On Hold

I'm going to be away from Bitter Water Blog and Facebook for a while as my family deals with a medical crisis. It's not Tonia or the kids or me, but someone of tremendous importance to us and we need to devote all of our energy to helping her get through this. I'll be back when I can.

P.

Who's in the New Lineup?

Editors Gerald So, Richie Narvaez, Anthony Rainone and Sarah Cortez have announced the list of contributors for the third annual issue of The Lineup: Poems on Crime. Check out these names...Patti Abbott, Joe Barnes, Henry Chang, Reed Farrel Coleman, Sarah Cortez, Michael A. Flanagan, Anne Frasier, James W. Hall, David Hernandez, Amy MacLennan, Carrie McGath, James M. McGowan, Kristine Ong Muslim, David S. Pointer, James Sallis, Jackie Sheeler, Wallace Stroby, Larry D. Thomas and Francine Witte.

I don't know when this thing is coming out, but I'm looking forward to reading it. You can still order the first two issues (for which I was a co-editor, besides having a poem in issue #1 and writing the introduction to #2) from Amazon.

Coming Distractions

Next week at Bitter Water Blog:

My reviews of Gil Brewer's Flight to Darkness (recently brought back into print by New Pulp Press) and C.J. Box's Three Weeks to Say Goodbye.

An update on my current WIP and possibly a rant or two.

Exciting, ain't it?

The Best Crime Novels of Aught-Nine, According to Me

Because what the world needs is one more "best of" list, I offer mine. These were my favorite new crime novels of 2009, listed in no particular order.

Abandon by Blake Crouch
Black Water Rising by Attica Locke
Sanctuary by Ken Bruen
A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield
Get Real by Donald E. Westlake
Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott
Gutted by Tony Black
Hogdoggin' by Anthony Neil Smith
Slammer by Allan Guthrie
The Coldest Mile by Tom Piccirilli