Crime Fiction Dossier

Book of the Week: Kent Harrington's "The Good Physician"

Kent Harrington is one of the undiscovered talents of the crime genre, a gifted writer who has produced half a dozen excellent novels, most recently the superb Red Jungle. Now he's published an up-to-the-moment literary thriller with a plot featuring the War on Terror as seen through the eyes of a jaded young American doctor working for the CIA. The Good Physician doesn't move with the pacing of the typical thriller, but by reading more closely, we're able to enjoy the beauty of the language and the nuanced twists of the characters. The Good Physician avoids easy observations or answers, causing the reader to think while being entertained. Harrington's work is worth seeking out.

Book of the Week: James Rollins' "The Last Oracle"

James Rollins' latest Sigma Force novel is another smart and suspenseful thrill ride. Some Russian scientists are working on a project to harness the savant-like abilities of autistic children. Their goal is to unleash the hidden powers of the human brain in order to further their plans for world domination -- and it’s up to the men and women of Sigma to stop them. Rollins combines real-world science with high-octane action to create rousing stories of adventure that are sure to please. The Last Oracle takes a little while to get going, but once it does, there’s no stopping it.

Book of the Week: Julia Spencer-Fleming's "I Shall Not Want"

Julia Spencer-Fleming's series featuring Episcopal priest Clare Fergusson and police chief Russ Van Alstyne remains one of my favorites in the mystery world. It's not that the plots are so good -- they're fine, but nothing outstanding -- but rather because spending time with the characters is so pleasing. Their problems might be a little more melodramatic than those faced by us normal folks -- interfering bishops, nosy congregations, dead wives -- but the trick is that Spencer-Fleming makes us care. She has invested her creations with so much life, and made them so likable and real, that we can't help but be drawn into their world. The ups and downs and ins and outs of their relationship keep me coming back each year for more. I'm already looking forward to the next one.

Book of the Week: Garth Stein's "The Art of Racing in the Rain"

Although my reading schedule is always overstuffed with crime novels, I occasionally read books outside the genre, the latest of which is Garth Stein's excellent The Art of Racing in the Rain. It's the heartbreaking story of how a family comes apart, told from the perspective of the family dog. A book like this could have been silly if not downright ridiculous -- but Stein pulls it off in impressive fashion, crafting a very human story of love and loss, filled with emotion and inspiration. One of my favorite books of the year so far -- it blew me away.

Book of the Week: Miles Corwin's "Homicide Special"

I'd never heard of this book, which was first published in 2003, so when a friend recommended it I picked it up right away. Journalist Miles Corwin spent a year with the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division, riding with the detectives, sitting in the squad room and observing their investigations. Homicide Special is the fascinating result of that work, a non-fiction study that reads like a Michael Connelly novel. Corwin is a sharp observer and a fine writer. For anyone interested in learning what a homicide investigation is really like, this is indispensable.

Book of the Week: Tom Rob Smith's "Child 44"

One of the few books I've read in recent memory that actually deserves the hype it's getting (most of it, anyway), Tom Rob Smith's Child 44 is a fascinating, haunting, depressing thriller set in the Soviet Union during the tail end of Stalin's reign. A serial killer is preying on children throughout the country, but since there is no crime in the Soviet Union -- crime is a problem of the decadent West, not the worker's paradise -- there can be no serial killers. A disgraced former State Security officer risks his life to prove the killer exists and to stop him. There are some wildly improbable coincidences and other flaws with Smith's story, but the way he makes Stalinist Russia come alive is breathtaking in its imagination and despair. Child 44 is a powerful and compelling first novel.

Book of the Week: "The Blue Religion" (ed. Michael Connelly)

The Mystery Writers of America have put together a new anthology of short fiction, featuring stories about police officers and their lives on and off the job. I know what you're thinking -- Do we really need another anthology? -- but this one has enough good stories to recommend it. Stand-out efforts come from Michael Connelly, Paul Guyot, Alafair Burke, Jack Frederickson and Edward D. Hoch. (There are some other good ones as well, and only a couple of stinkers.) The world of short crime fiction is the strongest it’s been in years, and anthologies like The Blue Religion are a large part of the reason why.

Book of the Week: Richard Price's "Lush Life"

Richard Price is one of the rare authors who has achieved fame and accolades as a literary writer, while working solidly within the crime tradition. Like George Pelecanos (his fellow alumnus of The Wire), Price brings incandescent prose, razor-sharp dialogue and depth of characterization to bear in a crackling crime story -- and the results are pure genius. Set almost entirely within a few square blocks on Manhattan's Lower East Side, Lush Life is the story of a young man's murder and its aftermath. As the police investigate the case, Price probes deeper and deeper into his characters -- cops, cons and victims alike -- laying bare their souls on the page. Few writers have the imagination, understanding and skill to bring such diverse characters to life as Price does. The plot is a simple one, but the way Price utilizes his amazing cast gives such depth and nuance to the story that the reader can't help but be riveted. Easily one of the best literary achievements of the year.

Book of the Week: Joseph Wambaugh's "Hollywood Crows"

Joseph Wambaugh's darkly comic cops of the LAPD return to action in Hollywood Crows, a sequel to 2006's outstanding Hollywood Station. Even though he's been off the job for years, Wambaugh still has strong contacts in law enforcement, and his works maintains the air of authenticity that has always made it so good. This time his featured officers are working for the Community Relations Office (thus CROws) and get involved in a wife's conspiracy to rid herself of an unwanted husband. Hollywood Station was a great book; Hollywood Crows is less so. The characters don't seem as vibrant this time out and there's even less story to hold onto. But most Wambaugh is still worth recommending, and this one is, too. It's great to have him writing fiction again, even when the work is less than his best.

Book of the Week: Libby Fischer Hellmann's "Easy Innocence"

Libby Fischer Hellmann, author of the Ellie Foreman series (which I reviewed positively in years past), launches a new lead character in her latest mystery. Georgia Davis is a Chicago PI hired to prove the innocence of a mentally challenged man who has been accused of murdering a teenage girl. Easy Innocence is not as suspenseful as it could be (mostly because it reveals a key plot twist before the story even starts) and the motivation of its villains is questionable. But Davis is an engaging character, and Hellmann does a nice job with the book's clique of teenage girls, so the book rises above those limitations. Easy Innocence shows promise for Georgia Davis. Hopefully we'll see her again soon.