If you want a genre bender title, then maybe--

Writer and college professor Justin Gustainis has a new paperback series which may dovetail in the hot popularity of the supernatural and fantasy (no vampires to my knowledge though). His titles feature supernatural investigator Quincey Morris and his partner white witch Libby Chastain. The first book is Black Magic Woman and I spied it in the new fiction book area of the library a few days ago.

Black Magic Woman tells of the investigative duo helping a family plagued by a curse which may date back to the Salem Witch Trials. They follow a trial through hazardous occult communities across the country--including San Francisco, New York and New Orleans--to resolve their case.

Although these works are a genre bender more as fantasy and thriller with all the action, Woman and the follow-up title (Evil Ways according to the author's website), I suspect it could have some strong appeal for those looking a bizarre sort of mystery.

Book Club discusses "The Blood Detective"

Last month the book club discussed the first novel by writer Dan Waddell,
The Blood Detective. In this novel, a surprising alliance is formed to solve a murder case between the two London police officials in charge and a local genealogist. Nigel Barnes is the family historian brought into the police case headed by Detective Chief Inspector Grant Foster and Detective Superintendent Heather Jenkins. And Barnes' sharp eye and familiarity with the subject matter--genealogy information--keep him around as a consultant (and employed) for the immediate future.

This is Waddell's first novel after working a journalist and writer of 10 nonfiction books. The concept for the Barnes character came to Waddell following his book adaptation of a popular BBC TV series about genealolgy called Who Do You Think You Are? That is shared with other information by Waddell in a queston and answer session in an audio interview which Waddell discusses The Blood Detective and more. Here's a photo of Waddell from Google.

The novel treated the reader to interesting surprises as Barnes and Foster both
have background issues which they'd rather keep quiet. And the killer does murder more than one with gruesome methods as a message to the police.

Our discussion targeted several issues:
* a clever title for a book about an amateur sleuth working in the genealogy field
* the detail involved in genealogy study and the appeal for Barnes
* Foster and Jenkin's dilemma when handling the murder case of vagrant
* Foster's quiet background situation of possibly assisting in the death
of his ill father (he is acquitted of wrongdoing in the novel and that
is a fair decision--ultimately)
* Barnes leaves a university job after an affair with a student (a situation much less sordid than it seems)
* the messages left by the murders and the surprising reason for the murders
* English slang (this is a London story)

We have a good discussion about the book and there was interest in reading the next book of the series Blood Atonement due next year.

Paretsky Visits Charlotte for Author Festival

Last Wednesday and Thursday, my library system hosted mystery novelist Sara Paretsky for back-to-back evening events and I was able to attend both.

It was the end of the library's "Novello: festival of reading" and I worked as a volunteer, ushering the first night and helping to man the wine bar on the second. The first night consisted of an author talk with questions from the audience and book signings. The second night was a clued-filled mystery program with food, drink and music--Chicago themed.

I enjoyed the events and was glad I had attended. And I was able to speak Ms. Paretsky the second evening. Looking fashionably stylish in her black hat, here's a pix of Ms. Paretsky with the volunteer I worked with when pouring drinks at the mystery-dinner event (a new professional in Charlotte, she said just call her by her nickname "Kiki").

Now, the first evening when she spoke (and I ushered), I jotted down a few notes while sitting in the back. They included the following:
* as a youngster, girl detective Nancy Drew didn't appeal to her (particularly with "no siblings and domestic responsibilities")
* she moved to New York City to become a writer at 23 but later moved to Chicago to work as a secretary ("Chicago became the city that shaped my voice and view of the world.")
* as a devoted reader of crime novels, she became determined to write a private eye novel but that was only a dream for her for a eight-year period (afterwards, "V.I. Warshawski" was created)
* Paretsky wanted to create a female private eye who didn't fit the role of the standard role of women in noir fiction (i.e. victim or temptress)
* writing a story set in Chicago was a hard sell years ago
* "Fiction gives us the heroes we wish we could be."

Paretsky's newest "V.I. Warshawski novel" is entitled Hardball and is in the editors hands after several drafts, she said. Her website has an excerpt.

And she posts to a blog supported by Chicago six other crime writers called "The Outfit." She also read from her most recent blog post in the author talk "What happens to the novel in the Age of Fragmentation?"

Best-selling author Tony Hillerman dies

When I heard Monday morning that writer Tony Hillerman had died, I thought that the mystery fiction world lost a favorite son. He was 83. And here's a recent pix of Hillerman from Google.

The prolific writer of the Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels left a stored collection of culture and creativity, most prominently with his long-running mystery series with Navajo police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. A quick check of my library system's catalog finds 64 Hillerman titles includes books on CD or tape, edited collections and a memoir Seldom Disappointed.

The Associated Press reported Hillerman developed an appreciation for Indian culture as a student in a school for Potawatomie Indian girls in Oklahoma. As an adult, he become a journalist, later a journalism instructor and began writing novels.

Leading a life that was varied and enriching, Hillerman has a unique life story as shared recently in the New York Times.

Hillerman's last book The Shape Shifter, from 2006, is summarized as being retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn's last case--an unsolved crime which troubles him and returns him to active police work.

Eye Catching Book Title--

When one of co-workers opened a box of new fiction books recently, I noticed a new paperback with Charleston (SC) in the title and I gave it a long glance. I really like Charleston. The full title of the book is The Charleston Ripper by Steve Brown and the cover includes the description: A modern-day Jack the Ripper stalks his victims in Old Charleston. The book's website (www.chicksprings.com) says the book features detective Susan Chase.

Looking this book over I found it has a very strong local connection with the publisher, Chick Springs Publishing, in Taylors, South Carolina. And, that writer Steve Brown has a sizable body of writings with "The Myrtle Beach Mysteries" (six books) and four others. The book's website says Brown writes historical fiction in addition to mysteries and claims he is "one of South Carolina's most versatile writers." I'll say this: I credit him with developing a series of titles in locations where you get crime and trouble instead of sand and suds.

Book Club discusses "The Genius"

In September, the book club discussed Jesse Kellerman's newest book The Genius. The son of writers Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, Jesse (the accompanying photo comes from Google) has released his third novel set in the fast-paced New York City contemporary art scene with its demanding artists and competitive lifestyle.
Art dealer Ethan Muller is a member of this environment and when a unique art piece (consisting of multiple drawings for a single design) set falls in his possession--he appears to have found gold. The artist is an older man named Victor Cracke but he is missing. After a search for the man, Ethan forges ahead and opens a show with the newly-found art. The attention-grabbing work is good for business but draws unexpected attention. It rises the curiosity of a retired police detective, Lee McGrath, who recognizes in the art the identities of actual murder victims from years earlier. So, then, how is the absent artist involved? Muller and McGrath began a tenuous relationship to investigate.

We liked the story and found the layered story entertaining. The novel bounces from present-day NYC to "Interlude" chapters beginning 1847 with a family tree story of immigrants setting in the city with ties to the present day. One unique story involves a deformed family member hidden from the public and one attendee remembered how visited a family with that situation (that person could be hear but was not seen).

The Ethan Muller and Lee McGrath team later switch to Muller and Samantha McGrath (Lee's DA daughter) as the investigation continues and a romantic begins. That was a troublesome aspect for some as that relationship seemed unlikely and forced (I didn't agree as the writer seemed to make it appear plausible--my take). While working with Samantha--Ethan does his own legwork though--he is able to use the *cover* of working with the DA when interviewing others.

Otherwise, Ethan does actually have a girl-friend, Marilyn, who is also in his field so that Ethan does have a messy personal life by his doing. Those actions and attitudes create conflict with results throughout the novel.

Victor Cracke is the other major player in this novel as the "genius" with artiistic talent. Is he a genius though? Ethan mulls over the concept of "genius" and the skill with which Victor created art. One attendee suggested however, Victor may have a medical disorder--autism--which guides his talents. At times during Victor's growth into adulthood, he is placed in institutionized settings for convenince, but not treatment.

A well-written book, most said they would recommend this title to others.

God bless you, Paul Newman

I enjoyed going to Paul Newman movies over the years (Slap Shot, Fort Apache the Bronx and The Verdict anyone?) and I was saddened to hear of his recent death. I still find it a little odd to see his pix on salad dressing bottles but he was blessed to have mulitple careers and ventures.

I do give him partial credit to directing me to mysteries as a genre when I discovered his version of writer Ross McDonald's private eye Lew Archer in the films Harper and years later The Drowning Pool. In the Newman movies, a character's name was changed to Harper--and I've read two different accounts why that is the case--and Harper is based on the novel, The Moving Target while The Drowning Pool is the same title of the book. As it happened, the movies lead me to reading the books and I enjoyed McDonald's strong narrative of the lone wolf California PI.

The two Harper movies are in the new Newman collection DVD set and the photo on the cover case (shown here) is from the first movie.

New Mysteries on the Shelves (6)

Fortunately, our library doesn't skimp on finding new mysteries--here are three more new ones.

First is Soul Patch: a Moe Prager mystery by Reed Farrel Coleman. This paperback features the New York private investigator, Prager, returning to his cop roots in Coney Island as he is drawn into a murder investigation and the recent death of a NYPD detective. Prager's assignment is additionally hampered by the mistrust between the police and him when delving into police criminal activity which occurred up to 30 years earlier. Prager also has his emotions further churned up as his marriage has troubles and his attention drifts to an attractive Latina detective. Coleman's new novel is 233 pages and the fourth of the "Prager mystery" series.

The next book is Roux Morgue by Claire M. Johnson, a second entry of the Mary Ryan series. Ryan, a San Francisco pastry chef, returns to her old alma mater to teach and lands in an annoying turf war between her original mentors and her contemporaries. That may not be so surprising but additional job pressures from the dean and two unexpected deaths of fellow faculty lead to a decidedly dicey environment. This story is on the cozy side too with a possible romance for Ryan and humor for the reader. The book is 223 pages.

Last is In the Night of the Heat: a Tennyson Hardwick novel, a new title with the writing collaboration of actor Blair Underwood with Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes. In this second Hollywood mystery with African-American private detective/actor Hardwick, he is requested to help a football star facing threats after his acquittal in a murder case. Preoccupied with a good, new TV job,Hardwick declines but events change so that he reverses his decision. The acting job suddenly appears and the football star suffers a sudden death from questionable suicide. Again, the offer comes to help--this time in the investigation of the football player's death from his family (with a sizable money offer)--and Hardwick agrees. The case jumps from location (the governor's mansion) to time period (the 1960s) with the detective facing dangers from the work and juicy dangers from a steamy background. The book is 447 pages.

Finally, actor Blair Underwood (currently in ABC-TV's Dirty Sexy Money) is a big draw for the book as he is on the book cover (unlike the first Tennyson Hardwick book) and the cover says "Blair Underwood presents... [book title]" (again, unlike the first book.) Interesting move, book editors.

Crime writer James Crumley dies

Browsing through the New York Times online Sunday, I found that writer James Crumley had died last week at age 68. According the news stories, Crumley was an influential crime novelist with his violent private eye novels set in the American West of Montana (Crumley's home state as an adult). Here's a somewhat recent photo of Crumley from Google.

A specialist in hard-boiled private detective fiction, Crumley is credited with moving the genre pass the Raymond Chandler era to its then present day of post-Vietnam stories. His best-known is The Last Good Kiss (a title that one fellow librarian remembers reading years ago) published in 1978.

That book features the dubious private eye C.W. Sughrue, "a former Vietnam War criminal and hard-drinking, cocaine-snorting womanizer." The other PI series Crumley started earlier featured Milton Chester "Milo" Milodragovitch, a multiple divorced man who's also (like Sughre) [a] "hard-drinking, cocaine-snorting womanizer."

In fact, I looked on the library shelves and found one book The Right Madness available by Crumley. The cover shows a man sitting quietly in a darken bar, lighting up a smoke--certainly a fitting image for Crumley's fictional world.

Although not a big-name seller with his books with stories that lose some logistics, Crumley has notable fans including writers George Pelecanos, Dennis Lehane and Michael Connelly according to the Washington Post obituary.

Wall Street Fiction (fun stuff)--

If you are fearing the worse with all the new troublesome news stories coming out about Wall Street this week, then grab a fiction book about the financial world and see if things might be better. Wall Street Noir is another of the Akashic's noir anthology series of short mystery fiction. This one features (mostly) writers with financial backgrounds in 17 stories.

I was surprised to find this title but pleased with the creativity that is out there to focus on this American institution ripe with possible pitfalls. As written in Publishers Weekly these fictional stories find actions of "greed, volatility and desperation often lead to crime." Well, maybe this might let you focus on the troubles of others for a bit.

Wall Street is edited by the Shamus Award-winning author Peter Spiegelman.

Book Club discusses "Death of a Writer"

Last month, the book club discussed Michael Collins's Death of a Writer and after a delay, here's an abbreviated post of the book discussion. Collins is an Irish born writer and international ultra-distance runner--Death is his eighth and newest book. Here's a Googled pix of Collins.

This novel has a college setting when a severely-ill professor's hidden work is discovered and becomes a publishing sensation when promoted by a friendly graduate student and a rival writer. The professor's work documents the acts of a murder which, upon closer examination, appear to match the circumstances of a local unsolved murder. Is it remotely possible that the professor was involved in the actual murder? The book is largely split with the Professor Pendleton's story and the investigation by a cold case detective.

Our attitude about the book was *somewhat* mixed. Two of us somewhat liked the book. Two people didn't choose to finish it and the rest didn't care for the book. And one cleverly summarized the book was repetitive and pretentious (plus other term I forgot).

The mystery story was fine but the extra storyline with some characters led to sordid paths that appeared to just dead-end. In fact, none of the characters had a truly cheerful life although there was one--the graduate student, Adi--you would hope to see succeed.

The story of Pendleton and his hardships give the novel a good start but the longer it goes, the more it appears to drag on. As one asked if the novel had any humor (well, dark humor then as promised in the book jacket), we found very little in the story.

Ultimately, when asked if we could recommend the book to any one--none of us could say "yes."

Yestersday's News Become New Fiction Books (Hurricane Katrina)

With the recent Hurricane Gustav headlines, the three-year old Hurricane Katrina is back in the American consciousness. Since that time, of course, books about the tragedy have swept up in bookstores and libraries with its share of fiction books. Our library system has at least three adult titles in the mystery genre.

First is James Lee Burke's Tin Roof Blowdown from the long-running series with Iberia Parish Sheriff's Detective Dave Robicheaux. He travels to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to help restore civil order which includes dealing with violent and desperate lawbreakers roaming the streets.

I have a copy of this book at home (a Christmas gift).

Second, I noticed in our new book section months ago, First the Dead by Tim Downs. This book marks the third of the series with forensic entomologist Nick "Bug Man"Polchak, so nicknamed because he is an expert in using bugs to deduce the time and circumstances of death. A member of DMORT, the disaster mortuary operational response team, used by FEMA to assist with mass casualties, Polchak goes to New Orleans when Katrina hits. Some corpses, however, show signs of death before the storm and Polchak's investigation takes a much different turn. First the Dead is also under the Christian fiction genre.

Last is New Orleans Noir, a collection of 18 unpublished short stories edited by Julie Smith. This is the twelfth book of the recent city noir short story series with two sections for the pre-and post-Katrina entries. Well-known writers such as Laura Lippman contribute to this project along with those on the rise.

New Mysteries on the Shelves (5)

Looking at the new mysteries downstairs (with the newest fiction books) I ran across two titles with political themes but in very different places and times. And it is a presidential election year so if you can not get enough politics from the newspaper, TV, etc.--then there is more...

The first is Broken Heartland: a Mad Dog & Englishman mystery by J. M. Hayes. It is set in the present day U.S. midwest with a sheriff's election as the focus. Running for re-election, Sheriff English of Benteen County, Kansas, has a tough contest with a born-again Christian candidate using his family against him as a political issue. Matters nosedive for English, however, with a series of sensation events. First, a deputy crashes into a school bus of area teenagers with the Benteen teen choir during a vehicle chase. After the accident, the bus driver mysteriously vanishes. Meanwhile, Benteen would have to play catch-up with all those issues later as he investigates a shooting at a local school. This is the fourth novel of the "English mystery" series. The book is 229 pages.

The next book is a historical mystery set in Egypt after World War I. The Mark of the Pasha : a Mamur Zapt Mystery by Michael Pearce is the sixteenth of this long-running series. Gareth Cadwallader Owen (known as "Mamur Zapt" or head of the secret police) is busy confronting possible bomb threats in Egypt as relaid by his operatives. This police work also proceeds his big safety detail assignment of a visiting major European delegation to the capital. The book is 200 pages.

From the (U.S.) print to (Foreign) screens--

Following the good suggestion to read a Harlan Coben title years ago, the book club had Tell No One as its June selection for 2003. I recall at the time when we discussed the book, I had read that this 2001 novel was slated to make it to the big screen with a film adaptation sometime in the
future.

Well, now, the once-Chicago based story (I seem to remember the setting being in Chicago) is in France as produced in part by EuropaCorp, M6 Films and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing and Music Box Film. Starting with a limited release date on July 2nd, the film quietly crept in my movie-viewing area this weekend.

The plot is the same as I remember--here's the info from Yahoo! Movies (including the movie poster): Pediatrician Alexandre Beck still grieves the murder of his beloved wife, Margot, eight years earlier. When two bodies are found near the scene of the crime, the police reopen the case and Alex becomes a suspect again. The mystery deepens when Alex receives an anonymous e-mail with a link to a video clip that seems to suggest Margot is somehow still alive and a message to "Tell No One."

Good to see the film is finally out for the public to enjoy--it is the type to translate well as a good story from the novel to the movie screen. And the results had been be successful as the film has won 4 Cesar Awards (the national film award for France) including best actor and best director in 2007.

The French title is Ne le dis a personne. And double-checking Harlan Coben's website to read about the film, I see it will be available on DVD on October 15th.

New Mysteries on the Shelves (4)

I've missed promoting the new books recently on the blog but here it comes another posting with new mystery books--this time three paperbacks.

The first book is Murder, Mayhem and a Fine Man by Claudia Mair Burney. Listed under the African American fiction category in the library's system, it is the first of a new series and identified as "an Amanda Bell Brown mystery" on the book cover. Ms. Brown is a forensic psychologist who uses her professional expertise to investigate a mystery involving an underground cult with a pattern of abuse. Along the way, she meets a good-looking detective. This 291 page book is also under the Christian fiction genre.

A vastly different mystery setting from the present day is in 18th century England for the next book, The Crimson Cavalier by Mary Andrea Clarke. This book is named for a local highwayman--a colorful character--presumed of a London murder of magistrate. The Cavalier has an unlikely defender in gentlewoman, Miss Georgiana Grey and her associates in this cause. Attempting to find the likely murderer, Grey amasses a list of suspects and puts her own life in jeopardy. This 288 page book is the first of a new series.

The last book is Thugs and Kisses : an Odelia Grey mystery. This series features a plump and lively paralegal ameatur sleuth. In this outing, Odelia attends her 30-year high school reunion with a friendly homicide detective when--it's hard to imagine here--a person turns up dead. The decedent is a (deserving?) class bully who still is mercilessly cruel to Odelia. Despite it all, she starts an investigation and finds several individuals with reasons to kill the guy and Odelia has another challenge too as her boss vanishes. The book is 329 pages and is tagged as "chick lit fiction."

Good in small doses--

I just finished reading the new Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich and after a long break between books in the series found it a good read. The Stephanie Plum novel of the New Jersey bounty hunter has a breathless quality of piling action, upon twist, upon humor throughout. I do like the funny quips and the characters grew on me. And the murder mystery itself is decent as the story picks up steam.

Truth be told though, this is only the second book of the wildly, popular series that I've read--I did start with the first of the series One for the Money, at least. I haven't read the others and that is mainly due to looking at other works and writers.

Should I have jumped forward in this series and not read a few of the others? I guess so but with the frequency of this series--the first book was published in 1994--I don't feel that I've missed that much. So how should I gauge the other "Stephanie Plum" books? Well, I hear comments from people at work when the new titles are released and "word of mouth" lets me know to pay attention to the series but beware of repeat episodes (Stephanie's mishaps that is) in a long-running series.

Book club discusses "Person of Interest"

Back in June, the book club read and discussed Theresa Schwegel's Person of Interest for its monthly book selection. Schwegel is a 2005 Edgar award winner for her novel Officer Down and Person of Interest (from 2007) is her newest work. Here's a pix of Schwegel that also appears in back of the book.

This novel is twist on the standard crime novel of sorts in that it focuses nearly equally on the wife of police detective as much as the detective. Leslie McHugh is a detective's wife and mother of a nearly out-of-control teenage daughter. Feeling the pressures of life more, she does feel lonely while her husband, Craig is a dedicated uncover cop in a difficult assignment and nearly absent from home. Craig is currently trying to pose as an easy mark in a series of gambling games in the Chinese community of Chicago.

Alternating chapters in the book--I liked this technique--the story is told from Leslie and Craig's perspective of Craig's big case and related events.

As I recalled with those of us gathered, I preferred the book much more than others. A couple gave up on the book after reading for a while--with one wanting more of a mystery story and another not caring for the characters. And granted this book is not a standard mystery as such with a lot of time devoted to Leslie who is outside of Craig's work environment. However, she does begin to suspect him of adultery and begins an investigation, of sorts, on her own.

I guess I was OK with a hybrid novel of sorts. One attendee, though, found that tact a disappointment. I suspect I should have checked closer on the content of the book...

Some didn't care for a twist in the novel (a quite violent one) and found the victim's response unlikely. It also appeared to invite an sort of grand white knight ("male savior") situation as the resolution which left one person cold.

As the case in many novels, characters actions are a back breaker for following a novel's appeal and some questionable judgments with these characters were turn-offs.

Bad news on the book review beat--

I walked into the family room earlier this week to catch the news on the "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" on PBS-TV and heard a discussion about book reviews. Listening closer, I found the participants were talking about the shrinking space for book review sections in today's newspapers.

One speaker lamented the situation and soberly discussed the cutback of book review sections in newspapers. Another guest had a different take and noted the benefit of blogs with book reviews which are available now.

Walking in the middle of the discussion, I asked myself, "OK, what's this all about?" Double checking the PBS website, I found that the Los Angeles Times had ceased its weekly stand alone book review section following this Sunday's issue. That led to the the discussion about the shrinking of the book section in papers nationwide. That would also include our local daily paper in town.

Yuck. We all benefit from a good and strong book review newspaper section in the newspapers--particularly for local talent. However, it is not that good blogs don't fill a great need too especially being somewhat interactive in nature.

Yet, you be a judge on the matter yourself and read more about it here if interested about the TV interviews.

Work or leisure...?

Lemme see, if you see a local novelist in your library what would you think: work or leisure? I mused over that thought when I recently saw two mystery writers at two different times in the library. One writer was in the check-out line whereas the other was heading down the stairs to the first floor.

Now a trip to the library for a writer may entail just the standard type of library visit as for most of us--that is books and reading. Reading the work of others has to inspire and to entertain the writer as much as anyone else. Of course, see what else good work is around.

Otherwise, a library trip might mean a research assignment for a writer. As helpful as the internet is for all, sometimes a book or reference book series is the ideal assistant.

Now, what was the case for the two I saw a few weeks ago? I don't know but I'm sure they're writing and reading as much as their day and schedule permits. I certainly believe they have *fun* jobs (most days).

It's in the walk--!

Well, I'm guessing it may be in the walk of many people but apparently there's a surer way to watch out for crime.

At the last book club I looked over and noticed a regular with the book entitled Crime Signals : how to spot a criminal before you become a victim by David Givens. I also noticed it was a new book so it caught my curiosity.

Personal safety is always a concern for anyone and noticing unsavory characters or behavior is just important to navigate in many settings. In fact, I'd like to think I venture around without much fear of others but too often I realize that's not quite the case.

A glance of the book's chapters include the topics of the tell-tale signs of a swindler, anticipating an assault and "reading the gang signs."

This book may be a good read for many but particularly aspirating mystery writers like my friend at the book club. She may have a really good non-fiction title to add to her usual mystery novels to read.

How's your summer reading...?

It's officially summer now--so, how's your pleasure reading? Need any help? On our library downstairs display book cart labeled "Check Out--these just returned materials" I blinked and Margaret Truman's Murder on K Street disappeared from the available books for quick browsing.

In the new issue of the weekly alternative newspaper in town Janet Evanovich's newest Fearless Fourteen is second in the tops of books of "Charlotte Bestsellers List." No surprise there, huh?

And the July O: the Orpah Magazine has a nice cover story about summer reading with its article "Not Your Typical Murder Mystery." Those to make the cut are Mind's Eye by Hakan Nesser, Shelter Half by Carol Bly, Not in the Flesh by Ruth Rendell and Careless in Red by Elizabeth George.

I'll admit I only tend to look at O Magazine and think cute, colorful covers but I don't open them to read. I am glad I noticed this story about summer books though--good tips.

The Best Hollywood film mysteries--

Last week, CBS-TV aired the American Film Institute's list its top 10 lists in 10 film genres. I missed the show but thanks to the Associated Press story, I saw that there was (thankfully) a "Mystery" entry.

The number one mystery film is right at 50-years-old now, the eerie and dramatic Alfred Hitchcock classic "Vertigo" from 1958. [I count it as a fun treat that I did see the movie on the big screen years ago. I think most good films deserve a movie theatre viewing.] I didn't know until I looked it up in Patrick McGilligan's biography Alfred Hitchcock: a life in darkness and light that the movie plot evolved from screenwriters adaptation of a French novel by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. The story was also set during World War II (unlike present-day San Francisco in the movie). I googled the original film poster which I think is a masterpiece in itself. It is a great choice for the category although the second selection "Chinatown" is my long-time personal favorite from 1974.

The list continues with "Rear Window" from 1954, "Laura" from 1944, "The Third Man" from 1949, "The Maltese Falcon" from 1941, "North by Northwest" from 1959, "Blue Velvet," from 1986, "Dial M for Murder" from 1954, and "The Usual Suspects" in 1995.

Thank goodness for DVDs and microwave popcorn!

Book Club discusses "Bangkok Tattoo"

Bangkok Tattoo was the book selection for the book club for May (as mentioned in the previous post) and it was a first this respect: an explanation about the writer and his work was emailed before the book club. Author John Burdett was featured in an original essay entry for "Powells.com" as a writer about Thailand who decided to base a detective series there. (Here's a pix of John that matches the one in the back of the book lap.)

Entitled "The Power of Difference," Burdett's essay details Thailand culture and environment through the narrow perspective of Theravada Buddhism (in Southeast Asia) and women sex workers in the bar scenes.

I suspected the essay would be helpful to put the book in perspective or understand it and some book clubbers agreed.

Here are some other points made regarding the book: two had visited Thailand years ago and didn't recognize it from the novel (of course, Burdett writes about a small community of Thailand), the wry humor (mainly as told by narrator Sonchai Detective Jitpleecheep with his observations of life) was appreciated and one person skipped the book after reading a number of pages while another went on to read the first "Jitpleecheep" novel, Bangkok 8. Additionally, it was pointed out that frequently used term for foreigners farang seemed to be a derogatory (maybe on the sly side?) code name for Americans and Europeans. One book clubber said she never heard that expression in Thailand.

Finally, the author's writing was considered good (although unduly graphic at times as one pointed out and I read a graphic scene that jumped out at me) and crafty with the story broken into sections that relay the entire novel. And the writing style of long (elaborate) sentences caught my eye as, for instance, the detective prepares for breakfast out and considers: I'm pretty hungry, so I choose kuay jap, a thick broth of Chinese mushrooms and pork lumps streaming with nutrition as the hawker dips and raises his ladle, a great writhing knot of kuaytiaw phat khii mao (literally "drunkard's fried noodles"; a stir-fry of rice noodles, basil, chicken, and crimson tide of fresh sliced childes), a single fried trout with naam plaa (a transcendentally sauce made of fermented anchovy__an acquired taste, farang), a glass of cold, clear nongaseous water from the world-famous Krung Tep Faucets, a 7-Up--and I'm all set.

OK, now there's a sentence that tries to say it all.

More with Arthur Rosenfeld--

Here's an additional message about Mr. Rosenfeld (see the previous post for more), if you look at his website on the ABOUT webpage then you'll see his "Favorite Books" list. Included is the John Burdett title Bangkok Tattoo, which ironically, the book club read in May for its book selection.

This book is a murder mystery set in Bangkok, Thailand with the police investigating the death of an CIA agent in the company of a prostitute. It is the second of a series with Royal Thai Police detective Sonchia Jitpleecheep in a novel with mystery, world politics, Buddhism and (steeped in) Eastern culture. This book would certainly appeal to Mr. Rosenfeld. Now as for the book club, here goes...

Another Genre to Mention...

Flipping through a recent Rolling Stone magazine I ran across an ad that really caught my eye. Check this out--(in red, large print) "Kung Fu Noir (Martial Art Fiction Comes of Age)" the ad proclaims.

Well, read further and the author of book promotion (The Cutting Season and Crocodile and the Crane, that is) explains all on his website. Of course, first you may go to the "kung fu noir" website and notice "Arthur Rosenfeld" in red at the bottom. This genre is (as of 2008) primarily: [a] unique blend of traditional martial arts tales (wuxia) with contemporary American crime fiction.

Different, huh? Rosenfeld says so and with a background in Asian culture and philosophy, a martial arts expert and writer of books and magazine articles, he appears to have "the right stuff" to proclaim this new genre. Here's a pix of the talented guy from his website. Our library system has his Crocodile book and would likely get more if these titles keep gaining interest.

Is he is on the start of a big new series for crime fiction? We'll have to see.

Growing Detective Genre--

Today, a co-worker slipped me a short article from the May issue of the AARP Bulletin entitled "Aging Sleuths: Turn Page on Mysteries" about the graying of the fictional detective field. That is, novels "featuring crime-solving protagonists age-70 plus, is growing in popularity."

Now, senior-age detectives have been around, of course, for years and years but "geezer lit" as some what to term it is becoming more popular. One insider may describe the genre as the new kid on the block in some regards as far as writers, titles, and public interest. Harlan Coban, Mystery Writers of America president and best-selling author, said, "It could be the next big frontier in crime fiction."

Three highlighted books in the article are available at PLCMC libraries: Mike Befeler (Retirement Homes are Murder), Parnell Hall (The Sudoku Puzzle Murders) and Rita Lakin (Getting Old Is To Die For).

Summer reading ideas--

My hometown paper has an attractive "Summer reading" section today and there is a nifty "Mysteries/thrillers" section pulling up the rear with options. There were seven titles and I'll admit I could spend time on all but I have favors that appeal to me by plot or the author's previous work.

By plot, I could go for Jane Cleland's Antiques To Die For with a mystery involving a New Hampshire antiques dealer whose good friend suddenly drowns. There's also Phillip Margolin's thriller Executive Privilege with a murder that touches high Washington offices and eventually the White House.

And I am interested to read what local writer Mark de Castrique has new with Blackman's Coffin. I've read the first book of his other series with corner Barry Clayton. This new series has U.S. military investigator Sam Blackman residing in the Asheville veteran's hospital after a stint in Iraq. There he becomes involved in a murder investigation with deep town roots.

Mystery novelist visit at PLCMC--

I had received a message in advance but still couldn't work it in my schedule to see a promising author visit. The main public library hosted mystery novelist Elizabeth Zelvin on May 14th. She came to discuss her debut mystery, Death Will Get You Sober which was published in April.

Just as bad, I forgot to mention this at my book club too. Zelvin does believe in staying within a keyboard's reach of the public though as she promotes her book at website. The book features New York City psychotherapist Bruce Kohler who's a recovering alcoholic. During his new bout with sobriety, he finds incidents of homeless alcoholics turning up death--including one he befriends--and starts his own measured investigation.

Book club hosted author in April--

The April book session was a special event as we hosted local mystery writer Terry Hoover. Ms. Hoover is the author of Double Dead (a Steve Harlan mystery). Set in the early 60's in Charlotte, North Carolina, Harlan is a young family man who's recently entered the private detective profession.

And the detective gets his big break by assisting in a big murder case involving a big-time bank executive, John Lattimore, tried for the death of his suspected mistress, Delores Green. Harlan is pumped up about the case but loses some steam as Green's 13-year-old son is heavily involved the criminal processings by Lattimore's actions. As you might expect, Lattimore is not the ideal client (although his lawyer is a genuine good guy).

This novel is based on an actual crime Hoover said but it is a fictional story not true crime. Click here to see her website and here's a pix of Terry from that night. She said she mulled developing this novel idea over when a couple of celebrity murder stories were plastered in the news. And she added Double Dead is her second novel with the character as an unpublished book--she couldn't get a publisher for this story--focused on Harlan's involvement in a racially-charged crime as a then newspaper reporter.

To no one's surprise, the questions and discussions during the evening dealt with the writing process. Hoover said she would meet with other writers to review their work and to pick it apart. Published writer Cathy Pickens is a member of the group and she said the group has harsh critics (OK, she said used the "b" word) that review and evaluate each other. As it turned out, Pickens heard about this author visit and stopped by to join in herself. Anyway, finding good critics to review your work is a huge benefit according to Hoover.

Jogging my memory, here are a few things the questions and answers covered including: * Why not have a mystery without a murder or violence? Terry mentioned one novel that fitted that bill and another mentioned that missing persons may also cover that type of story. Otherwise, murders in mysteries are the expected norm.
* Was the ending planned out in advance or did sort of evolve? The ending was scheduled and planned out.
*My mother complains that she can always figure out the criminal in the book before the story ends. Try reading more challenging mysteries (and some writers were suggested).
* The investigation seemed to follow a natural course with Harlan's interviews except during one instance--why? I went back and forth over the scene and sided with a dramatic moment.
* Is it difficult (or frustrating) to read bad material? In a word, it's "yes."

So what is next for Terry Hoover? A new mystery novel is in the works but Terry admits the writing is going slow. This summer the pace should pick up she says. And Cathy Pickens chides her that the writing group also misses her.

True crime story credited for British mysteries--

Two weeks ago, NPR's "Fresh Air" the book critic Maureen Corrigan offered up a glowing review for a book credited with inspiring British mystery fiction we know it today. More specifically, though, the book tells of one true crime story in 1860 with the murder of a once missing three-year-old boy snatched from his family. The book, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: a shocking murder and the undoing of a great Victorian detective, is written by Kate Summerscale. Here's a pix of Summerscale from Google.

Briefly, this true crime story involved the work of the newly-formed Scotland Yard detective force with Detective Inspector Jonathan Whicher in charge of the case. Regretfully, almost all in household of the murder victim became suspects--the Kent household--which included a nursemaid. In time, a suspect is charged and tried but despite all the police's effort--found not guilty because of a weak case. Afterwards, Whicher--a revered figure before--is demoralized and suffers professionally. And years later, the actual murderer is revealed.

Although during the actual investigation, the British are spellbound by the crime and fastinated with a crime story which invites their guesses.

Summerscale appears to have mined gold in telling the true story of a crime which served as a blueprint for fiction writers interested in developing murder mysteries.

A little gift to start the week--

I received a little gift to start the week in the form of a paperback mystery by Elizabeth Ironside. A new writer to me, Ironside is the pen name for Lady Catherine Manning who's written psychological thrillers for more than 20 years according to the Washington Post. Here's an old (1978, I suspect from a tag on the pix) but solo photo of Lady Manning from Google.

She is also the wife of Sir David Manning, a recent British Ambassador to the U.S.

The book I received today Death in the Garden features a mysterious death which spans 60 years involving the attention of family members both of whom turn 30 years old. Set in Britain during 1925, Diana Pollexfen celebrates her birthday when her husband dies from a poison cocktail. This cocktail includes photographic chemicals which Diana owns. Fast forward to Diana's grand-niece, Helena, in 1985, and she obsesses over the old story while reviewing Diana's old papers to look anew into George Pollexfen's death.

Death in the Garden is a gift from a library regular who said his wife is mystery lover and enjoys this writer. So, I appreciate the thoughtfulness and I'll share about this writer now. It definitely sounds like a good, classic-styled mystery. The paperback also touts critical praise from the Denver Post, the New York Times and National Public Radio.

This book was originally published in the UK in 1995 with the U.S. edition to follow ten years later. The book is 294 pages and published by Felony & Mayhem.

New Mysteries on the Shelves (3)

I skipped a month in March with new titles but here are two more now. My first one is listed in the library system's African American fiction section yet it is also a mystery series.

Bill Moody's Shades of Blue is another in a series of the Evan Horne novels with a jazz pianist who gets involved in mysteries and danger. In this novel, Horne is currently in California with modest success in the Bay Area jazz circuit. Things quickly change as Horne receives a phone call that his mentor and fellow pianist, Calvin Hughes, has died leaving him all his possessions including a small Hollywood home. Sifting through Hughes' sheet music remains, Horne finds notes of significant jazz recordings which appear to be his uncredited work. That might be the case yet Horne probes and finds yet even more secrets might exist.

Shades of Blue is the sixth book of this series and is 265 pages.

The second book is Southern Fatality : a Jersey Barnes mystery by T. Lynn Ocean. This the first (as best as I can tell) novel with tough lady private investigator Jersey Barnes, a former private security specialist. Set in the Carolinas, Barnes accepts a job from a boyfriend which should be a "simple favor" of surveillance but a double kidnapping and cover-up later prove matters very wrong. The trail includes a share of various characters with a faithful dog no less in a novel that doesn't shy away from humor and wit.

The book is 278 pages long.

My Library System Has the New Richard Wright Book

My library system has the new Richard Wright book—tbat’s right, the same Wright who wrote the classics you’d read in high school and died in 1960—A Father’s Law. It was an uncompleted novel Wright started near his death but was recently completed by his daughter Julia.

This novel of generational conflict focuses on the relationship between a black policeman and his son. Ruddy Turner, the father, has been recently promoted to police chief in a Chicago suburb and gets involved in the investigation of a series of murders. Due to several consequences, Ruddy becomes uneasy with the notion that his son may be directly involved with the deaths.

A recent letter to the editor in the New York Times Book Review noted that Wright’s new book could be traced to the influence of writer Cornell Woolrich. Woolrich was a popular pulp writer during the 1930s and 1940s and Wright was a fan of those mystery magazines. In fact, one of Woolrich’s stories “Charlie Won’t Be Home Tonight” mirrors Wright’s novel although with white characters.

And Woolrich does have a writing legacy continuing today as a recognized classic crime writer and source for film noirs including Alfred Hitchcock’s famous Rear Window.

Award Nominated Show Returns in Fall--

According to the ABC-TV website, one of my new favorite shows won't return--with new episodes anyway--until this fall. Pushing Daisies is the quirky series about a man, Ned, who can briefly bring the dead back to life by a touch. With this strange power, he has started working with a private investigator part-time to solve murders while still working full-time as a baker in a dessert restaurant called (no-joke) "The Pie-Hole."

Needless to say this modestly serious-themed show revels in humor and fantasy along with tales of murderers committing murder. And apparently the show has drawn its fair share of notice too, as one episode is nominated for an Edgar Mystery Award this year. In the category of "Best Television Teleplay," writer Bryan Fuller is nominated for "Pie-Lette."

From the ABC-TV website, here's a pix with series regulars from the episode "Dummy" with "Chuck" actress Anna Friel, "Emerson Cod" actor Chi McBride and "Ned" actor Lee Pace. As I said earlier, Pushing Daisies is a favorite for me--I'm ready to purchase a first season DVD for the series.

Book club discusses "The Cloud of Unknowing"

Thomas Cook's The Cloud of Unknowing was the selection for this month's book club. While not a traditional mystery in the sense of a "whodunit," it asked the question "did he (or she) do it?"

David Sears is sitting with a police detective discussing the incidents involving a death in his sister's family and the strong suspicious she has of her husband's involvement. Did he actually commit murder--of his own son? David's sister Diana becomes more and more convinced that her son Jason did die by Mark's hand (the cause of death is listed as an accidental drowning). Diana's behavior, however, appears to become a little strange and David worries that as his father suffered from schizophrenia--Diana might too.

Cook's novel alternatives between two stories David tells, the first in the present day with Detective Petrie and the recent past with details of Diana's activities and his response. Here's a pix of Cook that appears on the inside book jacket.

What's the story here with David, Diana and the others? Diana leaves Mark and quickly divorces him. Although abrupt, she is grieving after her son's death and suffering--why should she stay with Mark? Still her activities get weird and David and his wife, Abby, don't want their daughter Patty to become too close to Diana now and that has begun to happen.

The relationships involving Patty alone brought a lot of discussion as the headstrong daughter isn't reined in by the passive parents. Teenage Patty sees herself as assertive but the parents got raked over the coals for not controlling their daughter. David, especially, was viewed as the meekest of men--one club member noted that throughout the book--but as he was routinely harshly dismissed by father in favor of his sister, he would have issues. David was also viewed as a frustrating character as the storyteller/main character. Would the novel have benefited from another point of view, like Patty's? Sure.

However, Cook does give the book its tunnel vision with David's voice and Diana as the major focus of the book. Otherwise, the writing was noted as being good and the story set a reasonable length.

The book even takes an otherworldly pace with character names from Greek literature (i.e., Diana, Jason and Hypatia) and the mention of the Greek belief Gaia which says the world is a living organism with the ability to see and hear. Could Diana's interest in Gaia help prove her case against Mark? Well, not in this story as Gaia is only a disappointing small sidebar said one book clubber.

As the novel continues we wonder if another murder occurs because of David's long interview. One book club member guessed one character had murdered another but a twist at the end changes that completely. Cook does have a nice move with twisting storylines at the end.

So to get to the payoff for the book as it ends, how is it and did (s)he do it? We believe despite the number of deaths in the book, there was one murder. Otherwise, one reader really liked the book, another liked it, two were under whelmed but finished the book and another did not finish reading the book.

Discovered in a paperback library book--

One of my co-workers found this in a paperback book recently and its a genuine "fun read" to remember the alphabet... The work is unsigned--does it look familiar to anyone?--so I'll just say the author is anonymous:

26 Casualties

A is for Amy who fell down the stairs
B is for Basil devoured by bears
C is for Catherine smothered under a rug
D is for David done in by a thug
E is for Emily who slipped down the drain
F is for Fanny squashed under a train
G is for George stabbed with a safety pin
H is for Harold who drank too much gin
I is for Ida who drowned in a lake
J is for John who burnt at the stake
K is for Kelly who was smashed with a safe
L is for Lina blinded by mace
M is for Mary abandoned on the road
N is for Neville who licked a poisonous toad
O is for Ona stuck under a tree
P is for Polly who died of ennui
Q is for Quina who was already dead
R is for Rhonda who took poison instead
S is for Sally, she choked on a peach
T is for Timmy sucked dry by a leech
U is for Uma struck by an axe
V is for Velma shot in the back
W is for Wally who is no longer sane
X is for Xida who crashed in a plane
Y is for Yona squeezed to death by a vice
Z is for Zack eaten by mice.

New Mysteries on the Shelves (2)

I don't want to let a month go by without mentioning what's new on the library's the book shelves for mystery readers. Here are two more:

The first book is In Cold Pursuit by Sarah Andrews. This sounds like a dream opportunity for a young researcher. Geology graduate student Valena Walker travels to Antarctica to study glaciology--actually a lifelong dream to visit the location--with the esteemed Dr. Emmett Vanderzee. Dr. Vanderzee is unavailable to her as she is stunned to learn he is arrested and accused of murder. Underway with her studies, Walker concludes she needs to help Vanderzee clear his name as her grant-supported work could end otherwise. She does this by attempting to investigate the death of a reporter visiting the area. The reporter was conducting an investigation into research discrediting Dr. Vanderzee.

In steps that mirror her fictional character, Andrews recently used a grant from the National Science Foundation to study in Antarctica. The book has 336 pages.

The next book is Crime & Clutter by Cyndy Salzmann. Described as an inspirational cozy, this is the second of a series of a six middle-age women who comprise the "Friday Afternoon Club," a fun-filled group that meets to cook, eat and chat. Mary Alice has the huge cleaning project with a storage unit in a 1963 Volkswagen minibus and finds old letters from that period involving her father whom she barely knew. Her friends also get involved with the work and the novel switches between the women's story today and Mary Alice's parents in the 1960s, a pair of then hippies caught up in the times. Mary Alice has a tough struggle here as she relives her father's abandonment of her as a baby. Although dead, can she forgive him? The book has 270 pages with recipes and discussion questions.

Book club discusses "Murder Among the OWLS"

This month the book club discussed the newest of a long-running mystery series by Bill Crider featuring Sheriff Dan Rhodes. Murder Among the OWLS: a Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery is the 14th book featuring the law enforcement chief in a small Texas county.

Fortunately, as new readers to this series--which included all gathered--we didn't feel as if we jumped in the middle of the series and had to play catch up. That's always appreciated (some incidents of previous crime cases were mentioned in passing mostly). The novel focuses on the death of an older woman, Helen Harris, in the community whose death appears accidental but the sheriff's gut feelings say otherwise. Why, for instance, did Helen's cat's show up at Dan's home when it is "strictly an indoor cat."

The longest section of our discussion covered the proper amount of police force to use when confronting a hostile situation. During two different times Rhodes is attacked with an improvised weapon (one much more deadly than the other) and the laid-back sheriff doesn't forcefully enough quickly quell the situation. That led to talk about a character flaw with Rhodes and the genuine need to overpower others. Rhodes tries peaceable methods but hesitates to use force and pays the price by getting banged up. In a more realistic setting, we couldn't imagine that could stay the case. Sadly, two mentioned how police may be confronted with deadly consequences when challenged by from defiant, angry individuals.

Another person noted in comparison a fictional female sheriff who had a different and more forceful attitude as being more suited for the position of sheriff.

All in all though, Rhodes tracks down a murder in a conclusion that puzzled one attendee just a little. He just found the reason for murder to be a little unclear and others responded with the character's motivations.

Writer Crider did provide a quick read for most in his an affable-styled writing. Clear and precise, one person noted an appreciation for repeating situations using different words and another for skipping repeatable dialogue. (Here's a pix of Crider from his blog I found on Google. He apparently writes nonstop--take a look at his website.)

Crider also provided a wonderfully, funny beginning for his book as I read the first four paragraphs about the cat "Sam" who wanders in and creates a home in Rhodes' house. Of course, he sneezes around it and his wife's reaction ("you're not really allergic to anything") is part of the dry humor in the story. Another found two anxious and needy deputies quite funny as Rhodes is surrounded at work by those easily-available, apparent busybodies.

In a quick informal poll, the book rated as a good, pleasant read and some began to read earlier books in the series.

A Writer Last Year, a Sheriff This Year...?

Daniel "Chipp" Bailey certainly can't be faulted for multi-tasking. Last year, the part-time author had his third mystery novel hit the library and bookstores--A Lowcountry Murder. Take a look at his author website and you'll see he is a South Carolina "Lowcountry" fan (that actual area is South Carolina's coastal counties, including Charleston and below).

His new book has the story of a former Atlanta detective, Jed Bradley, reluctantly investigating a series of murders in his childhood home in South Carolina with possible strong personal ties that go back 40 years.

Bailey's other work is as the newly-appointed sheriff of Mecklenburg County as of February 6th. Working previously as the chief deputy sheriff, Bailey was outgoing Sheriff Jim Pendergraph's choice to succeed him (Pendergraph was leaving the post three years early after accepting a job with federal Homeland Security department).

That move to sheriff for Bailey appeared likely until a challenger, Charlotte attorney Nick Mackey, garnered support to become elected sheriff by the local Democratic party. Unfortunately for Mackey though, questions dogged his background and, moreover, the election itself was overturned by the state Democratic party as being termed flawed. Rushing to appoint a new sheriff, the county commissioners quickly appointed Bailey, who publicly expressed interest in the job. And needless to say, this story was well-covered by the local media and Bailey has his share of newspaper coverage.

However, I'd have to guess that all publicity can't hurt as Bailey's older books are in demand with current library requests according to a recent catalog check.

Academy Award Winner "Crime Saga"--

Novelist Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men which had become a critically-praised movie has now grabbed Hollywood's top honor with its Oscar win last night. As a movie fan and mystery reader, I'm pleased this violent but good movie won.

Billed as a "crime saga" in one web site I read, the story of No Country is ripe for print or the big screen with the theft of drug money and the chase that ensues. This story follows the thief of stolen money, a psychopathic killer after the thief and the sheriff concerned about both.

A quick check of our library catalog shows the expected interest of this title with a brisk demand for the book and new upcoming DVD by requests following the four award wins at the Academy Awards. I haven't read the book or seen the movie but I'm hopeful to at least see the movie in the near future. Following last night, I am especially interested in seeing the movie with actors Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones in this new critically-lauded Coen brothers production.