En caída libre (At Free Fall) Book Presentation at Estudio en Escarlata Bookshop

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Estudio en Escarlata (A Study in Scarlat) Bookshop, 4 February 2011 at 19:30.

Rosa Ribas will present her latest novel En caída libre (At Free Fall) at Estudio en Escarlata Librería (A Study in Scarlet Bookshop), Guzmán el Bueno, 46 (Esq Fernández de los Ríos), Madrid, next Friday 4 February at 19:30. Alice Silver will make an introduction and Paco Gómez Escribano (no relationship) will discuss about her book.

For additional information visit Rosa Ribas website (in Spanish and in German)

I’m planning to attend, stay tuned.

Crime Fiction Alphabet 2011: D is for Davidsen, Leif

Leif Davidsen (born 25 July 1950 in Otterup) is a Danish author. Educated as a journalist, in 1977 he started working in Spain as a freelance journalist for Danmarks Radio. In 1980 he began covering Soviet news with frequent news reports to Danmarks Radio from Russia. From 1984 to 1988 he was stationed in Moscow. As a journalist he has travelled extensively around the world. When Davidsen returned to Denmark he became chief editor of Danmarks Radio’s foreign news desk. From 1996 he edited a TV series called “Danish Dream” about Denmark today. In 1999, he became a full time writer. Davidsen writes political thrillers, which depict life of modern man in a changing world. Even if many of the characters are of Danish origin, the settings of the stories are often abroad. Davidsen published his first book ‘Uhellige alliancer’ or ‘The Sardine Deception’ in 1984. It is a story of intrigue in the Spanish Basque Country shortly after Franco’s death.  (Taken from Wikipedia).

See also  Alphabet in crime fiction: Leif Davidsen, by Petrona/Maxine and Leonhardt & Høier Literary Agency.

Leif Davidesen’s Bibliography:

• Uhellige alliancer (1984) The Sardine Deception (aka Unholy Alliance)
• Den russiske sangerinde (novel) (1989) (also movie) The Russian Singer
• Den sidste spion (1991) The Last Spy
• Den troskyldige russer (1993)
• Forræderen – og andre historier (1995)
• Den serbiske dansker (1996) (also TV movie) The Serbian Dane
• Lime’s billede (1998) Lime’s Photograph
• Dostojevskijs sidste rejse (2002) (travel book)
• De gode søstre (2001) The Woman from Bratislava
• Fjenden i spejlet (2004) The Enemy in the Mirror
• Den ukendte hustru (2006) The Unknown Wife
• På udkig efter Hemingway (2008) On the Lookout for Hemingway
• Min broders vogter (2010) My Brother’s Keeper

The Sardine Deception has been reviewed by Norman/Uriah at Crime Scraps.

The Serbian Dane, has been reviewed by Karen at Euro Crime and Bernadette at Reactions to Reading

Lime’s Photograph has been reviewed at Scandinavian Books.

The Woman from Bratislava, has been reviewed by Maxine at Euro Crime  and Norman at Crime Scraps.

I’m planning to read The Woman from Bratislava soon. Stay tuned.

To Be Read Next

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I’m currently reading: Red Wolf by Liza Marklund. Then The Man From Beijing by Henning Mankell and Unspoken by Mari Jungstedt. Should be done by 15th of February, approximately.

Next:

• Blanco Nocturno by Ricardo Piglia, my first South America (Argentina) book this year (2011 Global Reading Challenge). Piglia’s previous novel Plata quemada (Money to Burn) is available in English.
• The Murders in The Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe, will be my contribution to the 2011 Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge.
• The Suspect by Michael Robotham, will cover the 2011 Aussie Author Challenge and the 2011 Global Reading Challenge as well.
• Borderlands by Brian McGilloway, for the 2011 Ireland Reading Challenge.
• The Widow Killer by Pavel Kohout (2011 Eastern European Reading Challenge) and Voices by Arnaldur Indridason (2011 Nordic Challenge).
• And, although I’m not officially participating in ‘Italy in books’ reading challenge 2011, Involuntary Witness by Gianrico Carofiglio.

However I have not been able to reduce my TBR pile.

I bought this month Winterland by Allan Glynn, Muerte en Florencia (Death in Florence) by Marco Vichi, The Leopard by Jo Nesbo, Echoes from the Dead by Johan Theorin and Revenger by Rory Clements.

I’ve read in January: The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo, Darkside by Belinda Bauer, Your Until Death by Gunnar Staleesen, Three Seconds by Anders Roslund and Börge Hellström and No hay que morir dos veces (No Need to Die Twice) by Francisco González Ledesma.

Darkside by Belinda Bauer

Bantam Press, 2011. 368 pages. ISBN. 978-0-593-06296-8.

After her stunning debut, winner of the 2010 CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year, this is Belinda Bauer’s second novel. The action is set again in Shipcott, a small community, a few years after the events narrated in her first book. Steven Lamb, the boy who was the main character in Blacklands has only a secondary role here. The principal character in Darkside is local bobby Jonas Holly who is confronted with the suspicious death of a bedridden woman, paralyzed from her neck down. The evidence confirms his suspicion, but Holly, whose wife Lucy suffers from MS, is neglected by the crime squad who are called to investigate and he starts to receive a series of menacing notes accusing him for not doing his job. Holly needs to do something about that when he discovers a second body, another vulnerable victim, and tension grows. With all the roads blocked due to a heavy snowfall, people begin to suspect everyone; a murderer is loose, the threats don’t stop and neither do the murderers…

This is a beautifully written novel with well drawn characters; the result is a gripping thriller which I very much enjoyed. I don’t want to give away much of the plot, except that its ending was slightly below my expectations. Otherwise I would have given it full marks. Having said that there is no need to read Blacklands first but I’m going to read it anyhow while I’m waiting for her next book.

Darkside has been reviewed at Juniper’s Jungle, Milo’s Rambles and Euro Crime.

The Random House Group

Belinda Bauer website

I will count this book for the 2011 Global Reading Challenge ≠ 2 Europe (UK) and for the British Books Challenge 2011 ≠ 1, if I sign in at a later stage.

Australian Crime Fiction

‘The Game’s Afoot’ readers may be interested to know that Fair Dinkum Crime is re-launched today (yesterday)as a home for reviews and news about Australian crime fiction, including author interviews. For more information you can visit their web page HERE.

If you are further interested in Australian Crime Fiction you can also join the 2011 Aussie Author Challenge HERE. I’m participating at the TOURIST level which requires me to read and review three books by three different Aussie Authors. I’m planning to read: The Broken Shore by Peter Temple, The Suspect by Michael Robotham and Diamond Dove by Adrian Hyland. Stay tuned.

Let me also remind you of my previous posts: Dead Point by Peter Temple HERE and  Gunshot Road by Adrian Hyland HERE and HERE.

You may wonder where does my interest in Australia come from?

The photo enclosed shows my great-grandparents, Juan and Concepción García-Bosque. Juan was born in Spain (Jaca, Huesca) and emigrated to the Philippines where he married Concepción (née Broadbent), whose father was Australian. They had nine children and their offspring have settled in the Philippines, USA, Spain, Australia, Great Britain and South Africa. BTW I found this picture in the Internet. The baby girl is probably Pilar, my grandfather’s youngest sister, but everyone called her Nena.