by Kristopher | Jun 3, 2020 | Review
Occasionally a debut novel comes along that is so unlike anything else that readers struggle with it for various reasons. Catherine House by Elizabeth Thomas is just such a book. No doubt, readers will be divided on it, but there is the sense that history will look...
by Kristopher | May 26, 2020 | Review
Sarah Vaughan made quite a splash in the crime fiction community with her 2018 release, Anatomy of a Scandal, in which she did a deep-dive exploration of toxic masculinity and the #metoo movement. Now, 2020 finds her once again tackling a complex and timely issue...
by Kristopher | May 21, 2020 | Review
As we all struggle to navigate our new normal, every industry is looking for ways to give back and the crime writing community is no different. Booksellers are suffering – especially our Independent Bookstore Family – so a group of authors have come together to lend a...
by Kristopher | May 18, 2020 | Review
It is a tale far too familiar: a child goes missing and the parents become the prime suspects. We’ve seen it in reality with cases like JonBenet Ramsey and in fiction like Mary Higgins Clark’s Where are the Children. Sadly, many of these cases turn out to be much more...
by Kristopher | May 13, 2020 | Review
Ivy Pochoda seems incapable of writing the same story twice; and yet every time she puts words down on the page they are distinctly her own and always, always worth reading. Her latest, These Women, is linked to her excellent 2017 stand-out, Wonder Valley, by way of...
by Kristopher | May 8, 2020 | Review
Earlier this year, BOLO Books hosted the cover reveal for The Beat of Black Wings: Crime fiction inspired by the songs of Joni Mitchell, so it was clear that a review was forthcoming. Like the songs that provide the titles and serve as their inspiration, each of the...
by Kristopher | May 4, 2020 | Review
Over the last few years, Australian-set crime fiction has risen in respect, with authors like Jane Harper, Emma Viskic, and Candice Fox leading the charge. You will note that this surge is largely dominated by female writers and one of the earliest on the scene was...
by Kristopher | Apr 24, 2020 | Review
It is impossible to determine the reason – perhaps it is the isolation, or the unique environment, or maybe it is a credit to the educational systems – but whatever the cause, there is little doubt that the Icelandic people are first-class storytellers and genre...
by Kristopher | Apr 21, 2020 | Review
When Peter May first wrote Lockdown years ago, publishers turned it down because the dystopian scenario was unrealistically bleak and readers would not be able relate to the idea of mandatory quarantine. My how things have changed! With the world in crisis from the...
by Kristopher | Apr 17, 2020 | Composite Sketch
From the Booking Desk: I have always said that fans are the lifeblood of our crime fiction community, so when I started this Composite Sketch series I made it clear that they would be just as much a part of the celebration as those behind the scenes. Today, I welcome...
