I've had the pleasure of contributing short stories to a number of anthologies edited by the prolific (and hugely knowledgable) Maxim Jakubowski, but the first piece I ever wrote for one of his books was a little essay for a non-fiction volume he edited. This compilation was called 100 Great Detectives (my piece featured Cyril Hare's Francis Pettigrew).
More recently, I've written a couple of essays to feature in one of his latest projects, another factual book about locations associated with great detectives. The book is due to appear in the autumn and I'm very much looking forward to reading the entries from a range of very well-informed commentators. The book will be called Following the Detectives and the full list of places and authors is:
• Boston: Michael Carlson
• Brighton: Barry Forshaw
• Chicago: Dick Adler and Maxim Jakubowski
• Dublin: Declan Burke
• Edinburgh: Barry Forshaw
• Florida: Oline Cogdill
• Iceland: Peter Rozovsky
• London: David Stuart Davies
• Los Angeles: Maxim Jakubowski
• New Orleans: Maxim Jakubowski
• New York City: Sarah Weinman
• Nottingham: John Harvey
• Oxford: Martin Edwards
• Paris: Barry Forshaw
• San Francisco: J. Kingston Pierce
• Shropshire: Martin Edwards
• Sicily: Peter Rozovsky
• Southern California: Michael Carlson
• Sweden: Barry Forshaw
• Venice: Barry Forshaw
• Washington, D.C.: Sarah Weinman
Saturday 13 March 2010
Following the Detectives
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10 comments:
Martin - This really does sound like a terrific compilation! I look forward to reading it when it comes out.
Nice list of geographically far-flung detectives, Martin!
Elizabeth
I shall look forward to this book, especially as I had not regarded Shropshire as one of the world's crime hotspots.
Thanks for these comments.
Uriah, there are sinister secrets in those green fields! Needless to say, my essay focuses on the work of Ellis Peters, both the Cadfael novels and her other stories.
This is going to make enjoyable reading. I have read the short story Ellis Peters wrote about Brother Cadfael's origin, but I'm unfamiliar with her work beyond this. I think the book could open a lot of eyes and expand a lot of to-read piles.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Hi Peter, I'm glad we are both part of this project, and I'm srue you're right.
This sounds interesting, both in terms of the subject matter, and the very impressive list of contributors.
I once read right through the Cadfael series. The plotting follows a formula, but they make a very pleasant change from the violence of some contemporary crime novels. I loved them!
Martin – Back in the late-70s I worked in a notorious inner city area where crime was rife and murder not uncommon, an experience that leads me to reflect on the differences between the grim reality of the real killing grounds and the often quirky, quaint, scenic and historically fascinating aspects of those in fiction. A compilation about those seedy no-go areas where pimps cruise in battered Beamers and prostitutes and pushers haunt the shadows would not make pleasant reading and would certainly do nothing for tourism!
‘Following the Detectives’, on the other hand, will I’m sure be a most engaging anthology, one which will raise the profile and popularity of the fictional crime locations featured, and I hope Maxim Jakubowski might be persuaded to bring out a second or third volume with perhaps Stephen Booth on the Peak District (covering, inter alia, the work of the late John Buxton Hilton, a talented crime writer sadly neglected nowadays), Peter Lovesey on Bath and Chichester, John Connolly on Maine, maybe someone on the Lake District…
What are the chances, do you think?
Regards, Paul
Paul, it's a great idea - I hope Maxim thinks so too!
Paul, it's a great idea - I hope Maxim thinks so too!
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