Monday, February 15, 2010

Neighbo(u)rly Suggestions

By Steve Weddle


If you’re like me, Valentine’s Day means your neighbors went away to one of those bed and breakfasts for the weekend and asked you to watch their dog and you ended up finding some cash hidden in their liquor cabinet. So you have some money to spend and need a spot for it.

OK. Assuming you already bought the Kindle version of CrimeFactoryfor a buck, you’ve still got some cash.

First, lemme give you a freebie. (Hahahaha. Shaddup.) Over at theTuesdays with Tyrus podcast, Alison Janssen chatted up Victor Gischler. Two great tastes, right? (You got your chocolate on my bacon. You got your bacon on my chocolate.) They chat about his new book THE DEPUTY coming out soon, as well as The Masters, BSG, and the Saints.

Speaking of new books (How do we do that now? “Typing of new books”?) have I reminded you recently that John McFetridge’s LET IT RIDE comes out TOMORROW, FEB 16? Head over to your favourite (Hahaha. The “u” because he’s from Canada.) bookstoure and get a copy. Probably cost you about $15. A bargain of a great story about cops and crime and Canada. McFet’s book is a story of place, a story of people who get caught up in things bigger than they are, things that bang them around and won’t let go. Kinda how you’ll feel when you’re reading the book. If you want a taste of the story, check out the last couple of DSD podcasts in which McFet reads pieces of the book. As Ken Bruen said, “McFetridge channels Elmore Leonard at the height of his powers, with dialogue Quentin Tarantino would kill for.” I wouldn't lie to you about this. If you've been diggin John's posts here on Wednesdays, you know what a clever guy and top-notch writer he is. Go buy his book. This is how you tell the world you enjoy this kind of writing -- by buying it and reading it and telling people how great it is. Wanna know why they put that generic crap at the front of the bookstore and you have to special order McFet? Because people buy that generic crap. So let's help McFet sell out his first printing. (Seriously, how cool would that be?) Buy a copy and tell a friend. (Or, if you're like me, just write McFet's website addy on the edge of your soapbox.)

And if you’re looking for another good read, you should pick up ONE TOO MANY BLOWS TO THE HEADfrom Eric Beetner and JB Kohl. Megan Abbott put it better than I can when she said simply that the book “feels like a long-lost pulp you find in a favorite bookstore.” Kinda like an old Hard Case book. Lunch counters. Boxing. Kansas City in 1939. If you like your books quick and brutal, you’ll dig this one. Check this out: “A blood vessel had burst in her eye and it bloomed red on one half, making the tiny sliver of white the only thing on her body that wasn’t black or blue.” I don’t want to spoil any of it, but there are plenty of crooked players, cops and boxers, slugging their way through this quick read. Oh, and there's some good David and Bathsheba stuff in there, too.

But it ain’t all novels around these parts. There’s poems in them thar hills. Gerald So and company have put together the next installment in THE LINEUP, a collection of crime poems. This go-round features Patricia Abbott, Reed Farrel Coleman, Anne Frasier and many others wrapping verse around a steel pipe. From police ride-alongs to damp basements, this one has you covered. Oh, and it’ll give you even more reasons to stay out of airport bathrooms. Or airports, at least.

Speaking of which, the Do Some Damage short fiction is coming together, folks. We themed it up with some airport trouble. Our original title was THE DAMAGE DONE, but Hilary Davidson threatened to throat punch each one of us for stealing her book’s title (Fall 2010) so we’re going with TERMINAL DAMAGE, or something along those lines. We’ll have that for you in the next little bit.

And while we’re going all round-up style today, I should mention that my recent reads include two Reacher books from Lee Childs. Seriously, why didn’t you people tell me? These are good books. And Jay Stringer sent me FLETCH with a fairly strongly worded limerick suggested that I should read it. So I did. Nothing like the Chevy Chase movie. Great book in a whole different way than the movie. Oh, and this Sean Chercover dude can write. TRIGGER CITY is fantastic, a great follow-up to the first Ray Dudgeon book.

And finally, JT Ellison’s next Taylor Jackon book, THE COLD ROOM, is hitting shelves in your area. Do yourself a favor and grab this one.

OK. I’m sure I’ve missed some great stuff you should spend your money on, but our neighbors also had liquor in their liquor cabinet. Something called “Famous Grouse,” which sounds like ground-up bird, but smells delightful. So, you’ll have to take over here for a bit. What other books should folks be buying?

8 comments:

Joelle Charbonneau said...

I already have my copy of Let It Ride ordered! Can't wait to dive in. And ooops...sorry. Didn't know you weren't into Lee Childs before. He's a great writer and an even nicer guy. Come to Bouchercon next year and we'll make sure the two of you chat!

Thanks for the recommendations. When I'm in between writing novels I'm always looking for great reads.

Eric Beetner said...

Thanks for the hat tip Steve. Always feels good to be in such fine company as the others you mentioned.

Hilary Davidson said...

Throat punch? Moi? Does that really sound like something I'd threaten? [Long, chilling silence] Oh. You guys already know about my martial arts habit? Damn.

Congrats to the entire DSD crew on TERMINAL DAMAGE. Also, congrats to John McFetridge. I've been enjoying his short stories, and I can't wait to read LET IT RIDE. There are three other new novels I'm also looking forward to: Kelli Stanley's CITY OF DRAGONS, Roger Smith's WAKE UP DEAD, and Carla Buckley's THE THINGS THAT KEEP US HERE.

Also, I have to second Steve's recommendation of Sean Chercover. He's simply incredible.

Steve Weddle said...

Joelle -- The more Lee Childs, the better.

Eric -- You bet. Great read.

Hilary -- I'll take a look at those books. And, yes. Can't wait for the next Chercover.

Barna W. Donovan said...

I want to read "One Too Many Blows to the Head" just for the title alone!

Unknown said...

One too many blows to the head is some straight up pulpy goodness. Let me also suggest another great Macmillan author, Craig Mcdonald and his new novel PRINT THE LEGEND to go along with John's new one(I still like SWAP as the original title.)

Paul D Brazill said...

"One Too Many Blows to the Head" is a joy.

ratatouille's archives said...

Hi!
This is my first post...I followed a link and I have to agree 100% with Paul Brazill, I think that
"One Too Many Blows to the Head" is a very interesting book to read.

Right now, I know of three fellow bloggers,(Present company included...) who are reading authors Eric Beetner's and J.B.Kohl's book too!

Thanks, for sharing!
DeeDee ;-D