Crime Writers Caught Recommending Crime - Day 15

I hope everyone enjoyed a delightful Thanksgiving. I know my long weekend was especially wonderful and full of great reading. With the Thankfully Reading weekend I finished THE SILENCED by Brett Battles, THE SENTRY by Robert Crais and NAUGHT: NINE TALES OF CHRISTMAS CRIME by Steve Hockensmith. You'll have to wait a little while to hear about the first two, but count on hearing about NAUGHTY very soon. It's an e-book of all the Christmas short stories Steve has written.

And now we're back to Crime Writers Caught Recommending Crime for the Holidays. I always look forward to Duane Swierczynski participating in projects here on the blog because he's so stinking fun! This time is no different. Duane is preparing to launch a fun trilogy, starting with FUN AND GAMES, with the new Mulholland imprint from Little, Brown while he's still basking in the greatness of his last release EXPIRATION DATE from Minotaur. And that's all when he's not working on the comic book end of things.

Duane's recommendation for a holiday gift, especially for your noir enthusiasts, is THE BIG BLACK LIZARD BOOK OF BLACK MASK STORIES. Duane says,

"THE BIG BLACK LIZARD BOOK OF BLACK MASK STORIES, edited by Otto Penzler, is going to everyone on my 'nice' list this year. I can imagine nothing more pleasurable than thumbing through its Bible-thin yet action-splattered pages on a lazy Xmas morn, idly sipping scotch and shooting ornaments off the tree with an air rifle. (Silent night my ass!)"

How do you follow that up? Seriously? Thanks Daune! I just love that he gets excited about my wacky projects, don't you?

Alright, so I can't compete with Duane, but I'll offer up my next recommendation, regardless. If you spend much time around this blog, you know I'm a huge fan of Marcus Sakey's work. He's simply a master at this craft and I feel fortunate to be able to devour the fruits of his labors. (I apologize that was a terrible metaphor, wasn't it? Yeesh!) Well, regardless, I get to read his books; what a thrill. His most recent release, THE AMATEURS, came out last summer and it challenges readers to think about just what they'd do when up against a wall. How far would you go? Fast paced thriller, great characters the reader can identify with, nasty villains. Everything you could ask for in crime fiction. I listened to this one on audio and thought it was well done, so it's also a good option for the audio fans on your list.

We still have some more authors ready to share their recommendations. I'm sure you're in full holiday-buying swing, so take advantage of the insight and give a great gift this year. Happy Reading!