Chet The Dog

Posts Tagged ‘Edgar award’

Beginnings

On Sunday we’ve been doing beginnings – all the Peter Abrahams novels, including those written under the Spencer Quinn pen name. Here, from 1994, LIGHTS OUT (first of what might be called the prison novels – the others are END OF STORY and DELUSION. Also probably the second-most Bahamian of the Abrahams novels, after PRESSURE DROP. And an Edgar Award best novel finalist).

[“Consistently interesting and suspenseful, his thriller’s shocking outcome is revealed only on the very last page.”– Publishers Weekly]

Man is the word. You can’t stop hearing it when you’re inside.

Beginnings (More)[premature post due to misclick)

On Sundays, we’ve been doing beginnings – all the Chet and Bernies (as part of Chetspeak) – and now taking on all the Peter Abrahams novels in chronological order. Here from 2009, #21, REALITY CHECK, my first young adult novel and winner of the Edgar Award in that category.

[“The best writer of psychological suspense around.”
– Laura Miller, Talk of the Nation, NPR]

Except for football Fridays, Cody Laredo’s favorite day of the school year was always the last. Now, May 30, final day of his sophomore year at County High, he sat in the back row of homeroom, waiting for the teacher – a sub he’d never seen before – to hand out the report cards. As long as there were no Fs – even one would make him ineligible for football in the fall, meaning summer school, an impossibility since he had to work – Cody didn’t care what was in the report card. He just wanted out.

Beginnings (More)

On Sunday we’ve been doing beginnings – all the Chet and Bernie’s (as part of Chetspeak) – and now taking on all the Peter Abrahams novels in chronological order. Here, from 1994, #7 – LIGHTS OUT (first of what might be called the prison novels – the others are END OF STORY and DELUSION. Also probably the second-most Bahamian of the Abrahams novels, after PRESSURE DROP. And an Edgar Award best novel finalist):

Man is the word. You can’t stop hearing it when you’re inside. “You crazy, man?” “You fuckin’ with me, man?” “Fuck you, man.” “Shi’, man.” “Sheet, man.” “Shit, man.” It doesn’t mean a thing. It’s just an itch no one can stop scratching, a sore tooth no one can stop probing.

Football Returns …

… even though it’s getting caught up in the culture wars and thus leaving the stage of pure entertainment. Sigh. I’ve done some writing about football – in the Edgar winning YA novel REALITY CHECK, plus various scenes here and there – in HARD RAIN, for one.

Super Bowl prediction: Patriots vs. Seahawks.

Side prediction 1: Malcolm Butler comes up big again!

Side prediction 2: Later in life he becomes president of the U.S. And gets my vote.