Robert B. Parker's Slow Burn by Ace Atkins is the newest Spenser novel, where Boston PI Spenser faces a hot case and a personal crisis (Available today!). An assessment of a new Spenser novel requires this reviewer to reveal a bit of my adoration for series creator, Robert B. Parker, and why I was initially…
Many readers develop a deep affinity for a continuing detective or mystery series beyond well-sculpted plots, fast action, and wisecracks, that is, if they are going to stick with it for the long read. I know I do. An emotional hook, so to speak, that I can identify with in the main and supporting characters.…
I’ll always love Robert B. Parker. He’s not the best writer I’ve ever read, nor is he the most consistent. Doesn’t matter. I discovered him in high school, when all I cared about was being entertained, and Robert B. Parker was as entertaining as hell. His books were funny and exciting and wise. I bought…
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson is the first modern western in the Walt Longmire series about a Wyoming sheriff. Registered commenters below will be entered for a chance to win an advanced reader's copy of Craig Johnson's upcoming collection of Walt Longmire short stories, Wait for Signs! The first novel in the enormously popular…
Baseball season is well under way, so it’s time to start reading about fictional murder in our favorite ballparks. Here are some of my favorite series and standalones, and even a short story anthology that talks about the great American pastime. So let’s play ball…
Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “renegade” as an individual who rejects lawful or conventional behavior. Crime fiction no matter what medium—movies, TV, or books—is full of renegade characters who not only reject rules and ignore social norms, they routinely break the law, taking the concept of knight errant to a whole new level. Here are some…
From the promise of discovering a dusty Van Gogh in the attic, to coming across fabled recordings by Robert Johnson, we love to discover something once thought lost forever. For book lovers the big game is the mythical lost manuscript that may or may not even exist. Now, with the publication of James M. Cain’s…
Spenser, the Boston private detective created by Robert B. Parker, has inspired legions of readers and writers alike. To commemorate his influence, editor Otto Penzler assembled a monster list of crime authors to share their affection for this icon. Their contributions became In Pursuit of Spenser: Mystery Writers on Robert B. Parker and the Creation…
“Listen to your mother.” Excellent words of advice, so today on the occasion of Mother’s Day, we are going to give some of our mothers the opportunity to make crime fiction book and TV recommendations. Of course, it just wouldn’t be right unless I started with my own lovely and talented mother whose favorite authors…
You don’t see the term “hardboiled” much any more. “Noir” has supplanted it, co-opted from the French film critics who intended it for the American crime films made during and shortly after World War II. Those critics had co-opted the term from Serie Noire, the black-covered paperbacks from publisher Gallimard that reprinted the likes of…
