Principles for Reviews

Principles? Why write about principles as I have survived a whole year of blogging about crime fiction without having any?

The main reason is that recently publishers have begun contacting me, offering me review examples of books. Wonderful, but also slightly daunting. Do my reviews really live up to this kind of commitment and responsibility?

Well, I have reached the conclusion that if they don´t think so, they could have contacted someone else. Yet, here are my lofty principles for what they are worth:

1) though no one can demand it from a Danish citizen, I will make it clear whether my books are library books, gifts/prizes, bought by myself or given to me by the author or publisher. (I may have a few on my TBR which I don´t remember the source of, but these few have certainly not come from authors or publishers).

2) I have thought about it, but I don´t want to try to live up to any professional rules or conventions for book reviews. My reviews are mine, and my main aim is to tell my readers what I liked and what I didn´t like about the book.

3) honesty is very important to me. I believe my faithful readers come back month after month because they see my reviews as a reliable guide to MY taste, and not sales speeches. And if it is impossible for me to find anything to like about a book, I may refrain from reviewing it.

Have I forgotten something???

Kate Mosse, Sepulchre (2009)

Jeg kan godt lide at læse en historisk krimi nu og da, og hvis forfatteren kan sit kram, gør det ikke noget, at den er på over 700 sider. Men efter ca 50 sider lagde jeg Sepulchre til side, uden egentlig at være nået så langt, at jeg er i stand til at vurdere plottet.

Sproget er simpelthen for romantisk og svulstigt for mig. Jeg har en fornemmelse af at bevæge mig rundt mellem bølgende barme, i det mindste metaforisk.

Her en beskrivelse af heltinden, Léonie:

”Men nu blussede hendes alabasterkinder. Tykke proptrækkerkrøller af kobberfarvet hår havde løsnet sig fra hendes kamme og vældede ned over de nøgne skuldre. Hendes blændende grønne øjne, der var indrammet af lange, kastanjebrune vipper, glødede af vrede og dristighed.”

Hm. Jeg går muligvis glip af en storslået historie, men blussende alabasterkinder? Nej, det er vist ikke mig, der er målgruppe for denne biblioteksbog.

Kate Mosse, Sepulchre (2007).
I do enjoy a historic crime novel once in a while, and if the author knows her stuff, I don´t mind at all ploughing my way through more than 700 pages. But after around fifty pages I put Sepulchre down without even getting so far that I am able to judge the plot.

The language (the Danish translation) is simply too romantic and high-flown for me. I feel I am navigating among heaving bosoms, at least metaphorically speaking.

Here a quotation about the heroine, Léonie:

“Now, her alabaster cheeks were flushed. Thick ringlets of copper hair had come loose from her combs and tumbled down over bare shoulders. Her dazzling green eyes, framed by long auburn lashes, flashed with anger, and boldness.”

I may miss out on something, but flushing alabaster cheeks? Well, at least this quotation (from Amazon.com) has convinced me that the original language is not my taste either.

I borrowed it from the library.

Robert Goddard, Never Go Back (2006)

This British thriller is the third in the Harry Barnett series.

Ten old soldier buddies who participated in an experiment fifty years earlier agree to meet in Scotland. One of them is Harry Barnett who is now happily married and has a little daughter. One of these ten mates disappears on the train to Aberden, and soon they begin to die at an alarming rate. Who can have an interest in wiping out the participants of an unimportant, failed experiment in the fifties?

This thriller is a typical Robert Goddard. There is an old story which suddenly grows important, a touch of conspiracy, and a protagonist who may be likeable, but has some kind of flaw (a criminal past, infidelity, deceit or such) which later leads to his downfall, assisted by none-too-competent, overzealous policemen. Suspected by the police, Harry and a tarnished, fellow soldier engage in the case, and of course justice prevails in the end.

Not strictly realistic, but easily read entertainment.

A library book.

Robert Goddard, Du kan ikke vende tilbage (2008)
Denne britiske spændingsroman er den tredje i Harry Barnett-serien.

Ti gamle soldaterkammerater, som deltog i et undervisningseksperiment halvtreds år tidligere, aftaler at mødes i Skotland. En af dem er Harry Barnett, som nu er lykkeligt gift og har en lille datter. En af de ti forsvinder i toget på vej til Aberdeen, og snart begynder de gamle venner at dø i et foruroligende tempo. Hvem kan have en interesse i at udrydde deltagerne i et ligegyldigt, mislykket forsøg i 50erne?

Denne thriller er meget typisk for Robert Goddard. Der er en gammel forhistorie som pludselig bliver aktuel, et snert af sammensværgelse, og en hovedperson, som ganske vist er meget sympatisk men har nogle fejl i bagagen (måske kriminalitet, måske utroskab, svigt eller lignende), som senere er med til at fælde ham, godt hjulpet af emsige politifolk. Mistænkt af politiet kaster Harry og en anløben gammel soldaterkammerat sig ud i selv at opklare sagen. Og i sidste ende sejrer retfærdigheden naturligvis.

Ikke vildt realistisk, men udmærket, letlæst underholdning fra biblioteket.

Thy´s Day

Our yard in a blizzard
- or perhaps I happened to step out in Narnia?

DJ´s Bait in the Box # 53

[Julia´s wonderful tin IS a clue - though it may be misleading]

This week the book is sheer gambling, I have no idea whether you read this kind of thriller or not, but let us see – I know that my readers are amazingly well-read and resourceful! And at least the book is out in both English and Danish.

“Harry and the others did not really believe that A…. had disappeared without a trace until the train went through the suburbs of Aberdeen, and it was announced through the loudspeakers that they approached the terminal. They began searching the toilets, but no signs of A…. On the other hand they found his travel bag in the luggage rack where he had put it himself, and brought it along as they tottered out in a gray and cold Aberdeen afternoon.”

The Rules:
If you recognize the quotation, or if you think you are able to guess who wrote it, please post a comment. Just leave a hint, do not spoil the fun by giving too much away. The book will be reviewed on Friday as usual.

Gæt en bog # 53.
Ugens bog er et sats. Jeg aner ikke, om denne spændingsroman appellerer til mine læsere, men nu får vi se. I det mindste er den udgivet på både engelsk og dansk.

”Harry og de andre troede ikke for alvor på, at A…. var forsvundet sporløst, før toget begyndte at køre igennem Aberdeens forstæder, og det blev meddelt over højttaleranlægget, at de nærmede sig endestationen. De gav sig til at se efter på toiletterne, men der var ingen A…. De fandt til gengæld hans rejsetaske på bagagehylden, hvor han selv havde anbragt den, og tog den med, da de stavrede ud i en grå og kold Aberdeen-eftermiddag.”

Reglerne:
Hvis du kan genkende citatet, eller hvis du tror du kan gætte hvem forfatteren er, så læg venligst en kommentar. Skriv bare et hint til nye besøgende, lad være med at ødelægge fornøjelsen for andre. Bogen bliver anmeldt på fredag som sædvanlig.

O for Olsen

For this week´s alphabet meme, hosted by Kerrie, I have chosen a Danish novel about police work.

The book in question is Frode Z. Olsen´s Hunde spiser kød heste spiser græs, 2002 (Dogs eat meat, horses eat grass).

Is the book good? No.

Is it coherent? No (short sections, loosely tied together by the main theme: a policeman´s day).

Has the book been translated into English? No. And it won´t be.

Does the author´s last name begin with an o? Oh, YES!

Kreativ Blogger Award

Thank you very much to Søren of Sørens bogblog for this award. A special thank you for your words about my blog:

“To Dorte who with her experimenting pen, her enormous knowledge and her social engagement connects the crime lovers of the (known) world via her krimiblog.”

- this praise from a Danish book blogger whose opinion I value highly means a lot to me!

And now for the rules.

Tell your readers seven interesting facts about yourself.
- well, how do I know what you think is interesting, but here we go.

1) I married when I was 19.
2) I loathe sports, especially ball games (probably because I suck)
3) Some years ago I tried painting in water colours (don´t worry, I have figured out that I should try using my pen – or pc – instead).
4) Once I lived in Ethiopia for six months.
5) When I was a child, I wanted a piano, a dog, and a little brother. Fortunately my wise parents gave me a little brother and no pet.
6) I wrote a medical romance the other day – in 560 words (but I believe all the essential stuff is there).
7) I got new glasses five days ago. I think they are called ´progressive glasses´ (sounds cool, don´t you think?)

Select seven blogs you want to award.
- this is definitely the hard part. Only seven?

1) The first award is very easy. It goes to Maxine of Petrona. Not only for her excellent and tempting reviews, but even more for her engagement in our FriendFeed Crime and Mystery Reading Room, and for her role as my book fairy!

2) The second goes to Norman aka Uriah of Crime Scraps, a book blogger whose thoughtful posts on books and their writers is always well worth a visit.

3) The third goes to Louise of Lou´s Pages. Like me, my countrywoman Louise blogs about books in two languages – but on two separate blogs, and as she is the blogger who encouraged me to try out Blogger she is a very welcome guest on my blog.

4) The fourth award goes to Margot, Confessions of a Mystery Novelist who writes about a crime-related theme every day, illustrated by numerous examples.

5) Elizabeth of Mystery Writing is Murder for her most inspiring posts about the writing process, and for encouraging me to write fiction.

6) Cathryn G-Rant, especially for her posts about writing fiction, her great flash fiction stories and all her encouragement.

7) And the last award is for seventy other friends whose blogs I enjoy and try to visit at least twice a week, and also for a few friends who leave the most inspiring comments here but do not have blogs of their own. You are most appreciated so consider yourselves awarded, folks!

And to my nominees: remember that this award is yours to do what you like with. You don´t have to post about it, but if you do, please tell us seven things we didn´t know.

Henning Mankell, Mordere uden ansigt (1992)

Denne krimi er ikke Mankells debut, men den første i Kurt Wallander-serien.

Hesten, som ikke vrinsker om natten, vækker en gammel landmand i Skåne. Han står ud af sengen, og i vinterkulden bevæger han sig over til nabogården for at undersøge, hvad der er på færde. Naboen er allerede død, og konen sidder bundet til en stol på gulvet.

En nyskilt Kurt Wallander bliver vækket i Nystad og kaldt ud til gerningsstedet. Han og de andre betjente bliver mødt af et regulært blodbad, hvor der er anvendt langt mere vold end nødvendigt for at pacificere det ældre ægtepar, men kvinden er trods alt i live endnu.

Hurtigt opstår der rygter om, at mordet er begået af en flygtning fra den nærliggende lejr, så et gennemgående tema i bogen er det ulmende fremmedhad, der kendetegnede Skandinavien i 1990erne. Racisterne venter ikke på beviser men er mere end parate til at udøve selvtægt – for en sikkerheds skyld.

Wallander knokler nærmest nat og dag, samtidig med at han forsøger at komme talefod med sin kone, sin noget specielle far, og nittenårige Linda, som har et selvmordsforsøg bag sig og kun en skrøbelig forbindelse til sine forældre.

Mankell tegner personerne og miljøet med sikker hånd, og plottet skrider hurtigt fremad. En imponerende start på en forrygende krimiserie.

Jeg har selv købt bogen.

Henning Mankell, Faceless Killers (1991)
This crime novel is not Mankell´s debut, but the first in the Kurt Wallander series.

The horse which did not neigh during the night wakes up an old farmer outside Nystad. He gets out of his bed in the winter cold to check what is going on. His neighbour is already dead, and his unconscious wife is tied to a chair on the floor.

A newly divorced Kurt Wallander is woken by the phone and called to the scene of crime. He and the other policemen find a regular massacre where the criminals have used far more violence than necessary to pacify the elderly couple.

Soon rumours will have it that the murders may have been committed by refugees from the nearby camp, so a recurrent theme of the novel is the smouldering xenophopia that characterized Scandinavia of the 1990s. The racists do not wait for evidence but are more than ready to take the law in their own hands – just in case.

Wallander plods away day and night, while he tries to get on speaking terms with his wife, his somewhat eccentric father and nineteen-year-old Linda who has a suicide attempt behind her.
Mankell portrays the characters and the environment competently, and the plot moves moves ahead at a great pace. An impressive start of a tremendous police procedural series.

I bought this book myself.

Consolation

This post was not quite what I had in mind for today. I have half a review on my computer, but my befuddled head is not much better than Blogger. At least I know what way to turn a photo ..

Oh, what can this huge parcel be?

Books, I think ...

Oh, the books I bought for my mother´s Christmas money have come.

NB: six of these authors are new to me - recommended by bloggers whose opinion I value very much. Thank you for your honest but persuasive reviews.

Thy´s Day

Geez, this is cold.

DJ´s Bait in the Box # 52

Do you remember this novel, the first in an excellent series?

“I thought I should call you.”

“Traffic accident?”

“No, not exactly. An elderly farmer called and said his name was Nyström. Lives in Lunnarp. He claimed that the woman next door was tied up on the floor and that someone was dead.”

The Rules:
If you recognize the quotation, or if you think you are able to guess who wrote it, please post a comment. Just leave a hint, do not spoil the fun by giving too much away. The book will be reviewed on Friday as usual.

Gæt en bog # 52.
Kan du huske romanen her, den første i en førsteklasses serie?

– Jeg syntes, jeg burde ringe til dig.

- En bilulykke?

- Nej, ikke lige det. Der var en gammel mand, der ringede, en gammel landmand, som sagde, at han hed Nyström og boede i Lenarp. Han påstod, at en nabokone sad bundet på gulvet, og at nogen var død.

Reglerne:
Hvis du kan genkende citatet, eller hvis du tror du kan gætte hvem forfatteren er, så læg venligst en kommentar. Skriv bare et hint til nye besøgende, lad være med at ødelægge fornøjelsen for andre. Bogen bliver anmeldt på fredag som sædvanlig.

N for Nesbø and Nesser

A short post for a long working day.

Two excellent, Scandinavian Ns for this week´s Alphabet meme:

Norwegian Jo Nesbø with the very human and thirsty protagonist, Harry Hole.

And from Sweden, Håkan Nesser, known to English readers for his excellent series about Inspector Van Veeteren, the literate chess player, and also known for his new protagonist, Gunnar Barbarotti, by Scandinavian readers.

If you have not read these two yet, I can assure you they both write first class police procedurals, teeming with the most credible characters.

Matt Rees, The Bethlehem Murders (2007)

[Dansk titel: Kollaboratøren fra Betlehem, 2008]

US title: The Collaborator of Bethlehem

Read for the 2010 Global Reading Challenge (Asia) + What´s in a Name Challenge (place).

This novel is Matt Rees´ debut. The writer lives in Israel, and as the title indicates, the story takes place in a town that many of us associate with birth, not death. But this is Bethlehem in the twenty first century:

“George Saba´s family huddled against the thick, stone wall of his bedroom. It was the side of the house farthest from the guns. George came through the front door. The shooting was louder inside and he realized the bullets were punching through the windows into his apartment. He ducked into an alcove in the corridor and crouched against the wall.”

The protagonist, Omar Yussef, is an Arab history teacher. One of his old students, the Christian antique dealer George Saba, is arrested, suspected of having killed a member of the Palestinian resistance movement. Yussef cannot believe Saba would collaborate with the Israeli, he suspects his former student must be set up, possibly because he is a Christian.

Omar Yussef is a wise and likeable, very human character, who has had problems with alcohol, and who does his best to make his pupils think for themselves, not just accept the ´truths´ they hear or read. As Yussef makes it clear at some point, it is difficult to decide who are the terrorists and who are the terrorized, but though he fears for his own and his family´s safety, he fights for George Saba´s life, and for everything he believes in.

This crime story, which is built on real events, is a story that should be told! Like many other stories about real crime, the plot is not the strongest point, however. So this is a novel you should read for the very vivid sense of place and the credible characters, which makes it a good choice for the Global Reading Challenge.

I bought this book myself.

And the Winners are ...

First the lucky winner of my anniversary competition:

Kelly of Kelly´s Thoughts & Ramblings.


Next the winner of L.C. Tyler´s cozy mystery: ´Petty Witter´ of Pen and Paper.


Congratulations to both of you!

Unni Lindell, Orkestergraven (2008)

This Norwegian police procedural is the fifth in a fine series which has not been translated into English. I think it may be compared to Swedish Helene Tursten´s series about Irene Huss, though Lindell´s protagonist is male. A library book.

Denne krimi er den femte i serien om Cato Isaksen, kriminalkommissær i Oslo. En kvindelig musiker, Siv Ellen Blad, bliver knivdræbt på vej hjem fra sin optræden i operaen Svanesøen. Har det noget at gøre med de andre musikere i orkesteret, eller skal morderen søges i hendes privatliv? Siv Ellen er fraskilt, men bor i familiens store villa sammen med sin datter på seksten, og er af økonomiske grunde blevet tvunget til at leje kælderen ud til en ung, enlig mor med nogle lidt suspekte bekendtskaber.

Desuden har det posthus, Siv Ellen arbejdede på i dagtimerne, været udsat for røveri kort før hendes død, og politiet kan ikke udelukke, at der er en forbindelse mellem denne forbrydelse og mordet.

Cato Isaksen er tydeligvis glad for sin ligevægtige kone Bente og de tre drenge, men det koster megen tid og mange kræfter at være en ordentlig far for dem alle tre, især fordi syv-årige Georg er resultatet af et forhold til en yngre kvinde. Georg bliver direkte indblandet i plottet, da morderen viser stor interesse for den lille dreng og begynder at hente ham i fritidsordningen og tage ham med på små udflugter. Og her glemmer Cato at være holdspiller; i første omgang farer han alene ud for at redde drengen uden at betro sig til sine kolleger, og bringer derved sin søn og hele efterforskningen i fare.

Jeg lånte bogen på biblioteket.

Simone van der Vlugt, The Reunion (2009)

[Denne roman er ikke oversat til dansk]

This novel is the author´s first crime novel, a psychological thriller translated from Dutch.

The book is subtitled Never Go Back, and I must admit that even without having read several enthusiastic reviews of it, I could probably not have resisted that.

The main character and first-person narrator, twenty-three-year-old Sabine Kroese, has just returned to her office job after a burn out. The reader soon begins to fear for her mental state, however, as the female colleagues harass and bully her, led by Renée, their semi-official head of department.

Furthermore, Sabine is haunted by memories of her youth when her 15-year-old classmate Isabel disappeared without a trace. Isabel and Sabine had been best friends, but when Isabel grew up faster than Sabine, everything changed when Isabel and all the girls from her class began bullying Sabine.

The plot begins when Sabine sees a notice in the paper about a high school reunion. Soon after she meets Olaf, a colleague from another department and an old school friend of her brother Robin. Olaf sweeps her off her unstable feet, but when he suggests they go to the reunion together, Sabine is not sure it is such a good idea to rip up in the past.

A compelling mystery where everything happens very fast, especially when Sabine realizes that she has some repressed memories about Isabel´s disappearance. Psychologically, the plot reminded me of the Danish writer Christian Jungersen´s The Exception.

If Dutch crime is like this, I want more!

This novel is part of my 2010 Global Reading Challenge, and I bought it myself.

Thy´s Day

New weekly feature:
on Thursdays I am going to post a picture from my part of the world, Thy.

The Winner of Bait-in-the-Box # 50

The correct answer to last week´s bait-in-the-box competition was Daphne du Maurier´s novel "Rebecca".

The word which was left out was "Manderley".


And the winner is ... Ron Smyth!


Remember:

- there is still a chance to win Thursday´s competition tomorrow.

- Friday´s competition (Europe only) runs until Friday by midnight.

DJ´s Bait in the Box # 51

[This wonderful box belongs to Rhian, It´s a Crime! (Or a Mystery)]

I had to read this novel in translation. No further clues from my hand.

“The girl gets back on her bike and rides on. The van overtakes her and envelops her in a thick cloud of diesel smoke. She coughs, flaps her hand at the smoke and stops pedaling.

The van tears away, in the direction of the Dark Dunes. The girl thinks about her meeting. She´s having second thoughts now – perhaps she should have chosen a less isolated place.”

The Rules:
If you recognize the quotation, or if you think you are able to guess who wrote it, please post a comment. Just leave a hint, do not spoil the fun by giving too much away. The book will be reviewed on Friday as usual.

Library Loot - Biblioteksbesøg

Something old, something new, something borrowed – and fairly international, if I may say so.

1) Anne Chaplet, Caruso synger ikke mere (2008)
Translated from German, Caruso singt nicht mehr.

2) Michael Connelly, Echo Park (2008)
Translated from English, Echo Park (2006)

3) Robert Goddard, Du kan ikke vende tilbage (2008)
Translated from English, Never Go Back (2006)

4) Anne Holt, 1222 (2008) – en Hanne Wilhelmsen-roman.
Translated from Norwegian (2007). A Hanne Wilhelmsen story.

5) Unni Lindell, Orkestergraven (2008) En Cato Isaksen-roman.
Translated from Norwegian (same title + year). The fifth Cato Isaksen story.

6) Mayra Montero, Danse til Almendra (2008)
Translation from Spanish, a Cuban novel called Son de Almendra (2005).
English title ´Dancing to Almendra´ (2007).

7) Kate Mosse, Sepulchre (2008)
Translated from English, Sepulchre (2007)

8) Matt Rees, En grav i Gaza (2009)
Translated from English, A Grave in Gaza (2008); the author lives in Israel.

9) Johun Thørring, Skyggemanden (2007)
Translated from Norwegian, Skyggemannen (2005).

Hvilken bog kunne du tænke dig at få anmeldt først?
Which book would you like me to review first?

NB: today is last chance to win Bait in the Box # 50.

M for Mankell, Marklund, Marsh and Moore.

This week´s letter in Kerrie´s Alphabet Meme is M, and I have a quartet of crime ready for you.

First the Swedish writer Henning Mankell whose excellent series about Kurt Wallander is probably well-known to any crime enthusiast. Mankell´s plots are often brutal, and his view on Sweden rather bleak.

This series may appeal to more men than women.


Second the Swedish writer Liza Marklund who writes about the journalist Annika Bengtson. I was highly impressed by this writer throughout the first handful of stories about Annika, but in volumes eight and nine I think Marklund´s feminist project has begun to overshadow the crime plot.

[Annika Bengson is as focused on career as any man has ever been, and if journalists ask Marklund if women should not try to handle family and career just a little bit better than men, they are immediately accused of wanting women back in the kitchen.]

This series may appeal to more women than men.


Third, the prolific New Zealand writer Ngaio Marsh. Marsh, who died in 1982, wrote more than thirty Inspector Alleyn stories, most of which were solid police procedurals.

This series may appeal to lovers of traditional British whodunits.


Fourth, the young and entertaining Scottish writer Donna Moore. Donna has not written thirty novels yet, but her delightful Go to Helena Handbasket was a promising debut indeed.

Donna´s debut will appeal to any lover of fun, and her second novel, Old Dogs, is just around the corner.

Håkan Nesser, En helt anden historie (2008)

Bogen er den anden i den svenske serie om Gunnar Barbarotti, den farverige vicekriminalkommissær med italienske aner. Jeg lånte den på biblioteket.

Læseren bliver kastet lige ud i morderens dagbogsoptegnelser. En selvoptaget morder med masser af underlige personlighedstræk.

”Jeg er ikke som andre mennesker. Og jeg ønsker heller ikke at være det. Hvis jeg på et eller andet tidspunkt i mit liv finder en gruppe, hvor jeg føler, at jeg hører hjemme, så betyder det, at jeg er blevet slidt ned.”

Denne dystre, afvigende person fortsætter sin beretning om en ferie i Bretagne, hvor seks svenskere tilfældigvis møder hinanden (to par og to enlige mænd), og da de opdager, at tre af dem har tilknytning til Kymlinge, er de naturligvis nødt til nærmest at sidde lårene af hinanden under resten af ferien.

En lokal, meget livlig teenagepige slutter sig til dem, og man fornemmer hurtigt, at noget lurer under overfladen. Under en udflugt til en lille klippeø går det hele galt, og tragedien rammer gruppen. Morderen iagttager med interesse, hvordan civiliserede svenskere agerer, når nogle af vilkårene fra Goldings Fluernes Herre genskabes.

Fem år efter denne ferie beslutter morderen, at han er nødt til at slå de fem andre ihjel, fordi ”handlinger skal have konsekvenser, ellers løber skabelsen af sporet.” Og da han jo ikke er som andre mennesker, skriver han hver gang et brev direkte til Barbarotti med en meddelelse om, hvem han nu vil myrde.

Jeg læste Nessers første Barbarotti-krimi, Menneske uden hund, for et par år siden, men var ikke helt klar til at overgive mig til en ny hovedperson efter så mange år med Van Veeteren. Men i denne bog er den forelskede hovedperson så fuld af menneskelighed og personlighed, at jeg har slugt fem hundrede sider uden at savne noget som helst (måske lidt nattesøvn?)

Mit helhedsindtryk: en krimi, hvor man nyder personer og miljø, og hvor man uvilkårligt sætter farten op undervejs, fordi man er nødt til at vide besked!

Håkan Nesser, A Completely Different Story.

This Swedish crime novel (Best of Swedish crime fiction 2007) is the second in Nesser´s Barbarotti series which has not been translated into English yet. But it will!

I read the first Barbarotti a couple of years ago and was not quite convinced, but this one sets out with a fabulous plot. The murderer writes a kind of diary so the reader knows immediately that we have a weird loner, somewhat like Inger Frimansson´s Justine Dalvik, who seems unable to feel much empathy.

The murderer recounts a story about six Swedish tourists who meet by accident in Bretagne (two couples and two single men), and as three of them are related to Kymlinge (Barbarotti´s home town), they obviously have to spend the rest of their holiday together. Later a local teenage girl joins them, and one feels that she has an unsettling influence on the group. They go for a trip to a small, uninhabited island, and in some kind of Lord of the Flies atmosphere, everything begins to go wrong.

Five years after this holiday the murderer decides he must kill the other Swedes, and as he is not like everybody else, he writes a letter ahead of each murder, informing Gunnar Barbarotti whom he is going to kill.

I borrow this book from the library.

My overall impression: interesting and engaging characters and environment, plus a compelling plot that made me race through five hundred pages because I had to know ...

The Snows of Yesterday

For Bernadette - and others who cannot get enough snow - look here and here.

COMPETITIONS
Remember my giveaways:

1. Guess my 50th bait in the box. Prize: a gift voucher (international)

2. Comment on my anniversary post. Prize a gift voucher (international)

3. Win a cozy mystery. (Europe only).

Classic Crime Fiction Curriculum Challenge

Rob, The View from the Blue House, has come up with a new meme:

The Classic Crime Fiction Curriculum Challenge.

Here is Rob´s basic idea:

“I’ve read several hundred crime novels but nearly all of them are from the contemporary period. This is the year I intend to right that by reading some of the crime fiction canon. What I need though is a curriculum - a list of ten must-read crime fiction classics.”

Excellent idea, and here is my own list, based on the principle that you can only recommend what you have read. So my excuses to the rest of the world for this rather biased list; I know I have always favoured British crime fiction.

Edgar Allan Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart (1843) – a fine, Gothic short story

Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White (1859) – considering how old this one is, it is a great mystery, full of suspense and atmosphere.

Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend (1865) – an all-time favourite of mine. Compelling characters, but I admit that some readers may find it too easy to guess the mystery.

Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) – I saw the film when I was far too young (six or seven years, perhaps, hiding behind an armchair), and it scared the daylights out of me for days. The book was not quite as horrible, yet a fine old classic.

Agatha Christie, The Murder at the Vicarage (1930) – the first Miss Marple story where Christie does not quite seem to have made up her mind what kind of person Miss Marple is.

Agatha Christie, Cat Among the Pigeons (1959) – Hercule Poirot can be a bit too smug for me, but I love this story for his interesting sidekick, a young, very observant school girl.

Dorothy L. Sayers, The Nine Tailors (1934) – interesting setting (including a snowstorm) around a huge village church and a team of bell ringers.

P.D. James, Cover Her Face (1962) – the first Adam Dalgliesh story, a closed circle mystery.

Sjöwall & Wahlöö, Roseanna (1966) – fortunately, the first of this series which has inspired so many Scandinavian crime writers comes within the 1970 limit. The first, but also one of the best among them.

Ruth Rendell, Sins of the Fathers (1967) – in my opinion the second Chief Inspector Wexford story is more interesting both with regard to plot and characters than the first.

Should you feel like participating by writing your own list, Rob would be very pleased, and if you should feel like reading some of my recommendations, I would be very pleased.

An addition:
Many years ago I read Rex Stout´s Too Many Cooks (1938) - a tasty American read, Rob!

Friday´s Giveaway

For European participants only.

Have you participated in Wednesday´s Bait in the Box (win a gift voucher - international).

And have you remembered to comment on my Anniversary post (win a gift voucher - international).

Well, then it is time to enter my third Anniversary giveaway:
- leave a comment on this post if you want a chance to win L.C. Tyler´s cozy mystery, The Herring Seller´s Apprentice (2007).

The prize is an unread paperback edition which I am willing to send anywhere in Europe.

The competition ends Friday the 15th January 2010 by midnight (GMT).

Peter Temple, Bad Debts (1996)

[Denne australske krimi er ikke oversat til dansk, men det er den prisbelønnede “Den knuste kyst” fra 2008]

Australian debut, the first in the Jack Irish series, and my first Global Reading Challenge Review.

A taste of the style (p 7):

“Eddie Dollery´s skin wasn´t looking good. He´d cut himself several times shaving and each nick was wearing a little red-centred rosette of toilet paper. The rest of Eddie, bloated, was wearing yesterday´s superfine cotton business shirt, striped, and scarlet pyjama pants, silk. The overall effect was not fetching.”

Jack Irish, the first-person narrator, is a former lawyer, a debt collector and detective who still struggles to come to terms with the loss of his beloved wife some years earlier. The plot begins when an old client, Danny McKillop, leaves a message on Irish´s phone, asking him for help. Irish checks up on the old case which took place soon after his wife´s death, finding out that McKillop was convicted of culpable driving, killing a woman while he was intoxicated. Jack Irish gets the message too late, and soon after McKillop is shot down by a policeman in ´self-defence´. Irish speaks with friends and relatives, and soon new information makes him uncertain whether McKillop really committed the crime he was sent to prison for.

The case also involves politics (giving me the impression that Peter Temple is not exactly impressed by their honesty and integrity) and a touch of conspiracy. And at some point the police give Jack Irish the feeling they want him to ´give the case a miss´. Well, we all know what will happen next, don´t we?

No more about the exciting and well-wrought plot. Temple gives a clear impression of the Melbourne environment and a colourful impression of Australian English.

A taste of Australian geography:

“It takes hours to get to Perth, flying over the huge shark-infested dent in the continent called the Great Australian Bight. And when you get there, you´re two hours in the past. I didn´t know Perth; it was just an airport on the way to Europe. They tell me the locals have secessionist tendencies. I can understand that. Judging by the accents, they´ll probably have a fight over whether to rename the State Manchester or Birmingham.”

I have been looking forward to the Jack Irish series, and in spite of the conspiracy aspect (not exactly my favourite plot), I enjoyed the debut thoroughly. (Dash it, now I will have to add number two, three and four to my list).

I bought this book myself.

ANNIVERSARY - and GIVEAWAY

Today my blog has its first birthday! I have actually been blogging here for a whole year, and I have enjoyed it so much more than I imagined possible.

My essential goal was to get in touch with other readers of crime fiction, and that has certainly been a great success.

Other bonuses are all my other blog friends, and the surprise that bloggers all over the world actually do become friends. Friends that care about you, and friends you care about.

In April I participated in a writing course, and as several of you know, I have become more determined not only to read crime fiction, but also write it.

So thank you to each and every one of you who visit me, read my posts, leave comments, encourage me to blog and to write fiction! You are invaluable, and without you, I would never have made it.

And now to the GIVEAWAY.
Leave a comment on today´s post (you have until Thursday the 14th of January by midnight GMT). I will draw one winner of an Amazon gift voucher of £ 10 or $ 15 among the comments, so make sure I can get in touch with you (if you blog, I will just tell you there).
- if you prefer another online bookshop it is fine with me, as long as I can pay online with my visa card.

If you blog or tweet about my competition, please tell me and you will get an extra chance in today´s giveaway.

JUBILÆUM
I dag holder min blog fødselsdag for første gang! Jeg har blogget her i et helt år, og jeg har nydt det meget mere, end jeg på nogen made havde kunnet forestille mig.

Mit væsentligste mål var at komme i kontakt med andre krimilæsere, og det har været en fantastisk succes.

Andre fordele er alle mine blogvenner, og den dejlige opdagelse, at bloggere rundt om i hele verden virkelig bliver venner. Venner, som tænker på mig, og venner, jeg holder af.

I april deltog jeg i et skrivekursus, og som mange af jer ved, er jeg begyndt at fokusere mere på ikke bare at læse krimier, men også skrive dem.

Så en stor tak til hver eneste af jer, som besøger mig, læser min blog, lægger kommentarer, opmuntrer mig til at blogge og skrive! I er uvurderlige, og uden jer ville jeg aldrig have gennemført det.

Og nu til KONKURRENCEN
Læg en kommentar til indlægget i dag (inden torsdag d 14. januar ved midnat). Blandt kommentarerne trækker jeg én vinder af et Amazon gavekort på £ 10 eller $ 15 (kan selvfølgelig konverteres til Saxo, Adlibrisk.dk eller lignende).

Hvis du reklamerer for lodtrækningen via din blog eller twitter, så nævn det i din kommentar & få en ekstra chance.

DJ´s Bait in the Box # 50

Do you recognize the opening lines of this thriller?

“Last night I dreamed I went to M…… again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me. There was a padlock and a chain upon the gate. I called in my dream to the lodge-keeper, and had no answer, and peering closer through the rusted spokes of the gate I saw that the lodge was uninhabited.”

COMPETITION

If you recognize the quotation, please send the name of the author and the title of the book in an e-mail to do.hu.ja (at) mail.tele.dk.

The competition ends on Tuesday, January the 12^th, by midnight.

The prize:

I will draw one winner who receives an Amazon gift card of £ 10 or $ 15. (Or any online bookshop that accepts visa cards).

See my very first Bait in the Box.