Bruce DeSilva's Blog, page 31

A Review: The Great New Poke Raffery Novel By Tim Hallinan

It’s no secret that I’m a big Timothy Hallinan fan.

I love his playful, hardboiled L.A. series featuring full-time thief and part-time private detective Junior Bender. Those books are great fun. But his Poke Rafferty series, set in Bangkok, is more ambitious; and his new one, For The Dead, is the best one yet.

Poke and his family are in mortal danger when they accidentally get caught up in a case of police corruption. And that’s all I care to reveal about the riveting plot.

What I will tell you is that Miaow, the orphaned child Poke and his Thai wife Rose rescued from the streets, takes center stage this time, emerging as the most compelling female crime-fiction character since Ree Dolly stole our hearts in Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone.

Hallinan portrays the underbelly of Bangkok so vividly that you’ll smell the smell the rot and feel the steam rising from your skin. The prose is first-rate throughout, and at times exquisite — as fine as anything this side the best of James Lee Burke.

I can’t say enough about how much I admire this book and envy the talent it took to create it. For The Dead, scheduled to be published in November, is sure to make my short list of the best of 2014.

You can learn more about Tim and his work here.

Look Who’s Reading “Providence Rag” Now! It’s Crime Novelist Gary Phillips

Gary Phillips writes seriously hardboiled prose. I photographed him last month at the Left Coast Crime conference in Monterey, California.

I encourage you to learn more about Gary and his work here.  And you can check out his most recent novel, The Warlord of Willow Ridge, here.

Providence Rag is the third novel in my Edgar Award-winning series featuring Liam Mulligan, an investigative reporter at a dying Providence, R.I., newspaper. I hope you will purchase a copy from an independent bookstore; you can locate one in your area here.   If that’s not convenient for you, the novel, as well as the first two books in the series, are available in print, e-book, and audio editions here. 

 

http://gdphillips.com/books-2/

Who’s Reading “Providence Rag” Now? It’s Novelist And Screen Writer Lee Goldberg

Lee Goldberg is a screen writer and a TV producer whose credits include Spenser for Hire, The Glades, and Monk. He’s also a novelist whose latest is The Chase, which he co-wrote with Janet Evanovich.

Lee, a funny and charming guy, is a regular at crime fiction conferences. I snapped his photo last month at Left Coast Crime in Monterey, CA.  I encourage you to learn more about him and his work here.

Providence Rag is the third novel in my Edgar Award-winning series featuring Liam Mulligan, an investigative reporter at a dying Providence, R.I., newspaper. I hope you will purchase a copy from an independent bookstore; you can locate one in your area here.   If that’s not convenient for you, the novel, as well as the first two books in the series, are available in print, e-book, and audio editions here. 

A Review: New Crime Novel By Kristi Belcamino

Gabriella Giovanni, police reporter for a daily newspaper in the San Francisco Bay area, is passionate about her work; but a younger colleague is trying to steal her job, and her boss is eager to push her out.

So there’s a lot at stake for Gabriella when a big story, the kidnapping and murder of a little girl named Jasmine, happens on her beat. It’s the sort of story that can be emotionally draining for any reporter, but it’s a lot tougher on Gabriella, who’s still suffering from survivor guilt over the childhood kidnapping and murder of her older sister Caterina.

The story gets tougher still when a cab driver named Jack Dean Johnson, the only suspect in Jasmine’s kidnapping, refuses to speak with anyone but Gabriella. He intimates that he’s killed dozens of little girls. And one of them, he hints, just might have been Caterina.

That is the premise of Blessed Are the Dead by Kristi Belcamino, a crime novel so skillfully executed that it’s hard to believe it’s her debut.

In Gabriella, the author has created a compelling, utterly believable character who is at once vulnerable and tough as they come. The supporting cast, including the police detectives, the cunning villain, and denizens of the newsroom, spring to life from the page. The plot is as suspenseful as they come. And the gritty prose, distinguished by short, muscular sentences, is truly first-rate.

Belcamino’s own experience as a police reporter infuses her story with realism. She covered some high-profile cases including the Laci Peterson murder and the disappearance of Chandra Levy. And she also reported on a serial killer linked to the murders of little girls, a case that inspired the novel.

Blessed Are the Dead, intended as the first in a series of novels about Gabriella Giovanni, is scheduled to be released by William Morrow on June 10.

My Family’s Commitment to “Boston Strong”

Richard and Deana on the final leg of the Boston Marathon

As it turns out, Monday’s Boston Marathon was a bit more dramatic than I’d first realized for all three runners in my family.

My youngest son, Jeremy, tore a calf muscle two weeks before the race, but he insisted on running anyway.

Jerry was in the third 9,000-runner wave, and his brother Richard was in the fourth wave, which took off 25 minutes later. Their plan was for Jerry to set a slow pace and wait for his healthier brother to catch up so they could run together.

But less than half-way through the 26.2-mile course, Richard texted Jerry to report that he’d blown out both of his quads and was trying to solder on. Jerry slowed to a walk now to wait for his injured brother to catch up. When he finally did, they pressed on.

In front of them were the four Newton hills—including the one called “Heartbreak.”  And now, Richard was cramping.

The third family member in the race, Richard’s wife Deana, was far ahead of the men, on a pace for a good amateur time.

But the race should have been over for Richard and Jerry. It was time for them to head for a hospital tent. My boys have always been stubborn, however. And this year they had more reason than usual to be that way.

Richard and Deana had competed in last year’s Boston Marathon, too, and Jerry jumped in to run the last few miles with them. But their day ended short of the finish line when the bombs went off.

Still, as I know from experience, it’s all but impossible to walk up a hill with one blown quad, let alone two. And a torn calf muscle is no picnic either. But my sons weren’t about to let pain stop them. Not this year. Up the hills they went, half-running, half jogging.

Well ahead of them, Deana was cramping now, too. Realizing she wasn’t going to make the time she’d hoped for, she dawdled and wait for the two guys to catch up.

Jeremy snapping a photo of Deana and Richard shortly before the crossed the finish line.

Five hours and 25 minutes after their races began, the three of them linked arms and crossed the finish line together.

Richard, 44 years old, and Deana, 43, ran to raise money for the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, which provides support for cancer patients. Jeremy, 38, ran to raise money for the Boston Museum of Science.

I’m proud of them, of course, but they were not alone in the single-minded determination to finish the race in the wake of last year’s tragedy. The Boston Athletic Association reports that 99 percent of the runners who entered this year crossed the finish line, shattering the old record.

Look Who’s Reading “Providence Rag” Now! It’s O.J. Simpson Prosecutor Marcia Clark

Marcia Clark, who served as the lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder trial, is a crime novelist herself now. In fact, I grabbed this photo of her at the Left Coast Crime convention of crime novelists and fans in Monterey in March.

Her latest novel is titled Killer Ambition. You can learn more about Marcia and her writing here.

Providence Rag is the third novel in my Edgar Award-winning series featuring Liam Mulligan, an investigative reporter at a dying Providence, R.I., newspaper. I hope you will purchase a copy from an independent bookstore, and you can locate one in your area here.   If that’s not convenient for you, the novel, as well as the first two books in the series, are available in print, e-book, and audio editions here. 

Who’s Reading “Providence Rag” Now? It’s NY Times Best-Selling Mystery Writer Laurie R. King.

Laurie R. King is one of the finest mystery writers around, the author of 22 novels including  The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, named one of the 20th century’s best crime novels by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. Her most recent novel is this year’s Dreaming Spies.

I photographed Laurie last month in Monterey, CA.  To learn more about her and her work, click here.

Providence Rag is the third novel in my Edgar Award-winning series featuring Liam Mulligan, an investigative reporter at a dying Providence, R.I. newspaper.  The book is available in hardcover, e-book, and audio editions here. 

Look Who’s Reading “Providence Rag” Now! It’s David Morrell, the creator of Rambo

David Morrell is most famous as the creator of Rambo, but he’s been writing fine crime novels for decades. His latest is titled Murder is a Fine Art.

You can learn more about David and his work here. 

I took this picture of David reading Providence Rag, the latest book in my series of hardboiled Mulligan crime novels, when I ran into him at the Left Coast Crime conference in Monterey, CA, in March.

My new novel is available in hardcover, e-book, and audio editions here.

Who’s Reading “Providence Rag” Now? It’s Mystery Writer Sue Grafton

Sue Grafton, author of the Kinsey Millhone series, is one of our best-selling and most honored mystery writers.  I caught up with her last month at Left Coast Crime, a crime writing conference in Monterey, and snapped this photo.

You can learn more about Sue here.

Providence Rag is the third novel in my Edgar Award-winning series featuring Liam Mulligan, an investigative reporter at a dying Providence, R.I., newspaper. I hope you will purchase a copy from an independent bookstore, and you can locate one in your area here.   If that’s not convenient for you, the novel, as well as the first two books in the series, are available in print, e-book, and audio editions here. 

Just For Fun: Casting My Mulligan Novels For A Movie Or TV

The most frequently asked question during my recent Providence Rag book tour:  Who would you want to play the characters in a film version of the Mulligan crime novels?

Frankly, it’s not a subject I’ve wasted much time dreaming about. After all, very few of the hundreds of crime novels published every year are ever sold to the movies or TV–and most of the ones that are never make it into production. When it does happen to an author, it’s like getting hit by lightning–but in a good way.

Still, because so many people keep asking the question, I thought I should make an effort to come up with a thoughtful reply.

So here’s my dream cast:

Denis Leary as the protagonist, investigative reporter Liam Mulligan.

Why? He’s a bit old for the part but can play younger, and he embodies the smart mouth and bad attitude toward authority that is Mulligan.

 

 

 

 

John Francis Daley as Mulligan’s young newspaper sidekick, Edward Anthony Mason IV, AKA Thanks-Dad.

Why? Because like Thanks-Dad, he conveys a misleading naivety that makes him easy to underestimate.

 

 

 

 

Julia Stiles as Gloria Costa, the one-eyed news photographer.

Why? She kinda just looks like Gloria to me, and Sharon Stone is too mature for the part.

 

 

Frankie Valli as Domenic “Whoosh” Zerilli, Mulligan’s bookie.

Why?  Because Daniel J. Travanti might not be available.

 

 

 

 

 

Robin Wright as Rosella “Rosie” Morelli, Mulligan’s best friend since childhood and the first woman battalion fire chief in Providence, R.I., history.

Why? Because she has the grace and commanding physical presence that is Rosie–but she’ll have to dye her hair dark brown for the part.

 

 

 

Steve Schirripa as Joseph DeLucca, the often unemployed, smarter-than-he-looks friend of Mulligan’s.

Why? He’s got the right look and the right working-class manner of speaking.

 

 

 

 

Jada Pinkett Smith as Yolanda Mosley-Jones, Mulligan’s on again, off again love interest.

Why? Because she embodies Yolanda’s elegance and intelligence–and because, dammit, Mulligan deserves a woman like her.

 

 

 

 

Kevin Bacon as RI State Police Captain Stephen Parisi.

Why?  Because he does the steely-eyed thing really well, and because Parisi doesn’t talk much. In Mystic River, Bacon did a lot with a character who didn’t talk much.

 

 

 

 

Grace Park as Veronica, who was Mulligan’s girlfriend in the first novel and may eventually return to haunt him.

Think she’s waaaay to young for Mulligan? She’s actually 40–but she looks a lot younger, which is good because Mulligan is quite a bit older than Veronica. And like Veronica, Grace Park has a winsome charm that can make men fail to spot a devious streak.

 

 

Bruce DeSilva at Manhattan’s Mysterious Bookshop

Bruce DeSilva as Ed Lomax, managing editor of The Providence Dispatch and Mulligan’s boss.  Why? Because Lomax is a man of few words, so I should be able to remember my lines.

 

 

 

 

Providence Rag, the third novel in my Edgar Award-winning Mulligan series, is available in hardcover, e-book and audio book editions here.