Crime Writers Caught Recommending Crime - Day 9

And we're back to Crime Writers Caught Recommending Crime - for the holidays. My apologies for the lapse there. We'll just have to go a little longer into December is all. I hope you are finding some great gift ideas. This weekend we'll also talk about some ideas that are crime fiction related but not necessarily the books themselves, so be sure to stop by for that.

Today's recommendation comes from the recent Shamus-award-winning author, Brad Parks. FACES OF THE GONE, Brad's debut novel was awarded the Shamus for Best First Novel last month in San Francisco. And if he wasn't busy enough being a panelist on my Bouchercon panel, winning his award and taking Shamus up and down the Embarcadero, he found time to kick his feet up and indulge in his recommendation, Bryan Gruley's THE HANGING TREE. This is what Brad had to say about it:

"Don't get me wrong, Bryan Gruley is a big, dumb hockey goon. But he's also a big, dumb hockey goon with an absolutely magical writing touch and a keen insight into small towns and the secrets they hide. For me, the only danger of jumping into THE HANGING TREE was that I sort of lost track of time... even in the book room at Bouchercon by the Bay."

Very nice, Brad! Thanks.

In honor of my time spent with Ridley Pearson this past weekend, I'm going to recommend his most recent installment in the Walt Fleming series, IN HARM'S WAY, which brought both Walt Fleming and Lou Boldt together. Pearson keeps his characters real and his pacing fast. Plus there's the added bonus of Beatrice, the dog. The Sun Valley setting in Idaho makes for intriguing plot lines with glaring clashes between the "haves" and the "have nots." Excellent series.

O.k., we are back on track and will have more fun tomorrow, so check back for the next round of recommendations. See you then. Happy Reading!