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September 17th, 2020

The fifth Max book is now about a quarter of the way done. And I had a mild freakout this week that it was all terrible and I was wasting my time. Maybe it’s true. Maybe it’s not. A lot is going on right now way beyond writing. Pandemic, the election, school starting up. Letting my emotions bubble up shouldn’t have been a surprise.

It was a good reminder that while our to-do lists continue to grow at the top of the list should be working to remain calm. To do what we need to do to slow down our racing mind because emotional responses only ever make things worse. I got my head right and went back to work.

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

3 LINKS

• Criminal Element highlighted 12 neo-noir authors that you should know but probably don’t (not yet). Really like Barron’s Coleridge series. That was a recent new-to-me series discovery.
  

• If you like Ware’s latest, a homage to Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, Book Riot picks 8 more books that use the locked room mystery to gin up suspense. I can vouch for Foley’s debut and really liked Lafferty’s genre bending SIX WAKES.
  

• I’m surprised more of Michael Connelly’s books haven’t been adapted but this one caught me off guard. Connelly will adapt his recent 3rd Jack McEvoy book FAIR WARNING into a feature. Be interested to see how that works. Loved the book, timely, but so much hinged on personal privacy and information sharing. Will it translate visually?
  

2 QUOTES

Two quotes from Agatha Christie this week as she celebrates a birthday:

• “Time is the best killer.”
• “Very few of us are what we seem.”

1 QUESTION

• The Queen of Crime is the best selling novelist of all time so chances are that you’ve read at least one of her books. My two favorites are AND THEN THERE NONE and the third Poirot, THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD. What is your favorite Agatha Christie mystery?
  

Until next Thursday, happy reading,

Mike

Author the Max Strong thriller series

September 10th, 2020

Found myself dwelling on a recent one-star review. Never mind the 30 other positive reviews for the book. You always end up fixated on the one person who criticized you.

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

3 LINKS

• In case the news slipped by you over the weekend, especially in the US with the holiday, the upcoming Amazon adaptation of Child’s Jack Reacher series has found its leading man. There definitely won’t be any arguing over whether he hits the physical specs. I actually really enjoyed the first Reacher movie with Cruise but the second was sort of a mess.
  

• ARuth Ware’s latest, a riff on Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, is garnering very good reviews. The sort of locked-room or cottage mystery seems be having a bit of a moment with Foley, Ware and others this fall tackling the classic golden age setup.
  

• For a crime fiction fan, this big fall book preview at Crime Reads is the equivalent of flipping through the old Sears catalog and making your Christmas wish list.

2 QUOTES

Two quotes from Child’s Jack Reacher this week:

• “No, I’m a man with a rule. People leave me alone, I leave them alone. If they don’t, I don’t.”
• “I don’t care about the little guy. I just hate the big guy. I hate big smug people who think they can get away with things.”

1 QUESTION

• I’m keenly interested to see how this latest Reacher book, now a collaboration between brothers, comes out. Should Lee Child have chosen to end his series? What is your favorite Reacher book? I’m partial to his debut in KILLING FLOOR but also like the ones that bring back some of his Army past like BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE.
  

Until next Thursday, happy reading,

Mike

Author the Max Strong thriller series

September 3rd, 2020

I’m less than 10k words into the new book and feeling antsy. So much about achieving success as an indie writer is about having books out and available. I need to remind myself that writing a good book is also equally important even if it doesn’t feel like it all the time. The most overlooked and underappreciated growth strategy is patience and consistency. Sit down and write every day. No shortcuts there.

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

3 LINKS

• CrimeReads picks their top 5 female detectives. Personally, off the top of my head, I’d add Tess Monaghan, Alice Vega or Dana Scully.

• At Amazon Book Review, Louise Penny chats about leaving Quebec, Gamache in Paris, origin stories, planning ahead, and comfort zones. Going to back to Three Pines each year is like dipping your toes into a warm bath.
  

• The NYTs has a… wide ranging profile (in the Style section) on Dan Brown, his new (but actually old) children’s album, the messy divorce, his quarantine time, and the next Langdon.

2 QUOTES

Two quotes from Louise Penny this week:

• “The four sayings that lead to wisdom:
  I was wrong
  I’m sorry
  I don’t know
  I need help”
• “I think many people love their problems. Gives them all sorts of excuses for not growing up and getting on with life.”

1 QUESTION

• September means the publishing industry is back from its summer holiday and about to start pumping out new books. What new fall book are you looking forward to most? Personally, I’m interested to see how the Child brothers collaboration works and what it means for the future of the Reacher series.
  

Until next Thursday, happy reading,

Mike

Author the Max Strong thriller series

August 27th, 2020

I’m in the beginning stages of the next book and I’ve found myself thinking about success, specifically what it takes. I believe there are three elements you can control: quantity (try a lot of things), quality (make each effort count), consistency (keep trying). Plus, one thing you don’t have too much control over: a little luck. Then again, if you keep taking quality shots over a long period of time, you definitely increase the odds of a few bounces going your way.

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

3 LINKS

• As the days get shorter and cooler and the calendar inches toward October, I find my reading appetite for horror growing. I thought this was a good list that went beyond the usual horror/supernatural titles. BuzzFeed goes beyond King and Koontz to look at 10 international horror novels every fan should read.

• I miss going to library or book store and just luxuriating in all the books. I’ll have to make do with anticipating the upcoming titles online. Not quite as good. ABR looks at the most anticipated upcoming fall books, including Penny, Galbraith (reception should be interesting), Child brothers, and READY PLAYER TWO.
  

• The con or heist movie might be my favorite type of escapist film. Crime Reads explores all the reasons that THE STING has never been topped as the best of that genre. Hard to argue. Everything is so good, from the direction, the acting, to the rusty, olde tyme color palette.
  

2 QUOTES

Two quotes from George Roy Hill’s 1973 Oscar winner this week:

• Doyle Lonnegan: Your boss is quite a card player, Mr. Kelly; how does he do it?

  Johnny Hooker: He cheats.

   

• Johnny Hooker: He’s not as tough as he thinks.

  Henry Gondorff: Neither are we.

1 QUESTION

• What is your favorite heist or con man? Is it a classic like The Sting or something more modern like Catch Me If You Can? Or something more obscure like The Brothers Bloom?
  

Until next Thursday, happy reading,

Mike

Author the Max Strong thriller series

August 20th, 2020

I’m starting the next novel and it’s a mix of excitement and trying not to feel overwhelmed. The goal is a little progress everyday and if I miss a day, that’s okay, too. Just aim to get the butt back in the chair the next day.

In the meantime, here are 3 crime fiction links, 2 quotes, and 1 question for this week:

3 LINKS

• If you enjoyed Branagh’s Poirot on a train a few years ago get ready for more Poirot… now on a boat. Didn’t know Christie wrote steamy romance. Ok, I actually thought MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS was pretty decent but the sex-ed up trailer here is a little much.

• The NYTs looks at the allegory, action, and love of low down pulp on display in the new LOVECRAFT COUNTRY. On my list, haven’t watched the premiere yet.
  

• The Guardian Book Club is taking on PD James and looks at the indelible opening of A TASTE FOR DEATH.

2 QUOTES

Two quotes from PD James this week:

• “It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life.”
  ― P.D. James, A Taste for Death
  

• “Man is diminished if he lives without knowledge of his past; without hope of a future he becomes a beast.”
  ― P.D. James, The Children of Men

1 QUESTION

• Who is your favorite English crime writer? So many to choose from. Golden age, I’d likely go with Christie. Modern….McDermid, Hill, or Rankin.
  

Until next Thursday, happy reading,

Mike

Author the Max Strong thriller series

August 13th, 2020

It might be the post-vacation blues or just the natural personal reaction to the unending news cycle but at the moment it all seems terrible. How could it not?

I’m trying to pull myself out of it by reminding myself that it only appears that way because we are all right in the middle of it. We are face-to-face with it. It might be a struggle but if we can force some perspective on the situation we will be reminded that this too shall pass.

I’ll admit it’s not much comfort to know this, but it is some. The beat goes on. We will get through this, as we have always gotten through difficult times. Maybe with a good book. There will always be books and stories to help.

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

3 LINKS

• Good or bad, this is bound to be interesting. I still tend to like Affleck behind the camera and the backstory and personalities in getting CHINATOWN madeis almost as good as the film itself.

• The Telegraph has an interesting story on the mostly overlooked (in the US) Japanese genre of honkaku (locked room) mysteries where ingenuity is valued above all else.
  

• Hard to believe it’s been three decades since The Neon Rain debuted. Crime Reads looks at the changes and the constants in the 30 year evolution of Burke’s Robicheaux series.
  

2 QUOTES

Two quotes from James Lee Burke this week:

• “Age is a clever thief. It takes a little from you each day, so you’re not aware of your loss until it’d irreversible.”
  

• “I believe the causes that create them [serial killers] are theological in nature, rather than societal. I believe they make a conscious choice to erase God’s thumbprint from their souls.”

1 QUESTION

• What is your favorite James Lee Burke book? Personally, I’d go with IN THE ELECTRIC MIST WITH CONFEDERATE DEAD, almost on title alone.
  

Until next Thursday, happy reading,

Mike

Author the Max Strong thriller series

July 30th, 2020

Take a simple idea and take it seriously.” —Charlie Munger

Want to strengthen the brain? Fight off anxiety and depression? Increase empathy? Sleep better? Reading more is a simple idea … but most people don’t take simple ideas seriously.

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

3 LINKS

• At the NYTs, Stephen King weighs in on the ‘neo-noir, coast-to-coast chase’ of Lauren Beukes new thriller AFTERLAND. If you are looking to try a new writer and haven’t read Beukes before, you are in for a treat.

• Book Riot highlights 10 crime books that play around with the genre expectations and tropes. Not sure about CHESTNUT. I enjoyed it but it was almost a blueprint for a Nordic thriller.
  

• BuzzFeed contemplates what the future of true crime docs could (or perhaps should) look like as we move through the heightened awareness and scrutiny of BLM and other past marginalized groups. 

2 QUOTES

Two quotes from Nordic noir master Jo Nesbo this week:

• “I think it’s possible to learn. The problem is that we learn so damned slowly, so that by the time you’ve realized something, it’s too late.”
  

• “Love surrounds you like steam in the shower. You can’t see the individual drops, but you get warm. And wet. And clean.”

1 QUESTION

• If I were forced to pick, I’d likely go with Nesbo and his Harry Hole series? Who is your favorite Nordic noir author?

Until next Thursday, happy reading,

Mike

Author the Max Strong thriller series

July 23rd, 2020

Remember when everyone was excited to have time to make bread or finally clean out that closet or have Zoom cocktail hours? Feels like a long time ago. Feels like things have darkened dramatically. If you’re struggling to carry on or find yourself scrolling endlessly through bad news, remember the Stoic tenet of turning obstacles into fuel, to see everything as an opportunity to do something.

No one is saying this isn’t a dire time but we have to deal with it. There’s no other choice.  Not in short bursts, but with sustainable energy and perseverance.

Let’s get back to simpler topics: books and reading.

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

3 LINKS

• CrimeReads looks back at the novels and career (to date) of Dennis Lehane. And doesn’t pull any punches on its thoughts about MOONLIGHT MILE. Recently re-read DARKNESS and…damn…so good.

• Get your library requests or pre-orders in now: ABR looks at 12 mysteries and thrillers sure to generate some buzz this fall including the newest from Tana French and a standalone from Nesbo. We’ll also get the first co-written Reacher book in November, too.
  

• BookRiot revists THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW during quarantine now that so many more of us are stuck inside.

2 QUOTES

Two quotes from Dennis Lehane this week:

• “Which would be worse, to live as a monster or to die as a good man?” – from SHUTTER ISLAND
  

• “Your first family is your blood family and you always be true to that. That means something. But there’s another family and that’s the kind you go out and find. Maybe even by accident sometimes. And they’re as much blood as your first family. Maybe more so, because they don’t have to look out for you and they don’t have to love you. They choose to.” – from THE GIVEN DAY

1 QUESTION

• I find myself re-reading favorite books more often as I get older. I recently re-read Lehane’s second Kenzie/Gennaro DARKNESS, TAKE MY HAND? Do you prefer Lehane’s PI series or his standalones?
  

Until next Thursday, happy reading,

Mike

Author the Max Strong thriller series

July 16th, 2020

The news has been driving me to distraction: crappy economy, global conflicts, and of course, the pandemic. Things are scary and the potential consequences loom over us. What can you do? What ultimately happens is not up to us but some things are still in our control. Who we are during all of this matters. If you’re feeling down, or overwhelmed, focus on that. Don’t be afraid, work hard, give back and be good. Those traits will serve you well.

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

3 LINKS

• The LARB talks to BLACKTOP WASTELAND author SA Cosby about the economy as a plot complication, rural noir and place, finding hope, and ordering hash browns.

• The new 4k box set of Hitchcock films will finally include the long-rumored “uncut” original theatrical version of PSYCHO .
  

• Are lavish audiobook productions then new hot trend? James Patterson just signed a deal with Audible for original stories and Gaiman’s Sandman is in production.

2 QUOTES

Two quotes from Alfred Hitchcock this week:

• “The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture.”
  

• “The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture.”

1 QUESTION

• I listen to a lot of audiobooks throughout the year. I find them perfect for prepping dinner, weeding the garden, or walking the dog. I will say, my preference is for a solitary narrator, over a radio production-style cast. How about you? Do you prefer bigger audiobook productions with multiple voice actors and sound effects?
  

Until next Thursday, happy reading,

Mike

Author the Max Strong thriller series

July 9th, 2020

We are knee deep in summer. A weird summer, sure, but summer nonetheless and the kids want nothing to do with school, books, or learning. But you never stop learning. You never become a reader. It’s never finished. You are always learning and always reading.

Of course, try telling any kid this. It’s like trying to force feed the dog is meds. It’s not going to happen without a fight. You just need to let them come to their own conclusion so that they do it on their own. Best way that I know how to do that? Do it yourself. Provide an example. Be a reader. I hope you’re taking some time for yourself and I hope you are finding some good books.

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

3 LINKS

• The NYTs looks at a fascinating and forgotten sub-genre of the mystery/thriller bookshelf: the revolutionary Black thriller of the civil rights era.

• The WaPo looks at two new horror novels that are unnervingly prescient in their timing with Tremblay’s SURVIVOR SONG and Malerman’s sequel to BIRD BOX.
  

• More Malerman, USAT has an excerpt from MALORIE and talks to the author about his reaction to the Netflix BIRD BOX adaptation and what inspired the upcoming sequel.

2 QUOTES

Two quotes from BIRD BOX:

• “It’s better to face madness with a plan than to sit still and let it take you in pieces.”
  

• “Maybe a thing has to be smart enough to lose its mind.”
  

1 QUESTION

• Some vacation reading habit questions this week: When you are going on vacation, do you pack books or an e-reader?
  

Until next Thursday, happy reading,

Mike

Author the Max Strong thriller series