Material Witness

Carte Blanche - Be James Bond for a day!

You can probably expect to hear quite a bit about James Bond in the next seven days as the world gears up for publication of the latest James Bond novel, Carte Blanche, which has been written by US bestseller Jeffrey Deaver (who is best known for his Lincoln Rhyme novels).

The release of Carte Blanche would appear to establish a pattern of A List guest writers being invited to follow in the footsteps of Ian Fleming, following the 2008 publication of Sebastian Faulks' novel Devil May Care. (See Material Witness review).

Despite concluding that "the adult Bond is best left to him (Fleming) and those seeking a little extra might be best served by visiting Charlie Higson's Young Bond series", I find myself predictably excited about the arrival of a new chapter in the Bond legend, and I will be hoping for an early delivery on May 26.

But you needn't necessarily wait until May 26. Bond's publishers are running a very cool competition to celebrate the launch of the book. The challenge involves visiting a number of online sites, picking up clues followed by "one final 007-style secret mission to take place in London". Details of this are available at a special Facebook page.

After completing a 007-style mission there's a Bond-esque prize to match: the winner will be picked up in a Bentley and taken to the Lanesborough for a romantic evening... reading an advance copy of the book! (It doesn't say anything about a Bond girl) The following day they will then be able to meet Deaver and take part in all the other festivities.

There are additional prizes available - 10 sets of books including a signed copy of Carte Blanche and other titles by Flemin and Higson - for those in the sticks who are unable to spend a day gadding about in London.

Good luck!

 

 

 

On the Stand: Imogen Robertson

I became an instant fan of Imogen Robertson early last year when I first encountered her amateur Georgian detectives, Harriet Westerman and Gabriel Crowther in her debut novel Instrument of Darkness. It was immediately evident from that novel that the Daily Telegraph had picked a real talent to win its Novel in a Year competition in 2007.

The two novels that have followed, Anatomy of Murder and Island of Bones, confirmed those first impressions. This is an historical series to rival the best in the genre.

I am very grateful to her for taking the time out to answer a few questions...

Favourite author:

Nevil Shute. Today that is. Like most people I find it impossible to stick to one favourite, but I do envy Shute’s prose and I find the books deeply moving.

Favourite book:

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L Sayers. A great detective novel, with the best marriage proposal in Latin ever delivered in 20th century literature.

Favourite character:

Stephen Maturin from the Aubery-Maturin novels of Patrick O’Brian. I love his intelligence and awkwardness, and the way his fascination with natural history can blind him to what else is happening around him. I read through the entire series in the matter of a couple of months some years ago, and suspect he is one of the spiritual Godfathers of my own character, Gabriel Crowther.

Best book read in 2011:

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. Bit of a cheat this, because I read it when it first came out, but I did reread it this year when I was preparing for a workshop on historical fiction. Meant to just look for a passage to use for teaching, then couldn’t stop. The way Waters manages to convey the tone of a certain age is remarkable. Reading her is a masterclass in historical writing.

Best crime city:

London. Of course. The way we are all piled on top of each other in this city of secret corners, back alleys and crowds. Sit on a London bus for an hour and you’ll have a story.

Best film adaptation:

No Country for Old Men. The Coen brother’s film of the book by Cormac McCarthy. One of the most frightening but beautiful films I’ve seen in years. I never thought they could match the poetry of McCarthy’s prose, but they do. I still have nightmares about being out on the Mexico border being chased by Javier Bardem

Book that gave you the thriller bug:

I’ve read mystery and crime novels since I could smuggle a flash-light into bed, but as an adult I think it was Nicci French’s The Memory Game. I missed stops on the tube and fell of escalators reading that one.

New/Young author to watch:

I met Diane Janes at an event last year and so bought her first book The Pull of the Moon. I loved it. A brilliant thriller, taught and atmospheric. I’m really looking forward to the next one. ‘Why Don’t You Come for Me?’ which is out in May.

What do you snack on while writing:

Coffee, cigarette, sugared almond. Coffee, cigarette, sugared almond. Repeat till word count is completed.

Who would play you in a film of your life:

On my good days, Emma Thompson. On my bad days Richard E Grant in Withnail mode.

 

My thanks to Imogen and to Helena Towers at Headline for facilitating the interview.

REVIEW: Island of Bones by Imogen Robertson

They are crime fiction's odd couple: the aging anatomist who has his renounced title and estate to pursue a quiet life dedicated to science; and the glamorous and wealthy young naval widow (and landowner) with an inappropriate sense of curiosity and a healthy disregard for the tedious rules of society.

Gabriel Crowther and Harriet Westerman have brought an engaging freshness to the historical crime novel, throwing light into the dark and secretive corners of Georgian England from deepest, rural Sussex (Instruments of Darkness) through conspiratorial London (Anatomy of Murder) and on to feudal, pagan Cumbria in this latest outing, Island of Bones.

As in the previous novels in the series, Island of Bones is notable for the combination of revealing historical detail, inctricate plotting and strong and entertaining characterisation.

Crowther and Harriet, who by now have obtained a degree of notoriety for their macabre investigations are called upon to investigate the discovery of an unexplained body in the tomb of the Earl of Greta, on the Earl's former lands near the town of Keswick. The land, not at all coincidentally, briefly belonged to Crowther who inherited it following the murder of his father (by Crowther's brother), the incident that convinved him to turn his back on his history.

The body turns up clues which hint at long-forgotten mysteries surrounding the original transfer of land to Crowther's father following the disgrace of the Earl of Greta who joined the ill-fated Jacobite rebellion. Crowther cannot resist delving deep into a history of familial malevolence, betrayal, jealousy and murder and with Harriet's impulsive and irresistible assistance his investigation begins to dislodge long-held secrets.

There is a touch of the MIdsomer Murders about Island of Bones - and I mean that in the most complimentary way. There is a truly outstanding supporting cast of utterly eccentric rural characters held in thrall to an extraordinary mix of pagan folklore, old wives tales and marvellous ghost stories.  This is a long way from the contemporary sophistication of Georgian London, and Robertson evokes the dark, local landscape skilfully. Where it diverges from Midsomer Murders is in the strong and compelling story-telling.

Robertson spins her tale brilliantly, playing show and tell with her readers, dropping tantalising hints into the mystery and illusory glimpses of the truth while ratcheting up the tension.

Crowther and Harriet, odd match though they might be, are the perfect leading pair for Robertson's dramas, their contrasting darkness and light, professional and energetic passion merged to just the right effect. These are splendid novels that will win a wide audience.

Something is here... - Justin Cronin talks about The Passage from Colorado

Material Witness is honoured to be the fourth stopping off point for this week's UK Blog Tour for Justin Cronin author of The Passage, the heart-stopping post-Apocalypse novel which is published in paperback in the UK today. (Material Witness review)

May 11, 2011: Justin Cronin discusses the fateful meeting of FBI Agent Brad Wolgast and the orphan Amy - a critical early chapter in the book - and their journey to Colorado, scene of the military experiments that spawn the vampire crisis...

 

 Previous tour destinations:

May 9 - Novel Insights in California

May 10 - Book Smugglers in the Californian desert

May 11 -  Gothic Imagination in Las Vegas

And coming tomorrow

May 13 - Wondrous Reads

Don't forget to enter the competition to win a copy of The Passage.

COMPETITION: Win a copy of The Passage by Justin Cronin

Material Witness will this week be part of the UK blog tour of The Passage, Justin Cronin's epic post-apocalyptic vampire saga, and on Thursday will host an exclusive video of the author touring some of the book's locations. 

To celebrate, I have five copies of the regular paperback of The Passage, which is published this week, to give away and one copy of the limited edition paperback with the red right spine. (As pictured here). With apologies to readers from further afield, the competition is open to UK readers only. 

To win a copy, answer the following question: The Passage begins with e-mail sent from scientists searching for bats in the jungles of which South American country?

If you need some help, the answer can be found in this review of The Passage.

Please e-mail your answer to material.witness@yahoo.com - Good luck, and please remember to check out from Monday the first video of the tour at Novel Insights. Competition closes at 11pm (UK) on Sunday 15th May.

Something is coming...

 

 

> 

Justin Cronin's vampire epic The Passage was one of the most dramatic, enjoyable and chilling books of 2010 - a mesmerising holiday read, as you can see from my review of August last year.

As the paperback version hits the shelves on May 12, I am certain The Passage is set to be the book of the summer, the one that will keep you stuck to your towel or deck chair in the August sun.

Publisher Orion is pulling out all the stops for what ought to be one of the most visible launches of the year, and I have a sense of childlike excitement to be involved in their video blog tour next week and will be hosting an exclusive Passage video on Thursday.

Orion has also produced a very nice limited edition paperback (left) with a very snazzy right spine. I have one limited edition copy to give away in a competition I will launch shortly and a further five copies of the regular paperback. Details to follow soon.

   

On the Stand: Deanna Raybourn

Deanna Raybourn has been entertaining historical crime fiction fans with her Lady Julia Grey series since 2007, when she delivered this brilliant first line: "To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor."

Since then I have and joyed and review three of her novels - Silent in the Grave, Silent in the Sanctuary and Silent on the Moor - and published a very enjoyable interview  with this engaging anglophile American.

One of the manifestations of her talents is that she has a wide-ranging appeal. The evidence I offer for that observation is as follows. It was not until I read the third book, which came in its UK edition with a rather feminine pink cover, I had not the slightest inkling that her books were regarded in some parts as romance novels. To me they were simply good mystery novels, characterised by convincing period detail and atmosphere and characters I liked. I enjoyed the novels no less for this discovery.

Deanna Raybourn

Favourite author: It’s painful to choose. Today I say Jane Austen. Ask me tomorrow and you’ll get another answer—maybe Monica Dickens or Gerald Durrell. And by this time next week I might be swooning over Bill Bryson or William Butler Yeats. I’m appallingly fickle.

Favourite book: Rebecca. It has the perfect combination of English country comforts and sinister undertones. There is no more perfectly-drawn villain than Mrs. Danvers. I have loved it since I was fourteen, and it is the one book I always travel with.

Favourite character: Scout Finch. If you grow up in the South, as I did, Scout is Everygirl. There’s something about the lessons she learns that almost—but not entirely—break your heart. I am also quite partial to Elizabeth Bennet, Jo March, Miss Pettigrew, and Amelia Peabody. And I admit to finding Milton’s Satan quite enjoyable.

Best book read in 2011: Wait for Me! by the Duchess of Devonshire. She’s always been my favourite Mitford, and this was a lovely peek into her perspective on her family.

Best crime city: London. On the surface it seems so cheerful and civilized, but underneath there’s a wonderful undercurrent of something repressed that might turn nasty. Most other cities wear their evil up front and it’s far too obvious.

Best film adaptation: Jaws. It’s the only film I have ever seen that was better than the book. (I did go quite swoony over the Ruth Wilson/Toby Stephens version of Jane Eyre as well, but the book still wins.)

Book that gave you the thriller bug: Probably all of the Mary Higgins Clark novels I read as a teenager. I actually don’t read thrillers anymore because I live with a ghost and I’m far too cowardly. I will venture as far as a Gothic tale but no further thanks to a lifelong affection for Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart.

New/Young author to watch: Elizabeth Loupas. She has actually been writing for a bit, but she is new to me. I was lucky enough to read a manuscript of The Second Duchess before it came out and I devoured it. You have to love a woman who bases a novel on a Browning poem.

What do you snack on while writing: I never snack when writing! I type flat-out at the computer and could never manage to stop long enough to eat anything. (And crumbs in the keyboard would make me quite mental.) I did try making a cup of tea because it seemed very authorly, but it always got cold before I got around to drinking it. I am very fond of tea and a Hobnob afterwards.

Who would play you in a film of your life: Let’s be completely mad and say Sandra Bullock.

 

 

 

 

REVIEW: Wink Murder by Ali Knight

One of the things I love about crime fiction is its ability to take me by surprise. Every so often I pick up a book without any real expectations of how it will turn out, and before I know it it's 1am and I have a major sleep deprivation problem looming.

So it was with Wink Murder, Ali Knight's debut thriller which is published by Hodder in the UK next week. This is a genuinely creepy book, in which Knight probes away at those fears and anxieties that I am sure most of us suffer from but very rarely discuss.

Kate Forman seems to have life sorted. She has a couple of great kids, a beautiful home that she loves and a strong marriage to a highly successful man that she adores. But one night her husband comes home late from work drunk, distressed, incomprehensible and covered in blood. Shortly after a glamorous colleague of his is found dead and very quickly discovers how fragile and vulnerable a comfortable, happy life can ben.

Kate is caught between desperately wanting the whole thing to go away - and she fights her husband's corner to achieve that - and the nagging and destructive sense of suspicion and paranoia that has her poking around in her husband's life, looking for secrets that can only ever cause her pain and sorrow.

The novel has been likened to those of Sophie Hannah and Nicci French - neither of whom I have ever read - but the writers that came to my mind  were Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay, whose specialty is tales of ordinary people trying to deal with extraordinary events.Where, crucially, Knight's story differs is in the character of the protagonists. Where Coben and Barclay heroes typically deal with their new situation with a stoic strength and determination, Kate Forman shows a panicky, jealous, suspicious side that probably better reflects how most "ordinary" folk would deal with such an occurrence.

Has her husband been cheating on her? Is his business honest? How far would she go to protect her comfortable life and her perfect family? Kate tears herself apart trying to find the answers to these questions. And her increasing desperation, diminishing self-belief and narrowing options makes for an incredibly uncomfortable and claustrophobic read, but one which I could not stop reading.

I picked up Wink Murder from the mountainous to-be-read pile because it came with a book mark outlining the rules of a parlour game called Wink Murder, which I thought was kind of interesting (and which provides a fascinating vignette in the story). What I expected, I don't really recall. What I got was a clever and compelling read that managed to open every last buried anxiety and personal paranoid fantasy and stir them up for a few hours.

Wink Murder is a cracking read, and well worth the price of a sleepless night!

On the Stand: Sara Paretsky

With the greatest respect to other authors who have been interviewed on Material Witness before, I think Sara Paretsky is the biggest name ever to grace these pages. Not only has she sold in excess of 10 million books during her storied career, but with her Chicago-based detective VI Warshawski, she is also credited with transforming the role of women in the crime novel.

VI Warshawki is Paretsky's antidote to the cliched and sexualised view of women prevalent in the vast majority of the crime fiction that preceded her, as the author points out in this excellent interview in January Magazine.

Her latest book, Body Work, is the fourteenth in an enduring series that has earned Paretsky a fanatical following around the world. It was recently published in hardback by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. 

Sara Paretsky

Favourite author:   As a child, it was Louisa May Alcott;  as a young adult it was James Joyce and my current favourite author - just now- is a Russian, Abram Tertz.   He was a Soviet dissident writer and his memoir, Goodnight, talked in a such a personal way about his writing life, that it is both historically interesting and also comforting ... for other writers bedevilled by doubt, such as I!

Favourite book:  Sally-Skip-Under-the-Bed ... a children's book that I can still repeat, word for word.

Favourite character:  When I was a teenager I was madly in love with Peaceable Drummond Sherwood - a British officer fighting in the US revolutionary war.   He featured in The Sherwood Ring, and was always in trouble.    He was also 'tall, thin and stronger then he looked', which - to this day - is a description that pops into my head when I am describing my own character, V I Warshawski.

Best Book:  Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, and it will be for quite a while, I think. Although Amy Bloom's Where the God of Love Hangs Out is also an outstanding story of loss and love.

Best Crime city:  Chicago is the best, of course.  We have everything!

Best Film Adaptation:  The Drowning Pool with the wonderful Paul Newman in the lead.   It is a terrific adaptation of the Ross Macdonald book - athough the city and plot were changed.    What they did manage to do was capture the essence of Macdonald's character and outlook on life, and they understood what lay at the heart of the novel - so it was a brilliant interpretation for a different medium.

Book that gave you the thriller bug:  Rex Stout and his Nero Wolfe series.

Author to watch:  Tea Obreht, the author of The Tiger's Wife. I hope she can keep it up.  

What do you snack on while writing:  Anything that is in front of me ... I like salty snacks while I'm writing and there is a great US snack made of nuts and crisps ... all washed down by ice cream.

Who would play you in a film of your life:  Not Meryl Streep!  Although she'd do my life better then I would.  I kind of like Susan Sarandon - or maybe Sarah Bernhardt!

My thanks to Sara Paretsky for taking time out for this interview and (again) to Kerry Hood of Hodder for facilitating.

Publishers wishing to put authors forward for interview can contact me at material.witness@yahoo.com

 

REVIEW: Lucifer's Tears by James Thompson

Lucifer's Tears is the second in James Thompson's Inspector Kari Vaara series of novels set in Finland, and offers a signficant change of scene from the acclaimed Snow Angels (Material Witness review) as the policeman has moved south to Helsinki from the Arctic Circle.

Although he has swapped the tundra for the city, Thompson continues to explore the themes that made Snow Angels so interesting: the Finns and Finland - both still relatively unknown quantities even to their European neighbours, never mind the rest of the world.

In my review of Snow Angels, I noted that Thompson had shown a degree of bravery in exploring themes that his adopted countrymen can be somewhat defensive about: violence and alcoholism. Both of these are in evidence in Lucifer's Tears, but here he goes even further into controversial, sensitive territory, exploring Finland's role in WWII and in particular its involvement with the Nazis.

Vaara is thrust into this historical minefield when a superior asks him to investigate the possible participation in war-time crimes on Finnish soil of an elderly Finnish war hero whom Germany is asking the government to extradite. Vaara is expected to cover up any incident but when he realises his grandfather might also be implicated in any crime he is compelled to follow through with his investigation, exploring a nation's darkest secrets.

In parallel, the detective also investigates the sexually related murder of the wife of a high profile Russian businessman. Vaara, and his new partner Milo, an abrasive young cop with a high IQ and similarly inflated view of his own talents, quickly recognise an elaborate set-up and focus on the businessman as their prime suspect. This is turn drags them into the political sphere.

As you can probably tell, there's a lot going on in Lucifer's Tears, and that's before you get to Vaara's personal life. He is suffering a debilitating series of headaches that increasingly impinge on his ability to function.  His American wife Kate, who manages Helsinki's top hotel, The Kamp, is pregnant and her siblings, John and Mary, visit from the US, apparently to help Kate after the birth. Thompson uses this device to explore further Finnish society and norms and some of the books most entertaining passages comes as Vaara either explains (or often defends) Finnish culture and norms to his in-laws.

Lucifer's Tears is a fast-paced, almost breathless novel that never lets up. But while the narrative draws together a number of story strands, it never feels too much and Thompson remains firmly in control throughout, skilfully engineering the plot towards its exciting climax.

The Finnish history and social lessons are not obtrusive but will likely not be for everyone. But this is a very interesting and overlooked corner of Europe, one with a remarkable story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  

But crimes series typically stand or fall on the strength of the lead character, and this is where Thompson wins handsomely. Kari Vaara is complex without being a cliche and sufficiently Finnish to be intriguing. He is also decent, fair-minded and rational - and carries the story.

Thompson is now building a terrific series, and I am already very much looking forward to seeing the promised next installment, True Finns.