Crime Fiction Dossier

Book of the Week: I.J. Parker's "Island of Exiles"

Island of Exiles is another stellar mystery from I.J. Parker featuring Sugawara Akitada, a nobleman in medieval Japan with a nose for detection. Akitada goes undercover as a convict on a penal colony in order to investigate the suspicious death of the Emperor's rebellious brother. He finds more than he bargained for, though, and ends up with his own life on the line. Parker makes the setting sparkle in lush, vibrant hues, with an interesting plot and wonderfully rich characters.

Book of the Week: A.J. Jacobs' "The Year of Living Biblically"

A.J. Jacobs follows his bestselling book, The Know It All, with The Year of Living Biblically, an entertaining, thought-provoking and reverential memoir of the year he spent attempting to obey all the teachings of the Bible. While initially he finds the Bible's teachings to be strange and constricting, he gradually comes to feel a certain sense of liberation in the restrictions. He also gains a greater appreciation of the role that God can play in one's life, and a greater appreciation for life itself. Whether or not you agree with his conclusions, reading The Year of Living Biblically will likely make you think, and entertain you at the same time.

Book of the Week: Dave White's "When One Man Dies"

Dave White, my favorite writer of short crime fiction, has finally published his first novel and the results are just as good. When One Man Dies introduces New Jersey private eye Jackson Donne, a decent detective who wants nothing more than to get out of the business. Unfortunately, things keep happening that make it impossible for him to quit. (I won’t spoil the plot for you – read the book yourself.) White has accomplished quite a feat, writing a PI novel that is both traditional and fresh. He’s one of the best new talents to join this much-beleaguered area of the genre in some time.

Book of the Week: F. Paul Wilson's "Bloodline"

The eleventh book in the Repairman Jack series is another excellent, haunting thriller that will doubtless impress this cult favorite's many fans. Jack, the ultimate urban fix-it man, uncovers a plot to "rehabilitate" violent criminals by tinkering with their DNA. At the same time, he runs into the followers of a shady self-help guru with plans for world domination. Could these two plot threads be related? (Ya think?) This is not the easiest series to pick up if you haven't read the earlier books. But if you haven't, you should, because Wilson is one of the best.

Book of the Week: Joseph Finder's "Power Play"

Joseph Finder unleashes another white-knuckle tale of suspense with Power Play. This time Finder's focus is on the aviation industry, telling the story of Jake Landry, a lowlevel executive at Hammond Aerospace. When Landry's boss is called away, he is invited to attend the company's team-building retreat at a remote lodge in the Canadian wilderness. What is supposed to be a fun weekend turns deadly when a gang of woodsmen take over the lodge and hold the executives hostage. Finder has proven over his past few novels that he writes some of the best thrillers in the business. Power Play is another winner in the same mold. (Read the full-length review.)

Book of the Week: D.P. Lyle's "Forensics and Fiction"

Nothing ruins a good crime novel faster than factual errors or logical mistakes. That's why so many writers turn to Dr. D.P. Lyle for help. A practicing physician, Lyle is a writer himself, and he helps his colleagues figure out inventive (and accurate) ways of doing mayhem to the human body. Forensics and Fiction collects some of the most interesting questions Lyle has answered. Want to know how long a human head immersed in the North Sea would remain recognizable? This is the place to look. Not only is the book valuable for all the useful, obscure information it contains, it's also fascinating to see what kinds of questions writers ask. (Some of them, as you might expect, are rather strange.) Forensics and Fiction is an excellent resource for writers and an entertaining, informative read for fans.

Book of the Week: Charlie Huston's "The Shotgun Rule"

One of the strongest crime writers to emerge in recent years, Charlie Huston changes pace with this pitch-perfect story of four teenage boys and how they spent their summer vacation. They entertain themselves by smoking and swearing and dreaming about sex, but when they break into the house of the town's biggest meth cookers, their adventure turns into a nightmare. Huston has the characters down pat in The Shotgun Rule, capturing their attitudes, ideas and speech like few writers could. Most thrillers aim to entertain by being larger-than-life. The Shotgun Rule, however, is an intimate, realistic and contained story, and one of the summer's most impressive.

Book of the Week: Nick Stone's "Mr. Clarinet"

One of the best debuts of the year (or last year, if you're in the UK), Nick Stone's Mr. Clarinet is a dark, atmospheric story of an ex-PI sent to Haiti to find a missing boy that he suspects is already dead. There unfolds a suspenseful story of secrets and lies, flavored with dark magic, depravity and deceit. Max Mingus is a tortured but compelling protagonist and he leads a stellar cast of characters who make the story come alive. Stone's work is not for everyone -- the subject matter can be challenging -- but he's a true talent worth watching.

Book of the Week: Jonathon King's "Acts of Nature"

Acts of Nature is another fine, atmospheric novel from Jonathon King featuring PI Max Freeman. This time out Freeman isn't working a case; he's just trying to take a vacation with his girlfriend. But a peaceful trip into the Everglades turns nightmarish when the couple find themselves trapped in the middle of a hurricane. At the same time, King weaves in two other plot lines, one involving a pair of oil company bad guys, the other a trio of criminals looting their way through the hurricane's wake. The way King brings the three divergent plot lines together into one suspenseful whole is as clever as it is thrilling.

Book of the Week: Harley Jane Kozak's "Dead Ex"

Greeting card designer and serial dater Wollie Shelley returns in Harley Jane Kozak's delightful third novel Dead Ex. When Wollie's ex-boyfriend, a terminally-ill soap opera producer, is murdered, her best friend (who also dated him) is the prime suspect. Wollie must jump headfirst into the shark-infested waters of Hollywood to find out what really happened and clear her friend's name. Dead Ex is a charming book with a well-done mystery and plenty of fun characters.