Noir at the Bar VI: Sandra Ruttan (and a chance to win free books)

(Brian Lindenmuth, Sandra Ruttan)

Sandra Ruttan, author of What Burns Within, The Frailty of Flesh, Suspicious Circumstances and the forthcoming Lullaby For The Nameless, drove up from Maryland for last night's sixth Noir at the Bar reading.

I enjoyed the reading and discussion so much that I realized toward its end I'd neglected to take notes. That's a testament to the intelligence and seriousness with which Ruttan discusses her matter and her craft. I urge all bookstores and event promoters to give her more chances to do so.

It's a testament to her intelligence, too, and that of the attendees that talk ranged over: gender differences in fiction, native peoples in Canada and the United States, cross-border crime, and the frustrating perception that Canada is safe, benign and a bad home for crime fiction with a hard edge. Ruttan also discussed a subject that I had not mentioned in my earlier posts about her work: the potential for conflict offered by an area of sometimes clashing police jurisdictions.

Now it's time to win some books. I'll send signed copies of What Burns Within and The Frailty of Flesh to the first reader who answers this question correctly: Ruttan sets her novels in the Lower Mainland region of which Canadian province?

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And the winner is ... Congratulations to Marco in Italy, who was the first with the correct answer: British Columbia.

© Peter Rozovsky 2008

Neo-Carnival of the Criminal Minds

My two-week escape from Philadelphia has left me huffing and puffing to catch the carnival train, so here's news of two editions of the Carnival of the Criminal Minds, Nos. 21 and 22.

Brian Lindenmuth's edition 21 of the Carnival gives visitors a whole lot to look at even before they start reading. A collection of news items follows, and some are odder than the fantasy illustrations the precede them. When you're done, tale a look at Brian's Observations from the Balcony and see why I think it could just as well be called A Compendious Guide to Everything. Then take a look again tomorrow and each day thereafter.

Carnival No. 22 brings Declan Burke back for a second stint as host, and he turns introspective, reflecting on the state of crime fiction and crime-fiction bloggery:

"By the same token, and speaking only for myself, the last thing I need or want is a pat on the head from the literary establishment. What I AM saying is that the critical work on crime fiction needs to develop of and through its own metier, that the Johnsons of the crime / mystery community require their Boswells, and that I believe heart and soul that crime / mystery fiction needs and deserves the kind of widespread, top-to-bottom critical work that would in turn inspire the writers to strive towards ever-higher standards of work."

As always, a tip of the old hat to the mother of the Carnival, Barbara Fister, and a reminder that you can visit her archive for a look at all 22 Carnivals.

© Peter Rozovsky 2008