CWA ELLIS PETERS HISTORICAL AWARD 2010

SHORT LIST ANNOUNCED

The winners will be announced on November 4 at 6.30pm during a splendid event held at Little, Brown Book Group, 100 Victoria Embankment, London. The winner of the £3000 award prize will take their place amongst an illustrious list of fellow historical authors including Philip Kerr, Laura Wilson, Ariana Franklin, Andrew Taylor and Lindsey Davis.
Started in 1999 in memory of Ellis Peters, author of the medieval Brother Cadfael series, this award has been presented to a novel with a crime theme and a historical background of any period up to the 1960s." (As of 2010, it includes any period up to the 1970s.) Today it is sponsored by the Estate of Ellis Peters, Headline Book Publishing Company and Little, Brown Book Group.

The nominees are (and alphabetically by book title):

C J Sansom HEARTSTONE



Massive, colourful and ambitious, this is a double mystery for Sansom’s wily lawyer Mathew Shardlake. The background of Tudor England - with Henry’s ill-advised foreign wars having modern resonances - is a stunning backdrop.
Publisher: Mantle

S. J. Parris HERESY


An astonishingly accomplished first outing for Giordano Bruno, monk, poet and sleuth, investigating skulduggery in Elizabethan Oxford. Parris has resurrected an undeservedly forgotten figure and her depiction of a society riven by religious intolerance is timely.

Publisher: HARPERCOLLINS


Rory Clements REVENGER


This second novel to feature the Elizabethan ‘intelligencer’ John Shakespeare captures all the danger but also all the excitement of living in capricious times when a wrong word can get you sent to the Tower. An exuberant novel that revels in the sights and smells of Tudor England

Publisher: John Murray

Andrew Taylor THE ANATOMY OF GHOSTS



This is Andrew Taylor at his considerable best; a wonderfully atmospheric - and labyrinthine -- mystery set in a period Cambridge evoked with all the skill that Taylor is famous for.

Publisher: Michael Joseph, Penguin Books

Andrew Williams TO KILL A TSAR


Compromised characters with difficult moral choices are at the centre of To Kill a Tsar. Set in a strongly realised nineteenth-century St Petersburg and dealing with the first significant terrorist cell of the modern era, this is bravura storytelling.

Publisher John Murray

Aly Monroe WASHINGTON SHADOW


This novel shows that your allies can do you as much harm as your enemies as MI6 agent Peter Cotton gets caught up in diplomatic intrigue in Washington. Monroe conjures up a world of murder and double dealing in beautifully lyrical prose.

Publisher John Murray


JUDGING PANEL
Eileen Roberts (Chair) - Originator and organiser of St Hilda’s annual crime symposium in Oxford, mystery and crime enthusiast
Geoffrey Bailey - Bookseller specialising in crime
Barry Forshaw - Edits Crime Time and is a talking head for the ITV Crime Thriller author profiles and BBC TV documentaries. A prolific writer, he has been Vice Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association.
Sir Bernard Ingham - Press Secretary to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and crime fiction fan
Jake Kerridge - the crime fiction critic of the Daily Telegraph

My Last Talk with Thomas H. Cook

The release of a novel by Thomas H. Cook is always a major event for me. It means I clear a gap at the very top of my reviewing pile for his work, and this month, crime / thriller readers have a treat in-store as Cook releases his latest, and possibly his most disturbing, ‘The Last Talk with Lola Faye’ from Quercus Publishing. This melancholic work hits the bookstores in the UK this week. My copy is packed for my upcoming trip to Bouchercon 2010 San Francisco, to help me cope with the long journey to the US West Coast.

Cook’s latest mines the darkest edges of human experience, looking at the sharp bends that pepper his protagonist’s lives -

Thomas H. Cook returns to his home territory in this Southern Gothic mystery set in Alabama. Luke Paige, historian and writer, is signing his latest work in a bookstore when in the queue he spots a woman he hoped never to see again. Lola Faye was once his father's secret lover, the destroyer of his childhood. For her husband shot Luke's father dead, and his mother died soon after. Lola Faye wants to talk - and talk - over a drink, that becomes dinner, and then another drink. Slowly, painfully, Luke and Lola revisit the terrible events that have shaped their lives. The story they reveal is one of the timeless struggle between fathers and sons; of longed-for passion; of hopes and dreams thwarted by fate and circumstances. This is Southern Gothic at its most compelling.

I have been fortunate to have bumped into Tom Cook several times following his UK trips to the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, as well as in the US at Bouchercon 2009 in Indianapolis. I am always perplexed that despite being highly rated by the leading critics, and literary judges internationally, he remains a cult writer. I would have thought Cook and his work would have broken through into the international bestseller lists a long time ago. That was the theme when I interviewed Cook for January Magazine –

And you’ve become quite prolific since. So why -- despite your having received awards and critical acclaim -- do you remain a secret to many readers?

I truly don’t know the answer to that question, but the experience can be very disheartening, let me tell you. I think many readers just want a fast read. Which is fine. They have that right. But I don’t write fast reads. I think mystery readers in particular are quite demarcated in their reading habits. People who read puzzle mysteries don’t read thrillers, and people who read thrillers don’t read puzzle novels, and so on down thorough several subgenres. I write a combination mystery-mainstream novel, and that is a big problem, I think, in that mainstream readers very often never give mysteries a chance. I fall through a lot of cracks, and so far, despite wonderful reviews over a period of 20 years, I am still one of the best-known unknown writers out there.

Oddly enough, I have absolutely broken through in France and Japan, and seem close to doing it in England. The U.S., however, has not yet fallen under my spell. But I’m still working on it.

Read the full feature here

So if you’ve not experienced Cook’s work, ‘The Last Talk With Lola Faye’ looks like a good place to start; but I must warn you that when you crack the spine of a Thomas H. Cook novel, you’ll find reality crumble as you become lost in the lives of his characters who have to tackle the darker side of the human condition.

Read More about Cook’s writing his latest novel here

Specsavers ITV3 Thriller Awards Results

The Specsavers Thriller Awards took place on Friday 8th October 2010 at the Grosvenor Park Hotel, Park Lane, London. It is the third year that the event has taken place and the second year that it has been sponsored by Specsavers in conjunction with the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain (CWA). The awards ceremony was hosted by Marcus Brigstocke and took place in the ballroom of the Grosvenor Park Hotel in the presence of a number of crime writers and actors including Philip Glenister, Nathaniel Parker, Rupert Penry Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch, Julia McKenzie, Colin Dexter, Amanda Redman and Dennis Waterman to name a few. CWA members that were present included Edwin Thomas (the current Chair of the CWA) Marry Forshaw, Mike Stotter, Michelle Spring, Margaret Murphy, Phillip Gooden, Mark Billingham, Margaret Kinsman and David Headley.

The CWA Awards that were given are as follows –

The CWA Gold Dagger was awarded to Belinda Bauer and was presented by Amanda Redman.


The shortlist consisted of
Blacklands by Belinda Bauer Corgi/Transworld
Blood Harvest by S J Bolton Bantam Press/Transworld
Shadowplay by Karen Campbell Hodder & Stoughton
The Way Home by George Pelecanos Orion

The CWA Ian Fleming Steel
Dagger (sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd) went to Simon Conway and was presented to him by Alex Norton and Blythe Duff of the Bill.

The shortlist consisted of -
A Loyal Spy by Simon Conway Hodder & Stoughton
Innocent by Scott Turow Mantle
The Dying Light by Henry Porter Orion
The Gentlemen's Hour by Don Winslow Heinemann/Random House

The CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger was awarded to Ryan David Jahn and was presented to him by Ray Mears .

The shortlist was made up of -
Acts of Violence by Ryan David Jahn Macmillan New Writing
Rupture by Simon Lelic Picador
The Holy Thief by William Ryan Mantle
The Pull of the Moon by Diane Janes Constable & Robinson

A number of awards were also presented in the film and acting category

The winner of the Film Dagger was Inception and was presented by Nathaniel Parker.

The complete shortlist was as follows:-
District 9 (Sony Pictures)
Inception (Warner Bros)
Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Momentum Pictures)

The winner of the TV Dagger was Sherlock Holmes and the award was presented to Benedict Cumberbatch by Harriet Walter and Laila Russo.

The complete shortlist for the TV Daggers were -
Ashes to Ashes (Series 3) (Kudos)
Luther (BBC)
Sherlock (BBC)
Wallander (Series 2) (Left Bank Pictures)

The winner of the International TV Dagger was Wallender and the award was presented by Matt di Angelo and Kelly Adams from the Hustle.

The shortlist was as follows:-
Damages (Season 3) (Sony Pictures)
The Good Wife (Season 1) (CBS)
Wallander (Series 2) (Yellow Bird Films)

The Best Actress Dagger was won by Maxine Peake and was presented to her by Denis Lawson

The Shortlist for the Best Actress Dagger consisted of -
Glenn Close (Damages)
Hermione Norris (Spooks)
Keeley Hawes (Ashes to Ashes & Identity)
Maxine Peake (Criminal Justice)
Sue Johnston (Waking the Dead)

The Best Actor Dagger was awarded to Benedict Cumberbatch and was presented to him by Emilia Fox

The Best Actor Dagger shortlist consisted of -
Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock)
Idris Elba (Luther)
Kenneth Branagh (Wallander)
Philip Glenister (Ashes to Ashes)

The winner of the Best Supporting Actress Dagger was Dervla Kirwan who received her award from Philip Glenister and Mark Warren.

Those on the shortlist were -
Dervla Kirwan (The Silence)
Gina McKee (The Silence)
Saskia Reeves (Luther)
Sophie Okonedo (Criminal Justice)

The Best Supporting Actor Dagger went to Matthew MacFadyen who presented with his award by Katy Brand

The short list consisted of -
Laurence Fox (Lewis)
Matthew Macfadyen (Criminal Justice)
Rupert Graves (Sherlock)
Tom Hiddleston (Wallander)

The winner of the public's People's detective vote was Christopher Foyle. The award was presented by Hugh Bonniville and Joan Froggett.

The short list consisted of -
Tom Barnaby
Christopher Foyle
Jack Frost
Sherlock Holmes
Robbie Lewis
Miss Jane Marple
Endeavour Morse
Hercule Poirot
John Rebus
Jane Tennison
Reg Wexford
Charles Wycliffe

George Pelecanos and Frederick Forsyth was inducted into the Hall of Fame as well. Pelecanos in his acceptance speech said that he was proud to be a crime writer and one of "us"









The television programme The Bill was presented with a special recognition award.

Congratulations to all the winners and the nominees. The ceremony will be transmitted on ITV3 on October 12.

Robin Jarossi's Criminal Acts for October

Thorne cuts it

Thorne: Sleepyhead, Sky1, Sundays from 10 Oct, 9pm

Sky TV have not been big players in the entertainment-making department. Apart from a couple of tentative projects – the Terry Pratchett serials and Must Be the Music spring to mind – it is largely associated with soccer soap Dream Team and flops such as Harry Enfield's Brand Spanking New Show.

But with last year's hard-hitting version of Martina Cole's The Take and now its dramatisation of the Tom Thorne novels, Sky1 is showing the Beeb and ITV a thing or two about making distinctive crime drama.

Mark Billingham's popular London detective hits the small screen this weekend in the first of two three-part stories, Sleepyhead (Scaredy Cat follows).

It's visually striking and has a great cast and director, delivering a psychologically gripping journey that's a long way from Heartbeat or Inspector George Gently.

David Morrissey not only gives a huge performance as Thorne but he is the show's executive producer and was a prime mover in joining forces with Mark Billingham to get it made. They even chose the little-known vintage country music soundtrack that adds dreamy flavour to this contemporary drama.

They've brought in Emmy-winning director Stephen Hopkins, veteran of 24 andCalifornication, who's created a vivid drama against a pulsating London background of busy streets and regenerating East End wastelands.

Sleepyhead was the first Thorne novel, featuring Billingham's chilling idea of having a psycho who induces a state of 'locked-in syndrome' in his victims.

Thorne investigates what appears to be three murders, the technique of applying pressure to induce living paralysis being difficult to achieve, until a fourth victim survives. No sooner does he realise the perpetrator has actually been trying to permanently paralyse the victims, than Thorne is haunted by flashbacks to a serial killer he nailed years before.

This dead figure from his past appears to be sending Thorne messages, and Morrissey conveys all the character's passion and turmoil, as the detective is drugged, beaten and falls from a building while chasing the elusive killer.

What a fine cast this has. Eddie Marsan is menacing as Thorne's twisted colleague, Kevin Tughan. Aidan Gillen, almost as ubiquitous as Morrissey on TV these days, has some tense scenes with Thorne as the pathologist Phil Hendricks.

And Natascha McElhone is alluring and drily funny as Dr Anne Coburn. It’s an ensemble show with Morrissey sharing the limelight and plot twists with his co-stars, particularly Marsan.

The drama deviates from the book as the story develops, Billingham generously saying writers Jim Keeble and Dudi Appleton, covered holes in the novel. But this viewer actually preferred the novel’s finale, finding the on-screen denouement a little convoluted.

While Sleepyhead is not in the same league as The Wire (The Standard in London this week spoke of them in the same breath), it is better than a lot of British crime serials around now.

The BBC and ITV better watch out. There’s a new crime outfit on the manor.

POIROT, ITV1

The little grey cells are at work again in a seasonal story called Hallowe’en Party, going out on Monday, 18 October on ITV1.

The screenplay is by Mark Gatiss, who pulled-off the wonderful updating of Sherlock Holmes with Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat this summer. The cast brags a returning Zoe Wanamaker, Eric Sykes, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Timothy West.

When Ariadne Oliver (Wanamaker) attends a children’s Hallowe’en party in Woodleigh Common, a young girl boasts about seeing a murder years before…

Watch it, Danno – Hawaii Five-0 2010

Hawaii Five-0 was on the crest of a wave from 1968 to 1980 and is still fondly recalled by many who were around to see it.

Steve McGarrett’s quiff, the surfing, bikini glamour of the Pacific islands, the stirring opening credits, and star Jack Lord’s sign-off – ‘Book ’em, Danno.’

The reason put forward by CBS honchos for re-booting the series this year was that it was time for a tribute. But is the tribute any good?

It went out in the US last month to decent reviews, without anyone pretending it was anything but a slick, action-packed bit of primetime viewing. The pilot cost a reported $8 million and flaunted its helicopter gunships and explosions.

In the UK Bravo was going to show it this month, but my spies reveal the show has now been pushed back to 2011 when it will appear somewhere on ‘the Sky platform’.

Anyway, where Jack Lord was as wooden as a palm tree, Aussie Alex O’Loughlin (known in the US for series such as Moonlight and Three Rivers) is a less stiff and straight-laced McGarrett. In a prologue we discover he is a special forces tough nut who agrees to head Hawaii’s new law-enforcement task force after his father is murdered.

James Caan’s son, Scott, strikes up a buddie relationship with McGarrett as Danno. Their bonding is played for laughs, some of which come off and others sink in the surf. Daniel Dae Kim is Chin, and Grace Park is a sassy, butt-kicking Detective Kona, who is far more fun and lively than the slab-like Kono of the original.

The plot is unreal, and not in a good way, being something about Chinese gangs and people smuggling, all of which results in McGarrett and Danno storming a Chinese ship and killing half the crew, which somehow doesn’t result in World War Three.

The original music is revamped and Hawaii, of course, looks mouthwateringly beautiful, while McGarrett once again wants Danno to book ’em.

It will be interesting to see how the series does. I suspect that after initial warm feelings towards it, interest will subside and it will be abruptly cancelled.

Writing Thrillers is not Child’s Play

So as Lee Child’s 2nd book of 2010 ‘Worth Dying For’ hits the UK no 1 position straight off the bat; The Telegraph has an interesting interview with the creator of Jack Reacher. I also enjoyed his take on the old chestnut of Literary Fiction Vs. Genre as reported by Sarah Crompton -

We are talking on the eve of publication of his 15th novel, Worth Dying For. His last, 61 Hours, was published on the same day as Ian McEwan’s Solar and his comments about literary fiction created a certain flurry. He’s happy to repeat them.

“I think Ian McEwan is a very nice man and a good writer, but somebody who assumes that his book is actually harder than mine to write is just not paying attention. What I said was, I could write their books, but I very much doubt that they could write my kind of book because it is a lot harder than it looks.

“I have a kind of old-fashioned, artisan approach. I grew up in Birmingham, where they made useful things and made them well. I went to university in Sheffield, where they made useful things with a certain amount of pride. There is an awful lot of work and skill that goes into commonplace articles – and I think that the prideful manufacture of quotidian articles is something that should be celebrated,” Child says. “There is a lot more ingenuity and brain power that goes into a Ford Fiesta than a Rolls-Royce.”

It is undoubtedly true that Child himself expends a great deal of ingenuity and brain power on each book. He sees the series, which has fans including Antonia Fraser and Malcolm Gladwell, as a combination of the Sherlock Holmes tradition of the thinker and pulp fiction.

Though the atmosphere of each novel is dictated by the place in which it is set, all have the kind of suspenseful plot that keeps you turning the pages. Amazingly, Child does not plan any of these in advance.

“I usually have in mind something that is going to trigger something later and it is a question of working towards it, then seeing what happens when I get there. I don’t know what the secret is when I am writing it – it really is a surprise to me. ”

Read the full piece here

Photo © Ali Karim : Lee Child with Agent Darley Anderson

Mulholland & Hodder

As preparations for Bouchercon San Francisco are away in earnest, I was delighted to learn more about MULHOLLAND BOOKS and their link to the UK’s Hodder and Stoughton publishing. The weird thing is that I’ve known Little Brown America’s Miriam Parker for sometime now, and she has kindly kept me abreast with this new imprint.



They have an eclectic range of authors some of whom will be present at the Mulholland Books Cocktail Party in San Francisco next week. The confirmed Mulholland authors are Mark Billingham, Marcia Clark, Sebastian Rotella, Duane Swierczynski and Daniel Woodrell. Incidentally Mulholland Books have an excellent blog which features guest posts from many crime / thriller writers [not all from the imprint] – Click Here to view this interesting resource.

I was also delighted to learn of US PI writer Michael Koryta who is published by Mulholland in the US being launched in the UK by Hodder and Stoughton with ‘So Cold The River’. Shots have a feature length interview coming online shortly. While Mulholland author Michael Connelly has The Reversal out in the US and in the UK from Orion Publishing next week.

Photo Top (c) 2009 A Karim 'Mike Kortya and Mike Connelly in Conversation at the Indianapolis Convention Centre at Bouchercon 2009'

Hodder and Stoughton’s Kerry Hood passed me this information about what Hodder’s involvement would be with Hulholland -

Hodder & Stoughton is delighted to announce the launch of a new fiction imprint, MULHOLLAND BOOKS, whose titles will be published in partnership with the newly-launched imprint of the same name at Little, Brown US.The core of the new imprint will be suspense fiction, including crime novels, thrillers, police procedurals, spy stories and supernatural suspense. Mulholland Books will bring the most exciting new American thriller writers to a UK and international audience, as well as seeking out a select number of British crime authors who will also deliver what thrill-hungry fans demand. Building on Hodder’s existing reputation for publishing entertaining, high quality fiction, Mulholland plans to develop a global online community of crime and thriller readers through online marketing and the use of social media, and to supply that community with regular publications of compelling, fast-paced, page-turning reads. The new imprint will be headed by Anne Clarke as editor, with Nick Sayers as publisher, Katie Hall as digital marketing executive, and Kerry Hood as publicity director. Mulholland Books will publish 8-12 hardbacks and 8-12 paperback original fiction titles a year, and whatever their form, the promise of a Mulholland book is that you'll read it leaning forward, hungry for the next word. With a focus on online community building, internet marketing and authentic connections between authors, readers and publisher, Mulholland Books will be at the centre of a web of suspense.

Mulholland Books will launch simultaneously from in the UK and US next spring, with LA prosecutor Marcia Clark’s gripping series debut GUILT BY ASSOCIATION, a fast-paced crime thriller by the lead prosecutor in the OJ Simpson trial.

Anne Clarke says “I’m thrilled to be involved in such an exciting project, and I think Marcia Clark has given us the perfect book with which to launch our list. Marcia is a talented writer who combines incredible pace and energy with extremely engaging characters, and I can’t wait to publish her book and get the new imprint off to a thundering start.”

Marcia Clark’s GUILT BY ASSOCIATION next May will be followed by a wealth of other fresh and suspense-filled Mulholland titles, starting with a high-concept action thriller in June from Marvel Comics author Duane Swierczynski. Crime and thriller fans: watch this space!”



MULHOLLAND BOOKS: You never know what’s coming around the curve.

For more information, including the imprint trailer, blog posts and information about the crime and thrillers http://www.mulhollandbooks.co.uk/ or find then on Facebook and Twitter @MulhollandUK

Crime Thrillers on Book-Video

We recently informed you about a book video for Roger Ellory’s current crime thriller ‘Saints of New York’, so we are delighted to inform you that London based Foyles is involved in a project featuring crime thrillers on Book Video.

The Book Video Awards is a joint initiative run by Random House and The Bookseller Magazine. Now in its third year, the objective of the Awards is to enable talented young film directors to make high quality video trailers for great books. Students from the National Film and Television School are invited to submit proposals to create a 90 second trailer for a book from a selection presented by Random House. The winners each receive £5,000 to create their videos which are then used to promote the books online for example on author and fan sites, YouTube and retailers. Videos from previous years have also been used in adverts, on TV news and as enhancements for ebooks.

The theme for this year is Crime & Thriller and the winners will be creating videos for the following books: -

Blood's A Rover, James Ellroy
Hypothermia, Arnaldur Indridason
Blood Harvest, SJ Bolton
The Snowman, Jo Nesbo

The videos will be made over the summer and will go live on the Foyles website in September when the public are invited to vote for their favourite. An awards night will be held in October at which the winner of the public vote will be announced.

"Random House are delighted to be working with the National Film and Television School for a third time on the Book Video Awards. We have a fantastic choice of books this year on the theme of Crime and Thriller, which have generated some outstanding proposals from the students. Foyles are a great fit as retail partner for the awards and we look forward to working with them on a range of innovative online and in-store promotions."
Ros Lawler, Head of Ecommerce

"Foyles is delighted to be promoting the link between books and film in such a dynamic and interesting way. We look forward to hosting the voting process and are sure that our customers will enjoy viewing the dramatic trailers."
Becky Jones Foyles E-commerce Manager.

"This is a great opportunity for students and graduates of the NFTS to make really impressive pieces of work. Seeing the trailers it is hard to remember that they are not cut together from pre-existing films, but created entirely from scratch. All of the teams selected to make trailers this year are extremely talented, indeed one director has already won a student Oscar – we look forward to seeing what they come up with for these gripping books.”
Nik Powell, Director, National Film and Television School

Read More Here

And click here to view and vote for your favourite,

More information about Foyles push into the Crime and Thriller World – click here

Special thanks to The Booksellers’ Ashley Baugh and from Foyles Ecommerce Becky Jones Foyles for informing Shots Ezine about this interesting project, because we have a passion for crime and thriller fiction!

From London to San Francisco

It’s a busy time with Mike Stotter, Ayo Onatade and I. We’re in London to celebrate the best of the best in the crime fiction genre this Friday at The Specsavers CWA Dagger Awards. This year we have both Literary as well as Cinematic work under the judge’s microscope.

Then next week, Roger Ellory and I make the long journey to San Francisco for this year’s biggest event in the Crime and Fiction Diary – Bouchercon, the world crime and mystery convention. It’s going to a very large event. Shots gives a huge round of applause to Chair Rae Helmsworth and her dedicated team of organizers. It really is a mammoth task managing one the biggest Bouchercon events ever - looking at the attendance register it seems everyone is coming!

Roger and I have a very busy time planned in the US for Bouchercon, following which Roger travels to Canada for the International Festival of Authors. Roger since his debut novel ‘Candlemoth’ has been globe-trotting, racking up international recognition for his fiction, including this summer, one from Britain & gaining readers including from business. I always enjoy traveling with Roger, as we always have a lot of fun and amusing misadventures. I have known Roger for many years, and I am amazed at how hard he works and actually finds time to write his internationally recognized fiction, including his latest ‘Saints of New York’. I was delighted to view this disturbing book video which shows you just how dark Ellory’s imagination is -



If you find yourself around San Francisco next week, why not meet Roger Ellory at Bouchercon where he’s featured on an interesting panel moderated by Jen Forbus entitled ‘Dead or Alive : Making Crime Fiction Come Alive’ on Thursday October 14th at 1130 hrs in Bayview B. Joining Roger and Jen are Brad Parks, Hilary Davidson and Douglas Corleone.

Incidentally I am moderating a couple of interesting panels myself –

MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED - our favorite books

Thursday Oct 14th 10:00am in Seacliff A

Ali Karim (M) - Chris Aldrich, Sarah Byrne, Janet Rudolph, Andi Shechter

I am as ever flattered to be moderating the book reviewing panel where we will discuss our favourite books, past present and future with key critics of the genre. Remember it was at Bouchercon that word about Stieg Larsson travelled from Europe to America, so you may well discover what the critics reckon will become the big books of 2010.

Joining me are the following key reviewers -

Janet Rudolph is the editor of the Mystery Readers Journal, and creative director/writer at Murder on the Menu and TeamBuilding Unlimited. She blogs daily at Mystery Fanfare and DyingforChocolate.com, facilitates a weekly mystery bookgroup, hosts literary salons with crime writers, and has been a committee member on numerous mystery conventions. She has won the Anthony Award for Special Service to the Field and the Don Sandstrom Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in Mystery Fandom. A long time contributor to the mystery genre, she received her Ph.D. in religious mystery fiction. She lives in the Berkeley (CA) hills with her husband, a golden retriever, and two cats. Her websites are: www.mysteryreaders.org, www.murderonthemenu.com, www.teambuilding-unlimited.com and Blogs: Mystery Fanfare (mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com) and DyingforChocolate www.dyingforchocolate.com.

Chris Aldrich - For 12 years, Chris Aldrich was the co-publisher, with Lynn Kaczmarek, of Mystery News, the Anthony Award winning interview and review publication. Chris loves introducing readers to new and wonderful crime fiction authors. She has written essays for other publications, including They Died in Vain, the 2006 MWA Annual and the Bouchercon 2003 program book. In real life, Chris is a global product Manager for a software company that specializes in international compliance and logistics but she secretly yearns to be a PI. She lives in the New York suburbs and is an avid soccer aunt.

Seattle-based Andi Shechter chaired Left Coast Crime in 1997 and 2007. A long-time reviewer and blogger, Andi lives in the SF and mystery communities and spends little time in the real world, except when the library and coffee shops are open. She was Fan Guest of Honor at LCC in Anchorage in 2001. Andi can frequently be found watching figure skating, reading cookbooks and hanging out with a fabulous collection of toy gorillas and monkeys. Andi lives with the amazing Stu Shiffman. OR she's a blond, coke-addicted runway model with an attitude from New York. Go ahead, ask her.

Sarah Byrne is a lawyer from Canberra Australia, who you'd think would get enough of this sort of thing at the office. She also sings jazz, and any time left over is given to reading crime fiction, writing about crime fiction, or talking about crime fiction at such events as Bouchercon, Left Coast Crime, the Melbourne Crime & Justice Festival and the Canberra Writer's Festival. She's also twice been a Ned Kelly judge. This is her 7th Bouchercon and she's thrilled to be part of it.

And the following day, I am very excited about this last minute addition; a panel that I am sure will be very well attended due to the truly international nature of the crime fiction genre. It includes a very rare appearance from two of the most viscerally interesting writers of crime thrillers since Stieg Larsson; the Swedish writing duo Roslund & Hellström.

INFERNO : Where will the next great idea come from?
Ali Karim (M), Zoë Ferraris, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Anders Roslund, Börge Hellström, Joshua Sobol

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15 11:30AM-12:30PM in Grand Ballroom C

Zoë Ferraris moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the first Gulf War to live with her then-husband and his family, a group of Saudi-Palestinian Bedouins. Her first novel, FINDING NOUF, [aka Night of the Mi’raj] won the LA TIMES book award for Best First Novel. Her debut was also shortlisted by The CWA [in Britain] for the 2008 John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger, with the judges describing it as “A young woman from a wealthy Saudi family is found murdered in the desert. Her death is investigated by Nayir the Bedouin. He is a sympathetic hero with a genuine sense of modesty. The novel is tense and well paced.” A follow-up novel, CITY OF VEILS, has just been published by Little, Brown. She lives in San Francisco.

Anders Roslund & Börge Hellström are awarding winning Swedish crime writers who collaborate on very dark, fast moving and socially aware crime thrillers such as The Beast, Box 21 [aka The Vault] and the upcoming 3 Seconds, with two earlier novels currently in translation into English.

Anders Roslund Born 1961. Founder and former head of Kulturnyheterna (Culture News) on Swedish Television. For many years he worked as a news reporter – specializing in criminal and social issues – and as an Editor-in-chief at Rapport and Aktuellt, the two major News programmes on Swedish Television. He has worked in a canning factory in Israel, as a kiwi farmer in New Zealand, and as a waiter in Colorado.

Börge Hellström Born 1957. One of the founders of the crime prevention organization KRIS (Criminals Return Into Society). He has worked with rehabilitation of young offenders and drug addicts. He has been a singer and guitar player in different bands, and made a living as a travelling troubadour.

Joshua Sobol is a playwright, director and author. He wrote sixty two plays, two novels and short stories. His play "GHETTO" has been produced by leading theatres worldwide and won the Evening Standard award and London Critics award for Best Play 1989 and was nominated for the Laurence Olivier award. His play "A Palestinian Girl" won the Issam Sirtawi award. Sobol developed and explored together with director Paulus Manker new forms of drama and wrote the Polydrama "ALMA". Joshua Sobol is committed to the struggle for a peaceful solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Sobol’s latest American publication is the novel "Cut Throat Dog" by Melville House Publishers.

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir is an Icelandic writer, of both crime-novels and children's fiction. She has been writing since 1998. Her crime novels feature lawyer Thora Gudmundsdottir and include Last Rituals, My Soul to Take and Ashes to Dust. Iceland's only female crime novelist she told the Scotsman newspaper earlier this year “The problem with being a crime writer in Iceland, is that there's not that much crime there to write about. Icelandic murders, as well as being rare, tend to have a depressing stupidity about them.” She also has a career as a civil engineer and lives in the Reykjavík suburb of Seltjarnarnes. She is married with two children

This week at The Rap Sheet, we’re featuring a pre-Bouchercon special feature length 2-part interview with Roslund & Hellström to coincide with their rare visit to the US, which will include a look at their disturbing debut novel The Beast [2005], Box 21 aka The Vault [2007] and just released, the prison psycho-drama that is 3 Seconds. A warning, their work is not for those of a sensitive nature, but if you like challenge in your crime thrillers…….check out The Rap Sheet this week and come to San Francisco next week to attend the biggest event in the International crime-fiction genre - Bouchercon.

If you want to know what all the fuss is about the disturbing novel ‘3 SECONDS' by Roslund & Hellström click below -



We hope to see you in the US West Coast next week!

Photos (c) Ali Karim, with Roger Ellory and Lee Child

Covers (c) Orion Publishing

Newsy Stuff

The tagline “Getting Away With Murder” is not only the tagline for Mike Ripley’s delightful monthly column but it has also been used by the Guardian’s Lucy Mangan’s recent Agatha Christie article. Lucy Mangan’s article looks at whether or not Dame Agatha Christie is actually as good as her fans say or whether it is just fantasy. You can see for yourself here. What do you think? Do you believe that Lucy Mangan has got it wrong or did Dame Agatha Christie get it right?

At the same time Alison Food selects what she considers to be the five best books written by Dame Agatha Christie. Do you agree?

There are more books on their way to the Frankfurt Book Fair –
Ed Victor is bringing the début crime novel from Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer. Already acquired by Headline Plugged will be published in August 2011 in the UK whilst Overlook Press in the US will publish the book. The noir novel features an Irish bouncer in New Jersey, finding himself embroiled in a world of murder, kidnapping and corrupt cops.

The Agency are also taking with them Ranulph Fiennes adventure novel Killer Elite which was originally published in the 1991 as The Feathermen. The book is currently being filmed (staring Robert de Niro) and is due for release in Summer 2011. Killer Elite(The Feathermen)is about a secret organisation that is dedicated to protecting ex-SAS men. Hodder in the UK and Ballantine in the US will publish the books to tie-in with the film. It is not to be confused with the 1975 Sam Peckinpah film The Killer Elite.

Luigi Bonomi Associates are bringing with them Covenant a début novel by début author Dean Crawford. Covenant is said to be a “terrific fast-paced action-adventure novel” about the discovery of a 7,000-year-old tomb containing the body of an alien. World rights have been sold to Maxine Hitchcock at Simon & Schuster and to Stacy Creamer at Touchstone USA.

Meanwhile the Darley Anderson Agency will be selling the US and translation rights to Recorder (Part-time Judge) and best selling author of the novels Ugly and Beyond Ugly Constance Briscoe’s début thriller Partners in Crime. The novel is due to be published by Ebury in the UK in 2011. Darley Anderson will also have the début crime novel The Wrong Man by Jason Dean. It will be on offer not only in the UK but also the US and translation rights will be available.

Hodder and Stoughton have bought the rights to three historical military intelligence novels by début author Nick Brown. The first book, Agent of Rome: The Siege is set in the Syrian Desert in AD 270, and will introduce young military intelligence officer, Cassius Quintius Corbulo. Agent of Rome: The Siege will be published in June 2011. With the following two Corbulo novels due for publication in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

According to book2book, Chatto have acquired the true crime début novel Damn His Blood by début author Peter Moore. Damn His Blood is a story set in Georgian England.

Matthew Lewin takes a look at Laura Wilson’s new historical crime novel A Capital Crime (the third in the Ted Stratton series) and pronounces it historical crime fiction at its best.

Author Jessie Keane is to reunite with her editor Wayne Brookes at Pan Macmillan. Brookes discovered Keane whilst he was at Harper Collins. The first of the three titles for Pan Macmillan will be published in 2012. Meanwhile Keane’s next title for Harper Collins is The Make and is due to be published in January 2011 with a further book to follow.

According to the Guardian and confirmed by Fry himself, Stephen Fry is set to play Mycroft Holmes, the elder and brainer brother of Sherlock Holmes. Meanwhile, Jared Harris (the son of the late Richard Harris) who is best known for playing Lane Pryce in the hit television programme Mad Men is due to play Professor James Moriarty in the sequel as well.

So which other literary sleuths would you like to see on the television? Maxim Jakubowski takes a look at the television version of Peter Robinson’s DCI Banks and suggests a number of other literary detectives that would be worth seeing on television.

Congratulations to Colin Bateman or Bateman as he is better known on his books!. According to book2book, Headline have signed a seven-book deal with the author. The contract will cover three new novels, two in the bestselling Mystery Man series and one continuing the Dan Starkey series, and four backlist titles. The BBC has also optioned Mystery Man and casting is taking place. The first book in the new contract Dr Yes has recently been published.

ITV Thriller Awards - Sherlock Holmes nominated!

THE GAME’S UP... THE SPECSAVERS CRIME THRILLER AWARDS UNVEIL THE FILM & TV SHORTLISTS

Acclaimed TV Revival Sherlock Lands Coveted ‘Dagger’ Nomination

It is edge of your seat action as the third inaugural Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards return to the small screen on Tuesday 12th October on ITV3, with a thrilling line up of nominees plucked from the worlds of crime literature and entertainment. Big name stars from across film and TV drama go head to head when the ‘Daggers’ are dished out in an evening guaranteed to hold nominees and viewers in suspense…

Celebrating the books, the blockbusters and the TV dramas that send shivers down the spine and put supreme sleuthing skills to the test, the coveted awards are presented in a glamorous gala ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House.

Competition is fierce across the categories, especially in this year’s TV Dagger, which sees Britain’s best loved detectives vying for pole position – sleuth of the moment Sherlock, which returned to BBC One to critical acclaim this year and propelled newcomer Benedict Cumberbatch to mass popularity, goes up against Ashes to Ashes (Kudos), nominated for a third year running, Luther (BBC) and Wallander (Left Bank Pictures).

Meanwhile, it’s a blockbuster battle in the Film Dagger section, as Sherlock Holmes makes his second appearance of the night – this time the Warner movie adaptation faces rival Inception, Stieg Larsson’s bestseller The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Sony’s District Nine. In this unique event that combines all genres of crime and thriller fiction, big name authors also find themselves on the hot lists for one of the milestone events in the literary calendar.

In a star studded affair, high profile faces from international stage and screen vie for best actor, actress and supporting role ‘Daggers’ – amongst the top name nominees are Kenneth Branagh, Glenn Close, Philip Glenister, Laurence Fox and former Dagger winner Hermione Norris. Meanwhile Benedict Cumberbatch, TV’s man of the moment, is hoping to seize The Best Actor TV Dagger, against stiff competition from Branagh, Glenister and Idris Elba.

International Criminal fiction is also celebrated as the International TV Dagger lands Wallander a second nomination, against The Good Wife (CBS) and Damages (Sony Pictures).

The Awards are the culmination of the Specsavers Crime Thriller Season. ITV3 is running a 6 week season of brand new crime and thriller documentaries focusing on twelve of TV’s greatest fictional detectives and showcasing shortlisted books for the Crime Writer’s Association Dagger. Each featured detective is a nominee for ‘The People’s Detective’ Dagger for whom the public get to vote at www.itv.com/drama/crimethrillerawards/ -- the winner will be announced at the Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards.

Drawing extensively on archive from ITV’s impressive crime thriller back catalogue, each profile show features two of the nation’s best loved TV detectives, examining their quirks and foibles and re-visiting their most challenging cases. In addition to revealing behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes, there are newly filmed interviews with the stars of the shows and the creators of the TV’s biggest screen sleuths alongside their famous fans.

The 2010 Awards – the third annual event produced by Cactus TV for ITV3, is sponsored by Specsavers and made in conjunction with the Crime Writers’ Association – will take place on the evening of Friday October 8th in the Ballroom of the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London. The Awards will be screened on ITV3 the following week.

The full shortlist in the film and TV categories is:

THE FILM DAGGER
District 9 (Sony Pictures)
Inception (Warner Bros)
Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Momentum Pictures)

The TV DAGGER
Ashes to Ashes (Series 3) (Kudos)
Luther (BBC)
Sherlock (BBC)
Wallander (Series 2) (Left Bank Pictures)

THE INTERNATIONAL TV DAGGER
Damages (Season 3) (Sony Pictures)
The Good Wife (Season 1) (CBS)
Wallander (Series 2) (Yellow Bird Films)

THE BEST ACTRESS DAGGER
Glenn Close (Damages)
Hermione Norris (Spooks)
Keeley Hawes (Ashes to Ashes & Identity)
Maxine Peake (Criminal Justice)
Sue Johnston (Waking the Dead)

THE BEST ACTOR DAGGER
Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock)
Idris Elba (Luther)
Kenneth Branagh (Wallander)
Philip Glenister (Ashes to Ashes)

THE BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR DAGGER
Laurence Fox (Lewis)
Matthew Macfadyen (Criminal Justice)
Rupert Graves (Sherlock)
Tom Hiddleston (Wallander)

THE BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS DAGGER
Dervla Kirwan (The Silence)
Gina McKee (The Silence)
Saskia Reeves (Luther)
Sophie Okonedo (Criminal Justice)

-END-

NOTES TO EDITORS:
Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards
The Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2010 will take place on Friday, 8th October at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel and will be televised on ITV3 on Tuesday 12th October. The 2010 Awards are the third annual produced by Cactus TV for ITV3, and the second annual sponsored by Specsavers and in conjunction with the Crime Writers' Association.

Specsavers
Specsavers was founded by Doug and Dame Mary Perkins in 1984 and is now the largest privately owned opticians in the world. The couple still run the company, along with their three children. Their eldest son John is joint managing director. Specsavers has more than 1,500 stores throughout the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. Annual turnover for the Specsavers Group is forecast to reach £1.55 billion in 2010/11. Specsavers was voted Britain’s most trusted brand of opticians for the ninth year running by Reader’s Digest in 2010. More information can be found at: www.specsavers.co.uk

Cactus TV
Cactus TV is a member of the ALL3MEDIA group and run by husband and wife team Simon and Amanda Ross. Productions include Saturday Kitchen for BBC1, The TV Book Club for Channel4, Hairy Bikers Food Tour of Britain for BBC2, Rachel Allen, Galaxy British Book Awards and 8 years of the Richard & Judy show live from Cactus studios.

ITV3
ITV3’s focus on character driven narrative and drama helps the channel attract an upmarket audience – with 67% of ABC1 adults watching the channel in 2009. ITV3 is available on Freeview (channel 10), Freesat (115), Sky Digital (119) and Virgin Media (116).

Crime Writers’ Association
The Crime Writers’ Association has a membership of over 450 writers of fiction and non-fiction. Its main aims are to promote the crime genre and to support professional writers. The CWA has been providing social and professional support for its members for more than half a century, as well as administering the prestigious Dagger Awards. The Daggers name and Crossed Daggers logo are registered Trade Marks of the Crime Writers’ Association, and are used under licence. For further information on the CWA: www.thecwa.co.uk or contact info@thecwa.co.uk.

Tickets
Tickets for the televised Awards event on October 8th 2010 will be limited (tables of 10 and individual tickets are available). For ticket information, please email Merric Davidson, Agile Marketing: merric@agile-ideas.com
The 2010 Book Category Shortlists as previously announced:

CWA GOLD DAGGER 2010
Blacklands Belinda Bauer Corgi/Transworld
Blood Harvest S J Bolton Bantam Press/Transworld
Shadowplay Karen Campbell Hodder & Stoughton
The Way Home George Pelecanos Orion

CWA IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER 2010, SPONSORED BY IAN FLEMING PUBLICATIONS LTD
A Loyal Spy Simon Conway Hodder & Stoughton
Innocent Scott Turow Mantle
The Dying Light Henry Porter Orion
The Gentlemen's Hour Don Winslow Heinemann/Random House

CWA JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER 2010
Acts of Violence Ryan David Jahn Macmillan New Writing
Rupture Simon Lelic Picador
The Holy Thief William Ryan Mantle
The Pull of the Moon Diane Janes Constable & Robinson

Media enquiries:
Please contact Julia Walker at Midas Public Relations on 020 7361 7860 or julia.walker@midaspr.co.uk