Merry, merry!

The BR pile: Chuck Hogan

Actually having a chance to say "hey" to Chuck at holiday event for Kate's Mystery Books, I was reminded how remiss I've been in reporting on the B(een) R(ead) pile. Bad blogger! No bourbon! Without further ado...

What was most fun about reading Prince of Thieves and The Blood Artists one after the other was experiencing the different voices in the books. And it's not just that they're completely different crime novels (the first is about Boston bank robbers, the second is a medical thriller about a killer virus and the researchers who try to stop it). There's almost a homey familiarity to the characters in Prince, despite their brutality; as someone familiar with the setting, I didn't hear one false note. There's a remoteness to the researchers in The Blood Artists, as chilling as the viral villain they pursue. What floors me is in the comparison of the dialogue: there was never any point in either book where one started to sound like the other. Charlestown thugs and CDC scientists, each convincingly authentic, situated perfectly in their separate worlds.

Dang. That takes some serious skill. Add to that the terrific pace of both books and Hogan's willingness to take his characters to places you might prefer they didn't go.

I'll be adding the rest of Chuck's books to my holiday wish list.

As for the new addition to my TBR pile, well, I don't know who this Julia Child person is, but she sure talks about food a lot. And France. I'm still working on The Aeneid, and as much as I'm liking it (I'll agree it's the Roman equivalent of The Odyssey), some how epic adventure seems a bit much against the holidays.

"Femme Sole" in the BOSTON GLOBE

This was a nice surprise. I knew they were doing a small piece to promote the event at Brookline Booksmith on Thursday, but had no idea it would be featured so prominently, or with a picture!

And while I reported that Boston Noir has been doing well on the Globe bestseller list, I don't think I've had time to link to the great review it received. "Femme Sole" was singled out:

"Dana Cameron’s “Femme Sole’’ turns the clock back to turn-of-the-century Dock Square. There, another enterprising businesswoman (“a pretty young lass with no family and a thriving business on the waterfront’’) has married a man to insulate herself from predators, only to find she’s let the predator into her bed."

Great news all around! I hope to see you in Brookline on Thursday!

Sisters in Crime at B&N

Hallie Ephron (center), Hank Phillippi Ryan (right), and I had a super time at the Peabody Barnes & Noble Wednesday night. Not only did CRM Paula Morin do a great job of advertising the event, we were surrounded by family and friends. Especially nice was the number of New England Sisters in Crime in the audience, and the readers who'd come from as far away as Connecticut, through all kinds of weather!

Thanks, everyone!

Tomorrow: B&N with Hank and Hallie

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving (or, if you don't celebrate, a super Thursday). I can't believe we're staring down the barrel of the holiday season already...

I'm gearing up for three events in the next week or so. The first is a New England Sisters in Crime event with Hank Phillippi Ryan and Hallie Ephron at the Peabody Barnes & Noble tomorrow night (Wednesday, December 2). If you missed Crime Bake, why not catch up with us there?

The next is the annual holiday party with Kate's Mystery Books. This year, the party will be at Redbones in Somerville, MA on December 6. Like barbecue? Like books? Got some shopping to do? There'll be a host of local mystery writers signing books from 3-6; I'll be there at least from 4:45-5:30.

December 10, I'll be at Brookline Booksmith with Brendan DuBois and Russ Aborn, reading from our stories in Boston Noir.