I have never been to a mystery convention, but maybe I will take this opportunity. Unfortunately the Forensic Science Day has already sold out, otherwise I think that could have been really interesting.

Left Coast Crime is an annual mystery convention sponsored by mystery fans, for mystery fans. The 20th Left Coast Crime Mystery Convention will be held in Los Angeles, California, March 11-14, 2010. The convention’s theme, BOOKED IN LA, highlights the special place of Los Angeles in the mystery noir literature of the early 20th Century.

The convention will feature panels of experts speaking about mysteries as a literary genre, awards to recognize outstanding books and people, special outings, and a booksellers’ room. About 200 mystery authors will be in attendance, as will representatives from publishing companies and booksellers. 

The Guests of Honor will be Jan Burke (author of the Irene Kelly mysteries) and Lee Child (author of the Jack Reacher series).

Those already registered are eligible to also register for Forensic Science Day. This pre-convention event will be at the California State University Los Angeles campus. The program will include a tour of the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center, a crime laboratory serving the LAPD and LA County Sherriff’s Department.  

Registration information can be found at the convention website.

This is a real page turner and sensation thriller. Someone kills newlyweds around Europe and sends a postcard with the murdered victims on them to journalists in the town where the murder takes place.

It´s not hard to figure out that Liza Marklund has created the character Dessie. Just as Annika Bengtzon, the head character in Lizas crime novels, Dessie is a journalist. Patterssons creation is Jacob, an american FBI agent whose daughter was one of the Postcard Killers victim.  Jacob is of course out for revenge and on hunt for the killer/s

I liked Dessie but had a harder time with Jacob. Jacob could be replaced with numerous FBI agents or police detectives I’ve read or seen on a criminal TV-Serie and I would have liked him. But in Sweden he seemed “too much” What’s interesting is that as soon as Jacob was on American grounds I bought his character on a whole different level. It will be very interesting to see what Americans think of the Swedish character Desire.

This is a thrilling Page Turner that gives you great entertainment while reading it but Is it the best I’ve ever read? Far from it, for that it takes more then thrills and sensations.

This book is available in Europe from this Tuesday (January 27th) but will not be released in the USA until summer.

The unemployed journalist Maria Allende and her family move into a house in the outskirts of Stockholm. When Maria finds blood in the kitchen she decides to find out more about the couple that lived in the house before them. She discovers that the husband is in prison because he allegedly killed his wife. Before the sentence he worked as a police officer who, despite beating his wife repeatedly, got to keep his job. Maria realizes that the story about the previous owners could be her ticket to getting another job and digs deeper than she probably should have done.

At the same time the police are investigating a death where a young man is found hanged in the attic of his girlfriend’s family. The case ends up on the table of prosecutor Madeleine Edwards and it becomes apparent that it could be an honor killing.

Katarina Wennstam’s goal with Dödergök seems to be to start a debate about violence against women and crimes that often go unpunished. The book brings up society’s deepest prejudices and I desperately want to like this book. I almost stopped reading after a few pages, but decided not to give up. However, I cannot put my finger on what it is that I dislike about it, other than the criminal’s monologs.

I stumbled on the free online game Fictional Detectives Trivia:

“Elementary, my dear Watson!”
…or is it? Mysteries in books, films, and television have beguiled us for our entire lives, and behind every mystery is a detective who will get to the bottom of it! We’ve put together a mystery of our own for you; call it The Curious Case Of The Fictional Gumshoes. So, here: take this magnifying glass, and this deerstalker hat…there! You’re on the case…with Fictional Detectives Trivia!

If you are looking for a few minutes of entertainment it is ok, but it is a one time thing, since the same questions reappear if you try to play a second round.

I´ve just read Deon Meyers “Dead at Daybreak” Deon Meyer is an South African Crime Writer. The style is Suspense/Hardboiled.

Zapotek van Heerden is an ex cop who is in really bad shape and now supports himself as a Private Detective. It´s obvius that something in the past made him a drunk and a very cynical man but exactly what made him into this angry and resentful man isn´t revealed until the end.

This book have two stories. The first is about a case he is hired to solve. The other is the story of Zapotek van Herdeen. The book changes every second chapter between these stories. This could be a problem, I´ve read plenty of books where memories and stories from the main person have taken away focus from the ”real story” but not in this case.  The Story of Zapotek is just as interesting as his case.

An antiquedealer is tortured and murdered and his testament who was in his safe is stolen. The case is very trhilling and gives you the chills. I really liked the two female characters in this book but I won´t reveal anything about them or more of the case since it will spoil the the reading experience.

Deon Meyers is doing a fantastic job and I will definately read his other books.

Christine Haldeman-Spegel is found brutally murdered in her apartment at Östermalm in Stockholm and at first she seems like a typical upper-class girl. Axel Hake is responsible of the murder investigation and tries to find out who she really was and what secrets her family may have been hiding.

Östermalmsmorden is the first part in Lars Bill Lundholm’s series about Axel Hake. Lundholm uses opposites very successfully in this book – rich and poor, good and evil, lies and truth, beauty and ugliness. I really recommend the book and will definitely read the rest of the books in the series.

I´ve just read Tana French second novel, about Cassie Maddox, who is  just being released in Swedish. (Her first novel was “In the Woods”)

Cassie Maddox, a former police infiltrator, works at the domestic violence department when she gets a call from a colleague to come and see a murder victim. It turns out that the victim (Lexie) looks exactly like her. To find out what happened they decide to let the collective which the victim lived with  to believe the victim didn´t die, but is in a coma. Cassie, being an ex infiltrator, takes her place. Is the killer one of the persons in the collective? Or maybe someone from the victims mysterious past? And will Cassie manage to fool everybody that she is Lexie?

I´m not going to say anything more except this. If you have ever read Donna Tartts “The Secret Story” you will get some of the same feelings that you felt reading that book. It´s not the same high standard, but what is? The Secret Story gave me one of my top 10  reading experience and everything close to that book is good. This is a well written suspense novel with a lot of interesting characters but the most important character in this book is a house.

This Book is a review copy from the Swedish Publishing Company Albert Bonnier

How was the “author” in you born?

I’ve always wanted to write, pretty much as soon as I could pick up a pen. I have no idea why. It was just instinctive, I suppose, and the urge is as strong today as it ever was.

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You write seriously ugly stories, why?

I wouldn’t call them ugly. I’d call them fast-paced, dark thrillers. It sounds better.

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Have you considered writing crime stories for young readers?

I have, but I’ve never got any further than that. Maybe one day, but at the moment, I’m enjoying writing my fast-paced, dark thrillers, even if they are a bit ugly!

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What would be the biggest challenge compared to stories for adults?

The challenge would be the same. Writing a story that appeals to your audience. That’s always hard, whatever age you’re aiming at.

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It seems more and more common that authors use made up places instead of using cities and places that really exist. Why do you think that is?

I suppose it gives them more freedom to set their scenes, but I wouldn’t do it myself. I prefer to use places that people know are real because I think it helps the reader identify with them.

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How much of the time to produce a book is research and how much time is actual writing?

Planning a book takes me about two months, while the actual writing takes roughly another six. I research less these days, preferring simply to call one of my police contacts if I get stuck on either a technical issue, or one of procedure. I’m a firm believer in the adage that you can research too much.

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Is there an actual roll model for Dennis Milne?

No, but he is loosely based on three different police officers I know, although I promise that none of them are murderers!

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How do you go about doing research in the kind of environment your books are placed in?

I know the areas I write about, having spent a lot of time in London in the Nineties, and I’ve gained good contacts on both sides of the law, who I talk to regularly. They help to make the work authentic, and tend to be great sources for ideas.

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What are you working on right now?

I’ve just finished my ninth book, THE LAST TEN SECONDS. It’s a thriller about an undercover cop who finds himself in too deep inside a criminal gang, who are planning to kidnap a suspected serial killer from police custody. It all takes place over forty-eight hours and has plenty of twists and turns, and I’m very pleased with it. I’m going to take a short break now until Christmas and am then planning on writing my third Dennis Milne book, which will appear in the UK in January 2011.

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Are you familiar with any of our Swedish crime authors?

Yes. I’m a big fan of Henning Mankel, and have read most of the Wallander books now. I also like Johan Theorin. I thought his debut, ECHOES FROM THE DEAD, was brilliant. Incredibly, I’m yet to read the millenium trilogy but will devour it now I have some free time, considering everyone I talk to thinks it’s so good. Swedish crimewriting is enjoying a real boom in the UK at the moment. The competition’s beginning to worry me!

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If you were to suggest who we should interview next, who would this be, and what question would you ask this person if you could?

My God, that’s a tough one! If it was a dead writer, it would be Anthony Burgess. I would like to know what made him think the future would be as bleak as he portrayed in his brilliant novel, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, and whether, having been proven largely correct in his predictions, he saw any hope now. As for live writers, it would be Dennis Lehane. I’d ask whether he’d ever consider writing another Kenzie and Gennaro novel. I consider the five he wrote to be some of the best PI novels I’ve ever read, and would recommend them to any afficianado of pacy, thought-provoking crimewriting.

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Many thanks for you time!

It’s a pleasure. Thanks for your interest.

A parent’s worst nightmare is that your child will disappear, and that is exactly what happens in the beginning of the book. A mother is left at Flemingsberg’s station and her daughter disappears without a trace as the train arrives to the station in Stockholm.

More children disappear, battered women appear and it is not until the very end you understand what the first chapter was actually about.

“Askungar” is the first novel by Kristina Ohlsson and the story is well organized. I like how the perspective shifts between different characters and even if I was able to figure out the killer’s motive the killer’s identity remained a mystery. But there are no surprises when it comes to the police characters as they are all very stereotypical. I still recommend the book and look forward to a second book by Kristina Ohlsson. (I do not know if/when the book will be available in English.)

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