I made a deal with myself not to review current crime fiction on this blog very often. It's hard not to become a publicist if you do because could I really say anything unfavorable about books by people I know online? People I admire, even love, from afar. And if it's only going to be good stuff, what's the point?
But it's damn hard for writers to get any attention now that print media is dying so from time to time, I like to mention a book.
Because I had a wee bit of involvement with LET IT RIDE (it features a Detroit resident and the story begins on the bridge to Windsor, Ontario) and saw it first in ms. I wanted to mention it. LET IT RIDE.
I think John McFetridge is a great writer, amazingly proficient in a number of tasks. And this is a book that lets him display his wide-ranging talents amply. I wish I could juggle POVs, sub-plots, settings, voices as he does so nimbly here. Toronto never seemed more real, or more scary, than it does in LET IT RIDE. That's John's gift as a writer, making every scene, every character, sparkle.
3 comments:
It sounds like a good read. Thanks for blowing your own policy and passing on this tip.
When I began blogging, I had no idea that in the course of a year I would not only meet hundreds of crime fiction readers, but also several writers. I can see now that reviewing living writers may turn into a problem one day.
So far I have not had problems with my own rule: if I cannot recommend a book written by someone I know, I won´t review it at all. But what would I have done if I had not liked Megan´s "Bury Me Deep"? Oh, should I stop mingling with all these interesting people in time, or give up reviewing books?
It would be interesting to hear about the policy of your other readers.
This book came in the mail while I was out of town this past week. Looking forward to cracking it open!
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