Jo’burg’s Best: The Jade de Jong novels of Jassy Mackenzie

Number four in the PI Jade de Jong novels by South African crime novelist Jassy Mackenzie, Pale Horses, just out in the U.S., is “gripping,” according to Publishers Weekly. Jade is, as Library Journal noted in a starred review, “tough as nails and persistent, despite the fact that every clue leads to a dark and twisted place.”

Mackenzie hit the ground running with this “remarkable series,” as the New York Times Book Review called the Jade de Jong books. Her 2008 publication, Random Violence, featuring the gutsy PI is set in contemporary Johannesburg; the novel earned local acclaim. South Africa’s Sunday Times declared that this debut “excels in its ability to translate our propensity for violent crime into a clever plot that could take place only in South Africa.” Released in the United States in 2010, Random Violence earned a starred review in Publishers Weekly, with the critic terming it a “triumphant debut,” and further noting, “Readers will wish Jade a long fictional career.”

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A “Long, Dark Winter”: Jim Thompson’s Finnish Noir

Bartender, bouncer, construction worker, photographer, rare coin dealer, soldier and wrestling announcer–add to these the title of AUTHOR. Jim Thompson has led a varied career, one taking him from his native Kentucky to Finland where he has lived for over a decade, and a publishing contract with northern Europe’s largest publisher, WSOY, for a series of political thrillers and crime stories. His first novel, Across the Green Line, appeared in 2008, in Finnish, under the title Jerusalemin veri. His second book, the crime novel Snow Angels (Lumienkelit), was released in spring 2009. Another thriller, The True Name of God (Jumalan nimeen), was published in March 2010.

With Snow Angels, Thompson introduces Inspector Vaara, the focus of this interview. Of Snow Angels, a contributor to Booklist declared it an “outstanding series debut,” and Publishers Weekly found it a “noirish thriller” that “offers a bleak look at the ravages of [Finland’s] long, dark winter as well as intriguing glimpses of Finnish culture.”

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A Mistress of Cozies: Lorraine Bartlett and Her Three Alter Egos

Mystery writer Lorraine Bartlett wears a number of pseudonymous caps. Writing under her own name, she is the author of the new series, Victorian Square Mysteries, whose first installment, A Crafty Killing, debuts this February. Writing as Lorna Barrett, she pens the Booktown Mysteries series, and as L.L. Bartlett, she writes the Jeff Resnick Mysteries. An Agatha-nominated, New York Times bestselling author, Bartlett is a busy woman.

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“Utterly Desolate”–The Norfolk of Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway Novels

Elly Griffiths is the author of a series of crime novels set in England’s Norfolk county and featuring forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway. The first in the series, Crossing Places, earned a good deal of praise both in Griffiths’ native country, England, and in the U.S. The Literary Review termed it “a cleverly plotted and extremely interesting first novel, highly recommended.” Kirkus Reviews also lauded the work, noting, “A winning debut…. the first-rate characters and chilling story are entrancing from start to finish.”

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Chinatown Noir: Henry Chang’s Detective Jack Yu Novels

Henry Chang’s Chinatown series featuring Chinese-American NYPD Detective Jack Yu debuted to critical acclaim in 2008 with Chinatown Beat, “a fascinating look at New York’s Chinese-American urban community and its subcultures,” according to Publishers Weekly. The Boston Globe also had praise for this first novel, noting, “For readers who relish noir suspense, it doesn’t get any better than this stunning novel.”

Chang followed up that success with Year of the Dog, “a dense, moody, and intelligent glimpse at Chinese life in New York as seen through the world-weary eyes of a young man with a foot firmly planted in two cultures,” as Booklist commented. His 2010 series addition, Red Jade, was termed a “fast-moving police procedural with added sociological depth,” by Booklist. Chang’s third novel also earned a coveted starred review from Library Journal, whose critic observed, “An action-packed plot and a carefully detailed mystery make this a feast for readers who crave insight into the cultural melting pot that is the United States.”

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Nick Quantrill’s Joe Geraghty Books: The Incredible “Hull”

British author Nick Quantrill opened his PI Joe Geraghty series with the 2010 Broken Dreams, set in Hull, England. Here Geraghty, a former rugby player turned private investigator, becomes involved in a murder and subsequent police investigation that involves the demise of the city’s fishing industry and explores the problem of how Hull can build a new future for itself. A reviewer for thisisUll.com felt that “Quantrill’s passion for this neglected part of East Yorkshire is evident in his writing and reminiscent of Ian Rankin’s love affair with Edinburgh.”

Nick, thanks for joining us at Scene of the Crime. Let’s start out with your connection to Hull, England. How did you come to live there or become interested in it?

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Neil White’s Lancashire Crime Novels: Garret and McGanity on the Job

British author Neil White is a criminal lawyer by day and a crime novelist by night. His books featuring reporter Jack Garrett and girlfriend DC Laura McGanity are set mostly in the Lancashire town of Blackley. White draws on his expertise and experience in the courtroom to provide reality-based fiction that has drawn acclaim from reviewers. The Blackpool Gazette hailed his first novel in the series, Fallen Idols, “a stunning debut.” Second in the series, Lost Souls, has, according to eurocrime.co.uk, “plenty of excitement, character development and tension…this book will make you squirm.” Closer Magazine called that same work “a fast-paced crime novel that will keep you guessing until the very end.”

White has published two further installments in the crime series. The Lancashire Evening Post felt that his third, Last Rites, “teems with menace, and the action builds to a terrific climax.” And White’s latest series addition, Dead Silent, is a “superb, tense, action-filled tale with lots of human interest and totally unputdownable,” according to Bookseller magazine.

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John Burdett’s Bangkok Thrillers: Bronze Age Mysticism with Silicon Chips

John Burdett’s Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep made his first appearance in the 2003 novel, Bangkok 8. Since that time there have been three more novels featuring the Thai detective, with the most recent, The Godfather of Kathmandu, out this past spring. Many reviewers have noted that in this critically acclaimed series Western materialism confronts the spiritual approach of the East.

A reviewer for People magazine declared of Bangkok 8: “Like Thai cuisine, Burdett’s comic thriller blends spicy, sour, salty, and sweet – and makes for a delicious wake-up for jaded palates.” Carl Hiasson also had positive words about that series premier, declaring: “One of the most startling and provocative mysteries I’ve read in years. The characters are marvellously unique, the setting intoxicating, and the plot unwinds in dark illusory strands.”

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Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone Novels: The Perfect Mix of Thriller and History

Steve Berry is the best-selling author of the Cotton Malone series, a blend of history and suspense that have catapulted Berry to the top of the thriller game. With over 11 million books in print translated into 37 languages and sold in 50 countries, Berry has come a long way from the 85 rejections he garnered trying to break into writing. With Malone, a former U.S. Justice Department agent turned rare-book dealer, Berry has found the winning combination, and his protagonist has made six appearances thus far, starting with The Templar Legacy in 2006, and continuing with The Alexandria Link, The Venetian Betrayal, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Paris Vendetta, and The Emperor’s Tomb, just out.

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Sam Millar’s Belfast Crime Novels: Art Reflects Life

Sam Millar is one of those authors whose experiences in his private life rival those of his fictional protagonists. An IRA volunteer imprisoned in Long Kesh for his political beliefs and actions, he was the mastermind behind the 1993 Brinks robbery in New York, one of the biggest heists is U.S. history. He served more hard time, this time in the American penal system, but was ultimately pardoned by President Bill Clinton. Upon his return to Northern Ireland, he turned from the sword to the pen.

Winner of the Aisling Award for Art and Culture among other prizes, Millar is the author of a memoir, On the Brinks, as well as a number of edgy novels, among them two noir thrillers featuring PI Karl Kane. In the series debut, Bloodstorm, Kane delves into the murders of a group of Belfast men who, over twenty years before, were involved in a gang-rape death. Publishers Weekly dubbed this the “powerful first of a new crime series,” while Booklist termed it “a real find for aficionados of the classic hard-boiled novel.” Kane returns in the 2010 series addition, The Dark Place, a novel dealing with “hard-edged crime with a vengeance,” according to Booklist. Similarly, Publishers Weekly noted of this second series installment: “Millar distinguishes himself from many of his contemporaries in the genre with taut writing and a memorable lead character.”

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