crime fiction

No Image

Review: Soul Patch by Reed Farrel Coleman and Dead Madonna by Victoria Houston

June 12, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January Magazine’s crime fiction section, contributing editor Stephen Miller reviews Soul Patch by Reed Farrel Coleman and Dead Madonna by Victoria Houston. Says Miller: The mantra of real estate is location, location, location and the same often holds true for modern crime fiction. With only so many plot lines to use, and with many authors content to repeat what has worked before, what often separates good mysteries from the pack is their setting. […]

Review: Up in Honey’s Room by Elmore Leonard

June 6, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January Magazine’s crime fiction section, contributing editor David Abrams reviews Up in Honey’s Room by Elmore Leonard. Says Abrams: It’s usually futile to try and describe an Elmore Leonard plot. It’s like listing the ingredients of sausage — there are so many different things packed in there, but all you really care about is how it tastes. Up in Honey’s Room is set in 1944 Detroit, where Carl has tracked down two German […]

Review: Queenpin by Megan Abbott

June 4, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January Magazine’s crime fiction section, contributing editor James R. Winter reviews Queenpin by Megan Abbott. Winter says: We never learn our protagonist’s name in Megan Abbott’s latest novel, Queenpin, but we certainly get to know her and the mysterious Gloria Denton. Gloria rocks our heroine’s world in the waning days of the American mob’s golden era. She is a legend, admired and feared perhaps more than any gun-toting thug. She even has the […]

Review: Ladykiller by Meredith Anthony and Lawrence Light

May 29, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January Magazine’s crime fiction section, contributing editor Anthony Rainone reviews Ladykiller by Meredith Anthony and Lawrence Light. Rainone says: Given the sophistication of the material, the dark humor, complex characters and the chockfull-of-crime happenings in Ladykiller, Meredith and Light could become the crime-fiction-writing equivalent of Nick and Nora Charles. This is a confident and accomplished debut. The complete review is here.

Review: Keep It Real by Bill Bryan

May 14, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January Magazine’s crime fiction section, contributing editor James R. Winter looks at Keep It Real by Bill Bryan. Says Winter: Keep It Real is a scathing satire of the world of reality TV, thinly disguised as a crime novel. Every turn in this tale provides one more excuse to rip away at the façade of today’s hottest programming genre. And no, author Bryan doesn’t care if this offends The Donald. But if Roger […]

Review: Lost Dog by Bill Cameron

May 1, 2007 admin 0

Today in January Magazine’s crime fiction section, James R. Winter reviews Lost Dog by Bill Cameron. Our reviewer finds a single flaw in an otherwise remarkable debut. “Here’s hoping that we see more from this new talent in the near future.” Winter’s full review is here.

Review: Vinnie’s Head by Marc Lecard

April 25, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January Magazine’s crime fiction section, James R. Winter reviews Vinnie’s Head by Marc Lecard. Says Winter: Vinnie’s Head, by debut novelist Marc Lecard, brings gonzo noir to Long Island. And if I worked for the Nassau or Suffolk County chambers of commerce, I’d sue him. However, since I don’t, I will simply say that this Killer Year author has penned one of the fastest, most ridiculous, and funniest romps of 2007 so far. […]

Review: Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson

April 17, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January’s crime fiction section, Karen G. Anderson looks at Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson. Says Anderson: Kindness Goes Unpunished is at its strongest when author Johnson writes about the dark tensions among families and friends, and describes the uneasy alliances he forges with the flamboyant Moretti clan. With their stern detective father, the parents’ troubled marriage and the five siblings — four of them cops — the Morettis deserve a Philly-based series […]

Review: Red Cat by Peter Spiegelman

April 11, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January Magazine’s crime fiction section, James R. Winter reviews Red Cat by Peter Spiegelman. Spiegelman strips the layers off even his most minor characters and reveals them to be something more than they appear at first to be. Initial impressions here serve only to misdirect the reader. Kind of like real life, though much more exciting. And unsettling. Winter’s review is here.

Review: Magic City by James W. Hall

April 5, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January’s crime fiction section, Stephen Miller looks at Magic City by James W. Hall. Says Miller: … to call Magic City a yarn about the chase for a single photo is to simplify it to the point of caricature. Hall layers so much more into this novel: Miami social history during the time of the heavyweight fight; the boiling passions of the exiled Cuban community that took root in Miami (and is still […]