Nashvile and Reading for Pleasure

 

We’re departing for Nashville and Bouchercon 2024 tomorrow and I already have a couple dinners scheduled with old friends. Well, they’re young in spirit, but old in that they’ve been friends for a very long time. They provide amusement and lively conversations and it’s always great to see them at Bouchercon. In addition to the crime fiction world we talk about family, travels, and anything else that’s happened since the last time we talked. This will be a highlight of the trip.

Last time I listed the books I’d read over the past year that are award-nominated. I have, however, read quite a number of crime fiction novels that didn’t quite make it onto the award nominee list, but to me were of high quality. I discovered a couple of them at last year’s Bouchercon, either at a panel or a timely recommendation from a friend (thank you, George).

RESURRECTON WALK by Michael Connelly I certainly didn’t have to discover. I devour every Connelly novel as soon as it’s released. They are consistently high-quality stories with original plots that make reading them a joy. RESURRECTION WALK, a Mickey Haller story, with plenty of assistance from Harry Bosch, was no exception.

I discovered D.V. Bishop, a New Zealand author, on a panel at Bouchercon 2023. RITUAL OF FIRE is his third novel in the Cesare Aldo series set in Renaissance Florence. It was a barnburner of a novel that would be of interest to anyone who appreciates historical crime fiction.

I don’t know that I’ve read a crime fiction book set in Bern, or anywhere in Switzerland for that matter. If you haven’t. but would like to, you could do worse than starting with PESTICIDE by Kim Hays. This is a police procedural revolving around the investigation of two separate murders that leads the investigations by detectives Giuliana Linder and Renzo Donatelli to a nexus of a single basis for the crimes. A “will they or won’t they” tension arises between the couple as they try to stay focused on their cases. Tense and compelling storytelling makes me hungry for more from Kim Hayes.

I really jumped into my post-Bouchercon reading with both feet and read quite a few quality mysteries, one after the other. CALIFORNIA BEAR by Duane Swierczynski, BEWARE THE WOMAN by Megan Abbott, AN AEGEAN APRIL by Jeffrey Siger, INVISIBLE COUNTRY by Annamarie Alfieri, and SLEEPLESS CITY by Reed Farrel Coleman were hot reads as the evenings began to cool in suburban Maryland.

A little nonfiction is always a pleasant palate cleanser after numerous novels of crime and murder. I selected Donna Leon’s wonderful WANDERING THROUGH LIFE: A MEMOIR as she relates stories of her youth, her adventures in China and Saudi Arabia teaching, and her years in her beloved Venice, looking back from her 80-year-old self.

One of my more expansive crime fiction experiences this past year was watching a course through The Great Courses Plus (formerly Wondrium) called MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE FICTION. Dr. David Schmid of the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, in 36 lectures, presents the origins of crime fiction using three giants of the genre: Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie. He examines the development and growth of the genre from the gothic novel to the dime novel to the many subgenres representing a rich rainbow of choices for the reader today. While I was frustrated a bit by Schmid sticking to a few representative authors, sometimes relating the same information from one lecture to the next, the overall value of this course in generating interest to research more myself was inestimable. Highly recommended.

The rest of the year offered some quality crime fiction reading too. These reads of mine indicate how broad and deep our crime fiction community is with fantastic storytellers: HUNTED by Abir Mukherjee, THE LONG CALL by Ann Cleeves, AN INSTANCE OF THE FINGERPOST by Iain Pears, THE FLANDERS PANEL by Arturo Reverte-Perez, THE PUZZLE OF BLACKSTONE LODGE by Martin Edwards, FOGGED OFF by Wendall Thomas, AT ANY COST by Jeffrey Siger, and CRADLE OF THE DEEP by Dietrich Kalteis.

Till next time.

Reenergizing my Musing Engine

     Here we are, eight months into 2024 and over a year removed since I wrote any entry for this blog, or, considering the name, done any musings. I've had a bunch; I just haven't written them down, Well, I'm feeling inspired, so let's get the ball rolling again.

     In a few weeks we'll be at Bouchercon 2024 in Nashville, TN. I've been to Nashville before and visited many of the highlight sites, Opry, Ryman, etc., so this trip it's all about seeing my mystery friends, old and new and celebrating mystery fiction and nonfiction. 

At Bouchercon, The Anthony Awards, Barry Awards, and Macavity Awards will be presented and 2023 offered many fine works to be considered for recognition. I've read a number of them (and will probably add a few more in the next two weeks) so I'm looking forward to seeing if my favorites take home some trophies.

So far I've read two Best First nominees. THE PEACOCK AND THE SPARROW by I.S. Berry won the 2024 Edgar Award for Best First. It's a suspenseful tale of Arab Spring CIA intrigue in Bahrain. The second was AGE OF VICE by Deepti Kapoor, a story of the Wadia crime family in India told through the lives of three young people trying to find their own way through a hostile environment.

In the Best Novel or Thriller Category nominations, I and readers had a rich and diverse selection of books to choose from. S.A. Cosby with another great story in ALL THE SINNERS BLEED, Eli Cranor with a great sophomore effort in OZARK DOGS, Jordan Harper's EVERYBODY KNOWS, and Mick Herron with THE SECRET HOURS provided hard-boiled, gritty excitement. TIME'S UNDOING by Cheryl Head presented a historical story asking the question of whether things have really changed that much since 1929. Richard Osman's latest entry in the Thursday Murder Club series, THE LAST DEVIL TO DIE, was both exciting and poignant in equal measures. William Kent Krueger continues to issue excellent standalone stories as in his recent novel THE RIVER WE REMEMBER. 

In the Best Paperback (or e-book) Category, NO HOME FOR KILLERS by E.A. Aymar and MAGIC CITY BLUES by Bobby Matthews were excellent reads.

That's my award reading so far this past year. I think the field is wide open and there may be a few surprises in the results. However, from all the entries I've read, there won't be one undeserving winner. 

If you're going to be in Nashville, I hope to see you there. I'll be on a panel Thursday, 8/29 at 8:00 AM (Yawn!), Bayou CD called "Don't Fear the Reaper". Also paneling with me are Moderator: Raquel V Reyes, Oline Cogdill, Dru Ann Love, and Steve Steinbock. Hope to see you there.