Michael Marshall

When I was glancing through a list of coming books, I was disappointed to see yet another serial killer novel translated - Michael Marshall's The Straw Men was translated and it appeared earlier this year. I've been bored with the phenomenon for many years now and would really love to see some more original crime writing being translated.

But then I read this at the Rap Sheet (it has become a very popular blog at our house):

"All this reminded me of the time, a few years back, when I interviewed Michael Marshall, author of The Straw Men, The Lonely Dead (U.S. title: The Upright Man), and Blood of Angels. All three of those novels center around a huge conspiracy involving a cabal of genetically linked serial killers who--get this--date from the dawn of man, and continue to ply their devious talents even today. Pretty incredible, sure, but also terrifically imaginative and involving. I was concerned, after the release of Angels in 2005, that Marshall might return to his roots in horror and science fiction (where he’s known by his full name, Michael Marshall Smith). But the good folks over at HarperCollins UK have reassured me that Marshall will be releasing another left-of-field crime novel next spring, this one titled The Intruders. Let me just say that I’m looking forward to that book as if it were a missing lottery ticket."

Behind the link there's a lengthy interview with Michael Marshall (here's the link again). I'll definitely check the book out.