Rip Tidings

It just had to happen. Today marking the start a new month, there is a fresh edition, in Shots, of Mike Ripley’s “Getting Away with Murder” column. Up for consideration this time ’round are John Gardner’s 1964 classic, The Liquidator; a “quite magisterial two-volume study, Icons of Mystery and Crime Detection: From Sleuths to Superheroes”; Scottish writer Doug Johnstone; the forthcoming crop of Spanish mysteries; and a prequel to the late R.D. Wingfield’s acclaimed Inspector Jack Frost series, coming in January from Bantam UK and penned by the pseudonymous James Henry.

What’s more, the columnist is finally announcing his Shots of the Year Awards for 2010. “These are unique awards in the world of crime fiction,” Ripley writes, “as they come with little fanfare, no large cash prize, no attempt at a transparent judging process, very little publicity and precious little prestige.” Nonetheless, reading recommendations from such an authority as The Ripster deserve attention.

Read more here.