crime fiction – Page 30

Review: Storm Runners by T. Jefferson Parker

March 20, 2007 admin 0

Today in January Magazine’s crime fiction section, James R. Winter looks at Storm Runners by T. Jefferson Parker. Says Winter: T. Jefferson Parker has been getting ambitious ever since his 2003 San Diego-based police thriller, Cold Pursuit. He’s been casting a wider net with his characters, his back stories and his narrative flow. … So it’s no surprise to find Parker once again flexing his literary muscles, while using a borderline science-fiction scenario as his […]

Review: On the Wrong Track by Steve Hockensmith

March 13, 2007 admin 2

Today in January’s crime fiction section, contributing editor David Thayer reviews Steve Hockensmith’s follow-up novel to 2006’s very successful Holmes on the Range. As much as Thayer liked that book, he likes this one better, enjoying the history as much as the mystery. When not inciting guffaws, California writer Steve Hockensmith manages to establish enough of a plot — complete with red herrings, gunplay and bad guys — to keep his story on the straight […]

Review: The Echelon Vendetta by David Stone

March 6, 2007 admin 0

Today in January Magazine’s crime fiction section, contributing editor David Thayer examines The Echelon Vendetta, a debut novel by the pseudonymous David Stone, reportedly a former soldier and intelligence officer. “The Echelon Vendetta is an intelligent, sophisticated thriller,” writes Thayer, “an impressive debut and a strong entry in the espionage genre.” Read Thayer’s review here.

Happy Birthday, Demon Dog!

March 5, 2007 admin 0

Sunday in The Rap Sheet, Megan Abbott (The Song Is You) paid tribute to “the Demon Dog of American Literature” on the occasion of his birth: James (né Lee Earle) Ellroy was born on this day in Los Angeles, back in 1948. Coming off last fall’s overwrought Black Dahlia movie adaptation and attendant noise, it is a very good time to, for the moment, set aside Ellroy’s larger-than-life “Demon Dog” persona (a persona that can […]

Pierce’s Pick

March 5, 2007 admin 0

Mystery and thriller fans who aren’t making a weekly pilgrimage to January Magazine’s crime fiction page are missing out on a regular feature. Every Monday, J. Kingston Pierce selects a book that headlines January’s crime fiction section for the next seven days. The selection for the week of March 5th is On the Wrong Track by Steve Hockensmith while, for the week of February 26th, Pierce chose Fools Rush In by Ed Gorman. If you […]

Review: The Watchman by Robert Crais

February 22, 2007 admin 1

Today in January’s crime fiction section, contributing editor Anthony Rainone reviews The Watchman, which is “technically the first Joe Pike novel, though fans of the author’s Elvis Cole private-eye series are well-acquainted with the hard-charging former LAPD officer and worldwide mercenary.” Make no mistake: Rainone likes the book. A lot: This reviewer has run out of superlatives to describe Crais’ immense talent, but suffice it to say that The Watchman is a turbo-charged ride that […]