“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

Thursday, January 13, 2011

The Best Things In Life Are Free … Books

The good people at Serpent’s Tail have been kind enough to offer Crime Always Pays three free copies of Sam Hawken’s THE DEAD WOMEN OF JUAREZ, a debut no less than a personage than Sir Kenneth of Bruen describes as, “A beautiful, compassionate, gruelling novel, as ferocious to read as it is soul wrenching … This book will haunt you for a long, long time.” Quoth the blurb elves:
Since 1993 over 400 women have been murdered in Ciudad Juárez. Residents believe the true number of disappeared stands at 5,000. When a new disappearance is reported, Kelly Courter, a washed-up Texan boxer, and Rafael Sevilla, a Mexican detective, are sucked into an underworld of organised crime, believing they can outwit the corruption all around. THE DEAD WOMEN OF JUAREZ follows these two men obsessed with seeking the truth about the female victims of the Mexican border wars.
  To be in with a chance of winning a copy of THE DEAD WOMEN OF JUAREZ, just answer the following question:
What one Mexico-set novel, other than Sam Hawken’s debut, should we all read before we die?
  Answers via the comment box below, please, making sure to include a contact email address (using ‘at’ rather than @ to confuse the spam monkeys). All entries go into my bobbly hat. Competition closes at noon on Thursday, January 13th. Et bon chance, mes amis

26 comments:

Kieran Shea said...

Under the Volcano-damn, that was easy.

Kieran Shea said...

oh, bother...kieranjshea@aol.com

Kevin Burton Smith said...

No Happy Ending by Paco Ignacio Taibo.

kvnsmith at thrillingdetective.com

Unknown said...

Badges, We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges by Chico 'Chicovitch' Morientes.

NQ said...

Power of the Dog by Don Winslow

hullcrimefiction at hotmail.co.uk

Declan Burke said...

Dear Mr Morientes - plugging your own books on this site is strictly forbidden, unless you happen to called Declan J. Burke. If such unpleasantness occurs again, I will be forced to go over there and spank you - unless, of course, I suspect that that is what you're really after. You have been warned.

Cheers, Donny

Unknown said...

Gringos by Charles Portis.
macavityabc at gmail.com

Ellen Clair Lamb said...

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS by Kent Harrington.

LambLetters@gmail.com

Alan Griffiths said...

Bordersnakes by James Crumley

agriffy(at)dsl.pipex.com

Sean Patrick Reardon said...

I'm coming up empty, but Adrian McKinty's FIFTY GRAND has an awesome scene set in Mexico. I think in real-life the Mexican cartels are providing plenty of great story material. Gilby Clark & Slash's TIJUANA JAIL is what I'd be listening as I'm trying to outrun the policia with a trunk full of ...

Unknown said...

You know me too well, Mr Burke. Too well. Alcohol must be taken at the end of January - purely for medical reasons, you understand

lil Gluckstern said...

I'm going way back, but I loved "The Old Gringo," by Carlos Fuentes. Not a crime novel, but beautiful evocation.

lilhmb(at)sbcglobal.net

Anonymous said...

the shadow of the shawdow, taibo.

shelterfromthestorm@ earthlink.net

Declan Burke said...

Crikey. And there was me thing that Blank the Blankety Blanks by Blankety Blank, and The Blank of Blank Blankety Blank by Blank Blank, were two certs to feature.

Anyone guessing those titles, by the way, is up for a special prize.*

Cheers, Dec

* No Adrian McKintys may apply.

seana graham said...

I thought I had the first of them, but I had the rhythm wrong. Still it gives me something to enter.

The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes.

seana(at)cruzio.com

Luckily for us, Adrian is probably trapped in a snowstorm right now, so try harder, everyone.

seana graham said...

Also, the Treasure of the Sierra Madre, by B. Traven. Another one I thought scanned, but didn't.

Anonymous said...

Tequila Blue - Rolo Diez

col2910(at)gmail.com

BB said...

I'll take a punt at All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. As for the other...

Bob

Jeni said...

The Black Minutes by jenimom at gmail.com

Brian Lindenmuth said...

Tijuana Strait by Kem Nunn

blindenmuth at geemail dot com

michael said...

The Uncomfortable Dead by Subcomandante Marcos and Paco Ignacio Taibo II

mds1142 at gmail dot com

David Corbett said...

So many great recommendations already. I'd second TEQUILA BLUE by Rolo Diez, THE DEATH OF ARTEMIO CRUZ by Carlos Fuentes, POWER OF THE DOG by Don Winslow, and DIA DE LOS MUERTOS by Kent Harrington. Paco Taibo's a must read--wonderful stuff. Also just about anything by Luis Alberto Urrea, specifically THE HUMMINGBIRD'S DAUGHTER and INTO THE BEAUTIFUL NORTH. But his non-fiction books about the border are wonderful too. And Chuck Bowden's MURDER CITY, also about Juarez, is a mindfuck from hell.

seana graham said...

The best thing about this challenge is that I'm getting some great recs and reminders.

So I'll add Stones For Ibarra by Harriet Doerr and and a great nonfiction travel narrative, A Visit to Don Octavio by Sybille Bedford.

Declan Burke said...

Seana - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, yes - it would have been too easy if it had scanned perfectly.

Bob - All the Pretty Horses it is, squire.

Gold stars and spotter's badges all round, folks.

Meanwhile - no one taking a punt on Richard Ford's The Ultimate Good Luck?

Cheers, Dec

Rick Ollerman said...

"Mexico Set" by Len Deighton. Second book of the first trilogy of perhaps the most brilliant cold war/spy sequence ever. Or not. But they're really, really good.

rick at ollerman.com

GeoffS said...

The Ruins by Scott Smith

Geofferson (at) gmail dot com