Brian Cliff

New reviews up in my column with @briancliff.bsky.social at The Irish Times: Michael Connelly’s The Proving Ground, Val McDermid’s Silent Bones, Keith Rosson’s Coffin Moon, Sean Phillips and Ed Brubaker’s The Knives, and Antti Tuomainen’s The Winter Job. Great reads all! #crimefiction

‘For the Dead Remember: The Life of M. R. James’ will be published by Oxford University Press on 10 September 2025. Set your watches, mark your calendars, and spread the word!

A real pleasure to be able to review books from terrific Detroit-area writers, with UofD High alum Elmore Leonard’s RUM PUNCH and Megan Abbott’s Grosse Pointe-set EL DORADO DRIVE in this month’s Irish Times column (behind a paywall):

www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...

Crime fiction: New works by Sara Gran, Michael Idov, Julia Dahl, Rachel Donohue and TC Parker From enthralling puzzles to two distinctive novels that bring mystery writing to bear on the crimes of resurgent fascism

Very excited to see this review...

Really enjoyed putting this month’s column together - some terrific, surprising, funny, angry, and original books.

My February column with @briancliff.bsky.social dropped today in The Irish Times. We review Sara Gran’s Little Mysteries, Michael Idov’s The Collaborators, Julia Dahl’s I Dreamed of Falling, Rachel Donohue’s The Glass House, and TC Parker’s Tradwife. Each one a stellar read. #crimefiction #mysteries

FREEFORM Mon Dec 16 with Eleven on KALX

Here’s the full playlist and archive of the show, which streams for the next 2 weeks: spinitron.com/KALX/pl/1994...

Back on KALX tonight as DJ Eleven, 8-10pm PST. Tune in at kalx.berkeley.edu for great new releases (inc. Adrian Younge, Kid Congo, Dead Betties) and (I promise) unusually good holiday music (inc. Jimmy Smith, Staple Singers, Dinah Washington, Alice Bag). Can listen later on our new iOS app, too!

I’ve seen John Connolly’s “Samuel Johnson Vs. The Darkness” trilogy go over very well!