Sunday, March 2, 2008

Being John Connolly Is Probably Its Own Reward

Via Sarah Weinman comes the news that Tana French and Benjamin Black have been short-listed in the Los Angeles Book Festival’s mystery / thriller category, the full list of nominees running thusly:
Benjamin Black, CHRISTINE FALLS
Ake Edwardson, FROZEN TRACKS
Karin Fossum, THE INDIAN BRIDE
Tana French, IN THE WOODS
Jan Costin Wagner, ICE MOON
IN THE WOODS and CHRISTINE FALLS have had something of a parallel existence for the last six months or so. They’ve also been short-listed for Edgar awards, and both novels expertly create the appropriate atmosphere for their literary-styled incursions into crime fiction. Furthermore, neither has been hailed as an unqualified success: both have elicited mixed reviews, IN THE WOODS for its ambiguous ending, CHRISTINE FALLS for championing style over substance. Nonetheless, the double nomination augurs well for the future of Irish crime fiction, and the CAP elves send bouquets and best wishes to both nominees.
  But here’s the thing. In the 10 months or so since Crime Always Pays has been running, Tana French, Benjamin Black, Ken Bruen, Declan Hughes, Brian McGilloway, Siobhan Dowd and Derek Landy have all been short-listed for various prestigious awards. Meanwhile, one writer remains conspicuous by his absence. Not only does John Connolly (right) write superbly, he also pulls off the very difficult feat of blending crime and horror genres in novels that offer far more than the sum of their parts. He’s also the finest stylist currently working in Irish crime fiction. So where are all the John Connolly nominations, people? Wild conspiracy theories on the back of a used €50 note to the usual address at CAP Towers, Cape Wonga, please.

3 comments:

  1. I agree completely about John Connolly. I discovered him when I was asked to review THE BLACK ANGEL; since then I have read all but his most recent. An exceptional writer making a difficult cross-genre contribution, and a very gracious and nice man, as I learned when I was fortunate enough to interview him.

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  2. Thanks, Dana. I really like THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS, I think it's a truly terrific read ... Cheers, Dec

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  3. It true what they say ?

    That you folks call the artist formerly known as Banville now B.B. King ?

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Declan Burke has published a number of novels, the most recent of which is ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL. As a journalist and critic, he writes and broadcasts on books and film for a variety of media outlets, including the Irish Times, RTE, the Irish Examiner and the Sunday Independent. He has an unfortunate habit of speaking about himself in the third person. All views expressed here are his own and are very likely to be contrary.