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Welcome and General Discussion / Best Mystery/Crime Novel of the Decade

« on: February 04, 2020, 09:07:25 am »

This week the nominations for the 2020 Barry Awards were released. The winners will be announced at Bouchercon later in the year.

Along with the usual 'Best Mystery/Crime', 'Best First Mystery/Crime', 'Best Paperback Original' and 'Best Thriller' categories, the Barry Awards are giving out a special award this year, the Best Mystery/Crime Novel of the Decade. The nominees are:

• GONE GIRL, Gillian Flynn (Crown)
  NOVEMBER ROAD, Lou Berney (William Morrow)
  SUSPECT, Robert Crais (Putnam)
  THE DRY,  Jane Harper (Flatiron)
  THE BLACK HOUSE, Peter May (Quercus)
  THE CARTEL, Don Winslow (Knopf)

What do you think of those six books representing the best mystery and crime writing of the 2010s?

I've been very involved in mystery/crime fiction all decade, as a reviewer for magazines and newspapers in several countries, awards judge in several countries, panel chair and festival organiser across three continents, etc. So I've read A LOT of mysteries (more than 1,000 novels that decade).

I'd struggle to pick six books to represent the decade - and there are always the 'favourites' vs 'best/greatest' kind of internal debates too. Having said that, I've read all six of those authors, and most but not all of those specific books. They are all very good/excellent.

I'd probably have a different list though - some of those and a few different choices. I'd find a way to have BLUEBIRD, BLUEBIRD by Attica Locke on there, for one example. Would mull on some others.

Curious as to what others here would have on their best of the decade...

Here's another list from Crime Reads (with a Top 10 selection, then a long long list of notable selections) to jog your memory as to some major crime novels of the past ten years: https://crimereads.com/the-10-best-crime-novels-of-the-last-decade/

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What I'm Writing / Southern Cross Crime

« on: July 04, 2019, 04:52:41 am »

So I've written a lot (hundreds/thousands) of features and reviews about mystery fiction in the last 11 years.

I am now writing my first book about the genre (with another couple potentially in the pipeline too).

I'm writing a pocket essential guide to Australian and New Zealand crime writing for a London publisher.

This will slot in with leading UK critic Barry Forshaw's series of readers guides (Brit Noir, Scandi Noir, American Noir, Historical Noir, etc) - so it's not an academic treatise but an introduction for booklovers, with 250+ entries about particular authors, and some interviews and other commentary. Written in an accessible, magazine style rather than an academic one.

So a bit of a 'Lonely Planet' or 'Rough Guide' for a particular segment of the mystery genre.

It's focused on the modern era of Australian and New Zealand crime writing (1995-2020), though will include historic mysteries written during that period but set in decades/centuries past. It will also include some film/television etc.

I hope that this will be useful and of interest to readers around the world. All going to plan, it will be out Spring 2020 or so.