While bookshops suffer buyer's remorse (ha!) at all those copies of Dan Brown's LOST SYMBOL that nobody wants to buy (Okay, okay, I'll quit it with the sarcasm now), you could almost be forgiven for forgetting that there are plenty of other crime and thriller authors out there in the big wide world. Let's not forget that for other authors, there are genuinely such things as a...
BIG BUZZ
Yes, it's a bad pun to denote that Steig Larson's third book in the Millennium trilogy, THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST will be released on the first of October (that's Super Thursday to those in the book trade, the day when over 800 titles will be released). The first two in the sequence have sold spectactularly, generating a huge amount of attention both from critics and from the public. While Larson may have originally planned ten novels, the spectacular success of these three novels have secured him a posthumous place in the thriller writing hall of fame, despite some over-earnest critics' concerns over their apparent sexism...
It's the "in thing" these last few months for crime writers to switch genres. Scottish author Stuart "B" MacBride last month released the brilliant, HALFHEAD upon the world, a near-future procedural/serial killer thriller which is by turns unsettling, laugh-out-loud funny and page-turningly tense. Of course, he was beat to the punch by the exceedingly energetic madness of Christopher Brokmyre's PANDAEMONIUM which pitted demons from hell against a bunch of Glasgow school kids. Last we heard, odds on who would win were pretty even.And now Irish thriller genius John Connolly's getting in on the act with THE GATES, which is due to be released on the first October in London, where he will be appearing alongside the also-surperbly-talented Mark Billingham (you haven't read BLOOD LINE? Do it. Now) in what is sure to be an excellent double act.
Of course, all the cool kids will be up in Dundee on the first where a certain columnists second novel will be getting its lovely welcome into the world...
FIVE LEAVES, ONE AWARD NOMINATION
Big shout out to my UK publishers, the indy press Five Leaves who have had one of their books nominated for the ITV3 Thriller Awards. And no, its not your bearded hero (I was told they said I was far too handsome to appear on ITV so therefore could not be nominated in case they had to me on TV) but the rather excellent Mr Rod Madocks and his ten-years-in-the-writing, NO WAY TO SAY GOODBYE, a novel set in a mental institution and awash with photographic evidence to enhance the (probably) fictional tale within. The book has been shortlisted for the John Creasy (New Blood) dagger along with several other well deserving entries including Scots publisher's Luath's Bad Catholics, by James Green.FEVER, BUT NO VIRUSES
Val McDermid's latest novel, FEVER OF THE BONE, came with a rather unique marketing angle - its very own social networking site. Using the Ning technology that has made CrimeSpace one of the more popular gathering points for online fans of crime fiction, Rigmarole is a place for fans of McDermid's works to congregate and share their fandom. But more than that, according to many reports, it seems that Val's publicists have gone a step further and included profiles of certain characters from Val's novels... could that new friend you just accepted really be the serial killer? Hmmm... guess there's only one way to find out (and that's by buying the latest book!)
VIDEO KILLED THE PUBLISHING STARS
Ken Bruen (pictured here on set with Jason Statham, who plays DI Brant in the big screen adaptation of Bruen's excellent BLITZ) is taking over the new media. Not only is Statham strutting on screen as Brant, but Colin Farrell is working with Keira Knightley (the lucky bastard) on the set of LONDON BOULEVARD and it seems that the popular Jack Taylor series will be brought to the small screen in CH4's adaptation of THE GUARDS. At the time of going to press here I had no confirmation on the rumours circulating that THE WIRE's Dominic West will be playing Taylor, but there's no doubt that if the producers bring the same care and attention to this that CH4 did to David Peace's Red Riding trilogy, its going to be something very special indeed.And I know we've already mentioned October 1st a couple of times, but there's one other title slipping out amidst the bigger names in the UK you might to check out... yes, on the 1st October, your humbly bearded host will be unleashing his second novel, THE LOST SISTER upon the world. But he'd never abuse his columnist's rights to plug that... oh no, not at all...
Until next time...
Russel
