Some recent Audio Books to check out

ABANDON by Blake Crouch (from Brilliance Audio)
Abandon is read by Luke Daniels

This is as much a ghost story as a mystery and it's fast paced and totally captivating and spooky as Hell. 1893 see an entire town full of people disappear on Xmas day. Years later a group of people go to investigate and they too go missing. Now a new expedition into the town is underway just as a blizzard is coming in and this latest group may find out first hand just what happened...
Crouch is a top notch thriller writer and this book is a terrific example of great pacing and suspense. The reader, Luke Daniels delivers an excellent performance and enhances the experience greatly.

A bonus Short Story read by Blake is also included.
Buy Abandon audio book

CHERRY BOMB by JA Konrath (from Brilliance Audio)
Read by Susie Breck and Dick Hill

Konrath's last book, FUZZY NAVEL left with a cliffhanger, someone had died. CHERRY BOMB opens with the funeral and a killer on the loose to taunt Jack Daniels into playing her game, a dangerous game which can only end badly.
Konrath is so adept at pacing that this story moves like lightening. Brack and Hill do a great job reading this and there is the right blend of humor and action which they portray perfectly. The unabridged version is a little over 9 hours, but it's over fast as the story carries you along.

Buy Cherry Bomb audio book

HEAVEN'S KEEP by William Kent Krueger (from Brilliance Audio)
Read by Buck Schirner

Since his first novel Krueger has people captivated by his Cork O'Conner character. In this latest chapter in Cork's life he is plunged into tragedy when his wife goes missing in a downed plane. Months later Cork gets some clues to the possibility of his wife being alive and he is off to Wyoming to investigate. It's an uphill battle as local cops are elusive and a lot of secrets lead to trouble at every turn. This is quite possibly Krueger's best work to date.

Schirner reads this so naturally it feels llike he's relating a story of his own. smooth and compelling this is a great listen. Top notch suspense.
Buy Heaven's Keep: A Cork O'Connor Mystery

VANISHED by Joseph Finder (from Macmillan audio)
Read by Holter Graham

I reviewed this book already but picking up the audio was a great experience.
Nick Heller is a man who solves problems for a living and when his nephew calls to ask for help he drops everything and goes to his side. Nicks' Brother Roger and his wife Lauren are attacked and Roger is now gone with his wife in the hospital. Nick needs to track them down and it means digging into his Brother's life and going into a past he would rather stay buried.
Graham does a wonderful job reading this and helped up the stakes with the way he builds the suspense of the book.
Also included are a bonus PDF comic to go with the story and an interview with the author.
Buy Vanished on audio

Don't call me stupid

I've been letting something build up a bit inside me and I think it's abot time to let it it out.

I'm tired of being treated like a moron by advertisers and politicians and other people forcing things on us. Commercials are making me crazy! And I'm tired of being talked at instead of spoken to.

Miller has an ad for a beer with 64 calories (the fact that it has no tase is insult enough). in the various ads a waiter will come by and give someone a bottle of this water they call beer. The second party get what they ordered in a screwed up looking glass. A wine glass cut in on the sides, a half beer mug, whatever. And the waiter will say here's your Miller 64 and here's 64 calories of your whatever. This is followed by a smug look.
Who the Hell orders 64 calories worth of wine? No one. These beers try to make you feel bad for ordering something besides a crappy beer by insulting you.
Bite Me Miller Brewery.

Watching various food shows mean seeing cable TV ads. I can't believe anyone watches any of these the Real Housewives of (insert city here) shows. Really? Rich women who are pampered screaming and yelling and acting high school kids is what people want? I know I feel better about busting my hump to pay bills when I see these women act like bitches.

Julia Louise Dreyfus is doing food ads for some diet brand. Her agent keeps going against her wishes and tricking her. I don't think so. She may not be on Seifeld anymore but she's still a star and she wouldn't put up with it. The whole commercial is an insult to intelligence.

ATT's roll over minutes.... The kid telling Mom he threw away his minutes bcause they were old. Sorry kid, you are too stupid to have a phone at all. And I'm not going to get their dam cell service because I find it insulting.

The commercials for Microsoft's Big Search.... Oh my God. All these people babbling and talking at once. If some thing makes me run for a remote and mute button I am pretty sure I won't be using the product.


Spraying Fabreeze does not clean a room.

Plugging a odor device into the wall or using batteries instead of a candle? Really?


Some other minor annoyances:
I don't want a bagger at the grocery store to give me attitude if I want to bag my own groceries.

I don't meed McAfee giving pop up windows every hour to remind me to update my damn program. It stops if you update. Really computer help geek? How about I update when I damn want to? In fact I don't want anything to update automatically.

I don't have a cell phone and I don't text. Guess what I still feel connected.

Mailing me a letter or pamphlet about being green... Really? Nice way to save trees.

I don't need a commercial or ad to tell me what drugs I need, that's why I have a doctor.

I know one thing for sure about health care, I want the plan my senator has.

If you didn't vote, you don't get to complain, about anything!

TV weather people, it's just a thunder storm. Stop interrupting my television shows to tell me it's raining!


If you want to sell me something, or get me to use a product, don't talk down to me.

SO? WHAT'S BUGGING YOU?
I want to hear it!

In other news, it was a nice day outside
and I love all my friends and family!

2009 SHAMUS Award nominees.

PRIVATE EYE WRITERS OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES
2009 NOMINEES FOR SHAMUS AWARDS

The Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) is proud to announce the nominees for the 28th annual Shamus Awards, given annually to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction. The 2009 awards cover works first published in the U.S. in 2008. The awards will be presented at the PWA banquet, to be held Friday evening Oct. 16, 2009, in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention.

2009 Shamus Awards Nominees

Best Hardcover
Salvation Boulevard by Larry Beinhart (Nation Books), featuring Carl Vanderveer
Empty Ever After by Reed Farrel Coleman (Bleak House Books), featuring Moe Prager
The Blue Door by David Fulmer (Harcourt), featuring Eddie Cero
The Price of Blood by Declan Hughes (Wm. Morrow), featuring Ed Loy
The Ancient Rain by Domenic Stansberry (St. Martins Minotaur) featuring Dante Mancuso

Best First PI Novel
Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer (Doubleday), featuring Riley Spartz
Swann’s Last Song by Charles Salzberg (Five Star), featuring Henry Swann
The Eye of Jade by Diane Wei Liang (Simon & Schuster), featuring Mei Wang
In the Heat by Ian Vasquez (St. Martins Minotaur), featuring Miles Young
Veil of Lies by Jeri Westerson (St Martins Minotaur), featuring Crispin Guest

Best Paperback Original
Snow Blind by Lori Armstrong (Medallion) featuring Julie Collins
Shot Girl by Karen Olson (Obsidian) featuring Annie Seymour
The Stolen by Jason Pinter (MIRA) featuring Henry Parker
The Black Hand by Will Thomas (Touchstone/Simon &Schuster) featuring Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn.
The Evil That Men Do by Dave White (Crown/Three Rivers Press) featuring Jackson Donne

Best Short Story
“Family Values” by Mitch Alderman (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, June 2008), featuring Bubba Simms
“Last Island South” by John C. Boland. (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Sep/Oct 2008), featuring Meggie Trevor
“The Blonde Tigress” by Max Allan Collins (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, June 2008), featuring Nate Heller
“Discovery” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Nov 2008), featuring Pita Cárdenas
“Panic on Portage Path” by Dick Stodghill (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Jan/Feb 2008), featuring Jack Eddy and Bram Geary.


PWA was founded in 1981 by Robert J. Randisi to recognize the private eye genre and its writers. Previous Shamus winners include Lawrence Block, Ken Bruen, Harlan Coben, Max Allan Collins, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, O’Neil deNoux, Brendan DuBois, Loren D. Estleman, Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, Sue Grafton, James W. Hall, Steve Hamilton, Jeremiah Healy, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman, John Lutz, Bill Pronzini, S.J. Rozan, Sandra Scoppettone and Don Winslow. P.I. Guy logo by Terry Beatty.

VERTIGO CRIME - The Debut

They’re Here!!!

Keeping secrets in this house is never easy and when we first heard of Will Dennis’s concept for a format that would marry some of today’s best Comic creators and Mystery writers we were excited beyond belief at Crimespree. And yes, we’ve been beating the drum for a long time… But now finally, tonight, in New York City, the line is launched and Vertigo Crime is a reality.
Two books were heralded in today, Filthy Rich by Brian Azzarello & Dark Entries by Ian Rankin. For our crime fans, the name Rankin means police procedural. For comic fans, you’d be hard pressed to find a writer you’re more familiar with than Mr. Azzarello. The Formula is complete and the mission has begun…

In celebration of tonight’s launch I spent the hour between eight and nine reading Filthy Rich. If this were poker I’d be all in .

It is the story… of a boy… who thinks his life is over. A wunderkind, the next greatest foot ball hero until bad choices and an even badder Dame, Junk is all that… The character is so full of fatal flaws and a less than stellar history that save for the comic environment he’d scream of over indulgence. This book is definitely not that. With Azzarello’s words marrying to Victor Santos’s art this is a classic tale of noir. The difference is between the fabulous dialog and the amazing art there is little interpretation to be done, only story enjoyment with a truth purer than white and a black that will never leave you. You’ll never be in better hands. Every wrong choice is felt, every punch landed.


Rankin is my favorite writer, my favorite Scot man and just a brilliant individual who embraces pop culture more reverently than we here at Crimespree. Dark Entries tells a compelling story from the point of view of one of D.C.’s favorite characters, John Constantine (a.k.a. Hellblazer). Reality TV is hell and in this tale it’s coming to you in the form of a reality show where the haunted house starts being … well… haunted. It’s up to John to save the day. The marriage of art and words in the second title is not, perhaps, as wonderful as in that of Filthy Rich… but then Sir Ian had never written a comic before. Werther Dell’Edrea tries an entirely new concept with Hellblazer art. Would he have dared with a lesser penman at the helm?

Years (and I’m telling you it feels like decades when we’re about to burst with the news) after our first hint of the new line VERTIGO CRIME, tonight they celebrate in New York…. And today, in the mail… an Advanced Reader’s copy of The Chill arrived… written by Jason Starr (PANIC ATTACK) and drawn by Mick Bertilorenzi. This is not a box of our favorite things; This is the conspiracy that will marry the prose and graphic novel form for all of those who prefer a little black in our fiction.

Ruth Jordan







Buy Filthy Rich
Buy Dark Entries

MWA Hot Ticket Event at Bouchercon

MWA/Bouchercon versus Comic Con on Charlaine Harris

At Comic Con, 800 fans showed up in hopes of scoring one of 150 tickets to Charlaine Harris’ afternoon book signing session.

At Bouchercon, 10 lucky fans will get the chance to spend about an hour with Charlaine in a small group setting. (How much time do you think those 150 fans shared with her?) We’re talking ten fans, one hour. And you can win one of those tickets now.

In fact, thanks to the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) and especially its Midwest chapter, 10 fans of Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Joseph Finder, Sue Grafton, Carolyn Hart, David Morrell, Sara Paretsky, PJ Parrish, SJ Rozan, and Wendelin Van Draanen will also get an hour with their favorite author. It’s called the HOT TICKET event.

YOU CAN WIN ONE OF THE FIRST FIVE TICKETS BEFORE BOUCHERCON EVEN STARTS! Go to the MWA Midwest Chapter website (www.mwamidwest.org) and click on the HOT TICKET event. It will take you to a webpage that explains how the contest works and how to complete an online entry form. We’re asking you why YOU should be the one to win a ticket to spend time with your favorite MWA author. Entries will be judged on their creativity. Winners will be announced mid-September.

But if you don’t win one of the first five, don’t despair.

THE SECOND FIVE TICKETS WILL BE AWARDED IN A DRAWING AT BOUCHERCON. Visit the MWA booth at Bouchercon for an entry form into the drawing for the second set of five tickets for each author. It’s that easy! Fans can win only one ticket to any event, so 110 people at Bouchercon will get this amazing opportunity to meet a favorite MWA author.

Check out the MWA Midwest website and enter now. And spread the word about the HOT TICKET event!

Tony Perona, Vice President
Midwest Chapter, MWA

Comics on Kindle

Archaia Studios is breaking ground with the first kindle only comic.
More here: Central Comics Zone

Chicago Comic Con - Jon's Take

Over the years I’ve been to a lot of conventions and conferences. The Consumer Electronic Show was big and loud, Gen Con was really interesting, and I love going to the cons with the mystery reader crowd. Two years ago Ruth and I walked into our first full on Comic Convention, Wizard World Chicago. We had press passes and that seemed to make it cooler, but I was not prepared for the sight that beheld me as we walked through the doors and stood at the top of the short stairs leading into the space at Stephenson Convention Center in Rosemont.

It was loud, colorful and crowded. I saw huge banners for DC Comics, I saw people in costume, and everywhere I looked, comics. I had found my lost tribe. From what I’ve seen comic fans are loyal to the end, and they are also very protective of what they love. They understand my obsession with needing to own every issue or trade collection in a series. Even moreso than the wonderful folks who read mysteries, these people love to collect. Me too.

This year marks our third visit to the convention, now back to its original name, Chicago Comic Con. A few things were different. This year the big two, Marvel and DC didn’t have a booth. Lots of rumors about why, but mainly it’s so close to San Diego’s mega event that it’s hard to pull off. Last year Dark Horse had a small area and handed out some bags, so I didn’t really notice them being absent. I missed Top Cow, but again, close to San Diego. But this didn’t mean they had no presence, DC sent staffers to do panels and lots of creators were on hand. A few people whined about not being able to do pitches to the bigger companies, but in truth, any pitching that gets done here is limited, and generally not very fruitful. This is a con for fans, not hopeful artists and writers trying to get a foot in the door at DC or Marvel. The change in who has booths also meant a lot more traffic in artist alley, Avatar had a great show with loads of people checking them out. And really, instead of waiting around the DC area all day waiting for another free button, people went and saw things, met people and bought stuff. I don’t see it as a bad thing.

The artist ally area was bigger this year and the layout changed up to allow a smoother traffic flow. I heard various reports second hand, but the people I talked to directly had a great show, for some, their best in Chicago so far. My walk through artist alley saw a lot of people stopped at tables and checking out the wares, a lot with money in hand.

This year was also different for us because we took a booth. Being primarily a crime fiction magazine I wasn’t sure what to expect. We brought copies of the magazine, t shirts, and copies of my sister’s anthology, UNCAGE ME from Bleak House Books. We also had piles of freebies, comics from DC, books from medallion press and a whole lot of paperbacks that we had extra copies of. We sold a lot of magazines, a bunch of shirts and anthologies. We also gave away every book and comic we had.

We shared our booth with some great folks. Tim Broderick is a selling machine and he could convince me to buy a saddle and I don’t have a horse. He was selling copies of his graphic novel CASH AND CARRY, a really great crime fiction tale in a comic trade. Jack Kilborn was on hand giving away copies of his horror novel AFRAID. All he asked in return was an online review. He ran out of books early on Saturday. RD Hll was with us as well. He had copies of his comic American Wasteland and the second volume of the Heroes Trade with is work in it. RD was quite happy when he get ready to head home Sunday.

We had a number of guests as well. Raymond Benson brought a nice cross section of his back list. Bond Books and books about Bond, his mystery series and his Metal Gear Solid book. Marcus Sakey came by after the panel we did (more later) and gave out copies of his latest paperback. Twoo boxes emptied out in about an hour. Brian Azzarello signed twice and signed a lot of books, and also signed a baby. Mark Kidwell signed his Frazzetta book and comics along with copies of Bump and some other books he’s done. We also had the amazing B Clay Moore and Jason Aaron, two of my all time favorites.
Friday at 3:00 I moderated a panel on Crime fiction in comics. Brian Azzarello, Tim Broderick, Marcus Sakey, B Clay Moore and Jason Aaron were good enough to join me. I know I enjoyed doing it, and from what I heard the crowd enjoyed it as well. The answers were good and I think we accomplished what we set out to accomplish, basically getting people excited about crime fiction. I’d also take a bullet for anyone of these guys.


Kitty corner from us was the booth from Westfield comics service. I used them for years before I had a bump in my comics reading in the mid nineties. At rough guess, I’d say I spent at least the price of a nice car on comics from them. I loved there service and would recommend them in a heartbeat. The folks representing Westfield for the weekend were enthusiastic and well read. My kind of people.

Right next to us was a booth for Comix4Sight, a charity to help John Ostrander pay for Glaucoma treatments. Great folks at the booth and it was so cool to see so many people helping out.

My wife Ruth spent some time hanging with the Suicide Girls. They actually have a lot in common.
She also had people [posing with Joseph Finder’s latest novel, Vanished. Ruth did a nice job with photos and she really does great talking with people.


All in all we had a great show and was very happy we took a booth. This is the first year I saw people from Wizard out on the floor. They stopped by to make sure we were good and if we needed anything. They wanted us happy (and we were). Sure, there were some changes this year, but from what I saw the changes are going towards making this a better convention. Most bitching I heard was from people who were mis-informed about some facts or there for the wrong reason. (If you are pitching art, you don’t bring 4 foot pin ups to get a job) I think the Wizard staff did a great job. Putting on a show this size is no small task. There are a lot of things the fans never hear about. Things involved with having celebrities (which bring in people), reasons for wrist bands, and reasons why guests have to cancel. The sheer size of this makes me that much more impressed with what they did. Gillette had a booth. Fine by me, they were busy and by being there they helped support the show and keep costs to get in lower. Sam thing with the Venom energy drink. And seriously, free energy drinks at a comic convention, that’s management thinking in my book. (note, 8 concentrated energy drinks in 40 minutes is too many, yeah, I’m talking to you Joe!)

Will we take a booth next year. Hell yes.

Some highlights for me:

Talking to someone named Mike for a few hours at the booth next door and discovering it was Mike Gold. MIKE GOLD! The man is one of my heroes and it was probably just as well as I got to know him as a great fellow reader and saved me from being a drooling fanboy. Mike is a fellow fan of good stories, no matter what form they are in and I could talk to him for hours.

I met Howard Chaykin and got to be a drooling fanboy, and no, I’m not embarrassed. And as it turns out Howard Chaykin is a big reader and loves crime fiction. We love a lot of the same authors and that just makes me respect him even more. American Flagg was the first book I ever read that wasn’t from Marvel or DC. He changed my reading habits, because I soon bought everything else First Comics did. Badger, Nexus, Sable Freelance, and Grim Jack. Before long I was getting books from all sorts of other indy companies and continue to do so to this day. I’ve since followed his work and love everything Chaykin does.

We got a signature from Edward James Olmos. Very charming man and very good with his fans. Loved him in Miami Vice and everything since.

I had a chance to tell George Perez what a fan of his work I am. Yet another wonderful person.

I bought some really cool stuff from the Heroes Initiative booth. A nice print, a couple books and a shotglass. A great organization and really good place to give money.

Jason Latour is very cool and I loved talking with him. The man is well read. He also has a cool evil laugh.

Tony Moore is quite possibly too cool. His wife is also very cool as well. Anything with his art is worth reading.

I met Ande Parks briefly and hope to talk at him at length in the future. His book Capote in Kansas looks amazing.

Speaking of wives, mine was wonderful this weekend. Mark Kidwell’s wife and RD Hall’s wives were also great. He time we spent was, as always too brief, but a real highlight of the weekend. What’s cool is these gentlemen know, as I do , how lucky they are.

The Avatar booth was a great place to spend money I love everything they do.

Top Shelf also had some great books.

The people from In Stock Trades were my favorite place to buy books. I think I went back seven times. Great service at the con and through the website.

Dinner with a playmate, the writer of James Bond books and New York Times Best seller was damn cool. I also like the really big cake.

The real highlight was meeting and talking with John Ostrander. What a great person he is. Charming and wonderful to all the fans he met. We had a chance to compare items we had picked up. John bought a Dr. Who DVD set with John Pertwee, I found the Deadman Slip cased edition of the series.

We met a lot of people this past weekend and all of them were really great, except maybe for one waiter, who found out how I felt when he got his tip. If we met this weekend and I didn’t mention you, it’s only because it all happened so fast I have trouble remembering it all.

We are already talking about next year and making phone calls to see if we can up our game. And I know Wizard plans to up theirs.

So thank you everyone who came by the Crimespree Booth and everyone who came to the con

And a big thank you to all the folks at Wizard, you made us feel welcome.

Comic Con Chicago

10 favorite moments inside the con

1. Meeting Mike Gold & John Ostrander (the bomb, baby)
2. Watching Jill Thompson (shero, extrodanairre) teach kids to draw.
3. Short conversation with Lou Ferrigno (glad I didn’t make him angry)
4. Seeing a fan of the James Bond Companion Book be able to go totally fan boy on Raymond Benson.
5. Sending two sailors about to ship out away with a big box of books and comics.
6. Tim Broderick could work as a Circus Hawker but seeing his daughters sell out their first comic? Even better.
7. Jason Aaron & B.Clay Moore both pimping Neil Anthony Smith’s Yellow Medicine.
8. Marcus Sakey (Good People) and Jack Kilborn (Afraid) putting free books into the hands of the crowd, spreading the word that there’s room for all kinds of reading….
9. Brian Azzarello signed a what?
10. Edward James Olmos & Michael Hogan? Frak Me!!

That’s right, we attended the con this year as an exhibitor not having any idea what to expect. The moments above may be the first to come to mind but are certainly not the only ones. Thursday’s set up went so smoothly and we were able to meet all of our neighbors on that first night. Westfield Comics, The SuicideGirls and Comic4Sight all rocked it. Despite 90 + temperatures costumes were out in full force, my absolute favorites being a Rorshcach and Night Owl couple who interpreted their characters to perfection.
On Thursday I also had my first glimpse of George Perez. I may have come late to this whole comic thing but Jon turned me onto Perez early in the catch up phase. I believe I was more awed at this moment than any other of the four day event.

Sharing much of our weekend with RD Hall (follow RD on Twitter)and Mark Kidwell was perfection. These are the two gentlemen who along with their lovely wives made our first Wizard World Chicago such a great experience. Their careers are both making leaps and bounds and it’s fabulous to see. RD was a partner in our table and Mark came to sign for us despite an Artist Alley that was so busy we probably cost him a couple of hundred dollars.

Both Mark and RD are huge Jack Kilborn/ JA Konrath fans and the fact that they were able to meet and I got to see it? Another fantastical moment.

Our best new friends of the con are without a doubt the folks over at pwndcast.com . Young, energetic and spreading the word on everything Con, we still had a chance to begin a great friendship. Check out their site.
The old friends came out in force to support us and experience the con; from Mike Black to Brian Pinkerton the list of folks who stopped by reads like an MWA Midwest Chapter who’s who. The fact that these excellent writers all see the viability of bringing their prose to this venue made Jon and I very happy. The crossover potential between these creative outlets is the reason we tried this, the response is the reason we’re already planning for ways to do it better next year.
What can I say about Jason Aaron and B.Clay Moore? These two outstanding talents shared their con with Crimespree, signing books for fans at the Crimespree booth. My only wish is that we could have created bigger lines for them. These two are a lot of the reason I’ve begun to read graphic novels at all.

And then there is the force that’s Brian Azzarello. Fresh off of the award winning 100 Bullets and the phenomenal JOKER graphic novel, Az came to the Crimespree table for two signing sessions, the lines were long and I can only imagine how long they would have gotten had everyone who was looking for our booth would have found it. We were pleased to be able to offer Brian’s first prose work ( Roy, a short story in the new anthology UNCAGE ME , edited by Jen Jordan) to all of his fans.

To be continued….

When World's Collide

Joseph Finder couldn't make it to Chicago Comic Con, but his book sure did get around.



Idea and photos by The lovely Mrs. Crimespree, Ruth, seen here with the SuicideGirls.


Brian Azzarello (Filthy Rich, 100 Bullets)


B Clay Moore (Hawaiian Dick, Casey Blue,76)


Did the devil make her read it?


Girls read comics, and Joseph Finder


Jason Aaron (Scalped, Ghost Rider)


JA Konrath/Jack Kilborn (Afraid)


Luisa Buehler (The Innkeeper)


Marcus Sakey (The Amateurs)


Mark Kidwell (Bump, The Frazetta Books)


The lovely Sarah from pwndcast.com


RD Hall (Heroes, American Wasteland)


Members of the 501st Storm Trooper Squadron about to go Death Star on the book


The Girl from Venom Energy Drinks read it FAST


Rorschach and Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen are waiting for the movie


Westfield Comics was in the house and Roger Ash picked up Vanished as well. (The coolest monthly service EVER) digs the book.

The 2009 Crimespree Awards and..

The votes are in the winners have been determined.
Each Category will also have the four runners up, the winners in bold with an asterisk.

Favorite book of 2008
*Trigger City – Sean Chercover*
YELLOW MEDICINE - Anthony Neil Smith
Envy The Night - Michael Koryta
CHASING DARKNESS by ROBERT CRAIS
Toros & Torsos by Craig McDonald


Best in an ongoing series
*CHASING DARKNESS by ROBERT CRAIS*
TRIGGER CITY – Sean Chercover
Toros & Torsos - Craig McDonald
The Duffy Dombrowski Mystery Series by Tom Schreck
Another Thing to Fall – Laura Lippman


Favorite comics writer
*Brian Azzarello*
Tim Broderick
B. CLAY MOORE
Ed Brubaker
Jason Aaron

Favorite original Paperback (mass market or trade)
*Money Shot – Christa Faust*
Severance Package - Duane Swierczynski
GO GO GIRLS – Victor Gischler
The Stolen – Jason Pinter
The Evil That Men Do – Dave White


Favorite Mystery Bookstore

*ONCE UPON A CRIME, Minneapolis *
The Mystery Bookstore – (Los Angeles)
Murder by the book – Houston
Centuries & Sleuths, Forest Park, IL
M IS FOR MYSTERY, San Mateo, California

Congratulations to all nominees and the winners!
And thanks for voting!


And here is the signing schedule for our Chicago Comic Con booth this coming weekend.
Booth # 1433

Friday

Raymond Benson 1:00 – 3:00+
Brian Azzarello – 4:00 – 5:00
Marcus Sakey 4:00 – 5:00
B Clay Moore 2:00-3:00
RD Hall 12:00 – 1:00


Saturday

Raymond Benson 1:00 – 3:00+
Brian Azzarello 2:00 – 3:30
Jason Aaron 11-12
B Clay Moore 11:00 -12:00
Mark Kidwell 3:30 – 4:30
RD Hall 3:30 – 4:30

Sunday:
RD Hall – 12:00 – 1:00


Also, Friday at 4:00 pm there will be a panel moderated by myself with four of our Comics nominees, Brian Azzarello, Jason Aaron, B Clay Moore and Tim Broderick. Also featuring for the first time at a comic convention, Mr. Marcus Sakey, whose new book THE AMATEURS launches on Thursday.