Today, the Washington Post published my review of Ariel S. Winter’s three-novel debut, the all-in-one-volume trilogy The Twenty-Year Death, which models each of its books, in succession, on the works of one of three true legends of mystery and suspense writing. Here’s the opening paragraph of the review:
If imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery, then crime fiction maestros Georges Simenon, Raymond Chandler and Jim Thompson are feeling the love these days. Baltimore writer Ariel S. Winter has summoned up the stylistic spirits of each legendary novelist for his own debut, a massive and marvelous trilogy called The Twenty-Year Death.
My impressions of the novel(s) weren’t exclusively positive (as you’ll see), but really, with a book this bold — and such fun to read — it’s tough to find too much fault. Check out the full review here. — Art Taylor