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