Second, while you should already know about my involvement with Crippen & Landru's The Cases of Lieutenant Trant short story collection, since that was published I have been writing some book introductions for Coachwhip, for reissues of vintage mysteries by Virginia Rath, Dorothy Cole Meade and Laverne Rice. Cover wraps for the first two authors are posted below. More is coming for Rath.
I also am excited to report that Stark House, who recently reprinted Bernice Carey, is publishing a volume of two crime novels by accomplished mid-century American crime writer Ruth Fenisong, who has been out of print for almost fifty years. I have been reading and researching the author for some time now and I have contributed the introduction to this volume. More on Ruth and her crime fiction is forthcoming in my next blog post.
Lastly (but not, um, leastly), I have a new book coming out next year, Members of the Club. More on this too soon.
These Raths are Rocky Allan mysteries number one through five; number six, Murder with a Theme Song, which has Michael and Valerie Dundas too, will be coming soon, as well as another Michael and Valerie Dundas title, Death Breaks the Ring, where Rocky makes a brief cameo. There will be six other Dundas mysteries as well.
I'm impressed by both the quantity and the quality of the work you're doing, Curtis. There's no stopping you! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe Ruth Fenisong twofer is really good news, both because she is an interesting writer and because her books are so damn hard to find. These are definitely a great time to be alive for the vintage mystery fan. I realize it's way too early to ask as the book has been out for a few months but can we expect more Bernice Carey (and Jean Potts while we're at it) ?
I hope so with the Carey. I don't really have anything to do with the Potts ones, though I like her quite a lot.
DeleteThanks, I often think of all our old lamentations and things have changed quite a lot.
I like Ruth Fenisong. Most of her stuff, I find, is not really the classic "domestic suspense" but more police proceduralish but with lots of human interest. I've been reading her for some years now. I love Grid!
There is another Jean Potts volume in the works from Stark House. It may come out sooner than I know. Greg Shepard asked me to write the intro. I'm finishing it up this week and sending it off soon. I expect like the previous Potts book that this new 2-in-1 volume will be released in February.
DeleteYour productivity in all things GAD is always awe-inspiring lol Very intrigued by the title of your forth coming book. Can't wait to hear more!
ReplyDeleteI've received three Stark House books (Carey, Potts and Hitchens) and I am hoping to get stuck into them soon.
Yes, the Fenisong is following so there's a cascade!
DeleteThanks for the preview - they look like interesting novels! Do you have any specific recommendations among these titles for the puzzle-oriented mystery reader?
ReplyDeleteWith the Rath I'd start right at the beginning with the Folly book.
DeleteYou should like the Laverne Rice too!
DeleteSo happy about Virginia Rath's books being reprinted. Grossly underappreciated mystery writer, IMO. Not at all written about...except perhaps at Mystery*File. Murder on the Day of Judgment is a corker and quite a subversive detective novel for the time. The Doubleday Crime Club books had lots of minor classics that border on tour de force-ism. I kept thinking she couldn't be going where she was going and she did! A daring move, pulled off with panache. Excellent study in the cultivation and inculcation of evil and amorality and very timely in our age, I'd say. I'll help promote the Rath titles over at my blog.
ReplyDeleteI wrote about Death at Dayton's Folly a while back. I mentioned your review on the blog. She fooled with me Judgment, no question, didn't see that coming!
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