Clea Simon's Blog, page 4

HOLD ME DOWN returns

Pleased as punch that Bloodhound Books will be re-issuing HOLD ME DOWN, with a snazzy new cover! Pre-order it now in kindle, hardcover, or paperback and get it on Sept. 9.

“Gripping and intense, a darkly suspenseful dive into friendship, fame, murder, and the thrilling power of rock music. I couldn’t put it down,” said New York Times-bestselling author Meg Gardiner.

“This devastatingly powerful mystery hits like a punch to the heart,” said Caroline Leavitt, New York Times-bestselling author of Days of Wonder

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Severn House celebrates!

As many of you know, with my new BAD BOY BEAT, I’m back with Severn House, the great UK indie publisher that brought out my Dulcie Schwartz and Blackie and Care books. (Severn House will also be publishing The Butterfly Trap next March). In the years since I’ve been with Severn, they’ve undergone some changes – including being acquired by Cannongate, which gives the press a broader reach (yay!).

Today at Bouchercon, Severn House is hosting a reception to celebrate its 50 years in existence – and I’m very much looking forward to meeting SH folks, including the editorial director Rachel Slatter, who was my original editor that first time around. And for those who can’t make it, Publishers Weekly ran an informative “PW Closeup” interview with the SH publisher, Joanne Grant. Read it here.

Spotlight on BAD BOY BEAT

What with vacation and editing, I somehow neglected to share this lovely Sunday Spotlight interview that librarian/book blogger Lesa Holstine did with me for Bad Boy Beat. Lesa is an astute reader, so her questions are always spot on. Happy to belatedly share it here:

SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT – CLEA SIMON

I met author Clea Simon years ago at a mystery conference. It’s been a few years, though, since she’s had a post here. And, every time I think of Clea Simon, I think of my friend, Sandie Herron, who loved Clea’s mysteries about cats. Simon’s latest book, Bad Boy Beat, is different. But, I’ll let Clea tell you about the book. Thank you, Clea, for taking time to answer a few questions.

Clea, It’s been a while since you’ve been here. Would you introduce yourself to readers? Tell us a little about your background, your previous books, and your career as a reporter, please.

Thanks so much for having me, Lesa! It’s been a while, but I’ve been busy. I’ve been writing mysteries for nearly 20 years now (“Mew is for Murder” came out in 2005), and I’ve now got 31 mysteries to my name (as well as three nonfiction books). I started out writing cat cozies, which I still do and love to do (my latest “witch cat of Cambridge” book is “To Conjure a Killer”). That said, in recent years, I’ve turned to darker suspense. My new “Bad Boy Beat” has been called “newspaper noir,” in that it really revels in the dark underbelly of journalism and of the historic city of Boston, where I live and which I love. Yes, I started as a journalist – I saw it as a way to write and get paid! I’ve written for everyone from Ms. magazine to the New York Times, and I’ve served as an editor for a bunch of places, most recently my hometown Boston Globe. I still do occasional op-eds (opinion pieces) and book reviews, but most of my focus these days is on my books.

Would you introduce us to Emily Kelton?

Em, as she prefers to be called, is a rookie reporter on the daily Boston Standard, and as such she’s been put on the police beat: covering (or at least checking out) anything that comes over the police scanner. This is considered a low-level post, but Em has a certain affinity for the beat – both for the cops whom she comes to know and the low-level criminals who are some of her best sources (and sometimes romantic partners). She’s got a bit of an attitude, too. That’s necessary for a job where you’re pushing your way in, asking questions of people on some of their worst days. I love Em. She’s a loyal friend and a relentless reporter, but these traits can get her in trouble – big trouble – and not just with her editor.

Would you give us the elevator pitch for Bad Boy Beat?

When rookie reporter Em Kelton covers yet another shooting of a low-level drug dealer, she becomes convinced that the killings are connected. But even as she works to uncover the big story, the streets of Boston are hiding even darker secrets that threaten not only her new job but her life.

Here’s the tough question. Tell us who your favorite author is, and why.

Phew! For a long time, I’ve said Hilary Mantel, the multiple Booker Award winner. I regularly re-read her first big novel, “A Place of Greater Safety,” which follows several bright young things in 18th century France who end up bringing about the Revolution… and their own downfall. It’s so alive and it has a dark humor that really appeals to me. But recently I’ve been on a Deanna Raybourn kick. I started with “Killers of a Certain Age” and then went on to the Veronica Speedwell historicals. I just love her! She’s whipsmart and really funny too. 

Thank you, Clea! (And, I love Deanna Raybourn’s books, too.)

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Bouchercon!

As soon as I finish up edits for The Butterfly Trap, I’m going to be heading to Bouchercon, the world mystery convention that draws hundreds of readers, authors, and various assorted mystery-world celebrities together. This year, the traveling con will be in Nashville, at the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center, and I can tell you I’m looking forward to hearing some music and eating some hot chicken. But the main draw? The people! Mick (“Slow Horses”) Herron is just one of the many speakers, but the best interactions are always those you don’t expect: the quick conversation in the book room where you connect over a new fave. The unexpected interaction with a reader on the way to a panel. The blast of recognition when someone mentions a beloved book – and you realize you have so much more in common.

I’ll be doing the author speed dating with Neil Plakcy on Saturday and am thrilled to be on the “You Can Do Magic: Cozies that Cast a Spell” panel Friday at 5. Otherwise, look for me in the book room and in the panels. Please say “Hi!” I’m so looking forward to meeting you!

“Her prose is on fire.” – James Lee Burke

Friends, I am stunned. One of my heroes, the great James Lee Burke, has praised my writing, saying (I kid you not): “Her prose is on fire.” JAMES LEE BURKE!!!!

The occasion wasn’t one I’d expected either. I had reviewed his wonderful new Dave Robicheau mystery, Clete, for the ArtsFuse (an online journal of the arts, based here in Boston). My review wasn’t uncritical – I picked at some points that bothered me. But overall, I loved the poetry of that book, which gives Dave’s longtime sidekick Clete his own story. The rhythms and repeating motifs reminding me of that great Virginia Woolf quote:

“Style is a very simple matter; it is all rhythm. Once you get that, you can’t use the wrong words. But on the other hand here am I sitting after half the morning, crammed with ideas, and visions, and so on, and can’t dislodge them, for lack of the right rhythm. Now this is very profound, what rhythm is, and goes far deeper than any words. A sight, an emotion, creates this wave in the mind, long before it makes words to fit it.”

ANYWHOO… my review ran and got some nice comments. And then I heard back from JLB’s publicist, who had sent him my critique. And he loved it, despite my criticisms. And in part of his response to the publicist, which was then forwarded to me, he said – yes, “HER PROSE IS ON FIRE.”

Friends, I feel like I can now never review a JLB book again. But that’s ok, because …James Lee Burke said about something I wrote: “Her prose is on fire.”

“Looking forward to the next one…”

Gumshoe’s reviewer had a strong reaction to Bad Boy Beat.

“The plot is tightly written with several twists and turns to keep it interesting,” says critic Gayle Surrette. And while she sometimes despairs over Em Kelton’s more self-destructive habits, she finds my journalist protagonist “distinct and believable.” Overall, she is “looking forward to another installment in what I hope will be a series.”

Thank you! And, yes, I’m more into making a character relatable than likable. Sounds like I succeeded.

You can read the whole review here.)

Join me in the Salon!

Tomorrow (Tuesday) I’m going to be chatting with Madame Perry on her great podcast. Tune in at 8 pm EST with all your questions (or catch up with the archived version once we’re done). Jennifer Perry asks such great questions. SO looking forward to this!

A Mighty Blaze!

Wow! I just got to chat with the great (and NYT-bestselling) novelist Caroline Leavitt on A MIGHTY BLAZE! We talked about strong female characters, writing fiction, and what makes a telling detail….

It’s too late for you to ask us your questions. But you can catch up with us and listen in on our chat here: https://www.youtube.com/live/f8qiVRN1-jI?si=ZxijlgfZMkjTyQT0

“One heck of a journey…” BOLO Books on Bad Boy Beat

“Put yourself into Clea Simon’s hands and prepare yourself for one heck of a journey…” That’s just some of the praise BOLO Books showers on Bad Boy Beat. “[R]eaders will quickly find that the twists and turns of the plot more than satisfy—with a particularly stellar final act that is guaranteed to please even the harshest critic of crime fiction,” critic Kristopher Zgorski writes.

Read the whole stellar review here.

Bad Boy Beat – The BOLO Books Review

by Kristopher | Jun 4, 2024 | Review | 

Over time, Clea Simon has proven that she is a writer capable of success across many of the subgenres that fall under the crime fiction umbrella. She has written cozies with cats—both realistic and paranormal—as well as psychological suspense, often with a gritty music-based backdrop. With her latest novel, Bad Boy Beat, Clea Simon may have invented—or at the very least, staked her claim to—a new crime fiction subgenre, Newspaper Noir. Through it all, her fans have noticed that regardless of what style she is tackling, strong female characters dominate in the works of Clea Simon. And that is unlikely to change anytime soon.

Bad Boy Beat features Emily Kelton, a journalist working for the Boston Standard newspaper. Relegated to the police beat, Em struggles to stand out in the crowded newsroom. She excels at covering the late-night escapades of various criminals, but she longs for a time when she can cover a bigger story—a blockbuster with which she can make a name for herself. While struggling to get respect from her colleagues and competing with other outlets for the hottest stories, Em discovers that there may be more to a pattern of seemingly typical shootings involving the underground drug network.

Using a series of contacts she has cultivated over a number of years and in various different ways, Emily is able to make connections and uncover truths others are overlooking. The newspaper industry requires employees to work on multiple stories at once and everywhere Em turns fresh links materialize.

Bad Boy Beat shines on two fronts. First and foremost, the character of Emily Kelton is one that readers will immediately bond with. She is tenacious and scrappy, but she is also imperfect. She leaps off the page in fully formed authenticity which makes the reader want to root for her at every obstacle. Because of Clea Simon’s background in journalism, she imbues Em with all the necessary attributes to make her the perfect representative, ushering readers into the complex world of competitive journalism. The level of character depth makes it easy to see how Emily Kelton can carry a series moving forward.

The second star of Bad Boy Beat is Boston itself. This is a town that Clea Simon knows like the back of her hand and that intimate knowledge bursts forth on every page, almost every paragraph. The noir vibe of Bad Boy Beat rests squarely in the heart of the gritty Boston streets. This is an unvarnished look at one of our country’s most fascinating cities. Probably not advisable given the dangerous directions the storyline navigates, but Bad Boy Beat could convincingly be used as a tourists guide to the callous avenues of Boston proper.

Those may be the two most prominent reasons to pick up Bad Boy Beat, but readers will quickly find that the twists and turns of the plot more than satisfy—with a particularly stellar final act that is guaranteed to please even the harshest critic of crime fiction. Put yourself into Clea Simon’s hands and prepare yourself for one heck of a journey—dark, hopeful, and above all, entertaining.

BUY LINKS: Bad Boy Beat by Clea Simon

Disclaimer: A print galley of this title was provided to BOLO Books by the author. No promotion was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

New book alert!

Remember Hold Me Down? Named a “must read” by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, this dark rock ‘n’ roll novel of suspense was briefly orphaned when publisher Polis Books went out of business. But now Bloodhound Books has picked it up and will re-publish it in e-book and trade paperback on Sept. 9! I’ll share the new cover as soon as I have it! 

A little farther down the road, The Blue Butterfly is on the calendar too! This “he said/she said” standalone – a psychological suspense that plays with gender roles and our expectations of romance – will be published by Severn House on March 4, 2025. I’ll share the cover – and more news – as I have it. In the meanwhile, advance readers are going wild:

Darkly inventive and full of grit and suspense, The Blue Butterfly is a deliciously sinister take on ‘he said/she said,’ sexual politics, and what we do for what—or whom—we love. Truly, film noir on the page. – Caroline Leavitt, New York Times-bestselling author of Days of Wonder

Obsession and possession. Authenticity and intimacy. Clea Simon delivers a cautionary and dark tale about love and art, decisions and consequences, and whether you can ever truly know another person. By the last page, you might think that the three most dangerous words in any language might be ‘I love you.’ The Blue Butterfly won’t be pinned down by easy labels, and you won’t be disappointed. ­­– Gabriel Valjan, Agatha, Anthony, and Shamus nominated author of the Shane Cleary series