My Favorite Books of 2024
My busiest year of reading ever revealed just how many great crime novels are being published these days. And that literary fiction in the 2020s is pretty dull.
Dan Brown’s Fourth C
The celebrated author lists three Cs in his code for writing a thriller — crucible, contract and clock. But there’s a fourth C that he uses to great effect in his best books.
Do Crime Novels Rank with the Greatest Books Ever?
A new website this year has collated the rankings of the greatest books ever. How do you think crime novels have performed in the rankings?
Graffiti Damning John Lennon Sparked my Love of Haight-Ashbury
When I was 20, I hitchhiked twice to San Francisco and was captivated by Haight-Ashbury. Some graffiti I read in a coffee shop washroom sealed the deal.
A Family Member Shows up in a Recent Thriller
Well, it was about my grandmother’s second husband’s father. No, I never met the guy, but I’ll still claim the connection.
Cops and Crime Have Always Been Essential to the Culture of Haight-Ashbury
Strange to set a crime series in Haight-Ashbury in the 1960s? Fact is the neighborhood’s lore has always been steeped in cops and criminals.