This post is going to concentrate on crime/mystery/thrillers and true crime.
In a previous post I mentioned that I find it difficult to browse big box bookstores. You are more likely to find the latest James Patterson bestseller featured than, say, Irish crime/mystery writers. Speaking of Patterson, I need to make a detour and point to this hilarious take on his latest, You've Been Warned, over at Natural/Artificial . Be sure you don't miss the list of last sentences in each chapter below the jump.
When I go to one of these stores I have lists and almost never make a spontaneous purchase. Well, I almost bought Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff but that's because it practically leaped off the shelf and tackled me. The cover is a bright yellow vinyl and it's 9.5 inches high - really hard to miss on a shelf of paperbacks when your eyes pass over it. I got it from our public library instead.
So, where do I get authors and titles for my lists? Blogs. There are terrific bloggers who cover the crime/mystery/thriller genres and from whom I have learned about authors I likely would not otherwise have discovered.
Below are links from my Google Reader. First you will find the sources I go to to read about fiction. Following that are links to true crime sites that often discuss books. I also included a non-blog book review website, Gumshoe Review, and a social network, Crimespace.
These are not meant to be inclusive lists of blogs and web sites. Suggestions are always welcome.
Titles following a link are ones that I remember learning about from the blog. There are a lot more, they just don't come to mind as I write.
FICTION
Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind
Crime Always Pays The Judas Heart, Ingrid Black; The Redbreast, Jo Nesbo
Crime Down Under
Crime Fiction Dossier
Detectives Beyond Borders: A Forum for International Crime fiction
Euro Crime
It's A Crime! (or a Mystery)
Killer Year
Material Witness - serous about crime fiction
Maxine's Book Reviews
Mystery Scene
Petrona - In the Woods, Tana French
Shotsmag Confidential
Sons of Spade
The Hungry Detective
The Outfit: A Collective of Chicago Crime Writers - Chicago Blues, Libby Fischer Hellman, ed.
The Rap Sheet
Working Stiffs: Where Crime Writers Talk About Life, Work, and Murder
TRUE CRIME
Crime Rant: Deliberating Crime Coast to Coast
CLEWS The Historic True Crime blog - The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of Fear, the Real Forensics Behind the Great Detective's Greatest Cases, E. J. Wagner.
Criminal Conduct .. Blogging Crime in 4/4 Time ..
In Cold Blog
True Crime Blog UK
True Crime Magazine
WEB SITES AND SOCIAL NETWORKING
The Gumshoe Review
Crimespace: A place for readers and writers of crime fiction to meet
Thanks for the mention and links, much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteA very good collection - I would also recommend Mysteries In Paradise, International Noir Fiction, Dave's Fiction Warehouse, Mysterious Yarns and Do You Write Under Your Own Name (Martin Edwards), all of which I enjoy reading and can be found via Petrona's side bar.
Best wishes
Maxine (AKA Petrona)
PS I have recently added Mack Pitches Up to Petrona's blogroll for great crime fiction blogs ;-)
ReplyDelete"I mentioned that I find it difficult to browse big box bookstores. You are more likely to find the latest James Patterson bestseller featured than, say, Irish crime/mystery writers."
ReplyDeleteThanks for the plug. And thanks for the above statement. I have voiced the same sentiment myself in nearly identical words. I, too, have found other blogs good sources of books.
Buying books used and online is another good way to support independent booksellers rather than chains.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/