Crime Writers Caught Recommending Crime - Day 7

We are cooking now! I've been especially thrilled to have new folks joining us for this project and I have another new face to introduce. Eric Beetner has done a lot of screenwriting, but this past year he co-wrote his first book, ONE TOO MANY BLOWS TO THE HEAD*, and is preparing to release his second book in 2011. Eric was sly on his recommendation - he managed to sneak two in. So you end up with double the fun today.

Eric is recommending both Victor Gischler's THE DEPUTY and John Rector's THE COLD KISS. Here's what Eric has to say for himself and these two novels:

"As you can tell I chose to capture myself in the act of re-reading two of my favorite books this year, trying to decide which to recommend. I truly can't choose just one. Both The Cold Kiss and The Deputy pass my strictest test – would I let my Mother read it? Usually Victor Gischler would not pass this test as his stuff is too violent, too crazy, too rocket-fueled but The Deputy had just the right amount of restraint. A simple story simply told. Also a perfect description of The Cold Kiss, John Rector's debut. A perfectly crafted midwest noir The Cold Kiss is one of those tell anyone and everyone books. Both were complete page-turners and both should make great gifts for the hardest boiled down to fans of simple, riveting crime stories about people in over their heads."

You can tell Eric is going to make a great crime writer...he has trouble with the rules! Just kidding. Thank you so much for your contributions, Eric!

I'm going to make my contribution correlate a bit more with Eric's novel. ONE TOO MANY BLOWS TO THE HEAD deals with boxing, and one of my favorite all around fun series to read is Tom Schreck's Duffy Dumbrowski series. It's smart, funny, and you just can't be Al, the Muslim Basset hound. Schreck likes to weave conspiracy into his novels, and he really challenges his readers to think about the possibilities. But one of my favorite elements of this series is Schreck's thoughtful portrayal of all the characters. He doesn't make excuses for the characters, but he also doesn't portray them in their stereotypical roles. Again, he makes you think about the human element of every character - even the dogs! So, today's recommendation from me is OUT COLD.

Happy Reading!


*ONE TOO MANY BLOWS TO THE HEAD can be ordered from your favorite independent bookstore.