“Declan Burke is his own genre. The Lammisters dazzles, beguiles and transcends. Virtuoso from start to finish.” – Eoin McNamee “This bourbon-smooth riot of jazz-age excess, high satire and Wodehouse flamboyance is a pitch-perfect bullseye of comic brilliance.” – Irish Independent Books of the Year 2019 “This rapid-fire novel deserves a place on any bookshelf that grants asylum to PG Wodehouse, Flann O’Brien or Kyril Bonfiglioli.” – Eoin Colfer, Guardian Best Books of the Year 2019 “The funniest book of the year.” – Sunday Independent “Declan Burke is one funny bastard. The Lammisters ... conducts a forensic analysis on the anatomy of a story.” – Liz Nugent “Burke’s exuberant prose takes centre stage … He plays with language like a jazz soloist stretching the boundaries of musical theory.” – Totally Dublin “A mega-meta smorgasbord of inventive language ... linguistic verve not just on every page but every line.” – Irish Times “Above all, The Lammisters gives the impression of a writer enjoying himself. And so, dear reader, should you.” – Sunday Times “A triumph of absurdity, which burlesques the literary canon from Shakespeare, Pope and Austen to Flann O’Brien … The Lammisters is very clever indeed.” – The Guardian
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
The Best Things In Life Are Free … Books
They are the Reapers, the elite among killers. Men so terrifying that their names are mentioned only in whispers. The assassin Louis is one of them. But now Louis, and his partner, Angel, are themselves targets. And there is no shortage of suspects. A wealthy recluse sends them north to a town that no longer exists on a map. A town ruled by a man with very personal reasons for wanting Louis’ blood spilt. There they find themselves trapped, isolated, and at the mercy of a killer feared above all others: the assassin of assassins, Bliss. Thanks to former detective Charlie Parker, help is on its way. But can Angel and Louis stay alive long enough for it to reach them?To be in with a chance of winning a copy of THE REAPERS, just answer the following question:
Is John Connolly:Answers in the comment box below, please, with an email contact, as the Grand Vizier claims he is way too busy right now to respond to all the emails individually, the lazy bugger. The closing date, by the way, is noon on Tuesday, April 8th. Et bon chance, mes amis …
(a) the sexiest Irish writer alive;
(b) the sexiest Irish writer alive or dead;
(c) the sexiest Irish writer alive, dead, undead or trapped in some kind of supernatural limbo between this world and the next?
Funky Friday’s Freaky-Deak
A Radical New Departedure
William Monahan has teamed with Quentin Curtis to acquire rights to the Ken Bruen novel LONDON BOULEVARD.Like, it’s not as if Ken Bruen’s weekend wasn’t already going well, what with him being bigged-up Irish style at the NoirCon, where he is this year’s honoured guest along with Dennis McMillan. Oh, and did we mention that Hollywood is going BUST? No? Sorry about that, we’ve been a little busy lately …
Monahan has nearly completed the script, and plans to make his directing debut on the crime drama this fall.
LONDON BOULEVARD revolves around a South London criminal who, after release from prison, tries to give up the gangster life by becoming a handyman for a reclusive young actress.
Monahan will produce with Curtis, with whom he also acquired the John Pearson book THE GAMBLERS with Monahan planning to write that script for Warner Bros.
Monahan, who won the Oscar for writing THE DEPARTED, will adapt the remake of the Korean film THE CHASER for WB and just signed with Paramount to write a fact-based thriller about a drug dealer who traded a prison sentence for an undercover stint. – Michael Fleming
Thursday, April 3, 2008
BLOODSTORM Und Drang
“Irish author Sam Millar’s writing has been compared to Nick Cave’s. His books are as cheerful as a Leonard Cohen song on a wet night. It is easy to see why. Millar is prime-placed to write the dark and disturbing crime novels that he does because in his past he has visited some very dark places indeed. His latest tome, BLOODSTORM, keeps well within that dark tradition with a heart-stopping thriller … a relentlessly dark, page-turner of a book …” – The Village Voice, New YorkHmmm. Sounds like Sam’s just chucked down the gauntlet at Ken Bruen’s feet for the title of Prince of Darkness. Ding-ding, seconds out …
“Belfast crime-writing giant Sam Millar’s controversial new book, BLOODSTORM, is the first in a new series of crime novels. This is not a novel for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach, but those with a strong stomach and a penchant for crime novels are advised to pick it up, for a taste of a true, Belfast original. BLOODSTORM opens cinematically, pulling no punches, warning of the darkness that lies in wait for the reader who carries on from here … this is an ambitious and gripping piece of work and Millar lays the groundwork here for a series which looks set to be addictive. Roll on the sequel.” – Verbal Magazine
“BLOODSTORM is a disturbing, page-turner of a book, keeping you on the edge of your seat right to the very end. Highly recommended for those with a strong stomach …” – Belfast Telegraph
“From the very first line to the last, BLOODSTORM grips your hands and refuses to let go, taking you on the darkest, scariest ride of your life. This is a compelling story of revenge and murder with an original voice worth dying for. Those with high blood pressure should avoid BLOODSTORM – and indeed all of Millar’s books. The rest of us can only wait for the next one to arrive …” – Irish Herald, San Francisco
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
“Ya Wanna Do It Here Or Down The Station, Punk?” # 2,044: Tom Piccirilli
What crime novel would you most like to have written?
Probably Chandler’s THE LONG GOODBYE. It’s hardly a crime novel at all, but a real exploration of friendship, lost love, and what it means to have a dark heart.
What fictional character would you most like to have been?
Anybody other than Jack Taylor.
Who do you read for guilty pleasures?
None of my reading is a guilty pleasure. I’m proud of it all, even the crap. I read everything, from crime to westerns to horror to mainstream to male adventure stuff like The Destroyer and Ninja Master series. I like old novels and series based on television shows and films. None of it makes me feel guilty so long as I enjoy it, because it all goes into the stew of my own writing.
Most satisfying writing moment?
Nothing beats selling your first novel. A close second was when Dean Koontz said he liked my writing. When one of the world’s bestselling authors says he digs your work, you stand a little straighter.
The best Irish crime novel is …?
Possibly Ken Bruen’s AMERICAN SKIN. Dark as hell in intent and mood, with a lush Irish atmosphere made even more prevalent because it’s transposed to a dusty area of America.
What Irish crime novel would make a great movie?
I’d love to see Declan Hughes’ BLOOD series turned into films. They’re truly gripping stories, but more than that there’s something inherently disturbing and even creepy about them. How the crimes involved are always so connected by family and history and working class neighborhoods. I think they’d really do well on film.
Worst / best thing about being a writer?
No health insurance or real stability/getting to sleep until noon & being your own boss & not having to deal with rush hour traffic
The pitch for your next book is …?
THE COLD SPOT, due out from Bantam in April, is about a young car thief who splits from his brutal career criminal grandfather, goes straight, finds happiness, and then years later when tragedy strikes has to get back in touch with the old man on a mission of vengeance. The novel after that is SHADOW SEASON, which I’m currently working on, is about an ex-cop now blind school teacher at an isolated girls’ school who has to take care of some unfinished business with some bad guys who show up one day.
Who are you reading right now?
Michael Marshall’s THE INTRUDERS.
God appears and says you can only write OR read. Which would it be?
God appears every Saturday night after a few Jamesons, and he’s never said that to me yet. I think you’re just baiting me now.
The three best words to describe your own writing are …?
Fuck that, I’m a writer. You think I’m going to describe my own work and process in three measly words, or even try. You’ve got the wrong boy. Just read them, then you can pick and choose your own descriptions, folks.
Tom Piccirilli’s THE COLD SPOT will be published in April
Nobody Move, This Is A Review: ORPHEUS RISING by (The Artist Formerly Known As Colin) Bateman
I coasted through this book with utter ease and loved every sentence. It seems as if he’s really upped his game since I PREDICT A RIOT. The writing is much denser than his usual minimalist style, but I didn’t feel bogged down by description or superfluous detail. Each word counted. And so the result is a huge story that still manages to weigh in at a smidge under 400 hardback pages.
ORPHEUS RISING is the poignant tale of Michael Ryan, an Irish writer who found the love of his life under dramatic circumstances (involving a shark and grisly amputation) and lost her soon after to a violent death (even more violent than the shark thing). Without spoiling the plot for potential readers, I’ll tell you that we accompany Michael on his return to the Florida town of Brevard, ten years after he found happiness and had it ripped from him, to face up to the ghosts of his past.
I was very surprised by the supernatural content in ORPHEUS RISING. Again, I’m wary of spoilers and there’s not a lot you can talk about without robbing the book of some of its impact, so I’ll not go into how or why he uses it. Just trust me when I say, he does it with the aptitude of the likes of Stephen King or John Connolly, and I hope it’s an area he revisits in future work. He sets up a powerful world and sticks rigidly to his own rules, and the transition into suspension of disbelief is an easy one for the reader as a result.
His next book will see a return to form, with MYSTERY MAN, a detective story set in the real No Alibis bookshop in Belfast, but featuring a fictional owner. Not David Torrans. But maybe in the book after next he’ll bend the boundaries of his chosen genre? I hope so. He does it very well.
Orpheus Rising is a rare example of a perfect book. – Gerard Brennan
This review is republished by the kind permission of Crime Scene Northern Ireland
Monday, March 31, 2008
The Monday Review
Sunday, March 30, 2008
And For His Next Trick …
Where there’s Hope there’s trouble! Ben Hope lives on the edge. A former elite member of the SAS, Ben is tortured by a tragedy from his past and now devotes his life to finding kidnapped children. But when Ben is recruited to locate an ancient manuscript which could save a dying child, he embarks on the deadliest quest of his life. The document is alleged to contain the formula for the elixir of life, discovered by the brilliant alchemist Fulcanelli decades before. But it soon becomes apparent that others are hunting this most precious of treasures – for far more evil ends. When the secrets of alchemy hidden within the pages remain impenetrable, Ben teams up with beautiful American scientist Dr Roberta Ryder to crack the code. It seems that everyone – from the Nazis during WW2 and powerful Catholic organisation Gladius Domini – wants to unearth the secrets of immortality. The trail leads Ben and Roberta from Paris to the ancient Cathar strongholds of the Languedoc, where an astonishing secret has lain hidden for centuries …Yes, yes, but is it any good?
‘Scott Mariani brings it all to the table in this fast-paced thriller that rockets off the first page and never slows down. THE ALCHEMIST’S SECRET is packed with dark intrigue, danger around every corner, bullets flying, sexual tension, and an endless assault of nasty villains bent on stopping ex-SAS Ben Hope from finding the secret to an ancient manuscript. It’s everything a thriller should be and more.’ – Joe Moore, international bestselling co-author of THE GRAIL CONSPIRACYSo there you have it – Scott Mariani and the worst-kept SECRET in town. Ain’t magic wonderful?
‘THE ALCHEMIST’S SECRET establishes Scott Mariani as an author to watch.’ – M.J. Rose, international bestselling author of THE VENUS FIX, THE HALO EFFECT and THE REINCARNATIONIST
‘What a ride! THE ALCHEMIST’S SECRET is a non-stop thrill … Scott Mariani is surely the UK’s answer to Steve Berry.’ - Elaine Flinn, author of TAGGED FOR MURDER (Barry Award)
‘An amazing book, by an amazing author. I couldn’t stop reading until I finished the last line.’ - Peter Brendt, author of THE HUNT FOR THE HOLY GRAIL
‘Fans of mystery thrillers like THE DA VINCI CODE will find THE ALCHEMIST’S SECRET an even more breathless and exciting read.’ – In Focus Magazine
‘THE ALCHEMIST’S SECRET is a gripping, fast-moving mystery thriller that has been described as ‘like THE DA VINCI CODE, only better’. Filled with suspense, fascinating historical intrigue, endless twists and turns, vivid characters and stunning locations, this is a book everyone agrees is hard to put down. As well as a thriller roller-coaster ride, it is a highly literate and intelligent novel. I enjoyed it very much and recommend it to readers.’ – Waterstone’s Bookseller
The Best Things In Life Are Free … Books
Emily Howard is nineteen years old, slim and petite with a pale complexion and a red rose tattoo. She is also missing. She disappeared three days ago, and now her father has been sent photographs of her naked body. He is desperate to find her. So he calls Ed Loy, a private investigator who knows the dark streets of Dublin better than most; a man who will find Emily Howard within twenty-four hours. But locating Emily turns out to be only the beginning. Within hours, Emily's ex-boyfriend is found murdered, and Loy finds himself in a race against time to catch a killer – and to unearth the many dark secrets the Howard family have kept long buried.To be in with a chance of winning a copy, just answer the all-important question:
Declan Hughes’ novels feature the private eye Ed Loy, but is the Ed short for:Answers to dbrodb(at)gmail.com, putting ‘Oi, didn’t yon Brian Moore have book called that?’ in the subject line, and including your address in the body text, before noon on Tuesday, April 1st. Et bon chance, mes amis …
(a) Edward;
(b) Mr Ed;
(c) Champion the Wonder Horse?