Category Archives: Noir fiction

My year in books: Benoit Lelievre

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Andrew Nette| Leave a comment

Today is the last guest post in the ‘my year in books’ series.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the selections that have featured on my site over the last few weeks as much as I have. There’s one more post to appear in the series, that’s my top reads for 2013, which I’ll be posting in the next day or so.

In the meantime, I’m going out on a strong note with Montreal-based blogger, Benoit Lelievre. Many Pulp Curry readers are probably familiar with Benoit’s cracker of a site, Dead End Follies. If not, check it out, it’s a great repository of writing on all things hard boiled crime and film.

Welcome Benoit.

2013 was a tough year. Tough but positive overall. I faced professional and personal turmoil, had to adapt to several tricky situations and flat out improve as a human being. On the downside, my creative input has dropped bear to nothingness. But thank god for good books. I read several great novels in 2013. Here are the five best books I have read this year, in no particular order:

The Subtle Art of Brutality, Ryan Sayles

Richard Dean Bucker, better known as RDB, is a creation half-way between Lawrence Block’s detective Matthew Scudder and Sons of Anarchy’s Jax Teller.… Read more

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Posted in Crime fiction, Noir fiction, Snubnose Press

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My year in books: Kristin Centorcelli aka My Bookish Ways

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Andrew Nette| 1 Comment

Next in the ‘my year in books’ series, I’m thrilled to welcome one of the coolest, nicest and most eclectic books reviewers around, Kristen Centorcelli, the woman behind the great site, My Bookish Ways.

Her site is a must read for fans of urban fantasy, horror and dark crime and suspense. The content is always good, her book selections are always varied and it’s a wonderful looking site, too.

Read her top five fiction reads for 2013 below and then head on over and check out her site.

Welcome Kristin.

Three Graves Full, Jamie Mason

It’s been about a year since Jason Getty killed a man and buried him in his backyard, and it’s eating him up inside. When two bodies are discovered on his property by his lawn service, two bodies that are not the man he buried, he’s not only shocked, but he feels like it’s only a matter of time until his dirty secret will certainly be revealed. Two detectives are on the case, and a woman whose fiancé recently disappeared is determined to find out what happened to him. All is connected, in the most terrifying ways. A quirky, fast paced, excellent read.

The Panther, Nelson DeMille

I’m a huge fan of DeMille’s John Corey series, and The Panther was not only an excellent read, but it was a riveting look into a country constantly on the brink. … Read more

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Posted in Crime fiction, Noir fiction, Rural noir

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My year in books: Court Haslett

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Andrew Nette| 1 Comment

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The next guest on the ‘my year in books’ series is someone who perhaps does need a little introduction.

Court Haslett is a San Francisco crime writer whose debut thriller novel, Tenderloin, features a PI called Sleeper Hayes. Tenderloin is set in San Francisco’s skid row Tenderloin neighbourhood in the late seventies, against the backdrop of  punk, disco, and the suicide Jonestown cult. 

The book caught my eye because I am a complete sucker for the seventies, love San Francisco and am particularly fascinated by this period in the city’s history. I’m hoping to get around to reading Tenderloin over Summer and will be reviewing the book on this site in 2014. You can pick up a copy here: 

Best of luck with the book, Court and welcome to Pulp Curry. 

The Raven’s Gift, Don Rearden

November 23rd, 8pm

Dear Diary,

So my friend Adam recommended The Raven’s Gift to me. It’s about doomed lovers in post apocalyptic Alaska and focuses on the indigenous Yup’ik culture. This is gonna be one looong slog of a read.

November 24th, 6am

Dear Diary,

Finished The Raven’s Gift. So I was wrong. So it was a kick-ass page-turner. So I didn’t sleep. I may have even gotten emotional at times.… Read more

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Posted in Crime fiction, Megan Abbott, Noir fiction

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My year in books: Tom Vater

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Andrew Nette| 1 Comment

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I’m pleased to welcome Bangkok-based journalist and writer Tom Vater as the next contributor to the ‘my year in books’ series.

Tom is the author of The Cambodian Book of the Dead, a great hard-boiled crime novel set in Cambodia, which I reviewed here on this site in early November.

The book is available here. You can find out more about Tom and his work on his on-line home, here.

Thanks for your contribution, Tom. I particularly approve of the inclusion of Robert Stone’s book, Dog Soldiers. That’s one I definitely have to re-read.

The Master and Margerita, Mikhail Bulgakov

I got to this incredible, magical tale by low-down pop cultural ways when I was sixteen and am currently rereading the book.  In this enduring Russian novel, the devil causes mischief amongst the atheist and greedy communist elite in 1920s Soviet Moscow, one of the world’s greatest love stories, between the Master and Margarita, plays itself out, and there’s an alternative narrative of the relationship between Pontius Pilate and Jesus. The Rolling Stones’ Sympathy for the Devil is said to be partially inspired by the novel and that’s how I found Bulkakov’s subversive masterpiece.

“But would you kindly ponder this question: What would your good do if evil didn’t exist, and what would the earth look like if all the shadows disappeared?… Read more

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Posted in Crime fiction, Crime fiction and film from Cambodia, Noir fiction, Robert Stone

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My year in books: Karen Chisholm

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Andrew Nette| 2 Comments

I’ve very happy to welcome Karen Chisholm as the next contributor to the ‘my year in books’ series I’m running on this site over December.

Karen probably does need any introduction for many of you, especially readers in Australia. For those of you who are not familiar with her work, I think it’s accurate to say she’s one of the foremost crime fiction reviewers in the country. She’s certainly one of the most prolific. If you want proof, check out her great site, AustCrimeFiction.

Over to you, Karen.

Up front, I hate doing best of book lists. Obviously there’s the chance that I’m going to change my mind a nanosecond after crafting the definitive list. But the major problem is that if you’re as lucky as I am to read a lot of really good books every year, getting those numbers down to five ends up with some very arbitrary decisions being made. Which never seems fair, particularly as there is some seriously great storytelling going on out there.

So, in no particular order, and apologies for the massive cheating going on, the book(s) that have stayed with me in 2013 are:

The Discword Series, Terry Pratchett

Nothing like starting a limited list cheating, but the Discworld Series is and will always include some of my all time favourite books.… Read more

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Posted in Australian crime fiction, Garry Disher, Noir fiction

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