35 Years of Devil in a Blue Dress
Devil in a Blue Dress is celebrating its 35th anniversary. Walter Mosley’s bestseller broke new ground and was snapped up by Hollywood. It opened up whole new possibilities for Black writers. But do either book…
Not the Oscars
Excited about the Oscar winners? Don’t bother: get excited about Not the Oscars! The good movies that the Academy (and my fellow BAFTA voters) passed over. If you want eight movies that will wake you…
Have your say: new blurb for The Breaking of Liam Glass
I’d love to hear your opinion of the new blurb for my noir thriller The Breaking of Liam Glass. Times change, things move on and I decided it was time to update the description of…
Finnish humour. Review of Palm Beach Finland by Antti Tuomainen
Last year, I sat with the Finnish novelist Antti Tuomainen on a panel for the literary festival Newcastle Noir. Tuomainen is a massive name in his home country and is enormously funny to listen to,…
Paris by noir – Review: Clementina by Simon Cann
Last week I wrote about honesty in writing – how it is the difference that makes the difference. No amount of clever plotting or literary fireworks will make up for a lack of truth. Today…
Is cozy mystery crime the new hummus?
Now is possibly the best time ever to be a cozy mystery crime reader Sales of crime novels in the UK soared this year, overtaking general fiction for the first time. And, like hummus, it seems…
How seductive is the call of Sirens – review of Joseph Knox’s debut noir
Sirens – this week’s review in the Library Corner I was standing in Waterstones, asking for dark crime stories, when the assistant handed me Sirens – debut novel by Joseph Knox. Sumptuously produced in hardback,…
The Horrific Sentence
You know, I firmly believe that at the heart of many – possibly all – genres there is a single sentence. There is certainly one at the heart of all Horror movies, and I’ll tell…