B.V. Lawson's Blog, page 231

Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

Author Thomas Pynchon is in talks with director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood) to bring Pynchon's 2009 stoner private-eye novel Inherent Vice to the big screen.

A March 27 debut has been set in the U.K. for director Danny Boyle's psychological thriller Trance (no U.S. release date has been announced yet). The film centers around an art auctioneer mixed up with a criminal gang who joins forces with a hypnotherapist to recover a lost painting, and stars James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel and Rosario Dawson.

Lee Child hinted about a sequel to Jack Reacher that could be set in a rural landscape and based on either Child's novels The Hard Way or Worth Dying For.

CinemaBlend has a trailer for the upcoming thriller Dead Man Down starring Noomi Rapace (Lisbeth Salander in the original Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo films) as a mysterious woman who hires a hit man.

Here's a trailer for the Cold War-era thriller Phantom, starring Ed Harris as a Soviet submarine captain who suffers from seizures that alter his perception of reality, facing off against a rogue KGB group led by a man named Bruni (David Duchovny).

And here's another trailer, actually three trailers, for the 1940s-set crime thriller Gangster Squad starring Sean Penn as infamous gangster Mickey Cohen and Ryan Gosling as an LAPD outsider assigned to a special task force to bring Cohen down.

From Omnimystery News: A new poster for the crime thriller Parker starring Jason Statham as a gentlemanly professional thief whose crew doublecross him, steal his stash, and leave him for dead.

This year's Oscars telecast will include a 50th anniversary tribute to the James Bond franchise.

As Crimespree notes, if you missed the movie featuring Tyler Perry portraying Alex Cross from James Patterson's novels, it will be available on home video February 5th.

TV

BBC America bought broadcast rights for ITV's eight-part murder mystery drama Broadchurch, featuring former Doctor Who stars David Tennant and Arthur Darvill. The premise centers on a small British seaside town and how it's affected by the murder investigation of a young boy. Tennant will play newly-appointed Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, a by-the-book investigator who butts head with local Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman), while Darville will play town priest Paul Coates.

If you enjoyed the Lifetime original movie An Amish Murder broadcast last night, you may be in luck; the movie, which was based on the book Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo, "has really good potential" to become a series, according to star and Executive Producer Neve Campbell.

Call it gimmick or stroke of ratings gold, but the CBS crime drama Hawaii Five-0 will become the first primetime drama to allow viewers to choose the ending of an episode in real time on Monday, January 14. The plot follow the team as they investigate the death of professor whose boss, teaching assistant and a student busted for cheating are all viable suspects. 

A&E has set March 18 as the premiere date for its new Psycho prequel series Bates Motel starring Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke, Nicola Peltz, Nestor Carbonell  and Mike Vogel.

The second season of the BBC's Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes, edged out Homeland as the best show on British TV in 2012, according to an annual year-end survey of TV critics and writers by Radio Times magazine.

Atlas Entertainment is partnering with the Starz network for the dramedy series Crime, written by Oscar winner William Monahan. The project is billed as "a study of criminal enterprise and scandal across 1960s Britain," and was developed from a feature film treatment by Vanessa Sadler.

Lost star Zuleikha Robinson has landed a guest role on The Mentalist, playing brilliant scientist Dr Sonia Kidd. Over on CBS, Homeland star David Negahban has landed a role on CSI: NY playing the only person who knows where star Gary Sinise's kidnapped girlfriend Christine (Megan Dodds) is being held.

Although it's just a rumor, and a weak one at best, it's interesting to contemplate the possible return of Twin Peaks to TV. Also among the potential aspects connected to the rumor: star Kyle MacLachlan might create webisodes of the show in addition to returning to the cast.

Want to know where you favorite shows stand in the renewal/cancellation realm? TVLine has a list for you.

PODCASTS/VIDEO

Louise Penny chatted with Vermont Public Radio about her bestselling series with Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and the upcoming TV series based on the books.

Friday's "Forgotten" Books - Cast for Death

British author Margaret Yorke, who was born in 1924 and died on November 17 of last year, was a prolific writer, averaging one novel a year for four decades, with 44 titles published in English
and over 450 reprints in other languages. Her popularity in Sweden culminated in the Swedish Academy of
Detection presenting her with its Martin Beck award in 1982, and she was also the recipient of the 1999 Crime Writers Association Cartier Diamond Dagger.


Although most of Yorke's novels were standalone works of suspense, in 1970 she created her one serial protagonist, Oxford English lterature
don and amateur sleuth Dr. Patrick Grant, who appeared in five total novels including Silent Witness (1972), Grave Matters (1973), Mortal Remains (1974)
and Cast for Death (1975).Yorke chose the fictional St. Mark's College as Grant's employer and often called on her own job as a college librarian for setting and character details.


Yorke's novel Cast for Death is the final installment featuring the handsome, absent-minded professor Grant, who has a habit of quoting Shakespeare. In fact, Yorke herself once admitted she was "nutty about Shakespeare and mad about Macbeth." The plot centers on the death of actor Sam Irwin, whose body is discovered in the River Thames, an apparent suicide. Grant, who is a friend of Irwin, doesn't buy the suicide angle. After all, why would Irwin have taken his own life shortly before
opening in a new play at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at
Stratford?

In pursuing the truth, Grant links seemingly unconnected events including the death of a dog, a second suicide and a series of art robberies.
Ultimately, Grant's very life is threatened in a denouement concert
at the Festival Hall after he uncovers a deception of theatrical proportions. But Grant's personal philosophy drives him in his quest, mirroring a quote from Edmund Burke used toward the end of the novel, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

During her life, Yorke was also a passionate supporter for public libraries in the U.K. and in 1993 was
presented with the Golden Handcuffs award by the British library service for
becoming the most-borrowed author.

We Have a Winner!

Thanks to everyone who posted or e-mailed suggestions for upcoming newsletters! As promised, I put the names in a hat, and Beth V. was the lucky winner of a book of her choosing from the "top 15" crime fiction 2012 list. If you'd like to sign up for for the free bimonthly newsletter, just follow the link on the left of this blog (and you can easily unsubscribe at any time).

Mystery Melange

 

Book sculpture by Mike Stilkey



After a two-year hiatus, Deadly Ink Press is planning to once again host the Deadly Ink Conference this year, August 2-4 in New Brunswick, NJ, with Hank
Phillippi Ryan as Guest of Honor, Rosemary Harris as Toastmaster and
Bob Daniher as the Fan Guest of Honor. Organizers are currently seeking
authors to participate in panels and signings, and interested folks
should send email to info@deadlyink.com. The conference is also again
sponsoring a crime fiction short-story contest for submissions of 5,000
words or less that are set in New Jersey. The winner will receive $25
and free admission to the conference. Proceeds from the anthology of
finalist stories will be donated to the Christopher Reeve Foundation.

More "Best Crime Fiction of 2012" lists have been released, including this one for the Boston Globe by Hallie Ephron, and a two-part list compiled by J. Kingston Pierce and other reviewers for January Magazine. Here's part one of January Magazine's list, with books from Declan Burke to James Lee Burke, and part two adds books by Stephen L. Carter, Don Winslow and more.

Here's an item of interest for authors who can combine a manuscript critique with a charitable donation: Literary agent Irene Goodman founded a nonprofit called Publishing for Vision & Hearing in honor of her son, Rob, who suffers from Usher Syndrome. Each month, the organization's website auctions the editorial services of editors, agents, and bestselling authors to give personal critiques to aspiring writers. Previous items have included a partial critique by Movable Type Management co-founder Jason Ashlock and author Sophie Littlefield. Check back soon for more offerings, including special gala events.

There will soon be a new crime fiction ezine on the block. Plan B Magazine is launching a fundraising campaign on IndieGoGo in 2013, with the intent to post one story per week, available to read online for free. Quarterly ebook anthologies will be made available to purchase, as well as an annual ebook subscription. They're aleady open for submissions.

The Q&A roundup this week includes Eric Beetner chatting with Paul D. Brazill about writing for media, social networking and more; and Libby Fischer Hellman stops by the Kittling: Books blog, talking about the very first book she remembers reading and loving and her favorite recurring characters in crime fiction.

 

Media Murder for Monday

Since Hollywood typically takes the week off between Christmas and New Year's, so will Media Murder for Monday. Hope everyone has a very Happy New Year!

Friday's Forgotten Books - Under the Snow

Now that snow has arrived in many parts of the country, I thought this little "rerun" might be appropriate for the season. Hope everyone is having an enjoyable holiday, and I'll be back with a new "Forgotten" Book next week.

Before the recent Scandinavian crime fiction invasion, before even Maj
Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, there was Kerstin Lillemor Ekman (born August
1933), whose debut crime novel, Thirty-Meter Murder (30 meter mord),
was published in 1959. Her first few mystery novels grew out of her
background as a documentary filmmaker, and she wrote seven crime fiction
books in all before turning her hand to more general psychological and
social themes (and one book that's a history of Sweden told from the POV
of a troll). She did later return to the genre, with the detective
novel Blackwater (Händelser vid vatten) in 1993, which won the Swedish Crime Academy's award for best crime novel.

Eckman's novel Under the Snow (De tre små mästarna)
from 1961 is set in the harsh, distant landscape of the Arctic Circle's
Lapland in the town of Rakisjokk during the extended darkness of
winter. Or as one character notes, "You might say this is where the
world comes to an end." A drunken evening ends in the death of a local
artist and teacher named Matti Olsson, but when Constable Torsson sets
out to investigate (a 25-mile trek on skis across a frozen lake), he is
met with a conspiracy of silence, mismatched stories and only a single
clue: a bloodstained mahjong tile. His efforts aren't helped by the fact
that the locals are part of the ethnic Sami group who speak Finnish and
don't think very highly of Swedes. Torsson has no choice to close the
case. That is, until David Malm, an eccentric redheaded painter and
friend of Matti's, arrives in town to investigate the truth on his own
and runs into beautiful teacher Anna Ryd who is caught with a bag
containing a bloody noose with a human hair clinging to it.

Eckman
maintains the dark atmosphere of the unrelenting subzero cold and
sunless days (followed by nights where the sun never sets) where nearly
everyone has secrets, but still manages to inject bits of humor and her
trademark irony: the super-fit younger colleague decked out in the 1960
version of chic Gore-Tex gear who turns an ankle in the first few yards
during his first attempt on skis; a language professor who happily
scribbles down the ferryman's epithets; a elkhound that barks nonstop.
One unusual technique: Ekman wrote Under the Snow almost
completely in the third person except for Chapter 12, where Matti's
killer explains how the murder was committed. Of her writing influences,
Eckman has said "I live in  a small village and I have been living in
two other small villages far up north in Sweden. Very close to the
forest, the mountains, the waters. They have had a great impact on me,
melting into my language."

Under the Snow remained unavailable in English from the time of its publication until the translation by Joan Tate in 1996, 35 years later. Entertainment Weekly called Eckman "Striking...a sort of Graham Greene meets Dean Koontz," and the Library Journal added
that "Ekman's brilliant evocation of a place and culture above the
Arctic Circle is as compelling and mysterious as the crime itself."
Ekman was elected member of the Swedish Academy in 1978, but left in
1989 when the academy didn't take a strong stand after the fatwa against
Salman Rushdie. She also turned her hand back to the screen with a
Swedish TV movie based on one of her books and appearances as herself in
documentaries.

A Merry Christmas to All

Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

Universal has hired the screenwriting team Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (behind such Bond movies as Casino Royale and Skyfall) to adapt the 1970s TV series Kojak into a vehicle for Vin Diesel.

CinemaBlend posted a trailer for The Place Beyond The Pines, scheduled for release in theaters in March. It centers on a motorcycle stunt professional (Ryan Gosling) who turns to robbing banks to make money for his baby son, but in doing so crosses paths with a cop-turned-politican (Bradley Cooper).

B-movie icon Roger Corman has made 50 movies, including eight films based on Edgar Allan Poe tales. Now, Corman says he plans on remaking those same Poe films and is seeking a modern-day Vincent Price to star with Price's level of "sensitivity and neuroticism."

TV

The two men who played Simon Templar in the two previous Saint TV series, Roger Moore (1960s) and Ian Ogilvy (1970s) have joined the cast for the pilot of the upcoming Saint reboot, starring Adam Rayner and Eliza Dushku.

Cinemax has set Friday, January 11 as the premiere date of its new drama series Banshee, starring Antony Starr as an ex-con and master thief who assumes the identity of the sheriff of a small town in Pennsylvania.

David Zayas (from Dexer) has joined the cast of the new Fox show The Following. He'll play a former FBI agent and friend of star Kevin Bacon's FBI agent who is in pursuit of a cunning serial killer (James Purefoy).

Thanks to Omnimystery News for word that Psych is being renewed for an eighth season, even ahead of the premier of its seventh season on February 27th.

From Crimespree comes word that USA has added actors Amanda Schull (Center Stage) and Colombian-born Manolo Cardona to the network's adaptation of Elmore Leonard's short story "When The Women Come Out To Dance."

Bad news for Leverage fans; TNT has cancelled the caper series after five seasons. Its last episode will be on Christmas Day.

If you live across The Pond and can get the STV network, tune in on Boxing Day (December 26) for an adaptation of author Ian Rankin's novel Doors Open, from Stephen Fry's independent production company. The plot follows three friends who embark upon a major art heist and target the works owned by a national bank and stored in a repository, planning to swap masterpieces with forgeries.

PODCASTS/VIDEO

Open Road Media released a YouTube video interview with Irish author Ken Bruen, the "godfather of Irish crime," speaks about the genre as a reflection of Ireland's sociopolitical history.

CUNY-TV's "Science & U!" program featured host Donna Hanover talking mysteries with author Camille Minichino, who has also worked as a physicist, engineer and nuclear waste manager.

Mystery author Morgan St. James joined true crime author Dennis N. Griffin for a discussion on Crime Wire Radio.

The BBC Strand podcast chatted about science in crime fiction, as well as the Washington Academy of Sciences seal of approval for credible use of science in fiction (starts at 33:30 into the podcasts; it's only available for 30 days).

Friday's "Forgotten" Books: Christmas Anthologies

Due to the hectic holidays, I'm re-posting a previous FFB featuring some Christmas-themed anthologies. For some more thoughts and suggestions in that vein, Patti Abbott recently solicited more ideas via her blog, which you can read here.

Starting in chronological order, there's Christmas Stalkings,
collected by Charlotte MacLeod and dating from 1991. The anthology
includes 13 tales in all, mostly in the "cozy" or traditional vein,
perfect for cuddling up with some hot chocolate and gingerbread. MacLeod
contributes one story, and there are others from Reginald Hill,
Margaret Maron, Eric Wright, Bill Crider and Elizabeth Peters, et al.
Evelyn E. Smith's offering features her humorous series character in
"Miss Melville Rejoices," where philanthropist/assassin Miss Melville
vows to rid the world of a sadistic dictator at a Christmas Eve party.

Mystery for Christmas
from 1994 is edited by Richard Dalby and features mostly British
stories of "ghosts, murder, strange disappearances and journeys through
time." Offerings range from works by Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy to
a John Glasby whodunit; a "Christmas Carol" updating from H.R.F.
Keating; and one Sherlockian pastiche by Ron Weighell.

Tim Heald edited 1995's A Classic Christmas Crime,
with 13 tales ranging from Yorkshire on across the Pond to south
Florida. P.D. James contributes a wartime country house mystery,
Catherine Aird writes of "Gold, Frankincense and Murder," and Simon
Brett takes "Political Corrections" to a twisty end. The stories range
in tone and mood "from the light to the disturbing," putting plenty of
diabolical presents in your reading stocking.

Carol-Lynn
Rössel, Martin H. Greenberg and Jon L. Lellenberg edited two
anthologies of Sherlock Holmes pastiches, the first in 1998 titled Holmes for the Holidays.
Anne Perry is the headliner with her story "The Watch Night Bell," in
which Holmes and Watson must foil a foul murder scheme taking place
midnight on Christmas; Loren D. Estleman's story puts the sleuth duo
into a real life-murder perilously paralleling Dickens Christmas Carol;
and Reginald Hill sets Holmes in Rome for the holidays, matching wits
with an ambitious rival.

 

Mystery Melange Pre-Christmas Edition

 

If you think you can whip up a devilish Christmas story in just two days, check out Chuck Wendig's "The War on Christmas" flash fiction challenge. The theme is literal - write a war about or against Christmas, or any other winter holiday (Hanukah, Solstice, Kwanzaa). Details are on his Terrible Minds blog link above.

Rhys Bowen, creator of the Royal Spyness and Molly Murphy mysteries, has been featuring her Twelve Days of Christmas blog posts, with the history and traditions of Christmas carols, Christmas trees, and more.

Want some fun ideas for Christmas treats? The authors at Mystery Lovers Kitchen has several for you, including Caramel Corn, a Christmas Cheesecake and Dark Chocolate Peppermint Oreos. (Until Nabisco makes gluten-free Oreos, I'll just have to watch the rest of you enjoy these!)

GalleyCat has assembled links to 25 Free Christmas eBooks, from  A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, to the "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry and more.

In-between shopping, decorating, cooking and traveling, why not read a Christmas-themed mystery story or novel? Janet Rudolph has updated her detailed bibliography of holiday books, which has gotten so large, she has to spread it out over several Mystery Fanfare blog posts. Check out the links for books from authors who last names end in A-D, E-H, I-N and O-R (with S-Z coming soon).

The Xmas version of Yellow Mama is out, with "twisted tales of Holiday Horror and Hardboiled Noir." Meanwhile, the latest issue of All Due Respect features the story "A Job for Two" by Eric Beetner. (Hat tip to Chris Rhatigan).

Although not specifically crime fiction-related, the editors of the anthology OH SANDY! An Anthology of Humor for a Serious Purpose, are seeking stories of humorous fiction, poetry and non-fiction of up to 3000 words that are about experiencing a disaster, surviving a hurricane, or living in New Jersey. All proceeds will go to benefit The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. The deadline for submissions is the end of December.

It's never too early to plan ahead, especially if it involves a trip to CrimeFest 2014 in the U.K. The conference is sponsoring a Flashbang micro-fiction contest, with the winner receiving two weekend passes to the event (travel and accommodations not included). A panel of judges headed by author Zoe Sharp will pick the best 150-word story, with other prizes and website publications for finalists. The deadline is March 31, 2013.

The Q&A roundup this week includes Kate Stine, publisher of Mystery Scene Magazine, about the history and future of the magazine and how she found true love at a mystery convention; Quentin Bates takes volleys from Declan Burke; Lloyd Shepherd visits Scene of the Crime; and Thuglit's Todd Robinson takes the 10-Question Challenge.

A reminder: you still have time to comment on yesterday's blog post survey and/or send along an e-mail to bv@bvlawson.com to enter the drawing for one of 2012's top 15 crime fiction novels.

Also: I'm participating in the blog meme for authors, "The Next Big Thing," and I'd love to have you join me for my answers to The Big Ten questions over at my BV Lawson blog.