As any reader of Mysterious Matters knows, I am not only employed by, but also an ardent supporter of, independent publishers and small presses. Today I'd like to talk about some of my favorite mystery writers published by independent houses. I'll talk about more writers and books in future posts, as it would be impossible to cover all the terrific writers in just one post. Herewith five favorites, in alphabetical order.
REED FARREL COLEMAN
Bleak House Books
I have a love-hate relationship with series characters. The businessman and practical realist in me knows that the best way to pay the bills and sell books is to have a successful series. The critic in me finds that most series characters fizzle after five or six books. I also sometimes feel weary of dark, cynical P.I.'s and cops. But I never tire of Coleman's Moe Praeger, a New York City cop turned detective. The divorced Praeger has more than his share of secrets, and I have found all of Coleman's books to be intense, well-plotted character studies that never go for the easy ending. Empty Ever After (pictured at left) may be the last of the series (it's hard to tell, but the hints are there); if it is, I admire Coleman even more for ending things before a terrific character and series had the chance to go stale.
ROBERT FATE
Capital Crimes Press
The titular Baby Shark is Kristin Van Dijk, 1950s pool hustler turned P.I. Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption (pictured) is the third in the series, which to me just gets better and better. To me, the series is a glorious homage to pulp fiction, except with better writing, plotting, characters, and dialogue. Kristin is tough and resourceful, but she's always struck me as real, as opposed to a Tough Sleuth created by an Author for Widespread Appeal. I also find the details of the time and setting to be rendered almost perfectly. These books have a cinematic quality to them; you can't read them without picturing how they'd look up on the big screen, with a highly charismatic actress playing Baby Shark herself.
LAWRENCE LIGHT & MEREDITH ANTHONY
Oceanview Publishing
I'm not a fan of serial killer books, despite the fact that they often sell like hotcakes. So, for me, any writer who can make me enjoy a serial killer book has accomplished the nearly impossible. I'm not sure how the husband-and-wife team of Light and Anthony write together, but they have found a truly hardboiled, authentic noir voice. "Hardboiled" isn't just subject matter--it's tone and language as well, and Light and Anthony pull it all off with a stylistic panache. Ladykiller (pictured at right) is a gloriously uncompromising look at the mean streets of pre-Disneyfied New York City, with terrific characters and a twisting plot.
ANN PARKER
Poisoned Pen Press
The historical mystery is difficult to execute, as so many of them end up in a category I call "history textbook with a murder thrown in." Not so with Parker's books, set in the Silver Rush of the 1880s in Leadville, Colorado. Our heroine is saloonkeeper Inez Stannert, one of the few reasonable people in the violent, alcohol-soaked Old West. Immensely likable but far from perfect, Inez manages to be an independent woman in a world where women are looked upon as chattel, or merely as sources of pleasure. Her friendships are deep, and her acquaintanceship wide--plot, atmosphere, characters, and historical detail all manage to come together in these tightly written books. Iron Ties (at left) is the second in the series that began with Silver Lies. I can honestly say that Inez is in my Top 5 series characters.
Poisoned Pen Press
Some mystery writers act tough; others truly are tough. Betty Webb is a writer who could make mincemeat of any rivals in any debate on any topic that she feels strongly about. Her Arizona-based P.I., Lena Jones, is a survivor of the foster-care system, and all the books in the Desert series (Desert Cut, pictured at right, is the latest) are uncompromising windows into issues of social import, such as polygamy or child abuse. These books are dark whirlwinds that pick you up in one place and drop you somewhere far away, feeling bruised but wiser. Of course, Webb also does a tremendous service for the industry in general as the small-press reviewer for Mystery Scene magazine, which makes her accomplishments twofold: She's not only an uncompromising writer, but also a sophisticated reader of our genre.
Thank you for the kind words regarding Reed Farrel Coleman and his Moe Prager series. As you can imagine, we're thrilled to be publishing his work.
Posted by: Bleak House Books | August 14, 2008 at 08:42 AM
I'm already a fan of Moe and Krisitn. I have heard of Lena Jones and been intending to get to her. The others, I didn't know about. Thanks for the recommendations.
BTW, Ladykiller is published by Oceanview Publishing. Oceanview Press is a different publisher.
Mark
AGATHO REPLIES: Thanks for setting me straight on the correct name of the publisher. I've made the correction and apologize for the mistake!
Posted by: Mark Troy | August 14, 2008 at 01:25 PM