Seven unlikely friendships in crime fiction

Robyn Harding is the author of numerous books, including the international bestseller The Party, The Swap, which was an instant #1 Globe and Mail (Toronto) and #1 Toronto Star bestseller, and The Perfect Family.

[Coffee with a Canine: Robyn Harding & Ozzie; The Page 69 Test: The Arrangement; My Book, The Movie: The Swap; The Page 69 Test: The Perfect Family]

Harding's new novel is The Drowning Woman.

At CrimeReads she tagged seven of her favorite works of "crime fiction [featuring] unlikely platonic pairings," including:

Razorblade Tears, by S.A. Cosby

Ike Randolph is an ex-con, a black man who has overcome his violent past to build a solid, middle-class life. Buddy Lee is a white alcoholic with a criminal history of his own. The two men have little in common besides the dark chapters they’ve put behind them, and the fact that their sons – who were married to each other – have been murdered. This action thriller sees an unlikely friendship form between the two men as they seek to find out who committed the heinous slayings and exact their vengeance. As bullets fly and blood is spilled, the pair must grapple with personal and societal issues like homophobia, racism, and their shortcomings as fathers.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Razorblade Tears is among Lesley Kara's six crime novels about settling old scores and Liz Nugent's top ten first lines in fiction.

--Marshal Zeringue