I hit a wall yesterday where I found myself irritable with everything and everyone. I think I was putting pressure on myself to stay connected, attend Zoom socials, do more work, promote my existing work, not miss anything. It was exhausting and not sustainable. What did I do? Went for a long walk and then found a quiet spot and read a book. Cheap therapy. And it worked. I feel better.

On to the main event, here’s the most crime fiction news per word on the web.

 

Here are 3 crime fiction links, 2 quotes, and 1 question for this week:

 

3 LINKS

 

• If you’re just going all in on the pandemic, CrimeReads has a list of mysteries and thrillers with plague or outbreaks as the backdrop. Kudos for the callouts on Abbott’s FEVER and Charlie Huston’s SLEEPLESS. Forgot about those. Whatever happened to Charlie Huston?
  

 

• At the New York Times, Maslin reviews the new Grisham and finds a lot of the old Grisham thriller elements bolted onto this new “beach” series and finds it darker than its CAMINO predecessor. I run hot and cold on Grisham. I sometimes find he “tells” to much without having characters actually interact and speak. Given his sales, I’m guessing I’m in the minority 🙂

 

• At Criminal Element, Max Allan Collins weighs in on his five favorite private eyes. Warning, he does include his own PI.
  

 

2 QUOTES

Quotes from Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe from THE BIG SLEEP:

• “I don’t mind if you don’t like my manners. They’re pretty bad. I grieve over them during the long winter evenings.”

 

• “The kid poured him another straight rye and I think he doctored it with water down behind the bar because when he came up with it he looked as guilty as if he’d kicked his grandmother.”
  

 

1 QUESTION

• What is your favorite private eye, classic or modern?
  

 

 

Until next Thursday, happy reading,

Mike

Author the Max Strong thriller series