“Declan Burke is his own genre. The Lammisters dazzles, beguiles and transcends. Virtuoso from start to finish.” – Eoin McNamee “This bourbon-smooth riot of jazz-age excess, high satire and Wodehouse flamboyance is a pitch-perfect bullseye of comic brilliance.” – Irish Independent Books of the Year 2019 “This rapid-fire novel deserves a place on any bookshelf that grants asylum to PG Wodehouse, Flann O’Brien or Kyril Bonfiglioli.” – Eoin Colfer, Guardian Best Books of the Year 2019 “The funniest book of the year.” – Sunday Independent “Declan Burke is one funny bastard. The Lammisters ... conducts a forensic analysis on the anatomy of a story.” – Liz Nugent “Burke’s exuberant prose takes centre stage … He plays with language like a jazz soloist stretching the boundaries of musical theory.” – Totally Dublin “A mega-meta smorgasbord of inventive language ... linguistic verve not just on every page but every line.Irish Times “Above all, The Lammisters gives the impression of a writer enjoying himself. And so, dear reader, should you.” – Sunday Times “A triumph of absurdity, which burlesques the literary canon from Shakespeare, Pope and Austen to Flann O’Brien … The Lammisters is very clever indeed.” – The Guardian

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

“Ya Wanna Do It Here Or Down The Station, Punk?” # 2,012: Paul Charles

Yep, it’s rubber-hose time, folks: a rapid-fire Q&A for those shifty-looking usual suspects ...
What crime novel would you most like to have written?
Anatomy of A Murder by Robert Traver. It’s a true classic.
Who do you read for guilty pleasures?
Anything with the magic word “Beatles” on the jacket.
Most satisfying writing moment?
Would have to be starting a new book. In this case I’m talking about the second Starrett mystery, called Family Life, which I’m currently working on.
The best Irish crime novel is …?
Anything by Colin Bateman.
What Irish crime novel would make a great movie?
A Kind of Homecoming by Eugene McEldowney.
Worst / best thing about being a writer?
The best thing is the dangerously beautiful space you fall into while working on the book. There really isn’t a worst thing; the privilege to write and be published pales any gripe into insignificance.
Why does John Banville use a pseudonym for writing crime?
To separate his work?
The three best words to describe your own writing are …?
Very, very real. I try as best I know how to keep my fiction factual.

Paul Charles’ first Inspector Starrett mystery, The Dust of Death, is published on September 4.

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