Sleeping Dogs
Posted May 13, 2008 
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With the political season not taking a break, Ed Gorman’s mystery SLEEPING DOGS is a perfect respite from the headlines. Longtime political advisor Dev Conrad works for Sen. Warren Nichols, who is trying to hold onto his seat while his opponent Jim Lake seems to be gaining ground.
The novel opens with the two candidates about to have another debate, where things will change for everyone involved, once Nichols goes down from either a stroke or a heart attack. Lake comes off as the savior after trying to revive his opponent, but Dev believes that somebody might have screwed around with the dead’s drink.
It’s always best to read from an author who knows his subject inside and out, and can weave together a story the layman can understand. Police officer Michael A. Black does both in 
Joe Dunne is a big-city private investigator hired to do a job he doesn’t really want: scaring a local student-preying drug dealer out of town. Nonetheless, Joe does the job well. Perhaps even too well, because then his one-time employer recommends him to a guy who comes in with an even bigger assignment: “I want you to kill five people.”
It’s the familial touches that make Deborah Crombie’s 
It was the original British country-estate murder case. It was investigated by one of the eight detectives who started Scotland Yard. It captured the imagination of Charles Dickens and directly inspired Wilkie Collins. And it all took place at Road Hill in 1860, with the discovery of the throat-slit body of a 3-year-old boy.
Throw up the devil horns, readers, and crank up 
As becomes more and more clear with each trade paperback issued, SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE is the greatest comic of the ’90s that no one seems to talk about. 
Because time isn’t always kind: economic reviews in a world full of waste!
When I was in junior high school back in the mid-’80s, lots of fellow students read the fantasy novels of Terry Brooks, starting with 
Not long after a Planned Parenthood clinic is bombed, one of its teen clients is found dead in a Dumpster, in L.J. Sellers’ politically charged mystery 
Military science fiction remains elusive to my tastes. I get caught and confused by all the lingo, nicknames, abbreviations, rank and descriptions of weapons. I had higher hopes for 
Not quite an episode guide, tie-in novel or encyclopedia, 
Quick takes and capsule reviews from the dark suspense master himself, Ed Gorman!
Haffner Press’ 
Life behind the badge is explored by 19 top crime authors in 
In 
Picking up a few months after the events of 
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Those were the words that first came to me after reading about half of Åsa Larsson’s 
Look at all the pretty paintings in this column! We have two well-known artists providing the visuals: Robert McGinnis and Robert Maguire. For anyone who has a few Stark House reprints handy, you actually have the photos that Maguire used for reference to paint his covers. Think of this column as a Maguire sandwich with two slices of McGinnis.
Although Robert Bloch made his reputation with horror or horrorific stories and novels, he worked steadily throughout his career in the mystery and crime genres, as Hard Case Crime’s new double book (more of these, please) 
It took me just three months into 2008 to find a book that might be the novel of this year. In 
truTV – formerly CourtTV – recently held a “Search for the Next Great Crime Writer.” Winning the contest was English professor Hal McDonald. You now can judge for yourself whether the search was successful, as his debut novel has arrived: 
