AUTHOR
APPRECIATION MONTH ~ PART 1
May is author appreciation month. To celebrate,
I'm sharing the lowdown on a number of authors who I appreciate and whose works
merit more attention. Some are current writers deserving of a far wider
audience, while others are old favorites who have undeservedly fallen out of
the limelight...
First up, retired New Orleans homicide detective,
O'Neil De Noux. O’Neil’s debut series, featuring NOPD homicide detective Dino
LaStanza, is top notch—Start with Grim
Reaper.
However, my favorite among O’Neil’s characters is 1940s
New Orleans private eye Lucien Caye. The Caye tales are atmospheric, dangerous,
and engrossing. Caye is my favorite PI—start with New Orleans Rapacious...
British cop turned author John Wainwright's
prolific output of mysteries and psychological thrillers from the '60s through
the late '80s is extensive. Each of his books are solid reads with many making
the jump to great reads. It is a crime he isn't better remembered today—Track
down The Tenth Interview, Brainwash, The Ride, or the brilliant Blade
RIP...
Eric Beetner is the man leading the new wave of
hardboiled writers. He is quite possibly the best new writer you’ve never heard
of. His two Fight Card novels, Split
Decision and A Mouthful of Blood,
are perfect examples of what Fight Card was trying to accomplish.
Recently, Blasted Heath published a new Beetner
novel, Run For The Money, which
teeters on the top of my to be read pile. However, my favorite Beetner novel is
Rumrunners, a prime example of what
he does best—full pedal to the metal, hard-hitting action. Another hot Beetner
read is The Devil Wants Me Dead. You
want crime? You want nasty, low down, desperate characters and wicked women?
Then get you some Beetner now...
Bill
Knox began his writing career as a Glasgow journalist at sixteen—tackling the
positions of motoring correspondent, crime reporter, and news editor. He became
well known to Scottish television viewers for his twelve years as the writer
and presenter for police liaison program Crime Desk.
Knox began writing crime novels in the 1950s.
Because of his prolific output, he used many pseudonyms—mostly for the American
editions of his novels—including Michael Kirk, Robert MacLeod, and Noah
Webster. He published over fifty crime novels, was translated into ten
languages, and had worldwide sales in excess of four million copies. His best
known books are the
twenty-five titles featuring Scottish police detectives Thane and Moss—start
with Rally To Kill, Draw Batons, or The Tallyman.
While Knox’s Thane and Moss police procedural series
received deserved attention, I prefer his fifteen novels spotlighting Webb
Carrick of Her Majesty’s Fishery Protection Service. I was constantly amazed at
how many solid plots Knox could build around a fish detective. To top it off,
Carrick is a real man of action who leads his shipmates from the bow of the
investigation, not from behind a desk at the stern—Check out Stormtide, Bombship, and Hellspout...
Wayne D. Dundee is a writer who can turn his hand
to any genre and deliver a rollicking tale. He turns genres upside down, shaking
out all the clichés and tossing them away. A true wordslinger, is novels always
break new ground in unexpected ways, often providing startling and satisfying
twists—Look out for A Wide Spot In The
Road.
Dundee made his mark originally with his private
eye Joe Hannibal tales, which were nominated for an Edgar, an Anthony, and six
Shamus Awards—Track down Blade of the
Tiger or The Brutal Ballet.
Dundee also founded —and was the original editor—
Hardboiled Magazine, which kept the flame of hardboiled fiction
burning during a time when its flame was flickering.
Most recently, Dundee has taken the western genre by
storm, receiving three Peacemaker Awards from Western Fictioneers—So, get your
spurs on for Dismal River, This Old Star, or Quick Hands...
Scottish author Gerald
Hammond was prolific writer with over seventy published novels. His last title,
The Unkindest Cut, was published in 2012. His two popular mystery series
characters, gunsmith Keith Calder and Three Oaks dog kennel owner John
Cunningham, allowed Gerald to create stories in which he could indulge his
passions for guns, dogs, bird hunting, fly fishing, and all things outdoors in
the Scottish countryside—Look for Dead
Game and Dog In The Dark.
In the twenty-three Keith Calder novels
and the eleven Three Oaks novels, Hammond created enduring characters with
strong family ties. Often, Hammond let one of the series’ secondary characters
take center stage if the plot revolved around something specific to their
personality or situation.
While I enjoyed Hammond’s series novels, some of my
favorite Hammond tales were the standalones he wrote late in his career. These
featured excitements or passions that caught his fancy, including Formula One
racing—Fine Tune—and gliding—Into the Blue...
For more on
Gerald Hammond CLICK
HERE
Writing can be a lonely trade. This month make an
effort to show appreciation for your favorite authors by leaving a review on
Amazon or Goodreads. Let them know their efforts are reaching and entertaining
readers...
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