Hie thee to a betting shop

Over at Crime Always Pays, Bernd Kochanowski, keeper of the Internationale Krimis blog, weighs in on the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Awards (that's the original Edgar at right, in the MWA's logo), which are to be bestowed in New York Thursday. Is it odd that a German critic/reviewer should hold forth on an Irish blog about America's top crime-fiction awards?

No. We're all about crossing borders, remember? Also, two of the authors nominated for best novel, Ken Bruen for Priest and "Benjamin Black" for Christine Falls, are Irish, and everyone thought for a long time that Tana French, whose In the Woods is up for best first novel, was Irish, too. That has to count for something.

At all events, Kochanowski offers brief, well-considered comments on the nominees for best novel , best paperback original and best first novel by an American author, along with an amusing observation about the nature of the Edgars themselves.

He also offers blunt assessments of each book's chances and, though I disagree with his comments about one of the books, he appears to have read more of the nominees than I have. Besides, he also offers predictions, so if you plan to bet on the Edgars, check with Bernd first.

© Peter Rozovsky 2008