Enter the Criminalist

Sarah Weinman begins her first Criminalist column today on BN.com. My Los Angeles Times Book Awards colleague writes about
FALLING ANGEL by William Hjortsberg, first published in 1978.

"As for the future direction of The Criminalist," Sarah says, "the opening salvo should provide a clue to its dual linked aims: to talk about new books that I love and hope others will love as well, and to shine a light on unjustly neglected books and authors from the past. My focus will always be crime, but it might not always be fiction, nor always for adults, nor books entirely in prose. And expect a few other surprises as the column develops over the next little while, too."

As Mel Brooks said to a very young and beautiful Frank Langella in The 12 Chairs, "You're not only smart, you're gorgeous, too" -- as this illustration by Thea Brine proves.