Another Benay Client on the Horizon

We’d like to introduce all of our readers to Digital Overload, our newest client.  They intend to be at the forefront of digital entertainment, opening up their first gaming center in Connecticut early in 2011.  From tabletop cards, PC, and console video gaming, Digital Overload will offer the latest experiences, the hottest titles, and the most competitive tournament ladders on state of the art equipment including 30-inch LCDs and a wall-length, jaw-dropping projector screen.

The video game industry has grown steadily from its humble roots over the last decade.  No doubt all of you have seen your friends, children, or family hunched forward, gripping sleek controllers and yelling wildly as they jump pits, fire cannons, or fight monsters appearing on the screens before them.  Perhaps you have spent more than a few hours in the same frantic pose.  Digital Overload is poised to give this frenzy a permanent home with late hours, in-store rankings, and a library of games for competitive and league play.

Check out their beta website here and don’t forget to watch this blog for updates and information about their grand opening!

Dark Deeds in Ireland

Proving that the recent trend of mixing detective fiction with the supernatural is less a passing fancy and more the foundation of a strong new genre, Soho Crime’s Collusion, by Neville Stuart, received an extremely enthusiastic review this week from Spinetingler Magazine.  Collusion follows up where The Ghosts of Belfast left off.  The aftermath of a bloody shootout draws in Jack Lennon, a Detective Inspector who has his job as a DI with the Protestant Northern police force and not much else.  Shunned by his Catholic family and friends, Jack throws himself doggedly into his work, latching onto each case as they come to him, until he gets wind of the frame-up and massacre left behind at the end of The Ghosts of Belfast.

Hunted by a mysterious otherworldly killer named ‘The Traveller’ the ex-assassin protagonist of the last book is forced to team up with Jack just to stay alive.  Collusion offers up conspiracy, violence, sex, bullets, and voices from beyond the grave in what most reviewers are affectionately referring to as fast-paced fiction.  Do yourself a favor and read the books in order.   Pick up Ghosts and Collusion for some page-turning adrenaline this weekend.

A Lost Little Girl

Today we have something a little different to offer everyone.  No doubt you’ve been following our coverage of our clients’ successes, the novels and memoirs that have gotten mention in such publications as The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal.  If you’ve been devouring these stories like we have, it’s a safe bet that at least a few of you are itching to take a crack at storytelling yourselves.  

Well, you’re in luck.  One of our new friends and favorite ideas of 2011, Figment, is running a contest which ends on the 24^th.  The rules are simple: You start with the photograph below, write a short story of 1000 words or less, and submit it on time.  Expect friendly competition though.  Figment is the new place to write, read, and commune with other writers online, a place to store your work while it’s in progress, and a destination for those seeking help and advice when their stories start to sag.  Even if you’re not feeling up to this contest, you can be sure that come January 24^th there will be a host of fine-tuned short stories inspired by the image below for your reading enjoyment.  Click here and see for yourself.

“This is the last photograph taken of a girl who has gone missing. Who is she? What happened to her? Where did she go? These details that are left to you. Write 1000 words or less with this as your inspiration. Our one stipulation: the story must be written from the point of view of the person looking for this girl.”

Tangled Webs Indeed

A nod from the Wall Street Journal this week for Soho Crime and The False Inspector Drew, Peter Lovesey’s Roaring 20s mystery based on the real life case of Dr. Crippen, a dentist who killed his wife and whose arrest was a landmark in the progress of police innovation.  Without revealing too much, we can tell you that a pair of lovers on the run for murder board a cruise ship bound for Canada.  In a fit of arrogance, the dead woman’s husband takes on the name of Inspector Dew and masquerades as a sleuth.

The disguise is a perfect fit, keeping suspicions far away.  After all, who would suspect good Inspector Dew of being a killer?  He must be on the right side of the law.  So when another murder occurs aboard the ship, miles away from any law enforcement, it is only natural for the captain to turn to the good inspector in order to solve the crime.  If we’ve got your attention already, buy a copy today and find out how the story unfolds.

More Reviews from New York

A well-written review in Downtown Express has us excited about the third book in successful SohoCrime novel Red Jade, by Henry Chang.  The article boasts that, “There are a lot of genre detectives who remain fairly two-dimensional. But Chang’s characters have more shadings, more nuances. You don’t just see the mystery. You see how it came about, and how people found themselves in the situation — so you get a more sympathetic view.”  It suggests that Chang’s Chinatown Trilogy has one of the things we look for most in a mystery, or any story: reality.

If you haven’t picked up one of the series yet, the books tell the story of Jack Yu, a native from Chinatown who leaves his home to become a police officer, only to be transferred back because of his cultural knowledge and connections to the people.  Every case brings him face-to-face with some aspect of his past, people he’d dealt with as an equal before leaving and earning his badge.  Both the victims and perpetrators of the crimes he investigates are people he knew, bringing a personal, ethical layer to the drama.  Red Jade is definitely in its own league. 

2011 Praise for Soho

Another nod to Soho Press from The New York Times for Stan Jones’ Village of the Ghost Bears in this week’s ‘Paperback Row’.  We’re pleased to see our client getting so much good press in 2010 and even happier to see the trend continuing into the new year. 

Village of the Ghost Bears continues another Soho trend: producing gripping stories set in compelling, unusual locations.  Nathan Active is an Alaska State Trooper puzzling over a string of seemingly unconnected murders.  A Rec Center fire, a dead hunter, and an old plane crash are somehow connected to poachers who prey on polar bears in the frozen north.  Active’s gruff charm seems to echo the harsh beauty of the icy tundra as he keeps his eyes peeled for clues in the populated wilderness.  But there’s more to the story than murder and snow.  Buy a copy and find out for yourself.

Dirty Business Down Under

January Magazine has chosen Gunshot Road by Adrian Hyland as one of the best books of 2010.  Hyland’s latest offers more than the average crime drama.  Gunshot Road is the story of a young aborigine woman named Tempest who becomes a rookie cop in the Outback.  When an elderly man is murdered in a remote village, her first lead brings her to the man’s friend, who confesses to the crime.  Her boss considers the case closed, but something tugs at Tempest, until she decides to strike out on her own, following leads and using her native skills to look deeper into the man’s death.

This offering from Soho Crime takes the reader on a different tour of Australia, foregoing the beautiful beaches and lush cities for the dust and blood of the less traveled roads Down Under.  Tempest is as far from the typical crime novel protagonist as she can get, and offers an exciting struggle that is all her own as she digs for, and finds, danger on her quest for the truth.  If you’re looking for a fresh tale to keep you reading in suspense, check out Gunshot Road.