By Emily Witt 11/30/11 9:34am

assassin_of_secrets_a_debut_spy_novel_by_q_r_mark_4ebb0f0c2e

Quentin Rowan, a.k.a. Q.R. Markham, Traces His Plagiarism to Addiction

Today Quentin Rowan, in an essay that we assume was thoroughly vetted for borrowed content, opens up to The Fix about the origins of his plagiarism. Mr. Rowan’s debut novel Assassin of Secrets, written under the pen name Q.R. Markham, was revealed to be heavily plagiarized a few weeks ago and recalled from bookstores by his publisher Little, Brown. Following the initial discovery, bloggers discovered that most of his published writing turned out to have at least some plagiarism, dating back to the 1990s. Read More

By Emily Witt 11/14/11 10:52am

Mea Culpa

Markham.

Q.R. Markham Takes His Remorse Public

Q.R. Markham has responded to the scandal over his novel Assassin of Secrets, which Little, Brown recalled for plagiarism last week, in the comments section of a fellow thriller writer’s blog. Jeremy Duns, author of Song of Treason, had publicly praised Mr. Markham’s book before the revelations of its origins emerged. On his blog, The Debrief, Mr. Duns now debriefs Mr. Markham (whose real name is Quentin Rowan) on the extent of his actions. Read More

By Emily Witt 11/11/11 8:56am

Good Morning

[Photo via McNally Jackson]

Morning Book Links: A Border's Autopsy and an OWS Reading of 'Bartleby'

How did Border’s die? “When Borders declared bankruptcy in February, more than 200 of its 400 outlets were still ‘highly profitable,’ says its final chief executive officer, Mike Edwards.” [BusinessWeek]

Martin Amis’s biography might be badly written, but this review is excellent. [FT]

More thoughts on Q.R. Markham. Is it pastiche? A collage? Or plagiarism? [New Yorker]

Morris Philipson, who directed the University of Chicago Press for 30 years, has died. [Chicago Tribune] Read More