Tag: crime

  • Broken Harbour by Tana French

    If you like crime fiction with literary ambitions, this is a must-read. I have now read every Tana French book (in the order I found them in used bookshops, not at all in sequence). I was beginning to worry that the one I read first —The Trespasser, which is one of favourite crime novels of…

  • In Big Trouble by Laura Lippman

    This was pretty good! I read and lived Dream Girl a year or so ago – it out her on my used bookstore list. Then I learned she was married to David Simon until recently, and authors in his orbit tend to be right in my sweet spot. This is that. If you like these kinds of…

  • Out of Sight by Elmore Leonard

    Soderbergh’s adaptation of this is what turned me into an Elmore Leonard fan when I was young. I’ve seen that movie at least a dozen times. Funny enough, I’ve read probably 20 Leonard books in the last 25 years but never this one. It’s unbelievable how close Soderbergh stayed to the book. Almost every word…

  • Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King

    Picked this up because I generally like King best when he goes against type, and it’s another example of how great he can be. One long chapter, a rambling story told by an old woman about killing her husband. It’s fantastic. I read it in 2 sittings. A full-on classic.

  • The Black Dalhia by James Ellroy

    Very good, very long. One of those books whose long shadow makes it less striking. It has influenced so many modern crime thrillers (Se7en is the first that comes to mind) that the gruesome and graphic details seem less shocking than they likely would have when this was new. Still worth the time, though. It…

  • Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind

    This was wild. It read like a fairy tale, and also like a waking nightmare. Each sentence was perfect, but as a whole the thing will scar you for life. It goes a lot deeper than it first appears to, chasing ideas of how scent works on a subconscious level. But also it is just…

  • Glass Houses by Louise Penny

    A woman at a used bookshop I frequent told me that I should read Louise Penny books, and that this was a good place to start. Either she was mistaken or this author just is not for me.  The author performs so many narrative acrobatics to withhold information here. Page one introduces us to an…

  • Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler

    There are so many quotable lines in this book. It’s no wonder that Chandler’s writing helped set the template for an entire genre: I was sitting on the side of my bed in my pyjamas, thinking about getting up, but not yet committed. I didn’t feel very well, but I didn’t feel as sick as…

  • The Hate Next Door: Undercover within the New Face of White Supremacy by Matson Browning

    I expected this to be a series of skinhead war stories, and it is that, but it’s a lot more. It’s a strong indictment of US law enforcement, police culture and the acceptance of white supremacism at various levels of government. It’s shockingly good, and I’d be surprised if this wasn’t adapted like We Own…

  • Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

    I had no expectations for this book and I think that’s the right way to approach it. I’d seen that it received some good press and it was available at the library so I dove in. What an outrageously good surprise. This is kind of a crime thriller, but way smarter. The author uses the…