Southern Crime Fiction

[Angie]

And yes, I'm talking about the U.S. Deep South. Anybody got any rec's for books by Southern writers? I like the darker stuff - noir, hard-boiled, y'know, dark! I've already read a ton of JLB, but know I'm missing out on a ton of other writers. Help!

[Dana King]

JD Rhoades is good. Another I love, though he's not dark, is Carl Hiaasen.

[Angie]

Yep, Mr. Rhoades is on my list. And I love Hiaasen, but I'm in the mood for dark. Thanks!

[Deirdre]

Heather Graham - murder and paranormal events with some romance thrown in. She's a wonderful author. I'm saving up to buy the newest book that just came out. Looks really good.

Deirdre

[Angie]

I dig the cross-genre thing, but romance...not so much. I'll poke around, though. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Don Anderson]

I nominate anything by Daniel Woodrell. His more recent novels have been described as "Country Noir," and they play out among the hardbitten folks in the Ozarks. The latest is WINTER'S BONE, which follows Ree, the teenage daughter of a jailed meth dealer who puts up the family home as bail, and then disappears. Ree has to care for her two young brothers and sedated, mentally ill mother, while trying to find her father before they lose the house. Beautiful prose that conveys the secrecy, loyalty and paranoia of the culture.

On the other hand, his earlier Rene Shade series follows the Cajun cop through the corrupt and dirty world of of St.Bruno, a fictional bayou town. Hardboiled, yet completely different from the standalones that make up the "Country Noir" collection.

In short, if you haven't read Woodrell, you just don't know what you're missing. One of the great underappreciated writers of this generation.

[Angie]

Y'know, WINTER'S BONE has been on my 'must check out' list for ages. I keep looking for it at my local bookstore, but no dice. Guess it's time to go ahead and order the damn thing from Amazon - thanks for the reminder.

[Donna Moore]

Don's absolutely right - Daniel Woodrell is your man. Any and all of his books. For other southern writers - well, my geography is pretty bad but how about Joe Lansdale (and Rick Riordan (Texas), Anthony Neil Smith, Ace Atkins and James Sallis (Louisiana), James Crumley (southern California), James O Born and Carl Hiaasen (Florida), Steve Brewer (New Mexico).

[Angie]

Thanks, Donna! You've made Amazon very, very happy - when the books get here, hopefully I'll be very, very happy, too. Woodrell, A N Smith & James Sallis to the rescue.

I gotta cut you some slack, but Cali is on the other side o' the country, NM is in the Southwest (not Deep South, which is the Southeast). And Texas? Most Texans consider it a country unto itself.

[Donna Moore]

I did wonder but it IS southern California :o) To me, that's south! And it's Crumley. THE LAST GOOD KISS is pure bliee. I forgot another Florida author - Charles Willeford.

[Tom Cooke]

Yeah, I know, we're 'Like a Whole Other Country'. Actually my part of the State is another country. South Texas. But if you haven't read Riordan's BIG RED TEQUILA, you might want to give it a try.
I thought it was a great read.

[BrianLindenmuth]

It seems like I've been invoking his name a lot lately but...Harry Crews, Harry Crews, Harry Crews. A Feast of Snakes is a classic.

Also there is a debut from McSweeneys from a couple of months ago that I recommend, Arkansas by John Brandon

[Angie]

Will check 'em out - thanks!