Crime Writers Have Finger On The Pulse

 

Phil Miller at the Scottish newspaper the Herald offers a piece on crime writers and modern society.

Leading Scottish writer Val McDermid has said crime novels were popular in Scotland because crime ­writers could keep a "finger on the pulse" of modern society.

Leading Scottish writer Val McDermid has said crime novels were popular in Scotland because crime ­writers could keep a \"finger on the pulse\" of modern society.

 

McDermid, a bestselling author of crime books, said reading genre fiction was an outlet for the stress of modern life.

The writer, from ­Kirkcaldy, known for her novels featuring Dr Tony Hill, spoke after it was revealed the top 20 most read books from libraries in ­Scotland all belong to the crime or thriller genre.

She said: "Because most crime writers produce a book a year, we've always got our finger on the pulse of contemporary society.

"And now more than ever Scots are fascinated with what's going on in their world."

The writer added: "We feel really murderous a lot of the time and reading about it diverts us from doing it."

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/crime-writers-have-finger-on-the-pulse.23438662

You can also read my Philadelphia Inquirer review of Val McDermid's The Retribution via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2012/02/val-mcdermids-retribution-is-gripping.html 

Roger Moore Admits That Sean Connery Was Better James Bond

 

Sir Roger Moore tells the Scottish newspaper the Herald that Scottish son Sir Sean Connery offered the better film portrayal of Ian Fleming iconic character James Bond. (Ian Fleming was also a Scot, although he was raised in London).

James Bond actor Sir Roger Moore has described Sir Sean Connery as "the best warm-up act in the business".

JAMES Bond actor Sir Roger Moore has described Sir Sean Connery as \"the best warm-up act in the business\".

        

The actor, who followed Sir Sean into the role, was speaking after announcing he would be making his first stage appearance in Edinburgh later this year.

 

Sir Roger, 85, who stepped into the role made famous by Edinburgh's greatest son in 1971, also confirmed what every Scot already knows – that Sir Sean was the better Bond.    

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/sir-roger-admits-connery-was-better-bond.21172916

Note: I agree that Connery was the better Bond, but perhaps if Moore had played Bond less for laughs and was a bit tougher - like he was in the TV series The Saint - he would rank a bit higher in the eyes of Fleming/Bond aficionados. Still, Sir Roger Moore is an amusing, likable, intelligent man. He is also a fine writer, having written Bond On Bond and other books about his life and his films and TV shows.