Reading right now:

            David Wellington started his career online. He also got his Master’s degree in Library Science! He is well-known for his horror, but his latest is a thriller series. “Chimera” revolves around a vet who was in Afghanistan and is now called upon to defeat a group of men carrying a deadly virus and who display superhuman speed and strength.

On hold right now:

            Paul Doiron’s latest (“Massacre Pond”) is the fourth in his Mike Bowditch mystery series. The first book in the series was “The Poacher’s Son” which was a nominee for the Anthony Awards first novel category.

            Doiron is all about Maine! He publishes a magazine about Maine, he is a registered Maine Guide, and lives in coastal Maine. His main character, Mike Bowditch, is a Game Warden in (surprisingly) Maine. Bowditch’s latest case starts with the slaughter of five moose and escalates to the murder of the daughter of an animal rights activist.

“More wisdom is contained in the best

crime fiction than in philosophy.” --Wittgenstein

New (or sorta new) Mysterious things:

            I’ve been wondering lately if there are trends afoot on the mystery scene. At one time serial killers were all the rage and every mystery you picked up was a serial killer novel. Now it seems like everyone is solving murders: antique dealers, bookstore owners, housewives, doctors, lawyers, and even some cops. Mysteries are popular and authors are looking in every possible direction in order to find a new idea. More and more mysteries have a paranormal element. Dozens of authors from countries all over the world (Sweden, England, Ireland, etc.) are finding readers in the U.S.

If you are interested in the topic, “The Millennial Detective: Essays on Trends in Crime Fiction, Film, and Television. 1990-2010” by Malcah Effron might be of interest. The book is a collection of ten essays examining trends in crime fiction. If you are hardcore, you can also read Rebecca Martin’s “Crime and Detective Fiction” which examines the development of detective fiction. Coming out in October “Philosophies of Crime Fiction” by Josef Hoffmann is “a considered analysis of the philosophical ideas to be found in crime literature, both hidden and explicit. Josef Hoffmann ranges expertly across influences and inspirations in crime writing with a stellar cast including Conan Doyle, G K Chesterton, Dashiell Hammett, Albert Camus, Borges, Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler. Hoffmann examines why crime literature may provide stronger consolation for readers than philosophy. In so doing, he demonstrates the truth of Wittgenstein's claim that more wisdom is contained in the best crime fiction than in philosophy.” Or, even easier, just read some more mysteries and find out for yourself what is trending and why.