Rod Reynolds - Blood Red City Published by Orenda Books, paperback £8.99. I received a proof copy from the publisher for review purposes. Rod Reynolds set his first three novels, a series, in America in the 1940s. All of them slices of pure period noir with a modern eye to pace and characterisation, they are … Continue reading Review: Blood Red City
Review: Plender
Ted Lewis - Plender No Exit Press (reissue), paperback £9.99. I bought this title new, direct from the publisher. I’ve been banging on about Ted Lewis, Get Carter (both the 1971 film and the novel, first published as Jack's Return Home) and Nick Triplow’s biography of Lewis and the birth of Brit Noir for several … Continue reading Review: Plender
Review: Bad Memory
Lisa Gray - Bad Memory Thomas & Mercer paperback, £8.99. I bought this new. The path from journalist to novelist is a well-worn one, and for good reason - the love of and a confidence in the use of words, the discipline of writing to a deadline and the familiarity of being edited are staples … Continue reading Review: Bad Memory
Review: No Place To Die
Neil Broadfoot - No Place To Die Published by Constable, paperback £8.99. My review is of the hardback edition (Constable, £19.99), which I received a copy of from the author. Venture capitalist-turned-lifestyle guru Blair Charlston has chosen a luxury hotel on the outskirts of Stirling to deliver his message to the faithful at a weekend … Continue reading Review: No Place To Die
Feature: Online book festivals
A crime fiction tour of the UK without leaving the sofa? Yes please! I go to a lot of book festivals and events in the course of a normal year, and see many writers, but in this less-than-normal year I've managed to see Liz Nugent, Lee Child, Val McDermid, Don Winslow and many more all … Continue reading Feature: Online book festivals
Review: Thirty-One Bones
Morgan Cry - Thirty-One Bones Published by Polygon Books, paperback £8.99. I received a proof copy from the publisher for review purposes. A new name is on the cover of this novel, but it's not a debut - Morgan Cry is an alias for crime writer and Bloody Scotland board member Gordon Brown, who has … Continue reading Review: Thirty-One Bones
Feature: Noir At The Bar
From a darkened room to Zoom... I always think of myself as an introvert, and happy in my own company, but during lockdown I've come to realise I also need the company of like-minded people at least now and again. So I have been very grateful for the online events that have popped up to … Continue reading Feature: Noir At The Bar
Review: Jeremiah’s Bell
Denzil Meyrick - Jeremiah’s Bell Published by Polygon, paperback £8.99. I received a proof copy from the publisher for review purposes. After Denzil Meyrick ended last year’s A Breath On Dying Embers with a mighty cliff-hanger, fans will have been desperate to get their hands on Jeremiah’s Bell to see what happens next. (You can … Continue reading Review: Jeremiah’s Bell
#OnLymeCrime
A brief round-up of some festival excellence! Cancelled IRL, Lyme Crime found a virtual home this past weekend - now you can relive the mayhem, murder and most interesting chats via the festival's YouTube channel and you'll find the fantastic Noir At The Bar (hosted by Vic Watson and Simon Bewick of VNATB fame), featuring … Continue reading #OnLymeCrime
Exclusive guest post!
Author Derek Farrell pops in to talk about life in lockdown, short stories and #OnLymeCrime... I don’t know what’s happening where you are, but I’m sitting in West Sussex in a heatwave that’s got the air feeling like slowly cooked rhubarb - thick and syrupy and almost impossible to suck oxygen from it. And I’m … Continue reading Exclusive guest post!
