This past Wednesday I trekked into New York City to attend the first annual Association of American Publishers Indie Book Buzz, an event intended to familiarize librarians with forthcoming titles from an assortment of smaller presses. About eighty of us braved the unseasonably cool and rainy weather to make our way to Manhattan offices of Random House where we were treated to lunch and gifted with an interesting assortment of ARCs, graphic novels and picture books. Crime fiction figured prominently on several of the publishers' lists of the titles they were promoting, some of which sounded very promising.
Here are the titles I thought were worth noting:
From Melvillehouse comes Brenner and God, by Wolf Haasand translated by Annie Janusch. This title by a popular Austrian writer introduces American readers to Simon Brenner, a former detective who opted out of that line of work for the seemingly simple job of chauffeur, only to have his two year old passenger, the daughter of a construction tycoon and an abortion doctor, kidnapped during a stop at a gas station. Although this does not sound like a particular humorous premise, the publisher's rep assured us that Haas can hold his own against Carl Hiaasen.
Also from Melvillehouse is Death in Breslau, by Marek Krajewski, translated by Danusia Stok. This novel features a police inspector who, under normal circumstances, might be considered unsympathetic due to his amoral habits and apparent lack of respect for the law. What gets the reader rooting for him is the fact that the story takes place in 1933 and Inspector Mock's moral code has him working against the agents of the Gestapo.
Soho Press presented no fewer than nine crime fiction titles, each one distinguished by an evocative setting. The one I'm going to be most likely to pick up is Not my Blood, by Barbara Cleverly, set at a boarding school in 1930s England from which a series of wealthy boys have gone missing over the years but without anyone from their families ever following up on their disappearances.
Sterling Press presented several mystery titles, the most intriguing of which to me was Black House, by Peter May, with a setting that takes the reader to Edinburgh as well as to a small island community off the coast of northern Scotland, providing the reader with a compelling story that is equal parts crime fiction and social anthropology.
When I think of Norton Press, I don't generally think of crime fiction, but their publisher's rep presented several mystery titles mixed in among the nonfiction. The one I will be most likely to pick up is The Stonecutter, by Camilla Lackberg, set in the remote Swedish resort town of Fjallbacka and centered on the investigation into the murder of a young girl whose death provides the catalyst for uncovering the community's other dark secrets.
Grove/Atlantic presented several titles that piqued my interest. The novel with the most tantalizing premise What Comes Next, by John Katzenbach (published by Mysterious Press), featuring a retired professor, suffering from dementia, who must struggle against his condition to help law enforcement solve the crime for which he is their main witness. Also featured were two titles by Donna Leon, Beastly Things: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery and Jewels of Paradise, a stand alone title that brings together two of my favorite things, classical music and Venice.
I've saved for last the book I'm likely to pick up first, in no small part because I scored an ARC, but also because of a story setup that travels the same territory as Stephen King. Random House presented The Last Policeman, by Ben H. Winters, a novel that is actually being published by Quirk Books. With the world facing total destruction in six months by an asteroid strike, Hank Palace, a police officer in Concord New Hampshire, senses that a death by hanging was murder rather than suicide and decides to investigate. However, with societal structures rapidly disintegrating in the face of certain death and destruction, Hank's colleagues ask him about the sense of even bothering. I absolutely love this premise and look forward to reporting back fairly soon about this particular title.
Recent Comments