Crime Express – the best yet

I edit a series of short novellas (we used to call them long short stories, but things have moved on) for Five Leaves. The sixth and seventh in the Crime Express series are published today. They’re corkers, the best yet. First we have ‘Gun’ by Ray Banks, a tight, gripping noir by a young writer new to me. I defy you not to read in a sitting. Then there’s the only book in the series that I commissioned myself, ‘Speaking Of Lust’ by Lawrence Block, a grand master of crime writing, who I’ve been reading for donkey’s years, and who I was lucky enough to meet up with in New York earlier this year. This is a very spicy quartet of shaggy something stories, told over a card game by one of the best prose writers in the business. Irresistable.

These books are beautifully produced and pocket sized, making ideal stocking fillers. Buy them (and download extracts) here and here.

That’s it for posts about publishing this year. Next up, the best of year sleevenotes.