Murder in Common

Tag: June Lorraine Roberts

  • The 10 Best

    What do 10 best-selling crime fiction authors have in common that no other 10 best group does? They are in a competition to help a campaign by the University of Dundee raise funds to build a world-class morgue. From the Million for a Morgue website here are some details: HOW IT WORKS Every £1 donated…

  • Yes, it’s Friday

    Yes, I’m back from an imposed hiatus involving stitches, Advil and plenty of rest. Nothing too serious, but annoying and damned inconvenient. It is said that truth is stranger than fiction and Toronto author Robert Rotenberg turned that out with his fourth novel Stranglehold released in May of this year. The story line features Hap…

  • Old City Hall

    At 5:28 each morning Gurdial Singh, a retired chief engineer for Indian Railways, drops off a newspaper at the door of Toronto broadcaster Kevin Brace – the host of a nationally syndicated morning show. This day however will not be like the others. ‘Mr Kevin’s’ condo door is half-way open as usual however Mr Kevin…

  • The Gods of Gotham

    By Lyndsay Faye It’s New York City in 1845 and there is an invasion taking place. Irish Catholics abound and the Protestant masses are grouping to defend against the threat of papacy. Sound familiar? Well substitute the words Muslim for Catholic and you can see that everything old is new again. But I digress. It…

  • Lest we forget…

      It is a Day of Remembrance and a chance to view the crime fiction world through different eyes. Here is a glimpse into how some authors have dealt with the wars and war veterans.     George Pelecanos introduced us to Spero Lucas with the first novel The Cut released in 2011 followed by…

  • Come home to Giles Blunt

    Come home to Giles Blunt

    Extraordinary   Years ago like many, I read mainly U.S. crime fiction authors because they got all the press. It was while wandering through a bookstore one afternoon that I found Giles Blunt and in many ways, I came home. The Detective John Cardinal series brings you into the world of ‘Algonquin Bay’ (a stand-in…

  • Saturday evening with Linwood Barclay & George Pelecanos

    I wish it was that personal, but even in a large audience it was no less intimate or entertaining. The Globe & Mail book editor Jared Bland was the host and guided the evening with thoughtful questions and well-timed queries when things went interestingly sideways. Here are some take-aways from the evening. When asked about…

  • Halloween weekend in Derry, IE

    I wish I was going to Derry. Yes, it’s a plaintive call for a trip to Ireland to attend the Killer Books Crime Festival being held November 1-3. The Halloween weekend event takes place at the Verbal Arts Centre and sounds like damned good fun. There will be authors from around the UK: Gerard Brennan,…

  • The week begins

    IOFA The International Festival of Authors at the Harbourfront centre celebrates much more than the crime fiction genre and will be a delight for any dedicated reader to attend. Tonight there will be an event celebrating the authors shortlisted for the 2013 Governor General’s Literary Award for English-Language Fiction. For those of us whose focus…

  • Another Friday

    Time is flying by and many will be attending Halloween parties this weekend – have fun, be safe! CWC weekend reminder: Saturday, October 26 Kingston, ON Janet Kellough Book Signing for: 47 Sorrows 1pm – 4pm Where: Chapters Kingston – 2376 Princess St, Kingston Contact: janetkellough@gmail.com Sunday October 27 Toronto, ON Mesdames of Mayhem -fifteen…

  • Halloween reads

    Fall is my favourite time of year and Halloween is a fun part of the season. Who can forget and all those wonderful 50s films by the UK Hammer Company starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing? Somehow English accents made Dracula and Frankenstein all the more creepy. From the kitsch of Vincent Price, Bela Lugosi,…

  • Dead trilogy

    When I told my husband I was in love with a 19-year old Irish gunman named Michael Forsythe he barely blinked. On that day I had been immersed in Dead I Well May Be since the morning. It’s one of those fabulous books that catches you deeply to the exclusion of much else. Happily, the…

  • The weeks end

    Another five weekdays has passed and here are a few things from around the Web: Rap Sheet: NZ Eleanor Catton youngest winner of Man Booker Prize Scoop Culture Finalists announced for Ngaio Marsh Crime Awards Crime Writers’ Association will announce on November 5 the results of results of their Best Ever Poll. Just to tweak…

  • Jane Casey

    Ever read a book where the principal character is a rookie detective in the first few chapters, by the middle of the book an undiscovered genius and by the end has attained the wisdom and influence of someone who has been on the job for 15-years? Be ready for the refreshing Det. Maeve Kerrigan, who…

  • The art of reading

    While there is no mistaking my preference of genre I like to keep this inclination fresh by changing the county of origin of the author.  Makes no difference you say? Then perhaps you have not moved out of your reader comfort zone and have unknowingly stuck to the top 10 list of authors for country…