James Lee Burke, And The Angels

And Demons Of The Human Soul

For years I’ve been telling anyone who will listen that James Lee Burke is the finest American author writing today. His latest Dave Robicheaux novel, A Private Cathedral, was released last Tuesday, and is yet another marvelous study of the dark and light contrasts of the human soul. “I don’t believe we all descend from the same gene pool,” Burke says in an excellent interview with CrimeRead’s David Mascritora. “It isn’t demonstrable, but from what I’ve seen, there is a menacing, monstrous group of people among us. … Many years ago, when I did some work in Angola Penitentiary recording the inmates and their music, I saw and heard things that convinced me that if we built a place like Auschwitz, there would be plenty who would jump at a chance to work there … Conversely, we meet people who almost possess a glow. We know in an instant that they are spiritual people. [As] St. Paul said, ‘There may indeed be angels in our midst. So, we should be careful how we treat each other.’”

35 Films Roger Ebert Really Hated

Many years ago, I had the wonderful privilege of interviewing Roger Ebert, asking him specifically what elements made a film great – and, conversely, what made them stink. I no longer have a copy of that Q&A, but I remember him being totally honest and genuine in his answers, which also helped me hone my own writing craft. I was absolutely thrilled, therefore, to find this list of 35 of the films Ebert really hated, and why. For the record, I’ve seen six of them. I liked one, disliked three others immensely, and walked out on an additional two.

Reclaim Her Name Campaign Credits

Women Authors Who Used Men’s Names

Middlemarch, considered one of the best British novels of all time, is being re-issued 150 years after its original pub date, with a twist. Instead of being credited to George Eliot, the book now will carry the name Mary Ann Evans, who took on the male pen name purportedly to ensure her works were taken seriously. The re-release is part of a project undertaken by the Reclaim Her Name campaign, created by the Women’s Prize for Fiction and prize sponsor Baileys. Other women writers being brought to the forefront after decades of male "ownership" are Mary Bright, who wrote Keynotes under the name George Egerton; Violet Lee, whose A Phantom Lover originally bore the name Vernon Lee;  and Amantine Aurore Dupin, whose book Indiana was published under the nom de plume George Sand.

Throw-Away Lines: An Author’s Nightmare

Every author can recount stories that made him/her cringe about an errant line or reference that made it into print, and then caused a ruckus afterwards. I’m not talking about typos or continuity issues, but more the seemingly minuscule error of noting that a character flicked off the safety on his Glock (they don’t have one). In this amusing article from Feedspot, bestselling author John Gilstrap shares his own such experiences, such as in Hostage Zero, the second book in his Jonathan Grave series. In that book he referenced Marine Corps medics; the Marines don’t have medics, but they do have U.S. Navy corpsmen assigned to their operational units. These incidents may seem like minor goofs, until you write hundreds of letters of apology to Marines and Navy corpsman, as Gilstrap has done over the years.

Coming In November:

Nothing Good Happens After Midnight

The sun sets. The moon takes its place, illuminating the most evil corners of the planet. What twisted fear dwells in that blackness? What legends attach to those of sound mind and make them go crazy in the bright light of day? Teaming up with New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver, Suspense Magazine offers up a nail-biting anthology titled: Nothing Good Happens After Midnight. This thrilling collection consists of thirteen original short stories representing the genres of suspense/thriller, mystery, sci-fi/fantasy, and more. Readers’ favorites come together to explore the mystery of midnight. The "best of the best" presenting these memorable tales include: Joseph Badal, Linwood Barclay, Rhys Bowen, Jeffery Deaver, Heather Graham, Alan Jacobson, Paul Kemprecos, Shannon Kirk, Jon Land, John Lescroart, D. P. Lyle, Kevin O’Brien, and Hank Phillippi Ryan.

One Hundred Years Of Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is considered one of the founders of the modern detective novel, publishing The Mysterious Affair at Styles -- featuring detective Hercule Poirot -- exactly 100 years ago, in 1920. She went on to write 66 novels under her own name and six more under a pseudonym, plus 14 short story collections and a handful of stage plays, including the London West End’s longest running show, The Mousetrap. An ad that ran in the November 6, 1920 issue of Publisher’s Weekly described Poirot as “a new type of detective in the shape of a Belgian.” Poirot and a later Christie creation, amateur sleuth Miss Marple of fictional St. Mary’s Mead, became household names, and the Guinness Book of World Records cites her as the bestselling fiction writer of all time. Her work has sold more than a billion copies in English and a billion copies total in other languages, according to Agatha Christie Ltd.

Review:

The Lakehouse by Joe Clifford

Joe Clifford’s The Lakehouse is a beautifully written psychological thriller that hooks the reader the way an expert angler sets a hook ever-so-subtly, tightening the line one with every turn of the reel – or page. It’s a sort of American Gothic type of novel set in a close-knit small New England town where what you see is not always what you get. In fact, as with most small towns, everyone knows everyone else’s business, no one is without a secret, and anyone might be guilty of something. Clifford -- the bestselling, multiple-time Anthony Award nominee – weaves a taut, gripping tale of murder, deceit, revenge, cover-ups, and duplicity, leaving even the most astute mystery fan puzzling overtime – and reading overnight – through to the very last page.

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“Sweeps you in with intrigue and authority and never lets you go. I want to go riding with Jack Connor again.”                 —Michael Connelly

“Bunzel peels away the layers of mystery like a master of the genre”      —T. Jefferson Parker

“Lights up the Southern sky with taut, exciting action and a memorable cast of characters.”

                                         —Michael McGarrity