In Reference to Murder

Halloweekend

Janet Rudolph's Mystery Fanfare blog has been hosting Halloween Guest Blogger posts this week, the latest from Penny Warner on "How to Host a Vampire Party."

Paul D. Brazill has a guest blogger today, too, a flash fiction piece from horror writer Juliette "Rizzy" Rodham.

In case your pets were worrying about what to wear to the Halloween costume party, Media Bistro has a video with some Halloween pet costume ideas.

Author Kate Mosse listed her Top 10 Ghost Stories for The Guardian online, starting off with a little Poe-tasting.

Want more scary reading? The Washington Post has 5 Books on Zombies for you.

Smartphone fans don't have to feel left out this year with these Thirteen Spooky Halloween iPhone Apps and CNet's apps for other devices that include a coloring book, interactive e-book, pumpkin-carving simulator and more.

Elizabeth Foxwell on her Bunburyist Blog, lists some Paranormal Tourism ideas. 

What's a Halloween bash without music? Check out 5 Free Halloween Music Playlists, courtesy of Mashable.

The casts of Paranormal Activity 2, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries and Twilight offered up their scary-movie choices, and Wes Craven has his own Best Horror Movie list.

Sick and tired of pumpkin carving the old-fashioned way? Why not combine it with a little target practice?

Friday's Forgotten Books - The Ethnic Detectives

Can you tell I stopped for a while in the anthology section of the public library recently? Following last week's anthology Speaking of Murder, edited by Ed Gorman and Martin Greenberg, I have another to add to this week's installment of Friday's Forgotten Books, The Ethnic Detectives, edited by Greenberg and Bill Pronzini.

Obviously, the editors had to determine how exactly to define "ethnic" for inclusion in this book. In the introduction, they say that such a distinction isn't all that simple and point out how in one sense, even Edgar Allan Poe's C. August Dupin qualifies. The principal definition is that the sleuth is a member of a minority group within a dominant culture, and whose mannerisms, world view, and approach reflect upon his background.

The reasons for writing such a character are many and varied, but as Greenberg and Pronzini point out, "These are particularly interesting characters because their adventures frequently concern problems of identity, of the search for one's roots, and of reconciling different heritages — problems that are the stuff of emotion and high drama." And, as the editors ultimately conclude, "Vive le roman policier! Vive la difference!"

This particular group of stories were chosen to represent different ethnic groups, without duplications. Thus, we have one each of the Chinese detective (Judge Dee by Robert van Gulik); one of a couple of different Native American tribal detectives (David Return by Manly Wade Wellman and also Tony Hillerman, mentioned below); the Czechoslovakian detective (Dr. Jan Czissar by Eric Ambler); the Filipino detective (Jo Gar by Raoul Whitfield) and so forth. Most of these authors will be new to the majority of crime fiction readers, with only a handful well-known, such as Georges Simenon (Inspector Maigret), Tony Hillerman (Jim Chee), and Marcia Muller (Elena Oliverez).

Reading the book is something akin to eating at an international food fair, with little tastings that may satisfy, but leave you wanting more. The most effective stories are those from the authors who have lived the longest with their characters, primarily Hillerman and his Navajo Corporal, Jim Chee, and for the most intense banquet of all, a novella-length story from Ed McBain featuring the various multi-cultural detectives of his 87th Precinct series the author featured in dozens of novels and stories.

The Ethnic Detectives is a fascinating look at the various ways writers slip into worlds not their own and try to create fiction that conveys the spirit of people who live there. Like most such efforts, some of these attempts are successful, others a little less so. But it's an easy way to travel around the world vicariously and be pleasantly entertained at the same time.

New in November

New titles aplenty coming up in November from Jeffrey Ashford, Reed Farrel Coleman, Patricia Cornwell, Jeffrey Deaver, Vicki Delaney, Kerry Greenwood, J.M. Gregson, Graham Ison, Dennis Lehane, Henning Mankell, Margaret Maron, Bill Pronzini, J.D. Robb, Priscilla Royal, Sheldon Russell, J.B. Stanley, Rebecca Tope, Elaine Viets, Joseph Wambaugh, and the 25th and final Brady Coyne novel from the late William G. Tapply, who died last year.

But wait — there's more! Here are some lists of books to look for:

Bloodstained Bookshelf

Books N Bytes

Cozy Mysteries

Fantastic Fiction

Murder, Mystery and Mayhem

Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore

Powells Books

San Diego's Mystery Books

Stop, You're Killing Me (hardcover)

Stop, You're Killing Me (paperback)

Literary Whimsy

Time out for a little mid(ish) week whimsy: literary tattoos and cakes! Huffpo had a slideshow recently of "15 Amazing Literary Tattoos from Diehard Bookworms" and Flavorwire offered up photos of "50 Pop Culture Cakes" (they're all pretty amazing, but the book-themed ones are on the first page). Sadly, the mystery and crime fiction world seems to be missing from the festivities, although I did find a couple of CSI cakes online:

So how 'bout it, mystery/crime fiction fans? What would make an awesome literary cake or incredible (and I mean that in both senses of the word) tattoo?

 

The Fat Lady Hasn't Sung Yet

Yes, many in the crime fiction community are still basking in the warm glow from Bouchercon, but the conference season isn't over just yet. Coming up this very weekend, October 29 - 31 in Muncie, Indiana, is the annual Magna cum Murder event. This year's guests of honor are mother/son writing duo Charles and Caroline Todd (to be interviewed by Jon Jordan), whose book A Duty to the Dead received a 2010 Macavity Award Nomination in the Sue Feder Historical Mystery category. There will be many mystery writers on hand for panels and signings, and a keynote address from J. Steven White, who is on the faculty of the Graduate Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and the Shakespeare Lab at the Public Theatre and has the distinction of directing fight scenes in more than 100 professional productions for ballet, film, and theatre.

Also this weekend, the Men of Mystery festival in Irvine, California, will host more than 50 male mystery writers, "everything from legal thrillers to surfer P.I.'s." The featured morning speakers are Gregg Hurwitz and Christopher Rice, and the afternoon speaker is Don Winslow. Plus, there will be plenty of time for socializing and signings. 

Media Murder for Monday

Today's Media Murder post is a little different, due to time constaints, but takes a look at upcoming theatrical and DVD releases coming up this week and next:

MOVIES

October 29 (limited release): The final installment in the Swedish version of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy (unless you count the 4th or 5th book rumored to be in MS form), The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, stars Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre, Annika Hallin and Anders Ahlbom.

October 29 (limited release): Wild Target, in which Rose (played by Emily Blunt) is a beautiful, quick-witted con artist making a killing selling fake paintings. But when she pushes one scam too far, she finds the mob on her tail and a price on her head. Enter Victor Maynard (Bill Nighy), Europe's most efficient and expensive assassin. Victor embarks on his latest assignment with his usual solitary professionalism, yet every time Victor has Rose in his sights something seems to hold him back. Increasingly entranced by the spirited Rose, Victor spares her life, accidently acquiring a young apprentice (Rupert Grint) in the process. 

November 5th (limited release):  Fair Game tells the story of outed CIA-agent Valerie Plame (played by Naomi Watts) who leads an investigation into the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Valerie's husband, diplomat Joe Wilson (Sean Penn), is drawn into the investigation to substantiate an alleged sale of enriched uranium from Niger. But when the administration ignores his findings and uses the issue to support the call to war, Joe writes a New York Times editorial outlining his conclusions and igniting a firestorm of controversy. Soon after, Valerie's covert status is reported by a high-profile Washington journalist. 

November 5th (limited release):  Red Hill tells the story of a young police officer, Shane Cooper, who relocates to the small country town of Red Hill with his pregnant wife Alice to start a family. But when news of a prison break sends the local law enforcement officers - led by the town's ruling presence, Old Bill - into a panic, Shane's first day on duty rapidly turns into a nightmare. Enter Jimmy Conway, a convicted murderer serving life behind bars, who has returned to the isolated outpost seeking revenge.

DVD

Timed to coincide with the release of the third Stieg Larsson film in cinemas, the first in the series, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is being released in the U.S. in widescreen, Blu-ray and video-on-demand on October 26th.

On November 9th, Warner Home Video is releasing the 50th anniversary edition of the original Ocean's 11 directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.

 

Friday's Forgotten Books - Speaking of Murder

We owe many thanks to Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg for the variety of collections and anthologies they've edited through the years. I looked at bibliographies and counted at least 53 edited by Ed Gorman, and one source said Greenberg had edited over a thousand books. Ed is also one of the regular contributors to the Friday's Forgotten Books feature, as well as being an accomplished, award-winning author in his own right.

One of the Gorman/Greenberg collaborations were two books of interviews with well-known crime fiction authors, Speaking of Murder: Interviews with the Masters of Mystery and Suspense, published in July 1998, and Speaking of Murder II, which came out the following year.

I don't have the second volume, but the first is introduced by Ed, who tells the story of how a Chicago talk show producer once told him that writers made dull guests. Ed allowed as how he agreed, since "compared to cross-dressing prostitutes, mothers who sleep with their daughter's boyfriends, and UFO abductees who have mysteriously started to dress like Elvis, I guess most of us writers do lead pretty uneventful lives." He goes on to add that writers are interesting because they're quiet and introspective.

The 21 interviews in volume one include some of the best-known names in the genre, Stephen King, Mary Higgins Clark, Ed McBain, Elizabeth George, Marcia Muller, Mickey Spillane, Ian Rankin, Tony Hillerman Sue Grafton, Anne Perry, each offering up insights into their inner world as well as their personal take on the writing process.

I'm always particularly fascinated by the early stages of a writer's career before they were successful, because that's the "danger time," the period when a writer is most likely to get discouraged and give up. From Carolyn G. Hart we learn that despite having 13 books published ("nothing exciting happened with any one of them") and teaching journalism, she was depressed and felt like an enormous failure. One agent told her no one was buying mysteries, but after a Mystery Writers of American seminar, she decided she was going to write the mystery she wanted to anyway, the result being her wildly popular Death on Demand series.

The late Tony Hillerman worked as a journalist for 17 years and taught for 21 years, writing a lot of nonfiction. One day he decided he wanted to write the great American novel and decided to start with a mystery because he didn't know if he could do characters or plotting well. He knew he could do descriptions, though, and chose the most beautiful setting he could think of so the readers would at least enjoy the background. He wrote it off and on, thinking it wasn't good enough to be published, until he finally got tired of it and sent it off to an agent. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Other random tidbits: From Bill Pronzini, "Critical, editorial and/or peer misunderstanding or dismissal of my work only makes me more determined to hang around."

From Mickey Spillane: "If you are a writer and you do a scene ten times, the last one probably will sound like the first one, and you're not going to get any better as you revise. The best stuff you put down comes right off the typewriter, bam! ... I don't have a big garbage problem."

From Ian Rankin: "I remember an early attempt at research (at Leith Police Station)...They asked me what the book was about, I said a child killer. What I hadn't realized was that a child had just been abducted in Leith and a murder room had been set up. So they took down my details and added me to their computer. I became supsect number 350 and spent more time answering their questions than they did mine."

From Sharyn McCrumb: "Storytelling was an art form that I learned early on. When I was a little girl, my father would come in to tell me a bedtime story, which usually began with a phrase like, 'Once there was a prince named Paris, whose father was Priam, the king of Troy . . . .' thus I got the Iliad in nightly installments, geared to the level of a four-year-old's understanding."

From Sue Grafton:  "I love mystery; it is my favorite form. It is sublimely difficult, and for my money, it encompasses everything that is interesting about writing because you need a strong story, strong characters, and mood and atmosphere. It is also the perfect vehicle for social commentary. Mysteries are about the psychology of crime and the psychology of human nature. It is a form so difficult that I know I'll never conquer it. So it's the perfect place to keep throwing myself into the abyss."

A Thrilling Detective Finale (of Sorts)

Kevin Burton Smith, editor of The Thrilling Detective, is making some changes to his illustrious and informative 'zine/site. Unfortunately, but understandably, he feels he can no longer include original stories and excerpts. He will continue to maintain the wonderful archive of information there, which includes detective and author bios and bibliographies, detectives on radio, TV and film, trivia, polls, articles and links galore, as well as news of happenings in the P.I. world. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went on crafting that site (and lack of sleep — "We never sleep. Or at least, not well.")

Burton is looking for news on upcoming theatrical P.I. films and DVD releases. He's also hoping to expand non-fiction and review sections and encourages interested (and interesting) parties to send along ideas.

Two Times Crime

Coming up beginning October 22nd are two terrific events for fans of crime fiction, especially if you happen to live in a more northerly latitude. As reported on the Women of Mystery blog, the inaugural Astoria/LIC International Film Festival will take place in the New York area, with a variety of events. Although not specifically devoted just to noir or crime-themed books, plays and movies, there are several such offerings included, such as Saturday's readings by members of the New York/Tri-State Sisters in Crime chapter at The Secret Theatre in Queens. Terrie Farley Moran, Laura Joh Rowland, Lina Zeldovich, Elizabeth Zelvin, Cathi Stoler, Kenneth Wishnia and Peggy Ehrhart will all be on hand.,

Even farther up north, the International Festival of Authors in Toronto includes the IFOA Noir event, starting off with an interview/reading featuring R.J. Ellory and Jeff Lindsay and including other bestselling authors such as Louise Penny and Peter Robinson. Ahead of the festival, the Toronto Star online asked each of the participants to detail "what led them to a life of crime" (writing, that is). I love Don Winslow's comment, "People sometimes ask me if, as a crime genre writer, I live in a 'literary ghetto.' My response is, 'Yes, and I love my neighbourhood.'"

An update from Patti Abbott about "Discount Noir" - the publisher is running a bit behind, but hopes to have the e-book ready later this month. Keep checking back for updates.