Noir at the Bar IV: Caught in the act

A stimulating time was had by all at Philadelphia's fourth Noir at the Bar reading last evening at Fergie's Pub when authors were not being nabbed in the act of pinching bicycles.

John McFetridge read from Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Declan Burke read from The Big O, and subsequent discussion shed light on crime fiction not just from McFetridge's Canada and Burke's Ireland but from England and the United States as well.

I shall ponder and perhaps discuss further McFetridge's observation that American crime fiction had "removed the author's voice and given it to the characters."

Burke offered at least three possible explanations for the boom in Irish crime writing: the post-Troubles phenomenon of newly unemployed paramilitaries with finely honed criminal skills, the 1996 murder of Veronica Guerin, and an explosion of chick lit that may seem antithetical to crime fiction but nonetheless gave genre writing, including crime, a foothold in a country of towering "literary" writers.

Burke draws inspiration from Raymond Chandler and Elmore Leonard, McFetridge from Ed McBain. This naturally led to an examination of American crime fiction, and an audience member offered the astute observation that "Americans take you through a place" as opposed to the traditional English plot-driven murder mystery. This may interest readers familiar with sneering references to recent international crime fiction as mere "guidebooks." Americans did it first, Clive.

(In the photo above, Scott Phillips demonstrates American-style crime for an attentive international audience of, from left, John McFetridge, your humble blogkeeper, Declan Burke, Brian Rademaekers, and our courteous and efficient barmaid, Claire Wadsworth.)

Tomorrow: In Baltimore to see how pros run a Con, or drinks on Iceland.

© Peter Rozovsky 2008

Noir at the Bar: A break on the way to Bouchercon

Bouchercon 2008: A insane bacchanal of schmoozing, boozing, deals, meals, contact-arranging, business-card exchanging, panels at eight, staying up late, meeting friends and burning the candle at both ends. You'll have a ball, but you'll need a rest when you're done.

Noir at the Bar: A relaxed evening with two of Bouchercon's best, Declan Burke and John McFetridge. Come hear Declan (author of The Big O and Eightball Boogie) and John (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and Dirty Sweet) in a special international Noir at the Bar reading in Philadelphia the day before Bouchercon (and just an hour away by train):

Where: Fergie's Pub
1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA
215-928-8118
When: Wednesday, Oct. 8, 6:30 p.m.

Come hear why North America's best newspaper said McFetridge "has a gift for dialogue and setting . . . [and] is an author to watch. He has a great eye for detail, and Toronto has never looked seedier." Come find out why Ken Bruen called Burke “the future of Irish crime fiction.”

Come meet them before the madness of Bouchercon, and you'll be old friends by the time you get to Baltimore. Won't it be fun to recognize them and say: "Dec! How ya doing?" or "Looking good, McFetridge!" You can – but only if you come to Noir at the Bar first. See you there!

© Peter Rozovsky 2008