Clair DeWitt #1

CLAIRE DEWITT AND THE CITY OF THE DEAD by Sara Gran

October 11, 2018

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Born December 2, 1971, in Brooklyn, NY. Addresses: Agent: Sita White, Artists Agency, 230 W. 55th St., Ste. 29D, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER:

Writer. TNT network, scriptwriter for Southland. Has also worked in bookstores Shakespeare & Co., Strand, and Housing Works.

AWARDS:

Macavity Award for best novel, 2012, for Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead.

MEDIA ADAPTATIONS:

Come Closer and Dope have been optioned for film by Miramax and Paramount, respectively.

WEBSITES:

https://www.worldsbestdetective.com  (author’s website)

http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/07/24/claire.dewitt/index.html?iref=allsearch    (transcript of interview with author)

BOOKS:

Saturn's return to New York (Sep 2001)

Come closer (Aug 2003)

Dope (Feb 2006)

Claire DeWitt and the city of the dead (Jun 2011)

Augmenting her brilliant deductive skills with dream analysis, marijuana, and the written work of a mysterious French detective, private investigator Claire DeWitt reluctantly returns to post-Katrina New Orleans to solve the disappearance of an unpopular prosecutor.

Claire DeWitt and the bohemian highway (Jun 2013)

(Claire DeWitt) The infinite blacktop (Sep 2018)

Read-alikes:

The marauders  by Tom Cooper  Reason:  One-of-a-kind characterizations and a sometimes offbeat yet compelling writing style set these tales apart from most crime novels. Both take place in the haunting landscape of post-Katrina Louisiana, where serendipitous clues and connections race to convoluted conclusions. -- Jen Baker

Hawthorn & Child  by Keith Ridgway,   Reason:  Featuring unorthodox detectives whose ability to piece together seemingly unconnected clues may or may not point the way to a solution, these offbeat, intricately plotted mysteries will appeal to readers who enjoy experimental approaches to the genre. -- Gillian Speace

The Lower Quarter  by Elise Blackwell   Reason:  Well-developed characters and a strong sense of place distinguish these gritty mysteries, which explore connections between the missing and the dead in post-Katrina New Orleans. Unlike Claire DeWitt, The Lower Quarter introduces an ensemble cast linked by tragedy and mystery. -- Gillian Speace

Carly Paladino and Noah Lang mysteries  by Ronald Tierney  Reason:  The Claire DeWitt and Carly Paladino mysteries feature off-beat private detectives in fast paced stories that are filled with wacky characters, humorous dialogue, and atmospheric descriptions of New Orleans and San Francisco. These cozy-like mysteries are filled with plot twists. -- Merle Jacob

Nick Stefanos mysteries  by George P. Pelecanos.   Reason:  These gritty noir fiction tales star substance-abusing amateur detectives who live on the edge. The series' share a strong sense of place, complex protagonists, and a fast pace, although the Nick Stefanos mysteries are more violent. -- Mike Nilsson

Woman Who Wouldn't Die

The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die by Colin Cotterill

September 13, 2018

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Born October 2, 1952, in London, England;Education: Berkshire College, teacher training diploma, 1975; Sydney University, graduate diploma, 1980; Reading University, M.A., 1984; Sydney Institute of Technology, certificate, 1999.. Addresses: Homeoffice: Chumphon, Thailand. E-mail:mail@colincotterill.com.

CAREER:

Writer, artist, cartoonist, scriptwriter, and educator. Teacher and curriculum developer in Israel, Australia, Japan, and Thailand; …. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Laos, teacher trainer and curriculum developer; … ECPAT International, Bangkok, Thailand, training coordinator; Books for Laos (charity), founder.

"DR. SIRI PAIBOUN" MYSTERY SERIES:

Reluctant communist and (even more reluctant) national coroner, 72 year-old Dr. Siri Paiboun uses forensic deduction, spirit intuition, and old-fashioned sleuthing to figure out any suspicious deaths that come his way in the newly-communist country, Lao People's Democratic Republic in the late 1970s.

The Coroner's Lunch, ,2004.

Thirty-Three Teeth, 2005.

Disco for the Departed, 2006.

Anarchy and Old Dogs, 2007.

Curse of the Pogo Stick, 2008.

The Merry Misogynist, 2009.

Love Songs from a Shallow Grave, 2010.

Slash and Burn, 2011

The Woman Who Wouldn't Die, 2013.

When a murdered woman suddenly reappears in her Lao village home with clairvoyant powers and is enlisted by a ghost to help find his remains at the bottom of a river, national coroner Siri Paiboun oversees the excavation.

Six and a Half Deadly Sins, 2015

I Shot the Buddha, 2016

Rat Catchers’ Olympics, 2017

Don’t Eat Me, 2018

"JIMM JUREE" MYSTERY SERIES:

Killed at the Whim of a Hat, 2011.

Grandad, There's a Head on the Beach, 2012.

The Axe Factor, 2014.

http://www.colincotterill.com/

Read-alikes

Shan Tao Yun mysteries by Eliot Pattison  Reason: Both of these series look at two different cultures and their beliefs which often involve supernatural spirits. Politics and Communism serve as the background for the crimes and the sleuths are honorable men who try to find the truth even when the authorities thwart their efforts. -- Merle Jacob

Jules Maigret mysteries  by Georges Simenon, Reason:  While set is drastically different locales, the Dr. Paiboun Novels and the Jules Maigret Mysteries both bring to light these locations, their people, and their cultures. Additionally, both series are mysteries dealing with the darker elements of society. -- Rebecca Sigmon

Sonchai Jitpleecheep by John Burdett, Reason:  If you like mysteries set in Asia that illuminate the culture at hand and may provoke discussion on the difference between Eastern and Western attitudes, you may like Colin Cotterill and John Burdett. -- Rebecca Sigmon

Chat by Archer Mayor

August 9, 2018

Born July 30, 1950, in Mount Kisco, NY; Education: Yale University, B.A., 1973. Addresses: Home: Newfane, VT.

Archer Mayor's experience as Vermont's assistant medical examiner shapes his writing, the long-running series of Joe Gunther mysteries. Mayor's novels are noir-inflected police procedurals, juxtaposing Vermont's wholesome natural beauty with the often harsh realities of human nature and modern life in the rural Northeast. Character development and police procedural elements often share equal footing in Mayor's narratives: the varied cast of characters is well-imagined, including the villains, yet the author also provides clear and informative explanation of police procedures and forensics. His writing style is coolly detached, letting characters and facts speak for themselves. Start with: Open Season.

Open season  (1988 )  Series: Joe Gunther mysteries, 1  

Lt. Joe Gunther of the Brattleboro, Vermont, police force has a serious problem: in a community where a decade could pass without a single murder, the body count is suddenly mounting. ...

Borderlines (1990) , # 2

Scent of evil (1992)  # 3

The skeleton's knee (1993)  # 4

Fruits of the poisonous tree  (1994)  # 5

The dark root (1995) # 6

The ragman's memory (1996)  # 7

Bellows Falls (1997),  # 8

The disposable man (1998)  # 9

Occam's razor (1999)  # 10

The marble mask (2000) # 11

Tucker Peak (2001) # 12

The sniper's wife (2002) # 13

Gatekeeper (2003), # 14

The surrogate thief (2004) # 15

St. Albans fire (2005) # 16

The second mouse (2006) # 17

Chat (2007), # 18

"When a wintertime car accident leaves his mother and brother seriously injured, Joe Gunther takes a leave of absence to attend to them and investigate the cause of the crash"-

The catch ( 2008) # 19

The price of malice (2009) # 20

Red herring (2010)  # 21

Tag man (2011) # 22

Paradise city  (2012) # 23

Three can keep a secret

(2013) # 24

Proof positive  (2013) # 25

The company she kept

(2015) # 26

Presumption of guilt (2016) # 27

Trace (2017) # 28

Bury the lead (Sep 2018, Forthcoming) # 29

Read alikes:

Lehane, Dennis

Reason:  Like Archer Mayor, Dennis Lehane evokes a distinct and interesting locale, delving beneath the surface to get at the desperation that drives people over the edge and into conflict with the Law. While Lehane's protagonists are compassionate, they aren't always able to unravel underlying mysteries of the human heart and mind. -- Gillian Speace

Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro novels   Reason: The Patrick Kenzie-Angela Gennaro and Joe Gunther novels are hard-boiled mystery series in which the criminals often have deeper psychological problems that cause them to commit crimes. A dark atmosphere prevails in both settings. -- Rebecca Sigmon

Joe Burgess mysteries  by Kate Flora Reason: The Joe Burgess and Joe Gunther mysteries are solid police procedurals featuring sheriffs in New England. The well developed sleuths are sensitive men with personal problems. The gritty books have richly drawn characters and a strong sense of place. -- Merle Jacob

Peter Diamond mysteries  by Peter Reason: Though the Joe Gunther mysteries are set in Battleboro, Vermont and the Peter Diamond mysteries take place in Bath, England, both atmospheric series feature intriguing police inspectors, airtight plotting, and a strong sense of place. -- Mike Nilsson

Archer Mayor Home Page, http://www.archermayor.com

His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet

July 12, 2018

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Born 1967, in Kilmarnock, Scotland. Education: Attended Glasgow University; St. Andrews University, M.Litt. Addresses: Home: Glasgow, Scotland.

AWARDS:

Scottish Book Trust New Writer's Award, 2013; Man Booker shortlist, 2016, for His Bloody Project.

WRITINGS:

• The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau,  2014 (Inspector Gorski, #1)
• His Bloody Project,  2015.

A triple murder in a remote northwestern farming community in 1869 leads to the arrest of a young man by the name of Roderick Macrae. There’s no question that Macrae is guilty, but the police and courts must uncover what drove him to murder the local village constable and his two children.

• Accident on the A35, 2017 (Inspector Gorski, #2)

Graeme Macrae Burnet worked for several years in television before becoming a writer, and he told a Spark Web site interviewer: "I try to treat it as a kind of nine to five-ish sort of thing and if I'm at the stage of producing a first draft I aim to write a thousand words or so a day. But some days are more productive than others."

…

Burnet's second novel, His Bloody Project, is presented as the memoir of a murderer, and it is meant to be read as such. The historical crime tale is set in the late 1800s, when Roderick Macrae is arrested for a brutal triple murder. Roddy's memoir reveals and ensures his guilt, and it becomes a widely studied text as lawyers and psychologists attempt to understand the mind of a killer. Discussing the novel on the Creative Scotland Web site, Burnet commented: "What's often the hardest thing to research and the most important to get right, was the real minutia of how people lived then. The small details of what they ate, what they wore--the real day to day intricacies." The author also noted: "Ultimately the key thing for me to get right was Roddy's prison narrative which is the real centre of the book. Writing a historical novel using the first person presents a challenge in itself as you have to really commit to the voice of your narrator."

Read-alikes from NoveList.

Burial rites by Hannah Kent

Reason: Despite very different locales (Bloody Project is set in Scotland, Burial Rites in Iceland), both are similarly atmospheric character-driven historical novels in which an individual's trial for murder reveals the biases and societal problems of isolated 19th-century rural communities. -- Kim Burton

The unquiet grave  by Sharyn McCrumb

Reason: Both are character-driven novels about 19th-century murders: his Bloody Project is set in Scotland, The Unquiet Grave takes place in post-Civil War West Virginia; each vividly evokes a strong sense of place, and raises murky questions of guilt and innocence. -- Kim Burton

Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue

Reason: Both are compelling, character-driven historical novels about young protagonists placed on trial for murder. Each explores how class conflicts and societal oppression influences their fate. While His Bloody Project is gritty and compelling, Slammerkin is more spare and reflective. -- Kim Burton

         See what I have done  by Sarah Schmidt Reason: These compelling historical thrillers generate suspense through unreliable narrators and multiple perspectives. In the wake of brutal murders, family members of the accused offer eyewitness testimony -- contradicting one another's accounts as well as the suspect's own version of events. -- Gillian Speace