Capsule book reviews in 255 characters or fewer. Ish. A reading diary (1st Jan 2019 onwards) by Eamonn Griffin.
Academic essays on the BBC single-camera comedy Detectorists, plus context from writer/star/director Mackenzie Crook, and original producer Adam Tandy. Focusing on the programme’s engagements with landscape, history, and gender relations, this is a fine introduction to the thematic richness and blokeish pleasures of the series. Volume II, please!
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
Nine Japanese stories of food, folklore, and supernatural revenge. Excellent compilation of traditional tales, delivered with twist-in-the-tale EC Comics-style glee. Lots to enjoy and to appreciate, not least in the book’s sumptuous presentation, and in the accompanying recipes and guide to ghosts and demons of the Edo period. Recommended.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A drifter murders and rapes a young woman; years later, he writes his confession. A charcoal-black short novel from the crime/noir master, and perhaps not one for all sensibilities. Nevertheless, effortlessly narrated, and thought-provoking, while offering no easy answers.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A personal account of the ill-fated 1996 Rob Hall-led Adventure Consultants expedition to climb Mount Everest. A classic of its type, if disputed in some of its assertions (discussed in this edition), Into Thin Air remains a detailed study of adventure tourism, obsession, survival, and hubris. Recommended.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
An overview of the Eon James Bond films to date. And not a very good one, either. Unlike the genial podcast which this book spins off from, this film-by-film precis doesn’t add much more than scattershot snark and the same overworked observations. A few useful bits of trivia emerge, but this is a disappointing, laboured, and repetitive effort.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
In a food-obsessed alt-LA, a solitary sushi chef plays rival culinary gangs off against each other. Fun Jojimbo variant, with plenty of gags about foodie lifestyles, some tips on how to approach sushi with respect, plus an abundance of pulp-noir violence, characters, and attitude.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
The journalist explores the secret to making money, through reflecting on his parlous financial life and on his wealthy interview subjects. Typically self-absorbed and confident, Leith’s third book is a zippy treat, even if you might not want to spend time with anyone featured in it. The trick itself is revealed on p.198.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
Five stories featuring the young Hap Collins and Leonard Pine. Perhaps for completists and series fans only, but this is still great stuff. Tall tales of East Texas rambunctiousness and formative experiences, delivered in Lansdale’s effortless economic style. The book even features a few recipes from the yarns, contributed (in character) by Lansdale’s daughter Kasey. Recommended.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A young sheriff investigates her predecessor’s disappearance. Laconic, lyrical novel of small-town life, everyday mysteries, and secret lives. Well-observed as ever, touching lightly where less confident writers would labour plots and characterisation. Recommended.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A small-town doctor’s routine is disturbed by the discovery of a mass grave. Excellent slow-burn quasi-thriller which blends relationship study, community portrait, and something more ambitious in scope. Understated throughout, and impeccably narrated. Recommended.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
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