THE DEAD BEAT – latest press round up

IMG_0758

OK, so there’s been a heap of great coverage for The Dead Beat since it came out last week, and here it all is:

Here’s a total rave review by Nigel Bird over at Sea Minor: ‘This is intelligent, gripping, thoughtful fiction that demonstrates how a thriller can be so much more than a clinical dot-to-dot.’

Over at Eurocrime Amanda Gillies goes totally bananas about the book. Any review that begins ‘Just when you think an author can’t possibly get any better – he does. I love this book!’ and ends ‘Extremely Highly Recommended’ is fine by me, oh yes.

I wrote a piece over at Shots Mag about how the ghosts of slackerdom and grunge haunt the novel.

Five star review, you say? Thank you Lynsey Adams at There’s Been a Murder!

Another five star job over at Crime Squad courtesy of M.M., who ends by saying ‘this is quite possibly Johnstone’s best book yet’. Isn’t that something.

Here’s a feature I wrote for Upcoming4.me about the obsessions behind the book.

Over at Endless Falls Up, Ray Garraty gives the book a considered once over, claiming that I grow with each book as a writer. Very kind, sir!

Over at Crime Fiction Lover Andre prefers the characterisation to the plot – can’t win ’em all, eh?

And last but by no means least, Andy Watson posted a terrific write-up of the launch party event last week on his blog. Many thanks, Andy!

 

Posted in doug johnstone | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Event tonight at Waterstones in Livingston

Folks, I’m appearing at an event tonight at Waterstones in Livingston, 6.30pm, alongside Louise Welsh, Russel McLean and Lin Anderson. Looking forward to it! I heard it’s either tag-team wrestling or an old skool hip-hop dance-off. Come and find out which.

Posted in doug johnstone | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

My review of Kat Duff, Eleanor Learmonth & Jenny Tabakoff

illustration by Mitch Blunt

illustration by Mitch Blunt

I reviewed a couple of non-fiction books for Big Issue this time, The Secret Life Of Sleep by Kat Duff and No Mercy by Eleanor Learmonth & Jenny Tabakoff. Very different, but both very good.

 

Posted in doug johnstone | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

THE DEAD BEAT – first press round-up

the dead beat front cover

There’s been a wee rash of press coverage for The Dead Beat prior to publication. Here it all is in one handy place:

Here’s a thing I wrote for Crime Time all about death, BIG BLACK DEATH STALKING ME.

I answered some very astute questions over at Female First, all about my feisty female protagonist and all that guff. Enjoy!

I wrote a big old feature for The Herald about writing The Dead Beat. Turned out it was a double-paged spread and the front cover of the Arts supplement. Nice. Anyway, here it is. I mention AL Kennedy and a whole bunch of other shit.

As a sidebar for that Herald thing, I WROTE MY OWN OBITUARY. Here it is. It was both funny and weird to write.

Upcoming4.me reviewed The Dead Beat and loved it, winding up the review by saying: ‘It is an excellent Edinburgh novel and is, just like grunge, fast and dirty.’

An awesome review by Shari Low in The Daily Record which ends: “Riveting. Fearless. Twisted. If Tartan Noir was a family with an irreverent rebel child, his name would be Doug Johnstone.” 

A lovely four-star review over at Library Thing by ‘Atticus Finch’, who loved all the music stuff and thought the mental health issues were handled well. Ta!

I was interviewed by the Edinburgh Evening News, where I talked about Kurt Cobain, feeling old and my obsession with obituaries. Read all about it here.

Three weeks before publication we had the first review of The Dead Beat, by Bethany Anderson over at Subtle Melodrama. And it’s a cracker, Ms Anderson describing it as ‘funny, moving, exciting and, as always, Johnstone really brings the city of Edinburgh alive’. Cheers, Bethany!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

MIXTAPE!

I made a mixtape for THE DEAD BEAT. A REAL MIXTAPE. Don’t ask my why.

IMG_0821 IMG_0820 IMG_0819

Posted in doug johnstone | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

My review of Laura Lippman’s After I’m Gone

after im gone

Another cracker from Laura Lippman. Here’s my review of After I’m Gone (Faber) in the Independent on Sunday. A gently subversive and astutely observed novel.

Posted in doug johnstone | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

My review of Dan Rhodes and Judith Schalansky

illustration by Mitch Blunt

illustration by Mitch Blunt

Aye so here is my Big Issue column, reviewing When the Professor Got Stuck in the Snow (Miyuki Books) by Dan Rhodes and Judith Schalansky’s The Giraffe’s Neck (Bloomsbury). Very good but very different, and one of them is almost certainly libellous.

 

 

 

Posted in doug johnstone | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A review of Gone Again in The Puffin Review

New puffin logo

Following hot on the heels of my recent interview in The Puffin Review, they’ve got a cracking review of Gone Again up on their site now. ‘This was a refreshing change from the tired crime staples of tough cops and sleazy characters, and shows the bravery and confidence of the author,’ they say, and who am I to argue?

Posted in doug johnstone | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Interview in The Edinburgh Evening News

the dead beat front cover

I was recently interviewed by Gemma Fraser for the Edinburgh Evening News, where I talked about Kurt Cobain, feeling old and my obsession with obituaries, all of which led to The Dead Beat being what it is. Read all about it here.

Posted in doug johnstone | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The First Review of The Dead Beat

the dead beat front cover

Three weeks until publication and we have the first review of The Dead Beat, by Bethany Anderson over at Subtle Melodrama. And it’s a cracker, Ms Anderson describing it as ‘funny, moving, exciting and, as always, Johnstone really brings the city of Edinburgh alive’. Cheers, Bethany!

Let’s hope it’s not the last good review, huh?

Dx

Posted in doug johnstone | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment