A genre which I recently discovered and have been more or less in love with ever since doing so, is the detective, noir, mystery genre. Of course those are all subgenres of the same basic idea, but they each come up a little different, and of course in my reading experience very different, because I'm not one to stick to the basics, but rather look for something extraordinary and experimental to stretch the brain a bit. Here are a few of the most interesting titles I've scrounged up in recent years that I think you should read. I think in part, it's because some of my favorite writers are equally in love with the genre, making it an incredibly easy process of jumping out of genre to enjoy a new book from someone I respect so much.

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - By Mark Haddon. An autistic boy seeks out to uncover the mystery of his neighbor's dead dog. Of course, all along he uncovers much more, about the world in which he lives and the relationships his family leads. An amazing book, which takes fully liberty with the genre and does wonders.

Kiss Me, Judas -By Will Christopher Baer. A dark, disturbing, horribly good hardboiled adventure. This is the kind of book that the nihilists of the genre salivate over. Phineas Poe is a washed up ex-detective with Internal Affairs who wakes up in a bathtub full of ice, his kidney removed by a prostitute. The book is unforgiving, and Baer is surely the Edgar Allen Poe or Albert Camus of the detective story genre.

Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World - By Haruki Murakami. Murakam is probably my favorite author. Period. He's a genius of the written word, and I'm reading in translation. Beginning with his first book Pinball, 1973, he has always had a strong interest in the detective genre, but this is his finest. An ode to Hammett and Borges all in the same piece. Genius.

The Intuitionist - by Colson Whitehead. The 21st century's answer to Richard Wright, Whitehead writes a brilliant racial allegory wrapped in a detective story that can truly bend the mind. I read this in a class and thoroughly enjoyed the attention to genre and disregard to constraints. His characters are odd, and his methods odder, but the prose is literary in ever regard, all the while throwing back to the best of 40s noir.

Chocolate Hollow Bunnies of the Apocalypse - By Robert Rankin. This is hilarious. Kid gets lost in toyland. Kid meets stuffed bear detective. Kid must solve mystery of famous denizens being murdered...i.e. humpty dumpty, etc. A classic from a writer that still doesn't see the light of American publication. Imported from the UK.

Gun, With Occasional Music - By Jonathan Lethem. Lethem is my second favorite writer and a brilliant twister of genre. He's done science fiction, coming of age, detective, and in some cases all three wrapped into one. This is one of those. A detective in the not so distant future must battle musical guns, and trench coat wielding kangaroos.

The Long Goodbye - By Raymond Chandler. A classic. Chandler was one of the inventors, and thus this is a must. I read it on a whim when I realized how interested I was in the mechanics, and then read it again. For anyone who's read any other book on this list, or any comic book by Frank Miller, or seen a movie with even partial black and white or a broke detective, you have to read Chandler.

The Eyre Affair - By Jasper Fforde. Not really a detective novel...but then again, not really not a detective novel. Fforde blends it all together in this highly literate, supreme farce. His Thursday Next novels are always a little weirder with each new entry, and that much more endearing to the whole genre bending façade he's created.

The Maltese Falcon - By Dashiel Hammett. The quintessential book for me. I've written two short stories based on this one and seen the Bogart film a dozen times at least. I love this novel and will continue to love it as long as Hammett remains the kind of all things Noir.

With a couple of classics and a slew of new and interesting books by some of the best writers around, the detective noir genre has become something of a pet project of mine. I not only read it and try to find the best entries new and old, but I write it and like any good detective writer, I try to figure out how to take it apart. And isn't that the key to all things detective related, taking something apart.

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Meticulously articulated, Carla Lee Suson tells a tale of horrific terror, personal revenge, and future politics in her masterpiece novel, Independence Day Plague. Incorporating an insider's view into the government's military sanctioned secret biological weapons industry, the story takes place in the not-too-distant future, 2026 - the 250th Anniversary of America.

Police need to unravel the trail of a "lone wolf," a self-made domestic terrorist; set against the backdrop of the nation's 4th of July gala celebration being planned in the Metro-DC area. With sub-plots of international tensions posturing the USA against China over a satellite incident and military actions, all hell is about to break loose if this cat-and-mouse hunt isn't solved in time. The clock's ticking, and millions of lives depend on it.

Carla Lee Suson's authenticity to detail is extraordinary. Well researched and having lived in the worlds she wrote about, her book transported me into the tributaries of the government's secret programs with, at times, an eerie attention to detail. The future events imagined and portrayed in her book all have their roots in reality. She created a high level of credibility to her story by keeping within the bounds of believability of future events as well as her characters' motivations. Thus she authored a book I was immersed within while reading, and found to be as enjoyable as a blockbuster feature movie.

Picked up by Fireside Publications, Independence Day Plague is an unforgettable 249 page literary experience. Clad with cover art of an ominously penetrating stare of a woman wearing a gas mask, with the clear blue sky behind the iconic Washington Monument, the cover suggests a threat not seen nor sensed. I consider myself fortunate to have read this so early in the book's release, as I can only anticipate the frenzy of followers yet to echo my praise. A book, I can honestly say, "I was holding my breath until the end!"

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The Thirteenth Tale -- If you read just one mystery novel this year, make it this wonderful debut by Diane Setterfield. The story is carefullly and subtly crafted and it's Gothic-style plot grabs the reader early on and doesn't let go. As as added plus, Ms. Setterfield's expert use of language is impressive and refreshing.

Lisey's Story -- The latest from master storyteller Stephen King. Though I have never been an ardent King fan, this novel has a maturity and depth that many of his earlier works lack. Although it does continue the required horror tale, it is first and foremost a love story and in the end tells us as much about King as it does his characters.

The Mission Song -- I've enjoyed John le Carre's novels since the mid-1970s. His Little Drummer Girl was the first hardcover that I bought away from the remainder table -- a sure sign to me at the time that I'd really made it. I've tracked his work from the demise of the Cold War (the set of his first novels) to the many other arenas of conflict throughout the world.

Le Carre's latest, The Mission Song, brings back much of the intrigue of those Cold War novels. His hero is intriguing, mostly for his being less than perfect, and the levels of deception are chilling and believable.

Mephisto Club -- This year's release for up-and-coming mystery writer, Tess Gerritsen, Mephisto Club is a sophisticated tale of murder and characters who are different than they seem. This fast-paced novel left me eager for her next offering.

Break No Bones -- The most recent in a series of novels by Kathy Reichs, Break No Bones, is a fast-paced and exciting read. This group of mystery books, which feature forensic anthropologist Temperence Brennan, are the basis for the popular television series, "Bones," but the action is far from predictable.

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Original Sin is another of the Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, written by P.D. James in 1998. The first death that occurs is a suicide at Innocent House, home of The Peverell Press, Britain's oldest book publisher. The death that sets the mighty wheels of the British constabulary in motion is the murder of the newly ensconced publisher, Gerard Etienne. He is murdered about 150 pages into the book-the point of those pages seems to be to show what a terrible place to work the Peverell Press was and how many people had good reason to want Etienne dead. There are other murders in the story, too. Adam Dalgliesh may figure things out, but he never actually seems to stop anything bad from happening.

It's a peculiar book. It was a New York Times Bestseller in its time, so somebody-a lot of somebodies-must actually like it. I just cannot understand why.

To be fair, there are passages in Original Sin that are lush and beautiful, and much of the prose would be pleasing if there were only some point to it. Some of the characters are interesting. As in all the other P.D. James books I've read, not one character is actually attractive or has a fulfilling or developed life, and nobody is happy or vibrant, but some of the characters are actually passionate about some things. And some of those things are important or interesting, which made a nice change.

Strangely, this is untrue of the detective force.

One hopes that James has misrepresented Scotland Yard. The three main detectives are portrayed as relentlessly self-absorbed. Adam Dalgliesh is or was a poet in his spare time, likes to walk around in churches or on sea shores, says a few things that are insightful and kind, and drives his Jaguar "competently." He worries a lot about his own, and other people's privacy, and he notes the irony of his occupation as inspector, where he is forced to pry into other people's privacy, several times. Considering that this is "an Adam Dalgliesh mystery," one might expect a more developed character.

The other detectives seem to be still trying, without much success, to figure out how to talk to their mothers or boyfriends. They do a lot of grunt work, whine a lot about the justice system, worry about their apartments and their careers, and discuss many pointless leads. The real mystery in this series of detective stories is how they ever figure anything out at all. They do, sometimes, but it is almost never clear how they manage.

The book reads with some pace, and the plot is interesting, for the latter half of the book. The identity of the killer mostly becomes clear to the reader because of James' tendency to shift personae and to relate, on occasion, the thoughts of the dying victims. They never go so far as to name the killer in their thoughts, but there are clues. It seems like a clumsy rhetorical device to allow the reader to uncover the mystery using clues unavailable to the detectives, but that was the only way it was going to happen. The detectives themselves are utterly clueless until the final pages.

I found this book unsatisfying for the most part despite its occasional charms. My dissatisfaction with the ending of the book goes further than that, though. Inspector Daniel Aaron is Jewish. He makes a few comments that reflect some identification with the Jewish people, and he has some "issues" with his "Jewish mother" (his term, not mine). In the final scenes of the book, however, the murders turn out to have their roots in the Nazi extermination of Jews-the murderer is avenging some particular deaths. Suddenly Aaron is overtaken by sympathy to vengeance and his Jewish identity, and he moves to protect the killer. Even though the killer was not targeting the perpetrator himself, but his children.

I do not say it could not happen, although I believe that it is extremely unlikely for a policeman to shirk his duties so spectacularly and with so little reflection. I have also never heard of any Jewish people attempting to avenge the deaths of their loved ones on the family of the Nazi perpetrators, and in this case the "original sin" was committed not even by a Nazi or even a collaborator, but by a part of the French underground resistance. One might be able to see the personal motive for vengeance, but the connection to any rational Jewish vengeance is tenuous at best. P.D. James certainly does not explain it to my satisfaction, anyway, and I found the whole portrayal of Aaron and his family relations offensive, his dereliction from duty shocking, grotesque, and inexplicable. Aaron's reasoning, such as it is, is so flippant and juvenile that it raises the question of whether James is antisemitic.

Inspector Dalgliesh has figured out the murders-it's not clear how-just in time to fly a helicopter to the place of the final showdown. After it has occurred. All Dalgliesh does is briefly note Aaron's failure to arrest the criminal or to prevent his escape and then get back on the helicopter and fly away. They all assume, without even attempting to verify, that the murderer has succeeded in killing himself. The reader is left to speculate on the consequences to Inspector Daniel, but it seems unlikely that he will reappear in another book as an inspector. Again, one can only hope that P.D. James' version of Scotland Yard is off the mark.

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Hannibal Lecter. Hardly anybody on the planet would not have heard of this name. Even the mention of it sends chills down your spine. Hannibal, of course, is the creation of author extraordinaire, Thomas Harris. Don't worry, I'm not going to give too much away. Hmm, let's just say that you are in for a feast. I mean... a treat. And that is such a lovely cologne you are wearing... th-th-th-th-th...

Pardon my exhuberance.

I have followed this character through the series right from "Red Dragon" through to the massively popular "The Silence of the Lambs" then the book simply titled "Hannibal." Now Harris has released "Hannibal Rising" (ISBN: 9780434014088).

Before I commence my review of this, the latest, Hannibal the Cannibal novel I have three admissions to make:

First, I have not read the first book that Harris wrote, that being "Black Sunday."

Second, the book following "The Silence of the Lambs," simply titled "Hannibal," thoroughly disgusted me because I thought it was just gore for gore's sake. I considered it to be Harris simply cashing in on the character like so many other serial writers have done.

Third, I haven't finished the last few chapters. I have done this deliberately as I don't want to inadvertently give anything away and become a spoiler of the novel.

So... "Hannibal Rising" - hold onto your hats folks - and anything else you can get hold of. This book is seriously creepy and disturbing. It certainly is NOT for the queasy or faint-hearted. Don't give this book to your grandmother to read!

It tells the story of young Hannibal and what happened to him and his family during World War II. At this point of chronology young Hannibal is 13. Europe is being ravaged by war. Atrocities are being committed everywhere. The description of what happened to Hannibal's little sister "Mischa" is haunting. In the book Hannibal plays it over and over again in his mind. You just know that he is going to explode into action. But you don't know quite when. Harris skillfully leads his readers to the precipice many times.

This "back story" of the Lecters explains precisely why Hannibal becomes the psychotic killer that we are so fearful of in the earlier books. Unlike the novel "Hannibal" this latest novel is more skillfully and sensibly written. We also get an insight into Hannibal's so-called "memory palace."

There are five guys in this book that commit heinous crimes against the Lecters. You won't have to guess too hard about what Hannibal commences to do when he is old enough. Let me say I would NOT want to be ANY of them.

There are times when Hannibal shows his sensitive side but they are few and far between - just enough to allow us to know that the beast is not entirely in control. For most of the book, let me just say that Hannibal is predictably unpredictable - and that makes him chillingly frightening.

I read hundreds of books - fiction and non-fiction. They give me the inspiration and motivation to write my own material. I can't put this book down! It is interfering with my normal routines.

Harris, in my opinion, has written a very worthy novel. I hope it gets turned into a movie. It will explain a great deal about the good Doctor Lecter. Did I say good?

Now for a score... Well, I still have about one-eighth of the novel to go but I have to give credit where it is due. So - 10/10. Like I said, I read hundreds of books. This magnificently crafted novel is right up there with the very best of them.

Whew! I think I'll finish off "Hannibal Rising" and then, perhaps, have a little chianti with my dinner.

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No Stone Unturned
By: Jeanette A. Fratto
Published By: Outskirts Press
ISBN: 978-1-4327-4553-0

Part love story, part a novel of starting over, and part a compelling, page-turning tale of mystery and suspense, No Stone Unturned, the debut novel by Jeanette A. Fratto, is one you won't want to put down. It's told from the perspective of the first-person narrator, Linda Davenport, who leaves behind her old boring life and her old job as an English teacher in Michigan when she's offered a new job in California as a copy editor of children's books for Grenville Publishing. She meets a woman on the plane trip, Carol Alder, who is very friendly, and is a probation officer in California. They hit it off, and later, after they meet and go shopping together and eat at an Italian restaurant in Brentwood, Carole suggests that Linda would make a good probation officer, herself.

"Orange County is heading for a real hiring frenzy in the next few months. They need good people. People with backgrounds like yours."

Linda's career seems to headed in a different direction, though. She has moved into a huge house that she shares with its owner, a very nice older woman named Edith, and Edith's cook and maid, Charlotte. Edith's told her that if she wants, she can even eat meals with herself and Charlotte, because she always buys too many groceries and often there's too much to eat and a lot of it gets thrown away. Also, Linda's new job is within easy walking distance, so she doesn't have to think about getting a car anytime soon.

Everything is going fine for Linda, but she sometimes reminisces about her days in college, and her boyfriend then, David Wyndham, how much they loved each other, and what caused their eventual breakup. Their split was due to the demands David's controlling parents put on him, and to their displeasure that their son wasn't interested in a young woman from a higher social class. David's father told him that after graduation, when he joined the same law firm as his father, he'd have to work long hours. Then, when his father suffered from a heart attack, David had to work that much harder, and time seemed to get away from him and he and Linda lost contact with each other. His promises to write her were empty ones.

When Carol's car plummets off of a treacherous curvy road, the Ortega Highway, and Carol dies in the crash, it's devastating to Linda. Carol's brother, Gregory, contacts Linda and tells her that he thinks the car wreck wasn't an accident, and he asks to meet with Linda and talk about it. Linda is dubious at first, but comes to believe that Carol's death might have had something to do with a Grand Jury hearing going on, and missing adult case files of criminals involved dealing drugs.

The subsidiary Linda is supposed to begin working for as a copy editor gets bought up by a larger company, and there is no longer a job opening for her at Grenville. Linda decides to try to go through the lengthy and arduous process and testing required to become a Probation Officer, seeing it as both a new and interesting career path since her copy editing job fell through, and also as a way to investigate further into Carol's death and help Gregory find out who, if anybody, was responsible for his sister's car crash.

No Stone Unturned involves Linda Davenport's efforts to leave no stone unturned in her quest to discover who was behind her friend Carol's death. Her investigation takes her to the houses of dangerous probation violators, and eventually she begins to put together more and more pieces of the puzzle. She reunites with her old boyfriend, David, who is overseeing a local drug program funded largely with the Wyndham's money. But, will she be able to complete the puzzle, or will she become the next target of whomever was behind Carol's death? Check out No Stone Unturned, Jeanette Fratto's brilliant novel full of rekindled romance and plot twists and turns today to find out more!

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