Deadline Extended

Those of you who have been following the discussion of The Rap Sheet’s “crime novels you must read before you die” project over at Crimespace know that this topic can generate passion. Lots of it. It has also produced some really wonderful suggestions of books to include on our list--a few of which we hadn’t thought of in a very, very long while. We are going to have a hard time winnowing down the list. But one thing we did commit to upfront was, we’d only include one book per author on our final roster, so winnowing will ultimately be necessary.

Because of the enthusiasm this project has produced, we’ve decided to give people a bit more time to make their reading suggestions. So everyone will now have until Friday, April 4, to participate. You can either add your suggestions of appropriate titles to the Crimespace discussion (here) or e-mail the title and author of the book you’d like to nominate, plus two or three sentences explaining why you think it deserves a place on our list, to jpwrites@wordcuts.org.

We look forward to receiving more generous contributions to this project from our readers.

Making a List, Checking It Twice

Late last week, we alerted Rap Sheet readers to the British Telegraph’s attempt at creating a list of “Fifty Crime Writers to Read Before You Die.” The paper’s editors seemed sincere in their struggle to put together a rundown that covered the range of older and newer authors and offerings. But we’ve learned since then that there were some peculiar biases in the way choices were made, and as any knowledgeable reader of the piece could attest, there were any number of surprising exclusions. How could the Telegraph folks have failed to mention Ross Macdonald and Rex Stout, for instance? Or how about James M. Cain, Ross Thomas, Laura Lippman, John Harvey, James Crumley, Val McDermid, Ellery Queen, Ian Rankin, Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, Ken Bruen, Erle Stanley Gardner, and Martin Cruz Smith?

But hey, we’re not here to complain. We’re here to help ... and maybe enlighten and entertain as we go along.

Ever since that Telegraph article appeared, we have been thinking that it wouldn’t be a half-bad idea to come up with a must-read list of our own. We won’t limit it falsely to 50 books and authors, but will feature as many names as seems appropriate. However, we will restrict this list to one book per author, so it looks like we’ll finally have to answer the question, “Is Chandler’s The Long Goodbye really better than his Farewell, My Lovely?

In this venture, we are asking for your assistance. What do you think are the crime, mystery, and thriller novels that every fan ought to read before he or she dies? We’d especially like to hear from the many published crime novelists who read The Rap Sheet. But we are also curious to know what books other readers suggest.

All you need to do to participate in this list-making adventure is e-mail the title and author of the book you’re nominating, plus two or three sentences explaining why you think it deserves a place on our list, to jpwrites@sprynet.com. And in the subject line, please type “Book List.” I shall gather up all of the responses, consult with my fellow editors here, and report back to you when we’ve completed our winnowing-out process. Oh, and feel free to nominate more than one book, if you so choose.

In the end, we might arrive at our own “Fifty Crime Writers to Read Before You Die.” Or we could settle on 60, or 70, or even more. Whatever seems most representative of the genre’s strengths and diversity. What this boils down to, really, is a selection of books and authors with staying power.

The deadline for submissions to this list is Friday, March 21. *DEADLINE EXTENDED TILL FRIDAY, APRIL 4.*

So put your thinking caps on, check your shelves, and let us know what novels you believe every crime and thriller fan ought to read at least once--new or old, best-selling or obscure; pick any titles you want, so long as the books are available in English.

We look forward to hearing from you soon. Again, send your suggestions to jpwrites@wordcuts.org.

But What About …?

The proliferation of books and cheesy magazine articles about “things you must do before you die” is starting to become epidemic. Now comes the UK’s Telegraph with an article destined to drum up heated debate in the blogosphere: “Fifty Crime Writers to Read Before You Die.” Explains the newspaper:

After a debate that left senior members of the Telegraph’s literary staff with pulled hair, black eyes and, in one case, an infected bite, we this week present our list of the 50 great crime writers of all time.

We present them in no particular order, and make no apology for our omissions. But we would like to know what you think. Should Ellery Queen have been two of the names on the list? Hate [Patricia] Highsmith? Log on, or write in, and say so.

We wanted to compile a list of writers we had, jointly and severally, loved. We wanted to include writers like Dash Hammett, who brought something new and exciting to the genre; like Elmore Leonard, who turns an old trick in it with incomparable style; and like [Edgar Allan] Poe, who invented it. We did not, except incidentally, take into account popularity.

Who, we asked ourselves finally, are the crime writers who can actually write? We believe any serious reader will profit from acquaintance with any of the writers on this list.

I’ve taken a long, hard look at this list. There are of course many stalwarts of the genre (Arthur Conan Doyle, Ed McBain, Ruth Rendell, Mickey Spillane) who are included. And thankfully, the Telegraph folks didn’t feel the need to arrange these names in some ridiculous countdown order. It’s just a list of 50 wordsmiths (or 51, if you include the “bonus interview” with Robert B. Parker). But what will set off arguments here is who isn’t on the list. Why in the world, for instance, are Dennis Lehane, Ross Macdonald, and James M. Cain absent? And what about P.D. James, or John Harvey, or Michael Connelly? Certainly, all of them belong on any roster of crime writers who ought to be read, and read often. But I was at least pleased to see that Stieg Larsson, author of the amazing new novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo made the Telegraph’s cut.

Do you have other thoughts about this list of 50 writers? Leave a comment below, or join the debate at The Telegraph’s Web site.

READ MORE: “Controversy from the Telegraph,” by Uriah Robinson (Crime Scraps).