tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15258276.post5162938461521302396..comments2023-11-05T01:05:41.190-07:00Comments on International Noir Fiction: Jan Marete Weiss, These Dark Things (Captain Natalia Monte 1)Glenn Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04869155065647936216noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15258276.post-63447252350492487142011-05-24T10:20:23.386-07:002011-05-24T10:20:23.386-07:00Melville House: I sent an e-mail to your intern, b...Melville House: I sent an e-mail to your intern, but you can contact me at notpd@yahoo.com and yes, I can accept submissions.<br />Thanks<br />GlennGlenn Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04869155065647936216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15258276.post-38883940612495469822011-05-24T10:13:36.167-07:002011-05-24T10:13:36.167-07:00Hello. We’re Melville House, a small indie book pu...Hello. We’re Melville House, a small indie book publisher with an exciting new international crime series. We’re trying to forge contacts with the crime blog community. Sorry to contact you through a comment! Do you accept submissions? If so, we'd love to get your email address. You can contact us at: melvilleintern(AT)mhpbooks(DOT)com<br /><br />Thanks!Melville Househttp://mhpbooks.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15258276.post-17325695936401674532011-05-18T14:19:52.607-07:002011-05-18T14:19:52.607-07:00Thanks, Beth, the reference to Gomorrah (and by ex...Thanks, Beth, the reference to Gomorrah (and by extension to the very interesting movie made from it) is very pertinent to what Weiss is trying (and sometimes succeeding) with.<br />GlennGlenn Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04869155065647936216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15258276.post-10958526010427930172011-05-18T13:57:34.987-07:002011-05-18T13:57:34.987-07:00The strength in THESE DARK THINGS is the sense of ...The strength in THESE DARK THINGS is the sense of menace created by the information the author adds, seamlessly, to the story about the Camorra. Naples own organized crime syndicate is more dangerous than the Sicilian branch with which we are more familiar.<br /><br />The battle over the collection of waste has gone on for years, seriously undermining the health and quality of life of the Neapolitans. Weiss includes informaton that can be found in the non-fiction book, GAMORRAH, written by Roberto Saviano. Saviano has been in hiding since the publication of the book. GOMORRAH is a breathtaking look at the ways in which the lives of the people of Naples have become controlled by a crime syndicate.<br /><br />I reviewed THESE DARK THINGS on my blog found at www.murderbytype.wordpress.com<br /><br />BethAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15258276.post-70764140332194084462011-05-18T01:43:23.948-07:002011-05-18T01:43:23.948-07:00Yes, it is a bit like the Icelands we see through ...Yes, it is a bit like the Icelands we see through the novels of Indridason and Sigurdardottir compared with the new series by Michael Ridpath, which is actually much more informative about Iceland to the outsider, as the author is such an enthusiast for the countryside, literature, history etc and includes it all in his plots, unlike the Icelandic authors where this is all implied. I like both approaches, actually - and I do recommend the Ridpath books if they are available in US - I reviewed the first for Euro Crime if you want to check out, and the second is out in UK later this month, my review is "in the queue".<br />The protag is a cop who is half American, half Icelandic (well, Icelandic actually but grew up in US and joined Boston PD before being seconded to Iceland for various plot reasons).Maxine Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06628509319992204770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15258276.post-42757099256145992042011-05-17T13:53:17.964-07:002011-05-17T13:53:17.964-07:00Thanks for the comment, Maxine. Other outsiders ha...Thanks for the comment, Maxine. Other outsiders have written good crime novels about Italy (Nabb, Leon, Timothy Williams, and recently Tobias Jones, whose second book is on my tbr list). In a way, though, I think an outsider is better positioned as well as more tempted to give the kind of tour guide that Grisham and Weiss give.Glenn Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04869155065647936216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15258276.post-11666501003355950152011-05-17T13:29:33.865-07:002011-05-17T13:29:33.865-07:00I gave up reading Grisham quite a long time ago, b...I gave up reading Grisham quite a long time ago, because of quality plunge (not all that great to start with!) but I did recant for the one set in Bologna and I enjoyed it. As usual with him the plot was hopeless but the Bologna-setting parts were wonderful, he is really so good at "placeism". <br />I've read another review of These Dark Things but am not that tempted, so far - maybe because it is not actually Italian?Maxine Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06628509319992204770noreply@blogger.com