J. Mark Bertrand's Blog, page 7
August 24, 2011
The Cornball Sadism of Stieg Larsson
Flaubert called it le mot juste, the exact right word, finding an expression that perfectly encapsulates the thought you want to express. When it comes to the wildly successful novels of Stieg Larsson, I've never been able to put my finger on the right word. While there are pleasures to be had in the books -- at least in the 1.5 of them I've managed to get through -- it's not all pleasure. But when enough people rave about something (and enough of the right people), you have to question whether you're own misgivings have more to do with yourself than the books. After a former state poet laureate pidgeon-holed me to explain how amazing Larsson's books were, how much better than Wallander or anything else Scandanavia has produced, I was left scratching my head. Because there's always been something about Larsson that struck me as off: the ill-disguised wish fulfillment, the spotty prose ... or was it something else?
It took reading David Orr's essay on George R. R. Martin to crystalize my antipathy. In the course of defending Martin's Game of Thrones blockbusters, Orr writes: "Still, A Dance With Dragons is relentlessly entertaining, and it does honor to a best-seller list previously dominated by the cornball sadism of Stieg Larsson." That was it -- cornball sadism -- the perfect description of what irritates me while reading Larsson's novels. Sadism alone wouldn't turn me off, and there are a lot of cornball things that wouldn't, either. But somehow the combination ruins the experience for me. Oh, well.
There's something liberating, don't you think, when a writer comes along and gives suitable expression to your inchoate impressions? I know I feel better. People ask me all the time what I think about these books. Now I finally have something to say.
August 1, 2011
Free Copies of Pattern of Wounds
The Christian Manifesto's reviewer Fernando Rojas called Pattern of Wounds "one of the most satisfying mysteries I've read in a long time." (For the whole review, click here.) Now, Christian Manifesto is running a book giveaway contest. They have five copies of Pattern to give away. So if you took advantage of the free Back on Murder download and you're looking for a way to read the next book without spending a dime, here's your chance!
The contest ends August 7 at 11:59 PM EST, so don't wait too long!
and now they're running a contest giving away five copies of the book.
Books & Culture Podcast Features Pattern of Wounds
Books and Culture's John Wilson is an omnivorous reader, which is one of the things that makes his reviews such a pleasure. He makes the kind of thoughtful connections the rest of us are likely to miss. When Back on Murder came out, he reviewed it for the Books and Culture website, and now he's devoted an episode of the B&C podcast to Pattern of Wounds. (To link directly to the mp3, click here.)
Authors are supposed to play it cool where reviews are concerned. If making your wife drop everything to listen to a ten minute podcast about your book while going "uh huh" and "that's right" in the background is cool, then I succeeded wonderfully.
Naturally I am delighted to have him recommending the series -- he thinks Pattern of Wounds is even better than Back on Murder (I do, too) -- but the podcast is worth listening to for his observations about the "seething anger" underlying so much crime fiction, too. Plenty there to think about.
Books & Culture Podcast Features
Books and Culture's John Wilson is an omnivorous reader, which is one of the things that makes his reviews such a pleasure. He makes the kind of thoughtful connections the rest of us are likely to miss. When Back on Murder came out, he reviewed it for the Books and Culture website, and now he's devoted an episode of the B&C podcast to Pattern of Wounds. (To link directly to the mp3, click here.)
Authors are supposed to play it cool where reviews are concerned. If making your wife drop everything to listen to a ten minute podcast about your book while going "uh huh" and "that's right" in the background is cool, then I succeeded wonderfully.
Naturally I am delighted to have him recommending the series -- he thinks Pattern of Wounds is even better than Back on Murder (I do, too) -- but the podcast is worth listening to for his observations about the "seething anger" underlying so much crime fiction, too. Plenty there to think about.
July 12, 2011
Free Nook + ePub Versions of Back on Murder
When I mentioned that with the release of Pattern of Wounds, the Kindle version of Back on Murder would be available as a free download for a limited time, it turns out that was only half the story. If instead of a Kindle, you're rocking a Nook, have no fear: Back on Murder is available free on the Nook, too!
Don't have a Kindle or a Nook? Then check out CBD, where they're offering the ePub version as a freebie. Now I don't know how long this promotion will last, so download it today ... and if you like it, let more people know. Hopefully a free introduction to the series will get you hooked. If so, you can download Pattern of Wounds and keep reading!
July 1, 2011
Free Kindle eBook: Back on Murder
Now that the second Roland March book, Pattern of Wounds, is out, the question is how to introduce more readers to the sometimes-intrepid, always ornery Houston detective. Here's what we're doing: for a limited time, my publisher is giving away the Kindle eBook edition of Back on Murder, the first March novel, for free. We want to introduce March to the widest possible audience and figured this would be a good way to start!
So click through right now and download the free eBook edition of Back on Murder. And if you don't mind, do me a favor: help spread the word. Let people know about the free book, and if you like it, consider posting a review. March -- and I -- will be eternally grateful. (Well, come to think of it, he'll probably be surly regardless, but it will make me happy.)
Pattern of Wounds Releases Today
It's official. Pattern of Wounds, the second Roland March novel, was officially released today. You can find it at brick-and-mortar bookstores, and online at places like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, where you can get hard copies or ebooks for the Kindle or Nook.
The release of a new book is always exciting. I spend a lot of time checking reviews, answering e-mails, and generally fretting over how the story will be received. In Pattern of Wounds, we get deeper into March's past, understanding a little better how he went from golden boy to pariah. We also delve into our own fascination with evil, and the need to personify it -- in this case, in the form of a serial killer. Is there a secret meaning hidden in the pattern of wounds, or are we reading too much into random chance? Read the book and find out.
May 14, 2011
The Lazarus File
Imagine you're a homicide detective in Los Angeles' Robbery-Homicide Division, working a case more than twenty years old. Your prime suspect, confirmed by a DNA match derived from a bite wound on the victim, turns out to be another LA detective who works down the hall.
It sounds like a movie. But this time it's real. After a videotaped interview, Detective Stephanie Lazarus from LAPD's Art Theft Detail was arrested for the 1986 murder of her ex-boyfriend's wife, Sherri Rasmussen. Matthew McGough's account of the case is in the latest issue of The Atlantic, and it makes for riveting -- if frustrating -- reading. At the time of the murder, Rasmussen's father told investigators that her husband's ex-girlfriend, a police officer, had confronted Rasmussen at the hospital where she worked. For more than twenty years, that lead was never followed up.
The Atlantic also has clips from the interview with Lazarus just prior to her arrest. The detectives working the case lured her into the conversation under false pretenses and managed to get quite a bit of information before she lawyered up. McGough includes a nice overview of the way DNA evidence revolutionized homicide investigation, and how defense lawyers fought back.
May 13, 2011
Back on Murder Takes the Prize
Back on Murder won top honors at the Grace Awards in the "Suspense /Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Detective Novel/Thriller" category. The announcement has just been made, along with an explanation from lead judge Tracy Krauss about why Back on Murder was chosen. Here's an excerpt:
Simply put, this book was masterfully written and a pleasure to read. There was plenty of intrigue, suspense and mystery – all the murder and mayhem that we would expect from a book in this genre, but Bertrand manages to balance this with some deep human elements as well. Detective Roland March is a disillusioned and misunderstood Houston cop, relegated to special assignments nobody else wants. His character is flawed, yet these imperfections only make us pull for him all the more. He gets his big chance for redemption when he is assigned to a missing person's case - he thinks is connected to a drug murder; but proving it might just cost him his life. Bertrand's voice is fresh, descriptive, insightful and never cliché. The story unfolds at just the right pace and the suspense is high throughout.
I'd like to offer my thanks to the judges -- Tracy Krauss, Lisa Lickel, and V.B. Tenerey -- and to the intrepid reader who nominated Back on Murder in the first place. The award is very much appreciated.
May 12, 2011
Publishers Weekly Reviews Pattern of Wounds
Here's what PW had to say about PoW:
Pattern of Wounds
J. Mark Bertrand. Bethany House, $14.99 trade paper (368p)
ISBN 978-0-7642-0638-2
Det. Roland March returns in this gritty and chilling mystery. A woman is conspicuously killed in a Houston suburb and the killer's "creativity" brings back memories for March. Ten years before, a bestselling book detailed a murder he worked on that is all too similar to the circumstances surrounding this woman's gruesome death. Is it merely a coincidence or is a copy cat on the loose? As the bodies begin to pile up, March even begins to wonder if he put the wrong guy away a decade ago. Bertrand (Back on Murder) gives readers wise-cracking detectives, creepy homicide particulars, and clever clues; however, the book often reads more like a television script than a novel. Die-hard detective story fans will most likely recognize and appreciate the book's familiar plot-driven style. Christian readers in particular may enjoy the religious elements that Bertrand shrewdly sprinkles throughout the book. (July)
