Poe Is We

Yesterday was something of a Red Letter Day at CAP Towers, when the news filtered through that BOOKS TO DIE FOR (Hodder & Stoughton / Emily Bestler / Atria) has been nominated for an Edgar award in the Best Critical / Biographical category. If you haven’t come across said tome before, the blurb elves kick off their description thusly:

BOOKS TO DIE FOR is a unique, must-have anthology for any fan of the mystery genre, featuring personal essays from 120 of the world’s most beloved and renowned crime writers on the mysteries and thrillers that they most admire, edited by two of their own—John Connolly and Declan Burke.

  I’m still a little bit stunned by the nomination, to be perfectly honest. Perhaps I shouldn’t be, given the quality of the contributors and the way they write so lovingly about the great books in the crime / mystery genre. Moreover, both Hodder & Stoughton in the UK, and Emily Bestler / Atria in the US, produced gorgeous books.
  Even so, you never really expect that you’ll be nominated for an Edgar. I don’t, anyway. I’ve been on a pretty good run of it lately, but this really is Cloud Nine material.
  Of course, I’m acutely aware that in co-editing BTDF, I was standing on the shoulders of giants – not just those of the contributors, but those of the authors they were writing about.
  I was also – all modesty apart, false or otherwise – standing in the shadow of another giant, John Connolly. It’s a fact that if John hadn’t committed to BTDF in the way he did, bringing not just his work ethic but his depth and breadth of knowledge about the genre, but also the respect and goodwill of his peers, the book simply would not have happened.
  It’s also true that Clair Lamb, BTDF’s assistant editor, was the glue that kept the whole project together, particularly when a number of my wheels fell off during the pre-production phase.
  I think I’m more pleased for John and Clair this morning than anything else. So if you’ll pardon me, I’m off to bask in their reflected glory …
  Oh, and before I go – hearty congratulations to fellow Irish crime scribes Alan Glynn and Jane Casey, who were both nominated for Edgars too, for BLOODLAND and THE RECKONING respectively. Excellent news, and fully deserved.

The Best Things In Life Are Free … BOOKS (TO DIE FOR)

’Tis the season to be jolly, and give presents, and even if I do tend to struggle with the ‘jolly’ bit on occasion, the BOOKS TO DIE FOR (Hodder & Stoughton) team will hopefully make up for that today. For lo! I have a (multiple) signed first edition of BOOKS TO DIE FOR to give away, which will warm the metaphorical cockles of any crime fiction fan’s heart. First, the blurb elves:

With so many mystery novels to choose from and so many new titles appearing each year, where should the reader start? What are the classics of the genre? Which are the hidden gems? In the most ambitious anthology of its kind yet attempted, the world’s leading mystery writers have come together to champion the greatest mystery novels ever written. In a series of personal essays that often reveal as much about themselves and their work work as they do about the books that they love, more than 120 authors from twenty countries have created a guide that will be indispensable for generations of readers and writers. From Christie to Child and Poe to PD James, from Sherlock Holmes to Hannibal Lecter and Philip Marlowe to Peter Wimsey, BOOKS TO DIE FOR brings together the cream of the mystery world for a feast of reading pleasure, a treasure trove for those new to the genre and those who believe that there is nothing new left to discover. This is the one essential book for every reader who has ever finished a mystery novel and thought . . . I want more!

  So there you have it. To be in with a chance of winning this unique prize, just answer the following question:

What one crime / mystery novel do you think every crime / mystery fan should read?

  Answers via the comment box below, please, leaving a contact email address (using ‘at’ rather than @ to confuse the spam munchkins), by noon on December 31st. Oh, and if you fancy a second bite at the proverbial cherry, we’re also giving away a signed BTDF over here. Et bon chance, mes amis …

BOOKS TO DIE FOR: The Washington Post Verdict

I’ve mentioned before how busy it is at CAP Towers these days, but really, that’s no excuse for my not mentioning the lengthy review BOOKS TO DIE FOR received from Michael Dirda in the Washington Post a couple of weeks ago. The gist runs thusly:

“There are 119 contributors here, from 20 countries, and the general standard of the essays is high, most of them arguing for the depth and sophistication, the literary quality, of their chosen book or author … In short, BOOKS TO DIE FOR is, even given its biases, as good a collection of short essays on crime fiction as one is likely to find.” - Michael Dirda, Washington Post

  As you can imagine, we were, and remain, very pleased with that. Of course, as with virtually every other reader of BOOKS TO DIE FOR, Michael has his quibbles with some of the contributions, and even more quibbles with some of the classic crime / mystery novels that didn’t make it into the book. For the full review, clickety-click here …
  This coming Friday, November 16th, I’ll be hosting a conversation with some of the contributors to BOOKS TO DIE FOR as part of the Red Line Book Festival in Tallaght. Co-editor John Connolly, Mark Billingham, Niamh O’Connor and Declan Hughes will be discussing their favourite crime / mystery novels of all time, and chatting about the elements that make up the great crime / mystery stories.
  The Red Line Festival bods have been kind enough to issue yours truly with five pairs of tickets for the event, and to be in with a chance of winning a pair, just answer the following question:

Of all the great crime / mystery novels ever written, which one do you love the most?

  Answers via the comment box below, please, leaving a contact email address (using [at] rather than @ to confuse the spam monkeys) by noon on Wednesday, November 14th. Et bon chance, mes amis …

BOOKS TO DIE FOR: It’s Officially ‘Indispensable’

I mentioned last week that the U.S. edition of BOOKS TO DIE FOR, edited by John Connolly and yours truly, launches at the Cleveland Bouchercon this coming Friday with the help of a cast of thousands, almost, but yesterday was in fact its official publication day. Three cheers, two stools and a resounding huzzah! etc.
  Those of you wondering what all the fuss is about can find said tome here, along with a sample chapter, the excellent J. Wallis Martin on Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘The Dupin Tales’. Meanwhile, over at The Rap Sheet, Jeff Pierce was kind enough to declare BOOKS TO DIE FOR one of ‘Pierce’s Picks’, in the process quibbling about some of the names that aren’t in the book. That quibbling is a sound, I’d imagine, we’ll be hearing a lot of in the coming months - indeed, half the fun of such books is the arguments they provoke about who and what did or didn’t make it in.
  As I mentioned previously, I won’t be making the trip to Cleveland for this year’s Bouchercon, which is very disappointing. I also feel rather guilty, given that John Connolly is embarking on a Homeric road trip to promote BTDF after B’con, incorporating venues in Oakmont and Harrisburg PA, New York, Washington DC, Richmond VA, Pittsboro NC, and Boston and South Portland in Maine. For all the details on John’s trip, which will see him talking about BTDF in the company of fellow contributors to the book, clickety-click here …
  Meanwhile, back on this side of the pond, the Daily Telegraph provided one of the pithiest reviews of any book I’ve ever seen, in the process declaring BOOKS TO DIE FOR ‘indispensable’. Which is nice. I’m also reliably informed that - for Irish readers - BTDF will be the subject of a featurette on The Works on RTE1 on Thursday night, October 4th, at 10.45pm. That’s waaaaay past jammys-time at CAP Towers, of course, but maybe we’ll make an exception for the night that’s in it.

Books To Die For: The US Launch

Life, as John Lennon said, is what happens while you’re busy making other plans. This time next week I should have been waking up in Ohio anticipating the US launch of BOOKS TO DIE FOR at the Cleveland Bouchercon, which takes place on Friday October 4th, at 4pm in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Renaissance.
  John Connolly will be hosting proceedings in his inimitable fashion - John, I’m delighted to say, is honoured as Toastmaster for this year’s Bouchercon - and quite a few of the authors who contributed to BTDF will be present for the event, and signing books once the palaver is dispensed with. Among those scheduled to attend are (deep breath) Mark Billingham, Cara Black, Lee Child, Reed Farrel Coleman, Max Allan Collins, Michael Connelly, Thomas H. Cook, Deborah Crombie, Joseph Finder, Meg Gardiner, Alison Gaylin, Charlaine Harris, Erin Hart, Peter James, Laurie R. King, Michael Koryta, Bill Loehfelm, Val McDermid, John McFetridge, Chris Mooney, Stuart Neville, Sara Paretsky, Michael Robotham, S.J. Rozan, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Julia Spencer-Fleming, Kelli Stanley, Martyn Waites and F. Paul Wilson.
  That’s a pretty impressive line-up, and I’m desperately disappointed that I won’t be in the room for the launch. This year’s Bouchercon would have been a once-in-a-lifetime trip, particularly as BOOKS TO DIE FOR was born out of the kind of spirit that pervades Bouchercon, which is the willingness of other writers to enthuse about good books. And it would have been wonderful to rub shoulders with the writers in the room, if only to see if some of their pixie dust might rub off on yours truly. Not only that, but a post-Bouchercon road trip in the company of John McFetridge had been planned, John being a good mate and superb writer, and not necessarily in that order; and said trip was supposed to culminate in Detroit, where I was pencilled in to interview the great Elmore Leonard.
  All told, it would’ve been a hell of a week. Still, it can’t be Mills & Boon every day, right?
  Meanwhile, there was a smashing review of BOOKS TO DIE FOR in the Irish Examiner last weekend, courtesy of Prof. Val Nolan. The gist ran a lot like this:

“An anthology of verve, heft, and no small ambition, this volume gathers 120 of the world’s leading crime writers to discuss their favourite mystery novels in a series of short essays … By securing the participation of grande dames and young guns alike, Connolly and Burke have ensured that their anthology transcends mere curiosity to serve as a robust defence of a fiction which tackles the ugly, messy nature of the world head on. Part celebration, part list of required reading, BOOKS TO DIE FOR will thrill the individual mystery lover as much as it will prove an essential reference for the shelves of lending libraries. A vast, comprehensive undertaking, it is that rare breed of anthology of interest to both the initiated and the newcomer. Indeed, like the ideal mystery novel itself, this is a page-turner with an addictive quality.” - Prof. Val Nolan, Irish Examiner

  So there you have it. Upward we go, and onward, and maybe it’s not too early to start planning for Bouchercon 2013 …