A guide to Irish crime
Ireland is the new Sweden when it comes to crime fiction. Or maybe it's the new Italy or the new France. In any case, its authors are producing lots of good crime writing these days, and here's a good Web site that will help you keep track of it all: Critical Mick.
Critical offers sharp, slap-your-thigh funny opinions on Irish crime fiction, Irish crime, and the people whose job it is to stop that crime, plus links to more information on all these topics. But most of all he offers "Reviews Free of Rules" that just might have you hightailing it to the local library or bookstore. (Hat tip to Crime Always Pays.)
© Peter Rozovsky 2007
Critical offers sharp, slap-your-thigh funny opinions on Irish crime fiction, Irish crime, and the people whose job it is to stop that crime, plus links to more information on all these topics. But most of all he offers "Reviews Free of Rules" that just might have you hightailing it to the local library or bookstore. (Hat tip to Crime Always Pays.)
© Peter Rozovsky 2007
Labels: blogs, Critical Mick, Ireland
posted by Peter Rozovsky at 12:14 AM
7 Comments:
Peter - Can't speak highly enough of Critical Mick. When it comes to dissecting Irish crime fiction, he's the original and the best, and by far the funniest. Check him out on meeting John Banville ... http://crimealwayspays.blogspot.com/2007/05/uncle-travelling-critical-mick-no_15.html,
Cheers, Declan
Thanks for the note. He's like a funny, opinionated encyclopedia. And you may be doing a bit of mind-reading. I'm shuffling books trying to figure out what to read next, and I had just picked up my copy of Christine Falls.
For the malicious enjoyment of readers, here's an excerpt that will give you a sense of Critical Mick and, perhaps, of John Banville/Benjamin Black as well:
“I met Banville there on Saturday. After speaking fluidly on many interesting points, he announced that he is only truly interested in what is going on inside his head. That's in the vein of the Greek philosophers. But remember: if you go far enough up your own ass, you'll ram up against the skullcap."
See what I mean? Not only that, Michael Dibdin's Cosi Fan Tutti is one of his all-time faves.
Thank you as well for the pointer to Critical Mick - what Ken Bruen has started.... well I just need more books :)
Yes, that Critical Mick offers a dangerous combination: He's engaged with the books he writes about, and he writes about a lot of books.
And I think he's ahead of the curve, too, writing enticingly about books that may be unavailable in, say, Australia or North America.
Is Ken Bruen the fellow who started all this? Declan Burke speculated that the current wave of Irish crime writing may have sprung from the 1996 murder of Veronica Guerin (http://crimealwayspays.blogspot.com/2007/06/swedish-crime-fiction-now-theres-turnip_28.html). I wonder what Bruen himself might say to this question. Perhaps I'll get a chance to ask him when he's in Philadelphia in April.
Hey Peter,
This long-time DBB lurker is proud to be featured on your magnificent forum for something that does not involve being murdered in a mysterious and draedful manner in some godawful farflung corner of the world.
The material that you've been presenting over the past months is always informative and interesting. The locales, characters and scenerios you cheerfully spotlight in your chosen speciality remind me that (a) crime and conflict unites all cultures- exploring their worldwide tales leads us toward a deeper, darker understanding of what it is to be human, and (b) I need more hours in the day devoted to reading! (Those are the words that we critics use to say: Dude, you rock!)
Check out the news items on the front page of criticalmick.com and the featured links on http://www.criticalmick.com/criticalmick_is_not_crap.htm
With best regards
Mick Halpin
Lurker, Peruser & Crotchety Miscreant
Thanks for the note, the link, and the plug. I, in turn, am proud to be associated with you in a way that does not involve bail money or shady transactions of any kind. Thanks, too, for a page that is so thoroughly about books. Such is not always the case here in Webland.
Post a Comment
<< Home