Maxine Clarke – Petrona – a tribute to a dedicated crime fiction reader

Maxine with Håkan Nesser at CrimeFest in Bristol.

With great sadness, some of us learned today that Maxine Clarke of the Petrona blog passed away this morning.

Maxine was well known to many on and via the net, with many also experiencing the pleasure of meeting her in person, becoming her friends.  It was the love of crime fiction that brought us all together.  Maxine was a great champion of crime fiction, especially translated crime fiction, and also a champion of its translators – key people to the process whose skills she felt were often overlooked.  She was both a prolific reader and reviewer of crime fiction on her own blog, for Eurocrime, and on goodreads and Amazon where she was an Amazon Vine™ Voice and a Top 500 Reviewer.

Maxine started her blog in the December of 2005.  Initially, it covered an eclectic mix of her interests: most notably her reading and also science, which was the sector of her working life.  In later years it settled with a focus on crime fiction alone.  In addition to her prolific reading and reviewing she was also a prolific blogger and commenter and in this she was the creator and supporter of a community.  No doubt because she revelled in the stimulating discussion and debate of crime fiction online, Maxine was the one to set up the Crime and Mystery Fiction Group on friendfeed, a place for honest opinions.

Maxine was a well-respected reviewer and opinion-setter, also known for her warmth and generosity, her wit and her incisive mind.  I will never forget the warmth and generosity she extended to me when I lost my parents in 2007.  Neither will I forget one of her blog posts over a previous festive season which attracted a sudden barrage of comments when a significant number of female crime fiction readers discovered they also had a penchant for Mark Harmon in common.  It became the joke of the season.

Maxine’s productivity and ability to multi-task were simply phenomenal.  Via the net, and because of crime fiction and her engaging character she became a welcome feature in the daily lives of many and she will be sorely missed.  She was an outstanding friend to many.

It is hard to accept that I write of Maxine in the past tense here; hard too to have lost the opportunity to write to her this Christmas in the hope of further reconciliation after our clashing opinions during the year.  (Sadly, I think we reached an impasse.)  But, dear Maxine, like so many others I remember you with love and a warm heart, confident that if we’d had the chance for a face to face discussion all would have been resolved fully.

Maxine was a true lover of crime fiction and a rock in the lives of many.  It is so hard to believe she is no longer with us but she will always be remembered with love and respect, and for her massive achievements.

My condolences to Maxine’s family at this very sad time.

[My thanks to Norm for use of his picture.]

Further tributes from:

• Karen (Eurocrime)
• Margot
• Mrs P
• Sarah
• Aly Monroe
• Kerrie
• Norm
• Xavier Lechard
• Martin Edwards
• Bernadette
• Jose Ignacio
• Glenn
• Barbara
• Bill
• Rob
• @krimiblogger
• Amanda
• Sharon (Reviewing The Evidence)
• Frank Wilson (books, INQ)
• Bill Peschel
• Clare
• Ann
• Mack
• Last updated 24 December. Further updates as they arrive…