About
Welcome to Crime Scraps Review which is a compendium of my reviews and thoughts mostly about crime fiction, but very occasionally about the biggest criminals of all, the politicians.
Most of my recent reading has been translated crime fiction but I do read historical crime novels, British, American and Australian crime fiction as well. Last year I discovered South African author Deon Meyer, and I am a great fan of the Australian author Peter Temple, so you will find a wide range of books covered here.
At Home -you will find my regular posts, reviews, quizzes, polls and opinions.
You can also see What I am reading now, and the covers of my Recent reads.
And also there are links to some of my most Popular posts since I started Crime Scraps in September 2006.
All the posts and comments that were at the original Crime Scraps are all available at Crime Scraps Review.
Please remember this is a work in progress so please check back frequently for new features.
CRIME SCRAPS REVIEW 
Very sorry Jason. I will have to live to 110 to read all the books I have got on my TBR mountain.
Hi Norman,
A quick note to let you & your readers (of which I’m a devoted one) know that the special “Noir” issue of Zoom Street has just launched at http://www.zoomstreet.org. It features the art of John Nickle; excerpts from some noir novels; a hard-boiled literary quiz, and more.
Best,
Derek
How do you choose the books that you review? Thanks!
Rachel, I usually review books recommended by friends, or books shortlisted for awards. I have so many favourite Nordic, Italian and British authors that I always have books to read and review.
Sometimes publishers or authors send me books if I have been kind to them in the past.
I read some Sjowall and Wahloo Martin Beck books in the 1970s a long time before Swedish crime fiction became cool, and decided to blog about crime fiction back in 2006.
Hi Norman
I like your blog and I’m hoping my 1930s set noir crime thriller Noho might appeal to you.
I’m a first time novelist with an independent publisher and it’s incredibly hard to get exposure in the market, which is why I’m reaching out to you, to see if you can help me.
If you are willing, I can get my publisher to deliver you a free e-book of my novel Noho (a 1930s crime thriller set in London’s Soho).
All that I would ask in return is that if you enjoy it, you review it and promote it to your friends and followers.
Aside from being really grateful for your help and support, I’d also give you sneak previews of future work and help you in anyway I could.
You can read a bit about Noho on Amazon UK here and see what people are saying:
My page on my publisher’s website is here:
http://wildwolfpublishing.com/JDavis.aspx
I really hope that you’ll take me up on my offer of a free copy of Noho, and that you’ll enjoy reading it.
If you’d like to get a copy, then please drop me your email and I’ll pass it to my publishers so that they can get an e-book out to you.
Kind Regards
James Davis
Hi James I am very sorry but I am way behind on my reading schedule, have a huge TBR pile and have promised authors and publishers I will read books by a certain date, therefore I cannot accept any more books for review.
I can see from your posts that you have an ample supply of books to review to keep you busy. Therefore, I would not bother contacting you to review my new medical/political thriller, “The RX factor” if I wasn’t confident that my story is right up your alley. With your background in health care and understanding of politicians, I am certain you will appreciate the message being conveyed in my fact based, ripped from the headlines, novel. Please take a quick peek at my web site for further information and consider.
Warm Regards,
J. Thomas Shaw
Sorry John I have so many books to read I can’t accept any more for review.
Norman,
I know you’re swamped (the good ones always are), but if I don’t do this, you may never hear about my terrific new novel The Obsession. Here’s some of what your colleague litlove had to say about it and Gone Girl at Tales from the Reading Room (http://litlove.wordpress.com/):
Gone Girl has had a huge impact on the book world since it came out; whilst the other novel I read, The Obsession by T. V. LoCicero will be unknown to most people, I imagine. But both are pacy, gripping narratives about love grown monstrous and out of control…fascinating portraits of gender rancour, or the amazing ability men and women have to love and loathe each other with intensity. The Obsession is more straightforward in its premise; sexuality remains a dark and vexed region where reason holds no sway and the agony of unrequited love can provoke unstable individuals to violence…[T]his was the first self-published novel I’ve ever read, and I was properly impressed and surprised by the quality of the story and the writing. Kindle readers, take note.
And here’s a quick summary of The Obsession:
When Stan, an American grad student falls for Lina, a lovely Italian scholar, his unrequited passion turns perverse. When he follows her from a mid-west college town to Bologna’s ancient streets, they are joined by John, Lina’s American lover and Stan’s mentor. Their love-lust triangle re-ignites, and they flee and chase down the storied Italian boot to a shocking conclusion. This first entry in the Truth Beauty Trilogy is a vibrant novel of suspense and murder, by turns intriguing and surprising,as three smart, driven people match wits with their lives at stake.
For more info: http://www.tvlocicero.com.
If you’re interested, I’ll get you a copy, either paper or ebook.
Best,
Tom
Hi Tom
Unfortunately I am more than swamped at the moment. As you will note I haven’t posted with my usual regularity over the past 6 weeks due to family commitments.
I wish you well but cannot accept any more books for review.
Was wondering if you were now in a position to accept novels for possible review?
Thanks,
http://www.markmanley.com/books.html
Sorry Mark but I have piles of books all around me as I write this. I do concentrate more on European crime fiction.
Best wishes
Norman
Thanks, Norman, for the swift reply. Nice to virtually meet you.
Best,
Mark
Hello!
Do you do book reviews or interviews? I work for Huffington Post and Psychology Today blogger and crime fiction author Dr. Mark Rubinstein. He recently released his new psychological thriller, Mad Dog House. A gripping story of former Brooklyn street thug Mad Dog who currently lives the life of his dreams as Roddy Dolan; successful surgeon, ex-Army Ranger and devoted family man. However, his dream slowly turns into a nightmare when shady friends from his past return into his life begging him to invest in a restaurant that turns into a no win situation of Mafia thugs and Russian honchos!
I love MDH because Dr. Rubinstein is a forensic psychiatrist with over 40 years experience. He is an expert on psychological thrillers, the criminal mind and knows how to share the story!
Dr. Rubinstein is intrigued by your blog and asked me to see if you were interested in doing a review? We would love to send you free Kindles or paperbacks for reviews, giveaways, etc. Whatever would be the most FUN and informative for you! Please let me know any ideas you have. Your imagination is the limit!
Talk to you soon 🙂
—
Nathan Donahoe
Author Coordinator, Mark Rubinstein
http://www.MarkRubinstein-Author.com
Hi Nathan
I am sure that I would enjoy Mark Rubinstein’s book, but we are in the middle of redecoration our house exterior, and stripping out my study in order to reduce the chaos of books everywhere.
Therefore I don’t want to accept anything new for review because I just don’t have time to read the books I have at the moment.
Many thanks for the offer.
Best wishes
Norman
Article Reblogged by http://www.southweb.co.za – Blogging around SA !
It seems astonishing to me that this blog/magazine have taken my review and reblogged it without attributing it to the source. I suppose I should be flattered but I am just annoyed.
Hello,I am Madi and I’d like you to have a look at Patrick Brigham’s Books here
http://authorspromotion.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/patrick-brigham-virtual-book-tour/,would you like to review one of them ?
Thank you,Madi
Hi Madi
Although I am sure I would find Patrick’s books interesting [one of my cousin’s daughters is a PhD in Balkan crime] I am completely snowed under with books and don’t have the time to read anything else at the moment. Thanks for the offer. Norman
Thank you for your reply anyway.
All the best
Tim Symonds published a paper on the mystery of Einstein’s illegitimate daughter titled ‘A Vital Detail In The Story of Albert Einstein’ (http://alberteinsteinmystery.wordpress.com/). His Fourth Theory on her fate forms the basis of the new Sherlock Holmes novel –
Sherlock Holmes And The Mystery of Einstein’s Daughter
In late 1903 Albert Einstein’s illegitimate daughter ‘Lieserl’ disappears without trace in Serbia aged around 21 months. As Holmes exclaims in ‘the Mystery of Einstein’s Daughter’, ‘the most ruthless effort has been made by public officials, priests, monks, friends, relatives and relatives by marriage to seek out and destroy every document with Lieserl’s name on it. The question is – why?’
‘Lieserl’s fate shadows the Einstein legend like some unsolved equation’ Frederic Golden Time Magazine
Hello Norman, I’m launching a crime fiction website for readers and have a question/proposition for you but can’t locate your email address. Can you please email me via my contacts page http://www.crimethrillerhound.co.uk/#!contac/cyxy and I’ll get back to you right away. Thanks.
Good afternoon,
Hope I’m not disturbing you, but I am rather hoping you may be able to help me out. I am a new debuting author working with Solstice Publishing, whom I am working on a series with and I was hoping that you might be able to provide a review on my current novel, or at least consider giving it a review. Bad or good, I don’t care how it comes out, I just want honest. Not everything I will write will be everyone’s cup of tea and sometimes criticism is just the very thing needed to better future works.
Genre: Psychological Thriller for NA and up
Don’t Turn Around
Blurb: (Rather short and Sharp)
I am Death.
And I am hungry.
And there you are,
Unaware of my arrival.
Don’t turn around.
With Halloween around the corner, this is a short 26 page long story of murder, as you join an un-named killer on his latest spate of killings as he makes his way to his final victim. This is a dark tale featuring a number of curse words, adult natured and sexual references, along with blood and brutality.
The short story itself sees its release in ebook format, on the 30/10/14 and is available for Pre-order now:
Thank you for your Time.
I am also on twitter, so if you are interested in following me, you can hit me up on: @RockyRochford and in return I shall do the same for you.
Yours Sincerely
Rocky Rochford
Maybe another blogger would like to take this up. Rocky I am afraid I don’t think this is my scene.
Dear Norman,
Brain Matters is the first of my Alie McCull mystery/thriller series published by Turquoise Morning Press. The next four books in the series are scheduled for release this year. It is my hope that you might consider reviewing Brain Matters;
Reporter Alie McCull faces a political tempest of murder and deceit behind the backdrop of two corrupt government agencies. It is then that Alie discovers the Brain Matters.
If you would like an electronic copy of the book, please let me know.
An excerpt from Brain Matters can be read on my website.
http://www.jrscottauthor.com
Thanks in advance for your consideration.
Regards,
John Scott
Sorry John
But I have a large backlog of books to read plus other commitments so I can’t take on anything more at the moment.
Also I am not in the age demographic that finds electronic copies easy to read.
Very sorry kind regards
Norman
Hi Norman,
40 years in the making, but New York Times Bestselling author, James Grady, has finally written a sequel to Six Days of the Condor, Last Days of the Condor!
To celebrate the release of Last Days of the Condor, James Grady is coming to the UK for a book tour. I am from No Exit Press and we are running a blog tour alongside the book tour which we would absolutely love you to be a part of.
If you are at all interested in receiving a review copy, please don’t hesitate to contact me at kamerabooks@gmail.com.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Lucy
Hi Norman, I write for Acheron Books (www.acheronbooks.com), an Italian genre fiction imprint, in English language. We have a couple of crime novels. May I ask you to contact me at info@acheronbooks.com, just if you could be interested in? Thanks a lot. Samuel
I too would much appreciate a review by Norman. My fifth Sherlock Holmes novel ‘Sherlock Holmes And The Nine-Dragon Sigil’ has just been published. As in my earlier ‘sherlocks’ I set the pair firmly in the Edwardian era when ominous rumblings of an impending catastrophic war seep into society.
It’s 1907. While Holmes engages in Imperial geopolitics John H. Watson sets about modernising the New Army. Then they encounter the terrifying Empress Dowager Cixi at the height of her power…
Sherlock Holmes And The Nine-Dragon Sigil
Sigil. Pronounced sijil. An inscribed or painted symbol or occult sign considered to have magical power
Rumours abound that a deadly plot is hatching – not in the fog-ridden back-alleys of London’s Limehouse district or the sinister Devon moors of the Hound of the Baskervilles but in faraway Peking. Holmes’s task – discover whether such a plot exists and if so, foil it. Are the assassins targeting the young and progressive Ch’ing Emperor or his imperious aunt, the fearsome Empress Dowager Cixi? The murder of either could spark a civil war.
China’s fate and the interests of Britain’s Empire in the Orient could be at stake. Holmes and Watson take up the mission with their customary confidence – until they find they are no longer in the familiar landscapes of Edwardian England. Instead, they tumble into the Alice In Wonderland world of The Forbidden City.
*****
Sherlock Holmes And The Nine-Dragon Sigil was written in a converted oast house near Rudyard Kipling’s old home, Bateman’s, in the English county of East Sussex.
Tim Symonds was born in London. He grew up in Somerset, Dorset and the Channel Island of Guernsey. After several years travelling widely, including farming in the Highlands of Kenya and working on the Zambezi River in Central Africa, he emigrated to the United States. He studied at Göttingen, in Germany, and the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in Political Science.