The Embiggened O # 1,001: Another Day, Another Million Dollars

Gadzooks! What fresh lunacy is this? Regular readers of Crime Always Pays will be aware of our ongoing campaign to persecute proper writers for big-ups and hup-yas on behalf of our humble offering, THE BIG O, in the hope that their collective efforts might convince some unsuspecting American publisher to release the book in the US. And lo! It worked! For yea, it has come to pass that the lovely people at Harcourt have in their infinite wisdom decided that THE BIG O is as good a tax deductible as any, and will be putting it between covers in the very near future. Are we stoked? Is our collective gast flabbered? Are we terrified that a little American boy will point out that the Irish emperor is wearing no clothes? Yes, yes and only on Tuesdays, respectively. By way of heartfelt thanks to said proper writers, a brief summary of those hup-yas and big-ups runneth thusly:

“Declan Burke’s THE BIG O is one of the sharpest, wittiest and most unusual Irish crime novels of recent years.” – John Connolly; “Burke has [George V.] Higgins’ gift for dialogue, [Barry] Gifford’s concision and the effortless cool of Elmore Leonard at his peak.” – Ray Banks; “From first page to last, THE BIG O grabs hold and won’t let go.” – Reed Farrel Coleman; “Excellent writing, great characters, superb storytelling – all played out at a ferocious tempo.” – Allan Guthrie; “THE BIG O has everything you want in a crime novel: machinegun dialogue, unforgettable characters, and a wicked plot.” – Jason Starr; “THE BIG O is a very entertaining crime novel. It’s fast-moving, it has snappy dialogue, and it’s wickedly funny.” – Bill Crider; “The writing is a joy, so seamless you nearly miss the sheer artistry of the style and the terrific wry humour.” – Ken Bruen.

And while we’re still in grateful mode – it doesn’t happen very often – a huge hat-tip to the following interweb sites and blogs who have been very supportive of THE BIG O over the last few months, to wit: The Rap Sheet, Detectives Beyond Borders, Petrona, Euro Crime, International Noir, It’s A Crime, Pulp Pusher, Shots Mag, International Crime, Reviewing the Evidence, and - last but by no means least - Crime Spree Magazine, in the current issue of which you’ll find THE BIG O reviewed by the inimitable Jen Jordan, who is generous enough to offer sage marriage advice in the process. Oh, and a special mention for Michael Gallagher of Murder Ink, Dublin's premier crime fiction outlet. Folks? Feel the love.