If the editor wants to chip off a piece of the Edgar ...

Alas, no Edgar Award nominations for my fiction this year, but I am very proud to have essays in two books nominated in the Critical/Biographical category: Books to Die For, edited by John Connolly and Declan Burke and In Pursuit of Spenser, edited by Otto Penzler.

My essay in the former is about the glory of Daniel Woodrell’s novel Tomato Red. My piece in the latter is a critical analysis of Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone vis a vis his other protagonists. If either book wins, the Edgar itself is given to the editor(s). If they want to chip off small pieces for the contributors, I wouldn’t object. In any case, both books are pretty fascinating and should be in the collection of any mystery fan.