Crimewave 12: Hurts

Crimewave number 12, subtitled Hurts, is now available from TTA Press. This is one of the best crime magazines around, so recommended. This time we get:

• ‘Singularity’ by Melanie Tem
• ‘The Only Broken Blonde’ by Simon Avery
• ‘Bless’ by Stephen Volk
• ‘The Simpson Frames’ by Antony Mann
• ‘Cheap Rent’ by Janice Law
• ‘By Night He Could Not See’ by Joel Lane
• ‘What Grief Can Do’ by Stephen Bacon
• ‘Scenes From Country Life’ by Tim Lees
• ‘Night Fishing’ by James Cooper
• ‘Unfinished Business’ by Christopher Priest
• ‘Dodge County’ by Danny Rhodes
• ‘The Space That Runs Away With You’ by Steven J. Dines
• ‘Gator Moon’ by Ray Cluley
• ‘Trial’ by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Cover art by Ben Baldwin

Graven Image by Charlie Williams. Book review

Graven Image by Charlie Williams. Crime Express/ Five Leaves Publishing £4.99

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

The dealer assured me that this is a grim crime story – not a police procedural, something I wanted to avoid. And she was correct: this is a hard and downbeat tale about Leon, who’s searching fro his daughter, kidnapped by Graven. Leon was a bouncer at a brothel run by Graven but something not fully explained causes Leon to go on the run. Besides his search, people are looking for him, such as Dux and Sid – unpleasant youths armed with an Uzi. Leon is captured, escapes and goes on a rampage…

So far, this sounds quite straightforward. Yet as I was reading it I felt that the author had a trick up his sleeve, something that meant not all was as it appears at first glance. And yes, there is a surprise twist, one that I didn’t fully anticipate. I don’t mean that this is a twist-in-the-tail type of story, which I don’t much care for – and so I was more than happy to be “shocked”.

Because of this doubt it was difficult to fully empathise with Leon in his quest – but not impossible. Leon does come across as a real person, if somewhat crazy and bloodthirsty. The story grabs you and takes you along for the ride – like being in a Beamer bombing along at 60 m.p.h. The author packs in a lot of excitement and tension in this novella. Although first published in 2011, copies may still be available from FiveLeaves.

Joyland by Stephen King

Hard Case Crime, the award-winning pulp-styled crime novel imprint published by Titan Books, will publish Joyland, a new novel by Stephen King, in June 2013. Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement, Joyland is set in the summer of 1973 when college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carnie and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever.

Joyland is a never-previously- published novel.

Los Angeles Noir edited by Denise Hamilton

I’ve just come across this series of crime books, of which Los Angeles Noir volume two, edited by Denise Hamilton (Akashic Books, $15.95) appears to be the latest addition. It seems that Akashic began this series in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir and in 2007 Los Angeles Noir volume one saw publication.

LA Noir 2 includes 15 stories by the likes of Leigh Brackett, James M Cain, Raymond Chandler, James Ellroy and Walter Mosley. The stories cover a period in LA’s history from 1933 to 2007 and are grouped into four sections: “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, “After the War”, “Killer Views” and “Modern Classics”.

A very tasty book – and series – I’m sure.

The Dark End of the Street

Coming in September from Bloomsbury, The Dark End of the Street is a new crime anthology, edited by SJ Rozan and Jonathan Santlofer. Yes, that's right: Bloomsbury is publishing an anthology. Excellent news! According to the blurb: "a glittering line-up of some of today's finest writers weave fresh and memorable stories from the classic themes of sex and crime [...to provide a...] suspense-filled cocktail of dark-haired vixens and cold-blooded killers, of crimes of passion and premeditated revenge." It adds that this book is "a rare treat for fans of great fiction."

It certainly looks very promising and I aim to start reading it a.s.a.p. There are 19 original stories in this book, including tales by Lawrence Block, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Jonathan Lethem, Val McDermid and Joyce Carol Oates. I especially like the title of the last story in the book: "The Creative Writing Murders" by Edmund White. (I've just realised: the stories appear in alphabetical order [by author]; don't think I've noticed that in an anthology before.)

In addition to all the words, the book is illustrated by Jonathan Santlofer -- noirish pictures that suit the subject matter.

I hope the book sells well for Bloomsbury, if only to encourage them and other publishers to do more of the same, please. Out on 6 September as a paperback original at £7.99.