Writers write.
They also read.
It’s not an original sentiment, hell, what is? But it is very true.
I don’t believe you can write well if you don’t read, too.
After all, who are you going to steal from?
So, what have I been reading of late?
Well, I’m glad you asked.
I’ve so many books waiting to be read and – newsflash! – I also write, so apologies if I’ve not got to your books yet (if you’re an author). I’ll get there. So many good things to read, so little time.
Alex Gray’s ‘Keep the Midnight Out’ is the latest in the hugely successful Lorimer books and this time the gentlemanly cop spends time both in Glasgow and on Mull. Fans will lap up the rich prose and evocative descriptions of an island the author obviously loves as Lorimer investigates two deaths, twenty years apart.
I’ve also been belatedly introduced to Caro Ramsay’s Anderson and Costello series having now read the first, ‘Absolution’. It had everything I wanted in a crime novel, good characters, smart dialogue and some grotty bits. And I’m told the books just get better and better!
Nick Sweet’s ‘The Long Siesta’ won’t be out till September but I was privileged to read a proof copy and it’s one to watch out for. It boasts an under-used location – Seville – and a police detective with problems of his own being presented with some very nasty murders indeed. There are horrors under the sun, horrors in the country’s past, in its present and – sorry, but got to say it – in the bullring.
And speaking of advance copies, I’ve also had a preview of Matt Bendoris’s new one, the cunningly-title ‘DM for Murder,’ the latest title from Contraband, the crime imprint that’s creating a big, bloody splash in the genre. It’s great fun, spans both Glasgow and Baltimore, and is the only crime novel I can think of in which Twitter plays an important role. I think it’s going to be one of the big Scottish sellers of 2015 and I hate him for it.
He’s launching it in Waterstones Argyle Street
I’ve also had a sneak preview of Michael J. Malone’s next Ray McBain thriller, not due out till next year. It’s so good it makes me sick.
I’m currently reading a fat American thriller which is at least 200 pages too long. I won’t identify the book or author out of respect and because I’m gutless.
