schlink,

A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer,

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds,
Tell No One by Harlan Coben,

Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore,

The Shadow of the Wind by ­Carlos Ruiz Zafón,

Himalaya by Michael Palin,

Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver,

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse,

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday,

No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay,
DeadUntil Dark by Charlaine Harris,

Life by Keith Richards, and

The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht.

The publisher took inspiration from china, which is the traditional 20th anniversary gift, with the team—including designer Loulou Clark and creative director Lucie Stericker—working with sculptor Ben Twiston-Davies to create physical sculptures of a central motif or character for each of the titles. Each sculpture was then photographed to provide the cover image for the books. Stand-out covers include sculptures of an open copy of War and Peace, with real German text inscribed into it, for Schlink's title; a jumping salmon for Paul Torday's novel; and a topographically accurate mountain for Palin's Himalaya. The Roman numerals XX will be embossed on the inside front covers, alongside the cover images from the entire 20 titles.

Orion m.d. Susan Lamb promised the titles would be collectable, and said of the list: "It had to be quite balanced, but it was the books we think defined this company over 20 years, whether they've been with us since their first publication, like Maeve Binchy and Antonia Fraser, or not. The Tiger's Wife, which was only published this year, was very defining for us, because we hadn't had an Orange Prize winner before."

As impressive as this list is and one is quite pleased to see a number of crime writers on the list as well, could someone please explain why George Pelecanos and James Lee Burke are not on the list?

The Random House Group UK is delighted to announce the publication of Jo Nesbø's eagerly-awaited sequel to his #1 bestseller The Leopard. Phantom will be published in English on 15th March 2012. The Norwegian edition went straight to the top of the bestseller list in Norway and was shortlisted for the 2011 Norwegian Booksellers' Prize.

In 2011 Jo Nesbø was one of the UK's biggest selling fiction authors of the year. The Leopard was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller in hardback and spent eight weeks in the top ten. The Harry Hole novels have sold over 11 million copies worldwide, 2.4 million of those in the UK. They are published in many countries.

Jo Nesbø's The Snowman is being made into a major film directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Working Title. The Snowman, published by Harvill Secker in 2010, went to number 2 in the Sunday Times paperback charts, and was a top ten New York Times hardcover bestseller.

For more information please contact:
Bethan Jones at Harvill Secker
Tel: 020 7840 8543 / email: bjones@randomhouse.co.uk

According to book2book Little, Brown Book Group are growing their Sphere fiction commissioning team with the appointment of Jade Chandler from Orion. Chandler joins Sphere as Commissioning Editor focussing on crime and thriller fiction and will also take a lead in backlist reissues for the imprint. She will report to Editorial Director, Catherine Burke. Chandler said, 'Working at Orion has been a brilliant experience and while I will be sad to leave an excellent and supportive group of colleagues, the opportunity to take on a new commissioning role at Little, Brown was just too tempting to pass up. I am really thrilled to be joining the Sphere team in the New Year and can't wait to get involved in building on their first-rate crime and thriller list.'

Caffeine Nights Publishing have announced their title list for 2012.

The titles will be released from March 2012 and include a strong line-up of crime fiction titles including the second in the series of books by Nick Quantrill. The Late Greats follows his debut novel in the Joe Geraghty series, Broken Dreams. Quantrill's books follow private eye Joe Geraghty in a series of tough crime fiction stories set in Quantrill's home town of Hull.

Another series title is Consequences by RC Bridgestock, following 'Deadly Focus’ the first DI Jack Dylan novel. RC Bridgestock is the pen name for Yorkshire born but Isle of Wight based husband and wife writing team Bob and Carol Bridgestock. The Bridgestock's bring 47 years of crime fighting experience to the page, with both having served with West Yorkshire police. Bob retired as Detective Superintendent of the squad.

Two other spring releases dominate Caffeine Nights planned books for 2012.

Frank's Wild Years by Nick Triplow is already being hailed as a crime classic.

Mike Hodges director of the urban classic gangster movie 'Get Carter' describes Frank's Wild Years as ''An urban masterpiece; riveting from first to last. Nick Triplow is the true successor to Ted Lewis."

Set in south London 'Frank' is a story of betrayal and last chances at the frayed and fading edges of the south London underworld.

Abide with Me by Ian Ayris is already setting the chat rooms and fan forums of West Ham supporters alight with his debut novel. Set against the backdrop of West Ham winning the FA Cup in 1975, the story follows two boys growing up in a tough East End environment where love and pain are often blurred by poverty and confusion. Abide With Me is a powerful and moving tale with more heart than transplant bank and butchers window put together.

For more information contact Darren on 07777 640795
info@caffeinenights.com/www.caffeine-nights.com

According to the Bookseller, the CWA are to launch a reader’s initiative under the guise of the Crime Readers Association (CRA). The full Press Release can be read below -

PRESS RELEASE

Date: 7.12.2o11

CWA launches two major new initiatives to connect writers with readers

The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) has announced two major new initiatives, an association to put readers in touch with writers and the expansion of the successful Crime Writing Week to an entire month next year.

Due to launch in February 2012 with a new website, the Crime Readers’ Association (CRA) will offer readers information about forthcoming books, exclusive interviews, and articles from CWA member authors. Readers will be invited to sign up to receive regular enewsletters featuring events, exclusive content, and news. In future, it’s planned that the CWA will also organise events for readers to meet authors.

National Crime Writing Week, which has run for two years, has seen members of the CWA taking part in readings, discussions, readers’ group events and workshops in bookshops, libraries, arts centres and other venues all over the country. The CWA has now decided to expand it to Crime Writing Month, beginning at the Crimefest event which runs between May 24-27 in Bristol and features some of the planet’s most successful crime writers. In a new initiative, Crime Month will wrap up with a black-tie event, where the CWA Dagger Awards will be announced. The event will incorporate all of the CWA’s non-TV awards, including for the first time the Diamond Dagger and Ellis Peters Award for historical crime.

CWA Chair Peter James said: “We’re very excited about launching these new initiatives. The idea behind the CRA is to bring readers and writers closer together. The CRA will create a bond between fans and writers and promote further the crime writing genre.

“In an age when crime writing is so popular it made sense to find a way of helping writers and readers connect. Authors could not survive without readers and the CRA acknowledges the fact and celebrates the role of the reader in the burgeoning success of the genre. The CWA has showcased members’ events and books on our website for several years now– wee see the CRA is an extension of this and we hope it will help our members to grow their careers.

“Crime Writing Month further underlines the point. Running it over a month will allow members to take part in more events than ever, getting out to meet their readers and support their local libraries. The CWA has long been concerned about the threat to libraries and Crime Writing Month will allow us to champion them as they face cutbacks. The month should be a really exciting event.”

More details of both initiatives will be announced over the coming months.

NOTES TO MEDIA
Bestselling crime author Peter James is the current Chair of the CWA. Peter James is available for quotes and interview. Please contact Claire McGowan on 07792 214508 or info@thecwa.co.uk for more information, or visit www.thecwa.co.uk
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Congratulations also go to Canadian author Louise Penny whose novel Bury Your Dead was awarded the Nero Award on Saturday 3 December 2012. The award was presented by the Wolfe Pack at the Black Orchid Banquet in New York.

The other nominees were -

Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen

The Book of Spies by Gayle Lynds

The Midnight Show Murders by Al Roker
Think of a Number by John Verdon

The "Nero" is an annual award presented to an author for literary excellence in the mystery genre

Crime Time Best Crime Novel of the Year
According to Barry Forshaw the editor of Crime Time, Crime Time is running a seasonal Best Crime Books of 2011 feature, and he would be delighted if authors would care to contribute – with an opportunity to mention your latest book. He does not need an essay; in fact his plan is to drag CT kicking and screaming into the 21st century so is aiming for Twitter sized soundbites (tweets?) -- 140 characters or less. You can pick one book, or as many as you’d care to fit into that count.

At present Crime Time reaches around 45,000 dedicated crime fiction enthusiasts a year at crimetime.co.uk, so this is a chance for authors to promote yourselves (and your books!) by adding your selection for Best Crime Book of 2011.

Go to the Crime Time website: and just fill in the form on the right. Note that your email will not be visible to anyone on the site. The ISBN is optional – don’t worry about this unless you have it.
And don’t forget to mention your latest book under ‘shameless plug’!

Those of you that are looking forward to the Hollywood remake of the Steig Larsson book The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo will not be surprised to learn that rather unfortunately the embargo has been broken by the New Yorker film critic David Denby. The film that gets its world premiere in London on Monday 12 December 2012 features Daniel Craig in the role of investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist.

A new eight minute trailer has been released.

DANIEL CRAIG talks about THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

promotional poster for Fincher’s Dragon Tattoo

The US film version of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is gathering a lot of internet exposure even before its release. Recently the trailer was posted from an anonymous source before Sony took it down.
Director David Fincher’s English-language take on Stieg Larsson’s best-selling murder mystery novel will be R-Rated, which has been a given since it was announced that the filmmaker responsible.
Daniel Craig, who plays crusading Swedish journalist Mikael Blomkvist, sat down recently with Esquire to chat about a variety of subjects, pertaining to both his personal and professional life. However, it was the actor’s comments about Fincher’s next dark work of cinematic art that were perhaps the most intriguing.

“It’s not that [David Fincher] simply showed me footage that was horribly graphic. It was stuff that was happening, or had happened. And somehow you don’t see it… There’s more than one way to sense violence… Much more powerful ways than seeing it step-by-step.”

But there is a rather excellent interview with him in ScreenRant

TGWTDT is scheduled for November release in the UK.

Latest Crime News Round-Up

Arthur Ellis Award Results -

The winners of the 2011 Arthur Ellis Awards were announced on recently by the Crime Writers of Canada for excellence in works in the crime/mystery/thriller genre published for the first time in the previous year by permanent residents of Canada, or by Canadian citizens living abroad.

Best Crime Novel: Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (Little, Brown)
Best First Crime Novel: The Debba by Avner Mandleman (Random House)
Best Crime Novel in French: Dans le quartier des agités by Jacques Côté (Éditions Alire)
Best Crime Non-Fiction: On the Farm by Stevie Cameron (Alfred A. Knopf)
Best Juvenile/Young Adult Crime Book: Lost For Words (The Worst Thing She Ever Did) by Alice Kuipers (HarperCollins)
Best Crime Short Story: "So Much in Common" by Mary Jane Maffini (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
Best First Unpublished Crime Novel: Better Off Dead by John Jeneroux

Alibi teamed up with HarperCollins and Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Harrogate to unearth some of the country's hottest new crime-writing talent of 2011.The shortlist has been drawn up and voting is now open. You can vote here? The overall winner will be announced during a special reception at Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.

Those of us that are waiting for the release of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy will be pleased to learn that the date it will be released will be September 2011 for the UK and November for the US. With an all-star cast featuring amongst others, former Bond villain Toby Jones, Oscar winner Colin Firth, Kathy Burke, Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch and John Hurt. Tinker, Tailor Soldier, Spy is an adaptation of John Le Carre‘s classic spy thriller that follows a British Intelligence operative whose task is to delve into the world of Cold War espionage and root out a Soviet mole in the Circus, the highest echelon in the British Intelligence Services.

Very interesting article on the Library Journal website about the gender reading stereotypes. A lot of suspense writers have commented on it. Makes for very interesting reading!

Nordic Bookblog have an interesting book review on The Tattooed Girl the Enigma of Stieg Larsson. Sounds that this will be of added interest to all those fans of Stieg Larsson!

Barry Forshaw whose book The Man Who Left Too Soon: The Biography of Stieg Larsson was published in 2010 is due to be the keynote speaker at a one-day symposium taking place at the University of Hertfordshire. Under the auspices of Film in Humanities the symposium will consist of talks and discussions on Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy - as a series of books, television programmes, and films.

With the recent release of the latest James Bond book, there is an interesting article in the Guardian about James Bond’s changing incarnations. The responses are as interesting as the article itself.

If you missed it the first time around then there is another chance to see the three-part series Whitechapel (Jack the Ripper) again. Featuring Rupert Penry-Jones it will be shown on ITV3 at 9pm on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 June 2011.

With lots of us looking forward to Kate Atkinson’s Case Histories due to be shown on BBC1 on Sunday 5 June at 9pm it is interesting to read Jason Isaac’s comments (not that I agree with them) on Jackson Brodie not being a detective. Are we talking about the same character here? I see this more as a marketing ploy not that I think one is needed.

Fans of the mobster film Goodfellas will enjoy reading 50 genius but useless facts about the film!

According to the Bookseller, former CWA Chair Tom Harper has moved publishers. Formerly published by Random House’s Cornerstone his next three books will be published by Hodder & Stoughton. The books described as "literary conspiracy thrillers.

From books to film!

According to NYmag.com David Fincher has optioned Jason Starr’s 2009 crime novel Panic Attack, about a New York shrink who shoots and kills a home intruder, then faces a media frenzy and the victim's vengeful accomplice.

Deadline.com have announced that Chris Columbus who produced a number of the Harry Potter films as well as Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief has acquired the fill rights to Michael Koryta’s thriller The Cypress House. There is also an excellent article in CNN about his latest book The Ridge.

Kerry Greenwood’s series featuring 1920s-era private detective Phryne Fisher is due (according to Australian ABC) to be made into a 13 part ABC series. Phryne Fisher is a sleuth who sashays through the back lanes and jazz clubs of late 1920s Melbourne, fighting injustice with her pearl-handled pistol and her dagger sharp wit.

According to Variety.com Brendan Fraser, Matt Dillon and Craig Robinson have all signed up to the film adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s crime novel Freaky Deaky. William H Macy has already committed himself to the project.