AMERICAN WOMAN by Robert POBI (review and giveaway)

Even though I really enjoyed Robert Pobi's Bloodman (aka Eye of the Storm) and Mannheim Rex, I wasn't sure I wanted -or needed, for that matter- to read a novel about a serial killer of kids. Fortunately, Pobi knows how to write and how to tell a story; he doesn't go for the melodramatic and he doesn't try to horrify with blood on every page. That's not saying you won't be troubled by the horrific murders -there are details on how the bodies were maimed and butchered- but Pobi doesn't dwell on them.

The focus is put on the search for the killer and on the many characters, especially the parents of the victims, but the most interesting one is Alexandra Hemingway, the NYPD detective who is leading the investigation. Unsure of how to react to the news of her (unplanned) pregnancy, 'Hem' is still trying to understand recent, dramatic events in her life and coping with the repercussions that have shaken her to the core. Plunging deeply into the darkness of a vicious killer won't help but we certainly understand her and why she finds it difficult to face her future as a mother. The eternal question "why should I bring a child into this violent world" can seem like a cliché (and it might be one) but when you deal with this violence on a day-to-day basis, as Hem does, the question definitely needs to be examined.

The chase for the serial killer will be exhausting for 'Hem' and the entire police department as well as for the reader. Pobi presents a vast and interesting cast of characters; you will come to know them well and understand their motivations. Many will even end up on your list of suspects. Be prepared to be shocked by the murders, but also by the ending of the book. One of the things I admire about Pobi is that he never goes for the easy resolution that will satisfy everyone; he seems to enjoy keeping the readers on their toes and leaving them with more questions than answers.

If you like edgy crime fiction that doesn't shy away from reality checks, Pobi is now a name to add to your list of essential reads. I guarantee that you will at least be entertained.

Rating: 3 1/2 thumbprints

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UPDATE, WINNERS ANNOUNCED:  Paul Levine of Scottsdale, Arizona; Mary Bouchard of Ottawa, Ontario; and Luke Thornton of Plattsburgh, New York. Congrats, and thank you to everyone who participated, your books are in the mail.

I have three signed copies of Robert Pobi's novel Eye of the Storm (previously published as Bloodman). Send me an email at housecrimyst@gmail.com for a chance to win. Giveaway ends on Saturday, May 17th, at noon (Montréal time). You can read my review of this book here.

For more information on Robert Pobi and his books, visit his website here.

Thanks for reading!

JF
May 11th

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UNDER A SILENT MOON by Elizabeth HAYNES (a review)

(This review is part of a TLC Blog Tour; I've just realised that I'm posting this one day late, so I apologize. Very sorry!).

Polly Leuchars, 29 years old, is found dead in a cottage, so badly beaten that part of her head is missing and there's blood everywhere. On the same night, not far from there, at the bottom of a quarry, the body of Barbara Fletcher-Norman, 58, is discovered in her car. Polly and Barbara knew each other; they were practically neighbours. Polly's blood was found on Barbara's clothing. When learning about his wife's death, Brian Fletcher-Norman has a heart attack and almost dies; police find some blood in the Fletcher-Norman's kitchen, plus they will also try to determine who are behind the many phone calls placed from different phones, in various locations in the vicinity of the crime scenes. Then gossip in the village blurs the picture. Or does it? Who could have wanted these women dead? And why? 

I was a fan of Elizabeth Haynes even before she was published here in North America. Her first book, Into the Darkest Corner, had been available for about a month or so, in the UK, when a visitor at the House of Crime & Mystery decided I should read it. She sent me a copy across the Atlantic ocean and she said "Elizabeth Haynes is not very well-known yet, but I guarantee you she will soon". Maybe not her exact words, but something to that effect. She was right and I wish I could remember her name now to thank her properly.

Haynes then went on to publish two more books (Revenge of the Tide --or Dark Tide, in the US & Canada-- and Human Remains my favorite so far). These helped to prove that she was for real, and legitimately take her place in the crime fiction world. The three books are standalones and, although they share some similarities, are very different in many ways; you might enjoy one and then maybe dislike another one (but I'd really be surprised). One thing I can guarantee, they won't leave you indifferent. The themes --relationships, domestic abuse, solitude, extreme behaviours, etc.-- are intelligently treated and very much at the center of each book. The characters are poignant, complex and richly drawn; Haynes demonstrates a strength that is too often lacking in novels in general, which is strong characterization created with heartfelt sensitivity. She respects all of her characters and wants us to understand them, the 'good' as well as the 'bad' --even though they can't often be as easily categorized, living as they are in the grey zone in-between. 

Back to the book that concerns us today, Under a Silent Moon. Haynes's fourth story is the start of a series starring DCI Louisa Smith. She is at the center of the investigation but the novel is all over the place (in a good way), presenting the reader with different point of views, as much from within the police department as from civilians who knew the victims in one way or another.

Two women are found dead, one evidently murdered while the other seems to have killed herself. They knew each other and lived in the same neighbourhood. Are the deaths related? Is there more than one killer? Why did they die on that same night "under a silent moon'?

Elizabeth Haynes here shows some of the qualities present in her three previous novels, but the characters are the real interest in this one. Relationships, attitudes, and work habits within the police department are interesting enough to want to know more about DCI Smith and the other detectives and cops; the other characters help to define who were the victims, but also to complicate the guessing game around the reasons for their violent deaths. One of the author's good ideas here is the use of police paperwork (witnesses statements, intelligence reports, etc.) that adds another dash of reality into the story. 

Personally, I prefer to get to know the characters before they die; when a book starts off with victims I've never read about it keeps me a little too distant from the story. I don't feel involved. Of course, that's the way it happens most of the times with detectives in real life; hopefully they are not related to the victims, so they need to get to know them in order to find out how and why they died. Especially the 'why'.

In fiction, the writer's job is to make the mystery intriguing enough to grab the reader's attention. Then, in my case at least, the writer needs to get the reader to care for the victims by telling him (or even better, by showing him) who they were. Many readers of mysteries will enjoy the investigation and maybe find an added interest by trying to solve the case before the end of the book. Not me. The ensemble of characters who are running the story, and driving the intrigue forward towards its resolution is what hooks me. Fortunately, Haynes does it really well here; a good thing because I didn't care enough for her two victims. Plus, the mystery, while not being that obvious, wasn't very difficult to solve either. But Haynes's cast of characters is diverse, well-balanced and interesting; that's what kept me reading and why I am looking forward to reading her next novel.

Rating: 3 1/2 thumbprints (see my rating system in the Review Room).

For more on Elizabeth Haynes, check-out her website (interesting posts about her writing, some choices she made in her stories, etc.). She's also present on various social media like Facebook, Twitter, and others.

And for other opinions than mine about Under a Silent Moon, visit the TLC Blog Tour website here.

Thanks for visiting.

JF
April 29th, 2014

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THE DARK SIDE TOUR and FREE BOOKS

 

MARCH MADNESS (and APRIL too) - CANADIAN VERSION

Simon & Schuster Canada is sending seven of its best authors on tour, this spring.

All events are free to attend, and, depending on the event, there'll be three or four authors present. The authors are Deryn Collier (Confined Space, Open Secrets), Craig Davidson (The Troop written as Nick Cutter, Rust and Bone, etc.), Jennifer Hillier (Creep, Freak, The Butcher), Robert Pobi (Eye of the Storm formerly Bloodman, Mannheim Rex, etc.), Andrew Pyper (The Demonologist, Lost Girls, The Killing Season, etc.), Sean Slater (Snakes and Ladders, The Guilty, etc.), and Brad Smith (Shoot the Dog, Crow's Landing, One-Eyed Jacks, etc.).

I'll be attending the event in Ottawa on Friday, March 21st, at 7 pm. The event will be hosted by author Peggy Blair (The Beggar's Opera, The Poisoned Pawn), and guests for that evening will be Robert Pobi, Craig Davidson/Nick Cutter, and Andrew Pyper. For the full list of events, a sweepstake, and more info about the authors and their books, visit The Dark Side website here.

As a bonus, you can also visit Grooveshark to listen to The Dark Side Tour playlist, as chosen by Deryn Collier (here), Craig Davidson (here), Jennifer Hillier (here), and Robert Pobi (here).

GIVEAWAY

UPDATE: We have a winner and it is Marjorie Roy, of Woodstock (Ontario). Simon & Schuster Canada will send her the books. Thank you to everyone who participated and thanks for visiting. The last event of the tour was held last night in Waterloo (Ontario). From what I hear the tour was a success. Stay tuned for a new giveaway later today.      JF April 24th, 2014

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Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada, one lucky visitor to The House of Crime & Mystery will receive a set of seven books: Collier's Confined Space, Cutter's The Troop, Hillier's Freak, Pobi's Eye of the Storm, Pyper's The Demonologist, Slater's The Guilty, and Smith's Shoot the Dog.
If you're interested to win these great books, send me your name and full address at housecrimyst@gmail.com This giveaway is open to residents of Canada only, and participants need to be 18 years or older.

 

Bonne chance!
I hope to meet some of you in Ottawa.

JF
March 2014

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HOME IMPROVEMENT & MOVING ON








Blogger is great but it has too many glitches and bugs that make me go a little crazy (and very frustrated). After much debating, I've finally decided to start working on a brand-new website instead of trying to keep improving this blog, which didn't really respond to my needs; I had to constantly adapt myself to it, instead of adapting it to what I wanted to do.

I'm hoping to announce the opening of the new site somewhere around late March or early April. In the meantime, I'll still be using this blog. I see it as moving from an apartment to a house. It will still be called The House of Crime & Mystery, of course. I think it'll look great and be more user friendly, both for myself and for visitors. I hope you'll like it.

Thank you for your patience and for your continued support. It's all done for one purpose: the promotion of books and writers.


à bientôt,

JF
March 8th, 2014

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GIVEAWAY: SIGNED ADVANCE COPY OF LAURA LIPPMAN'S AFTER I'M GONE

 

 

              Canadian Edition                                                                      U.S. Edition

 

UPDATE: Due to urgent family obligations, I need to push back my full review of Laura Lippman's After I'm Gone to an undetermined date. The review is part of the TLC Book Tour, so in the meantime you can check out what other bloggers are saying about this great novel (by clicking above). Thank you for your understanding. Sorry about that.

 

'See' you soon.

JF

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Laura Lippman's new novel will be published on February 11th, in the US and Canada. Here's your chance to win an advance reader's edition that she signed when I met her at BoucherCon, in Albany, last fall.

I'm reading the book at the moment and will be reviewing it on Thursday, February 13th, right here in the House. I can already tell you that it's one of her best yet --with all the great stories she's written, I didn't think I could be awed again but I most certainly am. Laura Lippman has many more tricks up her sleeves and she proves it in After I'm Gone. Simply explained, the book is about one man's disappearance, on the 4th of July, in 1976, and about the lives of the five women that were close to him: his wife, his three daughters, and...his mistress. The reader follows them through the following years until the mistress also disappears.

Laura Lippman's narrative is addictive, and the dialogue flows as naturally as the days come and go. Very talented writers like Gillian Flynn, Kelly Braffet, and Jennifer McMahon, to name a few, have recently been getting many well-deserved rave reviews but, with After I'm Gone, Laura Lippman is proving that she is still the Queen of American crime fiction.

 

 photo credit: Jacques Filippi

UPDATE: our lucky winner is Janie Mathis, of Bishopville (South Carolina). Thank you all for participating and for visiting the House. Come back soon, and please spread the word. À bientôt!

Send me your name and address at housecrimyst@gmail.com for a chance to win a signed copy of this great novel.You have until noon, Montréal Time, on February 6th. I'll then announce the winner on February 7th.

Bonne chance!
JF

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HOUSE OF CRIME & MYSTERY'S 2nd ANNUAL READERS'S CHOICE AWARDS



The best crime books of the year, voted by you! They've all been published between November 1st, 2012 and November 31st, 2013. (So next year we'll be able to do December 1st, 2013 to November 30th, 2014).

Ballots came in mainly from the USA, UK, and Canada, like last year, but votes in Canada alone almost doubled. There were also many more voters from French Québec and France. And a good chunk came from Australia, Germany, Africa, Norway, and Spain. In total, I’ve received 1 117 ballots (compared to 632 last year). Just, wow!

Ballots had votes for an average of three to four categories only. I can understand that most voters read in only one language, but there were a lot less votes for Best Non-Fiction and Best Short-Fiction than for other categories. Also, I ignored votes from 'anonymous' ballots. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to vote; it proves that you care for the writers and books that you read. In total, all categories together, there were 3 801 votes (compared to 2 529 last year). It's a long way from the attention that Goodreads gets but, hey, Dan Brown didn't receive one single vote here. In most categories, as you'll notice, there were some very tight results.

So, here they are, with the Top 3 in each category –including % of votes:

 

-BEST INTERNATIONAL CRIME NOVEL (except US, UK, and Canada):

3--Helsinki Blood by James Thompson (Putnam) 19%

2--Police by Jo Nesbø (Knopf) 32%

and the top vote-getter is:

1--WATCHING YOU by Michael Robotham (Sphere) (available in the US in March 2014 from Mulholland Books) 34%

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-BEST CRIME NOVEL in the United Kingdom

3--The Dying Hours by Mark Billingham (Little, Brown) 22%

2--I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty (Serpent's Tail) 23%

and the top vote-getter is:

1--THE WRATH OF ANGELS by John Connolly (Atria/Emily Bestler Books) 44% 

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-BEST CRIME NOVEL in the USA

3--Save Yourself by Kelly Braffet (Crown) 17%

2--Onion Street by Reed Farrel Coleman (Tyrus Books) 21%

and the top vote-getter is:

1--THE BLACK BOX by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown) 41%

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-BEST CRIME NOVEL in CANADA

3--The Poisoned Pawn by Peggy Blair (Penguin) 16%

2--The Silent Wife by ASA Harrison (Penguin) 22%

and the top vote-getter is:

1--VIGILANTE SEASON by Peter Kirby (Linda Leith Publishing) 25%

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-BEST INDIE or SELF-PUBLISHED CRIME NOVEL

3--Gutted by Tony Black (New Pulp Press) 18%

2--The Big Reap by Chris F. Holm (Angry Robot Books) 20%

and the top vote-getter is:

1--A TASTE FOR MALICE by Michael J. Malone (Five Leaves Publications) 23%

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-BEST SHORT-FICTION COLLECTION

3--Eight Lies (About the Truth) by Sean Chercover (eBook -Kindle Edition) 11%

2--Best American Mystery Stories 2013 editor Lisa Scottoline (Mariner Books) 25%

and the top vote-getter is:

1--DEAD LETTERS: STORIES OF MURDER AND MAYHEM by Chris F. HOLM (eBook -Kindle edition)  27%

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-BEST NON-FICTION CRIME BOOK

3--The Spy Who Loved by Clare Mulley (St.Martin's Press) 17%

2--All The Wild Children by Josh Stallings (Snubnose Press/Createspace) 24%

and the top vote-getter is:

1--Being Cool: The Work of Elmore Leonard by Charles J. Rzepka (Johns Hopkins U. Press)  27%

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-BEST CRIME FICTION IN FRENCH/ MEILLEUR POLAR EN FRANÇAIS

3--Terreur dans le Downtown Eastside de Jacqueline Landry (Les Éditions David) 22%

2--Puzzle de Franck Thilliez (Fleuve Noir) 28%

et le plus populaire est :

1--SOUS LA SURFACE de Martin Michaud (Les Éditions Goélette) 31%

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-BEST CRIME FICTION TRANSLATED INTO FRENCH/ MEILLEUR POLAR TRADUIT EN FRANÇAIS

3--7 jours de Deon Meyer (Seuil) 19%

2--La phrase qui tue de Craig McDonald (Belfond) 24%

et le plus populaire est :

1--ILS VIVENT LA NUIT de Dennis Lehane (Rivages) 34%

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--YOUR FAVOURITE CRIME NOVEL OF 2013/VOTRE POLAR FAVORI EN 2013

3--Ils vivent la nuit de Dennis LEHANE (Rivages)

2--The Black Box by Michael CONNELLY (Little, Brown)

and the top vote-getter is: / le polar le plus populaire est :

1--THE WRATH OF ANGELS by John CONNOLLY (Atria/Emily Bestler Books)

Congratulations to the winners and runners-up! Thank you to all the writers for so many great books in 2013; it already looks like we'll have another fantastic year in 2014.

To all those who submitted ballots, a huge thank you! I promised to give away some books, and I will announce the names of 5 winners, next week, once I've contacted all of them.

I will email each of you individually and you'll get to pick 3 books each --except for one special winner who'll receive 5 books. I should also have at least a few leftovers that I'll give away in February and March. Stay tuned.

UPDATE- we have our 4 winners of three books each: Luke Carleggio, of Rome (Italy), Sofia Winter, of Knoxville (Tennessee), Mike Robinson, of Calgary (Alberta), and Lucy Lindsay, of Vancouver (British Columbia). Also, our big winner of 5 books, Sara Major, of Minneapolis (Minnesota). Thank you all again for participating!

Thank you to the Canadian publishers who have sent books my way: Hachette, Simon & Schuster, Random House, Harper Collins, Vehicule Press, and ECW Press.

À bientôt, talk to you soon.

JF

January 2014

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