Murder in Common

Category: Reviews

  • Bay Street: A Novel

    Neurosis behind the door, delusions at the desk Cheeky, dark and clamorous, it’s an escapade into a Toronto corporate law firm. Perhaps inside out is a better term as Philip Slayton slides readers through the hallways and into the heads of some curious and some very strange characters. Piper Fantouche is a junior partner at Read more

  • How dark was it? Noir at the Bar

    In keeping with reality I proved that I am indeed a crime fiction nerd by being the first guest (along with my husband) to arrive at Thursday night’s Noir at the Bar – Toronto. It was quite early, yes I know embarrassing. Once checking with the barkeep that food was available to be ordered along Read more

  • Binge watching: Bing reading

    Choose your time wisely. Binge watching on one or over several of the screens available to you has been much in the media lately. I saw a TV ad the other day that was amusing. A man discovered his wife was cheating on him. She had watched ahead on a series they had both agreed Read more

  • CWC: Arthur Ellis Shortlist

    Is your favourite on the list? It shouldn’t seem possible but the onset of home renovations is severely limiting my reading and blogging time. Meantime to keep you in the loop, Crime Writers of Canada has released the shortlist for the Arthur Ellis Awards:   Best Novel John Brooke, Walls of a Mind (Signature Editions) Read more

  • CWC Arthur Ellis: Best Novel Longlist

    Crime Writers of Canada has released its longlist for the 2014 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel. The shortlist for all seven categories will be released on April 24th and the winners will be announced on June 5th. For a list of the 2014 entries in all categories check out the CWC entries. Good luck Read more

  • Book in hand

    Boulder Books, Colorado The lure of old school A friend dropped off two books for me the other day and I can’t stop looking at them. Silly I know, but having relied on my trusty Kindle for the past while the site of two actual books with their moody covers is intoxicating. A trip into Read more

  • Peggy Blair: Magic

      Let me talk to you about Peggy Blair, or rather her first book The Beggar’s Opera (Midnight in Havana in the UK.) Blair has set up a premise that would seem difficult to pull off. She does. And not just pull off; she eases us into the premise with an ‘of course’ familiarity that expects Read more

  • eNovellas: Short form

    Photo: Openroadmedia.com The trend for eBook short-stories or eNovellas has increased to the degree that they are now a fully accepted addition to an author’s writing arsenal. Some are used as a fill-in between full-length books keeping readers interested in the characters and a series’ arc. They are also used as prequels to current works, Read more

  • Florida Roadkill: Off the walker in the 27th state

     If the Cohen brothers were to write a book this would be the one. Fortunately we have Tim Dorsey making his mark with the printed word. Florida Roadkill is violent, extreme, and funny as hell. It has a cast of characters as long as some parolee’s rap sheets, and enough stories to fill another book. Read more

  • Noir

    How dark is it for you? In January I said I would be looking into the book world of noir and I have been diligent. While not yet ready to get into, I have several books under my belt and a few more to go. What an interesting journey.  It brings about the discussion about Read more

  • Harry Bosch: In Person

    Many of us have been following Michael Connolly’s LAPD Detective Harry Bosch for 18-years. Now we will be able to watch him via Amazon Studios (stream Bosh on Amazon Prime) thanks to Connolly’s efforts. The project is based on the book series plus new material, and a voting system for those who view the pilot. Read more

  • The library sneak

     It took time and persistence, patience and cunning. At the age of nine I had all of that plus moxie.  Carefully, biding my time and picking up a random book, I kept watch from the edge of the pages. There was my chance! I slipped around the corner and moved from the children’s library into Read more

  • Sarah Hilary: Keeping The Mythic Distance

     Sarah Hilary is an award winning short story writer living in Bath, England. Her first book Someone Else’s Skin, featuring Detective Inspector Marnie Rome, will be out on February 27th. Her second book No Other Darkness is scheduled for 2015. I came across this piece from Hilary in Crime Time and found her take on Read more

  • My favourite cooking show

    What does a favourite cooking show have to do with crime fiction? Plenty when it is Law & Order reruns. Yes, you will often find me baking or making dinner to the familiar sounds of L&O characters working their way through another crime scene and into the courtroom. I generally prefer the original however I Read more

  • Canadian Double Threat: Hammett Prize Nominees

    The International Association of Crime Writers – North American Branch has released its list and Canadian crime fiction authors are two of the five nominees for this year’s Hammett Prize: Lisa Moore – Caught Craig Davidson – Cataract City: A Novel   Yet again much to be proud of in the Land of the Maple Leaf. Read more