Thank You to Chris Ewan

A huge thank you to author Chris Ewan for such an excellent evening at Onchan Library as part of our themed Food for Thought season of talks. Crime and cookies were on the menu as Chris gave an entertaining insight into how he came to write his award winning mystery series - The Good Thief’s Guide.  The guides feature the crime writer Charlie Howard, a good hearted thief with a droll sense of humour. 

The Good Thief’s Guide to Amsterdam’ and ‘The Good Thief’s Guide to Paris’ have both been short listed for CrimeFest Last Laugh Awards. 

Charlie’s exploits then took Chris to Las Vegas, and he’s currently working on Berlin. 

‘The Good Thief’s Guide to Venice’ is being published in April, and can be pre-ordered from Onchan Library, or from local book shops. 

Here's Chris making a Good Thief Style entrance to the library .

"Il m'apparait que j'ai perdu mes clefs"
I seem to have lost my keys

One of the essential phrases from the Good Thief's Guide to Paris...

The Good Thief series has taken off on a worldwide basis, and is published in 10 countries around the world. Visit Chris’s website: http://www.thegoodthief.co.uk/ to find out more. 

Thank you once again to Chris – everyone thoroughly enjoyed the talk, questions & answers session, reading and book signing. We’re all looking forward to more from The Good Thief and reading the new crime novel based on The Isle of Man. 

Thanks also to Jeanette Suddards for the photos, and to the library staff for baking the cookies!

Our next Food for Thought evening  will be with author Trevor Norton on  Tues 26th April.

You must read these...

 

Chris Ewan is the local co-ordinator for The CWA Young Crime Writer’s Competition, and entry forms are available from all local libraries.

Hurry – entries must be in by 18 Feb!

Off The Shelf

 William Broderick

A Whispered Name

I have just read William Brodrick's "A Whispered Name" and thought it might be good for discussion at the Book Group some time.  It is a fictional story about a soldier who was shot for desertion in WW1 and is very thought-provoking and sad.  To quote:  "Impressive . . . Brodrick captures brilliantly the sickening nature of the soldiers' task in having to execute one of their own . . . He uses this emotive material to its full potential, spinning out an interior drama that is every bit as gripping as the events themselves . . . Brodrick tells his story skilfully, pacing it well, building up the tension and revealing just enough to keep the pages turning . . . There are some brilliantly evocative and poignant descriptions of the trenches . . . A passionately human story about a most inhuman moment in history."  Irish Times.

Brodrick did do some research into WW1 and trials carried out at the time so this novel does ring true.  The main character is a monk who originally trained as a lawyer - Brodrick did the exact opposite!

I found it an excellent read and, for us sofities, hankies are required!
 Edith

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

Maybe we should have read a Dashell Hammett before a Philip Marlowe, P.I. After all, he came first in 1930 with 'The Maltese Falcon'. Chandler was not Philip Marlowe (he said so himself) but Marlowe took him over...
The Big Sleep was written in 1939, but to me, it could have been written in the sixties. The one-liners are terrific -  " Neither of the two people in the room paid any attention to the way I came in, although one of them was dead."
Marlowe is dedicated to his profession of Private Eye - and the code that goes with it. Like Chandler, he is a strongly emotional man, which shows in the tone of the scenery and is probably why I like the writing.

Maybe best taken in single books rather than reading through the whole series, which span almost twenty years. The last was written in 1958 "Playback" I more enjoyed the freshness of the dialogue re-reading this one than I remembered when I first read them 30 years ago. A four star read for me!
Roger

The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep was the first novel that Chandler's character Philip Marlowe appeared in. The plot is interesting, and the writing very descriptive and easy to read. The style is a bit dated, but perhaps we have grown more used to crime novels emphasising forensic evidence now. I've just been reading the blog of comtemporary crime writer, Chris Ewan, and Philip Marlowe is his favourite fictional hero, which shows the enduring influence of Raymond Chandler. By the way, you can meet Chris Ewan at Onchan Library on Tues 18th Jan at 7 p.m.

Evelyn