Sunday, April 11, 2010

Welcome to DETECTIVES AROUND THE WORLD


Today officially kicks off the "Detectives Around the World" theme week. I'm so excited to share this project with you. Several months back I sent out letters to bloggers asking them if they would be interested in joining with me to highlight detective fiction for a week. That was how the "World's Greatest Detective" tournament came to life and how this week of celebrating detectives and their settings came to be.

Many of us know the famous detectives that inhabit the streets of Los Angeles and New York City. Afterall, the two remaining detectives in our tournament are both from Los Angeles. And both cities really are great places for crimes to occur. Here Michael Connelly's L.A. is illustrated in this YouTube video:



And it was quite the change for Harry Bosch to leave L.A. and go to Hong Kong in his most recent NINE DRAGONS:



And you can see images of Elvis Cole's Los Angeles here on Robert Crais' website. Or how about Dave Robicheaux's New Iberia. Here you can see a walking map of the city that helps define James Lee Burke's detective. Kelli Stanley's CITY OF DRAGONS would have been a very different novel had it not been set in San Francisco's China Town. You can see some of the integral elements of that setting in her map here.

So what the bloggers have done in this theme week is identify a detective they were interested in, read at least one book with that detective to review, and then they've looked at the detective's setting. Throughout the week they'll be sharing their reviews and settings with you in an array of different ways. You'll get to see recipes and maps and location highlights of locations from the United States to Mexico to France to Greece and beyond. There will also be contests scattered throughout the week, so be on the look out for those as well.

I hope that you'll travel through our world of bloggers. Share your thoughts on detectives you know, learn about a detective you didn't know before, maybe even learn about a blogger you didn't know before, and tell all your friends. There's a world of detectives just waiting for you to find them at your local bookstore or library.

Each day I'll have an intro post letting you know what bloggers are posting where, but for an overall view of everyone participating this week, here are our bloggers:

S. Krishna's Books
Booking Mama
Beth Fish Reads
Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'
Jenn's Book Shelves
My Friend Amy
Word Lily
Savvy Verse and Wit
Whimpulsive
Literate Housewife
Lesa's Book Critiques
The Drowning Machine
Pop Culture Nerd
A Few More Pages
Books Are Like Candy Corn
Stumbling the Walk
L.J. Sellers
Blood Red Pencil
An Adventure in Reading
Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic
Classic Mysteries
Elogios
Crime Watch
Bermudaonion's Weblog


I can't thank them enough for all of the work they put into this theme week, so please help me thank them by visiting their blogs. Enjoy "Detectives Around the World"!


14 comments:

kathy d. April 11, 2010 at 2:02 AM  

Hi Jen,

Thank you so much for this list of bloggers. I read a number of blogs, but did not know of many of these. Their names brought a smile to my face.

Now, if I could only give up the rest of my life, reading the NY Times, paying bills, sleeping, eating and talking on the phone--and only read blogs (and mysteries, of course)!

That would be the life!

Naomi Johnson April 11, 2010 at 7:23 AM  

I think the easiest way to keep is just add all these blogs to my google reader for now. This is going to be fun!

Julie P. April 11, 2010 at 8:30 AM  

This is going to be so much fun! I read a new to me author with a new to me detective in a new to me setting (Oslo Norway.) So I can't wait to share!

Lesa April 11, 2010 at 8:57 AM  

Thanks Jen! I'm starting my Detectives Around the World tomorrow. Today would have been Jim's 61st birthday, and I scheduled the book that got me through as a review book a month ago. So, tomorrow I'm featuring Steven Havill's New Mexico.

bermudaonion April 11, 2010 at 9:35 AM  

This is going to be such a fun event! Thanks for organizing it.

Naomi Johnson April 11, 2010 at 9:44 AM  

The Drowning Machine is locked and loaded.

Beth F April 11, 2010 at 9:55 AM  

I can't wait to see all the posts!

SuziQoregon April 11, 2010 at 3:53 PM  

Thanks for pulling this all together Jen. It's going to be a fun week and I'll have to make sure I have all the participating bloggers in my google reader so I don't miss a post.

Serena April 11, 2010 at 5:30 PM  

This is going to be fantastic. I'm looking forward to it. Here's my welcome post for the week: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2010/04/welcome-to-detectives-around-the-world-week-april-11-17.html

Kiwicraig April 11, 2010 at 6:11 PM  

This is going to be awesome!

My posts will all be later in the week, as on mag deadline today and tomorrow.

Looking forward to exploring the worlds of some famous (and not so famous) detectives.

Kiwicraig April 11, 2010 at 6:11 PM  

This is going to be awesome!

My posts will all be later in the week, as on mag deadline today and tomorrow.

Looking forward to exploring the worlds of some famous (and not so famous) detectives.

Jen Forbus April 11, 2010 at 6:26 PM  

You all have made this so worth the work! Folks who are going to enjoy the posts, folks who had fun making the posts. I'm just so excited! Thanks everyone!

Christine April 11, 2010 at 6:46 PM  

I love everyone's enthusiasm! Really looking forward to this!

Spy Shop June 3, 2010 at 2:00 AM  

Really very good post,
I read the another blogs, they all are also inspiring to me. many thanks on sharing.

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