Tag Archives: good reads

A gem of a website

30 Tuesday Nov 2021

Posted by in Random, Story, writing

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https://www.criminalelement.com/

Found a fine website devoted to informing the fans of crime fiction. Its information includes looks back at the beginnings of the genre forward to contemporary reads. Here’s what the web site’s authors say about their goal: We are dedicated to bringing you a wide range of crime-related content—from the coziest mystery to the most hardcore noir and everything in between. We are publisher-neutral in our selection of books, authors, and materials for coverage and discussion.

I like what I’ve seen so far, particularly the bios of some of the early practitioners of the genre. Happy browsing

Best bad guy ever

18 Thursday Nov 2021

Posted by in Retro reads, Story, writing

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Cover of first US edition, from Wikipedia

British author Wilkie Collins turns up on many “best” lists for his fantastic mystery novels of the 19th century. He was among those who pioneered the detective genre. I consider “Woman in White,” published in 1859, to have one of the best villains in fiction. Count Fosco is compelling and complicated, the opposite of a flat character. The novel has a wonderful, deft hand at multiple points of view. “Woman in White” is considered Collins’ best work, but “The Moonstone,” is also fine.

A story about kids for adults

17 Wednesday Nov 2021

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http://www.louislamour.com/aboutlouis/biography.htm

Western author Louis L’Amour, wrote a really fine book with two children as the protagonists. “Down the Long Hills,” published in 1968, won a Golden Spur award and I don’t know how his publisher marketed this book, but the cover design is more classic western than middle-grade reader. I stumbled on it in the 1980s and it’s one of those classics I like to re-read. I sometimes wonder about these genre labels focused on age, how much they help and how much they hinder those of us looking for the next good read.