The curtain drops
On the Radar — How do you like the sound of Brad Parks’ latest, in which an actor is drafted in to go undercover in a prison to eke information out of an inmate? It sounds like a pretty good set-up, but it’s not the…
NTN: Mrs Kaplan and the Matzoh Ball of Death
Written by Mark Reutlinger — Not all crime books have to be gory, graphic or downright dangerous. For example, Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries tend to tax the brain without unsettling the stomach, while Alexander McCall Smith’s No1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books feature a traditionally built…
OxCrimes 2: Martyn Waites
Exclusive extracts from OxCrimes – On 15 May, Profile Books will be releasing OxCrimes, a special anthology that includes 27 short stories by some of the world’s best crime authors. To support the launch of the book, we’re working with Profile to bring you extracts…
CIS: Why No1 Ladies' is now a classic
As I sit here sipping my red bush tea (artistic licence… it’s PG Tips!), I’ve been reflecting on how long I’ve been acquainted with Mma Precious Ramotswe, and why she deserves her place in the list of classic crime novels. I first met this lovely…
Welcome to Classics in September 2013
The other day we were on Twitter talking about our intention to run our second annual themed month, Classics in September. One of our followers asked: ‘Why September?’ A very good question, and just the sort a lover of mysteries who follows the logic of…
Deadly Harvest
Written by Michael Stanley — Through the auspices of Alexander McCall Smith and his wonderful creation Mma Precious Ramotswe of The No1 Ladies’ Detective Agency fame, I feel as if I’ve visited Botswana on many occasions. Now, thanks to Michael Stanley, I’m back there again,…
On World Book Night 2013, we recommend...
Tonight is World Book Night, a charity event promoting reading by giving out free books to underprivileged people in the UK, Ireland, America and Germany. We’re right behind that and encourage people to make donations to the cause at the WBN website. This year, WBN…
World Book Night 2013 is coming...
On 23 April, 20,000 volunteers in the UK and Ireland will be distributing about 500,000 books to people who don’t normally read – we take our hats off to them! World Book Night is a celebration of reading that aims to support the libraries, bookshops,…